‘Tiny Homes’ growing bigger with SterlingOSB Zero

TWT Tiny Homes  

A business set up just three years ago in rural North Wales is enjoying steady growth based on a concept already popular amongst Americans and the ANZAC nations: offering clients the opportunity to have the home of their dreams, custom-built at a genuinely affordable price. SterlingOSB Zero from West Fraser features prominently in this timber-based, eco-friendly construction method.

TWT Tiny Homes was founded by Henri Brown and Lucy Robertson, drawing on their experience as a trained carpenter and a career in television design respectively, which led the pair to creating their own bijou property. Although still small, the company now calls on the assistance of like-minded individuals to meet the demand for a dozen properties a year, destined for all parts of the UK.  While operations are currently undertaken in two workshops on a family farm, planning permission has been obtained to erect larger production premises nearby in Spring 2025.

Each project begins with a site visit and an in-depth consultation to determine the customer’s needs and ambitions, followed by the provision of detailed drawings along with ‘mood boards’ to facilitate the choice of materials for the fit-out. The materials can include areas of the SterlingOSB Zero being left exposed along with the solid timber sections, from which many of the interior fittings are fashioned. Primarily, however, the rugged and versatile orientated strand board is utilised for its structural performance.

Henri explains: “Our journey began three years ago when we decided to build our own Tiny Home and we fell in love with the concept of living small, realising that you don’t need much space to be content. It has also opened the door to investing the money we save from renting into ourselves and our business. This quickly turned into our passion as a profession – creating personalised homes for our clients.  Every build we undertake is a reflection of our commitment to delivering the best product which suits our customers’ lifestyles and needs.

“We take pride in using eco-friendly materials in the construction of our Tiny Homes. We use Welsh Sheeps wool as insulation and locally milled wood for cladding, we source everything from the UK. All the wood we use is low toxicity, and so is the paint we use for the walls.  Even the wall filler is natural!  Our main concern is ensuring that our Tiny Homes are healthy habitats that do not emit harmful fumes from cheap wood glues or dangerous fibres.

Having no added formaldehyde, SterlingOSB Zero  definitely fits well with us and, having tried rival products in the past, we never use anything else now. We get through a full pack of 110 boards a month now – with all the panels being made up on a table in the framing shop, where the squareness of the boards means there’s no need for trimming.  We use the 18mm thickness for the floors, and then sheath all the wall panels to give them strength and rigidity: sometimes covering both faces.  Then, for the roof structure, the SterlingOSB Zero forms a skin on top, we then waterproof membrane and clad it with metal sheets or wooden shingles.  Another important point is that we find that the Sterling produces a lot less dust when it’s being cut, which means it is cleaner and safer.”

Normally assembled on a road-legal galvanised trailer chassis, each Tiny Home is built to a high standard, and to last a very long time, though the company targets Part L requirements on energy performance to make them easier to heat and can also make them DDA compliant if required.  Most clients opt to have a wood-burner installed as the primary form of heating, while LPG and electric boilers are also available. Then, depending on the specification for the fit-out, prices start at £35K. 

All West Fraser panel products produced in the UK are net carbon negative and manufactured in mills that have obtained the coveted environmental ISO 14001 accreditation.  Responsibly sourced, the panels are FSC certified (CO12533) and created from locally grown timber, cutting embodied carbon from transportation.

For further information, call 01786 812 921 or visit Uk.westfraser.com