Wooden houses - are they a good idea / investment?

mickeymoney

e.g.
http://www.logoutdoorworld.com/

Just thinking (dreaming) of getting a bit of land and building a wooden house.

Are they cheaper to build?

As easy to sell in the future? (not trying to make a profit I jusrt want a home)?

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Hey, I extensively looked into this last year, there are some really really good companies that deal with this. Many are foreign. I would reccomend a company with an agent in England. www.globalloghomes.com the guy called Andy was very helpful. They can provide everything. The prices are dependant on what you want......but remember the killer bit, price of the land, the planning permission, connection to utilities, erection of the house, fit out, unfortunately what starts as a relatively cheap house ends up being way over what u would pay for a 3/4 bed semi now. Thats the only reason I didnt go ahead with it........some day tho. Good luck.

mickeymoney

benwavner wrote: »

Hey, I extensively looked into this last year, there are some really really good companies that deal with this. Many are foreign. I would reccomend a company with an agent in England. www.globalloghomes.com the guy called Andy was very helpful. They can provide everything. The prices are dependant on what you want......but remember the killer bit, price of the land, the planning permission, connection to utilities, erection of the house, fit out, unfortunately what starts as a relatively cheap house ends up being way over what u would pay for a 3/4 bed semi now. Thats the only reason I didnt go ahead with it........some day tho. Good luck.

So it costs more than a 3 bed semi
The banks prefer to give $ for bricks and mortar dont they?

mickeymoney

Oh my god they are beautiful
http://www.globalloghomes.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/R240_4a2690bab169f.jpg

Whats the "average" build price? (not inc services and land)

Praetorian Saighdiuir

That all depends on how big u want to go. I was looking at a 4 bed, 3 story, 20 room with double garage and all round balcony, it was around 200k......then they charge around 30% of the house price to erect it.


....but there are smaller versions that are great too. Basically, you tell them how much u have to spend and what you want the house to look like and they will do it as close to ur budget.

mickeymoney

Renting at the mo and at the mercy of our next neighbours when ever someone buys the kip.

Just the dream of a beautiful house on its own land .....

Do they sell well, are they a good investment?

Is Ireland the "right country" for them?

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Im not sure how good as an investment they are, but they r not too common so, they should sell well. The timber the engkish guy uses is top of the range and lasts a few centuries in harsh Scandinavian weather, so Ireland is a grand place for them.

I know of a guy who built one in Wicklow, he said hed never move out into a brick house again, not a chance, they r just that good!! The only problem is, some insurance companies wont touch u with a barge pole!!

mickeymoney

benwavner wrote: »

Im not sure how good as an investment they are, but they r not too common so, they should sell well. The timber the engkish guy uses is top of the range and lasts a few centuries in harsh Scandinavian weather, so Ireland is a grand place for them.

I know of a guy who built one in Wicklow, he said hed never move out into a brick house again, not a chance, they r just that good!! The only problem is, some insurance companies wont touch u with a barge pole!!

Thought so. But all you need is 1 insurance co. We are non smokers so It could help.

On subject of fires ... alot of fires lately. Boats, car dealerships etc ..
http://www.thepropertypin.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6580

southofnowhere

http://www.ttfc.ie/

Good company, based in Wexford.

baronflyguy

Here's another company worth getting a quote from.

Timber Frame Homes based in Wexford
http://www.timberframe.ie/

fieldstk

Anyone know anything about a company called Landhaus? They are based in Estonia, but seem to supply wooden houses to many countries.

engineermike

Hi,
The home in the OP image is beautiful, and a no. of links / companies have been suggested. However I would tread lightly - Look for a system that has Irish agrement cert if possible - or NSAI approved.
Modular systems from the Continent can completely fail in our moist environment in a short space of time.
If you can't find a system / construction that meets this criteria - look for British standard.
I can't see the banks having an issue if the construction is 'signed off' on by an indemnified professional - and the structure / asset is fit for purpose. Usual 'I's & T's' would have to be in place for loan - planing, building, certification etc.
Mike F

Henry Ford III

These are pretty different....

http://www.domehome.com/buildadome.html

Graces7

Our landlord's brother says he had a timber framed house built here a few years ago, and has solar panels, and he uses almost no heating.

Not seen it....

jimmycrackcorm

A friend has a timber framed house built by a German company complete with solar panels and wood pellet heating. Its a spectacular house and heating bills are minimal.

the_syco

Graces7 wrote: »

Our landlord's brother says he had a timber framed house built here a few years ago, and has solar panels, and he uses almost no heating.

