You may recall we built a small hipped green oak frame a few weeks ago and erected it in the yard as a “dry run” prior to shipping it to site near Swansea.

Not something we normally do, but in this case, cutting and fitting all the compound angles of the jack rafters, the bird’s mouth joints and the rafter end cuts in the comfort of the workshop, would save plenty of time on site, and ensure that we could install the whole oak frame in one day (hopefully!)

So we loaded up early morning and trundled down to South Wales in time for a 9am start. All was going swimmingly until the telehandler we were using to raise the frame, decided it only wanted to go backwards, and couldn’t be coaxed into any forward motion for love nor money. By the time a mechanic had been called for and had diagnosed and fixed the issue, we were battling the clock and our leisurely day on site had turned into a stressful sprint. Jake and I ran about in full Benny Hill mode but without the backing music, and were able (just) to get things back on schedule.

That time spent in the workshop was definitely time well spent.

Once we had finished the raising, we spent a few minutes looking over the finished internal roof frame we had installed a couple of years previously for the same client.

We look forward to being invited to their first barbecue!

Peter and Emma commissioned us to build an oak frame for their small family self-build, the result of years wading through the planning process, and coming out the other end with a Section 106 agreement for a “local connection” which aims to help local families afford homes in the area they grew up – you could throw a stone in both directions and easily hit Peter and Emma’s childhood homes on the northeastern edge of the Long Mynd.

The family, including dogs, chickens and 3 children have been living off-grid on the site in preparation for the build, and so it was with a great deal of excitement and apprehension that the raising day finally arrived. Just the most perfect conditions – dry, warm, sunny with the merest hint of a breeze.

The following pictorial record should give you an idea of our time spent on site and in their delightful and charming company. To be honest, it really didn’t feel like work! But work it was, and everybody mucked in to ensure that the whole frame, complete with 2 fully joisted floors, and common rafters on the roof, was “topped out” in just a shade over 2 days.

Special thanks to Paul “the crane” Stealey, to Matt the builder (for just wanting to be there), to Kai and Jake (the raising crew). And extra special thanks to Emma and Pete and the kids for not only choosing us to make their frame but joining in the fun too!

All ready to go. Timbers laid out, scaffolding looking tip top against an azure sky and the crane fully rigged

The family in the expensive seats

Some rustic shelving has been incorporated into the frame. You may remember the debate about whether to round off the corners…..or not

Starting to take shape

“Hand-balling” all the first-floor joists into their “pockets”. Each one individually scribed

Slotting together a wallplate scarf.

The wallplate scarf also secures and restrains the 2nd storey floor beam.

Helping out with the pegging

End of day one!

First truss on day 2 ready for lift-off

Flying in the truss…

…and lowering the truss carefully into the mortices

More willing helpers.

Quality control team hard at work!

Cutting the pegs off flush on the outside of the frame.

Fitting the purlins.

Measuring the rafters for cutting on site.

End of day 2!

Rob and Pete “topping out” the frame with an oak branch as a thank you to the tree spirits.

Sitting back and admiring the soft light on the frame.

Good luck with the rest of the build!

Here’s a quick update on the completion of the frame raising we started on Monday.

We made the right decision in delaying our return to site to finish the raising – we missed a day of continuous heavy rain and sleet in Carmarthenshire on Tuesday.

Back to it on Wednesday though beneath clear blue skies, although we did have to contend with mortices full of frozen ice for the first couple of hours. Thankfully there was a kettle and some boiling water to hand.

Assembling the trusses on trestles

The raised collar trusses required steel reinforcement at the critical “tension” joint

Sam trimming off pegs with his funky folding saw

Sending off another truss

Lowering the truss into position on the wallplates

Sam and Jake in position to locate the purlins and ridges

Soft evening light on one side of the roof

Full tie beam trusses from below

Raised collar trusses from below

Done!

This is a brief account of the first part of the frame raising we carried out yesterday in West Wales. Stepping back a little and to provide some context, we were approached last summer to see if we could help with a new roof to an “L” shaped dairy barn which had collapsed over time, and was being extensively restored. We carried out a survey of the wreckage –

– and came up with frame drawings and a 3d model.

It would have been nice if the two wings of the barn had been at right angles, but sadly (for our sakes) they happened to be 91.7 degrees – which ensured some complicated joinery at the corner!

After 6 weeks or so in the workshop, we finally booked the crane and packed off the frame to the site hoping to avoid the incoming snowy weather.

