The raised deck
A deck perched above the garden, grooved Douglas boards and a rope handrail. Made for low winter sun and long summer evenings alike.
Carpenter · Timber construction · Dordogne
Wood, wood, wood!
Assembly marks
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
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- 10
Every piece gets its mark, and finds its place.
Drawing King-post truss, set out full size on the workshop floor. Every piece cut, then marked so it finds its place on site. Raising day on a stone house. Photo from site.
Wood, with fire in it.
Roof frames, decks, extensions, cabins and one-off pieces, built by hand around Belvès and Monpazier. Twenty years on roofs, and the fire hasn't gone out.
Pays de Belvès · Monpazier · 40 km around
Drawn in the workshop, photo from site
Hello, I'm Tibs
Fancy a change? An extension, or simply a chest to put the toys away? Let's go.
A carpenter-roofer for twenty years, I now build in wood of every kind: from the frame that holds up the house to the board that holds up the apéro. One person to talk to, from the first sketch to the last pass of the sander.
My story, from the workshop- 2002
My first roofs. Roofing and insulation, to begin with.
- 40km
around the Pays de Belvès and Monpazier.
- 7
trades, one craftsman. From roof frames to wood floors.
- 0
offcuts wasted. Promise, even the smallest scrap of wood finds a use.
Craft
From the ridge beam to the chopping board.
Seven timber trades, one craftsman. Every job starts with a quote.
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Roof frames & roofing
Got a clear picture of the roof you're dreaming of? New build or restoration, it's my first love and it hasn't faded.
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Terraces & decks
Raised above the garden, covered for summer and winter alike, or the classic Sunday-lunch terrace. Often in Douglas fir.
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Timber extensions & pool houses
An extra room, an office at the bottom of the garden, a pool house. Anything is possible.
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Cabins, shelters & tiny houses
Shelters aren't just for humans. Carports, horse boxes or a hut for the sheep: I've got you covered. Not even scared of horses.
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Insulation
Roof insulation since 2002, external wall insulation (ITE) since training at the Rockwool campus in 2019. Glass wool, wood fibre, insulating wood panels: we pick what suits the job.
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Solid wood floors
Psst! Don't forget me when it's time to lay your floors. Solid timber, any species.
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One-off pieces
Chests, boards, furniture, restorations. None of it is for sale: these ones go by invitation only.
A project that doesn't fit any of the boxes? Even better.
Let's talk it throughWork
Six jobs, brought out of the dark.
Chapter 1 / 6
The cabin by the water
A small many-sided cabin under a planted roof, set on the riverbank. From the far side you can barely make it out.
The timber-frame extension
A timber-frame extension, from the first sole plate to the exposed roof structure. Seen here before cladding: nothing to hide.
The shelter in the trees
A post-and-beam shelter in the woods: frame first, then the roof. For the logs, the car or the animals.
Roof frames, sky side
Trusses craned onto a stone house, new rafters and boarding cut out against the sky. Still my first love.
The greenhouse under the oak
A slender greenhouse frame, raised under an old oak. Even the tomatoes get a proper roof frame.
The next job could be yours.
Get a quoteOne-off pieces · Not for sale
No shop. By invitation.
A few pieces, each born from a chestnut offcut, a forgotten cable reel or a Sunday whim. They're not for sale, here or anywhere else: I keep them for a small circle of workshop clients and friends of the house.
Fancy being one of them?
Drop me a line. No promises, but I read every one.
The workshop
Twenty years on roofs. Wood, since forever.
A wood lover since I was a boy, I started learning roofing and roof insulation in 2002. Twenty years on, after building my own timber extension from A to Z, the bug really bit: I widened the trade to timber construction of every kind.
I buy local timber wherever I can, because this should be a craft that lasts and treads lightly. And nothing is wasted: the offcut from a roof frame becomes a board, a chest or a butterfly key.
French or English, whichever is easier for you: we speak both at home.
My first love, roof frames and roofing, is still intact. I could be tempted. Tibs
- 2002First roofs: roofing and roof insulation.
- 2019ITE training (external wall insulation) at the Rockwool campus, diploma in April.
- NowTibby's Workshop: timber construction of every kind, and one-off pieces on Sundays.
Local timber
Six timbers, chosen for the job.
Local timber wherever possible. The rest is a question of use, weather and taste.
Oak
Roof frames, floors, striped boards.
Sweet chestnut
Live-edge aperitif boards.
Douglas
Decks and frames.
Fir
Frames, furniture, butterfly keys.
Pine
Chests made to measure.
Poplar
The cable reel turned wine table.
And for insulation: roofs since 2002, external walls (ITE) since 2019. The material is chosen to suit the project.
- Glass wool
- Wood fibre
- Insulating wood panels
How it works
From the first message to the last pass of the sander.
Simple, clear, and always the same person at the other end: me.
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You get in touch
A message, a call or a WhatsApp, with a few photos of the place and your idea. In French or in English.
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I come and look
We walk the site together: the ground, the house, the constraints, what you'd love. I tell you plainly what's possible.
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A detailed quote
You get a clear quote, line by line: timber, sections, insulation, finishes. No nasty surprises.
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The build
I build, and I keep you posted with photos, even once you're back in the UK.
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The finish
The details, the clean-up, the walk-round. And I still pick up the phone afterwards.
Round here, even the sky keeps its embers.
An evening in the Périgord Noir · family photo
Where I work
Belvès, Monpazier, and 40 km around.
Stone houses, barns, sloping gardens: I know this country and its roofs. If your village is inside the circle, I'll come out. A little further? Ask anyway.
- Belvès
- Monpazier
- Siorac-en-Périgord
- Le Buisson-de-Cadouin
- Cadouin
- Villefranche-du-Périgord
- Beaumont-du-Périgord
- Saint-Cyprien
- Le Bugue
- Les Eyzies
- Domme
- Cénac-et-Saint-Julien
- Sarlat-la-Canéda
- Lalinde
- Villeréal
- Fumel
A map drawn like the end of a log: one growth ring every 5 km. Positions are approximate.
BelvèsMonpazierSiorac-en-PérigordLe BuissonCadouinVillefranche-du-PérigordBeaumont-du-PérigordSaint-CyprienLe BugueLes EyziesDomme, CénacSarlat-la-CanédaLalindeVilleréalFumelDordogneVézèreLot40 km
Contact
Got an idea? Send it over.
Send me your request, with photos if you have some. I'll get back to you quickly.
06 49 75 18 73Just hit send!
Your request is waiting in a new email to tibbysworkshop@hotmail.com. Add your photos if you have any, then send it. Nothing opened? Send it on WhatsApp instead, or call me on 06 49 75 18 73.
Background: generated mood image, until the photo shoot