Taylor Lane
Timber Frame Ltd has supplied a bespoke timber frame for a new build extension
to Llanerch, a four-star hotel in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The new
building comprises 27 bedrooms and three meeting rooms. The accommodation
block sits at the centre of Wales’ second oldest and largest commercial
vineyard.
Established
in 1980, the Llanerch Vineyard was purchased by entrepreneur, Ryan Davies in
2010. After early success, Mr Davies was keen to expand the accommodation
offer; increasing from 11 rooms to 38, and adding three flexible spaces to
attract business people in the week and entertain wedding parties at the
weekend. In nine years, the business has grown from hosting two weddings
to around 70.
During the
planning permission process in November 2016, Mr Davies spoke to WalesOnline,
“…the reason why we’ve wanted, and need to expand further is that the hotel is
pretty much always full.”
Originally,
the new block was to be built in two stages with planning consent for a 19 room
accommodation block but on review, there was demand for more rooms.
Handelsbanken was willing to lend Mr Davies the money to build the extension
all at once, with planning permission later granted for 27 rooms.
The project
architect proposed timber frame construction for the new building due to speed
of build, noise insulation and energy performance. Based on the
architect’s recommendation, Mr Davies appointed Taylor Lane Timber Frame to
manufacture and erect the timber frame kit.
The timber
frame specialist supplied 140mm pre-insulated panels with factory-manufactured
Masonite floor cassettes. The timber frame was erected by Taylor Lane
sub-contractor, 3M Timber Frame & Carpentry Ltd.
For speed and
efficiency, bathroom pods were designed into the scheme. The Taylor Lane
in-house design team had to consider the installation of the pods when drawing
the timber frame. The floor cassettes were designed and factory-built
with a pocket for the bathroom pods to slot in so that the floor levels married
up. The pre-fabricated bathroom pods were craned into position as the
build progressed.
The Taylor
Lane designers also had to factor in the expected transmission of noise between
rooms and from the outside, designing the floors and walls accordingly.
The project
and erectors were managed by Taylor Lane contracts manager, Duane Morris,
supported by an office-based project manager. In his site-based role,
Duane is responsible for snagging, sign-off and dealing with site issues; the
Llanerch site had limited access and minimal space for storing materials.
Erected in
around six weeks, the timber frame achieves a U-value of 0.19W/m2K.
“We have had
a very good experience with Taylor Lane, with great service from start to
finish. We especially enjoyed the tour of the professional factory,” says
Mr Davies.
The thriving
Llanerch business now offers 38 bedrooms, three meeting rooms, cookery school,
and vineyard tours with wine tasting. Inside the à la carte restaurant the dining experience is
heightened by the setting, with views out over the vineyard. Llanerch
caters for locals, weddings, conferences and corporate events.
