Finishing the House

Westwind Oak’s construction process can be complete either when we have erected the oak frame only, or we can supply the frame enclosed with SIPs panels to offer a watertight building. These can then be finished with weather boarding, render, tiles or bricks.

Westwind recommends that the frame is externally clad rather than in-filled, as in-fill panels have a tendency to leak, and do not offer the highest levels of insulation that can be achieved today. The frames can be clad in a variety of materials to insulate the building, including SIPs panels, softwood frames or traditional block.

Once the frame is erected on site, the full set of building regulation drawings we produce will allow any competent builder to finish the project successfully. We are on hand to give advice to all clients on the long term care of their oak framed building, and are happy to provide any other practical support as their build continues. Take a look at Our Projects page for some inspiration.

SIPs

SIPs – an acronym for Structural Insulated Panel Systems – is increasingly becoming a preferred modern method of construction, ideally compatible with oak framed buildings for an environmentally friendly solution.

SIPs are an advanced, modern component of timber frame construction used as walls and roofs on all types of buildings; they offer superior insulation, structural strength and air-tightness over traditional systems. The composite panels are lightweight, quick to erect and do not suffer the usual problems of compression shrinkage and cold bridging associated with stud walls. The result is a building that is structurally predictable, resource efficient and cost effective.

Cleaning Green Oak

Throughout the building process the oak will inevitably get dirty as it is cut, transported, and subject to varying weather conditions. Cleaning the frame will be necessary, but provided this is done carefully by professionals it is a simple procedure.

The cleaning process:

The most common way to clean an oak frame is by sandblasting, which works by shooting grit fed from a hopper at an extremely high pressure through a nozzle. When the grit hits the surface of the oak, it removes a thin layer of wood leaving clean bare timber behind.

Important note:

The type of grit used in blasting green oak is extremely important. Iron will react with the natural tannin in the oak to create a black stain, and unfortunately most types of sandblasting grit contain small iron particles. If an oak frame is blasted with grit containing iron particles, the frame will start to turn black. Once this has happened it can be difficult to reverse, so it is imperative that a non-ferrous grit is used.

Given the possible consequences of using the wrong type of grit, only sandblasters with a proven record and thorough understanding of blasting green oak frames should be used. Westwind have a list of approved sandblasting contractors who are suitable for undertaking this work. Please contact us for details.