brick v timber frame

How different is each house-building experience? How long is your piece of string?

Bricks or timber frame? It can be right up there with sport, religion and politics if want to start a good argument. Over the years the gap between the two construction techniques has narrowed and depending on what your design specifies, location, and timescale the argument can go either way. It is all down to what works best for you and your budget and cash flow. The construction methods are different when working with masonry or timber frame, but how different are the benefits today? The timber frame arrives, on site from the factory, all pieces made, and a brick-built arrives on site as, well, pallets loaded with bricks and blocks for the work to begin. Timber frames are more expense up-front, balanced by shorter length of overall project. The NHBC says that choosing a timber frame can be upto- three-months quicker but the waiting time from order to delivery can be longer because demand has increased. Wages in the construction industry for skilled bricklayers and block layers have risen consistently over recent years and this can counterbalance the extra cost of timber frames. A timber home can be erected in days, allowing internal work to start right away – another time-saver and this engineered product means that installing premade items like staircases and fitted wardrobes and kitchens is a quicker job. This also makes sense when working with the Scottish climate. But for all this to work well, and to time, the foundations for a factory-produced, computer design aided timber frame have to incredibly accurate and are unforgiving. If mistakes happen at this stage then they can be time consuming and therefore costly. Timber frame construction means you enter into a contract and make a much larger payment or deposit up-front for the frame to be made-to-order. With a traditional brick build, the construction materials can be sourced speedily through builders’ merchants and ordered and paid for in stages. The amount of extra money needed at the beginning of the project before the first instalments of the mortgage arrive can be significant when choosing timber frame. Timber frame building in Scotland is more popular than anywhere else in the UK and one of the principle reasons is down to the cost-driven logistics and climate. Do not forget that roughly 20 per cent of the population of Scotland lives in 94 per cent of the landmass. That is a lot of countryside, with a long drive to the nearest friendly neighbourhood builders’ merchant once you are away from the central belt, Dundee or Aberdeen - or popping next door to Carlisle or Newcastle if you live in the Borders.

With today’s modern materials and construction techniques and efficient workplace practices for both brick and timber frame there is now a much smaller difference in the carbon footprint and eco-friendliness during construction and within the finished home.