I began at Carpenter Oak in 2002 and learned my timber framing skills from senior carpenters here.  I have since worked twice on projects in The United States with the Timber Framing Guild and also in Oxfordshire with the Carpenters Fellowship.  I am now a senior carpenter with Carpenter Oak.

Born into the world in 1978 and converted to the Way of the Carpenter in 2007, Lee Manning has been a director of Carpenter Oak's finances since 2006.
He joined the company in 2003 and is passionate about its ethics and commitment to sustainability and fair trade.
He is proud to be part of the close-knit team at Carpenter Oak and believes the company can deliver projects of exceptional high quality without compromising its principles.
Lee qualified for his Private Pilot’s Licence in 1999 and spent three years serving his local community as a member of the Devon and Cornwall Police Special Constabulary.
Lee is married to Mike. They live locally in South Devon , and spend much of their spare time coping with two boisterous dogs.
Serving as treasurer of his local athletics club, Lee found himself entering for, training for, and completing the London Marathon. He loved it, but has no idea how he got talked into it, and has no intention of ever doing it again!

I have been a part of the Carpenter Oak (family) team since 1999.  Together we are great.  Care, quality, reliability are embodied values that attracted me to the company from the word go.

I started as a mature student! trainee carpenter (change of direction from a successful career working for BMW) and developed with Carpenter Oak over the years to become a Director in 2009.  I get just as much of a buzz today, 12 years on, being involved with client's aspirations to create a beautiful frame home, as I did the first day I started.

Among the many hats I wear, organising self build exhibitions gives me the opportunity to meet people at the time they are first inspired by what it is we do and then to eventually help erect the actual oak frame on their site is a real thrill.

I look forward to playing my part in making your build project an enjoyable reality and offering you a warm welcome to Carpenter Oak.

The Story so far.......

I was exposed to timber framing after watching Ben Law build his home from surrounding woodland on Grand Designs.  I took a week out from my career in 2007 to study at the Weald and Downland Museum on the 'timber framing from scratch' course.  I loved every minute.

I used to be an estate agent of sorts (please don't hold that against me!), valuing and selling businesses for Christie & Co.  After 5 years of success I'd had enough of the greed that infected every minute of every day.  I decided to change my life and move to Devon.  I have worked at Carpenter Oak since October 2009.  I started as a trainee carpenter and now I am focusing on our potential clients - like you!

I still have to pinch myself as we get to work in some of the most beautiful locations around the UK constructing amazing homes.

My wife and I are now expecting our first child so a new special chapter in the life of .....  Jamie Wilson 2011

I'm Nik.  I joined Carpenter Oak in 2001 and spent 6 years as a carpenter, building and raising frames.  I now look after our work programme and co-ordinate our projects, teams and timber. (I'm glad I learned to juggle all those years ago!)

Every day brings a new challenge, but we have fantastic, diverse and resourceful team here. It means it's always enjoyable coming to work.

After a brush with the notion of becoming an engineer when young, my deep passion for the outdoors instead led me to get involved in community projects in the woodlands surrounding Bristol where I learned the basics of woodland crafts, management and became interested in timber framing.  I ran a small art gallery and picture framing business before I eventually escaped the big smoke in 1999 and headed for South Devon, where we lived for a time at a crumbling hotel high on the cliffs.  I found work in general building for 2 years before joining the Carpenter Oak team.

I have a son who keeps me young at heart.  I'm a keen runner and love the moors, rivers and coastline.

Initially training as a marine biologist I defiantly took the indirect route into Carpentry and timber framed buildings!  Inspired by my dad (joiner and house builder) I ditched the snorkel and bought a hammer!  After training, working and gaining experience with various timber frame companies I finally settled here at Carpenter Oak in 2007. Work ethic, fellow workers and challenging projects all contribute to a brilliant work place in a great part of the world.

After completing his university degree in Film, Tom joined Carpenter Oak in 2006.  He takes great pride in his carpentry and works as a team leader.  Tom is a keen yoga student and musician.

Building oak frame houses is a fantastic job to have as they are without a doubt the most beautiful, strong, clever houses on the planet.

I took my Carpenter Oak apprenticeship-training in 2007 straight after school, having got a feel for wood when I was growing up as I spent most of my time in dad's joinery shop - also having seen one of Carpenter Oak's fine examples going up locally.

It is a perfect career building high quality timber frames all around the place which in turn needs high levels of different skills to be learnt.  I will be working with this sound bunch of hairy carpenters for many years to come.

I started at Carpenter Oak in the spring of 2004 having spent 10 years as a chef in various restaurants.  Having left this trade I found myself a little lost.  Through luck and the need for some cash I discovered Carpenter Oak, with my first job including  tidying the yard and hedge maintenance.  This quickly progressed to the cutting of pieces of timber for frames for their carpentry.  Working for this company has enabled me to live and work within walking distance which is something I am more than lucky to do but it is also refreshing to work with such a muddle of people and backgrounds.

I embarked on this journey into the wonderful world of green oak structural framing following a 2 week course in Ontario.  Being able to create such exquisite and bespoke frames is a real joy of which I will never tire.  I hope that one day I can pass on my knowledge and skills to my children so that they too can immerse themselves into the great craft fellowship to which I am truly honoured to belong.

I joined Carpenter Oak in 2007 after working as a shipwright, fisherman and site carpenter.  I served a boatbuilding apprenticeship in Cornwall and worked in the industry for 8 years before going to sea working on fishing boats around the Cornish coast.  I'm now enjoying not being covered in mud, tar, red lead and mastic but I'm still digging sawdust out of my boots.

It is an enormously satisfying feeling to be part of a long line of carpenters who have been building in a similar way for hundreds of years and to know it promotes the responsible management of woodland.

A discovery that colleagues could also be a family is a revealing one to me.  I followed a penuriously aspirational path for many years and after a 'fire pit moment' in the Drakensburg, let go and embraced nurture and nature.  I now live with the seasons and accept each moment as it unfolds.

In real life I am a proud (I could bore for England on the subject, let alone offer an opinion) late Dad.  I manage a local woodland with my soulmate, make furniture and manage an historic coppice in the Cotswolds.

I do a lot of the below stairs jobs at Carpenter Oak from firewood to cutting sling braces.  Tuesdays finds me stacking wood to the left, Wednesdays moving it to the right.  Carpe Diem as they say.

Sarah started her career teaching young children. She then used her horticultural degree to move into landscape gardening.  Currently she runs a small holding with an extensive garden, poultry and pigs.  Environmentally conscious she enjoys walking to work and being employed by a company committed to sustainable forestry.  She is the proud mother of two young adults and a proficient basketmaker.