A Scottish timber frame home manufacturer is planning to treble its capacity by investing £1.5m in new premises.

Jedburgh-based Oregon Timber Frame also reports that national housebuilders are increasingly switching on to the benefits of timber frame construction, with Redrow the latest company to place orders.

Oregon is negotiating the purchase of a larger site in the Scottish Borders and hopes to finalise the deal by March. The new site, to feature additional machinery, would allow the firm to expand its current 1,500-unit capacity to some 6,000 units a year.

The company, which has seen output grow 34% year-on-year since starting up in 1998, wants to more than double its current £10m-plus turnover within the next three years.

Managing director John Merry said more manufacturing space was needed to keep pace with the business growth.

He said: “We believe the market is absolutely superb, business is growing by the day. We are reaping the benefits and our competitors are doing likewise.”

&#8220The market is absolutely superb, business is growing by the day. We are reaping the benefits and our competitors are doing likewise”

John Merry, managing director, Oregon Timber Frame

Mr Merry said 25-30% of Oregon’s output was going to the English market, where growth potential was “phenomenal”. The company’s English business is growing 50% year-on-year.

He said despite some talk of property prices falling, housebuilding was still going apace throughout most of the country, with a strong move to off-site timber frame construction because of the masonry skills shortage.

Mr Merry said Oregon’s customer base, which includes national housebuilders Wimpey, Countryside, Bellway, Cala and most recently Redrow, are also realising the quick build speed, accuracy and quality of timber frame construction.