CASE STUDY
“Once we’d had our first meeting with Welsh Oak Frame, we were so impressed we had no reason to look elsewhere”
Alison and Nick Clough never imagined they’d find a plot and build a house but at the same time they struggled to find a property that ticked all the boxes. Their dream was to a beautiful oak frame cottage style home. They were living in the countryside just outside Nantwich but wanted to move closer to the town to give their sons more independence.
“The boys wanted to easily be able to see their friends and walk to school and Nick and I were happy to have a change” says Alison. “However, we liked our cottage and wanted to buy another older property with character, but after looking for a few years, nothing suitable had come on the market.”
The opportunity to self-build came along when a local contact told the couple about a piece of land that was coming up for sale in the town. They got in touch with the owner and discovered it was a garden plot, once an orchard. He’d already applied for planning permission to build an oak frame house through Welsh Oak Frame.
“Unfortunately, the council felt the property was too big and imposing” says Alison. “The owner didn’t want to build a smaller house, which was why he decided to sell the plot. The location was ideal for us – within walking distance of the town and school – and private with little overlooking and large hedges, a bonus for a town site.”
Alison and Nick were happy to continue the design journey with Welsh Oak Frame and spoke to the council to find out what they would be allowed to build. Loosely, the feedback was a smaller, oak frame cottage style property.
“We loved the idea of building an oak-framed property as we didn’t want to build a “new” house but one that looked like it had always been there with plenty of character” says Alison. “Once we’d had our first meeting with Welsh Oak Frame, we were so impressed we had no reason to look elsewhere.”
The couple came to an arrangement with the owner. They were allowed to apply for planning before completing the land purchase with the option to withdraw from the sale if permission was refused. They quickly got on with the design revisions, sketching out an exact floorplan and room sizes for Welsh Oak Frame, who worked up new drawings. The result is a smaller, less intrusive one-and-a-half storey oak frame cottage in keeping with the other oak cottages and properties on the lane.
“We love the hallway with the wow feature vaulted ceiling and the large amount of glass at the back” says Alison. “The living room is fully-beamed and has a lovely cosy feel while fewer beams in the kitchen give it a more contemporary look.”
This time the planners were happy with the design and issued planning approval, allowing Alison and Nick to progress with the land purchase. Soon after, the build began. As experienced renovators the couple took on the project management and within a few months, the oak frame was ready to go up.
“We weren’t able to get to the workshop to see the frame being made but Welsh Oak Frame were lovely and sent us pictures” says Alison. “Watching the frame be erected and our house come to life felt very surreal – and amazing – after looking at it for so long as a drawing.”
The project progressed steadily with Nick’s builder brother-in-law doing the building work and the couple putting in regular calls to Welsh Oak Frame as they moved through each phase.
“Our designer was fantastic” says Alison. “It didn’t matter how many times we called, he always answered the phone happy to help and advise us. He had so much patience and knew our house inside and out.”
Nick is a decorator by trade and did all the painting and the couple laid the floor insulation themselves. The enormity of the task prompted them to bring in a professional installer to do the rest of the house. Likewise, professionals cleaned the oak.
The family moved in 19 months after starting and the house has lived up to everyone’s expectations. “We feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to build our perfect home in the town with no compromise to character” says Alison. “We love all the oak with my favourite features being the fully-beamed living room ceiling and large oak porch, which everyone comments on when they come over.”
Oak frame cottage style project success!
