Timber Frame houses

harlemangel

hi all
planning to move over the next 2 years (have made site purchase etc) to a newly built house. I've only recently had a conversation about Timber Frame houses (Passive house?) and the advantages etc. Does anyone have an opinion, pros/cons etc? I was intending going down the traditional route, but the more I hear about this option, the more interested I am!
House will be built in galway btw
Thanks

Calahonda52

Can you edit this post to make it a little clearer as to what you are looking for here.
In the meantime some bedtime reading.
The first link is for details, second for Irish pricing
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Construction-Technology-Designing-Sustainable-Homes/dp/0717148343/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463079029&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=construction+technology-+trevor+hockey

https://schoolbooks365.ie/index.php?_route_=construction_technology_hickey

https://www.nsai.ie/S-R-54-2014-Code-of-Practice.aspx

http://www.environ.ie/en/TGD/

http://www.environ.ie/search/archived/current/category/housing/type/publications?query=acceptable%20construction%20details

harlemangel

Thanks for all the info! Sorry if I was a little vague, I was wondering really if the initial costs are greater than a traditional stone build (Im guessing they are), and how long before you could expect the energy efficient nature of the build to start saving you money. Im only at the beginning of the process here so apologies for the newbie questions. Im a little sceptical to be honest, and there seems to be a lot of startup timber frame building companies springing up.

Ill have a read of that material anyway.

On a side note, if I was to go down this route, does anyone recommend or have experience of any west of Ireland Passive House/Timber frame build companies?

thanks again

893bet

Passive house is not equal to timber frame house.

Passive house can be either timber built or traditional block built.

To achieve a passive house you will need-

1) high insulation levels
2) low Airtightness with MVHR
3) passive design to take advantage of solar gain
4) detailing to avoid cold bridging
5) renewables energy source

There are more I am sure but that is the very basics of it.

delfagio

harlemangel wrote:

On a side note, if I was to go down this route, does anyone recommend or have experience of any west of Ireland Passive House/Timber frame build companies?

I sent you a PM of a company over your side of the country

harlemangel

Ok so Ive been to visit a few timber frame houses since I last posted and I think this is the route Im going down. Received a lot of advice, some conflicting, but I think I can take it from here. Does anyone have any pitfalls to look out for that I may not be aware of at this early stage? Budget is not huge, so without cutting corners Im hoping to maximise my investment in this.
One thing I am really concerned with, and which I cant seem to get a common answer on, is the effect the climate (particularly in the West) would have on the timber itself. Has anyone come across a timber frame build which has been affected by the weather, and is there anything I should insist on in relation the construction/material etc?

thanks again everyone.

Gumbo

harlemangel wrote: »

Ok so Ive been to visit a few timber frame houses since I last posted and I think this is the route Im going down. Received a lot of advice, some conflicting, but I think I can take it from here. Does anyone have any pitfalls to look out for that I may not be aware of at this early stage? Budget is not huge, so without cutting corners Im hoping to maximise my investment in this.
One thing I am really concerned with, and which I cant seem to get a common answer on, is the effect the climate (particularly in the West) would have on the timber itself. Has anyone come across a timber frame build which has been affected by the weather, and is there anything I should insist on in relation the construction/material etc?

thanks again everyone.

What has your Engineer said about the climate?
The outer brick leaf will need to take account of location, wind speed, elevation of the site etc

harlemangel

kceire wrote: »

What has your Engineer said about the climate?
The outer brick leaf will need to take account of location, wind speed, elevation of the site etc

Two companies are offering conflicting advice, so I feel like im a bit in the middle! The site is ~slightly~ elevated with no real protection from the elements, so I guess this is where the debate is coming from.

For longevity and cost-saving, I was told that concrete blocks are the way to go, but one of the other companies advised using Heraklith Boards (which are used all over the continent apparently but not much here?). Anyone have any experience using this material?

Extending the roof past its traditional dimensions was also suggested, leaving less wall area to be concerned about, bit Im not keen on this idea.

For reference Ive checked out -snip- no adds thanks -snip-

The owners of some of the houses were good enough to show me around when I asked too which was very kind of them. If anyone has experience of any of the above 3 companies (positive / negative) let me know.

Gumbo

harlemangel wrote: »

Two companies are offering conflicting advice, so I feel like im a bit in the middle! The site is ~slightly~ elevated with no real protection from the elements, so I guess this is where the debate is coming from.

For longevity and cost-saving, I was told that concrete blocks are the way to go, but one of the other companies advised using Heraklith Boards (which are used all over the continent apparently but not much here?). Anyone have any experience using this material?

Extending the roof past its traditional dimensions was also suggested, leaving less wall area to be concerned about, bit Im not keen on this idea.

For reference Ive checked out houses built by

The owners of some of the houses were good enough to show me around when I asked too which was very kind of them. If anyone has experience of any of the above 3 companies (positive / negative) let me know.

Don't mind what the timber frame companies are saying.
Who is certifying the build on site? What does he/she say about it?

bungaro79

would like to know the answer to this too harlem. if we are lucky enough to get the site we're after we were talking about going down the timber frame route. we got a quote for a house (approx 1600 sq ft) with a turn key finish for 160k which i thought would be a lot cheaper than a concrete finish??

Metric Tensor

IMO a concrete block outer leaf is the only way to go.

The driving rain index in the West of Ireland is in a completely different league to this "all over the continent" place!

Maybe the Heraklith boards will work or maybe they won't work but either way you don't want your house to be a test case.

Ask the manufacturer to bring you to a thirty year old timber frame house anywhere west of the Shannon (not in a sheltered town obviously) with a non concrete block outer leaf and make your own assessment! There are a few timber frame houses with concrete block outer leafs of that era around and the well kept ones can be in good nick. Look for some early builds by a timber frame company called XXXXX Homes .... (rhymes with dentury and means 100 years ).

Also I recall that in the early or pre-boom days there was a company selling a Canadian style timber frame dwelling with non block outer leaf, or maybe no outer leaf at all, and there were serious problems. I'm sorry I can't remember the exact details or any names but maybe some wiser heads here might remember.

BryanF

Metric sensor,
What about cement fibre, rendered on double battens?

have you looked at gutex for as a board outside the timber frame.

Light weight construction is the sustainable option

Metric Tensor

You make a very good point BryanF - I can see the merit in rendered cement fibre board and have considered using it as an outer leaf myself in a problem area of a different project.

I haven't any knowledge of gutex boards - I have only seen their wood fibre insulation.

Your point is well made though - I don't have a complete knowledge of all lightweight systems available and so I shouldn't dismiss them all out of hand.

My point would have better been phrased as: A well built, well rendered, concrete block outer leaf has proven the test of time in the west of Ireland climate where few other systems have been proven over as long a time period or as wide a range of circumstances - hence it would be my strong preference in a timber frame house.