When approaching the restoration of a period timber framed building it is important to remember the building’s character. Many buildings are over restored, using the wrong materials and approaching the work with a modern mind.

Here at Mighty Heritage, we repair sympathetically to the building character. Many restoration projects use green oak (fresh timber), and while it is readily available and cost effective, it isn’t necessarily the correct timber to use. At Mighty Heritage we use locally sourced oak that has been left to dry out naturally. This results in more stable joinery as the replaced timbers can move at the same rate as the rest of the frame.

Oak framed buildings are some of the strongest and most resilient structures and this is proven by its test in time. One of the fundamental reasons for this success is it’s simple design and ability to move and breathe. Many oak framed buildings were built on shallow foundations, however being constructed of natural materials they have the ability to accommodate subtle changes in ground movement and adjust rather than to crack and fail. As the timber constantly moves with the seasons, our ancestors used lime which allows the mortar to move with the buildings frame.

At mighty heritage we don’t over complicate with modern futuristic techniques, we simply use the traditional materials the building needs to survive.