forgot to add this

Because I was distracted by the beeping fridge I forgot to post a picture of the little cottage - doh!

Here it is........not a great pic but if it is sunny tomorrow I will get a better one.

Off for cup of tea number 6 now.

a cute little cottage

Border Oak are currently building a very sweet little cottage, on a teeny plot we have owned for a while, in a lovely Herefordshire village called Eardisley.

Now, it has been a bit tricky to build because the site is very small (bearing in mind you need scaffolding, skips, security fencing, storage etc) but thankfully we have been blessed with understanding neighbours and a super organised Border Oak project manager (they are all super organised and skilled of course!) And this little cottage is really growing on me - not just because it looks so pretty, but also because it is a clever house and different to what we usually do nowadays.

It is increasingly uncommon to build a simple full oak framed house at the moment- ie without SIPs, softwood framing, weatherboard or brick - just a green oak frame, pegged and infilled - and I had forgotten how lovely and pure the craft of oak framing could be. Proportionally it is perfect, but the detailing is also timeless which I love.

I have been specifying the interior finishes and generally annoying the project manager, buyer and boys on site with my ideas and requests - but I think it is called client perogative or some such nonsense.

Here are some pics I had used for the 'mood board' to help me put together the look I wanted for the kitchen and bathroom. Not sure if it will look at all like these - in fact I know it won't, but I really find it helps me to distill the visuals and aim for a cohesive look. These photos are from PlainEnglishKitchens, Lightlocations and 1st Option locations

When it is finished in around 8 weeks ( I have made that up but thought it sounded plausible.......) we will hold a few open days and get some pics. Can't wait to pretend it is mine!!

Although the bathroom will be small in the cottage I have ordered the 1930's suite from Baileys, seen below. I chickened out , last minute, from having a roll top bath, so will now have a standard bath with a tongue and groove panel. I am also thinking of having T&G on the plain landing wall, but am concerned it may look a bit fussy with the oak beams - maybe I should go for wall paper instead, to give visual interest without adding another texture?

This wall paper is lovely don't you think? And the arm chair fabric is gorgeous (does anyone know what make it is by the way?), the shabby chic chest of drawers is devine - but the wall mounted TV is .......well, it's not for me.

I would have loved wall cupboards and shelves like this but instead I have to have a boring old extractor hood - does anyone ever use an extractor? Building Regs are such a pain sometimes.

And this final Plain English Kitchen is nothing like the cottage kitchen at all, so is really surplus to requirements here , but it just seems to have such a nice atmosphere (and we do have slightly similar french doors, does that justify using the photo?)

Country Homes and Interiors magazine

This months CH & I magazine (a good read if you like country style houses) has a feature on one of our houses - a lovely country cottage, built a few years ago for a great family. I think you can tell the owner has an eye for detail. Here are some of the photos that didn't get used.

Constructed using SIPs, lime render, a brick plinth and clay tiles it has blended perfectly into the hamlet and is a deceptively spacious house (with many clever design features such as a walk through office behind the stairs and hallway, a playroom/4th bedroom adjacent to the utility and wc (for easy possible conversion to a ground floor bed/bath suite), an en-suite bathroom hidden in the roof of the adjacent garage etc). It is unusually designed to face to the front lawn (with a minimal area at the rear) with lots of door and windows to access the garden easily which illustrates how intelligent design can be used to minimise the negative aspects of a plot (in this case an unsightly building) and still suit your family perfectly.

MAY ISSUE - Country Homes and Interiors - OUT NOW

I love the atmosphere of the house - it would be hard to tell that it was only a few years old.

the show part 2

I have two poorly little people at home so this post has been delayed - many apologies. And if any one knows why my babies are always ill and how I can make them more robust do let me know. I blame the fact that Min didn't go to nursery when she was little, so is only just getting all the school bugs that the others have already had........hey ho.

Anyway I promised some of the stranger/funnier show stories. And I thought it would be interesting to give you a run down of the 'popular' themes

Show Story No. 1

Now, most of the people we meet at these shows are lovely, and simply want to know a bit more about the work we do or could do. Some are just starting and others may already have planning but they tend to be very nice people.

But every year, without fail, we get at least one from the 'what wood do you use' category (there is a clue in our name.......). And Mr 'What Wood Do You Use' (it is always a man, sorry for the generalisation) normally comes with his friend Mr 'I Could Have Done it Better Myself' for a day trip - they have no intention of self building - EVER.

This year we had a few - 'Is It Real Wood' visitors (they always knock or kick the frame for some reason) but no Mr 'WWDYU' - and I was beginning to think that without the inevitable visit from an awkward pair of amateur wood workers we would be jinxed for the year.......until Sir 'You've Built this Wrong' and family made their way to poor Trudy.

He duly pointed out that bits of the show stand weren't structurally necessary, that we had over sized the beams, that there were too many rafters, that we could omit at least 8 braces.

