Low-maintenance modern timber cladding completes a garden room
At the northwest edge of Edinburgh’s suburbs is Cramond, a beautiful village that lines one bank of the River Almond at the point where it flows into the Firth of Forth. Cramond’s long history – it’s the oldest known site of human habitation in Scotland – coupled with the architectural significance of many of the area’s buildings, has earned it Conservation Area status. So when a local family with growing children and business storage needs decided to build a garden room, it had to work on three counts: meeting the area’s extra-stringent planning regulations, catering for different uses and users, and providing an exterior finish that lived up to the owners’ aesthetic vision. The timber cladding for the job? Abodo® Vulcan Vertical Grain.
An exacting brief
The Cramond garden room was designed and built by Outside In Garden Rooms, a Glasgow and Edinburgh based company that had used Russwood products in previous projects. With two entrances, it’s larger than a typical garden room. One door opens into a relaxed, fun space for the couple’s children to enjoy with friends, and another into an office and business storage area.
The clients had a clear vision of how they wanted the garden room to look, which included using external wall cladding that was uniform in colour, with a textured, modern finish. On top of this, the building had to be low maintenance, as both lead busy lives. After consulting our sales team, Outside In was convinced that Abodo Vulcan Vertical Grain was the right choice of cladding board.
From sample to decision
Abodo Vulcan looks great, thanks to its vertical grain and lack of knots. Due to thermal modification, it is also extremely strong and durable. Made from fast-growing radiata pine, the timber is sustainably sourced in New Zealand and provides an excellent alternative to old-growth Western red cedar. We sent samples of Vulcan Vertical Grain coated in different shades of SiOO:X coating (more on this later) for Outside In to share with the client. On seeing these – and learning about the cladding’s unique properties – the client was firmly on board.
“Nothing compared to the Russwood product, so we very quickly only wanted to use that,” says Wendy Isaac, Director of Outside In. “The client chose it because of the look of the timber, the enhanced stability and especially the uniformity of the colour.”
Specifier Tip: While Abodo Vulcan comes in a range of standard sizes, boards can also be specified in custom sizes and a skimmed or wire-brushed finish.
Russwood have always been great to deal with, providing samples, advice and the subsequent quotes. You will always pay a premium for a Russwood product, but there is a reason for that. They supply a premium product – and the service and expertise to match.
Wendy Isaac, Director, Outside In Garden Room
Combatting uneven weathering with SiOO:X coating
The garden room has overhanging timber soffits and recessed areas. It is also close to the owners’ house and several large mature trees. Without a coating, any timber would weather unevenly in these conditions, as different parts of the wood are exposed to varying levels of sunlight. At Russwood, we have a solution to combat this: SiOO:X, a patented silicon coating. It comes in three different shades and, for this project, the client’s choice of Mid Grey created a uniform weathered appearance within weeks. Abodo Vulcan’s stability means it pairs excellently with a coating – the deciding factor for this garden room. The cladding’s suitability for a SiOO:X coating was “absolutely a consideration and the big selling point,” says Wendy.
Adaptable and easy to fit
Outside In’s joiners, led by Josh Riddell, built the garden room. He and his team appreciated the quality of the Abodo Vertical Grain cladding during the build, reporting that every piece was usable. They applied the cladding in Outside In’s signature arrangement, applying one wide board (120mm by 22mm) for every four narrow (60mm x 22mm). Their biggest challenge was continuing the cladding to meet the side of the house while integrating a seamless gate. The impressive end result adds to the sleek overall finish of the garden room.
Wendy is delighted with how this large garden room has turned out, commenting on how close the completed building is to her initial vision.
“Everyone who has seen the garden room comments on how beautiful it is, both inside and out. It definitely has the WOW factor.“
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Abodo® Vulcan Vertical Grain is a premium exterior cladding option and sustainable alternative to old-growth Western Red Cedar.
