oakbydesign
01423 593 794
Dan initially contacted Oak By Design in March to discuss an large oak conservatory for his home on the outskirts of a beautiful Yorkshire Dales town.
They had been in their present home approx. 8 years, after restructuring the former ‘barn style’ house they bought. They had also extended the home to create a modern, timber clad home.
Over the years, Dan had transformed what was originally a ‘field’ into a beautiful garden, complete with lawns, flower beds, seating areas etc. These all benefit from fabulous views from the hillside home.
The house had a Victorian greenhouse, a ‘stones throw’ away from the house. It was this building that Dan wanted to transform into an oak conservatory.
The existing building was, unfortunately, coming to the end of its life. It was leaking, damp and the framework was rotting – held together with paint.
A keen plantsman, Dan is a cacti and succulent collector and half of the new oak conservatory was to be used to house his collection. The other half was to be used as a sitting area to enjoy the garden and to benefit from the sun (for which the original greenhouse had been built to get the most from)!
In Dans words “The plan is to turn part of the building into a habitable room, and the other to be a very posh greenhouse”.
He had some initial drawings made up by his architect ( see below) and started to look for a manufacturer. He initially found a couple in the south of England but he wanted to use a local supplier, and was pleased when he found Oak By Design, between Harrogate and York, and he emailed them.
Joanne rang Dan, and they discussed his plans over the phone. Dan then sent the initial drawings the architect supplied.
The main ‘greenhouse’ Dan had was 9 metres long, and at one end was an entrance via a stone built potting shed with a small window. The initial idea was to use this as a small kitchen area, with a separate w.c. and a store cupboard. A door would then lead into the sitting area and this would have a slate roof on the back and front.
Double doors would then lead through a glazed oak partition into the greenhouse. A single door would be installed in the end for access to the greenhouse.
Joanne supplied Dan with a drawing, very similar to the architects, but showing the finished timber sizes of the oak.
Happy with this, Dan then approached his local council to see if he needed planning permission, which he did. This was applied for, and eventually received in August. They decided against the w.c. and store room and instead chose to have a slightly larger kitchen area. This would be the perfect place to make a cuppa and prepare any snacks etc!
The existing window in the new kitchen area would be replaced with a new oak, opening window to match the rest of the oak conservatory.
A quotation was provided covering the various components for the build, and this was accepted by Dan.
Dan came to visit the Oak By Design showroom and workshop and had a good luck at the oak building on display. He also came and spoke to David Carter, our Production Manager, who would be making Dan’s doors and windows and looked at the various doors and windows being manufactured in the workshop.
He chose to have all the oak finished with Osmo Protection Oil in 420 – Clear
Alongside discussing the project with ourselves, Dan was also liaising with Jack Stout, a builder we had recommended for the project.
Dan instructed Jack to arrange the removal of the existing greenhouse framework.
The new oak conservatory would keep the same footprint as the old one, but the roof height would be slightly higher.
Jack rebuilt the small walls that the oak framework would sit on, whilst also re-roofing the the kitchen/potting shed roof. Oak By Design then visited the site with Jack, and they took final measurements needed to prepare exact drawings for the production team to work on.
The weather was exceptionally wet that winter, and the oak framework finally got installed in the New Year. The next job was to install the softwood rafters to the sitting area and to make the frames for the Velux windows in the roof.
The greenhouse end of the building had oak rafters installed and the 8 glazed units for the roof were installed with the Capex 50 glazing system.
The glazing units are Pilkingtons Activ Blue - 28mm thick, double glazed. The unique blue helps keep the internal temperature moderate whilst enabling good light transmission. The units were also self-cleaning with toughened glass to the top pane, and laminate on the underside.
The 3 opening windows along the front of the main building are all top hung, opening outwards on friction hinges. There are 2 handles to each window as they are quite a good size! Pewter Regency Locking Night Vent Fasteners were the ones Dan chose.
The external Pattern 10 door and frame was installed on the greenhouse end of the building, allowing access straight into the greenhouse from the garden.
