Abacus Construction Index
UK: Timber Frames: Timber Frame Suppliers
ABOUT TIMBER FRAMES
Timber frame construction is house building with wooden walls, and studs carrying dry lining and often the cladding. In the UK the suspended floors and roofs of houses have always been of timber, but for walls its use declined after the early medieval cruck house in favour of brick and block, which have better sound insulation and fire resistance.
Long used in America and Australia, as balloon framing, braced frames, platform frames, or brick veneer, timber frame construction is being revived in the UK. If the house is insulated and heated, it needs breather membrane outside the timber and insulation. Inside the insulation a continuous vapour barrier is needed; service pipes should not pass through walls, but be run behind a separate lining. Timber must be free to shrink and have movement joints so that it does not take unintended loads, eg soft joints against brickwork.
SPONSORED LINKS
Timber frame construction is enjoying a major resurgence among building designers throughout Britain. It features in around 50% of homes in Scotland and some 95% of all homes built in North America and Scandinavia. Modern timber frame has been around since the last century - and has had a higher success rate than conventional block and mortar construction. The only real difference between the two methods is that the internal leaf of block work is replaced by a timber frame structure.
As the timber frame is externally clad with brickwork or rendered, and the internal finish is plasterboard, the final appearance is no different to its masonry counterpart. The roof, floors, doors, windows, internal finishes and services are the same in both methods of construction - but, because the timber frame is a dry form of construction, it requires no drying-out period.
LEADING UK TIMBER FRAME SUPPLIERS
New World Timber Frame is a leading supplier of timber frames. The most commonly used timber frame system in the past is the 89 x 38mm Canadian Lumber Standard (CLS) system. This timber frame wall can then be filled with a variety of different insulations. This is the most cost effective of the systems. The floor joists are generally structural soft wood or engineered 'I' beams and trusses for the roof. The studs could be increased to 140mm x 38mm if you desire a better U-value.
Glulam beams and posts are made from layers of structural grade pine laminated together they come in stock sizes or can be made to order to almost any size or shape. They can be used in many different applications and can create some massive clear span structures. These beams are often used for the entire structure of a building or in conjunction with other systems as structural beams reducing the use of steel.
Flight Timber is a leading supplier of timber framed houses. It has a 320 sqm building, built in 2001, which is dedicated to Timber Frame Construction. All components are cut, panels fabricated, quality checked and dispatched from this building.
Other useful links relevant to timber frames and suppliers:
Timber Research & Development Association
DETAILED INFORMATION RESOURCES ON SUPPLIERS OF TIMBER FRAMES
We recommend the following professional construction directories, which include manufacturers' specifications and CAD details: Barbour Compendium at www.barbourcompendium.co.uk, RIBA Product Selector Plus at ww.productselector.co.uk, ASC Bricsnet at www.ascinfo.co.uk, Building Products Index at www.bpindex.co.uk, British Board of Agrément at www.bbacerts.co.uk, British Standards Online at www.bsonline.bsi-global.com.
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Other recommended portals: Archbone, Building Design, Homeone Australia, Lighting Directory, Sapling, Stone Network.
Publisher: Abacus Construction Index is a professionally edited directory of recommended construction websites, published by Extonet Ltd which also publishes a directory of the world's best websites. It is financed only by Google advertisements; no payment is received from included websites.
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