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The Essential Guide » Timber Frame | Sips » Timber Frame | Timber Frame Kits | Manufacturers

Timber Frame/ Timber Frame kits

If you are thinking about building your own home, or extending your existing home, you will probably have been thinking about the two main options for how you build the structure itself: TIMBER FRAME or TRADITIONAL BUILD.

I have been involved in the Building industry for the past 30 years and in the Self Build Industry for 25 years. I have built probably over 250 new homes for Commericial Builders, Self Builders and myself.

For Self Builders in the UK, I have no hesitation is saying that I think that a Timber Frame or SIPS is definitely the way to go.

Why? - In a nutshell, to anyone who is not experienced in house building and who wants to build their own home, using a Timber Frame or SIPS brings:

Simplicity
Increased speed
Less research to do
Less planning
Less measuring up of materials
Less pricing and ordering of materials
Fewer deliveries to cope with
Less storage on site needed
Less waste
Fewer problems to overcome
Often lower costs (due to the other efficiencies related to using timber frames or SIPS)
Less hassle
Often less "snagging" after completion

The Past:

The chances are that if you know anyone who has had anything to do with the building industry in the past 20 years, they will have told you about the problems that timber framed houses had around 20 years ago, when they first started to become more commonplace in the UK. – This may have started you thinking that maybe you need to build “traditionally”, - “Just to be sure!”

The usual "reasons" for making a decision to build traditionally are:

“We are worried about the reputation of Timber Frame” / “We want to make sure it lasts for a long time” / “We want a solid house” / “We want good soundproofing” / “We have heard that Timber Frame is more expensive”.

Every one of those reasons can be “shot out of the water” quite easily!

How can I say that, and how can I be sure I am right?

I am in fact a good person to believe when I say something like that for at least one good reason: I used to be pretty much one of the most “anti Timber Frame” people you could meet!

I was (about 20 years ago), “Co Founder” and “Committee Member” of a group called “The Association of Self Builders”.

We were a voluntary organisation who formed to offer free advice to Self Builders across the UK (this site is based on the same principals, of giving free advice to anyone who needs it, so that they can make informed judgements throughout their projects, however large or small they are).

I used to give talks on various topics within the broad subject of "Self Build". I had lived in one of the early Timber Framed houses, and had had the experience of the external skin of the brickwork trying to “escape” from the Timber Frame! – Leaving a large “bow” in the gable of the house! – This, at the time was a little off putting to say the least! After that happened, I was more than happy to stand up anywhere and state, “from experience” what a lousy thing this “new fangled” Timber Frame idea was! – On one occasion I spoke at our AGM and we asked one of the bosses of one of the large Timber Frame companies to come and give their side of the argument. – I gave the “Anti Timber Frame” argument, and was so sure of my argument that I convinced most of the people there to steer clear of those "nasty wooden houses"!

Well, for a start, it’s not “new fangled” at all! – there are Timber Framed buildings still standing on the Faroe Islands that were brought over from Norway – “FLATPACK”, about 1000 years ago!!

Secondly, the main reason for the problems that were occurring was nothing to do with the Timber Frame itself, but the ties that were used to attach the brickwork to the Frame. – They were rusting and failing, - allowing the external skin of fairly new houses to develop the “bulge” that was evident in my own property. ( the same thing actually happens on many older traditionally built houses where they have “wall tie failure” and new ties have to be fitted).

So, here we are 20 years later. I have been a “Self Build Consultant” for many years and have run my own “Housing Development” company for the past 10 years. - I now use Timber frame for ALL my developments. – And I presently can’t think of anything that would tempt me to change my mind and go back to Traditional Build.

So what has changed my mind? – Why Do I think Timber frame generally better for Self Build projects than Traditional Build?

Well, for a start, they fixed the problem (which was actually only a "tuppence ha’penny" problem in the first place), by changing the fixings and the screws which are used to fix the brickwork to the timber frame. – They started to use stainless steel fixings which aren’t going to rust.

Secondly, I started to see more timber framed projects appearing; - Especially as Self Builds, and then the bigger developers started to us them on the Commercial Housing Developments.

