Oak Beams? ~ You must be barking!

When working through the detailed design for the barn we decided to use oak beams to support the first floor rather than steels. That seems like a sensible decision; whilst costing more, from the perspective of aesthetics and ‘healthy house’ design the choice was clear.

Now I’m trying to set the budget, the madness begins. I’ve had two prices – one from a website and one from a national timber products (floors, doors …) supplier with shops across the country & glossy ads in all the self-build maqazines. The two prices vary by a factor of 10.

Whilst one is an installed price and the other an out-of-the-factory-door-undelivered price, that’s still one heck of a variance and one that makes me question the choice we’ve made.

[EDIT: After double checking figures and canvasing opinion: whilst both prices still stand, the lower and more acceptable one appears achievable and so the wood stays!]