The 2 areas were going to be separated by a glazed framework with a pair or French doors installed but the Building Officer wanted the framework to be plastered in between, and all the oak framework and doors to be fire proofed.
The framework and oak doors and frame were all supplied with an Intumescent coat applied in conjunction with an Osmo oil finish. 7mm Pyroguard EW30 glazed units were supplied for the doors with a half hour integrity.
Dan and his wife Cait were initially disappointed about this as they had wanted to be able to see through the entire building.
Once everything was finished, Joanne visited the couple at their home on an October morning. The building is a triumph! The previous Victorian greenhouse had been a beautiful building in its day, but the oak conservatory is also one for the present day.
Traditionally built, but with a contemporary look it hasn’t disappointed! Dan and Cait have created a beautiful building to enjoy the sun and to entertain friends in a light, bright sun- drenched room.
The couple can’t believe how much sunlight comes into the building, and they are now secretly relived they have a plaster boarded framework between the 2 rooms as this has cut down on the amount of sun that reaches the seating area, but positively!
When Joanne was there, the sun was pouring in through the large windows creating the perfect space to sit and enjoy the building on a relatively cool October day.
Dan and Cait are loving their new space, and have furnished the rooms beautifully. They can now sit and enjoy the gardens that Dan has cleverly created. However, Dan has always got a project in mind, so let’s see what’s next!
Telephone: 01423 593 794
Locksley Park
Blind Lane
Tockwith
YORK YO26 7QJ
Opening Times:
Mon to Fri - 9.00am to 5.00pm
Bank Holidays - Closed
Christmas 2025- TBC
Oak By Design is the trading name of:
Oak By Design Ltd.
Reg Number: 04384416
VAT Number: 664 8012 33
Left us a star review
Exceptional service and beautiful flooring. Absolutely delighted with every aspect. Went above and beyond great customer service to meet our needs and timescales.
We purchased some engineered oak flooring and oak covers from Oak By Design and couldn't be happier with the finish and quality. They are spot on. Joanne was extremely helpful throughout the whole process and provided plenty of advice when necessary. Thank you
Fantastic service from start to finish, I would have no hesitation in recommending this company or using them again. Very professional and helpful. Joanne was great in assisting us with choosing both styles and colours of the beams and cladding.
Spectacular service from start to finish! great design work and support from concept to installation. The builders were amazing! So pleased with the outcome! Thankyou so so much !
Oak by design were a fantastic company to deal with. They made us some treads for a bespoke stair case from large pieces of air dried oak. They were very thorough in making sure that they understood exactly what we wanted. They made excellent suggestions for small changes to our own design in order to produce a better finished product and to manage the cost. We were very happy with the treads when they were delivered. They look fantastic and fitted perfectly to the steel frame which was made by a third party. I could not recommend them more highly.
Great service from start to finish, Joanne was great help. Designs were spot on and so happy with the porch. 10/10. Fully recommend.
Thank you Jo for your assistance and detailed guide every step of the way with my new porch. Very pleased with the finished product, I would highly recommend Jack and his team for installation
Found this company by accident whilst passing through Harrogate, but well worth a visit.Great products choice with helpful friendly service. The wooden flooring and beams look great in situ and we are very pleased with the transformed room. Would recommend and use again.
What can I say, Oak By Design have been the most fantastic company to deal with. Joanne was so helpful, friendly and professional. She really seemed to care about our project, which made such a difference. We had 4 oak RSJ covers made and 2 fireplace mantles. The finish is outstanding. Everyone believes they are solid beams, which was just what we wanted. The care and attention this company will give you is 2nd to none and I would highly recommend them. Pictures will follow when we complete our project, thanks again Oak By Design. x
A first rate service from start to finish. We've used this company in the past for our floor - 40 foot of solid oak! 2 beams and 2 RSJ covers. This time a beam for our new kitchen inglenook and another RSJ cover. More than impressed with the products which more than met our spec. A very friendly and helpful team who I'd recommend to anyone.
