people are the soul of Carpenter Oak which is why in 2017 we became part employee-owned, not only allowing the business to stay independent but also to make our employees part of the company’s legacy and share in its success. After recently celebrating our 30th birthday, we felt the time was right for Carpenter Oak to take its next step for the future which is why we recently merged with our sister company, Carpenter Oak & Woodland, in Wiltshire. This allowed us to bring together our combined experience, creativity and expertise, the breadth of which, we believe, is the best in the industry. We’ve also just launched a brand-new website. We’d love you to take a look!
Where does all of your timber come from? Is it sourced from the UK? All of the oak we use comes from sustainably managed woodlands in Europe. Unfortunately, due to the lack of investment and good timber management for hardwoods in the UK, the UK’s supply of timber is generally lower quality, inconsistent and can be more expensive. Although this will gradually change with investment into our woodlands, for now, continental oak is the best option. We have however made it our mission to invest in the future of UK woodland.
What are some of your favourite projects that Carpenter Oak have worked on? Over the years Carpenter Oak have worked on a number of bespoke projects, from house constructions and cabins to even a timber frame swimming pool in Russia. There’s so much variety. Some of my favourites include a new oak framed roof area on top of an existing three storey department store in Brixton, constructing a 600-foot Ballista (a Roman catapult) for a BBC production titled ‘Building the
Impossible’, and creating the largest publicly accessible oak framed building in the UK at Penistone Public Market in Barnsley. We’ve also been involved in some vital restoration projects at Stirling and Windsor Castles and we engineered a new visitor centre at Rosslyn Chapel, just outside of Edinburgh, following it’s increasing popularity after a feature in Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’. It’s fair to say that no project is the same and every one is exciting and different.
We pride ourselves on being problem-solvers and our ability to offer a full design and build service.
What are Carpenter Oak’s biggest opportunities moving forward? What do you think the future holds for the sector? For us, new residential properties and projects are looking like a really big opportunity. The self- build market has really grown in popularity in recent years and that’s set to continue. With a lot of big developers in
the UK building houses at low cost, many new build houses just aren’t up to scratch. That’s why we have an aspiration at Carpenter Oak to be part of the
this growing self-build movement; it offers us the opportunity to showcase what we do best. We can show how house building can really be done well, how it doesn’t have to be expensive and how individuals can play a part in creating their own homes. Another huge opportunity for us
is the resurgence in using natural materials. Steel, bricks and concrete just aren’t the best materials to use any more. There’s a need to use materials that are reusable, sustainable and can be grown time and time again. As this continues, we should also
see even more timber being used in architecture, not only in sustainable housing, but also for larger projects such as schools and hotels.
On the other hand, what are the biggest challenges that Carpenter Oak face? As timber and self-builds become increasingly popular, we’re seeing manufacturers from Europe, such as in France and Germany, eyeing up the UK as a potential new market to tap into. While this is a challenge, it also offers us a great opportunity at the same time to get Carpenter Oak’s name and work out there and to show what we do. Additionally, despite the
Government’s recent regulation that a larger percentage of new housing developments and land would be set aside for self-builds, this is not coming into force as
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