The Self Build Journey
The Ideas Stage
Visit us and meet the team! Perhaps you have some mood boards, an architect's drawing, or maybe you’d like us to inspire you. Either way, we'll work together to come up with some initial frame ideas for your new build. And, if you don’t already have an architect, we can recommend one that fits your brief.
Planning Permission
Nothing can happen without planning permission which considers the use, size and look of the building. Your architect will guide you through the process and submit the application including drawings. We can supply a frame design and price at this stage too.
Detailed Design and Building Regulations
Permission granted! We use intelligent offsite construction software to translate your architectural designs to a 3D walk through model, where your design can be put through its paces. There will be toing and froing between architect and engineer but our knowledge of structural frame design should keep this to a minimum. Once Building Regulations are approved we can order your timber.
Timber and Frame Construction
Your timber will arrive at our Workshop in 3 to 6 weeks. Once in our yard the timbers are graded for quality by our accredited timber graders and they decide where each piece will be placed in the frame. Our software creates 2D plans for the workshop where the carpenters cut the oak for your frame. Every piece is unique and fashioned by hand using planes and chisels. The unique pieces are scribed with the carpenters' mark to show the position in the frame, then stacked in the yard ready to be taken to your site for the Raise.
The Raise
The groundwork will have been completed by the building contractor and the timber is transported to site. Scaffolding is erected for the safety of the Westwind Oak site crew and the team is now ready to raise the frame. The frame raising is surprisingly quick, taking just a few days. Each joint is pegged with handmade oak dowels and in the ancient tradition it's your job to peg in the last one. If you’ve ordered an encapsulation system then we’ll fix the SIP or Larson Truss panels to the frame and cover with a breathable, watertight membrane.
Finishing off
It’s over to the building contractor now who will work with you to finish off your build.