In conversation with...

In the first of a new series exploring the success stories behind the UK’s leading self build specialists, Chris Batesmith chats with Tim Crump about what’s changed in the 25 years since he launched Oakwrights, and what the future has in store for self builders

Tim with a rogues’ gallery of tools from his time on site. “I always remember the Makita 9V batterypowered drill,” he says. “Both my business partner and I had one. But then he got two, because it wasn’t easy to change the bits. So I got two. Then he got a better saw, so I got a better saw. We were always looking for any tool that could make the job more efficient and better quality

When I’m planning my speech for the Build It Awards ceremony, I always like to take a sneak peek at who’s going to be there. Last year, a quick glance down the delegate list sparked a thought: quite a few of the companies were due a big anniversary in the next 12 months. Longevity, of course, can be a great sign of enduring quality, innovation and – above all – that you’re doing the right things for your customers. So, what better candidates to pick the brains of than these vanguard providers as they hit their major milestones? For this first instalment in the series, I spoke with Tim Crump, founder of Oakwrights – which celebrates its 25th birthday this year.

“I think our industry – the shows, the magazine. It’s all about passion, isn’t it?” says Tim as we settle down for our chat. It’s a word that crops up several times, and underpins both his and Oakwrights’ drive to deliver the very best quality. I’ve known Tim for over 15 years and have always been struck by his entrepreneurial spirit and deep knowledge about the construction world.

But we’ve never really talked about where that passion for oak framing and self build stems from.

FROM LITTLE ACORNS

Tim began to show an affinity for carpentry in his first year at secondary school. “The first thing I ever made was a paper knife, which I still have on my desk,” he says. “At home, I was always building – chicken pens, dens, greenhouses and all manner of things out of timber.”

But construction wasn’t his first choice as a career: the initial plan was to go into the army. “I hurt my knee playing rugby, realised that I wouldn’t be able to get in that autumn, and left college to start a window cleaning business – thinking I’d go back to college to get into the army,” he recalls. “But then I hurt my back skiing, which meant I probably couldn’t join the military.”

At the time, he was doing City & Guilds evening classes in carpentry, but still thought of it as a hobby – something that resonates with me (I did the same in my early 20s). “One day, a chap who’d gone back to get his papers asked if I wanted to come and work for him. Well, I was running this window cleaning business, so I said no – but that I’d do some work for him on a self-employed basis,” says Tim.