jhaadmin, Author at Natural Structures

Jan 23

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Cruck Bladed trusses

Oak Trusses The ancient village of Horninghold, Leicestershire is now the proud home of the cruck bladed truss air dried oak frame that we manufactured not far away in our oak framing barns near the village of Tur Langton. All the oak used in the manufacture of the frame was air dried, with component sections starting at 200mm x 200mm and reaching 250mm x 250mm. This air drying helps with the reduction of movement, helps prevent unsightly shrinkage of joints and offers a surface finish that can be sanded to a very fine/smooth finish. The brief was to design, manufacture and assemble a structurally sound oak frame with as many curved components with in the trusses as possible to create an internally soft, curved aesthetic finished frame that would complement the finished interior design. Of the 12 components that made up the cruck bladed truss, five of these were curved with a minimum of 80mm deep radius cut. The entire oak frame consisted of 72 oak components, 32 of these were curved. With nearly 50% of the entire oak frame consisting of differing radius curves we hope that the finished project will exceed all the clients’ expectations.

Nov 23

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Oak Garage Completion

We have just completed a 2.5 bay oak garage. This includes a interior staircase that leads to a fully insulated office and gym space, a lockable tractor shed and open 1.5 bay car port. The lighting for the 1st floor area was provided by several conservation roof lights and the gable quarter lights. The roof tiles used were from an existing building that we demolished prior to the build. The doors to the oak garage were hand made using the finest quality prime grade oak. The entire structure was built within 4 weeks from start to finish including the footings, frame and roof.

Nov 22

by jhaadmin in Case Studies 0 comments tags: oak frame, Workshop

Glaston Tractor Oak Workshop

The client gave us a specific brief for this oak workshop, mainly that the structure was to house his collection of 1940’s tractors that he restored and that the structure needed to blend into the surrounding garden. The use of oak feather edge boarding on the vertical surfaces helped mask the structure while the cedar shingles on the roof gave a softer finished look to the roofline. This restoration of his collection of World War II tractors often meant the removal of the engines and other very heavy parts so a main eaves beam running through the centre of the structure was included in the frame to enable him to hoist these in and out of place. We also included, along the length of the garage, a work bench with overhead lighting which enabled him to carry out his many hours of work in comfort. Several roof lights were incorporated into the design as well as a hand made oak flush casement window and a gable casement to flood the workshop with as much natural light as possible. The doors were again hand made to the frame specification all hung using stainless steel hinges and antique black door furniture. Natural […]

Nov 21

by jhaadmin in Case Studies 0 comments tags: oak frame, Oak framed extension

Bisbrook Garden Room

Oak Framed Garden Room (Oak Framed Sun Room & Orangery) The initial design for this particular project was to integrate a spacious ground floor oak frame extension to the existing 16th century cottage. The L shape footprint of the cottage led to the design concept of a centred structure tying the two sides of the existing cottage together, creating a large vaulted area that could be accessed via the kitchen and front room. To create the space to enable us to build the newly designed structure called for a huge amount of earth to be excavated from the site. To retain the earth bank after excavation, we utilized the strength and longevity of oak sleepers to create a retainer wall, which, after completion, gave a soft, natural look to an otherwise large vertical area. The roof configuration was chosen to give a more stand-alone feel to the structure and to aid the existing window positions. The large amount of glazing to the new oak structure called for a highly insulated roof to help compensate for any heat loss from the underfloor heating system that was also incorporated into the design. Underfloor heating is the most economical way to heat the majority […]

Nov 20

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Oak Frame Loggia

The word “loggia” is an italian word that means “An open-sided or open-ended, roofed gallery, either free-standing or along the front or side of a building”. A loggia can be used for many things but the main two uses are “Al Fresco Dining” and a relaxed seating area – both of these functions have the huge benefit of the use in all weathers. The advantages of a covered seating/eating area in the British climate are obvious and after our advice the clients for this particular project decided to include the loggia design. The external loggia is weatherproofed by using a pre-painted sarking board to the underside of the vaulted roof and by extending the main structural frame to support extended roof structure. If your project has the space and budget we recommend the loggia design as it enhances the aesthetic look and feel of the build with the huge benefit of the functional all weather covered area.

