A better way to build
- May 6, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 7
Introducing Post and Beam Ltd – bringing to the fore the environmental benefits of timber construction since 2014.
Post and Beam Ltd has been a leading authority in Cornish timber construction since 2014. Previously known as Carpenter Oak Cornwall, the company made a conscious decision to separate from the Carpenter Oak Group in early 2020. Post and Beam offers a Cornish focused and ecologically mindful approach to oak frames and timber construction.
The master craftsmen at Post and Beam boast years of experience in building and design, which, combined with the versatility of timber, allows for an array of possibilities. Popular throughout Cornwall and the south west are their beautiful timber buildings, including the art gallery at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens in Penzance, Rick Stein’s The Cornish Arms in Padstow, and the Seven Stones Inn on the Isles of Scilly, as well as countless domestic oak frame houses, extensions and sunrooms throughout the Duchy.
Both the core internal pegged frame and insulated timber panels are manufactured in their specialist yard near St Ives. Construction under workshop conditions enables fixed costs, rapid site times and control over influencing environmental factors; in short, workshop fabrication does not depend on the weather! Post and Beam also offers a range of insulation methods for its panels to meet varying budgets, although customers with aspirations of a warm, comfortable and environmentally friendly home, tend to choose the ecological option of wood fibre.
Fabricated mostly in renewable materials, the buildings Post and Beam designs and creates make an attractive and sustainable alternative to the conventional building materials of concrete, stone and steel. The team source their oak, Douglas fir and glulams (Glued Laminated Timber) from sustainable forests throughout the UK and Europe, where the forestry management schemes of FSC and PEFC – the internationally recognised standard of forest management – ensure timber used is an entirely sustainable resource. More trees are planted than harvested thanks to these regulations, which means that with the growth of timber construction, forests are actually thriving. The French management system established in 1872 has a staggering 524 million cubic metres of standing oak, with annual production running at under 1 million.
What’s more, timber is classified as a carbon neutral material; as trees grow they lock away carbon dioxide, but mature trees absorb less than those at an earlier stage of growth. Older trees are harvested for construction purposes and converted into a usable building material, and their timber retains its carbon dioxide for the remainder of its life in a building. In fact, every cubic metre of timber absorbs one ton of carbon dioxide, making it a sound ecological choice – addressing climate change and the need to reduce CO2 emissions in the construction industry.
Building environmentally conscious homes across Cornwall by partnering sustainable materials with ecological design, if you’re thinking about home improvement, or are undertaking a self-build, be sure to stop by the Post and Beam stand at this year’s Cornwall Home & Garden Show and see how you could minimise the environmental footprint of your dream home.