I decided to “try one out” on my own Self Build Project in South Wales in 1998.

The frame company I chose at the time was actually in Mid Wales about 100 miles away, but after a couple of visits to their offices, I liked the way they worked and they gave me the best price for the frame.

We used a suspended timber ground floor, and the frame came on time. It was up and complete in less than 2 weeks. – I remember at the time being worried that because of 2 weeks solid rain immediately after the frame was finished, that the weather could be damaging the frame in some way, and that once the house started to dry out, I would find all sorts of problems occurring (timber absorbs moisture and expands, and then when it dries out it shrinks. – I was worried that I would start to get huge cracks appearing all over the house as the central heating dried the frame out over the coming months).

We started the project in early September; a 3300 sq ft, 5 bed house, and we moved in 2 weeks before Christmas. – It had taken us approximately 16 weeks from start to finish, including losing about 3 weeks due to bad weather before we could get to work inside the building. – I was impressed!

After that I did another three houses by the “Traditional Build” method, and then chose to move to Timber Frame, which I have stuck with since.

The reasons I changed to, and stayed with timber frame are numerous, but include:

1) Simplicity of the design process:

Many Timber frame manufacturers will assist the client with the design of the house. They will either have a dedicated department where you can arrange to meet with a design team or they will come to your home. Alternatively they may have an associated designer who works with them.

The price of preparing the drawings will often be included as part of the timber frame package. This could potentially save you time and money, as you would not need to find, hire or pay your own house designer.

Check with each manufacturer as to what they offer in respect of a design service. There is nothing to stop you using someone else and forwarding the designs, or even just initial sketches to them. – They may agree a discount on the frame price if you do so.

2) Flexibility of design:

FOUR STOREY TIMBER FRAMED SELD BUILD HOUSE

I have always found that anything that I have asked for when designing a Timber Frame, has been possible, and has not caused any real structural design problems. Occasionally steel is needed as part of a timber frame where extra long spans or extra strength is required.

I have built bungalows, Dormer bungalows, 2 storey houses, 3 storey house and even 4 storey houses! (which happened to be on slopes with a garage at the first floor level, which needed to be strong enough to take the weight of 2 cars and Building and Fire Regs).

Whatever the site conditions, the ability of the Timber Frame design to adapt to widely differing site conditions has made contracts which could have been very problematical in Traditional build, fairly straightforward.

3) Reduced workload on me to plan and run the project:

I have found that by using a Timber Frame package, I have made life for myself much easier throughout the projects.

This is partly because of the way the Timber Frame design process has worked for me on my projects, but also partly because of the fact that, if you think about it, a substantial part of your house is being ordered, prefabricated, delivered and built, with very little input from you! – Where normally you would have to “think about, measure up, order, take delivery of, store, move around site, get contractors to build in, replace damages or losses” etc, with a Timber Frame, once you have completed the design stage, you can simply leave it to the manufacturer / supplier to get it to you and get it built. – this obviously frees a lot of extra time up for you to be able to concentrate on other areas and to shop around for the best deals and best prices on the materials and contractors who you DO, have to sort out. OR for you to be at your normal “work”, helping to make the money to pay for the house you are building! – This extra free time is extremely valuable to you, and has a REAL MONETARY VALUE to you. For every pound you save on the cost of the other parts of the project by having time to shop around, or every pound you earn at work, you are helping your OVERALL budget, and making it more likely for your project to be financially successful.

4) Simplicity of the Planning Permission / Building Regulations application process:

In the same way as I have found the design process to be easy, I have also found the Planning permission and Building Regs applications to be far more straightforward than is sometimes the case with Traditional Build. If your Timber Frame manufacturer / Supplier offers a design service, the chances are that they will also be able to prepare your Planning Permission and Building Regulations application. – They should also be up to date on all the latest amendments. – If you can hand this part of the process over to someone else, it just takes a bit more of the stress of you at a time when there is a lot of other research and planning for you to do.

