North80

This rainfall map illustrates the point perfectly. There appears to be a clear threshold around the 1500mm mark, above which timber cladding seems much more vulnerable to premature failure unless specified to an exceptionally high standard. This highlights the problem with a 'one-size-fits-all' approach from some planning departments, an approach that doesn't fully account for the dramatic climatic differences across the Highlands. A timber-clad house suitable for the drier conditions of the Moray Firth coast is facing a completely different challenge on the west coast, where higher rainfall, persistent humidity, and salt-laden winds are the norm. It's little wonder that many on the west coast live in traditional stone houses that are over a century old and still performing well, while many modern timber-clad homes may struggle to last 30 years without major intervention. This raises questions about the focus of the planning and building standards process. While there is a heavy emphasis on thermal performance, measured through SAP calculations, there seems to be less focus on the long-term durability of the materials used on the exterior of buildings. Timber frame construction can perform very well in these energy calculations, which may encourage its use without giving equal weight to ensuring the external cladding is specified to withstand the local environment for decades to come. The recent news about The Wee House Company entering administration is also interesting in this context. Given they installed timber-clad houses on the west coast, and noting some anecdotal online discussions about cladding issues, one has to wonder if the long-term cost of addressing potential widespread cladding failures became a contributing factor.

I asked Google Gemini AI to use the deep research function on the topic of wood cladding in the highlands, interesting what it came up with.

The premature failure of timber cladding on some houses built in the Scottish Highlands over the last 15 to 20 years is a notable issue. The rapid decay seen in these instances, particularly when compared with the longevity of traditional stone and render, suggests a complex problem stemming from a combination of environmental challenges, material science, building practices, and economic factors. This report investigates the core reasons behind the instability of some timber cladding systems in this region. 1. The Challenge of the Highland Climate A primary factor is the uniquely harsh climate. Exposed coastal and highland areas of Scotland are subject to some of Europe's most challenging weather conditions for building materials: High Rainfall: Annual rainfall frequently exceeds 2000 mm, creating a constantly damp environment. Wind-Driven Rain: Strong, persistent winds drive moisture into every crack and joint of a building's exterior, testing the water resistance of the cladding far more than simple vertical rainfall. High Humidity: Ambient humidity is consistently high, slowing the drying process. Timber that gets wet stays wet for longer, creating ideal conditions for rot and fungal growth. Salt Spray: In coastal areas, airborne salt is a significant factor. It is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts and holds moisture on surfaces, and can accelerate the degradation of both the timber fibres and the metal fixings used to secure it. Any timber used in this environment must be exceptionally durable or robustly protected to ensure a long service life. 2. Timber Selection: Fast-Grown vs. Slow-Grown Wood A crucial factor in the longevity of timber cladding is the selection of the wood itself. A significant difference exists between fast-growing timber common in the UK and the slow-growing wood often imported from Scandinavia. Fast-Grown Domestic Timber: The most widely available and commercially important softwood grown in the UK is Sitka Spruce. It is fast-growing and can be harvested relatively cheaply. However, untreated Sitka Spruce has a low natural durability (Class 4 'Slightly Durable' or Class 5 'Not Durable'). Its rapid growth can lead to a higher proportion of 'juvenile wood,' which is less dense, less stable, and more prone to moisture-related movement and decay than mature wood. If used for cladding without significant preservative treatment or a robust protective coating, its service life in a damp climate can be very short. Slow-Grown Scandinavian Timber: In contrast, softwoods like Scots Pine (often sold as Scandinavian Redwood) or Siberian Larch are frequently sourced from colder climates. The shorter growing seasons result in slower growth, producing timber with tighter growth rings. This timber is generally denser, more stable, and more naturally resistant to decay (e.g., Siberian Larch is typically Class 3 'Moderately Durable'). This density and stability contribute to a superior quality of wood, characterised by what might be described as dense cells. While high-quality, durable timbers like Larch, Douglas Fir, and Western Red Cedar are available from Scottish suppliers, the selection of lower-cost, less durable options to meet budget constraints is a significant risk factor for premature failure. 3. The Critical Role of Treatment and Detailing The practice of leaving timber cladding unpainted, as is sometimes seen in the Highlands, contrasts with traditions in Scandinavia and is a key performance factor. While leaving timber to weather to a natural silver-grey is a popular aesthetic, it is a practice only suitable for species that are inherently durable or have been appropriately treated. To Coat or Not to Coat: In Scandinavia, there is a long-standing tradition of protecting timber buildings with robust paint systems or high-quality stains, which provide a vital barrier against moisture. The trend in Scotland to leave timber uncoated is viable for very durable species, but can be problematic for non-durable timber like untreated Sitka Spruce or even lower-grade Larch. If a protective coating is omitted for cost or aesthetic reasons, the timber is left exposed to the elements, promoting decay. Installation Detailing: Even the best timber will fail if installed incorrectly. Best practice, as outlined by bodies like the Timber Decking and Cladding Association (TDCA), can be overlooked, leading to systemic failures: Ventilation Gaps: A ventilated and drained cavity behind the cladding is essential. This allows moisture that gets past the cladding to drain away and lets air circulate to dry the back of the boards. Closing this gap or installing it incorrectly traps moisture, leading to rot from the inside out. Fixings: In coastal environments, Grade 316 stainless steel fixings are required to prevent corrosion. The use of cheaper, lower-grade fixings can lead to rust staining and premature failure of the fastenings. Ground Clearance: Timber cladding should terminate at least 200 mm above ground level to prevent it from soaking up moisture from the ground. 4. Economic Drivers and Workmanship Finally, economic drivers can influence material choices and workmanship. While high-quality, correctly installed timber cladding is an excellent, long-lasting building material, it is often more expensive upfront than a standard block and render wall. This creates a financial incentive for developers or builders working to a tight budget to reduce costs. This can be achieved by: Selecting cheaper, less durable timber. Omitting or skimping on preservative treatments or protective coatings. Rushing the installation, leading to poor detailing. Timber cladding might be perceived as less complicated to install than rendering, potentially requiring less specialised labour. However, this belies the technical skill needed to get the detailing right. In conclusion, the premature rotting of some timber cladding in the Scottish Highlands appears not to be a failure of the material in principle, but a failure of specification, protection, and installation. It is the likely result of using timber that is not durable enough for the local climate, failing to provide it with adequate protection, and not adhering to the critical details of its installation, often driven by a desire to reduce initial building costs.

