Almondia – Bautipps Die Bauherrenberatung

timber frame construction

Timber frame construction is a fast and flexible construction method that allows builders to do a lot of their own work and that is mostly used for prefabricated houses. In the timber frame construction (also timber frame construction), the house is composed of a framework made of wooden beams and wall elements made of wood and gypsum fiber boards.

How does the wooden frame construction work?

Building a house using timber frame construction is usually very quick. The walls are delivered to the construction site already pre-assembled, where they only have to be assembled. The ground floor and upper floor can usually be erected within a week. For the roof truss and the laying of the underlay, you need about another week.

What are the advantages of timber frame construction?

benefits

  • not weather dependent
  • quick construction
  • including thermal insulation
  • release of moisture
  • pleasant living environment
  • KfW eligible

Since the individual components can be made before the actual house is built, timber frame construction is not dependent on the weather. The quick construction method saves time and money. In addition, the timber frame construction also has other advantages: The thermal insulation of a house that was built with the timber frame construction method is very good. This is mainly due to the fact that the walls are composed of several layers . In the middle there is an insulating layer, which in most cases consists of cellulose. The walls are constructed in such a way that they can release the moisture that occurs in the living spaces from the inside to the outside. In addition, the natural building material wood ensures a healthy and pleasant living environment.

The houses built with the timber frame construction method correspond to a low-energy house and therefore also meet or exceed the requirements of the EnEV (Energy Saving Ordinance) for new buildings. Accordingly, builders who opt for timber frame construction can also apply for funding from KfW.

Does timber frame construction have any disadvantages?

Nevertheless, many people who want to build are concerned about the possible disadvantages of timber frame construction. With wooden houses, it is often feared that they will burn faster and be more susceptible to pests.

In most cases, however, these concerns are completely unfounded. In timber frame construction, the supports and beams are made extra thicker than is actually necessary. Because particularly thick wood is very flame retardant, which everyone has certainly seen at a campfire or in a fireplace. In the event of an emergency, a wooden house can actually be safer than a house built with steel beams. These can erupt completely unexpectedly in a fire, while wood burns slowly and evenly.

And pests don’t stand a chance in modern wooden houses either – and all without chemical wood preservatives. The wood to be used later is brought to a residual moisture content of less than 18% in drying chambers. In comparison, fresh wood has a water content of approx. 40%. This kills all pests previously present in the wood and coagulates the protein. Without protein, i.e. their food source, new pests have no interest in nesting in the wood. Mold and fungus also need a moist environment to grow. If the residual humidity of the house is kept below 18% until installation, there is accordingly no risk of builders getting into trouble with vermin in their wooden house.