Trudy was very polite and smiled at all the right places and waited for the tirade to finish - I don't even know if she had chance to explain that the stand was just designed to look pretty and that taking out the oak frame sort of defeated the exercise, before they moved on to the next victim. What a funny way to spend a day out.

Show Story No 2.

I think we did about 6 radio and TV interviews on the stand - ranging from discussions about the NEC venue (random?) to a very personal in depth account of my fathers architectural background and Border Oak's bank balance. Of course we haven't seen or heard any of the interviews since. But I think the strangest was the man who told me he had been waiting for me for hours (I didn't know anything about it) and who told me I had a very serious face and that I didn't smile much and that it was quite depressing (for him?? what about me?!) I appreciated the advice, all pretty useful and he seemed like a nice man who's heart was in the right place - but it was a bloody radio interview.......

Show Story No 3

After a long day at the NEC we normally head back to the hotel and have a lemonade - and we usually meet the same group from PolyPipe who also stay at the same hotel each year. And they love to banter and crack a few jokes and tease us terribly about pretty much anything - but this year the funniest thing happened - and it may just be my cruel sense of humour that found it hysterical- when the boss of PP came to rejoin our group and sat down only to discover that there was no chair. You had to be there.

Most popular houses types 2010

1. Pearmain Cottage - but all sorts of variations (brick, stone, Arts and Crafts, single storey etc etc)

2. Large farmhouses - more organic and evolved looking than manor houses, but just as big

3. Weatherboarded barns - both vernacular and contemporary.

The most interesting element for me was that there was no 'outright' favourite house type - people seemed to love the idea of variety and flexibility - mixing different materials, using traditional proportions and blending 'modern' influences into the vernacular style.

Hopefully because we do so many different things and can use any construction discipline to best suit the individual circumstance it means our unique flexibility and 'complete build' package can deliver great bespoke solutions no matter where or what.

oh boy, what a long and rambling post?? Normal service resumes tomorrow? sorry!

p.s These are all just a few random pictures from my desktop - no particular theme or reason just houses we have recently built or are currently building.

2010 NEC Show

Well, sigh, after all the hard work the annual Homebuilding show is over for another year.

And what a year it was - probably one of the busiest shows we have had, with so many lovely people and lots of fabulous projects. It is almost impossible to say how many houses you may have 'sold' during a show like this, for us it's not really about selling anything at all - but it is great to show people what we can do and to hear their thoughts and dreams. And it is always heartening to see that oak framing holds an enduring appeal for people well into the 21st Century.

We had lots and lots of great compliments about the stand and our displays - some from our 'competitors'  - some from past and present clients (it was especially wonderful to see you) and others from people just embarking on the idea of self build. I personally really love chatting to so many different people with all sorts of budgets and backgrounds. Thank you so much for stopping by and we will now work hard to get back to all of you who left your details. 

The star attraction was, by far and away, our incredible oak framed scaled model, made by Nathan (my cousin and one of our fabulous oak frame erectors who unfortunately broke his leg a few months ago). Based on one of our bespoke barn designs it really does have to be seen to be believed. 

Perfectly scaled and detailed it drew smiles from children and grown ups alike and provided a very realistic insight into a mini building project. Nathan toiled for months and months, making virtually everything himself, from the underfloor heating pipes to teeny tiny oak pegs.  The attention to detail and  craftsmanship was much admired (especially by our friends at Oakwrights  - hello Tim, who assures me he follows this blog closely!) and hopefully illustrates how unique craftsmanship and skill is at the very heart of Border Oak - machines can't do stuff like that!

After a safe return journey the model is  now on display in the office - a photo is below.

Here are a few of the stand pictures taking before the crowds arrived. I have some more to upload and will add them tomorrow with some of the best/weirdest/funniest stories of the show itself.

The NEC action - as it happens......

Ed (the project manager) has emailed these pics to the office to show us the progress of the stand at the NEC - Steve the erector must have worked his socks off because it is pretty much finished! Just the oak rafters to add by the looks of things. 

It already  looks great so please come along and see for yourself - the transformation over the next day or so will be incredible once we have added all our lovely pics and bits and bobs, I think everything on the list has been delivered and packed now. 

I think I could do with some giant Border Oak logos to go on the gable ends of the frames though........but with less than 24 hours notice I may be struggling!

Homebuilding & Renovating Show - NEC Birmingham - 18th - 21st March 2010

Pearmain Cottage

It's hard to believe that we weren't sure if the Pearmain Cottage concept would be popular.

It all started in 2001 when Ben and I were struggling get get planning approval for a Border Oak cottage on our plot in rural Herefordshire - the planners didn't want us to used exposed oak externally as we were next to a listed oak frame and they thought it would be 'visually confusing'. So my Dad pulled out one of the sketches that he had filed away under 'concept'. 

It was worth a try..........and yep the planners loved it, Grand Designs filmed it, magazines featured it (I don't know if I will ever live down the Elizabethan costume shoot, oh lord, the neck ruffle.......) and by some miracle people liked it and bought them.

Here is one of the recent additions to the Pearmain family - what a beautiful , happy ending to a planning conundrum.....