If you find that you have need of the services of a Planning Specialist to sort out any “Planning Problems”, or a specialist “Structural Engineer” to sort out any major structural complications that the frame designer is struggling with, you will normally find that all the different parties are happy to talk to each other and sort everything out with minimum input from you. – This can help to speed up the process and keeps you from worrying about all the small details that you would otherwise have to deal with.

Note: There are some Timber frame companies who will literally take the whole project off your shoulders. – If you think you may like to contact one of these companies, you should be able to find someone within the pages of this site.

5) The ease of comparing quotations and products.

One of the most time consuming aspects of planning, and of running a project, is getting all the dozens, of quotes prepared: Quantities estimated, phone calls made, tenders sent out, returned, correlated, compared, meeting up with competing sub contractors, negotiating and choosing the best one. – It’s a major task!

Timber Frame takes a substantial “chunk” of that work away. Depending on what sort of package you go for, you could reduce your workload in the planning stage by up to about 80%. (Some packages only provide the simple frame, joists, and roof structure, others give many options on top of those items, to suit the individual client, all the way up to “Turnkey” packages where pretty much EVERYTHING is done for you).

You will still obviously have to sort out the groundworks, the drainage, the brick or blockwork, rendering, roof covering etc, but all the measuring and compiling tender information for every part of what will be included in your Timber frame, will now be done by someone else. - This allows you to carry on and concentrate on your, now reduced workload, and possibly be able to do some of your own business which will bring some extra money in to help with the overall cash flow of the project. ( – Remember, every penny you can “earn”, by continuing with you own career, whilst you plan and build, acts as a “discount” on the overall price of the project. – If you earn an extra £15,000 by not having to take a number of months off work whilst you plan and build, you bring the REAL cost of say, an £80,000 build, - down to £65,000. – If the timber frame costs about the same as building by the “Traditional” method (which to my mind it does), that is the same as getting a refund of £15,000 for choosing Timber frame. – AND, the project can be completed a lot quicker).

6) The short lead in time from ordering to taking delivery:

From placing a definite order to taking delivery of a basic timber frame, the shortest time I have encountered is just 3 weeks. – With the frame being completed within 5 weeks from the original order being placed! – This was helped by the fact that I placed a “provisional order” a couple of months earlier, and the manufacturer had done the design work, so the drawings were already in his system. – Many Timber frame suppliers will be happy to take these “provisional” orders because although the work is not 100% guaranteed, they know once they receive this sort of order that they are fairly likely to be given the contract. – If, for whatever reason the project is delayed, or even put on hold for a while, they are still likely to get the work eventually. – The space left in their work schedule will usually be easy to fill in. – They are normally running “behind time” on projects if anything, so a “gap” which appears due to a delay on you placing the firm order may often even come as a relief to them!

If you are ordering a more “comprehensive” kit, complete with some of the other building components included in the package, the “lead in time” will usually be longer, but can still be relatively short due to the fact that the manufacturer will usually have people dedicated to making sure everything happens as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Many people only regard the “build time” for a project, as being from the day they start work on site, to the day they move in. In fact, this “pre construction” stage is just as real in respect to being a “part of the project”. – If a short lead in time for the delivery of your frame can reduce this time by a few weeks, then the REAL time taken to complete the project will also be reduced.

7) The speed of erection of the timber frame:

I have already touched on this earlier, but one of the major advantages of the timber frame is the speed of erection. A standard simple “frame only” 4 bed property installation can often be completed in between 1 week and 2 weeks, depending on the size of the erection team, the weather etc. – Compare this with the average of anything between 4 and 10 weeks for brickwork or blockwork and the roof structure, and you get a saving of up to 9 weeks by using the timber frame. – This nine weeks would reduce an average 6 months build period to less than 4 months, which by any reckoning is a substantial saving of time.

Obviously the brickwork / blockwork outer skin has to be built after the timber frame has been completed, but this can be done AT THE SAME TIME as the first and second fix internal works are being worked on inside, and so doesn’t necessarily have any effect on the length of time it takes to complete the project.

