Building a Timber frame House

[focusjc85]

I am looking into building a house and I have found a reasonable price for a timber frame. The company only supplies the frame and erection of the frame, but what do I need to do prior and after the frame has been erected to complete the project?

[Clanad]

Here in the U.S., we've neighbors that decided to go with a timber framed mountain cabin. It wasn't overly large, say 30 feet by 40 feet. The framing, as in your case , was done by the company that provided the "kit".

Actually, the framing went very fast, no more than two working days. This was because the framing had been CAD produced and fit perfectly. The difficult part was the exterior sheeting, also provided by the framing comapny, but erected by the owner (with my help). The cladding is called Structural Insulated Panel (SIP for short) and consists of a 6 or 8 inch layer of closed cell polyurethane insulation between two sheets of what we call oriented strand board (OSB) similar to ply wood. These are engineered to attach to the building and do provide excellet, superior insulation properties. Problem is, all of the ducting for electrical cables, plumbing, etc., are done at the factory and any changes on site are nearly impossible. The sheets, about 4 feet by 8 feet in size, are light enough, but the pitched roof sheets still require a lifter of some sort, (hence my involvement with a front end loader). They are attached to the fram structure with long, especially made screws. It's something you'd want to be conversant with before making the decision...

[Brooksy]

I would investigate the costs of house insurance as some years back insurance co.s didn`t like them because of the fire risk. Having said that, I notice a lot of "affordable housing" developments going up lately.

[The Builder]

.............it would take ages to go into detail...........best thing would be to check out the excellent websites devoted to self build..........or..........get an architect on board............
Good luck with the project :o)

[buildersmate]

Agree with Clanad and Zac as usual. However there much much more to think about.

Before:
Work with the TF company to get drawings of what the finished house will look like. Use these to get PP on the site. Then get Building Regs approvals - or at least ensure that the TF company is going to do all the structural calcs for the strength of the walls/SIPs plus the roof loadings.
Engage a groundworker to dig foundations/lay drains etc. Construct foundations and footings to INCREDIBLY tight tolerances to fit the frame dimensions.
[TF company comes on site and does the business in about 6-10 days]

Afterwards.
Cover roof structure with underfelting/battening and load roof with tiles (the whole structure sinks a bit when this is done). Construct outer skin walls (various materials possible). 1st fix electrical / plumbing. Insulate timberframe and tack vapour barrier. Insulate internal studwork with fibreglass. Fix plasterboard and skim all walls and ceilings. 2nd Fix electrical and plumbing. All 2nd fix carpentry. Screed floor. Final finishing and fixings. Guttering.

Please do not believe that TF construction is necessarily cheaper than conventional.

Please do not believe the costings produced by TF companies - they are possible but the Project Mgt has to be first class and they generally quote prices based on 'utility materials' - functional but not first-rate.

Happy to answer further questions - I have spent a year of my life full-time project managing and doing much of the work on my own TF house. The TF was about 25% of the total end cost.
bails

[buildersmate]

I recommend the following reading.

The Housebuilder's Bible by Mark Brinkley.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Housebuilders-Bible-In siders-Construction-Jungle/dp/0954867440/ref=s r_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231269970&sr=1-1

This website, which is solely dedicated to Self-Build construction.
http://www.ebuild.co.uk/cgi-bin/forums/discus. pl