Fake tudor beams

rubble2

Our house (about 20 years old) has unfortunately got some wooden tudor beams attached to the front first floor wall. Because the builder would seem to have use any old softwood they could find, these are now showing signs of rot in a few areas.

When we bought the house just coming up to three years ago we had the exterior painted and the painter mentioned then that the woodwork was starting to fail so I thought I should be looking at some remedial work.

The problem is I am not sure who I should approach for this, should it be a carpenter? a general builder? or even a roofer given that it will need to accessed of ladders or possibly scafolding.

I want to replace the timber with properly treated wood to give it a fighting chance of surviving for the foreseable future. We have toyed with just removing the timber beams and getting the top half of the front elevation rendered but every other house of the same style as ours on the estate has these beams and we are not sure if we want to do anything too radical.

We even considered plastic replacements for longevity but I think that if there is one thing worse than fake Tudor beams it is plastic fake Tudor beams.

Appreciate any feedback/opinions

Section62

rubble2 said:

The problem is I am not sure who I should approach for this, should it be a carpenter? a general builder? or even a roofer given that it will need to accessed of ladders or possibly scafolding.

I want to replace the timber with properly treated wood to give it a fighting chance of surviving for the foreseable future. We have toyed with just removing the timber beams and getting the top half of the front elevation rendered but every other house of the same style as ours on the estate has these beams and we are not sure if we want to do anything too radical.

Personally I'd start by contacting any local companies who specialise in oak timber frame construction and ask if this would be a job they might be interested in.  Although your beams are fake, the materials, techniques and equipment have a lot of commonality (if the fake beams are done well rather than cheaply bodged) (might also be worth mentioning that other properties on the estate are having the same issue)

It won't be cheap, but would give you a base price to then consider whether it is worth going for a cheaper option for whatever savings you can make.  Some costs, such as scaffolding, will be the same whatever material gets used.

I'd also consider the urgency of the job - and if this is something you can delay for a couple of years then I'd definitely do that.  The construction industry is currently going crazy in terms of costs and availability/wait times - so there is every chance you could end up paying the same for a cowboy to do a bodge job with softwood now, as it might cost to get real professionals to use hardwood in a couple of years time.

Bendy_House

Are you up for some DIY, rubble?

Unless it's really badly rotted, any rotted edges and ends (the usual parts to go first) can be cut out, the whole caboodle soaked in timber preserver (like Everbuild Lumberjack), the missing bits filled in with 2-part epoxy filler, and almost certainly can be roughly textured to blend in, and then the whole lot given a couple of coats of something Bedec barn paint in black or very dark brown (whatever is currently there).

I'd leave this until Summer, after a couple of weeks of warm and dry weather - and then the preservative should soak in really well.

I wouldn't consider having it rendered, as I suspect the Tudor look will be in demand by future folk looking to buy.

Really depends on how extensive the rot is.

Rosa_Damascena

Bendy_House said:

Are you up for some DIY, rubble?

Unless it's really badly rotted, any rotted edges and ends (the usual parts to go first) can be cut out, the whole caboodle soaked in timber preserver (like Everbuild Lumberjack), the missing bits filled in with 2-part epoxy filler, and almost certainly can be roughly textured to blend in, and then the whole lot given a couple of coats of something Bedec barn paint in black or very dark brown (whatever is currently there).

I'd leave this until Summer, after a couple of weeks of warm and dry weather - and then the preservative should soak in really well.

I wouldn't consider having it rendered, as I suspect the Tudor look will be in demand by future folk looking to buy.

Really depends on how extensive the rot is.

In a house from the noughties? I think not. By the time it draws oohs and aahs (positive ones) from prospective buyers, the OP will be long gone.

Bendy_House

Rosa_Damascena said:

Bendy_House said:

Are you up for some DIY, rubble?

Unless it's really badly rotted, any rotted edges and ends (the usual parts to go first) can be cut out, the whole caboodle soaked in timber preserver (like Everbuild Lumberjack), the missing bits filled in with 2-part epoxy filler, and almost certainly can be roughly textured to blend in, and then the whole lot given a couple of coats of something Bedec barn paint in black or very dark brown (whatever is currently there).

I'd leave this until Summer, after a couple of weeks of warm and dry weather - and then the preservative should soak in really well.

I wouldn't consider having it rendered, as I suspect the Tudor look will be in demand by future folk looking to buy.

Really depends on how extensive the rot is.

In a house from the noughties? I think not. By the time it draws oohs and aahs (positive ones) from prospective buyers, the OP will be long gone.

Ha-ha!

Yes, it can be truly naff, but that's the style it is, and an attractive style it is/was. Many folk are attracted to it, so will side-step yours if you've obliterated the 'beams' whilst your neighbs have not.

There's a whole 'close' near us (I think it's even called Tudor Close!) where every house has been built with faux-TBs. Nothing on this planet would possess me to live there (I can just imagine what the residents are like - let's just say I suspect not only the beams are influenced by the Tudor period), but I can also see a huge devaluation (followed by rapid by eviction) should one resident fill in their faux. :-)

rubble2

Section62 said:

rubble2 said:

The problem is I am not sure who I should approach for this, should it be a carpenter? a general builder? or even a roofer given that it will need to accessed of ladders or possibly scafolding.

