Lees Farm
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This new 5 bay oak frame replaces an existing barn destroyed by fire and forms a substantial living room extension to the farm house. The central bay is a copy of the original cantilevered porch roof which would have been the cart entrance, and is a typical detail of a traditional barn.
The trusses are a contemporary twist on the traditional hammer beam truss and here are tied with stainless steel tendons with vertical 'hangers' supported from the King post. Note the beautifully designed and executed cantilevered staircase with glass balustrade.
The hammer beams of the trusses and the tie rods are inclined at an angle of 5 degrees; an attractive detail and common in historic carpentry where tie beams were given a positive camber to counteract negative deflection under load.
The upper floor mezzanine and walkway is formed with a steel framed structure supported by the oak frame and is well designed and beautifully crafted.
The tie rods are inserted into the hammer beams and King post foot via a threaded 'barrel bolt' formed of 50mm diameter stainless steel bar. We think this is an attractive use of steel to strengthen what is otherwise a traditional timber truss.
Note the use of traditional chisel cut carpenters 'assembly marks'. Each beam has a unique number cut at the time of 'laying up' each frame during the pre-fabrication process, to ensure its correct location and orientation within the final assembly.
“"Everyone is very impressed with the finished result and I thought I would just take the opportunity of belatedly giving my thanks to you and your team for a job very well done. I have submitted the bridge for a Civic Society award for next year and have every expectation of its success."
P White, Northholt & Greenford Countryside Park Manager
“"Thank you for the frame that you have just finished at Rogate. It was a miserable wet day, yesterday and John and team carried on regardless. We are delighted with the overall look and also the mouldings to the members. As usual, the frame was millimetre accurate and will be easy to take forward to complete the building."
Bob, Trembath Associates
“"I wanted to drop you a quick note to show my appreciation for your guys efforts today; they were a pleasure to have around the house and worked hard to get the frame up today."
Paul, Contracts Manager
“"We wanted to write to you to express our profound gratitude for the excellent work you have done on our building scheme. It cannot have been easy to pick up the project from another architect when there were still a number of issues unresolved, but you have done so brilliantly and remained calm throughout, even at fraught times. We really do appreciate that you have gone the extra mile for us. We have all enjoyed working with you and have been so impressed with the quality of your work."
Alastair, The Early Years Project
“"Thanks for the excellent job which has just been completed on the Oak Frame extension to the above property. Not only is the quality of the work faultless, it is a true work of art, which will bring endless enjoyment to me and my wife. The end result has surpassed our wildest expectations."
Ray Nicolaides