The centrepiece of the whole frame is the cruciform truss configuration which makes up the corner, and for many reasons, it made sense to assemble the whole thing so we could drop it in place in one go. The hip and valley truss is put together on trestles and raised vertically with the crane.

We then used a telehandler to assemble the other bits and locate into the octagonal central “boss”.

Purlins were also fitted at this stage to proved stability, and also because we couldn’t work out how to fit them once the cruciform was in place.

Before installing, we had to scribe and fit the “dragon tie” to the outside corner of the barn to support the hip rafter. Dave the builder, set to work with his angle grinder –

– and Rob cut the “dragon tie”.

 I had to put the camera down next, but please believe me when I say it was an absolutely perfect landing.

With the pressure off and clear blue skies, we assembled some more trusses –

– and dropped in some ridges.

From below, the “valley rafter” locating on the inside corner of the wallplate –

The hip rafter is supported on the “dragon tie” and “dragon beam” at the external corner –

Nick and Mary got in touch to see if we could help them design and build an oak framed extension to their quirky half-timbered cottage between Kington and Hereford. Previous owners had obtained planning permission and made a start on the groundworks (see below) before giving up on the project and selling up.

We arranged a site meeting, discussed various options, and quickly settled on the outline of a design which we then firmed up with some detailed frame drawings. Open plan downstairs with oak joists and stairwell, raised collar trusses on the first floor with central purlin, ridge and windbracing.

The drawings were signed off by Nick and Mary, we ordered the oak, and set to work in the workshop when the next slot became available.

Issues we had to contend with on this project were: a wonky old building to connect to, a less then perfectly level base, difficult access for the crane, and not enough room for a wraparound scaffold.

What we didn’t have to worry about was the weather (it was perfect!) and Nick and Mary’s unbeatable hospitality. I should perhaps explain that they are fully committed smallholders with sheep, geese, chickens, polytunnels, bees, smokehouse and probably multiple other bits I didn’t notice or can’t remember. Suffice to say our pack lunch boxes were soon kicking around redundantly as we tucked in to a multitude of delectable home made, home produced goodies. Future clients be warned – Nick and Mary have raised the bar! We were even sent on out way with a further hamper of loveliness.

The finished frame in all it’s glory tucked up against an older version

Getting started on the frame with not a lot of scaffold to play with

Girding rail being located into a baypost with corner bracing

In goes a wallplate

Lowering the pack of floor joists onto the slab

…so we can handball them into place. We even got Russell the crane driver helping out!

Little tap with a mallet as they drop into the pockets

By lunchtime we were ready for the 3 trusses, so we make them all up on trestles

…and stacked them against the wallframe

Flying the central truss with arch collar braces in to place

Now for the roof. Central purlin dropping into its housing

Now for the ridge. Note the mortice for a “spline” to pull the ridge pieces together. Nice face Jake!

Mary joining in the fun knocking pegs in

Seems like the crane is having a rest on the frame

Joisted lean to off the side of the main frame

Wind braces glowing in the late afternoon sun

The Master Bedroom

Nick and Mary watching from a safe distance

The raising was a reminder of how lucky we are to do this kind of work, and a pleasure from start to finish. Yes, hard work, but hugely rewarding to see a project through from start to finish. Making stuff is good!

Thanks to Nick for taking and donating most of the photos.

A short while ago we put up a small frame in Presteigne park to serve as a weather shelter for kids during the rainy season (11 months of the year…)

We were asked to contribute the frame, and despite trying really hard to find a reason to say no, we couldn’t, and so rustled up this little number in the workshop.

Powys County Council donated and prepared the concrete base, and so one quiet morning when no one was around (if memory serves it might have been during the royal wedding) we snuck down to the park to have a play on the kids equipment, and then to perform some guerrilla frame erecting.

Arriving at the park and unloading. Note the 4WD jeep we used in the background.

Involved in this clandestine operation were old hands Rob and Jake, plus newbies Alithea and Rune.

Team Castle Ring beavering away

Alithea getting in on the act

Action shot – truss assembly with vital sawing work by Rune

Taking shape now. Rune still busy with that saw…

Posing on the roof

Jake fixing the ridge down

Larkin’ about

Primates…

From start to finish we had the whole thing up and pegged together in under an hour before Alithea (our designated getaway driver) drove us pedal to the metal to a safe house to lay low for a few hours.

Coloured tin sheets were fitted some time later, and no doubt the whole thing can now be spotted from outer space.

