Cavity wall after 1983?

[harryagain]

New buildings don't need rewires. And few modifications to wiring either.

[harryagain]

Round here (W. Midlands) all the new houses have been timber frame. Mostly to do with speed of erection/cheapness I think.

Even extensions on existing buildings.

[Robin]

While in the real world even the people who lobby for timber framed ony claim about 25% of new builds in the UK (with a much bigger market share in Scotland than rUK).

[Scott M]

Forgotten some tablets again, have we?

Timber frame is still relatively uncommon - there's been a few notable ones where they c*ck up the location of the damp-proof membranes which then rots the timbers...

[RJH]

When I worked as an assistant valuation surveyor in the 80s I'm pretty sure we used an industry standard caveat that protected us against any liability in the case of timber framed homes. This effectively ruled them out for mortgage purposes, and by extension, a construction method.

I'm very surprised to learn that 'virtually all' new homes were/are timber framed, mid-80s on.

[charles]

having see a few, locally, under construction, I wonder if "timber framed" is the correct description. The inner skin appears to be simply big sheets of plywood.

[Mathew Newton]

They're not. As of 2012, the proportion of timber framed new-builds sat at around 23% - rising from 15% over the previous 10 years:

Mathew

[The Natural Philosopher]

its a perfectly valid material.

If kept from rain and sun.

[The Natural Philosopher]

ah thanks. That accords with my experience round here watching 'new builds' that its not common but its not rare either.

[Mathew Newton]

That's just it though - the plywood is the skin (known as sheathing) to the *timber frame* behind it.

Mathew

[charles]

during the construction process they are exposed to both since the brick outer is fitted after the inner wall have been built. But I still don't think it should be called "timber framed".

[dennis]

Rubbish, I haven't seen a single timber framed one built here in the W. Midlands in the last 25 years and they have built hundreds.

The only thing they appear to do different now is use block and beam for the ground floors on many of the builds.

[dennis]

It is, the plywood provides the strength and ridgity in one plane and the 4x2 timbers do so in the other plane. In common with traditional build the outer brick skin does sod all but keep the rain out and all the load including the roof is on the inner wall.

I hate to think what happens to a timber framed house that floods.

[Uncle Peter]

By "noticed", I obviously meant the amount of time the boiler was firing up, and the gas bill. Of course I didn't mean the house got warmer!

[Uncle Peter]

By "noticed", I obviously meant the amount of time the boiler was firing up, and the gas bill. Of course I didn't mean the house got warmer!

[ARW]

They have new electrical installations instead of rewires. I have worked on hundreds of them - not one of them was timber framed.

I am supposed to do the Deptford job which is timber framed but it is 2 years behing schedule.

[ARW]

Indeed, And screeded soild concrete ground floors (on top of the insulation of course) are still common.

I wired up a new build last year that used block and beam on both the ground and first floors as the house had a full wet UFH system installed. That was a first for me.

BTW It was not a timber framed house:-)

[ARW]

About a 20 to 25% saving in my case. The house is a non standard build and the gable end is exposed to Emley Moor.

[Peter Johnson]

Mine was built in 1988 when the inner wall was built with Thermalite (sp?) blocks to comply with the regs without having to insulate the cavity.

Gordon Brown paid for my 'free' insulation about a year before he left office. The house is cooler in summer as well.

[Peter Johnson]

I lived on an estate built by Wimpey in the 1980s where the houses were timber framed with a brick skin. As the middle of a terrace it didn't cost much to heat. From memory the plasterboard was about 2in thick as well.