Eco Projects How To Buy An Old Timber Frame

Date Published:

29/05/2008

Finding a Frame

John Langdon has tons of experience saving and selling old timber frames that might otherwise have been consigned to the scrapheap. The barn he is currently working on might look like it is falling to bits, but John sees its potential.

There is an undeniably unique atmosphere in a building put together several hundred years ago, and John is an expert in maintaining this aura during his renovations. His work involves restoring buildings in situ, but also carefully dismantling structures and shipping them as far as the United States, where they are meticulously reassembled.

It takes an expert to know what bits to get rid of and what bits to save, but in essence it is the fundamental structure that needs to be preserved. Superficial or aesthetic elements can be removed or replaced, but the original footprint of the building must be kept. This would include the frame itself and the huge oak braces that hold everything in place.

Whether or not prices are reasonable depends on your opinion. An oak frame can be procured for as little as ten thousand pounds, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. For a frame in this price range, it might cost £60k or more to fully restore the building, and even then it would only be an empty shell. That said, it is hard to put a price on a brand new home with history, age and character already built in.