Anacortes Siding Why March Point's Location Changes the Siding Equation
March Point sits out on the water, surrounded by Fidalgo Bay and Padilla Bay, which means homes here take weather from more directions than a house tucked into a typical Anacortes neighborhood. Wind-driven rain off the water hits siding at an angle instead of falling straight down, salt-laden marine air accelerates corrosion on fasteners and trim, and the shaded, damp stretches created by evergreens and long Skagit County winters keep moss and algae going most of the year. None of this is unusual for Fidalgo Island. It just means the siding on a March Point home works harder than siding on a house twenty miles inland, and it needs to be installed with that in mind rather than treated as a generic exterior job.
Board and batten siding can handle this environment very well — but only when it's built correctly for it. A beautiful vertical profile on the wrong substrate, with the wrong gap behind it, will trap moisture in exactly the kind of climate March Point has. This page covers what a correct board and batten job looks like out here, and what we actually do differently because of it.
Why Board & Batten Fits This Area
The Look
Board and batten has become one of the most requested siding profiles in Skagit County over the past several years, especially on modern farmhouse and craftsman-influenced homes. The wide vertical boards with narrow battens covering the seams give a clean, linear look that reads as more custom than standard lap siding, and it pairs well with the mix of shingle, stone, and wood-tone accents common on newer builds and remodels around Anacortes.
The Practical Case
Beyond looks, vertical siding has a genuine functional advantage in a wet climate: water runs down the face of the boards instead of collecting along horizontal laps. That doesn't eliminate the need for good water management behind the siding, but it's one less place for standing moisture to sit. Combined with a fiber cement substrate that doesn't rot, swell, or feed mold the way wood board and batten can, it's a strong match for a site that gets driving rain off open water for a good part of the year.
What Correct Board & Batten Installation Actually Involves
Board and batten looks simple from the street — boards, battens, done. The installation is not simple, and on an exposed site like March Point, the details that get skipped on a rushed job are exactly the ones that determine whether the siding lasts.
Drainage Plane and Rainscreen Gap
Every board and batten wall needs a weather-resistive barrier behind it, and in a marine climate like this one, we build in a rainscreen gap — a small air space between the back of the siding and the wall — rather than nailing panels flat against the sheathing. That gap lets any moisture that does get past the siding drain and dry out instead of sitting against the wall assembly. On a site that takes wind-driven rain regularly, skipping this step is one of the most common ways board and batten siding fails early, regardless of what brand of siding was used.
Fastening and Batten Spacing
Vertical panels need to be fastened into solid framing at the correct spacing, with battens placed to cover panel seams completely and consistently. Batten spacing that's uneven, or fasteners that miss framing, shows up as visible waviness and loose battens within a few years — faster in a windy, wet location than in a sheltered one.
Flashing, Joints, and Trim Details
Every window, door, corner, and horizontal joint on a board and batten wall is a potential water entry point if it's not flashed and sealed correctly. This includes head flashing above openings, proper kickout flashing where roof lines meet walls, and sealant only where the manufacturer actually calls for it — over-caulking a joint that's supposed to drain can trap water just as badly as leaving it open. This is the part of the job that separates a siding crew that understands building science from one that's just covering the house.
The James Hardie System We Install
We install James Hardie exclusively — we don't do vinyl, LP SmartSide, or wood board and batten. That's a deliberate standard, not a lack of options, and it's especially relevant for a vertical profile like this one, where moisture performance and long-term stability matter more than on a simpler wall.
HardiePanel Vertical Siding
Our board and batten installations use HardiePanel vertical siding paired with Hardie trim battens. It's fiber cement — cement, sand, and cellulose fiber — so it doesn't rot, delaminate, or provide a food source for mold and moss the way wood-based board and batten can. It's also non-combustible, which matters given how much of Skagit County borders forested land.
