Fairhaven Siding Board and batten has been part of the Pacific Northwest's visual language for well over a century — you'll spot it on old waterfront warehouses near the Fairhaven Historic District, on barns out past Lynden, and increasingly on new builds and remodels that want a cleaner, more vertical look than lap siding gives you. James Hardie makes a fiber cement version of this profile, and it's one of the more popular choices we install. This guide walks through what it actually is, where it works well, and what separates a board and batten job that lasts from one that doesn't.
What Board and Batten Actually Is
Traditional board and batten is simple: wide vertical boards installed side by side, with narrower strips (the "battens") covering the seams between them. That seam-covering function is the whole point of the design — it started as a practical way to keep wind-driven rain out of a wall assembly, which is exactly the problem you're fighting in a place like Fairhaven, where storms roll in off the Strait of Georgia and hit exterior walls at an angle rather than straight down.
James Hardie's version, sold under the Artisan and HardiePanel lines, replicates that look in factory-finished fiber cement. You get the vertical board-and-batten profile without the wood behind it that would otherwise be soaking up moisture every wet season and drying out every summer.
Why the Vertical Look Works Here
Board and batten reads as more contemporary and more architectural than horizontal lap siding, which is a big reason it's showing up on new construction and remodels around Bellingham Bay. It also does something practical: vertical lines shed water down and off the wall rather than letting it sit on a horizontal ledge, which matters when you're getting the kind of sustained driving rain Whatcom County sees from fall through spring.
It's common to see board and batten used as an accent — gables, dormers, a front entry feature — paired with lap siding on the rest of the house. That combination gives a home visual texture without turning the whole exterior into a single flat plane, and it's one of the most requested combinations we see in this area.
James Hardie's Board and Batten Options
| Product | What It Is | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Artisan Accent Trim + Panel | Higher-end, deeper reveal, more dimensional shadow line | Feature walls, custom/architectural homes |
| HardiePanel Vertical Siding | Standard panel system with batten strips over joints | Full-home application, gable accents, garages |
| HardieTrim boards | Used as the batten strips themselves | Paired with either panel option |
Both come pre-primed or in factory ColorPlus finish, which matters more here than in drier climates — a factory-baked finish resists the moisture and UV cycling that breaks down field-applied paint faster along the coast.
Color and Texture Choices
Board and batten panels come in smooth and cedar-textured (stucco-look and woodgrain) finishes. Smooth panels give the cleanest, most modern read and show shadow lines from the battens sharply — good for contemporary designs. Woodgrain texture softens that look and blends better with a more traditional or craftsman-style home, which is common in the older Fairhaven neighborhoods.
On color, board and batten's strong vertical lines make it a natural fit for a two-tone exterior: a darker or bolder color on the vertical accent sections, a lighter complementary tone on the horizontal lap field. ColorPlus finishes are available in Hardie's standard palette, and because the color is baked on at the factory rather than sprayed on site, it holds truer over the years — an advantage worth weighing in a climate that puts real wear on painted wood trim.
Where Installation Quality Actually Matters
Board and batten lives or dies on the details, and this is where a lot of siding jobs — regardless of brand — go wrong:
- Batten spacing and fastening. Battens need to be fastened correctly relative to the panel joints and blocked where required, not just nailed for looks.
- Rainscreen or drainage plane. A drainage gap behind the panels lets any moisture that gets past the surface dry out instead of sitting against the wall — important given how long the wet season runs here.
- Flashing at horizontal transitions. Anywhere board and batten meets a roofline, window head, or a lap siding section needs proper flashing, not just caulk.
- Manufacturer-specified fastening and clearances. James Hardie publishes exact fastener patterns and ground clearance requirements for a reason — those specs are what the warranty is built around.
This is also why we install James Hardie exclusively rather than mixing in other fiber cement or composite panel brands. Consistent product specs mean consistent installation details, and consistent installation details are what keep a board and batten wall performing after ten or twenty Whatcom County winters.
Is Board and Batten Right for Your Home?
It's not the right call for every house — a heavily detailed Victorian in the historic district might call for traditional lap siding and trim, while a modern build or a garage/shop accent might be an ideal fit for full board and batten coverage. The honest answer depends on your home's architecture, your goals, and how it'll hold up against salt air rolling off the bay and the moss and mildew pressure that builds up on north-facing walls through a long gray winter.
If you're weighing board and batten against lap siding, or want to see how an accent section would look against your home's existing lines, we're happy to walk through it with you. Reach out for a free, no-pressure estimate and we'll give you a straight answer on what fits your house and your budget.