There should be counter battens like in the picture below. So many roofers in the UK don't put in counter battens for some reason, they only put horizontal ones in, don't put in vertical battens. It is really strange how counter battens are standard in so many other countries, but UK roofers are resistant to put them in. You need counter battens on top of membrane for drainage and air flow etc.

Hi everyone, I'm having a real problem getting hold of an electrician where I live in rural Scotland. It seems to be universally difficult to find decent tradespeople here, but electricians are particularly hard to come by. I suspect the growth of the renewables industry is a factor; salaried jobs working on wind turbines, for example, probably look a lot more appealing than the hassle of tackling messy jobs in older homes, potentially dealing with asbestos, and running your own business. Given how difficult it is, I'm considering doing some courses so I can tackle some of the work myself. Can anyone recommend suitable courses for learning how to do home electrics safely and properly? I know the traditional route is a time-served, three-year apprenticeship. My cousin actually tried to get one but found it impossible – nobody was willing to take him on. In rural areas, I imagine tradesmen are reluctant to train potential future competitors. It also feels like the training standards across the UK vary quite a bit, and there are certainly tradesmen out there who seem to bodge jobs without much accountability. If someone did an apprenticeship with them, they might pick up bad habits rather than good practice. So, I'd really appreciate any advice on the best way to do shorter courses that cover the essentials, particularly for things like working on consumer units. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I'm looking for options on windows with good fly screens for keeping midges out. I live in rural Scotland have midges are a big problem, I want a window that I can open with a fly screen that keeps them out. Bats also sometimes fly in so want to stop them coming in because of the rabies risk. Does anyone have any ideas for widows with a fly screen you can open that also don't block the view?

