NEED TO KNOW

The frame will shrink once built. Recently cut oak is used to create the frame because the high moisture levels make it easier to work with. As the wood dries out, it shrinks, and those characteristic splits are formed. This has no effect on the structure’s strength – in fact it is becoming more robust. However, it does need careful attention to detail from the design and build teams ( particularly where techniques such as direct glazing are used).

You’ll need to pay upfront. With a masonry build you can get away with buying supplies as you go along, but premanufactured structures require you to spend a big chunk of your budget before any work has started on site. Specialist self build mortgages are available that release money in stages in advance of the deposits you’ll need to make, which will help cash flow.

You (probably) won’t be building it yourself. If you dream of literally piecing together your own house without much help, then oak might not be the route for you. Creating and raising (erecting) an oak frame is a complex task that’s best left to experienced professionals. This is one of the reasons many suppliers are set up as package home providers, able to deliver the complete planning design, manufacture and frame erection in one package.