The Westcoast climate
The west coast of Sweden has a harsh climate that combines salt spray with high winds. Perhaps it is particularly harsh at the far end of the coastline at Sotenäs. A few decades ago, when the world was smaller than it is now, we only sold our doors locally. The old craftsmen builders knew that doors had to be solidly constructed from good materials to withstand the weather on the west coast. Our standards were set by our regional customers and we have not seen any reasons to change them since then. Even though some of our customers now come from much further away.
Interesting facts about the wind in west Sweden
You might think that the winds would be strongest at the coast in this region, but in fact the highest winds are recorded further inland, in Västergötland. One reason is that the mountains in southern Norway dampen and redirect the strongest winds. The highest measured wind speeds for Sweden as a whole are on the Baltic coast, presumably because the measurement stations there are at higher altitude, where it is windier.
The exposure of the west coast to the North Sea and Atlantic means that the sea here is in almost constant motion. Because the wind travels over long open stretches of the North Sea and Skagerrak, the waves can be extremely high. The highest waves occur in winter, and on 14 January 2007 a wave height of 13 metres was recorded at the Väderöarna islands. This is a record for the Swedish coast.
In spring and summer the conditions are milder. The risk of extremely high “freak” waves is small in the Skagerrak strait.
The southwesterly wind drives up water levels
In the west of Sweden we mainly get high waves during westerly winds. Generally, south-westerly winds cause the sea to pile up against the Norwegian and Swedish coasts. If the wind then turns to the north-west these waves head south and raise the sea level as far south as Halland and Skåne. The extreme levels generally last for a few hours. The peak wave heights that result from a given weather situation depend on the initial sea height. A heavy storm does not necessarily lead to critical levels if the water level was low to start with.
Our heritage & our history
Bovalls Dörrbyggeri is located in the middle of the outermost coastline at Sotenäs in Bohuslän. From the very beginning, 1943, when we built our first doors for boathouses and villas in the coastal community, robust, weather-resistant materials and careful door craftsmanship were important.
Our craftsmanship & our knowledge
Quality and craftsmanship are close to our hearts. And it’s a unique craft that develops from generation to generation. All our doors are made by a craftsman, who follows all the steps and selects the right material.
Types and origin of our wood
We always aim to source wood responsibly. The structure of the wood contains impressions from nature and each piece, each panel, frame and molding is unique. Our doors are therefore built with great respect for the raw material that has taken nature decades to produce. With the sea to the west and forest to the east it is easy to take an interest in sustainability issues. One important step in this process is to use FSC®-certified wood.
