When people think about building a house, they more and more often choose a timber frame house. Timber frame houses are becoming increasingly popular thanks to fast construction, excellent energy efficiency and natural materials, resulting in a modern, comfortable and healthy living environment. A timber frame house can be built in different ways: the building can be built entirely on site, or its parts can be made in a factory and the house assembled on site from the finished parts. Depending on the technology used, timber frame houses are therefore called different names – prefabricated houses, panel houses or modular houses – and in all of them the load-bearing structure is a timber frame. Conversations with clients often bring misunderstandings about what will be built where and how – on site or in a factory, modules, panels or frame. Below we look at three ways to build a timber frame house.
The house is built from separate parts – modules. Modules are standardised, factory-made parts or sections of the house that are transported and assembled on site on prepared foundations. The main advantage of modules is that as much work as possible is done in the factory, keeping the time on site to a minimum. Insulation, utilities and exterior and interior finishing can be installed in the factory. For practical reasons, modular house projects are designed so that the modules can be used and combined with each other, giving different sizes and configurations.
However, there are several things to consider when choosing a modular house. Because of transport restrictions, the maximum size of one module is limited. This reduces the architectural variety and options of modular buildings and to some extent limits and dictates the room layouts. The total height of the modules can limit the ceiling height. Sometimes modules cannot be delivered to the planned building site because the access road is narrow or otherwise restricted. When modules are transported over long distances, attention must be paid to vibration and possible deformation. During assembly on site, special attention must be paid to the joints between modules.
Panel houses are also a type of prefabricated house. They differ from modular houses in that the factory-made element is not a three-dimensional module but a separate panel or plane. One panel can be a whole wall, but it can also be part of a wall, an external wall, an internal wall, a floor or part of the roof. Panels are made in a factory, and how finished they are before delivery to the site can vary. Insulation and utilities can be installed and part of the interior and exterior finishing done in the factory.
Compared with modular houses, the architecture is less restricted and the options are much wider. A timber frame house of almost any architecture can be prepared for production as panels, if not entirely, then at least partly. Using panels is a practical solution and reduces the time needed on site. Panels allow more parts to be delivered in one trip than a module. But, as with modules, transport has to be considered – suitable access for the delivery vehicle and unloading the panels with a crane.
Building on site is still a very popular way to build timber frame houses. It allows all kinds of projects, from a simple garden house or summer house to large, spacious, modern homes. The construction process does not require large production halls with specialised equipment. Of course, in this case the experience and thorough knowledge of timber construction of the builders is very important. Unlike preparing panels or modules in a factory, the client or architect can follow the whole construction process more closely – the individual details, the installation of utilities, the materials used, etc. When the frame is built on site, some changes can also be made during construction. For example, once the frame is up, it is easier to judge the volumes and layout, walk through the new building and adjust the size and position of a window or door opening. During construction, materials can also be delivered to places that are harder to reach, where large lorries and cranes cannot get to, as is needed for modular or panel houses. Building on site is also the only option when rebuilding, reconstructing or renovating a timber house, where the scope of work often has to be clarified as the work goes on.
