Timber Frame homes look and feel like traditional houses but have many additional benefits, including environmental and social factors. Here, we’ll take a look at the many positive aspects of Timber Frame homes and explore the impact they are having on the construction industry.
In a Timber Frame house, the primary load bearing structure is the Timber Frame. Our Timber Frame homes are made off site in our purpose-built manufacturing unit based in Midleton, using prefabricated panels, then constructed quickly and easily on site. Homeowners have the option to choose a variety of finishes for the external leaf of their Timber Frame home and most often, this is a traditional plastered block, Timber Cladding, Metal Cladding, Cement Board or other finishes can be utilized, in line with planning permissions received. A Timber Frame home has excellent energy efficiency and heat retention, making it a great choice for many self-builders in Ireland today.
Why is a Timber Frame Home a Good Choice?
When you are considering building your dream home, you’ll need to think about many different factors, including your budget, your timescale and the end result you want to achieve. There are several different options, and your decision may be influenced by whether you are planning to carry out some of the build yourself or whether you simply want to hand the complete process over to a professional company so on completion you will just move in and enjoy your new home. It can be tricky to find all the information you need when you’re making such a big decision, but consider the following benefits:
Faster Build Time
Did you know that building a Timber Frame home is a quicker process than a traditional build? This is largely because factory prefabricated panels remove the initial block laying phase from the construction process, so it takes less time to reach a stage of watertightness on the build. The way the build is carried out for a Timber Frame home means that several tradespeople can work on the build before the external leaf is finished, and the build itself is not weather dependent. There is also a significant reduction in drying out time required, speeding up the process further.
Because Timber Frame homes are quicker to construct than regular builds and can be built with far fewer workers on site, it is possible for more homes to be built within a shorter time frame, which is very helpful in the current housing shortage. The Government’s housing plan target may not be sufficient to meet demand and factors such as increasing costs of building materials and delays on imported goods have also had a negative effect on build times.
Environmental Factors:
Timber Frame housing is a great solution to many social problems, including helping to combat the climate crisis and addressing the housing shortage here in Ireland. Timber has been used in construction for many centuries and with increased knowledge and technological advancements the increasing popularity of these traditional building methods is certainly reducing impact on the environment of the levels of CO2 emissions produced by the construction and concrete industries.
Timber Frame homes come with lower energy costs to manufacture, significantly less CO2 emissions involved in their production and make use of a renewable, sustainable resource in Timber.
Energy Efficiency:
Energy efficiency is a high priority in our A2 or Passive Standard Timber Frame homes and this benefit is consistent due to the nature of prefabricated Timber Frame panels, which are constructed to a high standard before being transported to the site. Prefabricated & factory insulated Timber Frame Panels ensure that our Timber Frame homes can make use of the very best materials and insulation, and this helps eliminate air leakage promoting air tightness thus ensuring that your Timber Frame home is easy to heat up and keep warm.
Not only do Timber Frame homes come with a lower carbon footprint, but they also use a lightweight construction method which can mean they involve less foundation requirements. Significant in terms of maximising construction capacity and making use of land that could otherwise be wasted space and enables more effective protection of green field sites and areas of natural beauty.
Are there downsides to Timber Frame builds?
Of course, it’s important to look at the potential downfalls when you are considering a major project such as a self-build. Here at Ecotech Homes, we’re big fans of Timber Frame homes but we believe in being transparent considering every angle. Timber Frame may not be for you if:
You require a higher-than-normal level of soundproofing.
Sometimes people raise concerns about soundproofing, and it is true that Timber Frame homes can be a little less effective here. The difference in soundproofing between a traditional build and a Timber Frame home is negated by the use of soundproofing quilts and further products if required, reducing decibel levels in the build.
You do not have a team of skilled workers.
Timber Frame building involves specialist skills, Ecotech Homes team of professionals have many years of experience and many successful projects behind us, so you can rely on a top-quality build. Once designed, manufactured and installed to our standards you will not get a better built house on the market today.
Building your Dream Home in Ireland
Here at Ecotech Homes, we have been developing our expertise in Timber Frame Construction for many years and have an extensive catalogue of innovative previous projects. We are an NSAI registered Timber Frame or offsite manufacturer, and we can supply and fit your Timber Frame home or a Full Build process for you. Talk to our friendly team today to find out more about working with us to build your dream home.