In this issue we are going to have a quick look at both building systems so when you come to make the decision “which one is for us”, you’ll have a bit of understanding on which to make your decision.

(For further detail on both of these Building methods, go to: “Self Build Simplified” and look for the headings related to either or both).

You can also watch some videos on Timber Frame and SIPS by clicking here

Using a Timber Frame takes a lot of the stress and work out of building a house, especially for the “One off” Self Builder who may not have a lot of knowledge on the subject of building.

The way it usually works is that you approach a designer (as you would with any type of property), or you can do the design yourself, and you (preferably at this stage) get the Planning Permission on a plot of land to be able to build the design you have come up with (if you don’t get the Planning Approval now you could waste a lot of time with the manufacturer, only to find out that your application is refused and you have to start all over again).

You then usually take the design to a few Timber Frame Manufacturers or Package Build Companies (depending on how you are setting up the project) and talk to them about supplying that design for you.

Once you find a suitable company to work with and have agreed a price the following happens:

1.       You confirm the contract to supply the frame and give an estimated date.

2.       You plan the project pretty much along the same lines as a normal “traditional” brick and block Self Build (see Self Build Simplified for more detail)

3.       You start work on site and construct the foundations / drainage / floor slab as you normally would. – But you need to make sure that the surface the Timber Frame will sit on is accurately levelled to within about 5mm.

4.       This is where things differ slightly. – You now build the scaffold (usually) to 3 or the 4 sides of the house. – Leaving the front open for the frame to be brought in and erected.

5.       The frame arrives on site on the back of one or two wagons and you normally hire a crane to offload it and help to erect it (although some “erection team” will not use a crane until they reach roof level)

6.       The Erection Team (E.T) will now assemble the ground floor panels, usually made up of two or three 8’ x 4’ “composite timber boards which are fixed to timber studs (usually 6” x 2”) with weatherproof sheeting stapled to the outside. - These panels will basically form what would have been the internal skin of your external wall in a traditional house. – The E.T also fix all the internal walls to the ground floor at this stage.

7.       Next come the joists, then the floor boarding for the first floor which is usually made up of 8’ x 2’ x 18mm or 22mm chipboard water resistant flooring (sometimes with a plastic coating on the upper surface for extra durability). - I recommend that you get the sheets “glued and screwed” to the joists to minimise the chance of squeaks and creaks when everything dries out later

8.       Next comes the first floor. – Sometimes a crane is used to get the panels up to this level but some teams will just pass them up by hand. – The panels go up in the same way as the ground floor panels.

9.       Once the first floor is complete, the “Wallplate” is fixed to the top of the panels. Wallplate is made up of usually 4” x 2” or 4” x 3” sawn softwood which comes in long lengths and act to strengthen and straighten the panels ready for the roof construction. The Wallplate takes a lot of stress and strain from the wind acting on the roof, so you will use “Wallplate straps” to anchor the Wallplate down to help strengthen the roof structure.

10.   The scaffold is then completed to the last side of the house.

11.   You can then install any type of roof, just as with a traditionally built house. – “Traditional cut”, Roof trusses or Attic trusses, or a mixture of all three, depending on the design of your house.

12.   The roof is felted and battened and can be tiled at this point and the brickwork can now start.

13.   Inside, work can start putting the wiring , plumbing and insulation into the timber frame panels (between the 4” x 2” or the 6” x 2” vertical timbers), and covering the internal face of the insulation with a moisture barrier (plastic sheeting to you or me!)

Basically normally within in a couple of weeks, you now have the shell of your house complete and you didn’t have to lift a finger!

Windows and doors can be fitted (temporary front doors are recommended which can be replaced towards the end of the project).

The strength of this type of building is that now you can start to construct the outside skin of the wall AND start the internal work at the same time. – You are not dependant on the weather in the same way as with a traditional build. – If the brickwork stops now, it doesn’t stop what’s going on inside.

The rest of the project is pretty much as it is for a traditionally built house.

Timber framed homes can be completed in anything from 10 weeks upwards. – Traditionally built homes will normally have a 20+ week programme. – The benefit of the increased speed you get with timber frame is obvious. – You can be in far sooner!

As for longevity, durability etc: Timber Framed Buildings have been around for about 900+ years and some of the original ones are still standing. – We in the UK have been slow to take up the Timber Frame option, but now we have it is being seen for what it is: A damn good, quick way of getting a home with less hassle and stress, in a shorter time and sometimes at less cost.