OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION: THE PROS & CONS

G As the timber frame is manufactured in a controlled factory environment, you can achieve a higher level of accuracy than with on-site construction methods, such as masonry. This can make it easier to get aspects like airtightness detailing right. G Once the structural elements are delivered to your project site, the skeleton of the property can be erected quickly. Typically, the basic shell can be assembled in just a few days. G A fixed price contract for the timber frame package can be negotiated at the beginning of the project, offering you more cost certainty than if you were paying for items as you go. G Most of (if not all) of the design decisions will be made right at the start of your self build process. Bear in mind that it will

be difficult – and potentially expensive – to make any structural changes once the factory-engineered skeleton is packed onto lorries and delivered to your build site.

G Should access to your site be restricted, delivering large, prefabricated structures to the plot could be challenging. If this is the case for you, your project might be better suited to the use of smaller structural components, such as brick and block or a stick-built timber frame. G A highly prefabricated system may not be the best option if you’re keen to get hands on, as a large proportion of the work takes place in a factory before the structural components are delivered to your plot.