Dame Laura Kenny Contacts Us For An Oak Porch!

It’s not every day that a Dame contacts us, but shortly after Christmas, Dame Laura Kenny messaged us via our @oakporches Instagram page. She asked if we just supplied oak porches or whether we also installed.

Joanne replied that we usually only install in our local area. Laura replied they (her husband is Sir Jason Kenny) lived outside of the area, in Cheshire. However, we couldn’t say 'No' to Laura, could we?

Dame Laura Kenny DBE is the most successful British female Olympian EVER, winning five gold medals at 3 Olympic Games!!

Laura emailed photos of the front their home. It already had a stone-built porch, without any windows. The porch had an existing white boarded door, (see photo at the bottom of the page) and Laura and Jason had just ordered a new part glazed door in a fabulous pale pink.

Laura’s sent a few examples of the type of porch she liked from our Instagram page.

Her description was “Basically we have a petting farm and the easiest door for everyone to use to take their shoes off is the kitchen door. It’s annoying me so much having muddy boots being taken off in the kitchen. So, I thought if we add a little porch onto our porch everyone would use the front door. I appreciate it isn’t common to add a porch on a porch!”

It wasn’t as unusual as Laura thought though.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted the new oak porch roof to sit slightly lower than the existing roofline, or for the rooflines of both to line up.

We’d recently supplied a very similar porch to a client in Reigate in Surrey that had the same roofline. Joanne sent her the photos of this, and Laura was very interested. This can be seen on the photo at the bottom of the page.

Laura then sent the measurements of their existing porch and Joanne provided an initial drawing based on these and the example photo Laura had sent. This was a 2 post porch with vertical intermediary posts and 2 curved brackets on the front.

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Jamie Visits The Kenny's To Discuss The Installation Of Their Oak Porch

Once we were somewhere near with the type of porch Laura wanted, Joanne passed Laura’s details to Jamie who would deal with the finer points of the design and the installation.

Jamie contacted Laura and asked for a few more photos of the existing porch and area around it so he could see the roof coverings so we could match these. She did one better; she sent a really useful video showing the area around the porch.

Jamie then prepared a quotation for both the supply and installation of the new oak porch.

He then visited the couple at their lovely family home, that they share with their 2 children, to discuss the project. He talked through the design with them, and it was agreed they would have a 4 posts porch, and diagonal braces on the oak truss.

He discussed the roofline and everyone was happy that the new oak porch and the existing brick porch would have one continual, rosemary tiled roof.

He then measured up, arranged a revised drawing with measurements and sent this to the couple to check they were happy with the design. The porch would be 2100mm wide x 1350mm deep.

Happy with everything, the porch went into production. As soon as it was ready Jamie made arrangements to have Billy and Ben, our installation duo, on site as soon as possible. They spent 3 days installing the porch and installing a new roof, which looks absolutely fabulous. You wouldn’t know it was a roof of 2 halves.

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The Verdict On The New Oak Porch

Once everything was finished, Jamie returned to meet the couple and he took the oak bike that we made in our workshop, for the Yorkshire Depart of The Tour de France in 2014.

Not keen to ‘ride’ the oak bike, the couple were happy to have photos taken with Jamie, the bike and their beautiful new oak porch.

Since the porch was installed, the Kenny’s have welcomed their third child, so there will be another pair of wellies being abandoned in the porch in the not too distant future.

The Kenny’s, as you would expect if you see them in the media, are a lovely, warm friendly couple who are absolutely thrilled with their new oak porch.

Laura emailed to say: “It is absolutely beautiful. I can’t even begin to explain how happy it has made me. And the guys that fitted it – what wonderful people. So, so tidy!”

Whilst Jamie was with the couple, they discussed coming up to Harrogate for a charity lunch at Rudding Park Hotel in September. This would be to raise funds for Wetherby based Martin House Children's Hospice

The fabulous Rudding Park have kindly helped with costs and Your Harrogate Radio will be presenting live throughout the day. The Kenny’s are looking forward to helping to raise funds for this worthwhile charity.