Building with Timber

Why do we only build with timber?

At Elevation Homes South West, we are carpenters by trade.. we have been working with timber since the very first day we set foot on a construction site and it is our passion. With a team of dedicated carpenters, the same tradespeople will get your house from slab to lock up without the need to engage numerous different trades. This eliminates building delays and ensure continuity of progress.

 

What is timber frame construction?

Timber frame construction is the most popular method of construction Australia wide. In Western Australia, we are a little behind with many people still believing that a double-brick home is the only option.. mainly because no one likes to do anything considered different from the norm. Timber frame construction has been growing in popularity in W.A. over the past few years, especially in the South West, and is expected to continue to climb due to its many benefits.

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It is a light weight construction method where stud walls are made using timber. These can either be prefabricated or made on site. At Elevation Homes South West our Carpenters always build them by hand onsite to ensure quality.

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The timber stud walls become the framework of your house and are insulated then lined on both sides. The internal sides are lined with plasterboard and the external lined with an exterior cladding of your choice.

 

What are the benefits of building with Timber?

1. Flexible design options

Timber framing is an extremely versatile and practical construction method that is proving to be the way of the future in the residential building industry. Its versatility allows for endless possibilities in terms of design, material selections and finishes enabling builders to create unique homes with character and street appeal. Furthermore, a timber built house is also much easier and cost effective to modify and extend down the track.

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2. Faster build times

Time is money right? Especially when you are paying rent and a mortgage for the duration of your house build. The first question every client asks a builder is, ‘How long will it take?’ Timber framing is very time efficient and significantly reduces the build time in comparison to double brick construction. We all know how time consuming it is laying brick by brick.. not to mention the shortage of brick layers across the South West. The same team of carpenters will build your wall frames, ceiling frame, roof frame, install windows and wall lining meaning we are at lock up stage in a fraction of the time compared with double brick construction. In addition, there is a continuity of progress as you are not dealing with delays in between different contracting trades.

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3. Energy Efficiency

Timber framed construction has many insulation and energy benefits compared to other construction methods. The timber frame construction allows space to thoroughly insulate all of the walls, something which is not possible in a brick home without compromising on space. Timber is a natural insulator and it helps reduce a building’s energy requirements for heating and cooling. There are many options available for external wall lining, including the installation of external insulated façade system to further improve the buildings energy efficiency.   

4. Think of the environment

As environmental concerns continue to rise, the importance of sustainable practices has become increasingly apparent in all aspects of life.

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Timber is one of the most environmentally friendly building materials available. It is the closest to nature of all building materials and little work is needed to get timber from its natural state to being ready to use for construction. When timber is used in construction, the carbon remains stored in the wood, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and helping to offset global greenhouse gas emissions. When a pine forest is harvested for construction material, new seedlings are planted on the same site. The newly planted and growing pine forest has many benefits to the environment including supporting a vast diversity of other plants and wildlife.

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5. Durability

When constructed correctly, timber frames are extremely durable and will stand the test of time.

Lets look at an internal wall for example.. with a brick home you start with a concrete slab. From there a brick wall is built and you now have two dissimilar materials. Now the brick wall is rendered with a sand and cement mix. You now have three dissimilar materials. Next the rendered walls are plastered with white set, adding a 5th dissimilar material to the mix. The timber ceiling frame is now built on top of this wall, adding a 6th dissimilar material. Finally, a gyprock ceiling and cornice is installed, with the cornice directly cemented to the white set. All up we have used 7 building materials all dissimilar in nature. This can causes separation and cracking between the materials as they don’t bond as well together resulting in ongoing maintenance issues through cracking.

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In timber framed construction, we have a treated pine bottom plate that is bolted to the concrete slab which simply cannot move at all. From here we have a timber stud, timber noggins, timber door and window lintels, timber top plates, timber ceiling and timber roof frame which is all nailed and screwed together, unable to separate. The gyprock wall and ceiling lining is screwed and glued to the timber frames, again not being able to separate. The gyprock cornice is now glued and screwed to the gyprock walls and ceiling. As well as eliminating multiple dissimilar materials, the materials that are used are much more compatible with each other. As a result there is no separation and very minimal cracking to homes.  

 

 

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