Design Options

Defining the overall look of your new garden room.

A desirable, durable softwood with contrasting reddish, light and dark tones.  Cedar contains natural oils that protect against decay hence why it is a popular option for contemporary garden rooms.  Our supply is imported from sustainable Canadian forests.

Cedar is naturally durable with a +25 year plus life expectancy and from a weather protection point of view, it offers a maintenance-free solution.  

The natural colour of Cedar is what attracts most clients to this material.  However, it is worth noting that over time the sun's UV rays bleach cedar to a silvery grey colour.  For some clients this is desirable, but for most keeping the original colours and tones is a priority.  As an external finish option, we can apply two coats of a clear pigment-free UV protector, this reduces the effects of the UV bleaching process and provides longevity to the original visual appearance.

Cedar is available in different grades.  The grades relate to the number of visible knots in the cladding boards.  "Clear" grades of cladding are the most expensive with limited knots; "Number 2 Grades" being middle of the ground and knotty grades being the least expensive.

Known for its high density and strength derived from the slow-growing process it undertakes as a result of its extremely cold growing conditions.  Visually the gain is very tight with minimal colour contrast between the boards and a golden yellow finish.  Imported from sustainable Siberian forest. 

The density of the Larch is what provides its excellent weather protection, weighing nearly twice as much per volume as Cedar.  Again with a +25 year life expectancy, it can offer a maintenance-free cladding solution.

Larch is also susceptible to bleaching by the suns UV rays.  Over time Larch will fade to a silverish grey colour.  As an external finish option, we can apply two coats of a clear pigment-free UV protector, this reduces the effects of the UV bleaching process and provides longevity to the original visual appearance.

Larch is a more cost-effective cladding material than Cedar and lighter in colour, however is less dimensionally stable so in most cases needs to be face fixed. Larch is a good option for a pigmented exterior stain for a dramatic and personal colour choice.  Pigmented stains preserve the visible grain pattern in the wood, but provide a block colour to the exterior finish.   A wide selection of colours are available with black being the most popular choice.

While cedar and larch gain there excellent weather protecting from their respective natural oils and density, Thermowood undergoes a treatment process to transforming it into a long-lasting, maintenance-free cladding solution.

Thermowood is a heat & steam treated pine, imported from Finnish sustainable forests.  It offers excellent weather protection when compared to traditional methods of treating pine softwoods.  During the heat treatment, chemical and structural changes occur within the timber which alters and improves some of its characteristics.  The resulting product is an altogether more durable and stable timber and an ideal garden room cladding material with a maintenance-free, +20 year life expectancy.

Dark brown in colour with minimal tone variation between boards, Thermowood works well for a more traditional look as it is knotty by nature.  Thermowood is also susceptible to bleaching by the suns UV rays, over time it will fade to a silverish grey colour.  As an external finish option, we can apply two coats of a clear pigment-free UV protector, this reduces the effects of the UV bleaching process and provides longevity to the original dark brown appearance.   Pricing wise it is slightly less expensive than Siberian Larch.

Accoya just as Thermowood, undergoes a treatment process to transform it into a long-lasting, dimensionally stable, maintenance-free cladding solution.

Accoya is originally pine imported from sustainable forests and offers excellent weather protection once treated.  During a pickling and drying process known as acetylation, changes occur within the chemical composition of the wood, this dramatically reduces its ability to absorb water resulting in a dimensionally stable and durable material. This makes Accoya an ideal garden room cladding material with a maintenance-free, +20 year life expectancy.

Light brown to yellow in colour with very minimal tone variation between boards and very few knots present, Accoya works well for a modern contemporary look. Accoya is also susceptible to bleaching by the sun’s UV rays, over time it will fade to a silverish grey colour.  As an external finish option, we can apply two coats of a clear pigment-free UV protector, this reduces the effects of the UV bleaching process and provides longevity to the original appearance.   Pricing wise it is up at the top end with the clear cedar finishes.

Maintenance free composite cladding offers excellent weather protection and consistent colour throughout its +20year life expectancy.  It is available in both bolder contemporary and traditional colours, with natural woodgrain patterns or flat contemporary surface finishes. 

It is manufactured from cedar and maple fibres combined with resin and wax and finished with a five-layer acrylic finish.  Chosen by clients for its colour consistency, stability and the range of colour options.

Horizontal Lap board cladding profiles can offer a traditional "New England" look with vertical tongue and groove profiles used as a suitable alternative for both contemporary and traditional timber finishes.  Matching powder coated window and door trims finish the maintenance free exterior.

Just as before Charred Siberian Larch is known for its high density and strength derived from the slow-growing process it undertakes, adding flames or “Shou Sugi Ban” the original Japanese name for the flaming process, improves the woods performance even further when considering its use as an external cladding material.

Charring of the timber surface actually helps protect the wood against fire and provides additional protection against rain, rot and insects and also greatly improves the main known weak point with larch, which is its dimensional stability.  The flaming process also extends the natural lifespan of the wood well beyond the expected 25 years.

Visually the charring process darkens the wood to black and greyish tones and adds additional texture to the surface of the timber. The charring can be performed to different depths to produce different colours and levels of texture before a lightly pigmented oil finish brings out all of the grain’s features.  Charred larch produces a modern finish that matches well with simple lines, so the beauty of the timber becomes the main feature of the structure.

Charred Larch is more cost-effective when compared to the higher-end Cedar and Accoya cladding finishes but is more costly than a Larch finish, due to the additional processing involved.

Additional Cladding Options