Ferndale Siding Exterior Work in Blaine, Washington
Blaine sits at the far northwest corner of Whatcom County, right on Semiahmoo Bay and the international border. It's a community shaped by the water — and that same water is what wears down siding, trim, and roofing faster here than in a lot of other places nearby. Ferndale Siding Company sends crews into Blaine on a regular basis, and we've built our approach around what actually happens to a house exposed to marine air year-round.
What the Climate Does to a Blaine Home
Homes close to Semiahmoo Bay and the Strait of Georgia deal with a combination that's tougher on building materials than straight rainfall alone:
- Salt air: Airborne salt accelerates corrosion on fasteners, flashing, and any metal components tied into the siding and trim system. It also breaks down cheaper paint finishes faster than inland exposure would.
- Driving rain off the water: Wind coming off the bay doesn't just fall straight down — it drives rain sideways into wall assemblies, which puts extra pressure on seams, laps, and butt joints to actually shed water rather than just resist it.
- Long moss and algae season: Whatcom County's damp, mild winters and shaded, tree-lined lots around Blaine give moss and algae a long window to take hold on north-facing walls and anywhere sun doesn't reach consistently.
None of this is unique to Blaine, but the combination of coastal exposure and a heavily wooded, moisture-retaining landscape puts it on the tougher end of what we see across our service area.
Why We Install Only James Hardie Fiber Cement
We get asked in Blaine, more than almost anywhere else we work, about wood-look siding options — cedar, primed spruce, engineered wood products like LP SmartSide. We understand the appeal. But we don't install any of them, and the reasoning holds up especially well in a place like this.
Wood and wood-based siding products depend on an intact factory or field-applied coating to keep moisture out. In a marine climate with near-constant humidity and long stretches without direct sun, any gap in that coating — a nail pop, a hairline crack, a spot where caulking has failed — gives moisture a foothold. Once water gets behind or into the substrate, the same dampness that grows moss on the surface accelerates rot underneath. That means a maintenance schedule that doesn't get to slip, year after year, on a home where salt air is also working against your paint film.
James Hardie fiber cement siding is a cement and cellulose fiber composite — it isn't organic material, so it doesn't feed moss growth or rot the way wood does, and it holds up to repeated wet-dry cycling far better. Hardie's ColorPlus factory finish is baked on and warranted, which matters when you're not repainting a wall every few years to keep salt air from chalking it out. Hardie's HZ5 product line is engineered specifically for cold, wet climates like ours, and the material is non-combustible, which is a genuine plus regardless of coastal or wildfire exposure.
We're not saying wood siding can't be made to work with diligent upkeep. We're saying that as a company standard, we'd rather install something that performs well with normal maintenance than something that performs well only with vigilant maintenance — especially on homes exposed to the salt and rain that Blaine gets.
Siding, Roofing, Windows, and Decks — as a System
Siding doesn't work in isolation. On a Blaine home, we look at how siding, trim, flashing, roofline, windows, and any exterior decking all interact to move water away from the structure. A few areas we pay close attention to on coastal jobs:
| Area | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| Flashing and window integration | Driving rain finds gaps at penetrations first; correct flashing detail keeps water out from behind the cladding. |
| Roof-to-wall transitions | Poor step flashing or kickout flashing at rooflines is a common source of hidden water intrusion in wet coastal climates. |
| Deck ledger and rim board connections | Decks tied into the house need the same moisture management attention as the siding around them. |
| Ventilation and rainscreen gaps | Allowing the wall assembly to dry out between rain events reduces the moss and mildew that thrive in shaded, damp conditions. |
Because our crews handle siding, roofing, windows, and decks, we're not handing off responsibility for how these systems meet at the seams. That coordination matters more in a place where the weather doesn't give a wall assembly much of a break to dry out.
Why a Local Crew Matters
Crews who work Whatcom County regularly know how Blaine's exposure differs from siding work a few miles inland — the fastener corrosion, the shaded moss buildup, the way wind-driven rain behaves near open water. That local familiarity shows up in the details: how laps and joints are detailed, where extra attention goes on the weather-facing walls, and what maintenance advice actually applies to a specific lot rather than generic guidance.
If you own a home in Blaine and want a straight assessment of your siding, roofing, windows, or decking — what shape they're in, what's actually needed, and what a James Hardie fiber cement installation would look like for your house — we're glad to come take a look. Reach out for a free, no-pressure estimate using the form below.