The Art of Craftsmanship in Oak Frame Cookhouses designed and built by Cheshire Oak Structures

Mar 31
2 min read

The British weather has treated us to a glimpse of sunshine and Spring and many people are starting to make plans for their gardens.

One of the most popular types of Oak frame design, over the last few years, has been the Oak Cookhouse. A very versatile structure which can be used for cooking, dining, as a bar area, for entertaining or for simply relaxing.

When a customer enquiries about one of our Oak frame designs we send out an information pack. The pack includes design ideas, specification information, price ideas plus some background information about Cheshire Oak Structures and our full turnkey design and build service.

We then organise a visit to the customers property to review the location, offer advice, talk through the design and its use. We then produce a rough design drawing to work from and allow a quote to be calculated.

This customer originally enquired about an Oak gazebo for their garden. Cheshire Oak Structures have been creating Oak frames for nearly twenty years. During that time from designing traditional Oak gazebo and Oak pavilions we have developed a product we call the Cheshire Oak Cookhouse, which is very popular. During the visit and discussion, the design developed into a bespoke Oak cookhouse for dining and entertaining with a feature stonework bar using local stone to match the house.

At the site visit we assess many factors including the slope & position of the area and also access. These factors have an affect on the management of the build. Access can sometimes be a challenge and in this case we were able to use a farm track to deliver the Oak frame.

Although we specialize in the full build turnkey service this can be adapted as needed. For this project our customer had a builder doing some other work on their property, therefore we supplied the detailed dimension drawings for his builder to fit the base. Once delivered, construction of the Oak frame could start to take place. It was a typical British wet summer day when we worked on the construction of this Oak frame cookhouse. These Oak designs provide shelter from the unpredictable British weather, come rain or shine, and our customers use them all year round.

All the Cheshire Oak Structures team love dogs and are always happy to meet our customers dogs with a treat, which this one enjoyed!

An added bonus when building an Oak structure is meeting our customer's dogs

One of the points we cover at the site visit is the aspect of the property and how to make the most of the views and also provide shelter from the prevailing weather. The view from this Oak cookhouse features a great British landmark. Can you spot it in the distance? Yes, it’s Blackpool Tower!

View from the Oak cookhouse over the Fylde towards Blackpool Tower

With our Oak frame outdoor living designs there’s a variety of interior specification and finishes to choose from. This customer chose softwood tongue and groove boarding to finish off the ceiling area and compliment the Oak trusses. The natural local stone bar, small stone table & stone paving create the unique finish to this beautiful Oak cookhouse.