Lynden Window Board & Batten Siding Built for the Wet Side of the Border
Abbotsford, BC sits in the Fraser Valley, just across the line from Whatcom County, and the two sides of the border share the same weather system more than they share a government. Marine air pushes in off the Salish Sea and the Strait of Georgia, drops driving rain for months at a stretch, and leaves behind a moss season that can run from early fall well into spring. That combination is hard on any exterior, but it is especially hard on siding that was chosen for how it looks rather than how it sheds water.
Board and batten is one of the most requested siding styles in this region, and for good reason — it fits the farmhouse and craftsman character common on both sides of the valley. But it is also one of the least forgiving styles to install poorly. The vertical boards and the narrow battens that cover each seam create more joints, more fastening points, and more places for water to find a way behind the surface if the detailing underneath is wrong. We install board and batten on Abbotsford-area homes regularly, and everything below is built around what this specific look needs to hold up in this specific climate — not a generic rundown of siding options.
What Board & Batten Siding Actually Is
Board and batten uses wide vertical boards installed edge to edge (or with a small gap), with a narrower strip — the batten — fastened over each seam. The result is a strong vertical line with visible shadow lines at regular intervals, which is why it reads as more agricultural or rustic than a horizontal lap profile. It's a natural fit for the dairy-and-farmland character that both Whatcom County and the Fraser Valley are known for, and it works just as well on a full-height exterior as it does mixed with lap siding as an accent on gables or a porch.
Board & Batten vs. Lap Siding: A Different Water Path
Horizontal lap siding is designed to shed water downward, course over course, almost like shingles. Board and batten doesn't have that built-in overlap — water runs straight down the face of the boards and along the battens instead of being deflected outward at every seam. That's not a flaw in the style, but it does mean the weather-resistive barrier, drainage plane, and flashing details underneath have to do more of the work than they would behind a lap profile. Get those details right and board and batten performs just as well in a wet climate as any other siding style. Get them wrong, and the same vertical joints that make the look distinctive become the paths water uses to get behind the siding.
Why We Only Install This Look in James Hardie Fiber Cement
Board and batten's extra seams and fastening points are exactly why we standardized on James Hardie fiber cement rather than offering it in every material on the market. A few of the alternatives homeowners ask about:
- LP SmartSide has an engineered-wood (OSB-based) core. It performs fine when every cut edge and seam is factory-sealed and caulked to spec — but board and batten multiplies the number of seams and batten-fastener penetrations that need that treatment, and a wood-based core that takes on moisture at even a few of them will swell, and swelling shows fastest right at those visible batten lines.
- Vinyl board and batten is usually a molded panel rather than true separate boards and battens, and it relies on being able to move behind its fasteners for thermal expansion — which limits how solidly it can be face-fastened at every batten, the opposite of what a durable board and batten install wants.
- Cedar is a genuine, attractive option, but real wood shrinks and swells with humidity, and in a climate with this much sustained dampness that movement shows up as checking, cupping, and open joints at exactly the seams battens are meant to protect — driving a repainting and recaulking cycle that's hard to keep ahead of.
James Hardie fiber cement is dimensionally stable across wet and dry cycles, doesn't support the kind of moisture-driven swelling that shows up at seams, and comes factory-finished with ColorPlus Technology — a baked-on finish that holds color and resists the UV and moisture cycling this area gets, backed by a substantial warranty on both the product and the finish. That combination is why it's the only material we put behind a board and batten install.
