Green oak framing and cart-lodge design
We build with green (unseasoned) oak, cut and jointed using traditional mortice-and-tenon and pegged connections rather than steel brackets and bolts wherever the structure allows. Green oak moves and checks slightly as it dries over the first few years, which is normal and part of the character of the material rather than a defect.
Many of our garages are built in a cart-lodge style: an open-fronted bay or bays under a single oak-framed roof, which suits a period property particularly well and is often more straightforward from a planning perspective than an enclosed structure with doors, since it's read as a simpler, more traditional agricultural form.
Single and multi-bay layouts
A single-bay garage or car port suits one vehicle and a modest run of storage or log store alongside it; two and three-bay layouts are popular where a family needs covered parking for multiple cars, or wants one bay left open as a car port and another enclosed with doors for secure storage.
Each bay can be finished differently - open cart-lodge bays, bays with traditional ledged-and-braced oak doors, or a fully enclosed bay with insulation and power if it needs to double as a workshop.
- Single, double and triple-bay oak frame layouts
- Open cart-lodge bays or enclosed bays with oak doors
- Clay tile, slate or cedar shingle roofing to suit the property
- Optional insulation and power to any enclosed bay for workshop use
Planning permission and cost
Many oak frame garages qualify as permitted development in the same way as other outbuildings, subject to height, position relative to boundaries and coverage of the garden or plot, but larger or more prominent structures - particularly on larger rural plots or near listed buildings - more often need an application, and we check this at survey rather than assume either way.
An oak framed garage or car port typically starts from around £30,000 for a single-bay cart-lodge style structure, rising with the number of bays, roofing material and whether any bay is enclosed and fitted out. We'll give you a proper figure once we've seen the plot and discussed the layout.
Where we build oak framed garages
We design and build oak framed garages and car ports across East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey and Kent, and regularly work on rural and period properties where a genuine oak frame is the right fit for the setting.
- Haywards Heath
- Lewes
- Uckfield
- East Grinstead
- Tunbridge Wells
- Sevenoaks
- Reigate
- Cuckfield
- Horsham
- Battle
Oak framed garage questions
- How much does an oak framed garage cost?
- From around £30,000 for a single-bay cart-lodge style structure, rising with the number of bays, roofing material and whether a bay is enclosed with doors and fitted out with insulation and power.
- Does an oak frame garage need planning permission?
- It depends on size, position and your specific plot - many single-bay structures qualify as permitted development, but larger multi-bay buildings, structures close to a boundary, or anything near a listed building more often need an application. We check this honestly at survey.
- Why does green oak crack and move after it's built?
- Green oak is unseasoned and continues to dry and shrink slightly for a few years after construction, which causes natural checking (fine splits) and some movement. This is expected and doesn't affect the structural integrity of a properly jointed frame - it's part of how a genuine oak frame ages.
- What's the difference between a cart lodge and an enclosed garage?
- A cart lodge is open-fronted, historically used for storing carts and now vehicles or equipment under cover without doors. An enclosed bay has doors and can be insulated and fitted with power if you want secure or workshop-standard storage.
- Can you build a multi-bay garage with mixed open and enclosed sections?
- Yes, this is one of our most common layouts - one or two bays left open as a car port, with a further bay enclosed with oak doors for secure storage or a workshop, all under a single oak-framed roof.
What our clients say
Reviews from homeowners across Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
"Best in class. None of my specific requests were any trouble at all. The team were polite, professional, smart, and accommodating throughout. A perfect example of how professional tradespeople should be."
"Alistair understood exactly how we wanted to use the garden. The finished space feels like a private retreat and we use it every day."
"Our garden office has completely transformed how we work from home. The quality is outstanding and the process was seamless."
Areas we cover
Designed and built by our own team across Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
West Sussex
East Sussex
Not on the list? See the full coverage map - we travel further for larger projects.
Read next
- Luxury oak and timber pergolas
- Landscaping across Sussex
- Garden room planning permission guide
- See finished garden and outdoor building projects
Considering an oak framed garage?
We'll survey your plot, talk through bay layout and roofing, and give you a proper figure - from around £30,000 for a single bay - before anything is designed.