sti-04!!

Mods can you leave this here for now please ? Just looking some opinions.

Hi there,

I am in the process of finalising plans for my new house, one of the things i wanted to look at was what peoples opinions were with building timber frame or building with block.

I can see the benefits of cost & speed with the timber frame built i like the aspect of a more solid built & sound proofed (ish) block built house.

What are peoples opinions on this & why ?

Also as it stands i havent consulted an architect yet due to the build being at initial planning stage & the build not being anything major in terms of design.

Thanks for your time.

fast bloke

Timber frame is warmer, quicker, more enviromentally sustainable etc etc. I prefer block so that you can use power tolls to hang pictures

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

Ex sparky point of view, timber all the way personally Though blocks are much beter built. Depends on the amount of £££££ you want to spend

sti-04!!

Dot & dab has also been mentioned for the plasterboard, this i am not keen on i would prefer it like a stud partition.

RON

I had the shell of this house done in 5inch blocks internal, cavity with insulation, and then the outer skin.... i didn't want dot n dab either, so i had it rendered and skimmed.,....

the stumbling block in your plan will be insulation.... thats the very reason why a lot of new homes are timber framed these days...... i though prefer blocks, they're more solid, and will inevitably last longer....!!

sti-04!!

Ron, i think thats what i am getting at with the insulation. It might take some room width away to a certain extent but the site could cope with that ie make build slightly bigger to compensate.

Thanks

unfeasablylargegonads

iTrader: (3)

For me personaly in this nice wet country we live in:

wood = shed
bricks/blocks = house

Dave1980

personally i would go for blocks. you can add pretty much anything to the outside and make it look like a timber framed house with some exterior cladding if you prefer.
block work is a lot more solid especially for hanging things inside the house like big tv's etc.

you can use a gypliner system to line the internal walls rather than rendering and skimming. it will be easier to achieve a straight wall this way. only downside is that the gypliner system does stand off the wall a little. so any thing standing or being supported against the wall may need plywood behind it to support things. although you can do this tight against the wall and fix straight into the blockwork.

after sounding like an anorak i am going back to building my current job.

have fun, but if you need any info on anything i have pretty much everything.

s700by t

I am currently working on a block of 20 flat made from internal timber frame(sips panels) the build program has been much quicker than traditional /imo i would prefer it but i work for a major uk company with lots of office based help ie architechs planners surveyors etc/ so for a home build i would deffinatly use traditional ie bricks blocks etc. oh and dont be scared of dot and dab it is a good time saving exercise over just plaster.

Dave1980

i do the same, as above.

timber framed is quicker although i would say if it was my own place i would go for traditional bricks and blocks just for peace of mind. may take longer to build but its a lot more sturdy and resilient to weather than most other things, especially with the extreme weather we seem to be getting a lot of now.

as for dot and dabbing, a decent dabber should be able to make a very good job of it no problem.
just make sure whoever is designing it for you listens thoroughly to what you want.

i want to do this one day so will be interested to hear how you get on.

OllyK

I'd probably go hybrid. Block for the first floor so the joists of the first floor sit on block and then timber frame the second floor.

Flatcapdriver

Modern building methods have doubtlessly improved, however, our house which is around 150 years old was built using this method and I'm not that impressed by it as the place shakes even when the front door is closed with moderate force. If the hound takes a running leap up the staircase you start reaching for the insurance policy!

OllyK

My last house was new when I bought it about 13 years ago and that was like that, slam the front door and the whole house shook and that was brick built!

The house I am in now is a 100+ year old miners cottage and it's as tough as old boots, as they say, they don't make them like they used to!!

The big issue really is that people in this country have traditionally used brick and so people aren't exploring other methods. Wood construction is common enough in other parts of Europe, the US and Canada and if it can cope with the Canadian winters, I'm sure it can cope in the UK.

s700by t

[ Wood construction is common enough in other parts of Europe, the US and Canada and if it can cope with the Canadian winters, I'm sure it can cope in the UK.[/QUOTE]

not completly true mate did you see what happened in the states last year with the hurricanes etc

OllyK

Did you see what happened to the brick houses in Birmingham last year when hit by a tornado? No normal house is going to cope with extremes of weather, just look at all the problems in Twekesbury at the moment and last year.

HowardG

Brick & block, with wet plaster inside. Try fitting a kitchen to stud walls!

Try not to use ultra light weight blocks (Celcon solar, Thermalite turbo I think) as they are almost all air and won't hold a decent fixing, and they shrink and crack like mad.

Having said the above, a timber frame with all walls lined internally with plywood then plasterboard would give great strength and be good for fixings.

Howard

PG

Not on the farm any more mate?

warrenm2

block

sti-04!!

Move out next Friday. Sold it. Ended up single "again" so was too much to keep going myself.
Got a cracking 1900's sandstone villa in need of major work, so going to build a house on the land while staying in the villa & renovating that at the same time Its all go mate.