oakbydesign
01423 593 794
Oak By Design have been pleased to work alongside the Project Manager/Architect, Andrew James, on the conversion of 3 former, single storey barns in Suffolk. Andrew not only designs homes, he also manages, and plans the building works on site.
His clients owned a cluster of buildings situated in glorious countryside , they realised this would be the perfect place to live, so went down the route of converting the barns to residential. The third barn was to be converted into garage spaces for the 2 homes.
Andrew set about designing a home within the confines of the limited space. In this case, each of the homes would be under 100 square metres. They had to maintain certain elements of the barns whilst creating an efficient, workable home. Both barns would be very similar, and would be converted separately. The first conversion would be for one of the companies’ directors.
To create a feeling of space and height, Andrew designed the main living space with an open pitched roof. He wanted this room to have the wow factor. By having the roof timbers on show, and made of solid oak, this would do the trick!
Andrew spoke to Joanne in October, when the initial building work was in the early stages, and discussed the timber sizes for the roof. An oak ridge, together with purlins and 4 oak roof trusses would form the main part of the roof.
Joanne had recently supplied some very similar trusses, purlins and ridge to a local client and sent some photos for Andrew to look at and see the quality of the finish etc. The top of the king posts had been notched out to accept the ridge, and the principal rafters on the trusses were notched to accept the purlins. This was just the look Andrew was looking for.
A quotation was provided for 4 oak roof trusses, the timbers finished at 190mm x 190mm with a span of nearly 6 metres. A ridge, and 4 purlins made up the full roof timbers for the open living space of approx. 7.5 metres in length.
The quotation was accepted, and final drawings provided for confirmation.
They chose the Osmo Protection oil in Natural for the finish of the timbers.
Once the roof timbers were all made, photos were sent to Andrew for approval. A delivery date of mid-January was arranged with our local Pallet Track company, Celkom.
The delivery was made first thing in the morning, and Andrew sent Joanne photos of the timbers in position at lunchtime! Everything had literally ‘slotted into place’.
A few weeks later, Andrew was back in contact, ready for the second set of timbers for the second barn. These would be exactly the same as the first set. At the same time, he also requested 5 oak timbers to sit on the outside of the barn to frame the windows and doors. The upright timbers would be sat on a staddle stone and would have a shaped top detail, which would sit under the front of the roof. This can be seen on the photo below.
These were ordered alongside the second set of roof timbers and these were delivered to site in April.
About the time that these were delivered to site, the first barn home was nearly ready to move into.
Speaking to Andrew after the first barn was finished, he explained how he managed to get the living/dining/kitchen space, hall, storage, 2 bedrooms (one with en-suite shower room) a house bathroom and utility room, all into the space, whilst still keeping the home looking bright and airy.
When entering the house, it opens into the living space. Looking ahead, above the kitchen sink, is a window that looks out across the garden. To the right, a corridor runs full length down to one of the bedrooms. The corridor has full length windows which let the light stream in. To the left, in the corner of the space is the dining area. This is flooded in light from the windows on both the front and side elevation.
By opening the roof up, as opposed to having flat ceiling, and revealing the roof timbers, the room is spacious, and the oak roof trusses create interest, drama and definitely the wow factor!
Flat ceilings would have made the space very enclosed and contained.
Andrew described the installation of the oak roof trusses and roof timbers as pretty smooth! The air-dried oak roof trusses and roof timbers had all been dry fit together in our workshop, and had been sanded and oiled prior to being sent out for delivery. The full oak roof trusses (seen on the artic, ready to leave our yard, below) were lifted into place with a telehandler, and positioned on the building, together with the ridge timbers (supplied as 2 pieces and jointed over one of the trusses), and the rafters (supplied as 4 timbers, and again jointed above the one of the trusses) all before lunch!
Having plenty of storage is the key to a tidy, workable home and Andrew has provided plenty in this compact home.
The dining area consists of fitted bench seating which lift to provide ample storage space. The kitchen units are full height, again, providing plenty of kitchen storage.
Accessing the utility room is via a small corridor with full height storage cupboards on the left-hand side, and the master bedroom has a dressing area, complete with full height wardrobe space/storage.
The exterior of the home pays homage to the black barns of the local area. Black cladding, windows and doors provide a contemporary barn look. The oak posts add a lovely warm contrast against the black.
The clients, who provide groundworks, civils, tarmacking etc, provided the newly finished driveway shown on the photo below.
Andrew said the beautiful colour of the oak trusses brings an enormous amount of warmth to the home, as well as adding interest and drama – a double whammy!!
Joanne asked Andrew for a review after the first was completed, he wrote:
“Oak By Design were appointed to be our fabricator & supplier for a number of large feature oak roof trusses and detailing into a cluster of barns we were converting into residential homes.
We have worked with many companies in our 40 years in the design & build industry, Oak By Design are up there with the very best.
