What is a voorschot (gable cladding)?
A voorschot is the timber cladding of the upper part of a gable, as commonly found in the Zaan region (Zaanstreek) of the Netherlands. The word comes from “voor” (placed in front of the inner wall or frame) and “beschieten” (cladding with boards). In construction, voorschot therefore means something different from its everyday Dutch meaning of an advance payment.
Characteristics
- The voorschot clads the top of the gable, the part under the roof.
- It follows the architectural style of its time: sometimes plain with horizontal or vertical boards, sometimes richly decorated with scrolls, mouldings and volutes.
- On Zaan timber houses, the voorschot is often painted in a striking colour and trimmed with white mouldings.
A well-known modern example is the Inntel Hotel in Zaandam (WAM Architecten), whose facade is made up of stacked variations of Zaan houses, with many voorschotten.
In practice: maintaining a timber voorschot
- Inspect every year the bottom of the voorschot, the junctions with window frames and the mouldings. That is where water lingers longest.
- Ventilation: make sure air can flow behind the boarding, so that the timber can dry after rain.
- Paintwork: keep the paint layer intact and repair small cracks in good time. Use a paint system suitable for exterior timber.
- Replacement: replace affected parts with the same profile and the same timber species. For protected Zaan buildings, new work often has to match the original appearance; ask the municipality about the rules.
Related terms
- Boarding
- Roof boarding
- Knee wall
- Voorwerkers
- Timber construction
- Facade cladding
Want to learn more about construction terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.