The Pateman’s Oak Framed Cottage Style House

A cottage style oak frame home became the solution to Katy and Alan Pateman’s problematic plot, which had a chequered history of planning refusals. The site is in a conservation area in an Essex village and had been an allotment some years before.

The previous owners had submitted five designs before this one was finally given planning permission with conditions which included that it had to be built with traditional materials – timber cladding, reclaimed roof tiles.

‘I got a quote for a softwood frame but decided the cottage would look too boring. A friend who lives in a huge and beautiful oak-framed house suggested oak framing.’ says Katy.

The couple visited an oak frame property built by Welsh Oak Frame. Katy and Alan loved the look and made contact despite thinking oak would have been out of their budget.

Welsh Oak Frame’s designer came to site and they showed him the original design for the one-and-a-half storey, two-bedroom cottage. ‘My feeling was less oak would make our home feel more open,’ says Katy. ‘I wanted beams but didn’t want rooms overloaded with them. We have more in the living room because it’s cosy with the low ceiling and small window’. Since the internal layout wasn’t governed by planning, the couple were able to make changes to suit their lifestyle. ‘We were really impressed with Welsh Oak Frame’s designer and the price. We thought an oak frame would be out of our budget but it became one of the cheaper parts of the build’.

The traditional oak framed cottage was finished in 13 months. The outcome is a beautiful looking home with oak features and modern furnishings with a stunning interior design to suit the feel of the home. ‘Our house isn’t huge but we maximised space and shows oak framing can be affordable and not just for millionaires’ says Katy.

Visit website