Key Post Self Build / Timber Frame Houses.

Re: Timber Frame Construction

That sounds promising. However, do you live in a detached or semi-detached timber frame? All well reading comments on TF websites but real experience is best. Any thoughts from Timber Frame Semi-D homeowners much appreciated as probably b living in one in the New Year. I realise with semi-D dwellings there will always be a certain amt of sound transmitted but worried about timber-frame especially. Thanks.

Some other posts

npgallag
Registered User
Insulation

Looking for suggestions on insulation to be used in a timber frame house i will be building. Timber frame complany supplys 150mm rockwool insulation(external wall)and 300mm fiberglass for roof, but when i ask if i could upgrade to 200mm(external wall) said would be very expensive and better to upgrade type of insulation rather than thickness. Any timber framers out there with suggestions or same experience..? Thanks..

timandmags
Registered User
rockwool

hi there, same situation as yourself and only today was having a chat with the ijm timber frame rep who recommended rockwool rather than kingspan as the wool fits into any space and cavity. He recommended 150mm external, 100internal, 300mm in ceiling and 300 in roof, so maybe it is worth sticking to what you got and just adding another layer in the roof where the majority of heat is lost and (as suggested by the guy today), yiu could install/lay it yourself it's so easy to save a few quid!
Can I ask what timber frame company you are using? How does rockwool compare in price with the kingspan?

sunnyday
Registered User
Re: rockwool

With timber frame houses, all internal walls are constructed with plaster board slabs screwed to the timber battens. Instead of the normal slabs (about 12mm thick I think) you can buy insulated slabs (about 30mm thick I think) for the external walls. This would cost very little extra for your average size house (remember, it's for the external walls only) but should make a big difference when trying to keep in heat.

npgallag
Registered User
Insulation

timandmags...i havent decided which company to go with yet...have 3 quotes, century, IJM and Clark Ltd. Clark the cheapest but will probably go with IJM as very helpfull. Got a name from IJM for a guy that supplies insulation and ran him. He suggested putting 80mm rockwool in internal walls as better for noise reduction. He gave me a quote of 2400e compared to IJM 3600e for all insulation so will look into him when start next year..Are you going with IJM..?
sunnyday.....the plasterboard supplied is 12mm and will definately look into the 30mm type...
Thanks for the replies...

Some other posts

KUTEKEANE
Registered User
Timber frame semi-D house

Anyone reading this live in a detached or semi-detached timber frame? All well reading comments on TF websites but real experience is best. Any thoughts from Timber Frame Semi-D homeowners much appreciated as probably b living in one in the New Year. I realise with semi-D dwellings there will always be a certain amt of sound transmitted but worried about timber-frame especially. Thanks. PS Comments on the key post for TF house not from folk living in same.

Kiddo
Registered User
Re: Timber frame semi-D house

I live in a timber frame semi. There is very little noise from next door. The only (very faint) noise we hear is the little one throwing a wobbler & stomping about on their wooden floors, a rare occurance.

That said the layout of our house is very different from your average semi in that the house is one room deep and two wide. So the layout of the two houses from left to right is

their kitchen/dining room
their hall
their sitting room
our kitchen/dining room
our hall
our sitting room.

They have a t.v in the bedroom adjoining ours but we have never heard it.

Hope this makes some sense

KUTEKEANE
Registered User
Re: Timber frame semi-D house

Thanks for that. Crazy question: is it difficult putting up shelves in a timber frame gaff?

Kiddo
Registered User
Timber frame semi-D house

Sorry can't help you there...we bought bookshelves instead

I'm sure its possibly though as the kitchen cupboards are still on the wall

timber frame house building

We bought a timber frame house last year and i never hear any conversations or noise from my next door neighbour, compared to my sisters concrete built house where you can hear everything from next door. Her house is in Claire Hall. The problem that happens alot with concrete built houses is that the builder will say dont bother putting that in i.ie dividing wall for semi-detached houses which prevents noise. Also I find it very warm especially as i have a south facing house it really keeps the heat in and another plus is it maintenance free as it was finished with brick work, friends do comment on it when they stay over even in the winter we did not need a timer on the heating for the morning

Re: Key Post: SelfBuild / Timber Frame Houses.

