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Building on a slope, an oak frame solution

An oak framed home for a steep riverside site

Location: Cornwall

Completed: 2002

Constraints: : Built on a steeply sloping site

Architect: : Roderick James Architects

Challenging sites create stunning locations

Here at Carpenter Oak we like to think that no site is too challenging. From accessing remote islands via landing craft to moving timber down steep riverside sites we know that stunning locations for houses can be in unusual places.

“It was 1969 when my husband Dick and I purchased a small house on a sheer, three-acre site overlooking the river,” says Sandra Metcalfe. “We were in our early twenties, expecting our second child and had very little money, but we borrowed the £6,000 asking price with a view to replacing the dilapidated property in the future. The location was magical, despite the fact that the land was overgrown with brambles, and our children grew up playing in the river and woodland…”

Sandra Metcalfe, Homebuilding and Renovating Magazine

This oak timber frame new build is located on a steep slope that sharply drops down to a tributary, a dramatic spot with stunning views. The first challenge for the build was cutting into the slope, which dynamite proved to be pretty effective at. Once the site was prepared for us, transporting the timber down the slope was an interesting challenge, but the actual frame raising was business as usual.

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