Timber frame typically means a standard procedure of panelised structural floors and walls constructed from a very small portion of timber studs. It is encased with board products where horizontal and vertical loads are transmitted by the timber frame to the foundations.
Vision Development emerged in the year 1979 in the United Kingdom as a family-run business. They manage a variety of ventures including erecting timber frame buildings. They help property developers and house builders in timber frame house construction. They provide timber frame products to self-builders, homeowners, developers in Berkshire, and construction companies.
Factors to know
When the structural surface is quickly needed, or when the condition of the ground is poor, a timber frame is a best-suited choice. Below are some advantages and disadvantages of timber-framed buildings:
- Speed of construction
A timber frame that has been prefabricated can be erected faster on-site when compared to block or brick construction. This allows the interior trades like electrical wiring and plastering to start work early in the program because the exposure of the interior to the weather is very less.
Once the building is sustainable to weather, the moisture content of the timber frame must be stabilized if it had to be covered in dry plasterboard. However, timber frames require extra time for fabrication and design which makes you wait for a longer time before the actual work starts on site.
- Quality
Off-site fabrication allows greater quality to be attained than in the construction site that has less controlled conditions. The prefabricated timber frame suppliers have to undertake on-site erection allowing the controlled conditions of the factory to be pursued through.
- Thermal performance
Thermal frame structures attain good thermal performance than thinner construction structures built by masonry.
- Rot and infestation
External timber frame construction elements rotten over time if they are not maintained properly. But the frame is well protected in general. For either dry or wet rot to develop, the timber should have a moisture content of at least 20%.
Modern properties are using softwood timber which is unprotected from beetle rot and infestation. So, it is essential to pressure treat the timbers used in the building with preservatives. The timber must be ventilated to decrease the risk of beetle infestation and rot.
- Risk of fire
Steel frame structures and masonry fail when subjected to high temperatures that are sustainable. But timber framed construction is at more risk of fire. When timber is burnt, the outer parts of the frame char and turn into charcoal. It insulates against heat, which helps the timber’s centre to be protected from damage.
The risk of fire may increase if frames of the timber are not erected in the right way.
- Robustness and strength
The structures of timber frames are both robust and strong unless they are constructed and designed properly.
The pre-designed timber frame cost may be higher when compared to other construction materials but the price certainty is predicted as factory costs are predictable. All these factors must be considered and a timber-framed building has to be built in a planned way.
