Myself and my husband are starting to build our dream home next month (all being well), my general question to all users is what are your comments on timberframed homes ?
We have looked into this and been to see a local timberframe company which was very factual and impressive, our biggest draw to a timberframe is the time scale of the build and the u value the house will have compared to a brick.
However since some of my family are in the building trade they say any timer framed homes they have worked on where crap(to be blunt), I dont know if this was due to it being on a large building site and they where put up in demand therefore the care and attention was put into them.
Other stories i have heard was very noisy with the wood contracting in the heat of the house, walls are too thin to hang on flat screen tv and require more effort, the list goes on.
Can you please post any stories of your own positive or negative to help us decide.
Cheers.
GBP-Keith
15 Feb 2009, 4:30 PM
There are a few really good timber frame systems and if you are likely to be project managing the project yourself then it may be a good option. Take a look (do a Google search) at the Tek system and of course Tradis.
Believe it or not, the perfect timber framed house would have the timber frame externally and the heavyweight skin internally but it is just not done in the UK.
mcneill
15 Feb 2009, 9:15 PM
Yea we will be project managing the build ourselves it is a bit dunting but you learn as you go along. Ill have a look into these things as suggested.
thanks for your info.
Dr T (Guest)
19 Apr 2009, 3:47 PM
I agree with the comments on timber frame being junk. Why not build solid masonry, much better idea, more durable, cheaper , better, warmer, more comfortable, quieter, nicer cant say enough good things about it. Designed well and you can eliminate the costs of a heating system too.
Alan (Guest)
28 Apr 2009, 4:52 PM
Why not go the whole hog and have a green oak frame? We did, and it is much admired. You have to allow for shrinkage - which means you can't finish decorating completely for five years - but it's worth it. The only big problem we faced, and I don't know if anybody can tell me the "correct" solution to this, was fitting large double glazed units direct to the oak frame. Our glazier simply used silicone and three of them have subsequently cracked.
gtglobe
19 May 2009, 4:13 PM
Timber Frame Pros
* Prefabricated superstructure erected quickly once on site * Tends to be built to far tighter tolerances, making fitting out quicker and easier * Weather delays reduced * Less shrinkage and settlement * Inherently good thermal insulation * Easier to run services through * Wall cladding is taken off the critical path
Timber Frame cons
* More complex to design — tends to be done by specialists * Often lengthy lead-in times waiting for kits to be assembled in a factory * Still not well understood by many Irish builders. * Needs additional materials for adequate soundproofing * Can’t have a solid (concrete) first floor * Requires more accurate foundations * Finance issues: large sums required upfront by many suppliers
sipselfbuilder
26 May 2009, 12:35 PM
Have you not considered SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels)? We found them to be quick to build with, warm in winter, cool in summer and certainly no pronlem hanging things on them as there are no timber studs to look for. We have a 150kg boiler on one wall, 40" LCD on another and of course the kitchen wall cabinets all screwed straight onto the SIPs. Have a look at our web site www.chardselfbuild.co.uk
Dr T (Guest)
28 May 2009, 11:19 PM
If it is si warm how come you need a boiler?
fridihem
15 Jul 2009, 3:56 PM
I remember back in 2005 april when I was in the UK. A number of houses, 4 to be exact were being built down the street, 2 lots of semis, traditional brick and breeze block type, tilled roof. When I revisited in August the same year, these 4 houses were still not finished, 5 months, and 70 % of that time without a roof. Like I have posted on another thread, Swedes set up a house in TWO days, 100% timber framed houses, mostly pine framing, and these houses are extremely quiet, solid and easy and cheap to keep warm and cool in the summer. No plastics here, like windows and doors, all is best quality pine, which lasts and lasts and lasts. My own bungalow with whole cellar, built in the 60s total 170 sq meters, and still with triple glazing, costs me only £700 to pay for el and heating/hot water for a year, despite the colder climate over here, and some of the newer houses cost Zero to heat, due to recycling of heat from people and cooking and electric items
Peter-from-CG-e
23 Jul 2009, 9:25 PM
Another plus for timber frame is they put less load on the foundations.
This can sometimes enable the use of standard footings - pads or strip foundations where the bearing capacity of the ground would require imrovement or piling if a conventional building was placed on the same foundations.
heinbloed
24 Jul 2009, 12:31 AM
@sipselfbuilder: What is a "150kg boiler" ? Boilers are rated by their thermal output and their fuel efficiency, not by their weight.....
hempr
28 Jul 2009, 8:05 PM
http://www.hempr.com says: It's about time for a pure "Building with hemp" threat. After all, hemp is the pre-eminent green building material most people can afford. Go green doesn't have to mean: go further into debt
quizzicool
5 Aug 2009, 3:51 PM
Built a timber frame house 25 years ago in Scotland, it was fine. Now we live in a 1930's solid brick house in London - its colder than the one in Scotland! It is worth insulating any internal partition walls for noise, timber frame or not ....
Jeff_H
14 Sep 2009, 7:22 PM
Hi,
A bit late to comment I know but for anyone researching similar information, I would like to point out some incorrect information in this forum. Particularly Dr T who surely could not produce a thesis but talks a lot of faec** .
You should note a timber frame construction usually only replaces the inner masonry wall of a more traditionally constructed UK dwelling. This inner wall is usually blockwork. A timber frame insulated with modern insulation, is around 20 times more thermally efficient. It is amazing anyone could try to argue a masonry house is warmer.
