Choosing timber that ages well

Every timber house changes colour. The question is whether it changes evenly and with dignity, or in patches that make it look neglected. Most of the difference is decided long before the boards go up, at the sawmill and at the drawing table.

Accept that timber will weather

Sun, rain and frost turn untreated wood grey. On a sheltered wall this can take years, on a wall facing the sea much less. We tell clients early that a timber facade will not keep the colour it has on the day of handover. Most of them come to prefer the silver grey, especially in the archipelago where it matches the rocks.

The real problem is uneven weathering. A wall under a deep eave stays brown while the exposed part next to it goes grey. A board near the ground stays damp and darkens. We draw roofs, eaves and plinths with this in mind, so the whole facade sees roughly the same weather.

The timbers we use most

Heat-treated pine is Swedish pine that has been heated in a controlled process. It becomes more stable and less prone to rot, and it takes on a warm brown that slowly turns silver. We used it at Möja and Sandhamn, where salt air and wind are part of daily life.

Larch is dense and resinous, and naturally durable outdoors. It can grey unevenly if left untreated, so we usually give it a light stain that evens out the first years. Once the stain fades, the wood has weathered enough to carry on by itself. Larch clads the Värmdö Forest House and forms the beams of the Fårö Summer House.

Oak belongs mostly indoors and in windows. Oiled rather than varnished, it can be repaired by hand where it wears, and it darkens gently with use.

What we check at the sawmill

We visit the sawmill whenever we can, and look closely at the boards.

• Slow-grown wood with tight annual rings, which is denser and moves less

• Heartwood rather than sapwood for exposed parts, because it resists moisture better

• Boards that have been dried properly, so they do not twist or crack after fixing

• Consistent colour and grain across a batch, so one wall does not look like three

A good supplier will explain where the logs came from and how the timber was dried. If they cannot, we look elsewhere.

Details that decide the lifespan

Most timber does not fail because of the wood. It fails because water stays where it should not. We draw a gap behind every facade so air can move and boards can dry. End grain is cut at an angle or covered, because it soaks up water like a sponge. Boards stop well above the ground, and fixings are stainless so they do not leave dark streaks.

None of this is visible when the house is finished. All of it shows a decade later.

Planning for care

A well-built timber house needs little maintenance, but not none. We give every client a short note on what to look at each spring, which boards may need oil, and when a stained facade might want a second coat. It takes an afternoon a year and keeps the house looking the way it was meant to.

Timber rewards patience. Chosen carefully and detailed well, it is one of the few building materials that genuinely looks better with age.