Anacortes Siding Board & Batten Siding for Conway Homes
Conway sits low in the Skagit River delta, close enough to Puget Sound and the tidal sloughs that homes here deal with a wetter, saltier version of the weather the rest of Anacortes gets. Board and batten is one of the most requested siding profiles in this part of Skagit County — it reads as a farmhouse or craftsman style that fits Conway's rural character, with the vertical lines that photograph well and hold up visually on barns, shops, and additions as well as full house exteriors. But board and batten is also one of the easier profiles to get wrong, because the batten strips create dozens of extra seams and fastening points compared to a lapped horizontal siding job. Done correctly, it's a durable, good-looking system. Done wrong, it's a moisture trap.
This page covers what board and batten siding needs to hold up in Conway specifically — not siding in general — and how we approach it as a crew that already works this stretch of the county.
What Conway's Climate Actually Does to Siding
Three things drive most of the siding failures we see out this way:
- Salt air: Conway isn't right on the water, but the marine air off Puget Sound and the Skagit tideflats still carries salt inland. Salt accelerates corrosion on fasteners, flashing, and any metal trim that isn't rated for coastal exposure.
- Driving rain: Storms coming off the Sound and up the Skagit valley tend to push rain sideways, not straight down. Vertical siding profiles like board and batten have more butt joints and more places for wind-driven water to find a way behind the cladding if the flashing and water-resistive barrier aren't detailed correctly.
- Moss season: Conway's low elevation, tree cover, and river-valley humidity mean moss and algae get a long growing window — often eight or nine months of the year. Any siding material that can't shed moisture quickly, or that has organic material (wood, wood-based sheathing) exposed at cut edges, becomes a moss host over time.
None of that makes board and batten a bad choice for Conway. It just means the material and the installation details matter more here than they would in a drier inland climate.
Board & Batten, Done Right: The System Behind the Look
The panel
We install board and batten using James Hardie fiber cement — either HardiePanel vertical siding with battens applied over it, or an engineered vertical plank system, depending on the look you want. Fiber cement doesn't have grain, doesn't absorb water the way wood-based products do, and won't feed moss the way a cellulose-faced product can at a damaged edge. That matters in a valley that stays damp as long as Conway's does.
The battens
The battens themselves are the detail most crews rush. Battens have to be fastened into framing (not just into the panel), spaced to allow the wall to breathe, and installed with the right gap and flashing behind vertical joints so water that gets behind a batten has somewhere to go. A batten nailed straight through into sheathing with no plan for drainage is exactly how you get trapped moisture behind vertical siding.
Rainscreen and water-resistive barrier
Given how much wind-driven rain this area sees, we install board and batten over a drainable water-resistive barrier with a rainscreen gap wherever the assembly calls for it. That gap lets any water that does get past the cladding drain and dry instead of sitting against the sheathing. This is standard practice for correctly detailed board and batten in a wet marine climate — it's not an upcharge extra, it's part of doing the job right.
Where Board & Batten Installations Go Wrong
| Mistake | Why it matters in Conway |
|---|---|
| Battens face-nailed with no drainage plan | Traps wind-driven rain behind the siding instead of letting it drain and dry |
| Cut panel edges left unsealed | Exposed edges absorb moisture and become the first spot moss and algae take hold |
| Standard fasteners instead of corrosion-resistant ones | Salt air corrodes ordinary fasteners faster, leading to streaking and eventual failure |
| No rainscreen gap behind the assembly | Without an air gap, moisture that gets behind the cladding has nowhere to drain |
| Flashing skipped at horizontal transitions | Any horizontal break in a vertical profile is a water entry point if not flashed correctly |
Material Comparison for a Conway Board & Batten Project
| Material | How it handles Conway's climate | Our position |
|---|---|---|
| James Hardie fiber cement | Non-combustible, dimensionally stable, holds paint/factory finish through wet winters and salt air | What we install |
| Vinyl vertical/board & batten | Can warp or oil-can with temperature swings; seams are a common water entry point in driving rain | Not installed |
| LP SmartSide (engineered wood) | Wood-based core is more sensitive to cut-edge moisture intrusion than fiber cement | Not installed |
| Cedar board & batten | Classic look, but real wood needs ongoing sealing/staining to resist moss and moisture in this valley | Not installed |
We standardized on James Hardie because it's the material that best matches what board and batten actually needs to survive here: dimensional stability so joints stay tight, a factory finish (ColorPlus) that doesn't rely on field-applied paint to hold up against salt air, and a product engineered for marine and wet climates through Hardie's HZ5 line, which is what we spec for this part of Washington.
Our Process for a Conway Board & Batten Job
- On-site assessment: We look at wall orientation, exposure to prevailing wind and rain, existing moisture damage, and how the current siding (if any) has held up — Conway homes often show you exactly where the weak points are before we even open a wall.
- Tear-off and sheathing check: We remove existing siding and inspect the sheathing underneath for rot or soft spots before anything new goes up. This is the point where hidden moisture problems get caught, not covered over.
- Water-resistive barrier and flashing: A drainable WRB goes on first, with flashing detailed at every window, door, and horizontal transition.
- Rainscreen furring: Where the wall assembly calls for it, we install a rainscreen gap so the whole system can drain and dry.
- Panel and batten installation: Hardie panels go up first, fastened into framing per Hardie's specifications, then battens over the joints with the spacing and fastening pattern needed to keep the wall breathing.
- Final detailing: Trim, caulking at the joints that call for it, and a walk-through so you can see the finished lines before we're done.
What Drives Cost on a Board & Batten Project
| Factor | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Tear-off condition | Rotten sheathing or hidden moisture damage adds repair work before new siding goes on |
| Wall complexity | Gables, dormers, and multiple transitions mean more cuts, more flashing, more labor |
| Batten spacing/pattern | Tighter batten spacing looks great but takes more material and more fastening time |
| Trim and color package | Factory ColorPlus finishes and matched trim cost more upfront but skip a repaint cycle |
| Access | Rural Conway lots, outbuildings, and setback structures can add setup and staging time |
Why a Crew That Already Works Conway Matters
Conway isn't a big town, and it doesn't get the volume of siding work that Anacortes proper or the bigger Skagit County towns do. A crew that only occasionally works this area is more likely to guess at flashing details for the local rain patterns or skip the rainscreen because "it's not usually needed." A crew that regularly works Conway and the surrounding river-valley communities has already seen how driving rain moves across these lots, how long moss season actually runs here, and where salt-air corrosion tends to show up first on fasteners and trim. That local pattern recognition is what keeps a board and batten installation from becoming a callback two winters later.
Maintenance Checklist for Board & Batten in a Wet Climate
- Rinse siding annually to clear salt residue and organic buildup before moss can establish
- Check caulking at trim and horizontal transitions every year or two, and re-caulk where it's cracked or pulling away
- Keep gutters clear so water isn't overflowing onto wall sections during heavy Conway storms
- Trim back vegetation and tree cover that keeps wall sections shaded and damp for extended periods
- Have a professional check fastener condition periodically, especially on southwest-facing walls that take the brunt of driving rain
If you're weighing board and batten for a home or outbuilding in Conway, we're happy to take a look and walk you through what your specific walls need — no pressure, no obligation. A free estimate gets you a straight answer on scope and cost before you decide anything.