FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

How Did Timber Frame Evolve?

How Did Timber Frame Evolve?

Timber has been used as a construction material since the human race began. As humans evolved so too did their buildings. The Chinese and the Japanese were past masters at using timber with the Chinese developing sophisticated modular timber building systems over 1,000 years ago. In Europe, timber frame construction was commonly used in medieval times for houses and barns. In the UK Elizabethan houses were framed with massive upright, vertical timbers.

Various framing techniques have been used in Eastern Europe since the 11th century. Meanwhile the log cabin was widely used in the forested areas of the USA and Canada, where rapid colonisation required the construction of a large quantity of residential accommodation using relatively unskilled labour in a short time. As prosperity increased in the Americas the use of finished timber produced by mechanised sawmills became more and more popular and frame construction became the norm.

Today timber frame construction is a tried, tested and trusted form of construction throughout the modern world. In many countries it is the norm with over 70% of the developed world’s population living in timber frame housing. In the US and Canada it accounts for 90% of low rise buildings. In 2006 timber frame market share in the UK was 21% approximately while in Scotland timber frame had a market share of 73%.

This growth in the popularity of timber frame has been paralleled in Ireland particularly over the last fifteen years. In 1992 timber frame accounted for just a mere 5% of new dwellings constructed. By the end of 2006 that market share had risen to 30%.

What Is Timber Frame?

What Is Timber Frame?

As its name implies, timber frame construction is a method of building that relies on a timber frame as a basic means of structural support. Framed buildings are often referred to as ‘lightweight construction’. But don’t be misled – like the skeleton in your body, it’s a precision engineered structure that is remarkably strong and durable.

In Ireland the main form of timber frame construction is the open panel platform frame system.

The panels are manufactured in a factory environment under strict quality practices and engineering terms. In brief, the inner load bearing layer of the house is constructed from engineered wooden panels made of lightweight softwood (2) from sustainable forests of Ireland, Canada and Scandinavia. These are stiffened or strengthened using sheathing panel (6) materials (including OSB or plywood). The frame is capable of supporting multi-storey and wide span structures and withstanding lateral loads including strong west of Ireland winds & Atlantic gales. During construction, the timber frame is covered internally by plasterboard (1) and filled with high performance, non-combustible insulation (5).

Breather membranes and vapour barriers are incorporated (4 & 7) and the outer leaf of the wall which can be of any standard finish such as stone, brick, render or timber completes the structure (9). The timber frame is supported/attached to the external wall using stainless steel braces (3). The roof is then constructed and is supported on the structural timber frame, internal load-bearing timber wall panels, and party wall frames. As in masonry construction a ventilated drainage cavity is paramount (8).


What Are The Advantages Of Timber Frame?

What Are The Advantages Of Timber Frame?

The advantages of timber frame are many. Both the builder and customer benefit from the process. Because the greater part of the building is factory manufactured the builder’s time on site is greatly reduced. Erection is quick and the whole structure can be weather proofed within a week. There is no drying out period which allows the follow on trades such as plumbers, electricians, plasterers and painters to complete their part of the process without wasting time unnecessarily.

Meanwhile the customer benefits in that the building is ready for occupancy in about half the time that it would take to build a dwelling using traditional construction methods. The building is also highly energy efficient. Because timber frame structures are extremely well insulated and have less mass than more traditional forms of construction, significant savings can be made in heating costs. In fact a recent study carried out by COFORD, the National Council for Forest Research & Development, suggests that a 32% saving is possible.

Timber frame is also a particularly flexible form of construction. All reputable timber frame manufacturers will employ designers who rely heavily on the latest in computer aided design (CAD) techniques. Generally these designers will take an architect’s plans and the software will enable them to model in minute detail exactly how the house will be built.

A three dimensional version of the house can be produced. Customers can then make changes to the internal lay out in order to correct any design issues at the design phase rather than on site saving them time and money and ensuring that the end product is exactly what they want.


How Can Timber Frame Help Reduce Co2 Emissions?

How Can Timber Frame Help Reduce Co2 Emissions?

Ireland is a signatory to the Kyoto protocol whose objective is to reduce the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. The Government’s National Climate Change Strategy contains a wide range of actions required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with residential construction being one of the areas targeted.