The erection of more complicated structures can be speeded up by simply bringing in extra “erection gangs”, so that, maybe 2 or even 3 gangs are working instead of one. As long as the materials (the panels, joists, fixings etc ) are coming to site quickly enough, there is, in theory no real reason why, with the input of the extra labour, a large complicated frame should take substantially more time than a simple straightforward one. – The main “slowing down” factor may be getting the panels to the upper levels, especially if a crane is being used. – 2 cranes would probably be a bit “over the top” on a Self Build project, so the maximum speed of erection of the panels would simply be limited by the time the crane takes to get the individual panels into position.

8) Getting the roof on early / Getting to work inside quickly:

The fact that you get the roof on SO quickly with a timber frame is a HUGE benefit, especially at times of year when there is a lot of rain (which in this country is MOST times of year!).

If, where a brickwork / blockwork structure would take between 4 – 10 weeks to build, by using a timber frame, you can get the roof structure complete in less than 2 weeks, you gain a HUGE amount of time on the overall project.

Where, with traditional build, you may just about be on the “second lift” of the brickwork / blockwork, and not be anywhere near floor joist level yet, with a timber frame you, could, at the same point in time, be covering the completed roof structure with “felt and batten”, and starting work on the first fix inside.

You don’t have to fully tile the roof to be able to start work inside, you just need it to be dry. – I have seen first fix electrical work starting on the ground floor, whilst the roof trusses are being placed! - Because the subcontractor has been happy that the felt and batten will be going on to the roof within 3 – 4 days and the weather forecast has been given as good for a few days ahead. – By working just on the ground floor, even if it rains for a few hours, his work will usually be ok because it is all underneath the (preferably) “glued and screwed (or glued and nailed)” floor boards, which will keep the rain out unless there is a torrential downpour. – As soon as the felt and batten is on, he can then move upstairs to start work there.

(Note: It is not recommended that you work inside under the felt and batten whilst the roof tiles are being placed. There is always a chance that “someone or something” could come through the roof. At the very least, wear helmets if working underneath while this work is going on).

There is also a “more subtle” advantage to getting the roof on so quickly:

When you start out on a project, you will usually try to give contractors and sub contractors “a provisional starting date”, which is when you are hoping you will be ready for them.

They will take on other work and plan to try to be finished with that other work for the time when you say you will be ready for them.

If you build by the Traditional method, that time, say for the first fix electrical work, will usually be about 6 – 10 weeks “down the line”.

Over the next few weeks you could have terrible weather, the sub contractors might let you down in one way or another, a delivery of blocks, bricks, joists etc may not arrive, etc. – There are many areas of work to be done in that time where things can go wrong. – If you have told the electricians you want them in 8 weeks and after 7 weeks you are only halfway through building the brickwork, you are going to have to contact the electricians ( and everyone else you have provisionally booked) to let them know that you are running behind programme (this is a VERY common occurrence). The first thing they will do is to try to pull forward the next job to fill in the hole your job not being ready, leaves. – Often what happens next is that by having to re organise themselves at short notice, they then find that when you ARE ready for them, they are in the middle of another contract and can’t get to you for another couple of weeks!

The effect this has on the length of the job, is that not only does your brickwork / blockwork take a lot longer than a timber frame to build, it ran over by, say 4 weeks, and then you lost a FURTHER 2 weeks waiting for the first fix electrical to start. – The bad weather in fact cost you 6 extra weeks on top of the normal time you would expect it to take in good weather, taking an 8 week section of the project to 16 weeks.

This situation is far less likely to happen with timber frame. – Frames can be worked on in the rain (brickwork cant unless it is protected), so the most a timber frame is likely to go over time schedule would be a few days.

Because your original programme was only (say) 2 weeks for the frame, this extra time does not have such a dramatic effect on the follow on trades. – As I said earlier, the electrician may come in anyway, and do a bit of work on the (now covered) ground floor, rather than trying to programme in another job to fill in those 3 or 4 days. – That’s way you don’t lose ANY substantial progress on the project, even if you do get a hold up.

So, with the Traditional build, where the brickwork / blockwork could easily go from 8 – 16 weeks because of bad weather, - at the worst, a timber frame may go from 2 to 3 weeks and possibly have a knock on effect of another 1 week, giving a total of just 4 weeks.

