Farmhouse extension

In a stunning location on Dartmoor, Penny and Robert renovated the farmhouse and carried out extensive groundworks (with builders Cruse and Bridgeman) to cut into the steep site and build a large kitchen dining area. A masonry lid on top of the kitchen enabled the 3-bay oak frame barn to be built at 1st storey.

The oak framed extension is not the full length of the kitchen, creating a paved balcony area. The extension is also cleverly offset from the main farmhouse so that the views of the moors can be seen from it. There is also a linking flat roof between the extension and the main house which helps to detach the two structures and defines the two apexes of the roofs.

The oak framed structure has two gable ends and sling braces. It has been designed to work as two separate spaces with a double sided wood burner in the middle of the room, or as a single space as required.

The staircase between the downstairs kitchen and upstairs oak framed barn has also cleverly been added to the side so it doesn’t encroach on either of the living spaces.

The oak framed space has direct glazing and this was built and installed by our specialist glazing team who used a vacuum lifter to manoeuvre the 3 metre high pieces into place.

A challenging site but a brilliant finished building

The overall build went smoothly despite it being a challenging site and difficult to access. The frame was transported as far as it could on a normal lorry and then on tractor and trailer for the final country lanes to deliver to site on the moor. The team at Carpenter Oak overcame any potential difficulties with careful pre-planning and meetings with the builders.

“Working with (Carpenter Oak’s Founding Director) Adam Milton and the team was an absolute pleasure. Everyone individually and collectively provided endless guidance, help, support, speedy responses, constructive suggestions at every interaction. From time to time questions came up and there were opportunities to refine both the design and the installation. These were worked around constructively and highly professionally without any issues.” Clients, Penny and Robert.

The finished project is a stunning renovation which benefits from the oak framed barn extension, perfectly complimenting the old farmhouse. The new light-filled oak framed addition gives the clients a wonderful living room with its beautiful vaulted space and views of the landscape.

“The oak frame extension more than meets our expectations – we love it (as does everyone who has seen it). The innovative design and the sheer pleasure of seeing the beautiful oak structure with sweeping arches and columns combined with the extensive glass panels / doors creates a magical view from both inside the room and outside. The structure makes it feel as though you are part of the landscape with views from every angle.” Clients, Penny and Robert.

Working on sites with difficult access and topography is something we’re used to at Carpenter Oak. We work carefully with builders, engineers and architects to mitigate any problems which may arise. We’re passionate about helping our customers to build beautiful oak and other timber framed buildings – if you’d like to talk to us about a timber framed project, please get in touch.