“What we liked about Welsh Oak was they were much more flexible in their approach and happy to build a frame to suit our design.”

Ian and Julia Rogers had owned their plot of land for forty-odd years before they achieved planning permission to build an oak-framed house. The three-quarter acres had originally been part of Ian’s mother’s property and was green belt land and in an area of outstanding natural beauty. “The plot has a fantastic outlook across the valley, the views are stunning,” says Ian. “We were refused planning in the 1980s and 1990s, which turned out to be a good thing as we would have sold the plot had we been successful. When we tried again in 2016, the timing was right, and we built this brilliant oak frame house for ourselves.”

Ian grew up in the Buckinghamshire village and stayed in the area, having owned a pig farm and then working with a friend who converted barns. The house project came to life again when he was clearing the site one day – as he did periodically – and neighbours asked what he was going to do with the land. “I suggested – slightly tongue in cheek – that I might put a few pigs on it and they suggested I build a house, so I explained what had gone on in the past,” Ian recalls. “That got Julia and I thinking we should look into the idea again and with support from a planning consultant we thought we’d give it another go.”

The planning consultant did her research, seeking out cases where houses had successfully been built on infill plots on green belt in other parts of the country. They did all the necessary surveys for the application including traffic and horticultural surveys so that answers were ready before planning asked the questions. Ian had a timber-clad house design drawn up to acknowledge the local vernacular. He took inspiration from his childhood home next door and a barn conversion, which had once been part of his mother’s property. This time around, the couple were successful with planning consent. Afterwards, they decided to refine the design, but keep the external appearance the same. An architect friend recommended a local architect to draw up the final plans.

“We wanted more height upstairs but planning restrictions meant we couldn’t build higher than the neighbouring properties,” says Ian. “Our architect sunk the house down by a couple of feet, which has given us a stunning entrance hall and made an enormous difference to the usable space upstairs.” The idea to build in oak was already simmering. “We’ve always liked oak,” adds Ian. “I’d been brought up in a house with oak beams and we were enjoying living in the barn conversion we were renting.”

The couple were also keen to build an airtight, energy efficient home. While talking to oak frame companies, they heard about the benefits of building with structural insulated panels (SIPs) supported by a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system (MVHR) to distribute fresh air. To this they added an earth duct, where ventilation comes through underground pipes and into the house at a constant temperature, improving the overall efficiency of heating in winter and cooling in summer.

“Building this way means the oak and SIP frame can still expand and contract as it’s expected to, but the walls remain completely sealed,” Ian explains. “It’s a very simple hybrid system, and as the house is highly insulated, it’s always easy to maintain a steady temperature.” After speaking to a selection of oak frame companies – including a recommendation to contact Welsh Oak Frame from a friend who’d built one of their houses – Ian and Julia narrowed the choice down to two. “What we liked about Welsh Oak was they were much more flexible in their approach and happy to build a frame to suit our design,” says Ian. “The other firm wanted to change our design to suit their frame, which we didn’t want.” “The oak and SIP works great for our barn design.

Ian project-managed the build with a builder friend and hired subcontractors as and when they were needed. Covid restrictions meant the frame was delayed by three months but when the Welsh Oak Frame team arrived, they worked tirelessly to erect the frame, SIPs, internal stud walls, roof trusses and floor joists. Ian ran a tight ship and the couple were able to move into their 300sqm oak-framed house within a year.

The property, which is A-rated for energy efficiency, is powered solely by electricity. It has a domestic hot water tank and a heat store that pipes warm water through the underfloor heating. Though since the house is so well insulated, the UFH is rarely used – nor are radiators needed. The first choice for additional heating is the two Defra-approved wood burners which spread heat via the MVHR system. Both tanks operate overnight when the cost of electricity is cheaper, and in-roof solar panels kick in during the day to reduce daytime costs.

The oak frame house is clad in larch, which has developed a pretty patina of orange and silver over time. Oak features in all the main living spaces. “Julia would say the hallway is the most impressive room and I think the kitchen-diner is pretty impressive too,” says Ian. “Honestly, it’s wherever we see the oak, the master and guest bedrooms are stunning with their vaulted ceilings.”

The couple are delighted to be living here. “We’re very fortunate after thinking we’d never be able to do anything with the site,” says Ian. “Locals say the house fits in well with the village, has cleared up an ugly overgrown piece of land and looks as if it was always meant to be there. The icing on the cake is the fantastic view out the back. Being able to design our own house with our preferred layout is a great privilege. The oak is so easy on the eye and impressive it makes living here just brilliant.”