One of the biggest variables in the cost of any project is being able to find decent tradesmen that charge a reasonable amount of money. The architect must just be guessing how much the tradesmen will work for, if you can only find tradesmen who will work for rip-off prices then the build cost will be higher, if you can find some that will work for an honest reasonable price the build cost will be lower. I don't know how the architect can predict that. They must just be erring on the side of caution and assuming you will only be able to find rip-off tradesmen.

Removing standards will result in a lot more bodged installs like happens in the solar panel and spray foam industries. All these cowboy operators will bodge installs bankrupt the limited company and open a new one then rinse and repeat. The construction industry in the UK is far too unregulated. The vast majority lot of the heat pumps installed in France are reversible ones that can be used for heating and cool. They install a lot of air-to-air heat pumps and hardly any air-to-water ones. In France they put them in as part of a proper HVAC systems.

The spray foam industry should be shut down. It is going to cause a lot of problems in the coming years. Many people who think they have had it done properly will suddenly find that their roof is rotten. Too many people mess around with their their roofs by putting spray foam and shoddy solar panel installs.

There is a lot of ignorance regarding the dangers of wood smoke. There was a similar ignorance towards the dangers of asbestos until recently. Even today a lot of older tradesmen downplay the risks of asbestos. The Chilean government are trying to move people away from using wood burners and onto cleaner alternatives like gas. They have done a lot of studies into the dangers of wood burners. The Scottish Government are going to cause more health problems with this new legislation, more people will get wood burners instead of gas which will cause a big decrease in air quality. https://www.ccacoalition.org/news/chile-takes-action-air-pollution

Does anyone know if LPG central heating will be banned under this legislation, specifically systems that use tanks and bottles? The legislation mentions mains gas, but I'm a bit confused about whether bottled gas will be included. This legislation seems completely pointless. Solid fuel fires are the worst form of heating in terms of PM2.5 particles that are harmful to health. Burning oil and gas is significantly less detrimental than using solid fuel fires. Even under the best circumstances, wood burners are problematic, even when people burn sufficiently dry, non-chemically treated wood. However, many people don't use them correctly—they burn wet wood and chemically treated wood. By banning oil and gas heating, this legislation could have the reverse effect, prompting people to install wood burners instead. This would lead to even worse air quality and higher emissions, counteracting the intended environmental benefits. It seems completely illogical to ban oil and gas but not wood burners. Wood burners should be banned first, not oil and gas. As has been mentioned, new homes should be built to be compatible with generators if power cuts are a concern. Occasionally using a petrol or diesel generator during a power cut is far less harmful than allowing people to burn wood all the time.

Very bodged install. As you say that garage is a death trap, someone could get carbon monoxide positioning. Also the power cables are on the surface, someone could easily cut into them when gardening. People are highlighting these issues in the comments but he doesn't seem to care. I was just interested in seeing how he wired it in. I'm not an electrician so can't comment on the actual electrical bit.

A video of an electrician wiring in a back-up generator.

On lots of roofing youtube videos I always see comments from non-British people commenting that they can't believe so many British roofers don't use counter battens. It seems like almost everywhere else counter battens are standard practice, but not in the UK for some reason. Why is it that so many British roofers don't counter batten? They're in NHBC standards: https://nhbc-standards.co.uk/7-roofs/7-2-pitched-roofs/7-2-17-battens/

I believe the concern over power cuts is exaggerated; they usually last only a few hours here and there. Some of my family members live in rural areas and, several years ago, experienced a power cut that lasted over a week. However, they managed just fine with a cheap diesel generator. They have an open fire in the house but haven't used it for at least 15 years without any problems—the generator sufficed. If people are that worried about power cuts, they should consider designing their home's power system to be compatible with a diesel generator. Some houses have a master switch that allows them to switch from mains power to a diesel generator backup. If I were building a new house in a rural area, that's what I would do instead of installing a wood burner. My family doesn't have the generator wired into their house electrics; they simply had it out in the garden with an extension cable running inside the house. One thing that irks me about this wood burner debate is that Kate Forbes is very outspoken against the wood burner ban. Her husband is the owner of a chimney sweeping firm, so her family has financial skin in the game, so to speak. If this were a Tory politician speaking out against a matter that directly affected the finances of their spouse's business interests, the media would be all over it as a conflict of interest.

