Oak Framed Garage or Timber Carriage House?

Not sure if you want an oak framed garage, carriage house or cart barn?

We know that it can be confusing to work out what to search for to find that perfect country cottage garage. Some people will simply say garage, others carriage house or cart lodge and many others call your dream building an oak framed garage.

We thought we should check on the difference between an oak garage, carriage house, and cart lodge. Unsurprisingly no one has written a rule book so it all appears to come down to history.

A carriage house was traditionally where one stored a horse-drawn carriage, to do this it had a certain shape and style, one that we replicate today with a few modern twists. In our little idle there is a second phrase used of cart barn, this is the slightly more rustic and less glamorous incarnation of the same thing with a cart being stored rather than carriage. Cart or carriage, the building has the same purpose. Hugely flexible the design of a carriage house is easily adapted.

The world has moved on, these days few of us have a carriage or cart, let alone the associated tack and if we do, it is almost certainly not for day to day use. What we do have are cars, vehicles, quads, vans and a lot of stuff which we tend to put in the ‘garage‘. So over the years, the outbuildings where a cart was stored was then where the car was parked and took the name garage.

That building that when it is shaped in a more traditional style with say an oak front or full oak frame you say oak garage and we say carriage house! So, be you a little quirky and old fashioned like ourselves or an up their and hip new kid on the block, the stunning oak framed building that looks so good in your driveway ready for car parking, which can be used as a workshop or studio is one and the same thing - an oak framed garage - carriage house - cart lodge. In short, it is whatever you like to call it.

Why is this important, well for us a carriage house/oak framed garage is one of our favourite buildings, so incredibly flexible, genuinely great to look at, works in a modern age and very popular. We guess one day there will be some standardisation in naming but until then, young and old, car owners or carriage drivers call it as you wish. It is our signature building and we are proud of it.

This leads to the second question - what is the difference between an Olson Garage and an Olson Carriage House (oak framed garage). So this is easier, the carriage house is a style of open barn, solid and chunky and with a higher roof. Our garages tend to be a little lower in profile, have doors on the entrances (which is optional with the carriage house) and are made from treated softwood.

As always please ask us about any of our buildings, we can recommend the best options for your planning situation, location and use. We are on hand to draw up plans and even lay the footings for you so it is sometimes easier to involve our team from the outset to make sure you get the exact timber building you want and need. We offer bespoke buildings at off the peg prices. To obtain a quote for a carriage house click here.