What is Timber Frame?

Timber frame construction is a method of building that relies on a timber frame as a means of structural support.

Timber frame construction is a method of building that relies on a timber frame as a means of structural support. The only difference between timber frame and conventional block and mortar construction is that the inner leaf of the block work is replaced by a timber frame structure which includes timber panel walls.

It is a precision-engineered structure that is remarkably strong and durable. The outer leaf of the wall is finished in the same way as a conventional block using stone or brick. Timber frame as a method of building is not new and, with over 70% of houses built in this way, it is also the world’s most popular form of house construction.

Thermal insulation

With insulation between studs, timber frame combines structure and thermal performance into the same thickness, delivering slender walls with excellent U values (thermal efficiency). With thin lightweight cladding options even thinner walls can be achieved whilst meeting thermal performance targets.

The added benefits are fewer materials - therefore reduced cost - thinner walls and more useable floor area. Timber frame has always delivered great air tightness too, because the vapour control layer installed to the inner face of the wall also acts as an air barrier.

Sound insulation

Timber frame party walls have always delivered excellent acoustic performance - think of a pair of semi-detached houses as two separate buildings constructed 50mm apart. This lack of shared structure means fewer paths for sound to travel through materials. Twin leaf party walls are now often used by other sectors because of this advantage. Along with this gap, insulation and plasterboard are used to deaden and absorb sound.

Lifespan of Timber Frame.

The lifespan of Timber Frame is the same as a masonry home, 100 years +, the importance of a long lasting, well-built timber frame home is the use and the sealing of the membranes associated with the timber frame. There is evidence that Timber Frame homes have been built back in 1277, 173, High Street, Berkhamsted, is a medieval building in Hertfordshire, England. It is considered to be the oldest extant jettied timber framed building in Great Britain, dated by dendrochronology of structural timbers to between 1277 and 1297.