The process of designing your new oak frame home is one of the most exciting aspects of your project. We offer a comprehensive, in-house design and planning service that takes a blank piece of paper and turns it into your dream oak frame home. Here are the main steps you go through when you use our design service.
1. Initial contact
The process begins with an initial informal discussion about your project and can cover a range of questions regarding budgets, design costs, timescales, build costs, planning matters, the self-build process and anything else you would like to know. It will give you an opportunity to discuss your project with us and learn more about what we can offer.
2. Full design consultation
After the initial consultation, we would be delighted to meet you at our offices to discuss your project in more detail. This will involve a more in-depth conversation about your project and you will have the opportunity to browse our extensive portfolio of previous designs which may provide some inspiration for your own. We will take you on a tour around our workshops so you can see for yourself the incredible work our carpenters do when it comes to handcrafting oak. We will also take you to view our beautiful show home. This is the perfect opportunity for you to decide if we are the right fit for you and your project.
Alternatively this consultation can take place over the telephone or via an online meeting.
3. Design fee proposal
Once you are happy to proceed with our design service, we will provide you with a design contract. This will detail your drawing package which includes everything required for your planning application. Our design fees are exceptionally good value for money when compared to architect fees. Because oak framing is a specialist method of construction, working with a designer with extensive knowledge of how oak framing works is essential and will save you money in the long run. An experienced designer will be able to make the most of what oak can offer, both in terms of aesthetics and structural capabilities. They can advise on how to keep costs down, giving you solutions to achieve your vision within your budget.
4. Site visit
Once you have accepted our design proposal, your designer will meet you on-site before producing a set of draft plans. This enables us to gain a full understanding of the local area and understand your site better. We can also identify any site restrictions, issues or potential problems. All of this information will help us when it comes to enhancing the design of your home and gaining planning permission.
5. Production of your draft plans
After visiting your site our design team will produce an initial set of floor plans and elevations based on your brief, your budget and the information gathered from your site. This is an exciting stage where you will start to see your dream oak frame home coming together.
Once your draft plans have been completed, you will be provided with the drawings for further input. We will arrange a meeting with you to discuss your thoughts and identify any refinements to be made before your planning application is submitted.
6. Final design development
Once we have made any amendments to your draft plans, we will provide you with a final draft and site plan for review. After you agree the final design, your drawing package will be ready to be submitted to the local planning authority for advice or approval. At this stage we will be able to give you budget costs for our element of the project.
7. Planning submission
If you would like us to take care of your planning application, our planning consultant will submit the planning application on your behalf, monitor it’s progress and respond to further enquiries or requests. We will also make any changes to the design based on any feedback from the local planning department.
8. 3D model
Once planning permission has been approved, we will draw up a detailed virtual 3D model for you. We will ask you to provide a number of images for us to draw inspiration from. This will help us get a feel for what you are looking for internally and how you want your oak frame to look. After your 3D model has been produced we will arrange a meeting with you so you can view the model and discuss any refinements to be made. At this stage we are able to provide you with accurate costs for our element of the project.
9. Contract
Once all aspects of the design have been finalised, we will discuss the scope of works to be included in your oak frame package. We will provide you with a detailed fixed cost and your contract will be issued. Once the contract has been agreed, signed and the deposit paid, we will pass your project over to our oak frame design team who will produce the detailed frame design and building regulation drawings.
Create your own mood board
Our mood board tool is like an online scrapbook where you can collate lots of inspirational images from our galleries and design portfolios to work out how you want your project to look. It can even be passed to one of our designers by way of a brief.