From the moment we visited the Oak Design showroom, we knew that we were dealing with a top quality local company. Richard the owner, showed us around his design works with real pride of his product and service offering. Jamie as sales executive has discussed and agreed the options & design with costs to us and we have now implemented the first phase of our home improvement, with more work to follow. We are highly delighted with the finished product and would strongly recommend Oak Design to other interested clients. I also suggest that you pay them a personal visit at the Home Building & Renovation exhibition in Harrogate, as well as their wonderful showroom of Oak Solutions in Tockwith to get a personal guided tour.
We are ‘over the moon’ with our beautiful oak porch made by Oakbydesign .From our initial enquiry to delivery and installation the service and attention to detail has been outstanding! A very big thank you to Joanne who was so helpful and friendly from start to finish which made the whole process such a pleasure. Highly recommend anyone looking for an oak porch to choose Oakbydesign . Yvonne Grant.
Ordered an oak mantle beam from Oak by Design and they quickly called to check the finer details. Unfortunatly, the beam was slightly damaged on arrival by the courier company. Oak by Design immediately arranged to have it picked by DHL, transferred back to Yorkshire from Kent, repaired and sent back within 2 days, with no quibbles. The beam is beautiful, as is the high quality customer service by these people. Fully recommend using this company. Anthony Slater, Tonbridge. Tonbridge.
As the owner of a local joinery business, Robert Davis Joinery, I have had the pleasure of using Oak by Design on several occasions over the last 8 years. They have produced bespoke interior products for me including Oak doors and timber moldings. The staff in the office and the workshop are always very helpful and friendly and the standard of the workmanship and materials are always of a very high quality.
Found Oak by Design searching for a new front porch to replace a canopy and knew immediately that this was company for the job and I was not disappointed. I already knew what I wanted and Richard, very patiently, developed my basic requirements, with a number of iterations, into a full detailed design. As I live outside their site working area I decided go for supply only and to install the porch myself. It was delivered as promised and it looked great even on the pallet! It took me a while to fit but it was very satisfying and the result is fantastic. The quality of the aged oak and carpentry of the timbers is excellent. I’m delighted with the porch supplied by Oak by Design - it looks superb.
Posting on behalf of my Mother in Law, Shirley Abbott "Having planned to shop around, Oak By Design was my first stop. I had no need to look any further. Joanne patiently and professionally guiding me through the confusion of choosing the right flooring. The service and support from the staff was exceptional, efficient and helpful. And - my floor looks amazing!"
My client was looking for ways in which to make his conversion (of an early seventies house into a period family farmhouse) “stand out from the crowd”. whilst maintaining a commercial eye on his expenditure, as the house was being converted for resale profit. Making the choice to meet with Richard and explore possibilities for incorporating some Real solid Oak features into his plans proved to be the making of the project. By taking lots of advice from Richard on both the size and structure of the components we were able to incorporate three key features. The beautiful and bold roof trusses and purlins for the open plan kitchen are simply a joy to behold. The stunning full height gable window which is directly glazed into the large framework can be appreciated from both the the kerbside and of course from within the cosy snug on the ground floor or the amazing first floor main bedroom where we incorporated some additional exposed roof beams just purely for effect. All in all it is fair to say that these significant choices certainly created the wow factor my client was looking for. Having managed to pre sell the property well before completion it in itself demonstrates the benefits of keeping these sorts of real oak features as part of a modern build. I have no hesitation whatsoever is saying that if anyone is looking to get advice and is serious about investing in quality oak products they should have no need to look further than Oak by Design. Thanks again Richard for all your help , guidance and continued support which is a credit to you and the craftsmen you employ.
From start to finish Oak By Design have been incredible, nothing was too much trouble. Our new Oak doors are beautifully made and have really been the icing on the cake to finish our house renovations off. We have also had a fabulous outdoor oak structure with heating and we are very much looking forward to making the most of it in the months ahead. Thank you to the whole team I would throughly recommend.
On behalf of John Docherty: Oak By Design were a great company to deal with; helpful, knowledgeable, professional. The quality of the oak supplied to us for our bespoke porch was first class. Nothing was too much trouble for this company, and we will definitely be using this wonderful company again in 2022.
