A classic choice – and the timber that I used on my own home – is western red cedar. It starts as a rich reddish colour and weathers to a gorgeous silvery grey. Traditionally it was the timber chosen for shingles. The great thing about cedar is that it can be left entirely untreated.

A cheaper alternative would be to use European softwood, such as spruce. This is relatively knotty and not nearly as attractive in the raw, so it’s best painted. For external use it would normally be supplied as a ‘tannalised’ timber, which has a greenish hue and means that it has been pressure treated with preservative.

It’s worth looking around your area for inspiration, too. I saw a beautifully-clad contemporary house a few weeks ago for which the builders had used red lauro. Another amazing home was dressed in oak, but I imagine they must have had to use expensive, thick sections because oak generally twists awfully when left exposed to the elements.

On the coast, regular maintenance will be necessary. But please do not fall into the trap of thinking that uPVC cladding would be a good idea. It is bad for the environment, difficult to recycle and unappealing to the touch. It also has no natural variation of tone. What’s more, while it may not need to be painted regularly, uPVC will not have as long a life span as properly-maintained timber.