Nov 15

by jhaadmin in Case Studies 0 comments tags: oak frame, oak frame house, Oak framed extension

Millstream Case study

The river Nene was the predominant feature with this project. The small existing cottage that we had as a starting point was originally the water mill. This main feature of the river so close to the dwelling also presented the main hurdle for us as there were several issues that this presented. Firstly the footings of the new main oak framed house could not be dug in the traditional way. We used the method of pile driving steel tubes several metres into the earth to give us the stability needed to create a stable platform for the next stages of the build. The oak frame that we designed then had to be assembled and with no access for heavy lifting equipment, this was all done by hand employing the age old methods of ropes pulleys & winches similar to the ancient roman Trispastos system. After the frame was assembled, the structure was made water tight as soon as possible to allow all the other trades to move in and start their processes of the build. Whilst this was taking place we included the SIPS panels, rendered panels and glazing again using the direct glaze method of integrating the glass units onto our oak […]

Nov 04

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Milwaukee

After we met the area sales manager of the Canadian company “Milwaukee” we decided to invest in their extensive range of heavy duty tools and accessories. Since its founding in 1924, Milwaukee has focused on a single vision: To produce the best heavy-duty electric power tools and accessories available to the professional user. Today, the Milwaukee name stands for the highest quality, durable and reliable professional tools money can buy. The company continues to set industry standards, targeting professional tool users of all types with a product line that includes more than 500 tools and over 3,500 accessories. Throughout its history Milwaukee’s commitment to quality remains steadfast, although the way that quality is ensured has changed drastically. Quality is designed in, using state-of-the-art technologies and sophisticated manufacturing techniques. Along with many tool purchases we invested in there heated jackets. These utilize the batteries that are used with our power tools and have several heat settings. As we generally work outside in the great British climate, the idea behind the jackets is that with the proper base layer the jackets create their own warmth. As there are less layers the wearer is more comfortable and less restricted which will enable him […]

Nov 03

by jhaadmin in Case Studies 0 comments tags: oak frame, Oak framed extension

Newburry Oak Garden Room

Our brief for this project was to integrate a sympathetic design to an existing 17th century barn. As there were several oak features & oak trusses through out the existing barn the obvious choice was to create a building that mirrored these internal features. We also along with the correct material choice wanted to give them a complete 180 degree view of the their garden and to introduce as much natural light as possible. The roof configuration and pitch also matches the adjacent gable giving a balanced feel & look to the overall size and shape of the structure.The oak frame was hand made using air dried oak in our manufacturing barns and assembled by hand on site. The two oak waisted kingpost trusses held 2 oak purlins and several oak common rafters, all still visible from the interior of the room. We also fitted one conservation roof light to help the light penetrate into the adjacent room.The glazing used was 4-16-4 toughened Pilkington K glass units secured using the direct glaze method.This process is the most effective way of glazing oak structures. We use prime quality 42mm through and through quarter sawn dried oak as the oak cover boards, these […]

Nov 01

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Oak Dowel Pegs

We use the best quality straight grained defect free oak for the manufacture of our oak dowel pegs. The timber used for the manufacture of our oak dowel are the off cuts of the 42mm through and through quarter sawn boards that we produce when making our direct glaze boards. These off cuts are sawn 1mm oversized then fed through a thicknesser to create a accurate oak bead of 18mm. These beads are then fed through our router tables taking off the 90 degree corner angles to create a clean defect free round finished oak dowel. The oak dowel is kiln dried and when hammered into the oak frame, the free water within the structural beams penetrate the oak dowel causing it to swell and tighten into the pre-drilled mortice and tenons. These are then sawn off utilizing a 10mm packer pattern giving a uniform over length traditional pegged morticed and tenonned joint.

Oct 04

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Direct Glaze cover Board

We are all ways looking for ways to improve the oak framing industry industry and with this in mind we have now sourced a French mill that will supply us with prime quality 42mm through and through quarter sawn boules. Our timber is imported directly from mills in France, which produce high quality timber with environmental responsibility at competitive prices. Although cheaper stocks may be available we prefer to maintain our standards, supplying customers with highest grades of oak. Where possible we will also visit the mills to inspect and ensure the timber’s grade and quality. This has helped establish a number of long-term relationships with producers, allowing us to place contracts typically 4 to 8 months in advance. Thus we can also ensure both continuity of supply and stable prices, when otherwise sourcing can be very difficult, partly due to producers facing up to their environmental responsibilities and also due to unprecedented global demand for timber from non-traditional areas. The highly stable quarter sawn oak is the perfect partner for the direct glazing method we employ due to the grain direction and virtually knot free composition of the boards. This gives an unprecedented stability and longevity to the oak cover […]

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