French oak... Or nothing else!

If you wonder sometimes whether you should choose French oak or European oak, buying your parquet floor from The Good House makes little difference, because our European oak is sourced from Western European countries where oak supply is sustainably managed. This includes France of course, as well as Germany, Austria and Slovenia, countries where timber harvesting is compliant with PEFC (Pan European Forestry Council), the equivalent of the American FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
          However the definite advantage of Certified French Oak is with wider and thicker material, and our solid oak internal doors are the perfect illustration of this:

Our doors are designed and made by experienced French cabinet makers and joiners. They are traditionally constructed with mortice and tenon, and pin assembly, as per below detail. The bolection moulding also is a single double-sided piece of wood, 70mm thick.

Our French oak strip floor is 220mm wide, in random length up to 4800mm!

The Chantilly panels have been custom made to fit the first floor lobby !

These solid posts are 250 x 250 mm... and 4000 high for the rear of the stairs...!!!

In the rumpus room, the floorboards are only 180mm wide.

Our last container has arrived ...

          It's always an exciting time at The Good House when a new shipment arrives. The quality of the goods our overseas suppliers keep producing never ceases to amaze us. This time the cargo is a mix of floor boards, stair treads and balustrades, and internal doors, the whole of it in French oak of the highest grade.

Solid French oak wide boards

          The flooring is a batch of custom made solid oak 220 mm wide boards in random length up to 5 meters. Given the exceptional length , the boards were packed loose in the container, and the 500 m2 of oak floor are filling up the storage with the unmistakable fragrance of solid oak !

Solid oak stair treads, balustrades and posts

          TGH routinely supplies stair treads and risers, however the components for this particular project are truly impressive in their size: the stair treads are 2.5m long, 300mm wide and 50mm thick. As for the posts they are simply massive: 250x250mm, and up to 4m long... all in certified French oak ...!

Solid French oak stair posts

Details of the treads and balustrades

          Treads and balustrade components have pencil round edges, and all treads are made of a single, 300mm wide piece of solid oak !
          As for the doors, they truly deserve a post of their own, that we will publish very soon ... !

Beautiful things come in small package ... again at The Good House ...

          In the older part of Armadale, designer Sarah Healy has crafted a love nest that includes all the ingredients and tricks a place can use to keep you inside, no matter how loud the outer world is calling for you.

          At The Good House, we truly enjoy cooperating in projects where only the best can do. Our Chevron parquet was factory finished in a medium walnut stained oil, and got a final coat of clear oil on site to provide that subtle sheen one would expect from genuine French oak flooring and furniture.

          The chevron blades were custom made to fit the width of the hallway leading to the kitchen / living open space. Our service includes providing a CAD drawing of the layout, so as to minimize waste and ensure the client is happy with the pattern, its general direction and the possible use of borders.

In the News Papers ….

The French Provincial style of private residence is more popular than ever and is taking Melbourne Eastern suburbs by storm. No wonder then that local media got interested as well, and have tried to understand this phenomenon a bit more.
Therefore The Good House was a logical source of information for journalist Charlotte Durut.
 Click here to read her article in the Leader Newspapers.

And see for yourself below an example of simple and symmetrical classical French design..!
If you are in the process of designing your next French chateau... give us a ring ..!

Double glazed windows: The French Farmhouse, Trentham

          There is no doubt most clients of The Good House are very special people. If anyone need be convinced, just follow this link to read the full story of the Trentham French Farmhouse,  a work of faith and passion, proudly achieved by Andrew and Narelle Glynn.

          For this project The Good House supplied the double glazed windows, custom made in France to perfectly match a symmetrical and simple design, a true sign of genuine French houses, particularly in the Southern half of France.

Yes ! This is in country Victoria ! (Did you notice the Eucalyptus foliage ?)

From inside the illusion is even more striking !

          For those more interested in the technical side of things, below are more photos at an early stage of the project. Installing double glazed windows goes hand in hand with very good thermal insulation, and there is no shortage of it at the French Farmhouse!
          The timber windows we supplied are fully painted (primer + 3 coat low sheen lacker) and they also come with handle and a fully recessed, multi-point locking mechanism, to guarantee full weatherproofing and security.  Cross bars can be exposed as pictured, or recessed within the thickness of the double glazing, in a bronze or silver, thinner look.
          For more installation details,  please call Bernard on 0408 90 40 10.

                         Or come and spend an unforgettable weekend at The French Farmhouse !

Note the thickness of the walls and insulation…

… and the standard handle and separable European hinges.

                        

The most beautiful door in Melbourne ?

                      If you ever wondered where is the most beautiful entrance door installed in Melbourne in recent years,  you might as well travel to Malvern. With so many leafy streets and hidden gems concealed within lush gardens, Malvern is a place of past and present wonders.

                    Our featured door is impressive in more ways than just the look.

