In 2005, Altham Oak were charged with carrying out structural work for the completion of a barn attached to a redeveloped farmhouse. The homeowner client was living in the finished main section of the property and wanted to complete the work to the attached barn building.

Following a site visit by Altham Oak’s professional team it became apparent that the client was keen on the idea of something with an extra ‘wow’ factor. Completed work on the main house included masonry carvings on internal stonework and gothic arches.

Form and Freedom

Having viewed previous examples of Altham Oak projects involving hand-cut oak trusses, the client opted for an intentionally wild and organic style of structure, following the natural tree form. With very few companies able to offer and deliver structural trusses of this nature, and even less specifiers aware of their existence, the project offered a rare and exciting opportunity to create something truly bespoke.

As long as the grain follows the shape, a curved oak beam can be just as strong as a straight one. Despite the unusual nature of the angles and dimensions involved, Altham Oak’s structural engineer conducted the necessary calculations without disruption to the project’s schedule.

Expert Finishing Touches

The work included the fabrication of a complete roof of five hand-cut oak trusses, purlins and ridge, with a gallery hanging from the two  oak trusses over the double-height main room. The tie beams of the five trusses varied extensively in appearance. The most irregular were utilised in the double-height space where there was more headroom, while the straighter ones were used in the other rooms. Twisted square oak hanging posts were installed to carry the gallery, which was edged with hand-cut beams. One corner of the gallery edge features a quadrant radius beam, cut from a specially selected curved tree. Beams and purlins were also supplied for the roof of an existing mono-pitched side extension to the barn.

As well as the striking structural components, Altham Oak’s craftsmen incorporated several unique design elements that further demonstrated their hand-crafted carpentry skills. A date plaque was carved, as well as several intricate examples of Celtic knotwork, to the client’s specifications. These were largely completed off-site, apart from a further separate Celtic knotwork panel, carved in-situ in one of the property’s bedrooms. This was completed after installation, following the client’s request for the extra product.

Altham Oak’s versatility and responsiveness to the client’s request for an interesting design brief allowed them to complete their on-site work within the specified budget of approximately £30,000.

It began with a simple design brief statement from the owner of an imposing modernist property with a substantial amount of attached garden land. Keen to create a contemporary take on the traditional vision of the grounds of a stately home with bridges, oak shelters and other landscape features, the client detailed his initial desires as follows:

‘I want a feature that catches the eye as you drive up. I like curves, not straight lines and right angles – what can you do for me? An open shelter for a dinner table is one possibility.’

Sculpture, furniture, nature?

This initial idea became ‘The Cruck Spire’, Altham Oak’s first handcrafted oak structure for the grounds. The last – and most expensive – was the eye-catching Lakeside Shelter, an organically styled development that has been compared by various witnesses to several things, including ‘a boat coming out of the ground’ and ‘a Viking helmet’.

Based on mortice and tenon joints, the external oak shelter is carved from curved timbers that have been worked into a ‘living woven frame’, which mimics the effect of trees having grown intertwined with each other. The rear of the shelter rises from the ground into a green roof covered in a carpet plant called Sedum. Near the top this covering gives way to cleft oak shingles. The front and sides are open. Six ergonomically shaped oak seats are built into the shelter and face outwards offering views across the lake. These are surprisingly comfortable for non-cushioned seats, with visitors having been known to nod off while sitting in them.

Success breeds success

Including the first and last shelters installed in the grounds, Althams Oak’s craftsmen completed five shelters, a moveable insulated oak cover for a 12-person outdoor Jacuzzi, three bridges, a chair, a pre dieu and entrance arch for an outdoor chapel, a love seat, a large decking area cantilevered over a stream, plus a series of one, two and three person free-standing oak ergonomic seats. The client’s appreciation for hand-crafted carpentry and each beautiful garden structure was evident in the number of repeat commissions, which only halted when space for new installations in the grounds ran out.

Occasionally though, as with this private residence in the Lancashire Village of Bolton-by-Bowland, they work with clients with the knowledge and experience to take care of these aspects. This leaves Altham’s master carpenters to concentrate solely on creating beautiful unique projects in handcrafted oak.

The attractive former farmhouse had a history of connection to local church-owned land and any restoration work carried out had to be sensitively undertaken and in keeping with this tradition. The developer, a substantially experienced restorer of properties, had approached Altham Oak several years previously, to gain a clear idea of their skills and capabilities, even before securing a confirmed purchasing client for the development.

Detailed Design

Altham Oak’s work on site included the creation of a two-storey stairway, a roof structure for the hall, an external garden room, two bedroom trusses and a second stairwell gallery, plus oak floor beams and roof purlins throughout and an exterior roof to an open area.

High-quality materials were used throughout, with an emphasis on showcasing the beauty of natural timber without being ostentatious. The developer had an in-depth knowledge of style, structure and even the tradition and manner of English oak carpentry and Altham Oak’s professional team introduced several ideas that further enhanced the project’s design. These included the specialist machining of a purlin to obscure a steel beam and the cutting of oak lintels into formal curves to follow a similarly shaped corridor.

Traditional Skills, Contemporary Craftsmanship

Despite the complex and specialist nature of the restoration work involved, the project was completed on time and to the client’s satisfaction, for around £24,000.

Commenting on the work carried out by Altham Oak, project manager Derek Goffin said:

‘With a development project like this, where we don’t actually have any interaction with the final owner, we need to ensure that what we do reflects the passion for our craft and the results form part of a living space that the occupants can love.

Our traditionally handcrafted oak structures always look and feel great, but it’s just as important that they’re suitable for their intended purpose. We’re happy to have heard from the developer that the client loves what we’ve created and is very happy with the newly restored property.’

As part of the work on a large private residence in an affluent area of the county, Altham Oak were charged with the structural oak carpentry work for a substantial extension to the rear of the house.

An architect and a builder had already been selected to work on the project and various calculations, design plans and drawings of individual oak components had been produced, prior to Altham Oak’s involvement. To ensure the finished project was closer to the client’s original desired vision, a revised design for the internal frame in green oak was carried out.

Integrated design

The first element of the scheme to be developed was the large twin oak king post truss to support the other structural components. The initial quote of approximately £36,000 was reduced by around ten percent to allow for the removal of decorative oak features no longer required followed a project review.

Measures were taken to ensure that the weatherproofing performance of the green oak walls wouldn’t be affected by the shrinkage of the timber over time. The impressive dragon ties lift the bottom of the hip rafters to give headroom in the corners of the newly created space.

A passion for the craft

Following the development’s satisfactory completion, Altham Oak were entrusted with a further project for the same client, creating three oak trusses, purlins and beams for an annex to the existing property.

Commenting on his satisfaction with the new garden room, the client said:

‘The cottage industry feel of Altham Oak was a big reason for my selection of them for this project. The fact that their team are so enthusiastic about traditional oak carpentry and take pride in the individual products they make is very appealing.’