The Oakmasters Blog

In the last part of our blog trilogy about oak-framed house self build process, we explore the details of the assembly process on your site.

Planning to self build? Find out what to expect when building your dream oak framed house. In this part, we talk about what happens during off site production stage.

Whether you have already decided to build your dream oak framed home, or are only at research stage, it is always useful to know what happens behind the scenes during the house design and build process. This way, you will know what to expect at each stage, prepare and adjust your plans accordingly, working to a realistic deadline.

Get inspired by a small, newly-built, oak framed Sussex cottage, built with holiday letting in mind. A couple replace a derelict coach house with a cosy oak framed holiday house.

Here’s a quick question for you. What do Shakespeare’s Globe, Liberty of London and the Stirling prize-winning Savill Building all have in common? The answer is that they were all built using oak. But oak is far from being a building material of the past: more and more modern houses are using oak frames to achieve a wide range of styles by marrying oak with brick and other building materials.

When most people think of oak porch styles they are most likely to find themselves picturing the Deep South of America. Those Southern mansions with wide, deep, open-planned porches are, perhaps, the archetypal expression of an entrance that becomes a living space all of its own. Yet, the porch has a fascinating history in the UK, too – and if you are looking to add an oak porch to create the perfect entrance to your home there are many styles to choose from to match and enhance your home’s exterior. We look at porches through the ages.

Regulations are being more strictly adhered to and inspections are much more thorough. It has never been more important to work with a supplier that you can completely trust. The risk of falling foul of building regulations is very real – and the potential cost of having to replace doors, windows and structures that do not meet this complicated set of regulations is very high. We talk you through the building regulation requirements and process early on in your project, so you are aware of what needs to be done and what is possible. We also have a lot of experience from previous projects of the solutions and acceptable alternatives that may be available to you. With such a complex web of regulations – applied differently according to region – it’s always best to take advice from those in the know, but here’s a quick overview of the regulations that may affect your project.

Self-build homes come in all shapes and sizes – and self-build projects span everything from a simple porch extension to an entirely new house. And the self-build route itself takes many forms. At its most heroic, there’s the hands-on self-builder who is designing, sourcing, organising and laying every brick. Conversely, at its least involved, there’s the self-builder who has employed a project manager to oversee the site and the team that will construct the dream home. Of course, between these two extremes, there lies a spectrum of subtly-hued shades of self-build.