When embarking on a large renovation project assembling the right team of skilled work people is vital. It involves the need for skill, imagination and trust. It was important to us to use a local company and Oak by Design seemed to tick the right boxes although we had not dealt with them or indeed heard of them before. We soon came to realise that the combination of Ben, Billy, Jamie, Matt and MIck ( listed strictly in alphabetical order ) was a great success. Skilled: highly, imaginative: an excellent creative talent, trustworthy: 100% but also such great team players that all the other trades on site benefitted from their cooperation and great good humour. I would endorse the other reviewers who have commented on the quality of the materials used, whether in the replacement windows, the light oak internal doors. the fantastic oak staircase, the secret bookcase and the pièce de résistance: the oak conservatory. It has been a great project and much of that I attribute to the work of Oak by Design. A big thank you to you all.
We got a fantastic garden structure from Oak by Design. It is a very handsome building and the design process was very patient, to say the least. We didn’t really know what we wanted, so we had to be guided through it. And we are delighted.
On behalf of Shears PHG Our customer was looking at having an oak porch built for their property in the West Midlands we got in contact with Joanne at Oak by Design and she was really helpful, always friendly on the phone and polite nothing was too much trouble. Joanne kept us up to date through every stage and our customer is really pleased with the results of the Porch it looks great and we wouldn’t hesitate to use them again in the future
We decided to get an oak porch to make our home more attractive and we are so glad we did as it really is beautiful ! Joanne and the Team have been professional, friendly and just a pleasure to deal with ! Thank you so much !!
Great company, always on the end of the phone to talk through design, measurements, fitting. The Oak is very high standard, looks amazing.
I was sourcing an oak RSJ cover (circa 5m length) for my extension and found Oak by Design on the internet. All of the reviews I could were glowing and so I contacted them......And I'm so glad that I did. Joanne Fisher answered my initial call and she looked after my order from beginning to end - in terms of ensuring that I got exactly what I wanted she/they provided a superb service - everything on time - delivery in to the Peak District to suit when I wanted. The quality of the the RSJ cover is fantastic thick solid oak that matches my oak floor - looks amazing. If you want anything oak I can thoroughly recommend Oak By Design.
I firstly used oak by design a couple of years ago for an open oak porch. They were extremely helpful and everything was delivered on time to the highest quality. The porch went together with the oak dowels provided and looked great when it was all slated in. They have also supplied me with a oak beam for a fireplace natural random finish and it looks good.
Working with Oak By Design on our project was a pleasure and we were delighted with the results. Joanne was extremely helpful, quick to answer any questions and generally a great person to deal with! The quality and finish of the products - RSJ covers and Oak Windows & Doors were superb and look great. Would highly recommend working with Oak By Design and would not hesitate to use their services again for future projects!
We were looking to have a bespoke oak and glass atrium for the front of our new house renovation. We wanted to find a company we trusted, who clearly understood our brief and could manufacture and install a high quality product at a competitive price. A big ask, but OakByDesign ticked all our boxes. Jamie and the team from the initial discovery meeting to completion of the installation were fantastic. The design, material quality and installation were first class and I would highly recommend you to include them within your project plans. Thank you all. Ben and Lindsay.
My wife and I recently purchased an oak porch from Oak By Design. We are delighted with the porch and it has been much admired. We did get some help assembling it but everything fitted together perfectly.
Oak by Design were extremely helpful at all stages of my project from helping and advising me to choose the most appropriate beam through to advice on fixing the beam. They were extremely patient with changes to my beam dimension requirements finally providing a solution to suit my project. They provided photographs on completion of the beam prior to dispatch to ensure that my requirements had been met. I was extremely impressed by the quality and finish of the beam which has become the focal point for my fireplace project. Oak by Design provided customer care of the highest quality and I would highly recommend their services.