Not seen it....

If someone is going to live off the grid, they usually build it far from anywhere near a water supply. I think there used to be one down the Old Bog road a decade or two ago...

Open A

Timber frame houses are fantastic option, warmer per inch of wall than concrete homes and, environmentally speaking, it is a great thing to be part of any movement away from concrete.

HOWEVER, I agree with engineermike on this. You also need to be think about how you are weather proofing your house. Timber cladding is beautiful, but will require maintenance. No problem if you detail carefully (especially where the walls meet the ground) and don't mind painting / oiling every year or two.

If you want a (relatively) maintenance free option, this usually means a sand-cement render finish. This currently cannot be applied directly to timber frame (and comply with Irish Building regs). On a recent project in the Eco Village in Cloughjordan, we used a product which cost €90 per sq. m. This was the cheapest on the market that complied with Irish regulations. Ironically, it would be far cheaper to put a single-leaf concrete block wall outside the frame and render this. Indeed, this is the most common option for timber frame homes built in Ireland. In this instance, you have to question the logic of going timber frame in the first place.

Would love to hear other people's thoughts on this?

Claire (MRIAI)

Tabnabs

Open A wrote: »

HOWEVER, I agree with engineermike on this. You also need to be think about how you are weather proofing your house. Timber cladding is beautiful, but will require maintenance. No problem if you detail carefully (especially where the walls meet the ground) and don't mind painting / oiling every year or two.

Have you a source to back this up? We have a wooden cabin in a very wet part of Norway as well as family in Bergen with annual precipitation measuring 2,250 mm (89 in) on average. This certainly wouldn't be our experience. It does take more maintenance, but nowhere near your schedule.

External walls facing the sun (usually south and west) usually get painted every 3-5 years and all others will last between 15-20 years normally.

Open A

Hi Tabnabs,

I would have thought you'd need to oil a south facing wall every year, paint less often? It depends on the type of wood, location, etc. Its not just the rain, its the damp - We have a much more humid climate here than in Norway.

Part of the problem is timber frame construction is still relatively new. Most of the timber frame buildings we have are still concrete on the outside(!) We need a better solution for this and I'm open to all ideas! Some of the durable timber cladding options on the market and chemically treated to such an extent to no longer be environmentally friendly!

Tabnabs

For us, oil is pretty much 3-5 years also. Norway's a large country and the gulf stream effects on the south west coast give similar conditions to Ireland also.

Open A

Must be pretty good timber. In any case painting or oiling every 3-5 years is considered high maintenance in Ireland.

Catweasel

I read somewhere that they are prone to being blown down by the big bad wolf and that bricks are the better option.

engineermike

Catweasel wrote: »

I read somewhere that they are prone to being blown down by the big bad wolf and that bricks are the better option.

Funny enough 'the big bad wolf' is another issue with some timber frame design & modular buildings - Wind load calcs. not meeting the criteria - for racking resistance for the structure & overturning etc.

Professional Expertise & knowledge of timber frame and its use in Ireland that is independent to your timber frame supplier / manufacturer / contractor is key to a successful build that will remain fit for purpose for a lifetime.
However the same can be said for bricks & mortar buildings constructed in Ireland - See
" why Irish self regulatory / self certification building system is fatally flawed and long due an over haul" for explanation.
mike f

fieldstk

Thanks for all your comments. Has anyone a recommendation for either structural sign-off or even supply of wooden houses. Only strating out on this project so all suggestions welcome.

Open A

Sounds like engineermike might be able to help you out

I can also suggest an engineer we have used for timber frame buildings, PM me for details. If you're going down the airtight route, we used a spray-foam insulation on our EcoVillage house which provided air-tightness as well. This worked out cheaper than insulation + airtight membrane and the spray isn't vulnerable to piercing. Plus it's made of soya: non toxic, low embodied energy..

Most Timber Frame companies will erect the frame and leave it to you or your contractor to weatherproof and finish inside. On a recent job, the timber frame itself was 1/5th of the overall costs. Some framers will offer a 'turn key' solution. In my experience, this works out about 20% more expensive than separate timber frame company and local contractor.

One other thing to look out for is that the timber framer usually seeks most of the money upfront, up to 70% by the day they arrive on site. Under standard RIAI contracts (more info here), you only pay for completed work and the architect is liablle if s/he over certifies. If you have paid in advance and the company goes under, you may lose this money.

I hope the above doesn't sound doom & gloom! Timber frame is a great option: fast, warm and can be cost effective.

Good luck!