I want to replace the timber with properly treated wood to give it a fighting chance of surviving for the foreseable future. We have toyed with just removing the timber beams and getting the top half of the front elevation rendered but every other house of the same style as ours on the estate has these beams and we are not sure if we want to do anything too radical.

Personally I'd start by contacting any local companies who specialise in oak timber frame construction and ask if this would be a job they might be interested in.  Although your beams are fake, the materials, techniques and equipment have a lot of commonality (if the fake beams are done well rather than cheaply bodged) (might also be worth mentioning that other properties on the estate are having the same issue)

It won't be cheap, but would give you a base price to then consider whether it is worth going for a cheaper option for whatever savings you can make.  Some costs, such as scaffolding, will be the same whatever material gets used.

I'd also consider the urgency of the job - and if this is something you can delay for a couple of years then I'd definitely do that.  The construction industry is currently going crazy in terms of costs and availability/wait times - so there is every chance you could end up paying the same for a cowboy to do a bodge job with softwood now, as it might cost to get real professionals to use hardwood in a couple of years time.

Thanks for the reply.

I take on board what you say about waiting until the market hopefully returns to something approaching normality. Judging by some posts on here, it will take me a couple of years to actually find someone with availability to carry out the work even if I start looking now.

rubble2

Bendy_House said:

Are you up for some DIY, rubble?

Unless it's really badly rotted, any rotted edges and ends (the usual parts to go first) can be cut out, the whole caboodle soaked in timber preserver (like Everbuild Lumberjack), the missing bits filled in with 2-part epoxy filler, and almost certainly can be roughly textured to blend in, and then the whole lot given a couple of coats of something Bedec barn paint in black or very dark brown (whatever is currently there).

I'd leave this until Summer, after a couple of weeks of warm and dry weather - and then the preservative should soak in really well.

I wouldn't consider having it rendered, as I suspect the Tudor look will be in demand by future folk looking to buy.

Really depends on how extensive the rot is.

I am generally up for most DIY jobs but a combination of increasing age and vertigo mean that I will have to 'get a man in' on this one.

Bendy_House

These are Tudor beams? In which case it should be fine to bung a 10-year old tuppence, and send them up a rope.

Rosa_Damascena

Bendy_House said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Bendy_House said:

Are you up for some DIY, rubble?

Unless it's really badly rotted, any rotted edges and ends (the usual parts to go first) can be cut out, the whole caboodle soaked in timber preserver (like Everbuild Lumberjack), the missing bits filled in with 2-part epoxy filler, and almost certainly can be roughly textured to blend in, and then the whole lot given a couple of coats of something Bedec barn paint in black or very dark brown (whatever is currently there).

I'd leave this until Summer, after a couple of weeks of warm and dry weather - and then the preservative should soak in really well.

I wouldn't consider having it rendered, as I suspect the Tudor look will be in demand by future folk looking to buy.

Really depends on how extensive the rot is.

In a house from the noughties? I think not. By the time it draws oohs and aahs (positive ones) from prospective buyers, the OP will be long gone.

Ha-ha!

Yes, it can be truly naff, but that's the style it is, and an attractive style it is/was. Many folk are attracted to it, so will side-step yours if you've obliterated the 'beams' whilst your neighbs have not.

There's a whole 'close' near us (I think it's even called Tudor Close!) where every house has been built with faux-TBs. Nothing on this planet would possess me to live there (I can just imagine what the residents are like - let's just say I suspect not only the beams are influenced by the Tudor period), but I can also see a huge devaluation (followed by rapid by eviction) should one resident fill in their faux. :-)

Neo-Georgian I can cope with, faux-Tudor is not my thang at all. I like the look of the genuine article though.

outtatune

Bendy_House said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Bendy_House said:

Are you up for some DIY, rubble?

Unless it's really badly rotted, any rotted edges and ends (the usual parts to go first) can be cut out, the whole caboodle soaked in timber preserver (like Everbuild Lumberjack), the missing bits filled in with 2-part epoxy filler, and almost certainly can be roughly textured to blend in, and then the whole lot given a couple of coats of something Bedec barn paint in black or very dark brown (whatever is currently there).

I'd leave this until Summer, after a couple of weeks of warm and dry weather - and then the preservative should soak in really well.

I wouldn't consider having it rendered, as I suspect the Tudor look will be in demand by future folk looking to buy.

Really depends on how extensive the rot is.

In a house from the noughties? I think not. By the time it draws oohs and aahs (positive ones) from prospective buyers, the OP will be long gone.

Ha-ha!

Yes, it can be truly naff, but that's the style it is, and an attractive style it is/was. Many folk are attracted to it, so will side-step yours if you've obliterated the 'beams' whilst your neighbs have not.

There's a whole 'close' near us (I think it's even called Tudor Close!) where every house has been built with faux-TBs. Nothing on this planet would possess me to live there (I can just imagine what the residents are like - let's just say I suspect not only the beams are influenced by the Tudor period), but I can also see a huge devaluation (followed by rapid by eviction) should one resident fill in their faux. :-)

If I had the £ I'd be tempted to buy one of those and paint bright colours in the gaps between the beams Mondrian style, just to annoy the neighbours.

Bendy_House

That's just nasty.

I'll go halfs.