The Cole’s Oak Framed Barn Style Home

This oak frame barn style home was inspired by local workshop barns in Essex. The owners sourced photographs of workshop barns in Essex to ensure the property was the right shape and proportion. The property is clad in feather edge oak boarding to create a barn style look. The barn is wrapped in structural insulated panels (SIPs), which are in the open part of the roof above the frame too.

Features of a workshop barn include a large opening and a double height space where a tractor or combine harvester might have been brought in to be repaired. The oak frame adds warmth and character to the double height spaces making the barn look more authentic. The oak trusses create real wow factor.
The mezzanine floor in a workshop barn would have been used for storing spare parts and tools, thus leading to a one-and-a-half storey barn style home with a room in the roof design for the master bedroom and ensuite.

The oak frame is more scaled back in some rooms, creating a more contemporary feel. The beauty of an oak frame is that by nature of the product, you can guarantee a characterful space, even when used in small quantities.

The owners approached three oak frame companies with a brief for the barn. ‘They all came back with different schematics and similar quotes but the other two companies didn’t want to make changes to the design even though I knew it was technically possible,’ he says. ‘We chose to work with Welsh Oak Frame because they were so helpful and flexible’ says Anthony.

‘During the course of the build, I spoke to Welsh Oak many times and they’d send me details and I built up a good rapport with the team,’ says Anthony. ‘I wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again.’

Visit website