Self Build

In terms of the exterior finish, a timber frame home will look no different to a home built by more traditional methods.

However, the similarities tend to end there. Timber frame offers a rapid build construction which will reduce your build time by at least 12 weeks compared to traditional build methods.

As we provide a highly insulated and airtight building fabric, manufactured under a strict quality controlled environment, you can be assured that the performance of your new home is achieved in reality and not just on paper.

Ecotech Homes supply and install High performance A rated and Passive Foundation Systems with Underfloor Heating, Supply & Fit of pre-manufactured Timber Frame Structure, including the External Wall panels, internal partitions and cut roof or roof trusses as required. Supply and fit of Insulation and Airtightness measures to Building Envelope to A Rated or Passive Standard. We also supply & fit felt and battens to roof, plasterboard and acoustic insulation both supplied only for fitting by others.

Other trades while not exhaustive are required for the following:

• Block or brick work for your outer walls and
• Slate or Tiles to the roof
• Plumbing and electrical services
• Windows and doors
• Plastering Externally & Internally
• Second Fix Joinery
• Internal Finishes

Our Timber Frames Houses are highly insulated and air tight, achieving low U-Values (a u-value is a measure of thermal performance, with lower values being better). Timber Frame has excellent airtightness levels which eradicates drafts and further advances the thermal building envelope performance, allowing such elements as External walls and Windows to work at near 100 % of their designed efficiency. Field Studies have shown that Timber Frame insulation compares or correlates with their calculated U Values, while Partial Fill Cavity insulation used in Masonry Homes can be up to twice the calculated U Value.

Timber is a natural insulant, a Timber Frame Home will also minimise heat loss through thermal bridging, which can be problem in other forms of construction.

In addition, Timber Frame has a faster and more rapid thermal response than concrete, meaning a Timber Frame House will reach the occupants desired room temperatures faster than that of a Masonry House. In a Masonry House, it can take longer to heat, as the blocks themselves will need to be warm before the house can come up to the occupants desired room temperatures.Does timber frame allow for faster building?

Yes. It is widely reported that Timber Frame Homes can be built in about half the time to that of a masonry house. The speed of construction of the Timber Frame element of the house allows for a quicker weathering in time frame, as Timber Frame Construction is not as weather dependent as conventional building this will allow more trades-people to work on the house concurrently both internally and externally thus reducing the overall build time of the house. Finally, as Timber Frame Construction uses significantly less water in the construction process, the building will not take as long to dry out and so will be ready for decorating and completion sooner.

Yes, Timber Frame Houses are fully catered for and meet all fire standards and requirements under the current building regulations. For these reasons both Insurance and financial institutions do not differentiate between Timber Frame and masonry construction.

What is the life span of a Timber Frame House, will a Timber Frame home last?
Yes. A new Timber Frame Home will last as long and as well as any other form of new home construction. In this part of the world, softwood timber used in the manufacture of Timber Frame Homes has been used to build homes in the UK since as early as the nineteenth century and are still going strong, since then there has been great advances in building knowledge and technology improving and advancing the methods of Timber Frame Construction used today. Your Timber Frame Home will be there for generations to come to enjoy.

There are typically two leaf’s of construction shown on a house plan, the inner leaf and the outer leaf, Timber Frame is replacing the inner leaf with an Engineered and manufactured Timber Frame Panel Engineered, designed and manufactured specifically for the project, this is usually then insulated, Airtight and covered by plasterboard, the external leaf remains as Blockwork or brick as required and has no other function other than weathering and decoration.

As timber frame buildings incorporate all of the wall insulation in the wall structure itself, a 50mm cavity is all that is required. Masonry houses usually incorporate the insulation in the cavity, which would typically have a 100mm cavity. Therefore, some adjustment may be necessary. Our Sales team will be happy to discuss your plans with you to recommend a solution.

No. Typically, timber frame houses are clad in brick and look like any other house. But a range of materials are suitable, eg. Stone, block and render, or timber boarding.