ColorPlus Factory Finish
We spec ColorPlus finished panels and trim wherever the color selection allows it. That's a factory-applied, baked-on finish that resists fading and chipping far better than field-applied paint, and it means the seams and battens match color exactly instead of relying on a painter to color-match on site. James Hardie's HZ5 product line is engineered for climates like ours — freeze-thaw cycling, sustained damp, and the kind of weather Anacortes sees most of the year — which is a meaningful part of why we standardized on it over other fiber cement or engineered wood options.
Our Process for March Point Jobs
Because we already work on Fidalgo Island regularly, a March Point job starts the same way every job here should: with an honest look at what's actually happening behind the existing siding, not just what it looks like from the driveway.
- Walk the exterior and check for soft spots, existing moisture damage, or prior repairs that signal a wall assembly problem, not just a cosmetic one
- Confirm whether the current wall needs a full tear-off or can support a proper rainscreen retrofit
- Plan the drainage plane, flashing details, and batten layout before the first panel goes up — not figured out on the fly
- Sequence the work around the wet-season weather windows common to this part of Skagit County, rather than rushing installation between rain systems
- Install HardiePanel and battens to James Hardie's published fastening and clearance specs, including ground clearance and roof-line flashing
- Walk the finished job with the homeowner and point out anything that needs periodic attention
None of this is unique to March Point in theory — it's how board and batten should be installed anywhere. In practice, a crew that already knows this stretch of shoreline, and has seen how it treats siding over a few winters, catches problems in the planning stage that a crew unfamiliar with the area might not think to look for until they're already mid-project.
Living With Board & Batten on the Point
Even correctly installed fiber cement siding needs some ongoing attention in this environment, and it's worth knowing what to expect going in. Moss and algae growth on the shaded or north-facing sides of a house is common across Anacortes and will happen on any siding material — it's a function of the climate, not a defect in the product. A gentle wash on a normal schedule keeps it from taking hold and staining the finish. Salt air can accelerate wear on exposed fasteners and metal flashing components over time, so it's worth having those checked periodically rather than waiting for a visible problem. James Hardie's ColorPlus finish carries a strong factory finish warranty, and correctly installed HardiePanel is built to hold up to decades of this kind of exposure — but "correctly installed" is doing real work in that sentence, which is why the installation details above matter as much as the product choice.
What Drives Cost on a Board & Batten Project
Board and batten pricing varies more than lap siding pricing because the labor and detailing requirements shift a lot depending on the wall and the site. Broad ranges depend heavily on these factors:
| Cost Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Tear-off vs. new construction | Removing old siding and dealing with what's found underneath adds labor and sometimes wall repair before new siding can go up |
| Rainscreen retrofit needs | Adding a proper drainage gap on an older wall takes more time than installing over new sheathing built for it |
| Home size and wall complexity | More corners, gables, and window openings mean more flashing, more cuts, and more battens |
| Full elevation vs. accent use | Board and batten used as a full-house siding is priced differently than as an accent on gables or a porch |
| ColorPlus vs. field-applied finish | Factory-finished panels cost more up front but remove the ongoing cost and risk of repainting |
| Site access | Waterfront and hillside lots around March Point can add setup and material-handling time |
We give firm numbers after walking the specific house, not before — anything quoted without seeing the wall is a guess.
Questions Worth Asking Before You Hire
Board and batten is easy to install badly and have it still look fine for a year or two before problems show up. A few questions separate a contractor who understands the profile from one who's just installing panels:
- Will you install a rainscreen gap, and can you explain why it matters for this site specifically
- What fiber cement product line and finish are you specifying, and why that one over the alternatives
- How will window, door, and roofline flashing be handled, in plain terms
- What does the manufacturer's warranty actually cover, and does it stay valid with your installation
- Have you worked on homes in this area before, and do you know what this particular stretch of coastline does to siding over time
A contractor who can answer these clearly, without hedging, is usually one who's done the work enough times to know where the details actually matter.
Get an Estimate for Your March Point Home
If you're weighing board and batten siding for a home on March Point or elsewhere around Anacortes, we're happy to walk the property, look at what's there now, and give you a straight answer on what it would take to do the job right for this specific location. The estimate is free, there's no pressure attached to it, and you can use the form below to get started.