The Minister for the Environment has announced changes in the building regulations from July 2008 to provide for a 40% improvement in energy efficiency and a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions in new dwellings. Furthermore he has committed to reviewing and improving the regulations to 60% in 2010 with the ultimate aim of achieving a zero carbon standard for new houses in the medium to long term.

To quote from the regulations: “A dwelling shall be designed and constructed so as to ensure that the energy performance of the building is such as to limit the amount of energy required for the operation of the building and the amount of CO2 emissions associated with this energy use insofar as is reasonably practicable.”

In fact the timber frame method of construction already meets this requirement.

Put very simply: Wood is good! It is an ecologically friendly and renewable resource. It reduces the effect of global warming as trees and wood products act as carbon sinks. The manufacture of wood products uses less energy than the manufacture of other man made products. And wood biomass is a renewable source of green energy.

Meanwhile scientific research has shown that one cubic metre of wood saves two tones of CO2.

“Each cubic metre of wood stores an average of 0.8 – 0.9 tonnes CO2. Because wood sourced from sustainable forests is replaced by new growth, this represents a net gain. Use wood as a substitute for other materials and you also save the average 1.1 tonnes CO2 emissions they would have produced. This results in a total saving of approximately 2 tonnes CO2.”

Source: Frühwald, Welling, Sharai-Rad, 2003, ‘Comparison of wood products and major substitutes with respect to environmental and energy balances’. ECE/FAO seminar: Strategies for the sound use of wood, Poiana Brasov, Romania, 24-27 March 2003.

Another study carried out in 2006 by the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management Ltd. showed that greenhouse gas emissions associated with the embodied energy of construction materials are lower if the timber content is increased. The study demonstrated that it is possible to achieve a staggering 86% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the amount of timber specified in the building.

How Can Timber Frame Help Reduce My Heating Bills?

How Can Timber Frame Help Reduce My Heating Bills?

Timber is a natural insulator and timber frame walls will have additional insulation fitted as standard during the manufacturing process. A well designed, well insulated and airtight timber frame dwelling is thermally very efficient. This of course means lower heating bills. In fact independent studies have shown that a reduction of 32% in heating costs can be achieved when building in timber frame.

How Can Timber Frame Improve A Building’s Energy Rating?

How Can Timber Frame Improve A Building’s Energy Rating?

No method of construction of itself will achieve an A rating under the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. There are too many other factors to be considered under DEAP, the software programme used for calculating and rating the energy performance of a building.

These factors include the number of rooms in the dwelling, the number of storeys, the number of chimneys and open flues, the percentage of windows and doors that have been draught proofed, the orientation of the building, the number of windows and roof lights, the type of glazing used, the type of water heating system used, whether the lighting is energy efficient, how the house is heated, whether the house is air conditioned etc.

However, the nature of timber frame construction and its flexibility as a method of construction means it is easier to control characteristics such as the air tightness, insulation and ventilation of the building. External walls constructed using timber may only have half the thickness of a brick or concrete wall but will provide a much higher thermal insulation value, while also avoiding thermal bridging associated with other construction materials.

Heating a timber frame home is more responsive and the airtight environment allows the homeowner more control when heating or cooling, thus increasing energy efficiency.

 

Why Should I Buy From The Irish Timber Frame Manufacurer In My Neck Of The Woods?

Why Should I Buy From The Irish Timber Frame Manufacurer In My Neck Of The Woods?

The Irish Timber Frame Manufacturers Association (ITFMA) is the recognised representative body for timber frame manufacturers in Ireland. It was founded in 1991 and membership is synonymous with professionalism and quality.

ITFMA members account for approximately 80% of the sector’s manufacturing output and all are certified under the National Standards Authority of Ireland’s Timber Frame Manufacturers’ Certification Scheme. Such certification is not a once off. It requires considerable time and effort to maintain if annual approval is to be achieved. ITFMA members are therefore committed to a process of continuous quality improvement.

Equally importantly they are committed to ensuring that their customers receive the best possible service and quality dwellings with which they will be satisfied a long time into the future. In other words they are prepared to stand over what they produce.