Coated Cedar – As seen on TV

Clad in over 5,000 linear metres of Vincent Timber’s Western Red Cedar, the two ‘famous’ London glass and timber houses, which featured on Channel Four’s Grand Designs show, won a sought after regional RIBA award. The cedar panelling was a key factor in the judging criteria of the houses built by Talisman Manufacturing Ltd and Bill Bradley. Having all remarked on the aesthetic beauty of the cedar panelling, two RIBA judges went on to make specific references to it in their enquiries.

Brief

Bill had been planning and dreaming of his perfect house for many years before actually committing to a build. In his mental picture, the house was always going to be clad in Western Red Cedar. He was keen to use it because of (a) its inherent beauty, (b) its durability is proven and (c) it is one of the most beautiful finishes available.

Solution

Vincent Timber’s Western Red Cedar Vincent Timber was recommended to Bill, and after lots of research on the internet and having spoken to several other companies, they “found Vincent Timber, by far, the most impressive company in terms of advice and delivering information.”

As seen on TV, the eco houses prove that going green doesn’t have to mean cutting corners on style. According to renowned Grand Designs front man, Kevin McCloud, the houses “driven by precision and rigour… show what you can get if you are prepared to pursue quality without compromise.”

Designed by architects Hampson Williams to encourage architects to design houses suited to making better use of brownfield sites, the timber clad homes based in East Dulwich stand proudly between two rows of surrounding houses.

An ingenious design, the stunning wooden builds utilise as much light as possible, whilst keeping a level of privacy that would not have seemed possible with such close proximity to so many neighbours. Cabinet maker, Bill, decided to make the most of his fantastic joinery ability by constructing the houses himself, with a bespoke architectural design.

The fire regulations for the project, due to the houses’ close proximity with neighbouring homes, specified that they had to be fire treated. This was carried out with Arch Timber Protection’s proven industrial fire retardant treatment, Dricon. British Board of Agrément approved, the treatment process for Dricon complies with both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

On site the timber was coated with three coverings of Restol, containing UV inhibitors to maintain its colour and natural appearance.