Member Article

Growing trend for timber car barns, says manufacturer

A Northamptonshire manufacturer predicts a growing trend in 2019 for luxury housing developers to remove the traditional brick-built garage from their plans in favour of bespoke timber car barns.

Scotts of Thrapston, specialists in the manufacture and installation of timber framed buildings, says it has seen considerably more activity in the last two to three years from high-end housing developers and builders.

Richard Jarvis, spokesman for Scotts of Thrapston, said: “Developers are moving away from traditional brick garages to oak-fronted timber garages, car barns or car ports. It helps to differentiate their product from their competitors, as the car barns are seen as aesthetically more pleasing and a higher value product.

“We have developed a system that meets and exceeds the requirements of developers at a cost that satisfies their budget. The car barns are also prefabricated offsite and installed in 50 per cent of the time, compared with a traditional build.”

Scotts of Thrapston provided one such project to Spitfire Bespoke Homes, for Grade II Listed Haseley Manor, near Warwick. The developer is creating nine new homes on the grounds, while the manor itself is being converted into 13 apartments.

Richard added: “We have worked with Spitfire for around five years and were their first supplier of engineered timber products. Our brief was to design, supply and erect a courtyard of timber car barns and garages, together with a bat house to support local ecology. Visually, mixing the two styles together produced a stunning courtyard for residents which enhances the offering of the development.

“We designed, engineered, manufactured and erected all of the superstructures. We were provided with basic planning drawings and designed the courtyard to produce highly engineered, pre-fabricated buildings which are in keeping with the appearance of Haseley Manor and its history.

“Once the foundations were complete, we erected the posts, beams, panels, roof trusses, braces and fire boarding in three separate blocks. The roofer then came and fitted the slate tiles and the garage doors were installed by a local supplier. It was a very quick and efficient process. Oak was used for the posts, braces and fascia to provide the traditional car barn effect,” he added.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Judith Sanders .