Building timber frame?

Considering building timber frame?

Considering building timber frame for your new house? About 50% of new houses in Ireland are timber frame. And timber frame is becoming more and more popular be cause:

• it is a cheaper method of building.
• Building timber frame is a lot quicker than building with block
• The site impact of a timber frame house is less
• Building timber frame makes achieving a higher BER lot easier.
  

Is building timber frame sustainable?

People worry about timber frame in Ireland because we are not familiar with the technology. But because we are not familiar does not mean that it is bad technology: it just means that we’re not informed enough about the benefits of building timber frame. Timber frame houses are built all over Europe and the United States. If we take a look at scotland, which has a climate very similar to ours we can see how popular building timber frame is.

Estimates suggest a very high percentage of houses in Scotland have timber frames, somewhere between 80% and 88% for new builds. Here’s a breakdown:

• Data suggests over 80% of new builds in Scotland are timber frame (sources like NHBC and government reports).
• Some sources claim the number could be even higher, reaching 83% or 88%.

Scotframe, a leading supplier of timber frame kits, states that 83% of the housing market in Scotland utilizes timber frame construction.

Benefits of building timber frame

Timber frame houses offer a number of advantages over traditional construction methods like brick and block. Here are some of the key benefits:

Speed and Efficiency:

• Faster construction: Timber frames are prefabricated off-site, allowing for quicker assembly on-site compared to traditional methods. This can significantly reduce build times, potentially by up to 50%.
• Reduced labor costs: With faster construction, fewer workers are needed on-site for longer periods, leading to potential cost savings.
• Less site disruption: Prefabricated sections minimize on-site work, leading to less noise, dust, and disruption to the surrounding area.

Environmental Friendliness

• Renewable resource: Timber is a naturally renewable resource, making it a more sustainable building material compared to concrete and steel.
• Reduced carbon footprint: Growing trees actually absorb carbon dioxide, making timber a carbon-negative material during its growth cycle.
• Energy efficiency: Timber frame houses can be highly energy efficient due to their excellent insulation properties. The cavity walls allow for thicker insulation layers compared to traditional methods, leading to lower heating and cooling costs.

Design Flexibility

• Diverse architectural styles: Timber frames can be adapted to various architectural styles, from traditional to contemporary, offering design flexibility.
• Open floor plans: Timber frames can easily accommodate open floor plans with large spans due to the strength-to-weight ratio of the material.

Other benefits:

• Lightweight construction: Timber’s lighter weight reduces foundation requirements and overall building weight, making it potentially suitable for certain soil conditions.
• Improved health and safety: Timber frames are generally considered to be a safer construction method with less risk of on-site injuries compared to heavy masonry construction.
• Potential for lower lifetime costs: The combination of energy efficiency, reduced construction time, and potential for lower insurance costs could lead to lower lifetime ownership costs compared to traditional builds.

Overall, timber frame houses offer a compelling option for those seeking a faster, more sustainable, and energy-efficient building method.

We have an excellent range of 4 quality timber frame homes which are fully priced for you to view and consider. Please take a look here at the Linden, the laburnum, the Ashton and the OakRidge. We have designed these four bungalows to suit the demands of the market today. We can also produce frame homes to passive standards. With our experience in building log cabins we can produce and build timber frame homes to passive in excellent short time and at the best market price. Take a look at the web pages for these bungalows and you will see the full range of what we offer for the price, and also a list of what you need to do outside of our price. We have done our best to help you fully price your overall build and consider timber living as your supplier. Talk to us if you are going for a mortgage on a timber frame.

Building Timber Frame – Technical

What’s included:

• Walls; External & internal; including all timber frame, insulation, felt membranes, cement boarding externally, plaster board internally & window sills; U = 0.15 (m2K/W)
• Roof & ceiling timber, with insulation, felt membranes, outer roof cover, inner plaster board, upvc soffits & fascias, gutters & down-pipes; U = 0.16m2K/W)
• Windows & external doors; double glazed upvc U = 0.14 (m2K/W)
• Damp proofing
• Fixings securing building to the base
• Delivery & Build on pre-prepared foundation base.

Project does not include:

• Base & Finished floors
• Internal/External Plaster Skimming
• Electrics
• Plumbing & Heating
• Internal Joinery
• Kitchens & Sanitary Ware

While building timber frame is a lot more technical than building with block, it comes in a lot cheaper because of labour costs. Cost of hiring someone to lay block on block unblock to build a house is huge compared to the erection of timber frame walls. And of course the length of time that it takes to build with block will have a serious impact on the completion of the project. Financially, the waiting time for your new house is going to cost you money in rent and bridging loans amongst other things. And then there is the difficulty of quotes and financing. You get a quote for a kitchen at the start of a block built building and by the time the building is ready for the kitchen (say 18 months later) the kitchen has gone up by 20%.