• Facing North, it was made out of European walnut, a species known for its resilience to sun exposure. 
• Measuring 2.7m in height, and 1.8m in width, weighing approximately 400 kilos all together, this is not a flimsy door ! The frame is 54mm thick, and with the mouldings it goes up to 70mm !
• It's all traditional workmanship, mortice and tenons assembled with pins.
• It's fitted with a recessed, multipoint safety locking mechanism (top / middle / bottom) 
• A full peripheral rubber seal ensures complete air and water tightness.

               I guess when the owner comes home after a tough business day, the silky touch of the walnut timber, the quiet thud of the heavy leaf closing, and the clear click of the brass locks, all contribute to  leaving the worries outside, and feeling the strong sense of well deserved ownership softly rushing in his veins.

   

          All our doors are custom made in France by renown French cabinet making and wood carving company Bruno BERTOLI - Follow this link to their website: http://www.bertoli.fr

Double Glazed Windows: Our 350th Anniversary … !!!

Well … !!!! ALMOST … !!!

In 2015 our supplier of  double glazed windows and French doors SAINT GOBAIN GLASS will be celebrating their 350th anniversary. The company was first created in 1665 under the name:

 "Manufacture Royale des glaces " 

by French king Louis XIV. For more information about the century long history of this company, follow the bellow link and learn more about the events scheduled over the course of 2015:

www.saint-gobain.com/en/group/our-history

Says Pierre-André de Chalendar,  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SAINT GOBAIN:

"We are celebrating Saint-Gobain’s 350th anniversary. The history of the men and women who together have built the oldest company included in the CAC 40 French stock market index and one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the world. We have decided to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to promote our strategy, values and the bonds that link us to our stakeholders. In particular, this is an opportunity for us to remind our customers of our commitment to working at their side and at their service. Indeed, we have been fulfilling our customer-sensitive mission for more than 15 generations by finding solutions to the problems they encounter and by helping them build long-lasting successes.

This anniversary is an opportunity and an occasion to remind everyone of the strength that is acquired through 350 years of history and 350 years of ongoing innovations. Our experience means we understand and focus on the long term. It also gives us the composure and agility to adapt to the ever-changing world. Our history is proof that we are a company that has consistently pushed back boundaries and taken up technological challenges. As we look back over our past and examine today’s world and what we do, we are convinced that there are many reasons to believe in the future. So, it is with our sights set on the future and innovation that we are celebrating this anniversary. It is our optimism that we want to share with you in 2015."

Duchess of Berry visits the factory in 1822

At The Good House, we are proud of being part of a bit of this history by making our full range of Double Glazed windows and French doors. Come back to our website over the next few weeks and check our new pages dedicated to Aluminium, PVC and timber windows. Or simply give us a call and send a window schedule for pricing.

SEE YOU SOON !!!

Barrel tiles: Our workmanship stands the test of time ...

Under the Tuscan sun... or the Australian skies ...?

Clients always want to know what their roof will look like in 10 years time.
     The answer is simple: 

Our roofs always look better and better with accumulated ageing patina .

     And if one needs to be convinced, have a look at this iconic French barn in Balnarring, Victoria, where we originally hand crafted the installation of heritage French barrel tiles, about ten years ago.

Simple, symmetric, splendid …!

We have recently returned to complete maintenance and restore the heritage ambiance towards our original installation works, but all we could do was to witness that time had once again done its magic, and will do so for more decades to come.
     See below and compare with a picture taken at the time of installation, 10 years ago !

Medieval interlocking barrel tiles installed in 2005

The Cremone bolts: an element of Classic French architecture

A bit of history

Cremone locks first appeared in France during the 18th century. Although a lot of details are missing on its origin, specialists believe the product was imported from the Cremone region in Northern Italy.

At this time two window lock devices were used in homes: the Espagnolette and the Cremone. With increasing urbanisation in the 19th century, Cremone locks became more and more popular in France's large cities.

Nowadays, a lot of Parisian apartments are still equipped with this traditional window lock to protect the building's authenticity.

Gearbox with olive knob (white epoxy / polished brass)

How does it work?

This system is very simple and is composed of three main elements:

- Rods: each Cremone set has two rods, one at the bottom and one at the top. When you turn the knob, they slide up and down on the outside surface of your window or door and lock into sockets that are fixed to the door / window frame or the floor itself.

- Handle: it can be either knob or lever form.

- Cast housing: this cast iron box is where the mechanism is installed. The handle rotation engages a pair of rack gears which then push the rods upward and downward at the same time into the sockets.

A full Cremone set showing upper rod section and gearbox

An heritage product into contemporary projects

This traditional locking system is widely used in France even today. The variety of modern colours and finishes has given this product a second life. Few companies can supply it in the variety of options we have.

The best example is as per above picture, for clients who were looking for a different combination, to match their contemporary interior. We custom-made the Cremone sets with a Satin Nickel finish for both knob and rods.
The result is stunning, giving this piece of art a bright future in contemporary interior design.

Brass olive knob / steel box

Pewter lever and box

Nickel satin rods and olive knob / white epoxy box