Natural Wood Siding (minus the maintenance)
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- This video discusses the best practices associated with choosing a naturally weathering exterior siding and building material palette. Rejecting the unending cycle of maintenance and accepting, even celebrating, weathering as part of a home's aesthetic has environmental, economic and aesthetic benefits.
I discuss smart wood choices and things to pay attention to all from an architect's perspective.
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I have been experimenting with local hemlock as siding. It is reasonably durable, very inexpensive and I like how it weathers to a silvery grey. I also like introducing the aspect of time into the design. Modern rainscreen detailing and gapped siding detailing makes this material a viable siding option. At the end of its usable life or if any boards deteriorate, it's easy to remove and replace them. Without any finish, they can simply be left to decompose and provide habitat in a rural location.
Thanks Robert Swinburne - I was just checking the Forest Product Lab's site for decay resistance and they list it as slightly to non-resistant to decay. Local availability is good for those of us in the north woods and it's competitive from a price standpoint certainly, what's your experience been with the decay resistance? If you keep it dry (with the rainscreen detail) I imagine that would help substantially to ward off rot. And, with the 'reclaimed wood' market being what it is today, there's no reason that the aged siding couldn't be repackaged and sold again as 'pre-weathered siding'.
Would love to see you design an ICF home and get your take on the product. I'm planning to build in the wildfire-prone mountains of southern California with this "fireproof" product and looking for as much professional input as I can get.
The ideal woods is cost prohibitive for many of us. I personally love the look of weathered wood,especially if n a rural area. I am in N.E. Georgia and there were some houses here that were sided boards that were left “live edge” on one side but I don’t know what would was it used or how they held up over time. Pines and poplar are the most available woods here followed by oak and sweet gum. I don’t know the sustainability of sweet gum.
That said,are you familiar with a product called Bora Care? Not a stain or water resisting agent but uses boron to resist parasites. If memory serves me correctly, there is a Bora Care Plus that also contains borax which also prevents fungal growth. I would love to get feedback from anyone familiar with this product.
If a water repellent product or a product such as mentioned above is used, it t seems to me that both sides of the wood should be treated. Treat the unexposed side prior to installation. I would love to hear your opinion on this.
Best woods to use if you're contemplating not finishing them are native, rot-resistant woods. Here in Maine, that's predominantly Eastern White Cedar. The benefit of using local is they support local economies, limit shipping costs + pollution, and the local labor force is familiar with them. Here on the coast of Maine where I practice, Eastern White Cedar shingled buildings last a very long time if left alone and weather to a soft, silvery gray.
What could be appropriate uses for four acres of Douglas Fir once planted by the family as a Christmas tree farm but never realized (probably 30-40 years of growth, varying diameters)? We have a non-salt marine climate... in the great state of Michigan. As we say here: No salt, no sharks, no worries!
Also, how do we harvest it? How long before we can use it? Is it only good for the interior?
Doug fir is a wood that is equally well used inside or outside. It's often used in board and batten on the exterior, or often used for larger/longer lumber.
4 acres isn't too large to harvest yourself, if you've got the initiative, time, etc. But it's likely not worth it--at least moneywise.
As it appears these trees haven't been maintained, you likely will wood with a lot of knots--which will limit it's commercial value as lumber.
Still, you could probably sell it to a smaller timber company for clear cutting or selective cutting--which will again limit it's value.
Should you have a dream cabin you've been wanting to build nearby, your most efficient use of the timber may be to hire someone to log the wood you need, and use the larger, similar diameter timber for your timber frame or log cabin. That way you're saving a boatload of money and using it for something which it, as less than ideal lumber, is well suited for.
But that's just one idea--go brainstorm some more! Good luck...
I live weather wood but I live in.michigan and last year we had 9" of snow I am disabled in a wheelchair but I want it to last what do you suggest
Guu yob, I learned a lot.
Charcoal and linseed oil.
I quite like the natural grey woods though I think they have to have a high resin content to be suitably resistant to rotting doesn't it?
indeed...cedar is one...
Can u do a video on ram earth homes
I would just like to say I detest horizontal timber there is like a switch in your brain and one day you get it. Folks show you all kinds of stuff and you just think why don't they put the wood the right way, even log cabins. It's just me pay no attention or that switch may flip, in your head LOL.