Timber merchant HM Lowe & Son Ltd says it is back on track two months after a fire caused about £200,000 worth of damage to its site in Birmingham.
The company’s timber mill and storage area, including planed timber stock and doors, were destroyed in the August blaze, which at its height was fought by more than 75 firefighters.
Dave Lowe, a director of the family-owned business, said he expected planning permission for a replacement building to be approved within the next few weeks.
Mr Lowe said: “Trading has been great and we have managed to keep all our customers. But it has been an horrendous thing to go through.”
The new structure will be used for timber storage, while an existing warehouse is being converted into a timber mill and should be operational in the coming weeks. A mezzanine area is being added to the existing building to store joinery products.
Covered exterior racking has been erected as a temporary timber storage measure.
The company has been using a joinery customer to cut its timber while its mill has been out of action, but sheet materials are being cut on site by a panel saw – the only item not affected by the blaze. Replacement machinery will arrive on site shortly.
Mr Lowe said the insurance company and police strongly suspected arson as the cause of the fire.