(Note: these time scales are only given as an example to compare how the different types of building styles can affect progress timescales. – the times quoted may not be an accurate indication of how things could go on your project).

9) The ease of fixing mistakes:

With every Self Build or Extension project being a “One off” it is quite common for mistakes to be made in the manufacture of the timber frames. A window opening can be the wrong size, in the wrong place, or left out altogether! – A support may be missing, the delivery of joists may a couple short, etc.

One of the advantages of the timber frame system is that these sorts of problems seldom cause any sort of major headache.

If you were to accidentally miss out a window opening with traditional construction, and the error was not found for a couple of weeks, the chances are that the wall will be much higher than the top of the window. – To rectify this error would mean major cutting out and supporting works, fitting a lintel , and making good. It could cost a lot of money. – With timber frame, that same error could often be fixed in an hour or so and cost a few £’s (as long as the error is discovered before the brickwork is built).

It is very rare for a new project to be completed without a few mistakes being made along the way, so it is good to know that if you are building with timber frame, you will usually be able to solve any problems associated with it, quickly and easily and without having any significant “knock on” effects which may increase cost or extend the length of time it takes to complete the project.

10) The speed to completion of the whole Self Build project – starting to moving in:

starting a self build project to moving in

If you have read all of the previous paragraphs, this one will not need a lot of explanation. When we start any sort of project, whether it be a Self Build, Renovation, Conversion or Extension, once we start, we want to get it finished and to be able to move in as quickly as possible.

There is nothing worse than a job that starts off “with all guns blazing”, slowing down and then “stuttering” along at a slow walking pace, due to hitting snags and problems, with time being wasted and money being lost on materials being damaged due to bad weather, or stolen whilst it lies round waiting to be used. - Or equipment being on hire when it’s not being used. – Thousands of people have stood and looked at their project, half built, in the pouring rain, with progress stopped for one reason or another, and a list of problems to solve, wondering if it will ever get finished!

If you opt for timber frame construction, it substantially reduces the chances of that particular scenario becoming “real” for you.

The ease of design, the simplified planning process, the speed of delivery and construction, the way the “follow on” trades can get to work quickly, and the fact that the weather has limited potential to disrupt the proceeding, mean that there are less opportunities for things to “pear shaped”!

If things don’t go wrong as often and if problems are easy to fix, AND the actually building time is kept to a minimum, - then the chances are that you will be able to get the whole thing finished pretty quickly, and probably MUCH faster than you would ever manage to get a traditionally built house completed.

( Note: I did once build a 4 bed detached house in Traditional Construction in 10 weeks, so it IS possible to do. But on that occasion, I was just very lucky that there were no problems, good weather and “everyone” and “everything” turned up when it should do. – In reality that very rarely happens).

11) The reduced workload on me to plan and run the project:

Like many people, I’ll do anything for an easy life! (well, within reason). I have quite enough stress in my life without it being added to unnecessarily, If there is a way to reduce the stress of planning and running a building project, I am all for it!! - So these days, after having built many “Traditional”, and then building numerous “Timber framed” properties, and seeing how much easier “over all”, and how much less stressful the Timber Framed projects were, - the thought of going back to the Traditional method of building, with all the hassle and problems it can bring with it, is not something I would relish!

With a “Timber Frame” project, I like the fact that a lot of the “boring” work is done for me. The research, the measuring, meeting, tendering, “chasing” and making decisions on “who and what”.

I also like the fact that a lot of the building components come at once, on one or two wagons, and are built by one team of men, - without any major input being needed from me except to keep an eye on the quality. - I like the way that, because of this, I have more time to get all the remaining trades and materials organised. And I like the fact that I rarely have to try to “reorganise” due to delays of deliveries, bad weather, or men not turning up.

I like the simplified and reduced levels of record keeping which comes about because there are less individual “bits” to keep track of. – And I like the reduced levels of upheaval to my lifestyle by the project being completed so much more quickly and with less personal input of time and energy by me!

You won’t know whether you would feel the same unless you do at least one of each type of project.

Please note that I am not saying to you “Forget traditional build”, I am simply giving you my point of view after having built probably 100+ houses in total.

