When I started re-siding the original eight cabins in 2010, I had a choice between several materials. Vinyl siding was cheaper and would have required no maintenance. Engineered wood was an option. I chose northern white cedar milled at a small operation outside Cook, Minnesota, and I have not regretted it. Here is what I have learned about the wood over fifteen years of watching it age.
What northern white cedar actually is ¶
Northern white cedar, Thuja occidentalis, is a slow-growing conifer native to the Great Lakes region and the northeastern United States. It grows in wet, low-lying areas, often along lake shores and in swampy ground, which is part of why it is so well-suited to a lakeside building. The wood is light, straight-grained, and naturally resistant to rot and insect damage because of the oils in the heartwood. A cedar board in contact with damp ground will outlast most other softwoods by decades.
The mill outside Cook, Minnesota ¶
The mill we use is a small family operation that has been running since the 1960s. They cut and dry their own timber from sustainably managed land in northern St. Louis County. The boards are air-dried rather than kiln-dried, which takes longer but produces a more stable product that moves less with seasonal humidity changes. I drove up to the mill in the spring of 2010 before placing the first order and have been buying from them ever since. They know the property by name at this point.
How cedar weathers in a Minnesota climate ¶
Fresh northern white cedar is a pale yellow-brown. Left unfinished, it weathers to a silver-gray over three to five years, depending on sun exposure. The south-facing walls of the cabins have gone fully silver. The north-facing walls are still slightly warmer in tone. I chose not to stain or seal the exterior of the cabins because I wanted them to look like they belong to the landscape rather than sitting on top of it. The weathering is not decay. The wood underneath is sound.
Maintenance and what it actually requires ¶
Cedar siding requires less maintenance than most people expect. We inspect each cabin at the start of the season for any boards that have cracked or cupped, replace them as needed, and check the caulking around windows and doors. We do not paint or stain. The boathouse, which is a different situation because it sits partially over the water, gets a coat of linseed oil every three years. That is essentially the full maintenance program for the exteriors.
Why it matters to guests, even if they do not know it ¶
Guests do not usually arrive thinking about siding material. But they notice something. The cabins smell different from a vinyl-sided building, especially on a warm afternoon when the sun has been on the wood for a few hours. The smell is faint and resinous and specific to cedar. Several guests have mentioned it without knowing what they were smelling. That is the thing about building with real materials: the effect is there even when the cause is invisible.
If you are curious about the construction of a specific cabin or want to know more about the mill in Cook, ask when you arrive. I am happy to talk about it at length, possibly at more length than you wanted.