Cedar Timber Frame? Or Cladding?
Western red cedar is a popular choice for cladding due to its excellent durability and stability alongside great thermal and acoustic properties. It has a low tendency to twist, shrink, check or warp. This low-density timber is light and relatively easy to install, displaying only small movements with changes in humidity.
An important characteristic is having a good thermal insulator, wood is traditionally an excellent thermal insulator. This means it will help keep buildings cool in the summer and reduce heating costs in the winter.
Western Red Cedar is particularly effective when it comes to acoustics, because of the high internal friction created by the internal moisture, wood has more sound damping capacity than most structural materials, meaning a good Cedar Timber frame or cladding can be used to help reduce noise or to confine it to certain areas.
The conduction of heat in wood is directly related to its density. Woods with low density have the highest thermal insulating value because such woods contain a high proportion of cell cavities. In dry wood, these cavities are filled with air which is one of the best known thermal insulators.
When left untreated the timber will fade to a beautiful silver sheen. As it contains no resin it can also take a range of paints, stains and to complement your building style.
If you arent sure what wood should be used for your timber frame project then get in touch and discuss it with us. We work with the big three quality construction timbers readily available in the UK – oak, Douglas fir and larch.
We source from PEFC and FSC certified suppliers meaning you can be sure that the forestry methods are responsible and the stocks sustainable. We also work in Glulaminated beams which are available in many different timbers. Lesser softwoods can be used internally for sarking boards, and we commonly use Western Red Cedar as exterior cladding.
Meet the team
Private: Jacob Wood
Carpenter
Joined Carpenter Oak: 2015
Interview with Jacob Wood
What do you enjoy doing when not in the workshop?
Bird watching with my partner, I go locally but I’ve been bird watching all over the place from the Hebrides to the Scilly Isles.
What sort of music do you enjoy listening to?
I really like reggae and ska and also some older stuff like The Beatles and The Kinks.
Best thing about working at Carpenter Oak?
The people, everyone is great and the atmosphere here is really nice.
Biography
I started working for Carpenter Oak in 2015 after finishing 6th-form in Totnes. Since then I have been learning a lot about carpentry and worked on some amazing frames. The most interesting was on building I worked on with Ben which had a curved pitched roof like a segment of an amphitheatre which made for some complex geometry and carpentry.
I live near Stoke Gabriel with my wife Daisy and two little boys, Sollie and Casper. I like to spend time camping and being on the river with my family and friends. I also enjoy spending my out time looking for unusual birds and insects whilst out walking on the coast and moor.
Private: Nikki Roorda
Carpenter
Joined Carpenter Oak: 2017
Interview with Nikki Roorda
Favourite project you’ve worked on and why?
Raising a frame on the Isle of Skye! Stunning location, great team to work with, lovely people to work for, interesting nicknames on site, daily invasion of Scottish sheep at our accommodation, sweet local beers and plenty of rain to keep the midges at bay! Totally worth the lengthy road trip from down south up north and back.
When not in the yard, what do you enjoy doing?
Going for walks and swims in places that feel like nature, making things (and occasionally breaking them), growing greenness, poetry – and many other things that I rarely find time for.
Biography
Originally from the Netherlands, but gone in various directions in this world doing a variety of things over the past decade or so. A longstanding wish to develop woodworking skills started taking shape more and more a few years ago when I got involved in a furniture-making project with lovely people working on a big order for green ashwood lathback chairs in Wales. Then a short informal apprenticeship in timber framing using proper old school hand tools. I knew the crafty master from before, when working on a building site in Spain where we were renovating old pheasant farm houses and living the off-grid life in the beautiful rugged mountains of the Pyrenees. From there things really got going and now I am here at Carpenter Oak!
I love the fact that from the entrance you have no idea of what lies behind the door. When you open it up, the oak frame frames the view of the lake. A lot of people who come to the front door are surprised, from the outside you would not expect the space that you see upon entering the house.
Melanie – Tingrith Lakes, Client
The gallery at Tremenheere is a remarkable success. I believe this is a building in which everyone involved can take huge pride.
Neil – Tremenheere, Client
A green oak frame oozes character and, as with many of the fine things in life, gets better with age. As the frame seasons, the timbers are an enduring source of fascination as their tone and texture change and surface shakes appear.
Adam Milton, Founding Director
Watching the oak frame go up was incredible, and within three days it was fully erected. I almost didn't want them to build anything around it because it was so beautiful...
Annie Laing, Client
The Carpenter Oak experience was, as expected, a sturdy and robust service, with style and enthusiasm, a team of skilled workers who truly cared about the journey of this sensational building.
