Hi all,

The foundation is done for our timber frame cabin in northern Spain and I'm wondering about all the different cladding options available. Most of the literature I've found on the internet is written for wetter climates and describes things like "driving rain" which doesn't happen here. We have thunderstorms or slow rain over a few days followed by dry weather.
Summer is very dry reaching into the high 30's. My biggest concern is degradation through UV, so was hoping to draw on the expertise here for some advice as to which type of wood to use for cladding and which (if any) coating to apply...
Would like to preserve the natural look of the wood so a completely opaque coating is out of the question. The thermally treated claddings like thermowood seem to be good value compared to more expensive woods, but does the thermal treatment really help in a dry climate?
Which coatings/treatment do you recommend?

I would have thought I was in a "dry" climate, (Tenerife), Stephen compared to Huesca! I'm being offered pine or spruce for a traditional finish or mesh with a monocoat plaster. As Bot has pointed out elsewhere, UV screening is obtained by adding pigment to whatever finish you choose.

There's a current thread on wood finishes here:

http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/forum114/comments.php?DiscussionID=6221&page=1#Item_24

No insect threat for me.

Gotanewlife, you talking about finishs and varnishes. The wood itself is ok.
I agree that in high sunligh countries wood finishes can deteriorate very quickly.
Left untreated, timber cladding is fine.

oops, forgot to mention, They have deeply overhung eaves

eb, the charred wood cladding looks simply stunning! And it seems to be diyable, might be tempted to try it out.

Found this via the goggle: http://pursuingwabi.com/2007/11/05/shou-sugi-ban/

Well it should be but it isn't. Asturias is the source of 80% of chestnut sawn in Spain and two thirds of that is second and third quality because of poor husbandry. There is also a serious infestion of Chancre (Cryphonetica parastica) and little effort to find solutions although, similar to the Dutch Elm disease problem, some work is being done on apparently immune trees to produce new stock.

Any impulse that Forestry might have enjoyed in this direction has of course evaporated with the housing bubble.

P.S. Best building timber in norther Spain is French oak.

You and I have had this conversation a few years ago when i was working on a project in Navarre. I went looking for chestnut then and couldn't get much response but as French oak was freely available that's what I speciified. Your guest from the Basque country is probably referring to suburban flats: his countrymen amd those around him in the Basque region are still building some of the most attractive vernacular architecture to be found in Spain.