I'm back!!

Many apologies for the lack of blogging recently - I have had a nasty bought of bronchitis - which thankfully seems to be subsiding.........touch wood (oak, as if you need to ask..) 

If you are still out there reading this then I thank you wholeheartedly for your dedication!

So anyway, I now have a backlog of blogs (easier to write than to say).

 

First up - do you remember I was working on a new 'Pearmain Cottage' Brochure? Well, it's finished and off to press - HOORAY!

I know , I know, it has taken me an age to complete - but hopefully it will be worth all the drama and last minute changes and scratching of heads. I am not sure if the builders/practical minded amongst us will like it - it could be a seen as a bit 'arty farty'  or indulgent for them (it's not really!) but I wanted to get across the atmosphere of the house which is hard to do with ink and paper. Here are a few of the spreads to give you an idea of what I have been up to. 

I don't know when it will arrive in our hands - but hopefully before the NEC Homebuilding and Renovating show (18th - 22nd march) otherwise I will be in big trouble........

oak + me = love

Well it's tricky to think of a valentines theme for oak framed buildings so as I was giving myself a headache trying to come up with a clever 'lovey dovey' angle, my mind naturally drifted to my one true love - Mr Albright. And Mr A works for Border Oak (project managing the outbuildings, garages, commercial buildings etc) so to honor my sweetheart I am going to blog about his work instead..............tragic, I know.

But seriously the Border Oak Garages and Outbuildings department really do make the loveliest oak framed outbuildings you will ever see, including this darling building. 

and I would love one of these too

Ok - I think I will have to either find a new job or build another house as I just can't take the constant inspiration that keeps popping into my inbox - first the gorgeous barn and now this gazebo thingy - I am suffering badly from building envy.

Isn't this gorgeous though? Round things are understandably quite hard to make in oak (lots of mathematics and joining of grain etc) so we often need to test assemble in the workshop to check it 'in the round' as it were. Which means I get to see pics of the structures before they leave the workshop - fab. Doug, Chris, Joe and Joe have done a brilliant job - skillfully assisted by 'the husband' and the Silver Surfer of course.

This one is heading to Majestic Trees nr St Albans ( a wonderful tree nursery full of all sorts of mature trees and shrubs which would no doubt give me a terrible case of sapling envy - my garden is not big enough for gorgeous gazebos or towering trees sadly) as we are working with them on some display buildings and landscaping projects - worth clicking majestictrees.com to see how amazing it is.  I will let you know once the display buildings are ready and all you southerners can take a trip to see some trees.

oh  - and I nearly forgot - we have planning for the Border Oak contemporary showhouse - YEE HAW! let the fun begin!

Ooh - I'd like one of these

My beau went southward to visit some potential oak frame garage clients (or 'shed carts' as Min calls them!) the other day and by chance drove past this new barn. And guess what? It's a Border Oak house. Small world eh?

It's based on one of our most popular designs - Able Barn - and I love it. I don't know if the owners are going to paint the weather board cladding but I really like the dark grey of the windows and think I will do the same with the showhouse windows. What do you guys think - maybe I should go darker with the showhouse windows as we will have oak cladding that will go silvery grey over time? Ah I love it when a plan comes together!

speaking of the showhouses the little one is underway - the roof starts next week - and looks very dinky and cute (pics soon once the scaffold comes down) but the bigger, contemporary house is still in for planning.........what is taking them so long? Planning approval is one of the most frustrating parts of self building without a doubt.