Yes, that’s right, Oak frame garages are better than brick built garages, at least in most applications. Are there exceptions? Sure, no doubt, oak frame garages are not for everyone due to some of their size and availability, but the fact that they are exploding in popularity all over the world, especially in the UK, one must no longer see oak frames as a distant 3rd to brick and softwood in the swimming pool industry. But the main question is why? Why so much growth in popularity? Here’s the short answer:
The manufacture of bricks and blocks uses a huge amount of energy, combined with the high volume of chemicals required to build the garage – a brick built garage is a very poor option for clients who wants to make a difference. An Oak tree by contrast is thought to absorb up to 4000Kg of CO2 throughout its life before being felled sustainable. An oak framed garage is a statement to show you care about the environment.
An oak framed garage can be completely customised to suit your requirements, by contrast, Brick garages have limited design options compared to oak framed garages, which can limit the creativity and customization of the project.
Brick garages have limited insulation properties compared to wood, which can lead to higher energy costs in extreme temperatures. By contrast – wood offers exceptional insulation properties allowing reduced ongoing energy costs.
Who wants a bricklayer for weeks? Answer: Nobody. In fact, oak framed garages are often completed, including cladding, in days. This means less stress for homeowners, neighbours, pets, etc. An Oak frame garage can still be erected in a downpour but wet weather can cause severe delays for any brickwork.
This should be number #1 in the list – you cannot compare the beauty of an oak framed structure to a brick built garage, the natural silvery patina, the gorgeous texture and the ageless beauty.
Now that so many people understand the low maintenance and longevity benefits of an oak framed garage, the estate agents market has become very attracted to these types of garage because potential home buyers don’t see them as a lot of work in the future.
A Brick built garage is a very heavy structure – more than twice that of an oak framed garage therefore it will require additional digging out for footings, disposal of soil, extra concrete and reinforcement.
To build a brick built garage requires specialist skilled trades, the bricks, blocks, sand and cement are delivered to site and the garage is built from the ground up – one brick at a time. A Premier Heritage Oak framed garage is designed, drawn and manufactured by computer. The whole frame is delivered and easily assembled on site with each pieces numbered and drawn on the plan.
With all the talk of the environment today, anything that uses less chemicals is a good thing. And when it comes to Bricks vs Oak Frame, there’s no question which one uses less.
No matter what your soil conditions are, oak is the ideal suitor because it’s flexible enough to conform with shrink/swell, but strong enough to deal with the constant elements over the years. Oak framed garages actually get stronger with age and with engineered joint designs – the joints pull tighter as the oak shrinks giving greater mechanical interlock.
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So that’s it, folks: 10 reasons why oak framed garages are taking over the brick built garage market throughout United Kingdom.
Questions? Comments? Feel free to add your thoughts below.