Timber Frame House (2023 Update)

[EF]

Any one had any experience with timber framed houses such as Space4 as used by Westbury house builders.

[Paul James]

"One day all homes will be built like this" (Space4 promo video) - yeah, right. Wimpey built timber framed 'superwarm' houses in the early 80s but then went back to traditional construction....

[EF]

So did Barrat and a few other builders but they do not any more. No confidence in tmber framed houses would not buy one, ok in Sweden Etc they do build a lot of them but with better craftsmen?

[EricP]

You might find the problem is not so much construction as Lenders.

Building societies and banks are very conservative and like BSST PDH's.

Private Dwelling Houses,

Brick or Stone. Roofed with Slate or Tile

If nobody wants to lend on it, then it will not sell.

[Paul James]

Round my way Westbury are building Space4 types and they are all selling. I have been watching them going up from foundaton level, I wouldn't buy one. Each to their own. Most brand new houses seem to be bought by those who only stay 3 years then move on when it needs decoratign & before major problems show.

[TF]

In my experience, your comments seem typical of the British point of view that 'Brick is best'...the truth is that brick is cold, it cracks and builders find it difficult to meet building regulations (or they will do come April 06). Timber Frame is chosen by 90% of self-builders (that is, people paying privately to build thier own house) - they don't choose timber frame because it's 'inferior to brick'..rubbish. On the contrary, Timber Frame is much more energy-efficient, warm and 'precise' than any 'wet' build method. It is actually easier to meet building regulations using timber frame than with brick too. And NO, timber frame is not frowned-upon - in general timber frame is seen as equal to brick and some lenders (like the Ecology) actually prefer timber frame.

Yes, timber frame had bad publicity in the 80's - blame the massive 'cost-focused' housebuilders - but it's quality has come leaps and bounds and there is now stringent details on how to build a home, which must conform to national standards.

Don't be so naive as to condemn the most popular method of building in the developed world. If you've lived in a timber frame house (like I do) you would appreciate it's warmth and money savings on the bills. And it's better for the environment too: for every house built using timber frame over 'wet' brick saves around 4 tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere.

Yes, timber frame is the future of housing construction in the UK. Rather than living up to our "stiff-upper-lip" reputation, accept it like a future-looking Britain should - for future's sake.

EricP wrote:

[EF]

No I agree with your comments and as stated in an earlier post its been used in Scandinavia and North America for years. However what concerns me is the way its done in the UK with not enough care and attention to detail, put it blunt sloppy workmanship

[a.n.other]

My parents have a 1980s Wimpey timber framed house and are very happy with it. It is incredibly well insulated, built on a concrete raft. Having extended it, part of the back wall was removed and consisted of from outside in, one row of brick,cavity, polystyrene, polythene membrane, plywood, wooden frame then plasterboard as I recall.The extention was not built with a wooden frame since the neighbours had already extended and there was not the access to brick up around the frame, so a traditional cavity wall was used. The extension is significantly colder than the main house btw.

[CAS]

Its all fair comment about timberframes. Part of the problem with the early ones was that the membranes they used were a bit rubbish, and construction techniques and other materials have improved dramatically (particularly around soundproofing and insulation) and a modern built timberframe house should be perfectly sound (if ridiculously small and crammed in alongside your neighbours, but that's a whole other thread!!!)

CAS

[Stewart Knight]