Traditional Style Oak Frame Home with Masonry Facade

Getting the Oak Frame Build Underway

Planning permission was granted within 10 weeks of the couple submitting their oak frame design, without objections from any neighbours. The Deacons had approached them early on to explain their plans. “We told them we were going to knock it down and rebuild and they were delighted,” says Richard.

The back of the property is just as striking as the front, with a white render and exposed masonry blend looking over the stepped garden

Read More: Should You Demolish and Rebuild?

However, the couple found the lack of communication with the planning department frustrating.  “We had to submit a bat survey, and a further one for night-time, but fortunately no roosting bats were found,” says Janet.

“In addition, we needed an arboriculturist report and this led us to protect the roots of next door’s tree, despite the fact that it was a considerable distance away. Inevitably, this cost additional time and money.” But, in August 2019, work on site began with the demolition of the existing 1950s property.

The Deacons were conscious of generating excess waste and had the demolished material crushed as hardcore for their project. The couple moved in with daughter, Helen, who lives nearby, in December that year.

“We could have rented, but this would have added extra time and financial pressures,” says Janet. Still, they had a target date of July 2020; and didn’t want to run over.

Project Managing the Oak Frame Design

Richard and Janet project managed the site themselves – dovetailing tradespeople and keeping them in check. “We made Janet the official health and safety officer on site, as everyone seemed to take a bit more notice when she pulled them up on things,” says Richard.

But they were both there as often as they could be to oversee things. The couple had completed house renovations in the past, so some of their build team was made up of people they had used before as well as recommendations.

Learn More: 10 Top Tips for Project Managing Your Self Build or Renovation

The downstairs of the home has a sleek yet characterful feel, featuring imitation limestone floors to complement the underfloor heating. This low-maintenance porcelain finish won’t crack or show the dirt

Building on a sloping site comes with its own challenges – and a soil investigation identified significant soft clay underground, so the Deacons opted for bored pile foundations. They raised the house level up by 600mm to minimise the steepness of the driveway slope, which allowed them to have a basement/workshop for Richard.

The groundworks team came recommended by some friends who were also building an Oakwrights home – and it transpired that Richard and the contractor had worked on the same motorway site years previously. “They didn’t know each other beforehand, but Richard felt confident in their capability and the fact they had the required plant in-house,” says Janet.

Despite a slight hiccup with a concrete delivery, the groundworks team did an excellent job and Oakwrights were able to commence the erection of the oak frame and encapsulation system right on schedule. “Oakwrights had warned us that there was a very tight tolerance for the position of the bases for oak frames,” says Richard.

“But our groundworks contractor made sure it was practically perfect!” Once the frame was up, the groundworker came back to build the waterproof concrete basement-workshop, which features a garage and utility, plus bathroom above.

Read More: How to Tackle the Groundworks & Foundations Stage of Your Project

Lockdown Restrictions and Building Struggles

It took seven weeks to reach dry shell stage, a little later than the couple had hoped. “But the weather wasn’t kind at that point,” says Janet. The couple continued working in the garden while the frame went up, and the structure was mostly watertight by Christmas 2019 – little did the Deacons know, the build would be thrown off course just a few months later when the pandemic hit.

“Our children banned us from the site for own protection during the Covid lockdowns,” says Janet. Daughter Helen took the reins of project management and continued to supervise the site. Janet and Richard went to the house at weekends or when everyone else had gone home in the evenings. “I’m glad we had something to do during Covid, though, or else I’d have climbed the walls,” says Janet.

As in the rest of the home, the exposed oak frame beams make a beautiful addition. The vaulted ceilings and large windows help to create a bright and airy atmosphere

Whilst construction work could still go ahead, restrictions meant that the number of people on site was reduced and different trades had to be kept separated. It was much harder to overlap workers and this added about six weeks to the build time.

Luckily, much of the work on the main house structure had already been finished. However, the project was affected by shortages of some materials when building the blockwork garage/workshop.

Read More: Buying Building Materials: Quantities, Quality & Lead Times

Adding the Finishing Touches to the Oak Frame Family Home

“We spent a lot of time choosing our bricks, roof tiles and windows because we are only going to do this once,” says Janet. Going to events like the NSBRC’s Self Build Show in Swindon allowed the couple to see the products they were considering in the flesh, and they could choose suppliers based on people they met there.

“We were recommended Nordan for the windows – we saw them at a show and felt they had a good product,” says Janet. The triple-glazed, alu-clad units were ideal for the couple’s modern oak frame abode.

Richard and Janet also opted for a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system to complement their efficient, well-insulated, airtight oak home – and a false roof upstairs conceals the ducting. “We knew we had to have places to hide stuff,” says Janet. This includes a plant room which doubles as a coat cupboard.

A gas boiler powers the underfloor heating and some small radiators upstairs – though these are rarely turned on. “The house warms really evenly and is therefore very comfortable,” says Richard.

The open-plan downstairs features a double-height entrance hall with views straight through to the garden. To one side is the study and a shower room – which could easily accommodate a stud wall to become a downstairs bedroom, should the couple need this later in life.

The comfortable home was encapsulated using Oakwrights’ encapsulation system, meaning the property is thermally efficient all year round

“You never know what the future’s going to bring – that was the whole point,” says Janet. As part of this, the oven has a hide-and-slide door, so bringing the Christmas turkey through is much easier!

Internal finishes have been kept neutral, allowing the oak frame to take centre stage. The beams help delineate zones inside. Cracks in the oak frame have started to appear as the green wood shrinks and dries out.

This is a natural, expected part of the process and actually strengthens the frame. The lovely honey-toned structure has been cleaned and sealed with white beeswax. “The guy who cleaned the oak beams was a bit of a character,” says Janet.

“We asked him to make our oak and glass staircase based on a rough design we drew up.” With all their futureproofing in mind, this is set to be Janet and Richard’s forever home, so they’re not looking to self build again, but it was a positive experience overall.

The couple love their new house – it’s a perfect space for the family to gather and is absolutely flooded with light thanks to bespoke glazed gables and large bifolds.

“It’s quite big,” says Janet. But it has to be to accommodate the couple’s family – with four grandchildren coming to stay and a bedroom for each of them. “At Christmas, we had 12 people in the formal dining room and opened all of our presents under the tree in the hallway,” says Janet. “It’s perfect for us.”

Looking to build your own oak frame home? Read our 5 Steps to a Building a Bespoke Oak Frame Home on a Budget