What does y our architect recommend?

Stone. Forget the wood look.

Make the exterior all stone and equally space the beams. Base the design of the cabin on that.

Speaking from experience, having a cabin and enjoying the lake sometimes is an oxymoron.

What area of the country will the cabin be?

This technique takes Japanese Cedar or cypress wood and subjects it to a flame treatment. This originally was intended to help prevent against weather, fire and harsh environmental elements. Over the years, the pragmatic technique turned into an aesthetic that continues to rise in popularity.

I love this look and ease of care I think your house would look awesome in this finish. Then you could if you wanted add some stone, I would not on this house.

If you're looking for wood that retains its original rich color without any maintenance, there's no such thing. The closest you'll get are wood imitations, which don't really look like wood, especially up close.

Now if you don't mind your exterior turning gray, then I recommend exotic hardwoods like cumaru and ipe. They're some of the strongest woods in the world and really don't require any upkeep as long as you're content with the color fading.

Natural weathered cedar shingles is always a good option for a wood look with minimal maintenance. One can also apply a "weathering bleach" or stain to hasten the weathering effect from the outset.

Here's a good example of flame treated wood siding. I don't recommend it...

Virgil - Thank you for that fine example of multiple exterior wall finishes. It show that there is a special eye required to achieve such balanced composition. It also shows that the wood charring of the exterior siding should be performed before applying the material to the structure.

Yes, Mark...you have a keen eye for detail. The beauty of wood charring is clearly in the eye of the beholder...

Bob and I prefer our charring done in the BBQ with ribs, brisket and sausage.

Its123 this is about as maintenance free wood as you can find and it is completely awesome and would suit your style of home perfectly.

https://deltamillworks.com/

I have always loved the Shou sugi ban siding:

https://pursuingwabi.com/2007/11/05/shou-sugi-ban/

---

Patricia Colwell Consulting Do you work with the company? https://www.eandstile.com/japanese-burnt-wood-by-es-tile/

Stunning materials, the ember series by E &S co. is actually "interior wall tiles made from 'reclaimed barnwood with a VOC organic vegetable dye". Thanks for the information on this company!

That's a "cabin"?

Consider vertical siding for your new home.

Hmmm...Bob doesn't see much vertical siding in any of the photos!

The stone siding is stacked vertically.

Anglophilia, my designer is going to work on it abit more and get back to me; he had suggested hardie board if I wanted maintenance free and a similar look to wood but also advised that it wouldn't actually look like 'wood' and I may not be happy with it.

Mark Bischak, thanks for your thoughts! Our cabin will be in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. So the weather is cold in winter and wonderfully hot in summer!

Patricia Colwell Consulting, Virgil Carter Fine Art, Emily Jowers and Rawket Grl, thanks for the idea of Shou sugi ban siding. I like the look of it but it would be extremely expensive here. I talked to one friend who looked into it and they couldn't find anyone who would even attempt it. Our 'lake house' is also little bit more remote and so it definitely wouldn't be an option up there.

millworkman, lol. I should say lake house! We will live out there for the summer! I realize it doesn't quite have the look or size of a cabin!

AdvantageLumber.com, thanks for the idea. I would say I'm not loving the look of the faded wood. I think I need to go in a different direction!

BeverlyFLADeziner, thanks for the ideas and the pics. I like the second from the last picture you sent.

Here's a few option colours. Thoughts? I'm assuming that all the 'wood looking products' in the pictures are actual wood, right? Stained Cedar? Anyone have an idea what kind of material they would be?

Also, would stucco hold up around a lake? I am leaning towards stucco, rock and with some accents in wood or wood product. Maybe add some metal on the side. I want to do a metal roof for durability etc.

Siding: I know that alot of the homes have it up there. Does siding hold up ok at a lake? I know it's less expensive than rock etc.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/ames-backyard-contemporary-exterior-san-francisco-phvw-vp~86221691

https://www.houzz.com/photos/overhang-contemporary-exterior-toronto-phvw-vp~79728282

https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-inner-city-home-calgary-phvw-vp~44391121

I could go a light stucco with darker stone. Is there any issues with stucco discolouring? Is it better to go a darker or lighter shade for durability etc?

