Acer Building Services • Crowborough • East Sussex • Tunbridge Wells

Sustainable Technology

Timber Construction

Structural timber methods are steadily becoming accepted by the British public as offering structural integrity to match brick and block construction with greater design flexibility, plus greater capacity for insulation within the structure.

You may remember the story of the three little pigs and therefore worry about living in a timber house, but you will find more timber houses over 500 years old than any other building types in Britain.

In fact most new domestic building in windy and rainy Scotland are timber framed, as is the case in Canada and Scandinavia.

Technical

Developments in engineered timber products allow greater floor spans without adding steel beams.

The latest composite materials engineer out all the defects found in timber, by gluing timber strands or laminates together forming perfect engineered joists, beams and posts, that will not bow, split or flex unpredictably.

In fact there is an ever growing British industry supporting this new trend, manufacturing here in the UK for our specific needs.

Travis Perkins - www.trademate.co.uk/services/joists/
UK timber industry organisation - www.trada.co.uk
Other Manufacturers - www.finnforest.com - www.donaldsontimber.com

Ecology

Most timber suppliers give great attention to the 'Chain of Custody' guaranteeing the sustainability of the products. If the timber used is reclaimed or British grown, then it's 'embodied energy' (the energy used to cut/process/transport) is one of the lowest per tonne of any building product. Even imported timber fares well against heavy masonry products when measured as part of the whole building.

Timber is beautiful!

Not only does timber give strength, it can be finished to make the completed building attractive.

Cedar shingles on the roof, Oak structural beams, Maple floors and Ash window frames just look great!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.	What is the difference between a timber frame house and a masonry house?
A.	In modern masonry houses the external walls of the house are constructed of two leaves i.e. an internal concrete blockwork wall and an external brick/block wall. A modern timber frame house replaces the internal leaf of concrete blockwork with an engineer designed structural timber frame designed strong enough to carry all the load bearings of the house. The timber frame is then clad by a traditional facing material such as brick, render, stone etc. And the internal walls are insulated and plasterboarded.
Q.	How long will a timber frame house last?
A.	A timber frame house will last as long as, if not longer, than any other form of construction. Softwood timber frame houses have been built in increasing numbers since the 19th century. Indeed examples of these early designs can be seen all over Southern England, with many of them being more than 150 years old.
Q.	Are you more at risk from a fire in a timber frame house?
A.	No, all houses are built in accordance with strict Building Regulations with respect to performance in fire. A BRE (Building Research Establishment) fire safety study concludes that timber frame is as safe as other forms of construction.
Q.	Is a timber frame house as structurally strong as other methods of construction?
A.	Yes, the timber frame structural design is done by a specialist structural engineer. He provides a full set of calculations to prove that the timber frame will be more than capable of supporting loadings and all cladding materials. The structural timbers of each house are precision engineered with stress graded timber in line with the structural engineers calculations to carry the load bearings created by the roof tiles, floors and cladding.
Q.	What about noise - will sound travel between the walls?
A.	No, Modern timber frame systems have better acoustic insulation qualities than masonry and fully conform to, or exceed the current Building Regulations.
Q.	What about putting up pictures on the walls?
A.	Generally speaking as long as the basic safety precautions for DIY activity are followed, there are no special requirements for timber frame walls. Most objects such as pictures can be hung on the walls using plasterboard fixings. Heavier objects such as kitchen cupboards should be fixed using conventional wood screws, screwed through the plasterboard, directly onto the timber frame or onto battens.
Q.	What about mortgage/insurance on a timber frame house?
A.	Neil Buckley of Abbey National: "Abbey National regards modern timber frame construction as being conventional and there are no restrictions with regard to our lending policy or procedures".