12) The quality of the finished product and the ease of upgrading or altering the product:

One thing that makes many people hesitate when thinking about using a timber frame is that after they have heard about the early problems the commercial timber frame industry had in this country, they think they might be buying an inferior product.

The fact is that I have fewer problems and less “snagging” with the timber framed houses I build than I did with the ones I built traditionally. Drying out cracking tends to be less and easier to deal with (especially when I use coving to most rooms which hides the main line where timber frames tend to show drying out cracks – along the ceiling. Also, there tend to bee less “Creaks and groans” due to the fact that there are not as many different building materials in contact with each other in the structure, which expand and contract at differing rates, making those annoying clicking and cracking noises (often at night).

Then there is the fact that the houses I build are well sound insulated internally, which improves the “living environment” inside the building, and they are also well “heat insulated” externally, helping to keep running costs low.

Also due to the nature of construction, and the fact that there are fewer load bearing points in the property, I know it will be far easier to make alterations at any time in the future than it would be if all the internal walls were solid “supporting” walls. ( – Especially if you include “Attic Trusses” as part of your design). – It is not normally a major structural task to knock two rooms into one, or add a new door opening. – As long as the wall is not load bearing, you can simply cut out part, or all of the existing wall and “make good” with plasterboard and decoration.

As for those questions that I listed at the start of this section? -

Well, most of them have, in part, been answered already. I have covered the “reputation” of timber frame, and touched on the other subjects, but just to clarify:

1) “We are worried about the reputation of Timber Frame”:

The reputation of timber frame is no longer a problem in this country. – As far as I know, all Building Societies who deal with self Build, are happy to lend on Timber framed houses. If there was a problem, at least some of them would not. Commercial Builders now build a high proportion of their properties in Timber Frame, and there are possibly now a couple of hundred thousand completed projects which have been standing for many years without problem.

2) “We want to make sure it lasts for a long time”:

There are Timber Framed houses, even in this country which are many hundreds of years old. – There is no reason why the ones being built today should not last well, or at least as long as their Traditionally Built” cousins!

3) “We want a solid house” / “We want good soundproofing”:

One of the first things people notice, and often comment on when they first visit one of the houses I build, is: “It has a really well built, solid feel to it”. - That’s not because I build houses any “better” than anyone else, it’s simply because I have always used use a 6” wide Timber Frame (rather than a 4”). - I also use “sound deadening” plasterboard throughout, sound insulating quilt between floors and between allrooms, - and I use 22mm floor boards (rather than 18mm), which I glue and nail. – The small extra cost of those components is something which I see as an “investment”. – They make the finished job “feel” better, and quieter, - which is likely to add value to it and help to it sell when the time comes. The costs also start to repay themselves from “day 1”, as soon as the heating is turned on, - by reducing the “running costs” of the house.

4) “We have heard that Timber Frame is more expensive”:

I have to admit, I don’t have any hard and fast proof of this. – In fact anyone who says they can prove that “one is cheaper than the other” is someone I would happily “take to task”! – As I mentioned earlier, each of these projects is a “one off” with its own unique set of conditions, problems and requirements. Even if you built two identical houses on adjacent plots, - one in “Timber Frame” and one “Traditional”, you still would not be able to compare them “like for like”. – There are too many variables to be able to do that accurately.

All I will say is that when you look at the “big picture”, I don’t think that there is any “substantial” difference in cost between the build methods.

However, when you take the other advantages that come along with a Timber Frame as I have described in this section, I am personally of the opinion that, especially for people who are not “experts in the field”, Timber Frame is the best option.

(Additional note: I cannot guarantee that you will find all the same advantages to using Timber Frame that I have found over the past 10 years. - Each project is different, so there could problems on individual sites, and in different parts of the country, which I have never personally experienced. – I have simply given you an “overview” of how my own experience over 10 years has led me to see the Timber Frame product in a very favourable light overall. Other people may have had very different experiences and strongly disagree with me. – I would add that I have no commercial bias towards Timber Frame, and that I would have no problem if for whatever reason, I had to build a project using the Traditional build method. – I would just no longer do so as a first choice!)

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