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BENFIELD ATT LTD p
European Headquarters Castle Way, Caldicot, South Wales NP26 5PR Tel: 01291 437050 Fax: 01291 437051 e-mail: info@adtimtec.com p BENFIELD p Advanced Timber Technologies Advanced Timber Technology Green Dream Homes Easy Timber Frame AbbacHus |
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BENFIELD p
 The Sustainable Way to Build
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Timber
frame -v- Wet
Trades Construction
Comparisons With
regard to time scales of construction, providing all runs smoothly, a
typical timber frame house will take approximately 6 weeks less to
build than a block & brick house. A timber frame house will take
as little as twelve weeks to build and a weatherproof shell can be in
place in less than a fortnight, cutting down the risk of delays due to
adverse weather conditions. Building a house with block and brick will
take approximately eighteen weeks to construct. The
difference in the time scale is mostly effected by the fact that the
timber frame is precision engineered off site and then when delivered,
it can be erected in a few days. Building with bricks and blocks to
first floor stage will take five to six weeks. The roof construction
and tiling will also take longer. Although
bricks and blocks are generally cheaper materials than timber,
specially engineered timber frames and the efficient modern factory
based methods used to manufacture them save materials both in the
structure and by reducing waste.
Consequently, on a ‘like for like’ basis, both methods cost
about the same. However, because of the advantage of the speed of
construction timber frame allows financial gains to be made. You will
not need to hire scaffolding for as many weeks as ‘wet build’
builders. Walls and ceilings will meet to form precise right angles,
which will make decorating and floor laying easier and will avoid
wastage of materials. And your new property will not need months, if
not years, to dry out properly. This
means you can decorate your warm, cosy, draft free property just as
you like immediately, and avoid costly drying out and settlement
cracks other problems. Amendments
to The Building Regulations part L which deal with energy
conservation, came into effect from April 1st 2002.
These demand lower target U - values and set higher standards
for thermal insulation and energy conservation in housing (see Table
1). Timber
frame construction has a long established ability to achieve high
standards of thermal insulation and therefore has no problems with
meeting and exceeding the new requirements. Brick and block
construction may struggle more in this area, especially, if as
rumoured, the target U-value is brought down even lower in the next
few years. SAP
(Standard Assessment Procedure) was introduced by the government in
1995 to ensure that all new homes would be more energy efficient. The
annual energy cost is assessed per square metre of floor area. The
ratings are expressed on a scale of 1 - 1000, the higher the figure
the greater the energy efficiency. There is no minimum requirement,
however, a rating lower than 60 would need to be improved, for
example, by the installation of a high efficiency condensing boiler or
12mm double glazing. The
accepted robustness of brick and block construction, has already been
mentioned. Solid concrete floors and partition walls are very
efficient in their resistance to the transmission of sound and are
highly resistant to fire. However, the advanced timber technologies
now employed by Benfield ATT enables even higher standards to be
attained. Although
masonry can be drilled at any point for fixing shelves, kitchen units
and the like, special ‘toggle’ fixings provides the same facility
in timber frame if fixings are needed where no ‘stud’ is present.
Remember Wherever you are ... Whatever you need .... 'Better Build Benfield' "... the sustainable way to build ..."
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