nice bits and bobs from DeVol

Some of you will already know that I am a loyal customer of devol, who make splendid painted kitchens, using traditional techniques and lovely attention to detail.  They have since worked with lots of Border Oak customers over the last 10 years (ssshhh, don't tell anyone but they are one of our 'black book partners', offering Border Oak customers a very unique discount and service).

DeVol  made both of my kitchens and we have been delighted with the quality and the overall ambience of what they do - and I am quite fickle when it comes to 'styles' so it is a credit to DeVol that the units have never caused me any bother - I did change the knobs on mine a few years ago but DeVol have since used my knob (no sniggering please) as the template for their bespoke metal handles . This year they launched  a new very affordable 'Shaker' range of kitchen units (It was in the NEC Artisan House and you will be pleased as punch with the prices) but also a range of rustic kitchen accessories - here are a few of my favorite pieces from their lovely range.

I could find a corner of my house for any of these subtle, practical and beautiful items. Could you?

P.S. next year we launch our own Border Oak accessories - I will keep you posted!

A lovely oak framed cottage

A pretty oak frame and infill panel cottage, designed and built by Border Oak, completed last year. In a gorgeous setting, replacing a tired old property, building this house enabled the young family to create a home that they couldn't have afford to buy. That's what I love about self build - you get a great house, built to your specific requirements, which reflects your taste and both saves and makes you money. 

Three dormer windows, a hand made brick side addition and green/grey painted windows - a great combination.

With an extended rear section the cottage is surprisingly spacious without losing its sense of traditional proportions. It also has a lot of glass, without compromising the vernacular essence - a hard thing to get right. We have added oak window hoods to reinforce our attention to detail.

The one end of the large kitchen/family room has windows on three sides - to embrace the garden and enjoy the view - hard to imagine that it is less than 1 hour to the centre of London!

The other end has painted units, a belfast sink, emma bridgewater pottery and an aga - the quintessential modern country kitchen.........

I love the hallway, it's spacious and fully of interest. The doors lead to the playroom, the sitting room and the kitchen.

The  utility area leads from the kitchen and sits within the brick side addition. The stable door is crucial for families with dogs, chickens and little people.

Another bright room with glass on three sides. A wide inglenook has room for the stove and logs and gives the living room a cosy ambience.

Upstairs the oak frames provides interest and character, such as door openings such as this

The master bedroom

and its ensuite (above the utility room)

The master bathroom decor follows the relaxed neutral palette that works perfectly with the oak frame - and is so easy to live with I think?

And it looks so pretty at dusk doesn't it (and can you see the gorgeous shepherds hut?) I love it!

scenes from the weekend

On Saturday Border Oak held an open day at a small development of houses we have built in a nearby market town called Presteigne.
The 'townhouses' are a terrace of 6 two bedroomed properties, with handmade brick and render externals and slate roofs. They are constructed from super insulated softwood timber frames designed by us and made a mile away - you can't get more sustainable than that! Although there is no oak framing as such, the 'fingerprint' of Border Oak is very apparent in the finishing and attention to detail and the workmanship overall.
It is very unusual for us to be involved in a 'development' such as this, but Presteigne is a fabulous tiny town and the position of the houses is amazing - opposite the church,on a quiet and pretty Georgian street, with the dramatic Powys hills in the distance.
It was a very busy day with a mixture of people coming to have a look - neighbours, developers, investors, potential purchasers and passers by. We even had some existing and past Border Oak clients and it is always lovely to see them and catch up. And it was so great that every single person commented on how well built the houses were and how impressed they were with the finish and detail which made me proud to  work for Border Oak.

Here are some images - not great pics sorry, but it was a bit busy to get a clear view - I will pop over and take some more soon.

If you want more information on these town houses please contact the agents Jackson International (www.bill-jackson.co.uk) 01568 610 600

prices between £167,500 and £169,500

Handmade bricks and sash windows - the glazing bars are as thin as we could get made on double glazed units - but worth the effort I think.

The first floor has a vernacular overhang, which can be seen along the existing street scene on the original properties - we had special decorative brackets made to 'brace' the overhang and made the feature as visually authentic as possible (but without being too pastiche). And the guttering is a brilliant plastic version Border Oak often use as an affordable option - with detailed profile and a textured finish so not too shiny - it looks like cast iron.

We also had special door surrounds made - a replica of a local example - which will be painted a very dark green or dark dark grey.

A simple run of town houses - light, warm, low energy, low maintenance and inexpensive. It makes me wonder why Housing Associations, developers etc don't go the extra mile? £167,500 for all of this is amazing value and maybe the start of something at Border Oak.............watch this space!

did you win the lottery last night?

I don't play the lottery - and would lose the ticket or forget to check the numbers even if I did - but this house is the kind of 'lady luck' purchase that a certain type of lottery winner might buy.........not my cup of tea (I am trying to be a polite as possible) but it is certainly very well built by master craftsmen from the finest materials available (and with an unwavering dedication to authentic replica interior design of unqualified historical merit).