It’s always a pleasure when you come across a company that has so much pride in what they do. With outstanding workmanship and an enthusiastic team of people who are clearly at the top of their game.
We’re always very particular with our design detailing, and always have reservations using new companies for the first time, in that they will understand our drawings & vision to get it right. Not only in the product itself, but delivering it within our times-scales to ensure our project runs smoothly.
Oak By Design completely exceeded our expectations on all accounts.
There’s always a large number of elements when designing and building any construction project. Surrounding yourself and appointing great companies is always a must, for a successful stress-free project.
This company will provide an outstanding product and service and should be your top consideration should you require stunning, hand-crafted oak products to add the wow factor to your projects
Thank you, OAK BY DESIGN!”
We would like to add that working with Andrew has been an absolute pleasure. They have always known what they wanted, and understood any technical questions we have asked of them. We look forward to working with Andrew and his team in the future.
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
Amazing craftsmanship from this company. The customer service from Joanne was superb. My questions and indecisiveness were never an issue and she was always on hand to offer advice and find the answers to my questions. Our oak porch has transformed the house and we are over thd moon with it. Would highly recommend Oak By Design. Joanne is an asset to the sales and promotion of this company and is very knowledgeable. Would give 10 stars if I could!
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.
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!
A great company to deal with. Professional from start to finish and always there to assist with any queries. Highly recommended.
We worked with Jamie from Oak By Design on a super project near Wetherby. There was plenty of oak in this design for the team to really show their worth - and they did. The attention to detail was excellent. If anything was not quite how the client wanted it, they were straight back to attend to this. The customer care was superb. We look forward to working with Oak By Design on another project soon.
Amazing customer service from beginning to end . My builder was in awe at the quality of the oak porch components. Call them and ask for Joanne - what she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing! It’s not every day you invest in a “proper” porch so do it right. You’ll definitely be delighted!
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 !
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.
Exceptional service and beautiful flooring. Absolutely delighted with every aspect. Went above and beyond great customer service to meet our needs and timescales.
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.
I could not recommend Oak By Design more highly. Joanne and the team worked tirelessly to resolve an issue that was the result of my mistake when I ordered the porch. Great customer service.
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.
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.
From the start of our enquiry, the service provided was excellent. Joanne was a great help and the oak porch structure looks fantastic on our new build. It completely changed the look of the house. Very quick delivery could not recommend enough.
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
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.
Great company, always on the end of the phone to talk through design, measurements, fitting. The Oak is very high standard, looks amazing.
Firstly, the product quality was superb, a beautiful oak mantle piece for my fire place, gorgeous. The installation was quick, efficient and fitter very friendly. The price was very reasonable, actually very good value. But what makes it all SIX STAR, ( but we I can only give 5!), was the customer service. When walking in the shop I was perfectly attended to, I was given samples to take home and they remembered to call soma days later to see what I thought. Order to install time was very fast for such a bespoke service. My experience was world class, great to deal with a brilliant local/small business, I totally recommend.
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 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 !!
Fantastic service and quality of product. I couldn’t be happier with my Oak porch, which was designed to my specification with the minimum of fuss. Joanne was so helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Incredibly well engineered and looks fantastic. Thank you so much.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
I first used Oak by Design in 2021 for a oak porch, I used them again 2023 for an oak pergola. Both times my clients have been Delighted with the finished product. Both times the product was delivered when stated, everything i needed was on the delivery. Oak by design listened to what I required for both jobs. The quality of the oak is excellent, all joints fit correctly & if I had a problem I only had to ring and speak to them. R Brown Carpentry always recommends Oak by Design when asked about oak structures.
Excellent customer service. Very friendly. Explained in detail. Product is beautiful. Would recommend. Company sent photos of finished product prior to dispatch to confirm our happiness with their work.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
A fabulous service and supportive through the design and delivery process. Highly recommended
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
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.
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!"
Oak by Design have made 2 oak framed rooms for us, sunroom at the front and and "moonroom" (photo) at the back which encompasses a shower room, work area and storage. They have been helpful at every stage and the outcome is simply brilliant. They make the whole house feel roomier and brighter and are beautiful places to be. GE North Yorkshire
Having lived with our porch for over 2 years I can honestly say it’s the best addition to our house we ever made. Not only does it look fantastic the quality is outstanding. I love that it keeps the mud out of the hall and provides a seating area to remove muddy boots.
Oak by design provided our engineered oak flooring. From our initial meeting and supply of samples to the final delivery we have been provided with excellent service. Carl has been in touch throughout the process and provided updates about the lead time and expected delivery dates. We are delighted with the flooring. Very happy to recommend Oak by design.
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.
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.
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 service from start to finish, Joanne was great help. Designs were spot on and so happy with the porch. 10/10. Fully recommend.
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.
Great service by a friendly professional team, a pleasure to work with. The end result of our oak glazed leisure spa and outdoor kitchen looks fantastic. Great job
