We create elegant structures using timber from sustainably managed local woodlands or, occasionally, from a client’s own site. We combine wood with straw bale or sheep’s wool insulation, green roofs, lime plaster, cedar shingles or chestnut shakes and other great natural building materials. We’re always open to incorporating new, innovative, low-impact products and methods into our buildings.
A realistic approach to sustainable materials and methods
For us it makes no sense to use sustainable materials for frames alone. So we try to use as many local and sustainable products as possible on every build. Straw bales or sheep’s wool for insulation, green roofs or cedar shingles to name but a few.
It’s important to stress though that we’re also realists; we know there are times when compromises need to be made or a conventional approach is more appropriate. We try to assess ecological impact over the ‘product lifetime’, accepting that some products may have a higher impact initially but, in the long term, that may be preferable to other options. Our experience means we can help to advise which method or material is best suited to a particular project or budget.
Local materials | sustainable building
We’re passionate about using local materials wherever possible. Everyone on our team has worked in native British woods and, though we now spend more days putting timbers up than bringing them out of the woodland, our roots are still in the coppice and we know how important that resource is to local economies.
Sweet Chestnut, hazel, oak, ash, birch, willow, lime and alder. All coppice well and it makes these trees a great resource for sustainable building – perfect for everything from hazel fence panels through to timber-framed homes. It’s sustainable for many reasons, not least because wood is incredibly durable. There are timber frame buildings in the UK that are over 800 years old – no ‘throwaway culture’ there!
Doing the right thing | treading lightly on our landscape
The sum of every small change can make a real difference to our footprint on the planet. We believe in helping every client minimise their impact no matter whether that’s starting small with a sustainably-built woodshed or going all-out for an eco-home.