Yes, Border Oak made and erected the wonderful oak frame (one of our largest ever frames - only slightly smaller than our Japanese projects) - and the whole house comes complete with the most extravagant home security that money can buy (the master suite turns into a bolted 'safe room' should disaster befall). And all of this can be yours (including 1 acre of landscaped grounds -just the one) for ............................£15 MILLION!!!! Crikey, as Minnie would say (Minnie, by the way, thinks this house is amazing and beautiful).

P.S why would a house so focused on cutting edge security be on Rightmove (put a search in for Radlett) complete with Google Map link and extraordinary price tag, and feature in The Telegraph newspaper? Surely a half computer literate 'naughty man' using a stolen laptop and nicked iPhone will be jotting this down in his 'borrowed' note pad and preparing his balaclava? How the other half live eh?

autumn is on its way........

............and the reason I know this (apart from the fact that my porch is full of bronze leaves)? Well, we have all been poorly with one thing after another which can only mean that 'school germs' are out and about. This happens every autumn in this house. Humppppfffff!

But I have dragged myself out of bed to let you know that Border Oak will be at this years Northern Homebuilding and Renovating Show on the 4th-6th November. Please do come along and say hello, we will be there to answers your questions, fill you with inspiration and offer advice.

I am still working on the website (www.borderoak.com)- but it is now on the final stretch as far as building goes. There may still be a few odd bits and bobs and areas that need fine tuning but I think we are on the home stretch. From speaking to people I get the impression that most visitors like the range and quantity of photos and that the new features such as Case Studies are popular too.

We are just designing and building our inspirational 'flip books' - coming soon to the website - some will be self build diaries, others will be virtual mood boards, which I hope will show the opportunity self build and oak frames can offer. The self build diaries will follow different Border Oak projects from start to finish, with regular updates, step by step photos, suppliers lists, tips, cost breakdowns and basically a 'warts and all' overview.

The outbuildings section of the website is also being built as we speak. So that will be the site structure complete - with extras and more detail coming as we develop it. I have already  added some 'news' some 'plots' and another case study so feel free to pop over and then let me know what you think of the whole site and what else you would like to see in the future. A few people have mentioned a Border Oak app (which we will look into) and there is an HTML site coming very shortly. All feedback gratefully received!

oak potting shed

Border Oak build all sorts of oak framed buildings and have an outbuildings division specialising in oak framed garages, barns, swimming pool covers, cartsheds, oak gazebos etc etc.

And here is  the latest to add to the portfolio - a pretty oak potting shed built in my parents meadow

 Luckily I was able to borrow a dog and a blond haired angel for the day - the dog went home with his owner and I kept the cute boy for myself.

Charlie the dog (who belongs to my mum friend was the BEST doggy model you could ask for and only wanted an ice bun as payment) and Gabriel got on like a house on fire (not a Border Oak house on fire mind you - oak is self charring which extinguishes the flame and only burns very slowly and structural oak actually out performs steel in fire tests).
Gabriel walked up and down, up and down, up and down for the photographer and was very grown up about it all.

My lovely little studio  -  the broadband is faster in the meadow than in my house!

We had a great couple of hours taking these photos and Gabriel and Charlie were perfect - I hope you like the photos of my perfect little oak framed potting shed. Have a great weekend!

This house is on BBC1 - Friday 16th Sept - 11am

Watch the this project from start to finish - on BBC 1's To Build or Not to Build.

This house is based upon the Pearmain concept (that was first seen 10 years ago on Grand Designs - which starts a new series tonight) but with many bespoke additions, alterations and specifications. The TV crew followed the brave couple on their self build adventure and I cannot wait to see the programme.

The family are very lovely and I wish them a million happy memories in their fabulous new oak framed house. Here are the photos..........

These pics were taken a matter of weeks after they moved in - I think it looks very established and mature already

The house is super insulated (as are all Border Oak houses) with passive solar design and solar panels and an air source heat pump

The garage has a large room above and is three bays deep - more a barn than a garage

how good is this space? light, spacious, unexpected but cosy.

 Another Clearview Stove in a Border Oak house - some partnerships really do endure!

From the kitchen looking through to the 'garden room'. I like the mixture of oak framing throughout this house - more than a usual Pearmain but not so much that it overwhelms.

Looking back towards the kitchen

and into the utility room

The hallway - lovely to see a different approach to the interior with painted woodwork and a mixture of striped carpet and chequerboard tiles. Self Build should always reflect the owners personality.

There is a full exposed oak frame in the sitting room which has  lovely ochre yellow paint.

 
And there is a ground floor bedroom and bathroom so the house has true longevity and flexibility

the rood lights make a huge difference to the landing space

And all the bedrooms have large fitted storage areas

with glamourous bathrooms!

I hope you enjoy the TV show - this will also be a case study on the new website in a few days time. Speaking of which, what do you all think of the new site? be kind................