Timberpride oak roof trusses solve a Cotswold developers challenge

Deep in the beautiful valleys of South Gloucestershire Bob was midway building a coach house using Cotswold stone and oak roof trusses. The project was well underway but the trusses had yet to be sourced.

Bob is experienced in property development and has a good feel for the aesthetic. He keeps close control on costs whilst appreciating there is more to a product or service than just a low price.

Bob approached three oak framing companies for a price to the supply trusses, he had not realised that most oak frames are made by a robot today. Alec explained that the robot frames are produced with round joints and due to the lack of human discretion, joints are often placed in knots and splits which Timberprides carpenters can easily avoid. The alternative is to waste rare joinery grade timber to produce overpriced frames. Our skilled craftsmen hand cut square joints scribing individual joint faces to fit seamlessly in the correct grade of oak. Square cut joints can withstand the twisting and moving of the oak frame in it’s lifetime, robot joints cannot.

The Build

Bob realised there was more to the purchase of the trusses than price alone, he needed and valued the expertise of a company that truly understands oak, from the woodland it grew in through to it’s behaviour in service and work with the material accordingly.

Timberpride made CAD drawings of the Raised Collar Queen-post Trusses and produced an estimate for price and production time. On agreeing all the details our skilled staff started the process by selecting oak logs to mill beams ahead of the framers starting work. Throughout the process Alec and Kim kept Bob up to date with progress including a visit to the workshop to see the trusses taking shape. On completion the trusses were dispatched in flat pack to site for installation with detailed instructions.

Working with our own sawmill, in-house structural grading and a skilled, motivated team meant we were able to deliver the trusses ahead of schedule with no drama.

Feedback from Bob

“I just wanted to drop you a line and say a big thank you for all your help with designing and delivering on time the lovely oak A-frame for my coach house.

Everything went extremely well and to plan, including personal delivery of some of the oak from Alec, the owner and his son. In this day and age of online sales and aggressive pricing it’s a great experience to be able to walk into your lovely oak offices, meet the owner, take a look behind the scenes and at your oak waiting to be hand crafted into your designs. It’s a true Cotswold experience and well worth a premium for the excellent service and to be able to engage first hand with all the processes.”

Bob Davison