Thanks again for all your comments; I appreciate it!

LOL, if you want to enjoy the lake, have reduced homeowner’s insurance, think cement board siding combined with stone. I live on a lake and with cedar you get woodpeckers pounding on your siding because they draw insects. You also have issues of mud dabbers (wasps), hornets nests and lastly spiders galore especially late summer. You will have to find something that retards them from attaching to your house or you will have a nightmare. I removed the cedar siding and replaced with cement board because the woodpeckers, ants and termites. Never again would I ever consider a wood based siding, charred or otherwise.

Also, would stucco hold up around a lake? I am leaning towards stucco, rock and with some accents in wood or wood product. Maybe add some metal on the side. I want to do a metal roof for durability etc

Pick 2 siding materials. No more. Not 3 or 4. Someone mentioned that metal roofs in snow country can be dangerous? Not sure about that.

I would go with stucco and stone. Stucco done correctly can last a lifetime.

bellburgmaggie, thanks for the advice. Definitely great points! So, when you say cement board. Do you mean using something like:

http://www.allurausa.com/fiber-cement-siding-products/lap-siding

chartist, I hadn't heard about a metal roof being dangerous. Do you mean because it will slide off onto someone? I will definitely look into that. Thanks

Do you mean because it will slide off onto someone?

Yes. One of the architects here on this forum (I think it was summit) said he won't use them where he is for that reason.

Cement siding is Hardie siding or one of the other brands. It can be bought in panels, in shakes, in siding.

Yes, I have Hardi Board and it comes in all kinds of shapes, sizes. I understand the aesthetic of having beautiful wood, but not on siding. I have an IPE deck on the North side of the house which has held up. I got rid of the deck on the south side and went with a stamped concrete patio. Also look into getting a mosquito service to spray so you can actually enjoy sitting outside. It has helped a lot. You can also check your homeowner’s to see what hold up in your area as it will help on your rates. Getting rid of the wood siding saved me 20% on my homeowners insurance along with a new 50 year roof. That more than paid for the cement board siding!

I live in the mountains in northern Utah. We get a lot of snow and the metal roofs do just fine, but they do have little pieces sticking up about 3-4 of the way down that kind of holds the snow on the roof. The snow on the last 1-4 will slide off but it’s not enough to hurt someone. Usually, we poke it on purpose to clean the roof periodically. I would talk to a professional from the area to see what they think about it.

Although Cement board siding itself is easy to maintain as in it doesn't rot etc. It still requires some maintenance such as painting. How maintenance free do you want?

We concur with AdvantageLumber. Ipe or Cumaru Siding would be great. Here's Ipe unoiled on the left and allowed to turn silver on the right. Oiled it would look like the following picture of a job we supplied in Palm Springs. In Canada you'd probably only have tow oil it once every two years or so and is a very simple process. We Ship all over the world so Saskatchewan is not a big deal. Out of all the various siding materials mentioned, Ipe should last the longest, but obviously we're biased.....

I just saw that I was mentioned re: metal roofs and yes I do try to talk my clients out of them because we had one on a house we bought. We hated it.

If not carefully designed with proper snow guards and heating they can be a serious safety risk. Google "killed by falling snow".

With my rant about metal roofs over it appears the design is with flat roofs. Metal roofing is not recommended for that application and would be a total waste of money since it wouldn't be visible.

I love the look of the weathered IPE above. I also use a lot of Alura and Hardie. You have to be really close to either product to tell it's not painted wood. It's reasonable trade off since they're much more durable, require less maintenance and are fire resistant.

Thanks for the info! The roofs are at a bit of an angle and not totally flat. Is there a min angle they need to be for safety? I was told the metal roofs were less maintenance. What would be the most durable/safe material to put on a roof (especially when you can't see much of it).

I was looking into Hardie etc. I also came across Sagiwall. Has anyone ever used it?

Thanks again for the comments!

What did you end up going with for your exteriors lts123? Are you happy with what you chose?