Possible house extension, timber frame structure?

[emporer]

We are in the process of a disabled facilities grant for work on our house due to our son being severly disabled, the main thing is the extension. Its either going to be a single storey extension at the rear of the house or built on top of our existing utility room thus extending the lads bedroom/bathroom. The people dealing with it have said they have started using timber frame constructions in cases like this, never heard of this before but they tell me the lifespan of such building would be around 40 years but require a bit more maintenance.

Anybody have experience of these constructions? I kind of like the idea but the wife aint that keen.

[dan1979]

I don't know much from a construction point of view but most mortgage companies won't touch anything timber-framed so that's worth bearing in mind.

[emporer]

Originally Posted by dan1979

I don't know much from a construction point of view but most mortgage companies won't touch anything timber-framed so that's worth bearing in mind.

Ive been reading stuff onkline with regards to timber framed extensions etc and it seems as though mortgage and insurance companies class them as permanent structures and have no problem with them, apparantly 20% of all houses in the UK are of this type now and increasing all the time.

[neilios]

I've just finished installing a disabled suite and rads for a customer and he had the extension built from the same materials as his house eg stone ,to match his building .

[GasDad]

Originally Posted by dan1979

I don't know much from a construction point of view but most mortgage companies won't touch anything timber-framed so that's worth bearing in mind.

What a ludicrous statement. Timber frame probably represents the majority of new house builds in the UK (well it did before they stopped building any houses a couple of months ago).

[Phil57]

Originally Posted by dan1979

I don't know much from a construction point of view but most mortgage companies won't touch anything timber-framed so that's worth bearing in mind.

What total nonsense.

[paul1967]

Have it brick and thermo block built, if the company does not do it right you wil have a load of problems, condensation, mold, rot, the building must be able to breath and thats where the skill is.

[shahedz]

recently had an extension built. Instead of brick and breeze block, i had the big bricks ( looks like breeze block but is stronger ) - this saved me £2500 off the cost of the extension. All the walls went up in one days instead of a few days that traditional bricks can take, and also these bricks were cheaper. As the back of the existing house was rendered i had the extension rendered to fit and looks great!

[GasDad]

Originally Posted by paul1967

Have it brick and thermo block built, if the company does not do it right you wil have a load of problems, condensation, mold, rot, the building must be able to breath and thats where the skill is.

Err why? - timber framed, is almost certainly quicker, warmer, cheaper and produces less C02.

[JagoPlasma]

they probably want to do it to save themselves a packet. money is tight everywhere and everyone wants to save a buck (look at the state of modern house builds)

its upto you, do you think it will stand the weather that we keep getting?

saying it will last 40 years is shocking. i have a brick built house that is 51yrs old, it looks as sturdy as the day it was built (well im not 51 but id imagine it does) and i hope it will stay like this for another 100yrs with minimal maintenance.

get what you can out of it

[tyefi]

I'm in a timber frame house with tropical storm Hannah passing by at present and all seems fine, though they do creak a little which takes some getting used to. Longevity wise we were told 30-40 years, but this doesn't mean the place will not be here in 30-40 years, just that the lumps on the exterior plywood shell will likely need work by then. Modern places have a tyvek wrap to improve sealing and life span.

[emporer]

Our house was built in the 50s and is rock solid, much more sturdier than the stuff built today, if we can then I think we would rather have something that would last although the max budget is 30k and out of that if we plan to build above the utility room then 12k would be spent on a through floor lift.

I suppose its just wait and see what the H&S officer comes up with when she does the feasiblity study.

[GasDad]

Originally Posted by JagoPlasma

they probably want to do it to save themselves a packet. money is tight everywhere and everyone wants to save a buck (look at the state of modern house builds)

its upto you, do you think it will stand the weather that we keep getting?

Err yes, because our building regs are finally catching up with the Scandanavians.

[Franco50]

Not sure if some posters here are missing the point - I am assuming when the OP says 'timber frame' he means that only the framework of the extension will be timber, in which case none of the timber will be exposed to the elements as some posters seem to be thinking. An outer skin of brickwork or blockwork is built around it. Think of the timber frame as being the bones of a skeleton and the brickwork is the flesh!

As some have already pointed out, an awful lot of new housing in the UK is built in this manner (here in Scotland I believe it is around 50% of all new housing) and most of the homes I have lived in have been this type of construction - two of them being selfbuilds. Their insulation level is far higher than traditional brick and block. Just Google "timber frame homes" to see the amount of firms producing this type of home.

Just one comment I'm puzzed about - the OP's builder stating a lifespan of 40 years for the extension? That seems ridiculous.

[IronGiant]

http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk...ml#cambridge25

Is 500 years a better estimate?