Four years ago we took the decision to completely gut an old farmhouse and start again with it, we started looking for a supplier of oak to refit all of the internal doors, door casings, skirting and flooring. Our carpenter recommended Oak By Design. He wasn't wrong! All of the oak has been completely top notch. As the old house has settled into it's new skin it has moved and cracked in various places, the only thing that has been stable and unwavering is the oak. The customer service has been superb, with them continuing to supply exactly the same items, with the same quality over the course of 4 years. They even indulged our designs for furniture for our "boot room", with Shoe pigeon holes and a bench which we could store wellies under (as pictured). The doors supplied by them are reassuringly heavy and sturdy, with a proper "thunk" as you close them, cutting off sound from the rest of the house. There may be other, cheaper suppliers of oak out there, but none with the same level of quality, longevity and customer service as Oak By Design. If you want to do it right (& once!) use these guys.
I wish I could give more starts!! We looked at many companies before finally choosing Oak by Design. We are so glad we chose them. They were excellent from start to finish. They worked with us to find a workable design that was to our liking. Our door looks amazing (despite the building site that still surrounds it!). Their customer service is of the highest standard, Joanne could not do enough to help us. I would not hesitate to recommend them.
From the initial quotation right through to the delivery and after service Joanne has been brilliant and given me an excellent product. I have just ordered another porch for another project from them and I will continue to do so for future projects . Thomas and Bell Building Contractors Ltd
First class service and product . Our car port and steps look fantastic and blends in with the existing buildings beautifully. Would definitely recommend them.
From the beginning the customer service has been superb, excellent help and advice when choosing the flooring, delivery arriving when promised and a product which is extremely high quality. We have replaced the majority of our flooring downstairs and we are so pleased with the result that we would have paid more. Fantastic.
Thank you Oak by Design for my gorgeous… Thank you Oak by Design for my gorgeous oak porch. From my first contact with your company and speaking with Amanda the service has been first class. The quality of the oak and the design of the porch was just what I wanted. Manufacture and delivery were well communicated and delivered to site for our builder on time and to fit in with the building works. Your finishing touches and added extras made our porch very unique to our home. I have had lots of compliments on the enhanced look it has made to our property and our builder is full of praise about the quality and the ease of construction on-site. Thank you so much Amanda & all the team at Oak by design.
This is the second time that we have used Oak By Design for oak products and once again we weren’t disappointed. We recently ordered some internal oak doors and from the very start they were a pleasure to deal with. Joanne especially was extremely helpful and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. We were kept updated about the progress of our order. Unfortunately we needed to delay acceptance of the doors for a few weeks and Oak By Design happily agreed to store them in their workshop until we were ready for them. The quality of the doors is very high, they are very well made and finished, far better than any oak doors that you will buy “ off the shelf. “ They are all installed now and look fantastic. I would highly recommend Oak By Design and we will certainly use them again in the future if we require any more oak products. A huge thank you to Joanne and the whole team for a great service and a great product.
We were delighted with our new porch. Right from our initial contact with Joanne at ObD, through the design and the installation by Jack and his team the service has been excellent. We would have no hesitation in recommending ObD and Jack to anyone thinking of a high quality oak porch. Thank you to all involved.
We ordered two bespoke doors and two bespoke porches for our house build from Joanne at OByD. We were specifically delighted with Joanne's attention to detail (and patience! lol) making the overall customer experience excellent. The product was equally fantastic, the product quality was truly beyond our expectations. Joanne is super helpful and knowledgeable, and kept my spirits up throughout our project. We would 100% recommend OByD, and specifically Joanne, for all your standard and bespoke oak requirements. H&D
We can thoroughly recommend Oak by Design. Not only did they provide the best of oak floors and oak staircase to suit our new, contemporary home, but they returned to make good a problem which was not their fault. Going the extra mile separates great companies from ordinary firms. Thank you Jamie & Billy. From Mike & Barbara, York.
We worked with the team who designed a wonderful porch for our house near Harrogate. It has been an amazing addition. Simple but effective - excellent craftsmanship using authentic materials. We are absolutely delighted with the transformation and everyone who sees the porch says how great it looks. Thanks to all the team at Oak By Design.
Great company. Awesome flooring, we are very, very happy with the outcome. And great price which is always a bonus. Staff knowledgable & efficient.
A fabulous service and supportive through the design and delivery process. Highly recommended
