Timber Frame Information:

from Westructure Timber Frame

1. The Government's Egan Report concluded that current building practices would need to be amended in order to achieve more environmentally and home owner friendly houses. Timber Frame is seen as a very strong contender to fill the role that the report suggests.
   
   
2. Timber frame is a sustainable way of building because trees grow naturally compared to other products that need energy to be manufactured. Many building products are made using intensive high temperature processes which are clearly unacceptable in light of our knowledge of climate change.
   
3. When trees are felled for timber frame construction they are replaced by mass planting for tree regeneration. Only approx. 5% of managed forest is harvested annually for construction use.
   
4. Timber frame houses can achieve more complexity of structural design due to the ability of wood to fix together strongly and its good weight to strength ratio.
   
5. Timber frame is a very rapid form of construction because it allows the structure to be worked on by several trades at the same time. The interior can be advaced at the same time as the bricklayers are completing the exterior.
   
6. Our Timber Frame kit would typically include the complete load bearing structure of the building to include all of the external and internal walls, the first floor construction and the structure of the roof. The erectors fit the first floor boarding at the time of the erect so as to provide the structural diaphragm of the building.
   
7. There is no more sustainable building material than timber.
   
   Westructure Timber Frame use sustainable timber resources from managed forests in Scandinavia. All timber supplied is 'Stewardship Council' accredited.
   
   
8. A timber frame building has the potential to acheive a vastly improved insulation value. The insulation value can be adjusted by increasing the depth of the studwork, improving on the standard of .28w/m2k for a 140mm deep stud. to achieve the best insulation value it is possible to build a twin skin external wall construction and fill completely with insulation.
9. Insulation for timber frame can come from several sources. Glass fibre is the most common form with recycled paper becoming increasingly popular. The recycled paper gets either pumped or blown into the studwork.
10. The timber frame kit is fabricated in our factory. We can make the components in various sizes depending on how good the access is to site. We often make timber frames for sites where the access is poor, paying special attention to the practicality of the erection method.
    
    
11. Where the site access is good and we can fit a crane on site we can fabricate the components in larger pieces with the aim of crane erecting the complete building.
    
    
12. Timber frame can be and is often used for apartment blocks up to a height of five storeys. These buildings are able to be fireproofed and soundproofed to a high level with the use of plasterboard. Timber famed buildings can easily achieve the Robust Standards Details in multi occupancy buildings.
    
    
13. In light of the current skills shortage, Timber Frame offsite manufacture offers the advantage of utilising the computer aided design techniques that were previously unused in the building industry. It also enables a large portion of the building to be constructed in a controllable and checked procedure.
    
    
14. We support the use of green environmentalsustainable forest management worldwide.
    
    
15. Our Timber Frames are Structurally Engineered using local firms who we work in partnership with to achieve the requirements of our clients and their Architects. When the building is part of the NHBC inspection scheme, we will supply the third party design checking form HB353b as part of our package.
    
    
16. Proccuring a Timber Frame kit has the advantage to the client of securing a large proportion of the building as a fixed price contract. The client is then removed from the potential and well documented potential battles with sub contractors.
    
17. Scotland has been the forerunner in Britain for the Timber Frame industry with 55% of all homes being built in Timber Frame. On a global view over 70% of the worlds population live in Timber Frame houses.
18. The top mortgage lenders are perfectly prepared to give mortgages to the owners of Timber Frame houses. The Halifax are on record saying 'Halifax takes the view that properly constructed timber frame housing with external cladding is equally as good as houses built in brick or block and we make no difference in lending terms on either form of construction.'
19. The Association of British Insurers say that companies generally draw no distinction between timber frame and brick and block construction providing the external roof covering is also of tiles, natural slate or concrete.
20. We are able to take often very basic Architectural drawings and create three dimensional computer generated models from which we are able to manufacture our Timber Frame kit from. This process on simple houses can sometimes take as little as a few weeks depending on the complexity of the building.
21. Our Timber Frame often incorporates the use of the metal web joist system. This allows for the passage of services and soil pipes through the floor construction which should help reduce the costs of plumbing and electrical installation.