Ferndale Point Roberts Sits in a Different Weather Zone Than the Rest of Whatcom County
Point Roberts is a small peninsula hanging off the bottom of the Tsawwassen lands, surrounded by water on three sides where the Strait of Georgia and Boundary Bay meet. That geography matters more than most homeowners realize when it comes to siding. A house a few miles inland in Ferndale or Bellingham gets some protection from tree cover and terrain. A house on Point Roberts is exposed to wind coming straight off open water, carrying salt spray, and it sees driving rain that hits siding at an angle instead of falling straight down.
Add in the Pacific Northwest's long, low-light moss season — roughly October through April, sometimes longer on shaded north and west walls — and you've got a combination that ages siding faster than it would almost anywhere else in the county: constant moisture, salt exposure, and organic growth that holds water against the wall assembly. Any siding material or installation detail that's "good enough" inland can fall short out here.
What Board & Batten Siding Is — And Why It Suits This Kind of Property
Board & batten is a vertical siding pattern: wide flat panels installed with narrow strips (battens) covering the seams between them. It's one of the oldest siding styles in the Pacific Northwest, originally used on barns and cabins because the vertical lines shed water efficiently and the batten-covered seams kept wind-driven rain from working its way into the joints.
On Point Roberts, that history is still relevant. A lot of the housing stock out there leans toward cabin, cottage, and modern-coastal styling — board & batten reads as at-home in that setting in a way a suburban lap-siding profile doesn't always. It also holds up visually to a wide, open water view: the strong vertical shadow lines don't wash out the way flat panel siding can in bright, reflected coastal light.
But the aesthetic is only half the reason it works here. Installed correctly, the batten-over-seam design is genuinely better at shedding wind-driven rain than a lot of alternative patterns — which matters a great deal on a peninsula that gets rain coming sideways off the water more often than most of Whatcom County.
What a Correct Board & Batten Installation Actually Involves
Board & batten looks simple from the street, which is exactly why it's easy to install wrong. The pattern hides a lot of the assembly, and if the water management behind it isn't right, you won't see the problem until moisture damage has already set in.
The Rainscreen Gap Behind the Battens
Vertical siding needs a drainage gap between the back of the panel and the water-resistive barrier — not just fastened flush to the sheathing. That gap lets any water that gets past the battens drain down and out instead of sitting against the wall. On a house exposed to constant salt air and driving rain, skipping this detail is one of the fastest ways to turn a cosmetic siding job into a rot problem a few years down the line.
Flashing, Housewrap, and Drainage Details
Every window, door, and horizontal transition needs flashing that directs water out and away from the wall, layered correctly with the housewrap underneath — housewrap over the top flange, flashing over the housewrap below it, so water always moves downward over the next layer rather than behind it. Butt joints between panels need to be caulked or backed with proper flashing tape, not just covered by a batten and left. A batten hides a bad seam just as easily as it protects a good one.
Fasteners That Won't Corrode in Salt Air
Standard fasteners corrode faster in a salt-air environment than most homeowners expect, and a rusting fastener head will eventually stain the siding and lose its grip. Battens and panels both need corrosion-resistant fasteners rated for the exposure, run to the manufacturer's spacing and embedment spec — not just "close enough."
Why We Only Install James Hardie for Board & Batten
We get asked fairly often why we don't offer cedar, LP SmartSide, or vinyl in a board & batten profile — all three can be made to look similar to Hardie's board & batten system, and all three have a place somewhere in siding. Our answer is specific to conditions like Point Roberts', not a blanket knock on those products.
| Material | How it handles salt air & driving rain | Long-term maintenance burden |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar | Natural water resistance when new, but repeated wetting and salt exposure accelerate cupping, splitting, and graying | Refinishing/staining on a recurring cycle; more frequent recaulking at battens |
| LP SmartSide | Engineered wood strand product — performs well in dry climates but is more sensitive to sustained moisture exposure at cut edges and seams | Edge sealing and caulk maintenance are critical; failures often start at unsealed field cuts |
| Vinyl board & batten look | Won't rot, but can warp, fade, or crack in temperature swings and doesn't hold up visually against strong coastal light | Low maintenance but limited lifespan and repair options if a panel is damaged |
| James Hardie fiber cement | Non-combustible, dimensionally stable, engineered HZ product lines built for wet coastal exposure | Factory ColorPlus finish holds color; occasional wash-down for salt film and moss is the main upkeep |
Fiber cement doesn't absorb water the way wood-based products do, and it doesn't move with humidity and temperature the way vinyl does. Hardie's HZ5 product line in particular is engineered for wetter, colder climate zones like ours. Combined with the ColorPlus factory finish — which is baked on rather than field-applied — you get a board & batten wall assembly that isn't depending on a homeowner's future recaulking and repainting schedule to keep water out. That's the standard we've chosen to build on, and it's the only one we install.
Our Process for a Point Roberts Job
Point Roberts is technically part of Whatcom County, but it isn't reachable by road without crossing into Canada and back — it's connected to the rest of the county by water more than by highway. That's not a detail most siding companies think about until it affects their schedule.
Getting Materials and Crew to Point Roberts
Because we already work in Point Roberts regularly, we plan around the border crossing rather than discovering it mid-project: material deliveries, crew documentation, and daily scheduling are built into the estimate up front instead of causing delays once the job has started. A crew that's making its first trip out to the peninsula on your job is learning that logistics lesson on your timeline.
What to Expect, Estimate Through Finish
- On-site walkthrough to assess existing siding, wall condition, and any moisture damage before a bid is written
- Written estimate that specifies Hardie product line, batten spacing, and fastening schedule — not just "board and batten siding"
- Confirmed delivery and crew schedule that accounts for the Point Roberts border crossing
- Removal of old siding down to the sheathing, with a real look at what's underneath before anything new goes up
- Rainscreen gap, housewrap, and flashing installed per manufacturer spec — not skipped to save time
- Final walkthrough covering caulking, fastener finish, and touch-up before the crew leaves
Living With Board & Batten Siding in This Climate
Even the right material and installation still benefit from a little homeowner attention out here. Salt film builds up on siding facing open water and is worth rinsing off a couple of times a year — a garden hose and soft brush is usually enough. During moss season, keep an eye on shaded walls and roof-adjacent siding where moss and algae tend to establish first; a gentle wash before growth gets a foothold is far easier than removing it once it's set in. Check caulk joints at trim and window flashing annually, since that's the first place a gap will show up if it's going to. None of this is heavy maintenance — it's the kind of upkeep that keeps a well-installed Hardie board & batten wall looking and performing the way it did on day one for decades, rather than years.
What Drives the Cost on a Job Like This
Board & batten typically costs somewhat more than standard lap siding to install, mainly because of the extra labor in hanging and fastening the battens themselves, plus the additional trim work at corners and openings. On Point Roberts specifically, a few other factors tend to move the number:
| Factor | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| Existing wall condition | Homes with prior moisture intrusion may need sheathing repair before new siding goes on |
| Wall height and exposure | Walls facing open water or prevailing wind need extra attention to flashing and fastening |
| Logistics | Material delivery and crew scheduling across the border are built into project timing |
| Trim and batten spacing | Tighter batten spacing and more corner/window trim add labor hours |
We walk every property in person before quoting, because the condition behind the old siding — not just the square footage — is usually what actually drives the price.
If you're weighing board & batten siding for a Point Roberts home, we're glad to walk the property, look at what's there now, and put together a straightforward, no-pressure estimate — just fill out the form below.