I work in Canada for a home manufacturer and I have found this discussion extremely interesting. While I'm not overtly familiar with the climate in Ireland and beyond, I can honestly say that a timber frame (we call them "stick" frame over here) offers better comfort and energy savings than a basic concrete block structure with 2" of extruded/expanded polystyrene on the outside. The system my company uses incorporates standard "stick" framing methods with more efficient expanded polystyrene insulation versus mineral wool or fibreglass - no rodents, no sagging, no gaps, no thermal transfer. Plus, all material we use is either renewable or recyclable or both. I find that concrete poses some pretty interesting environmental issues over and above what wood products present. While wood buildings will burn down (eventually) what kills you is the fumes from your chesterfield and nylon carpets burning, not the house itself.

If you still are sold on concrete, a building form that is gaining popularity over here are polystyrene blocks filled with poured concrete. The empty blocks go together like Lego, reinforced with steel rods and then filled with concrete - absolutely bullet proof! Google "ICF".

Thanks for letting a "colonist" join in on the discussion!

Re: Key Post: SelfBuild / Timber Frame Houses.

Another word from a colonist - my house in the city (Johannesburg, South Africa) is constructed of brick, but I have a timber frame holiday house at the sea (also in South Africa) with a fiber-cement board cladding (looks like a New England ship lapped house).
The sound proofing of the timber frame house is less efficient than the brick house, but not materially so. I stayed in a friend's timber frame flat in London last year and found the same, but in a hotel in Australia a heard no sound through the timber frame walls between rooms (better insulation?). Most houses in Aus are timber framed.
The timber house is markedly more thermally effecient; it has withstood very high winds year after year; its walls do not crack; and there is no rising damp.
I'm about to extend my city house and am so pleased with the timber frame characteristics that I'm going to do it in in tiber frame.
And I agree with a posting above - timber framed houses are simply far more cosy!

Re: Key Post: SelfBuild / Timber Frame Houses.

Could anyone give me a rough est for building a 1300- 1500 ft bungalow /dormor timberframe. Standard finish. Cheap as possible!

Does anyone have first hand experience of building a one-off detached timber frame house in Cork.

Picking the timber frame company is not a problem but getting the right combination of Frame Erector, Builder, Architect to work the project is crucial

Anyone out there have good recommendations for Cork.

Looking for competent diligent workers who wont break the bank

First off: vested interest - I work for a MMC company (SIP Energy Ltd).

The single biggest issue with any off-site made home, is not the off-site part, it's the on-site part.

A key question for us, when we started, and for the BRE who audited us, is on-site quality. And the single biggest reason we came to for this, is that most TF company's do not use their own crew. They sub-out the job to local erectors, and they are paid, usually, on a per sq ft basis. This, imho, is a mistake. If for no other reason, the subby (who's usually been beat-down in price to get the job btw.......), needs to get in and out of site a.s.a.p., to avoid losing money on the job. This then, is anathema to putting quality first.

So, the question you need to ask is, who are the frame erectors, and who do they work for ? In other words, what is to make sure they put quality first ?

Other things to consider: who's supplying and paying for the crane to put in the system ? I have seen more arguments over this than nearly anything else. I've seen the TF include an 'allowance' in the house kit to cover the cranage, but the erectors then telling people (usually correctly, imho, btw.....), that the TF company didn't allow them enough in the budget for the cranage, and so the row develops over who's paying for it. And with a City Crane running at Eur600/day, it doesn't take long to get out of hand. Want to guess who ends up with that bill, ultimately ?

So, crew that works directly for the factory, and includes ALL cranage - irrespective of time allowed, are, imho, two big ++ for any company.