How do you maintain a wooden house for maximum lifespan?
The Wood Guide · Do it yourself
MaintenanceMaintaining a wooden house
The lifespan of a wooden home is decided not by the wood but by the maintenance. With a schedule you can follow for years.
- Yearly inspection
- Moisture is the enemy
- The bottom 30 cm first
Where it always starts
Maintenance starts with spotting in time what is going on. And almost everything that goes wrong starts in the same four places.
The bottom thirty centimetres of the façade, where splashing rainwater hits the wood. The end grain of cladding boards, which absorbs moisture ten to fifteen times faster than the flat faces. The junctions around windows, doors and roof penetrations. And the places where plants grow against the façade, because the wood never dries there.
If you check those four places every year, you catch every problem at the stage where it is still a quarter of an hour's work.
A visual inspection of the exterior for cracks, holes and wear, paying special attention to damp patches and discolouration that point to water getting in. And an inspection of the foundations for cracks and settlement — these often first give themselves away as doors sticking indoors.
- Every year
- visual inspection of façade and foundations
- Every year
- empty gutters and downpipes
- Every year
- keep plants at least 30 cm away from the façade
- Every 2–3 years
- touch up the façade finish where needed
- Every 5–8 years
- full recoat of the façade finish
- Ongoing
- keep an eye out for woodworm and fungi
To be fair: a wooden house needs more attention than a brick one, and you have to be willing to give it. Not more work in total — a painted brick façade needs just as much maintenance — but more regular work, with less room to skip a year. If you know that before you build, it is no problem.
In pictures · What and when
Schematic drawing.
What and when
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Every spring | Full visual inspection outside | See winter damage before the growing season |
| Every spring | Clear gutters, downpipes and eaves | Leaves hold water against the façade |
| Every spring | Cut back plants, keep at least 30 cm clear | Ivy and shrubs stop the wood from drying |
| Every autumn | Check the junctions around windows and doors | Sealant joints crack with the seasons |
| Every autumn | Check the foundations and the bottom edge of the façade | The place where rot starts |
| Every 2–3 years | Touch up the finish locally | Small cracks now cost minutes |
| Every 5–8 years | Full recoat of the façade finish | Depends on orientation and product |
| At every inspection | Look for woodworm and fungi | Caught early, the problem stays small |
The south and west façades get the most sun and the most driving rain, so they are always the first to need a new coat. Do not automatically treat the whole house: it is often enough to do those two façades more often than the rest.
Moisture, sun, fungi and insects
Moisture
The main enemy, and the precondition for all the others. Above a moisture content of about twenty per cent, wood-rotting fungi can grow. Make sure water runs off and everything can dry.
Sun
UV radiation breaks down lignin at the surface, so the wood turns grey and the fibres loosen. Not dangerous in itself, but it makes the surface more susceptible to moisture.
Fungi
Blue stain is cosmetic; wood rot is structural. You tell the difference by probing: soft wood that gives way is rot. See wood and moisture.
Insects
Woodworm in interior woodwork, house longhorn beetle in structural timber. Fresh round holes with fine bore dust beneath them mean an active infestation. See treating woodworm.
The most effective measure is also the cheapest: make sure every part of the structure can dry again after a shower. A ventilated cavity, a generous roof overhang, a clear bottom edge of the façade and no plants against the wood. That beats any coating.
Frequently asked questions about maintaining a wooden house
How often should I maintain a wooden house?
Inspect and clear the gutters every year, touch up locally every two to three years, and give the façade finish a full recoat every five to eight years — depending on orientation and product.
Where does damage usually start?
In four places: the bottom thirty centimetres of the façade, the end grain of cladding boards, the junctions around windows and doors, and wherever plants grow against the wood.
How do I recognise wood rot?
Probe the suspect wood with a screwdriver. If it gives way softly, it is rotten. Grey-blue discolouration without softness is blue stain — cosmetic, not a structural problem.
Does a wooden house need more maintenance than a brick house?
More regularly, yes; in total, not necessarily — a painted brick façade needs a recoat just as much. The difference is that with wood you have less room to skip a year.
Maintenance in perspective
Let it dry. That beats any coating.
Have a question about your project? Just ask — we're happy to help.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Lysekil, Sweden — W.carter, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lysekil, Sweden — W.carter, CC0 · Wapakoneta, Ohio (USA) — Tim Kiser, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Wood Guide
More in Care & finishing
- Maintaining wooden doors and windows
- Maintaining wooden cladding
- Maintaining a wooden worktop
- Giving your picnic table a makeover
- Maintaining wooden decking
- Maintaining a wooden pergola
Other sections:Wood speciesUnderstanding woodChoosing & buyingBuild it yourselfTrees & forests