Our JahRoc Workshop is situated in a beautiful bush setting on Caves Rd, Burnside, just out of the Margaret River town. We were lucky enough to find the ideal block and build a purpose-built workshop specific to our requirements. It just couldn’t get any better with north-facing windows to soak up the winter sun, solid rammed limestone walls, the best spray booth we have ever had, and out of every window you can see trees.
The guys definitely know they are in Margaret River while they are busy working on a new JahRoc piece of furniture! As the block was vacant with no existing dwelling we had to bring in all of the facilities. We have been as green as possible, using a biolytix system for the ablutions and grey water, a large water tank, and a minimal amount of clearing. Yes this is without doubt the best workshop JahRoc Furniture has ever known. We look forward to being able to make you a special piece in this place we call home!
You can only imagine how many furniture patterns have been created since JahRoc Furniture’s conception in 1987. A work of art in themselves both to look at and to create. You start to realise how much work goes into making a new piece of furniture starting with the design drawing concept, and then the pattern making, next step the timber selection all before the timber is even cut.
Construction of JahRoc Furniture Workshop 2007
SO MUCH MORE THAN A WORKSHOP!
Sitting amongst 40 acres of virgin bush on Caves Road, Burnside is our beautiful manufacturing space.
We didn’t want a tin shed to work in after nearly 20 years in tin sheds starting in Gary’s back yard, then Osborne Park and York. We wanted a substantial building that was well insulated with nice views of the bush.
We were also mindful that by taking this approach it would be very easy to repurpose the building for different uses in the future such as residential, accommodation or other commercial uses.
The walls are 300mm thick Rammed Limestone. Gary, Dave and the boys in our York workshop were up for the task of building them. With Gary’s carpentry background and building knowledge and the enthusiasm of the team it was game on ! Gary’s cousin Max had all the Rammed Earth gear up in Geraldton, so we (Gary and his 2 daughters Emily and Rose) drove up there in “Old Bessie” our faithful Dodge truck and loaded her and a trailer then hauled it all back to down Margs.
It was quite a job but using local Limestone, Max’s gear and a Bobcat that we bought for the purpose, we got stuck into it and built all the walls. Limestone is such a beautiful material that is super strong, almost like concrete but it breathes naturally and therefore creates a very liveable/workable space.
We built all the joinery, doors windows and support posts in Gary’s workshop/studio under his house using Jarrah reclaimed from the Geraldton Building Company. None of this aluminium crap for our special studio!! We did, however, recycle some aluminium windows from Gary and Lara’s bedroom at Gnarabup when they decided double glazing might dim the sound of the winter storms out at the beach. The rest of the big window glass were recycled from demolished banks and squashs court in Perth. The shower screen still says you should wear white soled shoes !
We went for 200mm thick sandwich panel on the roof by Bondor for its strength and insulative qualities. It was a great choice as our workshop is so well insulated that the temperature varies very little all year round. Its made a very welcome change from being cooked in summer and frozen in winter in our tin shed in York. It also created a great deck to take the 10m kilowatt solar power system that live there now.
