An oak conservatory is a great addition to any property and is a great functional room for so much more than a space to grow delicate plants.
Timberpride can build you a custom oak framed conservatory for use as a kitchen, sitting room, dining room, gym or any other functional space.
The oak conservatory roof can be fully glazed for maximum light or tiled and insulated for winter warmth, giving you what you want is more important than sticking to the dictionary definition of conservatory.
The defining features of a conservatory are primarily the abundance of glass panes fitted within a frame leading onto your house. With a bespoke oak frame you can achieve a beautiful style completely unique to your home
There are endless design solutions for oak framed conservatories, so initially we will listen to you and ask lots of questions so that we have a complete understanding of your requirements. We can then start to realise the project by designing an oak framed conservatory that fits with your brief.
Every oak conservatory is made to order by our team of skilled carpenters, setting out British Oak beams on trestles in our Cotswold workshop. We measure, draw and scribe each joint before cutting and shaping the mortice and tenons by hand. Each carpenter will work exclusively on your oak framed conservatory or extension and will carve his initials in a secret place where they will not be found for hundreds of years.
We glaze our Oak frames using air-dried English oak cover boards to clamp glass in place, forming a weathertight seal by compressing closed cell memory foam between the oak and the glass. Having a small degree of flexibility in the method, the timber can move up to 6mm without causing bending stress on the glass.
The benefit of this glazing method is the complete coverage of the internal mortise and tenon joints, shielding them from outside weather conditions.
Whether it’s finishing the garage with a pair of oak doors, or the main entrance to your home, doubling down on the oak look is a beautiful style choice.
Offered to those when purchasing a custom oak frame with us, we’ll make sure to recommend the best finishes.
External staircases are a popular because they don’t waste any internal space. Fully bespoke designs mean we can customise elements such as treads, risers, handrails and balustrades to satisfy building regulations as well as the aesthetic needs of the building. We can design the perfect oak staircase, maybe even incorporating a balcony for a sunset tipple.
Weather durable and aesthetically beautiful, a bespoke oak staircase can see generations of use and remain strong.
We believe it is our responsibility to make maximum use of every magnificent oak tree that we bring into our yard. Harvesting a tree that was planted by our great-great grandparents’ generation which has now reached maturity is an honour.
Each saw log is selected for the job, considering length, girth, knots and efficiency. Not only do we produce beams, we take boards form the outside which, grade dependent, are used for cladding, joinery or flooring thereby maximising the yield from what might be a 120 year old tree.
We are proud that nothing is wasted. Only the bark and slabbing boards, pieces too small or rotten knot pockets which can’t be used are chipped to fire our biomass boiler, heating the workshop, office and kiln.
Having a cold conservatory is a choice these days, insulation can be installed in the floor, double and triple glazing fitted without drafts and proper insulation in the roof or more quality glazing means it can be as warm as you want it to be. We spend more time considering how to keep them cool in the summer, which is achieved with good ventilation, blinds and photochromatic glass which changes its reflectiveness the brighter the sun gets.
This is a consideration for every type of conservatory build, they will normally allow much more light into the house, although a solid roofed orangery will not allow as much in as a glass roof, but a lantern will improve this.
Externally I would recommend applying raw linseed oil on a really hot day every couple of years. This will turn the oak charcoal grey (which I love) and will help to make it last for many years longer than naked oak. Internally you will need to consider condensation, most people don’t want to oil internally so ventilation when the windows steam up is key. This will only be an issue if you grow lots of plants in it though.
We have done a number of these, especially when the softwood or UPVC conservatory is over 15 years old and starting to disintegrate. In these situations, the dwarf walls can be re-used with a bit of TLC so the build can be cost-effective. All other conservatories we have built have gone onto existing houses and therefore require new walls as well, but the process is exactly the same.
This depends on the type of house, location and listed status, but a great many extensions and conservatories can be built under permitted development rights, and most people are surprised how large a structure they can build without planning permission. If planning permission is required (a simple discussion with a good planning consultant will inform you of this) the planners are not usually opposed to them as they will rarely be two stories high or change the roof line of the house.
