Working Alongside Local Builders
Supplying products and assistance to local builders is a long-held practice in WL West & Sons Ltd; it boosts local economy and builds strong relationships for the future.
Our aim is for this to happen more.
Since “variety†is a key word in the range of timber projects we receive, variety is what is offered. Now we can take the raw material, machine, process and assemble.
Among the fantastic projects we’ve already completed for local builders are some of our specialties, from pre-machined timber flooring ready for installation, to stairs, engraved benches, gates, decking and timber-framed garages.
These days, supplying the `finished product’ is more frequent. We certainly have very experienced team members and the tools to do so; and this approach offers more peace of mind for the contractors who commission the order. With 155 years of experience behind us, they know their timber supplies are in the right hands.
Bespoke wheelbarrow bench
WL West & Sons Ltd Bespoke Joinery
A traditional door of our design, ledged and braced. Particularly popular among our ecclesiastical range.
Our joinery department is brand-new but decades in the making. We already had the products, the expert staff and hankering customers; we were only missing a sign for the door!
We are able to offer a variety of hardwood and softwood timbers (sawn or machined) to local builders. Prices vary depending on finish, budget and aesthetics.
Recently, however, we have found ourselves making many more “final products†for our local builder customers than just supplying the timber for them. This is a mark of how far our reputation has come; our finish is just as good as other specialist joiners out there.
Particularly popular are tables, internal & external doors, flooring and worktops/ bar tops. We’ve even fashioned trophy bases designed by a London firm for design awards!
Oak coffee table, entirely made onsite on our facility. Others like it available here.
Another level of service: An added bonus of our facilities is dedicated space. We can pre-prime and paint in our spray shop – crucial steps our contractor customers may not be able to complete in their own workshops.
Our finish and technical ability are always something our local builder customers can confidently submit and put their name behind.
Hardwood and Softwood Decking
A beautiful example of what decking can bring to any water feature. Yellow Balau is an exotic hardwood from sustainable sources, perfect for external projects. It has a straight grain and a beautiful chatoyant colour effect. (The same `shift’ certain gems have when you hold them up to the light.)
This is a classic example of what a simple structure of well-cut timber can do to elevate anyone’s garden. Half the country seemed to agree in the past few months; barely a backyard has escaped being dug up to accommodate new features.
Composite decking (engineered wood bound with plastic) will offer durability for a hefty price; but if you want beauty, value for money and durability, we offer hardwood decking as the way to go and softwoods as a less durable but more affordable option.
Contractors who order from us can choose to have timber supplies cut, machined, assembled and treated on-site if they cannot or do not wish to do it themselves.
Standard and Bespoke Solid Entrance Gates
Concave-topped solid gates. The perfect start and finish to your property.
“We’ve been making gates since God was a boy,†is a popular saying in the company.
Truly, our entrance gates are a core part of the business and sometimes the most interesting projects to design, often in collaboration with architects or the end-use customer.
It’s not unusual for our team to build and install these while the customer is on holiday, only for them to come back to a lovely new gate!
WL West & Sons Ltd External Cladding
Vertical external cladding in Greenford, London. Cladding offers fantastic aesthetic and thermal benefits.
We offer a wide range of external cladding, and our modern treatments and finishes mean we can adapt the colour, durability and overall mood of the finished product.
Feather-edge cladding is particularly popular in rural and agricultural areas and thus often a request from local contractors. Many of our customers will ask for European Oak, but we are also able to offer locally and sustainably-sourced timber such as homegrown Douglas Fir (FSC) and homegrown Western Red Cedar (FSC). Both are attractive, budget-friendly alternatives to oak.
Our products feature on urban architectural projects and famous buildings as well, such as Churchill College in Cambridge. Particularly impressive is the Siberian larch cladding around Blue Lion Place, London; treated with fire retardant in jet black, the effect is both intimidating and beautiful.
Read our article all about cladding for more information.
Siberian larch external cladding. Blue Lion Place, London.
Timber Framed Kits
Because we don’t do things by halves and we work with woodworkers of all levels, we also offer solid Oak timber frame building kits for simplicity. These are all machined to order using fresh-sawn European Oak. Supplied similarly to a flat pack, to be assembled on site by the customer, all instructions are of course attached.
One of our timber-framed buildings in European Oak. Chawton.
Keeping Timber Projects All Under One Roof
A lot of the services we offer have the aim of saving our builder customers the labour of the production process. We are probably the only company in the UK who can take you from the tree in the ground to a finished product in a home without it ever actually leaving the facilities!
Our services include:
- Spray finish/Oiling finish: Our spray shop is well-equipped to prep, spray and oil-finish any product and saves our customers time, effort and any risk of mishaps.
- Machining work: We have a very large workshop with a plethora of saws and machines, including a Weinig Multi-Rip (can be set up while running, saving a lot of time on orders involving different widths), Weinig Cube, 7-headed cutter Profile Moulder, hydraulic clamps, 5-axis CNC (great with complex curves and engraved designs, making it particularly good for bespoke joinery items), and our brand new MEBOR Monster, the HTZ 1400 Extreme 20.
Why We Work With Local Builders
Are you a builder, machinist, joiner, fitter or carpenter based in Hampshire, Surrey or West Sussex? We’d like to hear from you.
We collaborate a lot on projects demanding several areas of expertise and well-trained hands to put them in action. Lots of our trade customers have very varied requirements, from raw material to the full machining of timber.
Our aim is to create and develop a relationship with our customers and collaborators, so we can work with them on future projects.
Whether you specialise in building foundation work, the minutiae of joinery or flooring, we want to hear from you.
Reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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