| Material | How it handles a wet, seam-heavy profile | Ongoing upkeep |
|---|---|---|
| James Hardie fiber cement | Dimensionally stable; doesn't swell at battens or cut edges; factory-finished | Occasional rinse and caulk check; no repainting cycle |
| LP SmartSide (engineered wood) | Fine if every seam and penetration stays sealed; more seams here means more risk points | Ongoing caulk and seal maintenance, especially at battens |
| Vinyl | Limited by expansion needs; hard to face-fasten solidly at every batten | Low upkeep, but appearance and rigidity limits are permanent |
| Cedar | Shrinks/swells with moisture; battens can loosen or open at joints | Recurring refinishing and recaulking on a real schedule |
What a Correct Board & Batten Install Involves
The style is only as good as what's behind it. On every board and batten job we treat the following as non-negotiable, not optional upgrades:
- A continuous weather-resistive barrier installed and lapped correctly before a single board goes up
- A rainscreen gap (furring strips) behind the boards so any moisture that does get past the surface has somewhere to drain and dry, instead of sitting against the sheathing
- Fasteners driven into structural framing, not just sheathing, at both the boards and the battens
- Batten spacing planned out before install, not eyeballed board by board, so reveals stay even across the whole elevation
- Correct flashing at every window head, door head, and horizontal trim transition
- Proper clearance between the bottom of the siding and grade, decks, or hardscape so boards aren't sitting in standing moisture
- Fastening and caulking done to James Hardie's published installation instructions, not generic siding practice
Skipping any one of these doesn't usually show up on day one. It shows up two or three wet seasons later, when moss and streaking start concentrating around one seam or one elevation instead of spreading evenly — a sign that water is finding a specific weak point rather than just sitting on the surface.
How We Approach Every Board & Batten Job
The process is the same whether the home is in Whatcom County or across the line in Abbotsford:
- Assessment — we look at the existing siding, check the sheathing underneath for hidden moisture damage, and note anything (rot, missing flashing, past repairs) that needs to be addressed before new siding goes on top of it.
- Planning — we work out board width and batten spacing that fits the home's proportions, especially around windows and corners, before ordering material.
- Prep and removal — old siding comes off, the sheathing gets inspected and repaired where needed, and the weather-resistive barrier and rainscreen furring go on correctly the first time.
- Installation — boards and battens go up to spec, with flashing integrated at every penetration and transition as we go, not patched in afterward.
- Final walkthrough — we go over the finished job with the homeowner, including what routine upkeep looks like going forward.
Why a Lynden Crew That Already Works Abbotsford, BC Matters
A siding crew's first job in a new area is always a learning curve — figuring out the local weather patterns, the common home styles, what tends to go wrong on older exteriors. We're past that curve in Abbotsford because we already work there regularly. Crossing the border for a job — coordinating material deliveries, scheduling around crossing times, working within whatever permitting process the local municipality requires — is routine for us, not a special arrangement we have to figure out for the first time on your project.
That familiarity matters more for board and batten than for most siding styles, because it's the style where the underlying detailing has the least room for guesswork. A crew seeing a Fraser Valley exterior for the first time is more likely to install board and batten the same way they would in a drier climate. A crew that already knows how long the moss season runs here, and how much driving rain a west-facing wall can take in a given winter, plans the rainscreen, flashing, and batten spacing accordingly from the start.
What Board & Batten Costs Depend On
We don't quote pricing without seeing the home, but the factors that move the number are consistent from job to job:
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Home size and elevation area | More square footage of board and batten means more boards, battens, and fasteners |
| Condition of existing sheathing | Rot or moisture damage found during removal adds repair work before new siding can go on |
| Batten spacing and reveal width | Tighter batten spacing uses more material and more labor hours than a wider reveal |
| Trim complexity | Homes with more windows, corners, and roof transitions need more flashing and trim detail |
| Color selection | Standard ColorPlus colors versus premium or custom color options can affect material cost |
Keeping Board & Batten Looking Right Through a Long Moss Season
James Hardie board and batten needs far less upkeep than wood or engineered-wood alternatives, but "low maintenance" isn't "no maintenance," especially with a moss season this long. A short annual routine keeps it looking the way it did on install day:
- Rinse the siding down once a year, focusing on shaded, north-facing, and tree-covered elevations where moss and algae tend to establish first
- Keep gutters clear so water sheets off the roof edge instead of running down the face of the siding
- Trim back vegetation and landscaping that keeps a section of wall damp and shaded longer than the rest of the house
- Do a quick visual check of caulking at window trim, corners, and penetrations once a year, and touch up anything that's cracked or pulled away
- Watch the base of the wall near grade, decks, or planters for any spot where water or debris is collecting against the bottom boards
Because the finish is factory-applied and warrantied, you're not on a repainting schedule the way you would be with cedar — the upkeep is mostly about keeping water and moss from lingering rather than refinishing the surface itself.
If you're weighing board and batten for a home in the Abbotsford area, we're glad to take a look and talk through what it would actually involve for your specific house. The estimate is free, there's no pressure, and you'll get a straight answer about what your exterior needs — use the form below to get started.