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The world of timber frame is one where homes are snug, warm and draught free.  Low running costs are matched by precision engineering quality and the new home doesn’t need to come at the expense of future generations.

 

 

Right across the developed world more people choose timber frame than any other building system – with timber frame accounting for some 70% of low-rise family housing.  In the UK, more and more builders are choosing to build houses of all shapes and sizes, right up to multi-storey flats, with timber frame.  Most of the top 25 companies and virtually all self-builders now use the system.  So more and more people are finding out what it’s like to enjoy living in a timber frame home.

 

"10 Reasons to Choose Timber Frame" are highlighted in a UKTFA publication available on download, click here.

 

 

Nowadays all new buildings have to conform to new thermal efficiency standards.  But, because wood is such a good natural insulator, enhancing the efficiency of the insulation materials, timber frame buildings have been meeting or exceeding these standards for years.  And they are more comfortable to live in; thanks to the excellent insulation of the structural shell, the whole home heats up more quickly, without any cold areas.  Better insulation, hand-in-hand with detailed draught- proofing, means a smaller boiler, lower heating bills and a cosier, more comfortable home.

 

 

Precious little has changed in the way masonry houses have been built over the years.  They rely on the skills of a dwindling number of craftsmen working on messy sites in all weathers.  Timber frame homes, on the other hand, are precision-engineered under factory conditions, doing away with many of the building processes traditionally done on-site.  Room dimensions are more accurate too – useful when you’re fitting a kitchen or a carpet!  A ‘dry’ plasterboard lining system is used, rather than wet plaster, allowing decoration to be carried out immediately the house is finished and eliminating the need to make good where shrinkage of the plaster has occurred.

 

 

 

Choose a home built by a member of the UKTFA and rest assured that the frame design, manufacture and build are covered by an independently monitored Quality Assurance scheme called Q-Mark - see separate section on this website.

 

 

Apart from using less energy to heat, a timber frame home uses less energy to build, because wood grows naturally, needing only minimal energy to fell, mill, transport and construct.  By contrast, the production of concrete blocks and steel beams takes a great deal of energy and creates unwanted pollution.

 

Using more wood is a good way to help reduce the growth of global warming because wood is a renewable building material; as trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, giving out the oxygen we breathe.

And in Northern Europe, our forests are managed so that there are more trees growing than being harvested.  In fact the annual surplus of growth over harvest is a staggering 252 million cubic metres – roughly 30 times the UK’s total annual consumption of wood!

 

"Environmental Performance - The Benefits of Timber Frame Construction" are highlighted in a UKTFA publication available on download, click here.

 

 

One in ten of the new homes built every year in the UK is ‘self build’, i.e. an individually commissioned house, either built by the owners themselves, by a builder, or by a combination of both.

 

And 9 out of 10 of these ‘self builders’ choose timber frame.  Because no other building method is as simple, versatile or cost-effective."10 Tips For Self-Builders" are highlighted in a UKTFA publication available on download, click here.

 

Contact us at the UKTFA for more information on how to go about building your own home and on the range of timber frame housing types and styles available.

 

A useful summary of this article is contained in "Timber Frame - The Choice Is Yours" a UKTFA publication available on download, click here. Many other articles can be downloaded from our site and also see Latest News for any updates.