Advantages of Timber Frame Structures

Timber Frame Structures are:

• Timber frame structures are more robust and more durable.
• Timber Frames with SIP, or structural insulated panels as insulation, are more efficient than fiberglass and even stronger.
• There are no load-bearing walls in timber frame structures, allowing changes to the floor plan with no structural consequences.
• SIPs can have as many doors or windows as desired.
• The working structure of the array can be seen, studied, and enjoyed.
• Walls are straighter. Look down stick-built walls and compare them with timber frame walls.
• With SIPs, structures often cost less than half as much to heat and cool as stick-built/fiberglass structures.
• Noise insulation is remarkable.
• There is no insulation settling and an increase in thermal transmission as occurs with fiberglass.
• With SIPs, energy is much more efficient.
• Airflow through a SIP was less than 10% of that through a stud-wall/fiberglass structure.
• With SIPs, HVAC systems can be smaller, cost less, and still have higher SEER ratings (higher efficiency).
• There is little temperature variation throughout the building…no hot or cold spots.
• Usually, less wood is used in timber frames than in stud-wall structures.
• The use of sustainable materials, such as local wood, contributes to a lower carbon footprint and lower environmental costs.
• A shallow carbon footprint is created when local woods are used.
• The building process creates almost no waste.
• Compare this with the dumpsters you see at stick-built sites. Less waste at the site means less pressure on waste treatment plants/landfills.
• Timber waste can be recycled.
• Craftsmanship is encouraged and enhanced by the owner’s and framer’s knowledge that the frame will be seen and admired by the inhabitants and visitors for centuries.