Once again, as so often has been the case recently, we lucked out with the weather when we travelled over to the
northeast to erect the first of three frames within a substantial new-build town house project near Hartlepool in
County Durham. With an early start, the frame was up by lunch time and we were back in Cumbria in time for tea.
Another miraculously dry day in the currect spell of inclement weather saw us in the western Lakes erecting a very solid bespoke storm porch on a modernised family home facing a village green on the western edge of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria.
We are sometimes asked to make something from an off-cut to complement our finished projects, as a small follow-on commission.
Recently, we were asked to make a door stop from an off-cut of a ridge beam to match its green oak extension, and the dimensions
of the piece lent itself to this very well. When we were also asked to carve something into it, it seemed fitting to carve our
Sessile Oak 'seedling' logo.
We returned to Windermere to install a bespoke green oak window frame for a loggia to complement a conservatory we had installed previously for a listed Arts and Crafts manor house overlooking Lake Windermere.
On site erecting a small bespoke oak frame for a garden room in north west Cumbria, as a replacement for an older UPVc conservatory, atop the existing dwarf walls.
As with our previous project, we had expected heavy rain but the skies cleared to give us glorious sunshine once again.
Another short break from our oak framing work to return to the forest to erect the round wood frame in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.
The remoteness of the steep site meant only non-mechanised lifting techniques could be used, so we erected the trusses the old fashioned way with ropes, pulleys, levers and a lot of elbow grease. Little by little, each triangular truss went up in succession to create an impressive structure.
Two fabulous days on site erecting a bespoke oak frame for a dining room and sitting room extension for a farmhouse in an
elevated position in Northumberland, with panoramics views to The Pennines and Hadrian's Wall.
We had expected forecast rain, thunder and lightning but we were blessed with sunshine and a few distant rumbles instead. The frame went up a treat and Keith took the opportunity take a few snaps from a 'man cage' mounted on the lifting arm we used to lift timbers into place.
A great couple of days erecting a modern and innovative green oak butterfly roof sun lounge frame bespoke built for a secluded farm steading in the north of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria.
Comprising 12 tonnes of oak, one of our larger projects completed at the northern edge of the Lake District National Park.
We spent two days on site with a small mobile crane in fairly challenging weather, plus a third day pegging joints and bolting the frame down to its base.
A brilliant day installing a green oak conservatory we bespoke designed and built to complement a listed Arts and Crafts manor house overlooking Lake Windermere.
We took some time away from our oak framing to work on some round wood frame projects in a forest in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.
Things took a dramatic turn when, midway through the framing, Storm Arwen destroyed around 300 trees and laid waste to much of the site. There was nothing for it but to roll up our sleeves, clean the place up and get stuck back in again.
We had a long drive down south again, this time to Hertfordshire to fit a set of five large oak window frames into a
two-storey new-build barn for use as the headquarters of an architectural practice. The weather stayed fine and we were
even treated to an impromptu aerobatic display by a Spitfire and Hurricane from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
A roof and floor structure for a two storey barn conversion in the North Lakes in Cumbria, comprising a first floor frame with stair well and an arch braced and collared truss roof frame.
We had a great trip down to Essex to install a set of four green oak window frames for a cart lodge attached to a Grade 2 listed cottage.
It was a pleasure to return to erect a green oak framed open-sided store at the entrance to the Larch Cottage Nurseries garden centre in Melkinthorpe, Cumbria.
An overcast but mostly dry gap in the wet weather was well timed for us to erect an oak conservatory frame on existing dwarf walls
behind a cottage in a Pennine village.
A day well spent installing a small oak frame for an entrance porch on new dwarf walls on the front of a converted chapel in a north Cumbrian village.
In keeping with our Environmental Policy,
our 2.5 kilowatt photovoltaic system continues to perform well in supplementing the electricity supply for the workshop, office and house.
From spring to autumn, this system generates more than we use, allowing us to feed our surplus back into the national electricity grid.
The surplus produced by the ten panel array is fed back into the grid via our FIT set-up.
You can keep up to date with our latest news and workshop schedule updates here...
Our gallery shows many more of the green oak framed building projects we've undertaken over the years.
From small porches to three storey extensions, we're sure you'll see something to appeal.
A brief look at some of the traditional carpentry hand tools we use in our workshop.
After finishing the carpentry in the workshop, the oak frame is then transported to the site and assembled. Here, we provide an outline of the process involved in constructing an oak frame on-site, along with references to further details on subsequent tasks.
An overview of methods for glazing green oak frames, including choices between the different approaches to direct installation or externally fixed units or frames.
Oak frames need to be cleaned once in place, and shielded from the elements as they mature.
A selection of calculators, converters, charts, on-line tools and other sites detailing and discussing the many aspects of planning, building and managing your projects.
Occasionally, we undertake carved works. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind work of art, whether it's a small commemorative carving or a large structural sculpture.
A gathering deep in the hills of Galloway showcasing the best of live music from around the globe.
Throughout the grounds of Piercefield Park in Chepstow, The Green Gathering hosts great music, activities, stalls, campaign venues and showcases a wide variety of green technologies for sustainable living.
Aiming to encourage sustainable living and permaculture through providing an off-grid family festival. Bands, poets, workshops, cratfs, skill shares and campaigns talks powered by sun, wind and bicycle.
Late AugustThe Solway Festival, or Solfest, near Aspatria in Cumbria, has become the premier event in the north west of England since its beginnings in 2003.
News & Updates
