Clifford Jones Timber reaches new heights

17 November 2014


Clifford Jones Timber has expanded the market for its laminated home-grown timber in treehouses for the rich and famous.

Treehouse designer Paul Cameron, whose clients include Elton John and Gary Barlow, has been using the products in his projects for the past 12 months. They are currently being suspended 12m up as a viewing platform for the RSPB in Staffordshire.

Mr Cameron's glulam orders are made in Clifford Jones's £1.2m laminating plant at Ruthin where pieces of wood are glued together under high pressure using the same glue that aviation giant Airbus uses to manufacture its A380 wing sections. The pieces are produced to Mr Cameron's requirements.

"Our laminated timber is perfect for Paul because it is much stronger than ordinary timber and has a smooth finish but still has the attractiveness of wood," said chairman Alan Jones.

"These treehouses will still be standing and doing their job in 30 years time and will still look good and they are part of a sustainable and eco-friendly process."

Treehouse Life structures cost between £20,000-30,000.

Mr Cameron said the glulam timber was perfect for his work.

"Our designs mean it has to look the part and be very smooth for little hands," he said. "Often you will try to hide structural elements of a build but with the wood we get from Clifford Jones we don't need to do that. It's there to be seen and touched."

His designs have been constructed all over the country and abroad and he is clocking up a number of celebrity customers.

"We created a treehouse for Elton John's son Zachary which was a first birthday present. They were wonderful clients and it was pretty awesome but we had to completely wrap it once it was done. It was finished off with a huge red bow and I think there was more debate about that than the actual treehouse design," said Mr Cameron.

Clifford Jones's timbers have also been part of a structure for Gary Barlow's family and used in a project for the children of Walt Disney's financial director.

Clifford Jones Timber recently supplied hundreds of laminated timber lampposts and bollards for the new Center Parcs holiday village at Woburn.

Clifford Jones Timber’s laminated timber is being used in upmarket treehouses by Paul Cameron