Advertising feature
Carpenter Oak
...the art of timber framing w
alking into an oak frame building can take your breath away and give you a powerful sense of space, height, majesty even, and infuse you with light and warmth that is so often missing in older, often draughty homes. in the age of conformity in so much of our lives, an oak-framed building can combine aesthetic pleasure with practicality and simplicity.
Oak framed buildings have become increasingly popular with self-builders and homeowners looking for a more dramatic and special living space. Carpenter Oak, based in east Cornworthy, near Dartmouth, have established a first class national and international reputation in developing an innovative system of developing and constructing such build- ings. they have strong teams of experienced timber framers with skills and knowledge that span both the traditional and contemporary.
their buildings have been featured on many tv programmes over the years, notably Channel 4’s grand Designs. A proj- ect in the first ever series back in 1998, was a fabulous large green oak frame home in berkshire. the second project was the highlight of series two, a house familiar to many which has become known as the ‘Cruciform House’, situated high up on the berkshire Downs.
Shona Morley of Carpenter Oak explains, “Our timber frames are made with a hands on approach which allows the craftsmen to react appropriately to each piece of timber. the structures are framed up off site at our yard in Cornworthy. Once the frame is complete it is transported to site, sometimes as far away as Japan and America, where it is raised in a spectacular and short visit.”
Oak frames are built to very precise dimen- sions using traditional jointing systems and hand held tools. Full workshop and frame drawings are needed to translate the frame from Architects’ drawings into a form that can be built by the carpenters. the company has built a highly skilled work- force of around 25 qualified carpenters working in its work- shops or on site.
Carpenter Oak has built relationships with
left/above: Architect: Roger Robinson (Kingsbridge)
many architects locally and nationally. “we often have architects introduced to us by clients”, says Shona. their closest link is through a close and long standing relationship with roderick James Ar- chitects (
www.rjarchitects.co.uk) a group of 14 or so special- ist architects who have been designing frame buildings for over 25 years. “their designs are exciting and individual and have won many top awards,” says Shona. “they really push the boundaries of timber engineering but they also enjoy creating a modest but beautiful home on a tight budget, as much as they do a larger, more expensive project.”
Carpenter Oak prides itself on its professionalism and expe- rience but, as Shona explains, “clients also find us friendly and easy-going. when our carpenters visit your site, they make the frame raising a thoroughly exciting, fun process, whilst at the same time impressing you with their superb skills.
“we are very committed also to the question of sustain- ability. All our oak is sourced from well managed forests and much of our oak comes from France where the quality, management and volume of oak is second to none.”
if you are thinking of living in an oak frame, then Carpen- ter Oak strongly recommend that you take the time to visit their Show barn in Cornworthy. they can set up a meeting for you with a Carpenter Oak Director and an architect if needed, and will spend a couple of hours discussing your ideas and designs, carefully looking at costs, planning issues, and so on. this barnhouse is brand new so it has taken advantage of the latest technologies. it demonstrates how to achieve optimum insulation and air tightness, how to apply glazing, different truss examples, lighting ideas and so on. if interested you can also take a tour of the framing yard, meet the carpenters and see for yourself the skills involved in the art of handmade framing. it really is a worthwhile experi- ence and they don’t make a charge for your visit!
Visit
www.carpenteroak.com or call 01803 732900
right/below: Architects:
Roderick James LLP (Totnes)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128