The workshop · Pays de Belvès
I'm Tibs. Wood is my life.
Tibby's Workshop is me: a carpenter-roofer for more than 25 years, based in the Pays de Belvès in the Dordogne. I build in wood within about 40 km of Belvès and Monpazier, in English or French. In July 2025 a saw accident cost me two and a half fingers; by spring 2026 I was back up on the roofs.
- Trade
- Carpenter-roofer, timber builder
- Based in
- Pays de Belvès (24170), Dordogne
- Languages
- English, French
- SIRET
- 949 176 440 00012
The workshop
More than twenty-five years on roofs. Wood, for as long as I can remember.
A wood lover since I was a boy, I started out in roofing and roof insulation more than twenty-five years ago. Then I built my own timber extension from start to finish, and that was it, I'd well and truly caught the bug: 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 very little goes to waste: the offcut from a roof frame becomes a board, a chest or a butterfly key, and whatever's truly past saving ends up keeping someone warm by the fire.
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
- 25 yrs +On roofs: roofing, roof frames and insulation.
- 2019ITE training (external wall insulation) at the Rockwool campus, diploma in April.
- 2026Back on the roofs after eight and a half months off. The story
- 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 for more than 25 years, external walls (ITE) since 2019. The material is chosen to suit the project.
- Glass wool
- Wood fibre
- Insulating wood panels
The comeback
Two and a half fingers down. It'll take more than that to stop me.
On 23 July 2025, building a deck in Belvès, my left hand went under the rip saw. The damage: ring finger, little finger and the tip of another. Fingers in a bag of ice, and off to the hand clinic in Bordeaux.
Then eight and a half months off. Physio, patience (never my strong suit) and a lot of time watching other people work. In spring 2026 I was back up on the roofs.
What's changed? Not my love of the job. I still count rafters on my fingers. It's just a bit quicker now.
Common questions
About Tibs and the workshop, people often ask…
Who's behind Tibby's Workshop?
Me, Tibs: a carpenter-roofer for more than 25 years, based in the Pays de Belvès. I do the quotes, the jobs and the workshop's one-off pieces myself. When you ring, it's me who picks up.
Are you back at work after the accident?
Yes. After eight and a half months off and a fair bit of physio, I was back on the roofs in spring 2026. Roof frames, roofing, decks, extensions: I do it all just as before, with the same care.
Where does your timber come from?
From round here, wherever possible. Oak, sweet chestnut, Douglas fir, fir, pine, poplar: the timber is chosen for the job, the weather and your taste.
What happens to the offcuts?
They get two lives: first a board, a chest or a butterfly key (see the one-off pieces), and whatever's really no use ends up on the fire in winter.
What else I do
From the ridge to the bottom of the garden.
Roof frames & roofing
Timber decks
Extensions, pool houses & shelters
Insulation
Tiny houses
Our workContact
Got a project? Let's talk.
Send me a couple of lines and a few photos, by phone, WhatsApp or email. I come round to have a look, then you get a detailed quote. In English or French, whichever suits you.
06 49 75 18 73