Timber A frame&Strawbale Welcome Shelter

The timber for the Welcome Shelter is all grown in Wales, as is the sheep’s wool, strawbales and lime plaster which have been used to insulate the walls.

The designer and builder of the Welcome Shelter, Giles Scott, was inspired by Ben Law’s cruck frame building featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs. The original specifications of the building were to use local and sustainable building materials.

Cruck frames were common in medieval times, and allow the walls to be of a lighter construction as the cruck frame supports the weight of the roof. The A-frames are assembled on the ground and erected to a standing position.

The larch poles for the main structural timber came from StradeyPark near Llanelli which were selected, harvested and transported by Giles and Richard Sylvan. They rest on boulders to elevate it from the damp ground.

The cedar roof shingles on the back are from local supplier Arwyn Morgan and the shingles on the front are Californian redwood (all from Wales). They have a high resin content which helps to preserve them. The floorboards and roof shingles are not varnished or preserved due to harmful gases emitted in the production and use of these products.

The slab walls use off-cuts from local sawmills which would normally be pulped or burnt. Most of the sawn wood e.g. floor joists, is from Arwyn Morgan at Brechfa.

Local strawbales have been used to insulate the walls and they’re covered with a lime plaster. Sheep’s wool has been used for insulation in the floor and eco-wool – made from recycled plastic – insulates the ceiling.

Jack Cattran, Tina Foulkes and Robin (WWOOFer) helped Giles to build the Welcome Shelter