My Aunty has an open fire in her house but has suffered from breathing problems her entire life. She doesn't seem to be able to put two and two together and realise it might be her fire that is causing her problems. With the increasing air tightness of homes solid fuel fires will be causing health problems. When people open the fire to put more wood on it will release lots of harmful dust and gasses into the house. A lot of modern houses don't have proper ventilation systems despite the airtightness. Even things like gas hobs in a house are harmful as noted in the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzq0RbkHV78

Many people in rural areas rely on gas cylinders for heating rather than mains gas. As far as I can tell, these will be banned under the new regulations. The way these new rules are being framed, the primary heat sources people can use are heat pumps or wood burners. It seems illogical to ban oil and gas but not wood burners, considering that wood burners are far worse than oil or gas boilers in terms of emissions and air quality. I have family who live in rural areas; they have an oil boiler and, during power cuts, they use a diesel generator to power an electric heater. There's no need for a wood burner in a rural area. Power cuts are infrequent, and if people are concerned about them, they could use a diesel generator as a backup. Many people I know who have wood burners don't use them properly. They burn chemically treated wood like pallets and wet wood. Non-kiln-dried wood is meant to be left for about two years out of the rain to dry properly, but many people don't do that. They get wood delivered to their homes and leave it out in the rain, then burn it when it's still not properly dry. Even dry wood creates a lot of harmful emissions; wet wood produces even more. I find it concerning that people are allowed to use solid fuel fires in built-up towns and villages. The smoke created by them is very harmful to health and is anti-social. People shouldn't be allowed to pollute neighbouring properties with smoke from a solid fuel fire; they should have to live far from other properties if they want to use one. One person I worked with—who was not a very nice person, to put it politely—lives in a big town in a densely populated area. He recently had a wood burner fitted and burns all kinds of chemically treated wood in it. I feel sorry for his neighbours; he's exposing them to harmful chemicals but doesn't care.

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I believe allowing wood burners while banning gas heating as a primary sourse doesn't make sense. Wood burners are among the most polluting heating methods, releasing harmful pollutants that harm both the environment and public health. Gas heating is cleaner, so permitting wood burners but restricting gas undermines efforts to reduce emissions. Many people misuse wood burners by burning wet or chemically treated wood, which releases even more pollutants. This not only affects the environment but also poses health risks to nearby residents. In built-up areas, wood smoke is a nuisance and should be banned to protect public health. Relaxing regulations to allow wood burners but restricting gas may encourage more people to install them, which is counterproductive. If they're necessary in rural areas, strict regulations should minimize their impact on others.

What are your thoughts on the new Renters Reform Bill? I'm particularly concerned about the section that gives tenants more rights to keep pets. Recently, I've been trying to find a place to live, and one of the biggest challenges is finding a property where pets haven't lived. I have severe allergies to cats and dogs, and this change could make it even harder for people like me to find suitable housing. I recently viewed a property where a tenant had a dog, and the smell was overpowering. I had to cut the tour short because my eyes started watering and my chest began to tighten. I don't think dogs should be allowed in apartment buildings. In many flats I've visited, the stairwells are covered in dog hair, which isn't right. Allowing dogs will also be a nightmare for landlords. It's almost impossible to get the smell of dog out of carpets; they might have to re-carpet the entire property after each tenant to eliminate the odour. Even wood flooring can retain the smell. Additionally, dogs can spread fleas and bed bugs in their fur, creating further headaches for landlords. In apartment buildings, infestations in common areas like stairwells could easily spread to other flats. What do others think about this aspect of the bill?