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Look Inside. Subscriber Only. Three of the best pizzas in Ireland, and where to eat them. Three of the best steaks in Ireland, and where to eat them. Timber is a living material.
It expands when absorbing moisture and contracts when that moisture dries out. A greater or lesser lifespan depends to a large extent on the quality of the original workmanship and ongoing maintenance. Old timber-framed buildings will have been constructed very differently from modern ones and from very different timber, probably oak.
Timber frames are usually "guaranteed" by the manufacturer for a whole range of periods starting as low as 10 going up to 40 years. It seems to be a widely perceived opinion in the construction industry that 25 —30 years is a reasonable lifespan for a softwood timber-framed building. Timber-framed properties have been around for centuries. In fact, some of our most valued historical buildings use timber-frame construction.
These early buildings did not benefit from the modern preservatives used today, so it stands to reason that if the building has the same level of maintenance a masonry building would receive, its life expectancy is no different. Are timber-framed homes cheaper than brick and mortar?
Most modern timber-framed houses use factory-cut timber panels, which are nailed together on site. Pre-designed timber frame kits are more expensive than brick and blocks, although this expense is mitigated by the stability of material prices - they are much more predictable and fluctuate less than the costs associated with masonry building material.
Timber frame construction costs themselves are slightly higher than conventional brick and breeze block. Architects and builders who are less familiar with timber-frame construction may increase what they charge due to the extra time they require to make sure the design is correct. However, the time taken to construct a prefabricated house on site is considerably quicker than a traditional brick and block construction.
This estimate is a typical time from the arrival of the specialist construction team on site to the frame being in place. So, while the costs of a timber kit house are higher, the costs are more predictable. Overall, finance costs may be increased slightly, because unlike a typical builder generally paid after completion of work , prefabricated designers ask for money up front to cover the initial investment required.
Can you get a mortgage on a timber-framed property? The general issue mortgage lenders have with non-standard properties is resale if they have to repossess the property. Any lender needs to assess a property for risk so that if it comes to repossession, the sell-on value means they will easily be able to recover the loan. Many lenders are concerned that the previous owners have used timber for the strength in the building, which may not hold the building up for the duration of the mortgage without needing substantial repairs.
The risk is that you may not have enough cash to carry out the extensive work required to rebuild the affected area if part of the timber frame becomes structurally unsound. Are timber-framed houses more expensive to insure?
Insurers need to bear a variety of risk factors in mind when they work out the premium a customer will pay for building insurance.
These include: The cost of rebuilding should it become necessary. Timber frame houses are far less common than brick houses in the UK - although they are more numerous in Scotland - and, like concrete houses and steel frame houses are classified as being of non-standard construction or non-traditional construction. As with homes made from concrete or steel, there are certainly reasons to consider buying them however if you are you need to be aware that this can have implications for mortgages, insurance and even your home buyers survey.
In a similar way, you also need to consider what the position might be when you come to sell up. That said, of all houses built with non-standard materials, overall timber frame houses get the 'cleanest bill of health' click here for an expert RICS surveyor's opinion on timber frame houses and should not normally present huge problems regarding finding a lender to lend you a home loan to buy one, as long as the particular property you wish to buy has been kept in good repair and has no particular issues.
Additionally, as with steel frame houses, timber frame homes have also experienced a revival and increasing sales as part of the growing self-build movement. What's the difference between a timber frame house and a brick house?
Timber frame houses vs brick houses - Pros and Cons. Can you get a mortgage on a timber frame house? What are the different types of timber frame house? Why should you always get a Building Survey for a Timber Frame house? Looking to buy a timber frame house? You must get a Building Survey from an experienced RICS surveyor If you already have a mortgage in place, neither you nor your lender might realise that a property you want to buy is timber framed, particularly if there are barriers such as cladding and other masonry materials covering up the build.
When this fact comes to light, your lender might reconsider the terms under which they'll lend to you and you might find it more of a challenge to get buildings insurance. For peace of mind, once you know the house is built from timber frame, you should get a Building Survey from one of our expert RICS surveyors who have years of experience in surveying these properties. Please note , this service is offered subject to us having an appropriately qualified RICS Surveyor operating in the postcode area of the property you'd like to be surveyed.
Oak frame structures - such as used to be popular in years gone by - if built in the modern era normally require frames to be encapsulated in structured insulated panels SIPS , which themselves typically consist of two sheets of OSB oriented strand board sandwiching an insulative core.
Builders lay a concrete foundation and build walls on top of this using layers of blocks which have mortar in between them. Floors are mainly constructed from wood as are internal roof structures. The layers of blocks themselves are then covered in layers of bricks. Most of the pros related to timber framed houses relate to the construction process which accompanies putting new build homes up.
Timber frame houses have lost their previous bad reputation and perform well For a period in the s in the wake of Right to Buy, when many non-standard construction houses were put 'under the microscope', timber frame houses received some criticism however perceptions have greatly changed in more recent years. You should never assume that you can get a mortgage on a timber frame house, although there are many lenders that will.
After Right to Buy, many non-traditional council-built properties came 'under the microscope' on resale and because there were some isolated issues with timber frame houses, as a class lenders viewed them with suspicion. However, over time, they have become regarded as reasonably well performing compared to other construction types, not least because there are some very ancient timber frame homes still in existence - you may have even seen an authentic example from the Tudor-era yourself with their prominent external black oak beam frames.
That said, the very class of 'non-traditional' puts off some lenders and cash buyers are in a stronger position than mortgage buyers. A media report noted that for one major lender, properties made entirely of timber are not acceptable although it will consider modern timber-framed properties provided they have an outer skin of brick work.
Another lender, quoted in the same report, meanwhile, relied on the discretion of the valuer and the individual merits of a timber-framed building but will not lend if the cavity between the timber frame and cladding has been "retrospectively filled with an insulation material".
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