From the elegant Georgian townhouses of St Leonard's to the medieval Cathedral Quarter and the new estates rising at Cranbrook, RPG Carpentry & Joinery supplies and fits solid and engineered oak flooring across Exeter — matching original boards in period homes and laying clean, stable floors in new builds.
Exeter is a cathedral city where the housing stock spans nearly a thousand years. The medieval Cathedral Quarter and the Georgian townhouses of St Leonard's — one of the strongest oak flooring markets in the South West — sit alongside the Victorian and Edwardian streets of Pennsylvania and Heavitree, the riverside charm of Topsham, and the fast-growing new estates of Pinhoe and Cranbrook. Each calls for a different specification, and we tailor the oak, the grade and the subfloor work to the property.
We cover the full range of EX postcodes, including St Leonard's, Pennsylvania, Heavitree, Topsham, Pinhoe and the Cranbrook development, along with the surrounding villages. Affluent period homes and brand-new estate houses need very different approaches, and we know both well.
Solid oakis milled from a single piece of timber and can be refinished many times. It is a natural partner to a St Leonard's Georgian townhouse or a Pennsylvania Victorian villa, especially in drier first-floor rooms where its movement is easy to accommodate. In a busy hallway or over a cooler ground floor it needs a dry, ventilated subfloor to stay flat.
Engineered oak bonds a real oak wear layer onto a cross-bonded plywood core that stays stable through humidity swings. It is the natural choice for Cranbrook and Pinhoe new builds with warm screed floors, and for any room over underfloor heating. On grade, prime boards give the clean, uniform look that suits a new home or a formal Georgian reception room, while rustic grade brings knots and character that flatter an older Heavitree or Topsham cottage.
The defining feature of Exeter's period homes is the suspended timber floor. Beneath the boards of a St Leonard's townhouse or a Cathedral Quarter property you will often find original joists, varied floor levels and ventilation that has been blocked off over the decades. Before we lay a single oak board we survey the structure, measure moisture content, free up airflow where it has been sealed, and address any damp so the new floor has a dry, stable base.
Where we are matching into an existing original floor, careful levelling and the right board thickness let the new oak meet the old without a step or a visible joint. In new Cranbrook and Pinhoe homes the task is different: we confirm the screed is fully cured and within moisture tolerance, then lay engineered oak with a suitable barrier so it performs reliably over the underfloor heating below.
Oak flooring is priced per square metre, supplied and fitted. The figures below are a 2026 guide for Exeter; your final quote depends on board choice, subfloor condition and access.
| Option | Price (supplied & fitted) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Engineered oak, prime grade | £45 – £65/m² | Best for Cranbrook & Pinhoe new builds with underfloor heating |
| Solid oak, prime grade | £60 – £80/m² | St Leonard's Georgian townhouses & Pennsylvania villas |
| Wide-plank / character grade | £75 – £90/m² | Characterful boards for Heavitree & Topsham period homes |
| Subfloor prep & damp work | Quoted separately | Levelling, joist work, screed checks, DPM as required |
Exeter's historic homes need a fitter who respects traditional construction, and its new estates need one who understands modern screeds and underfloor heating. We do both. We have laid oak across the city's Georgian townhouses, Victorian terraces and new-build estates, and we know that in a period property the floor is only as good as the preparation underneath it. With more than 200 projects behind us, we get the foundations right first.
Every quote is free, written and itemised, and we are happy to bring board samples to your Exeter home so you can judge the grade and finish against your own walls and light before committing.
Solid oak is an excellent fit for the drier first-floor and reception rooms of a St Leonard's Georgian townhouse, where it complements the period proportions and can be sanded back over a lifetime. On the ground floor, where suspended Georgian floors can be cooler and damper, we often advise engineered oak for greater stability.
Oak flooring in Exeter typically costs £45 to £90 per m² supplied and fitted in 2026. Engineered prime grade is the most cost-effective, solid oak is mid-range, and wide-plank character boards are at the top. Levelling, screeding or damp-proofing an older floor is quoted separately after we survey it.
Yes. New builds in Cranbrook, Pinhoe and the eastern Exeter estates usually have a level concrete screed, often with underfloor heating. Engineered oak is the right choice here: it is dimensionally stable over warm screeds and we check the screed is fully dry and within moisture tolerance before laying a board.
In Heavitree, Pennsylvania and Cathedral Quarter properties we often work alongside original boards. We select an oak board width, grade and finish that blends with what is already there, then acclimatise it in the room so the moisture content matches before fitting. The aim is a floor that looks original rather than newly added.
Get a free, no-obligation quote with board samples brought to your home anywhere across Exeter and the EX postcodes.
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