Homes constructed with timber frames have been around for centuries right from the very start. Even today, timber frame construction is the most optimal choice of construction for the United States of America and many european countries. Many plot owners still prefer building their houses with timber more than anything else.
According to Hamill Creek Timber Homes, not only do timber homes offer a unique and classic look to your homes, but they also provide a lot of advantages that are only unique to them. They provide your house with an eco-friendly look and make you feel like you are back in nature again. A house made of timber in the backdrop of a wide forest is the dream home for many individuals.
Normal houses made from brick and mortar can’t achieve this same aesthetic. However, they do have their own aspects that make them stand out in front of timber construction. Thus, it can often be a confusing choice for many individuals when deciding whether they should build a timber frame house or not.
For a proper evaluation of that question and to arrive at the most practical answer, one must consider the advantages of building timber frame construction and put them against their disadvantages. Depending on what aspects matter to you the most, you can arrive at the best possible housing construction decision for yourself.
To help you achieve that, in this article, we’ll talk about the various pros and cons of timber frame construction. Read the article till the end so you don’t miss out on crucial details.
Pros
Power-saving
One of the most surprising benefits of owning a timber-framed house is actually the energy efficiency that comes with it. Timber houses are made of, well, wood. And wood is an excellent keeper of heat! Its properties allow it to store all the heat inside it. This way, your own house will be acting as an insulator during cold days when winters come rolling.
This heat insulation also means that you will be saving up tons and tons on heating costs. You won’t ever have to worry about your home getting unbearably cold as long as your house has timber frame construction.
Better acoustics
This might be a minor feature to some people but for individuals who want to protect their privacy while living in densely populated areas, this can be an absolute dealbreaker or dealmaker. In the case of timber-framed houses, it’s the latter.
These houses are great at absorbing sound. Even if you get particularly thin pieces of wooden planks to wall your home with, you can still be assured that your sound won’t travel much beyond your four walls.
Quick construction
Timber houses are constructed at a much quicker rate than standard brick and mortar houses and the reason for that is that wood and timber are easier to frame than standard houses. Here, many people often state a counter argument that even though timber houses are quicker to construct, the materials for the construction to happen require a lot of time to be fabricated.
It is true that if you build a timber construction with entirely new fabricated materials, you will require a lot of time to build your house. However, this problem can be easily resolved because of the availability of prefabricated materials that skip the entire process of fabrication and get right down to construction directly.
Sustainability
Standard houses aren’t made from recyclable materials and only serve to exhaust the planet’s limited resource pool. Timber houses, on the other hand, are made from wood which is a sustainable resource. Trees that are cut down for making timber for houses, can be replanted almost immediately.
Essentially, when you use a timber house you use resources that are fundamentally renewable in nature and ever-sustaining instead of resources that are non-renewable. This also means that your timber houses are eco-friendly for the planet.
Better quality of air
Many have reported several instances of getting cleaner and fresher air inside their wooden homes. This same quality of air cannot be received from standard houses. Standard houses are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions and cannot provide the most optimal quality of air indoors as timber houses do.
Cons
Rotting
Timber houses are susceptible to rotting and mold unlike standard concrete or brick houses. That’s why owners need to have proper measures and safeguards in place to avoid setting any rot in place. There are specialized wooden planks that minimize moisture and special window seals that don’t allow moisture to come through.
Environmental Hazards
Having a house made of timber has its own environmental risks and hazards. The most dangerous risk out of these is the attack of insects on the walls and crevices of your home. One hole in your wooden home can serve as the perfect nest for an insect and before you know it you have a pest infestation.
Timber houses attract more insects, and even animals, due to their wooden structure and this makes them quite the environmental hazard to live in.
Increased fire risks
Everyone is well aware of how quickly wood catches fire and this is the most significant con out of all other cons for timber frames. If an individual decides to purchase a home with a timber frame construction, they should be well aware that they are more prone to catch fire than other materials like concrete or brick.
One careless kitchen accident can see your entire wooden home go down in flames. That being said, there are a number of fire retardant materials that are being used nowadays to inhibit fires and the addition of sprinklers can prevent major accidents from happening.
Limited structural features
Last, but not least, timber frames have very limited structural features. You can’t mold a wooden house the same way you can mold a concrete house to your liking. This one fact makes their customization super limited. If you are someone who likes customizing their house till they fulfill all your structural needs, a house made of timber frame construction may not be the best choice for you.
Conclusion
We hope this article was insightful for you and helped you decide whether you require a house of timber frame construction or not. If it did help you, please consider following our website for regular updates as it will help us out immensely.
