As a leading timber merchant we love the unique look of softwood and hardwood timber when used in architecture, and the recent construction of a new canteen building at our site in Leicestershire has been a great opportunity for us to showcase why.
For this build we’ve paired beautiful and durable western red cedar shingles and ridge tiles with hardwearing European oak soffits, fascias, and bargeboards. The building is being clad in European oak boards with a shiplap timber profile for a classic and timeless look.
Western Red Cedar Shingles and Ridge Tiles
We chose a red cedar roof primarily for the unparalleled beauty this material provides, but cedar shingles and ridge tiles have much more to offer beyond looks.
One of the main advantages of a cedar roof is their resistance to adverse weather conditions – something which we are all too familiar with in Leicestershire. Red cedar shingles are k
nown for being able to withstand small hurricanes without damage, so the strong winds and heavy rain we have in the UK will pose no problem to our canteen roof. The western red cedar shingles we are using in are milled in order to create an architecturally uniform and completely weather-proof barrier without the need for any additional layers.
Although cedar shingles are admittedly more expensive than asphalt or slate tiles, they are also much more insulating and longer lasting. Western red cedar is five times as thermally insulating as slate and twice as insulating as asphalt. Not only that, but with a small amount of additional care our cedar roof will last 10 years longer than a (much less attractive) asphalt roof would have done.
Red cedar can be treated but is naturally antifungal, antibacterial, and insect resistant. All of our wood is environmentally consciously sourced – no other roofing material is as eco-friendly.
European Oak Soffits, Fascias, and Bargeboards
We are pairing the western red cedar shingles and ridge tiles with European oak soffits, fascias, and bargeboards. The look of a hardwood roofline simply cannot be matched by PVC or metals, especially next to a stunning red cedar timber roof.
European Oak Shiplap Cladding
Western red cedar cladding is a very popular choice at the moment, but having used cedar shingles and ridge tiles on the roof we have opted to clad our new building in European oak boarding with a shiplap timber profile.
European oak cladding is highly durable, very cost effective, and can be machined to any timber profile you desire. European oak is generally straight grained and when using the heartwood does not need treating. If left un-coated our canteen would weather to a beautiful silver wood colour.
If you’re inspired by our canteen take a look at our cedar shingle page and our cladding range – which includes both European Oak and Cedar cladding machined to any timber profile.