SELF-BUILD Wooden-Frame House & Cost

markymark

I'm considering the possibility of self-build (well, hiring a contractor to build) a wooden frame house.

It's just something I thought about a few days ago, so it's not something I know much (anything really) about.

I just wondered what the general consensus is on wooden-frame houses (finished with block, brick or stone). Are wooden-frame houses generally considered to be equal to "ordinary" brick or block houses?

As far as I know, when you purchase one of the wooden frame house, then the manufacturing company delivers the frame to your site and builds the frame on-site. Then you have to either build the rest of the house yourself (with friends) or hire a contractor to do this.

After the frame has been built, there is the plumbing, electrical work, painting, roof tiles, kitchen units, wall & floor tiles to do. Also the foundation has to be built before the frame is even delivered and constructed.

If I was getting a contractor to do the more difficult work such as plumbing, plastering, electrics, roof tiles, and also construct the foundation; would anyone have an idea as to what this might cost for a 1200sq.ft. house? Or what it might approximately cost per sq.ft.?

I know it's impossible to give anything accurate. Anyone know what it might cost to do the foundation and also the roof tiles, plumbing, plastering, electrics (I think the windows are usually provided with and installed with the frame).

Any other tips about this are very much welcome........

woolymammoth

Century Homes in co. monaghan, longford and waterford.

really good website.
should tell you pretty much all you need to know.

viking

Take a look at this thread from a while back

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66643

viking

PH01

Originally posted by viking
Take a look at this thread from a while back

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66643

viking

Thanks Viking - I was about to search for that link - saved me the trouble.

I did think about going for timber frame. Got quite a few quotes and everything, but in the end I opted not to go forward with it for few reason...
1. I was getting conflicting reports about quality from different manufactures.
2. It doesn't really speed up the build. The main timber frame can go up in a couple days, but the prep work and the finishing take the same time. You might end up just gaining a couple of weeks with timber frame, not months.
3. And in the end I couldn't justify the extra cost.

BTW, my builder should be starting next week on the building of my conventional block house in the country

markymark

thanks for the link to that thread, hadn't noticed it before.

On that previous thread, "coupe 02" stated about steel frame houses:-

QUOTE:-
"its as cheap and as dear as timber frame housing and you have the advantage of being literally able to move walls later down the line. Its more sound proof, its warmer and if needed you have no problem in putting a concrete floor on the first floor.”

From the steel frame company www.fusionbuildingsystems.com I got the following from their site:-
QUOTE:-
"With a weatherproof shell in only 2-3 days, scheduling of following trades is simplified - and they get to work more quickly in a dry environment."


So, does this mean that a steel frame has the advantages of a wooden frame? i.e. it is built quickly, and so there is a dry environment in which internal trades can begin quickly. It's warm like a wooden frame. It can cost the same as a wooden frame house. But as it's steel it does not not have any possible disadvantages such as sound transference. Or the disadvantage of someone (probably mistakenly) thinking (as some might about a wooden frame) that it was not as strong as a block house. As I'd guess no-one could think that a steel frame house was in any way not strong.

So, does a steel frame give the advantages of a wooden frame (without any disadvantages) and also the advantages of a conventional block house (without the disadvantages )?

PH01, hope everything goes well with the build. Make sure you don't get as stressed as they get on that programme "Grand Designs", as it can't be good for the blood pressure!

btw, did you get any quotes from steel-frame companies? If you did, how did this compare to block/wooden frame quotes?

ThreadKiller

A couple of things I can tell you, our first house was timber frame, it was incredibly warm & very quiet (literally no noise transference from the neighbours or us to them in two years)

Our second house is block (about 30 years old), it's not as warm & defo not as quiet.

I believe it's also cheaper (by several thousand) to do a timber frame.

markymark

thanks ThreadKiller,

Yes I thought that it would cheaper to build a wood-frame house than a block one. I think it is, especially if you are self-building.

Though someone mentioned that if you were getting a contractor to build it then it's cheaper to get the contractor to build a block house.

But on that thread which Viking mentioned, steel-frames were referred to; which I hadn't even heard of before.

So, now I'm thinking these give the advantages of both wooden-frame *and* block houses, but without the disadvantages of either.

Anyone have an opinion about this.........?

PH01

Originally posted by markymark

PH01, hope everything goes well with the build. Make sure you don't get as stressed as they get on that programme "Grand Designs", as it can't be good for the blood pressure!

btw, did you get any quotes from steel-frame companies? If you did, how did this compare to block/wooden frame quotes?

Stressed-out already! No not really, just the money is stressing me out at the moment.
I've contracted a builder and a site engineer and a site engineer only on and off), rather then do things directly (self build). So things shouldn't be that stressful.

Didn't get a quote from any steel-frame company, and the timber frame quotes weren't that cheap.
I'm sorry in a way that I'm not going for a timber frame - missing out on that insulation and other benefits. But modern block houses have insulation nearly as good - so hopefully it will work for me.