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Vale resident Nic Morgan of Oakmasters talks to Vale Life
about his grand designs and passion for all things oak.
FROM LITTLE ACORNS...
Where are Oakmasters based?
Our saw mill and timber yard are based
in Haywards Heath, West Sussex with
advice, design and sales provided from
regional offices with Cardiff covering
Wales, the Midlands and the west of
England.
What do you do?
Oakmasters provide bespoke oak
buildings of the highest standard to
traditional and contemporary designs.
The buildings are constructed in west
Sussex by experienced craftsman
before being delivered and then erected
by experienced teams.
How long has Oakmasters been in
business?
Oakmasters has been operating in its
current location for over twenty years.
Who started the company?
Edward Hamilton, an authority on oak
construction, founded Oakmasters
which is now being run by his son
but he retains a day to day interest.
What type of clients use your
company?
We work for a wide variety of clients
whose interest in oak range from its
traditional construction, high aesthetics
and individual design. Oak construction
also has a growing market due to its
environmental credentials as people’s
understanding of sustainable
construction grows.
Our customers range from HRH Prince
of Wales to Phil Collins and English
Heritage to the US Navy Museum,
Washington. Oakmasters has also
regularly appeared in television
programmes such as Grand Designs.
What do you think sets you apart
from other companies?
Oakmasters only offer bespoke design
and our experience allows us to
provide a building exactly meeting the
client’s requirements.
What kind of projects do you do?
Our projects are enormously varied,
from restoration work of traditional
buildings to designing very
contemporary houses and extensions.
The demand for traditional oak garages
is strong and has grown to include
many forms of garden buildings
including pool houses, sports complex,
garden offices and home cinemas to
name a few.
What kind of projects would you
like to do?
Anything where the client has the
imagination and enthusiasm!
Where do you source your raw
material?
The best oak is found in England and
France where Oakmasters only source
from accredited sustainable sources.
At the beginning of the 20th century,
woodland covered around 4% of the
country and was in decline. As we
begin the 21st century, woodland
now covers 12% of the country and
continues to increase. Of this, woodland
oak represents around 10% of the stock.
What is your background?
Following a degree in quantity
surveying I spent several years with
large multinational construction
companies working on projects as
diverse as the Hot House in Swansea
and Cardiff Magistrates Court.
As I always preferred smaller, more
interesting projects, I set up my own
construction company nearly twenty
years ago working on high quality
projects. Over recent years demand
for green oak structures increased and
having failed to find local companies
offering this form of construction I
approached Oakmasters and convinced
them there was a market in the area
and established the Cardiff office.
Any hobbies or passions?
My interests are rugby, classic cars,
sailing and fishing.
Where do you live?
I’ve lived in the Vale of Glamorgan for
twenty five years with my wife Caroline
and children Tom (8), Harry (6) and
Sophie (3) who all attend Peterstonsuper-
Ely CIW Primary School.
Our farmhouse has been extended by
the previous owners with a green oak
frame extension and conservatory.
Where is your favourite place in
the Vale?
Sportsmans Rest, Peterston-super-Ely.
I’ve been going there since I was
eighteen and it is full of friends and
good memories.
“Oakmasters only offer bespoke design and our experience allows us to provide a building exactly
meeting the client’s requirements.”
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