May 2017 was when Matt contacted us with a view to providing oak framed elements to his new build family home that was going through the planning process near Newmarket in Suffolk. Despite everything running smoothly and to plan, it has still taken just over a year to be in a position to erect the frames. Building in the UK requires patience and stickability it seems.

We actually finished the oak work just before Christmas and parked the frames until Matt was ready for us.

In the workshop – the king posts and ridges all assembled complete with bracing.

Two porch crossframes with jowled posts for the project in the workshop.

Wallframe – ready for taking apart.

This year’s prolonged cold spells played havoc with the groundworks and caused lengthy delays, but finally we were able to load up and head East for the raising, hoping that a) the frame had not dried out and moved too much in the intervening 5 months, and that b) we could remember how it all fitted together.

Loaded up at Castle Ring Oak Frame

The oak had already been delivered to site earlier in the week and we were able to make a prompt start on Thursday morning with Simon our crane driver from Huntingdon Plant. The oak work consisted of a 2 bay single storey vaulted kitchen/dining room, 2 porches and 3 internal partition wall frames.

Gable truss being pegged together to lift in whole.

Lowering the gable truss onto the post tenons

Slinging the 2nd king post truss

Flying it over the masonry. We often attach the ridge braces to make life easier later on

Number 2 ready for landing

Last one, number 3 with a through tenon at the kingpost/tie beam joint

Just the ridge to go

Simon the crane driver from Huntingdon Plant

Pegging up the ridge

By lunchtime on a perfectly clear and baking hot day, we had finished the roof of the main vaulted structure, which meant we could concentrate on the porches and individual frames in time to send the crane home at 4pm having done all the heavy lifting. Matt had decided to temporarily support the porches on blockwork, with a view to propping them at a future date, and building the brickwork up underneath them – a good way to ensure that the brickwork ends up in the right place!

Friday turned out cooler and damp but we still dodged the rain and so were able to enjoy putting the finishing touches to our work with the pressure off – driving in all the hand made pegs, fixing the ridge and purlins down onto the trusses, and fitting the oak common rafters to the 2 porches.

Pegging up and fixing down on Friday morning

Porch rafters fitted

Main structure with side porch

The smaller of the 2 porches

One of the internal frames

So no, the frame hadn’t moved, and we didn’t forget how it went together. Good luck to Matt as he oversees the rest of the build!

Last Thursday we were due to raise two small oak frames adjoining a property on the edge of the Long Mynd. Three years in the planning, Trish and Gary’s project had finally reached a point where they would get to see some oak!

Photos of the frames in our workshop:

The Beast From The East had passed through leaving it’s trail of magnificent destruction from Siberia, snow drifts had melted, scaffolding was readied, Trish’s biscuit tin was full, what could possibly go wrong…..

As we left Castle Ring early on the day of the raising, all seemed set fair, but trundling over the Shropshire hills towards the Stiperstones, a few intermittent snow flakes developed into something a little more sinister, and by the time we had climbed up to the edge of the Long Mynd, there was a ground covering of the white stuff. Needless to say, the crane got stuck, we got stuck, the haulage company delivering the oak got stuck, and by 9am we had called off the raising – for the first time ever. We grumpily slunk back home and licked our wounds over the weekend, wondering whether Trish and Gary would ever get to see their sunroom and extension.

The answer was yes!

Lean to gable framed by a beautiful blue sky

Lifting the first crossframe into place. Sometimes it’s easier to preassemble rather than craning each piece in at a time

There she flies. We’ve attached the ridge brace too to save time

What is that??

Assembling and pegging up a complete crossframe for the extension

The main extension gable frame comprising 14 pieces being put together on trestles

The strength of Jake. One handed!

The last ridge piece being lowered into place. Gary capturing the moment

Scaffolding can be annoying sometimes. There’s an oak frame behind there somewhere

The joisted mezzanine in the extension

Adam pegging up

All done. Stiperstones just visible in the background

Yesterday we finally got the frames up and it was a beautiful clear and still day. Jake, Adam and I assembled the sunroom first by midday, and finished the extension in the afternoon. Trish and Gary had rinsed the biscuit tin between Thursday and Tuesday which nearly resulted in a walk-out, but thankfully fresh supplies were commissioned, along with a delectable lunchtime spread of goodies to keep us all going. Thanks Trish!

We ran out of time to fit the rafters, but will be back to finish off tomorrow – probably too late for the biscuits though…..

Back to the Stiperstones today to finish fitting the rafters. Bit soggy

Common rafters and rooflight openings