Sourcing 200mm by 200mm Oak for timber framing, from Ireland, the U.K. or Poland? for use in the RoI.

[Tree monkey 1682]

Chantler  ffs

[difflock]

Thank you all so much.

Some useful knowledge and information in those thoughtful replies.

I was watching closely for replies during the  first couple of days, then I got a little distracted by the blessing of minding grandchildren.

Our daughter has also announced that they intend to build right beside us, which is a source of much joy for us.

But unfortunately much as the son in law and I ogle traditional  Oak framed buildings, we both allow in our persistently wind driven wet Atlantic climate, that such a building technique is not viable. The clue would perhaps lie in the complete absence of any oak framed buildings of any age, here in N Ireland, quite unlike swathes of England.

Cheers,

Marcus

Btw.

Am I correct in thinking that the framing needs to be the heartwood, and that any exposed sapwood will rapidly rot.  I remember oak sleepers on a project some years ago, and the difference in behavouir wrt weathering between the heartwood and the sapwood was startling.

 

 

Edited yesterday at 13:03 by difflock

[openspaceman]

30 minutes ago, difflock said:

Am I correct in thinking that the framing needs to be the heartwood, and that any exposed sapwood will rapidly rot.  I remember oak sleepers on a project some years ago, and the difference in behavouir wrt weathering between the heartwood and the sapwood was startling.

Definitely, I don't think oak sapwood is good for anything other than firewood.

[Mr. Ed]

On 18/02/2026 at 12:56, difflock said:

Thank you all so much.

Some useful knowledge and information in those thoughtful replies.

I was watching closely for replies during the  first couple of days, then I got a little distracted by the blessing of minding grandchildren.

Our daughter has also announced that they intend to build right beside us, which is a source of much joy for us.

But unfortunately much as the son in law and I ogle traditional  Oak framed buildings, we both allow in our persistently wind driven wet Atlantic climate, that such a building technique is not viable. The clue would perhaps lie in the complete absence of any oak framed buildings of any age, here in N Ireland, quite unlike swathes of England.

Cheers,

Marcus

Btw.

Am I correct in thinking that the framing needs to be the heartwood, and that any exposed sapwood will rapidly rot.  I remember oak sleepers on a project some years ago, and the difference in behavouir wrt weathering between the heartwood and the sapwood was startling.

 

 

 

 

Not sure if that's completely true - see this company in Cork which has done many oak framed buildings. 

 

Ask me again in 20 years how our South Kerry timber cladding and Oak balcony is! There's a specific problem in Kerry with a very conservative (i.e. cavity wall or nothing) council: Cork are much more open.

 

But everything, from planning permission to insurance is very heavily loaded towards conservative CW style building

 

 

 

Oak Frame | Cork | Ireland | UK | Cedarlan Ltd | Timber Structures

WWW.CEDARLAN.IE

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Oak Frame We can design, manufacture and fit the skeleton structure in green oak. Green oak can be defined simply as Oak that has been freshly cut, naturally strong and durable. Oak...

 

[Stere]

Interesting about the climate not suiting them I think that's probably true.

 

Chester has loads but they get less rainfall. Dublin would of being all timber at the period the  ones in Chester were built but has hardly any left now....

 

Dublin’s last surviving cage work house | Come Here To Me!

COMEHERETOME.COM

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Dublin once boasted a large number of ornate cage-work houses. Bernard Morgan wrote in the Irish Independent on 5th April 1949 about one particular one in Cook Street off...

 

Apparently they were replaced by "dutch billies"

 

Period House Types « Dublin Civic Trust

WWW.DUBLINCIVICTRUST.IE