Haylingbilly Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Hi there, I am currently getting quotes for Timber Frames and have a price from Solo Timber Frame, which is very competitive. Has anyone any experience of using them? Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 What is making your quote very competitive, just the £ value at the bottom or the overall u value you will end up with compared with your other quotes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Google finds one or two reviews but not very detailed. They have a Facebook page.. https://m.facebook.com/pg/TimberFrameBuildings/about/ Awards Solo are unique in being the only company in the Timber Frame industry to be members of the Trading Standards Buy with Confidence Scheme. A list of businesses approved by Trading Standards Authorities who provide a reliable and quality service. We are also active members of the UK Timber Frame Association. and NASBA. Perhaps check out those claims. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 I think we spoke to them at the Swindon self-build centre years ago, when we were looking around. IIRC, we dismissed them because their spec was pretty basic, it just met building regs and was nowhere near the sort of energy performance we were looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K78 Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 I had a quote from them many years ago. They were much more professional than most of the companies I approached (maple timber frame being by far the worst). They have been around for a while, so there should be no shortage of feedback/customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haylingbilly Posted February 10, 2020 Author Share Posted February 10, 2020 On 09/02/2020 at 15:49, Declan52 said: What is making your quote very competitive, just the £ value at the bottom or the overall u value you will end up with compared with your other quotes. They are cheap for the u value they are quoting, I am not looking for a particularly low u value, so happy with that aspect. They are just quite a bit cheaper than the other (two) quotes I have, but there does not seem to be any feedback on the hub for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haylingbilly Posted February 10, 2020 Author Share Posted February 10, 2020 On 09/02/2020 at 16:00, Temp said: Google finds one or two reviews but not very detailed. They have a Facebook page.. https://m.facebook.com/pg/TimberFrameBuildings/about/ Interestingly enough a couple of those reviews on google are from people who seem to live in Spain, so not sure how reliable they are! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Hi, Resurecting the thread. Andy, did you get anywhere with Solo? I am awaiting a quote from them. They seem a friendly bunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Hi @BartW i have had a quote back from solo , very competitive on price depending on the u value . they have been quick to answer any questions and have kept in touch whilst we finalise the design. defiantly on the short list . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Hi @Buzz thanks for the reply. I am still waiting to hear from Solo, Flight, Fleming, and Frametechnologies. Lakeland provided a quote, it's ok although more than expected. MBC was very comprehensive, but totally beyond our budget, as they were the favourite choice initially. Very prompt, friendly, and knowledgeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Hi @bart i know what you mean regarding MBC they were the first company we talked to about a timber frame and knew they would not be the cheapest but was not expecting the price to be as high as it was , like for like they are almost double any other quote we have had, and there passive frame and foundation package is more than our entire budget. Fleming also provide a comprehensive quote and are competitive if you drop the windows but look closely at the travel and overnights for the fitting team could soon rack up a small fortune, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 @Buzz yes Fleming (fair dues to them) have warned they may outprice themselves due to travel and accommodation. Out of curiosity, how big is your build? This might help me guess what I could be expecting from the other suppliers I am yet to here back from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 We are around 250m2 bungalow inc single built in garage attic trusses and a 70m2 vaulted ceiling to one room, Solo came in at 51k for .13 u value supply and fit inc crane . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 That's actually not bad at all. We are going to be 180m2 across two storeys + top floor attic and gym with terrace (which makes things more expensive). MBC quoted around £60k for the frame with install, then further £21k for wall and roof upgrade to 0.14. If I can somehow get to £40k + for the TF with insulation, I think I would be happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 The MBC quote for frame, install and .14 in wall AND roof 105k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 4 minutes ago, Buzz said: The MBC quote for frame, install and .14 in wall AND roof 105k Ok, so it seems the cost increase / decrease is more or less proportionate to square metres of the build. Do let me know once you have decided please Or maybe we could ask one company for a group discount Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 No problem , let me know if you get a favourable quote from elsewhere , not looking to start until April/May so plenty of time to find a supplier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 4 hours ago, Buzz said: No problem , let me know if you get a favourable quote from elsewhere , not looking to start until April/May so plenty of time to find a supplier. yes good idea! Our timing is May / June earliest, so well in time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 8 hours ago, BartW said: If I can somehow get to £40k + for the TF with insulation, I think I would be happy good luck..! You would struggle to do that in blockwork for £40K with posi joists and 200mm cavity to get you to 0.15 so £20k premium for speed of installation of TF isn’t that bad. 3 hours ago, BartW said: yes good idea! Our timing is May / June earliest, so well in time You may be pushing it with MBC - that is 6 months away and they will already have an order book for next year so I would make a decision quickly if you want a frame sometime in summer 2021. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason L Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Morning, i have had a quote from them too and i am planning to use them and give them the order soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 I had a quote from Solo Timber and they made it to my final three shortlist. the other two that made the shortlist were Flight Timber and Timber Frame IT. in the end it came down to a choice between Solo and Flight and Flight won. From looking back at my notes it looks like Solo only supply the VCL if going for their fitted insulation package but their quote did include fitting of roof felt and battens. so the initial quote looked reasonable but when I asked to increase the GF ceiling height to 2.6m, upgrade to attic trusses and add an air tight membrane between the GF and FF those extra costs made them a bit more than Flight. And then we were a lot more impressed with the site visit for Flight Timber and so they got our business. and since we put the deposit down they have been very good with the TF design and communications with the architect and have been generally very impressive for me. we're hoping to break ground in a couple of months so the TF should be erected in April/May (?). But in saying that it was a close call between Solo and Flight. I also think that people are being a bit harsh on MBC. yes, they are more expensive than others but they do what they do very well. they will also guarantee an air tightness value which no other TF company I've spoken to will do. so if you want a turnkey timber frame with insulation already fitted and a guaranteed ACH then the extra MBC pay could well be worth it. if, like me, you want to do the insulation yourselves to save money then MBC will never be able to compete. Plus MBC offer the passive foundations so getting the one company to do both foundations and TF makes sense. if we have more money (or built a smaller house) we'd have chosen MBC without question. but for us it was a choice of bigger house and do more ourselves or smaller house and get someone to do it all. the bigger house won! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Hi @Thorfun some valuable comments there, thanks! Don’t get me wrong, I would not have needed other quotes, if we were able to afford MBC. It was choice number one, but yes, money vs house size means we are choosing to downgrade, rather than downsize. Frame IT said they would not quote due to distance, so just waiting for a couple of more suppliers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Hi @Thorfunagree with your comments regarding MBC they are one of just a small number of companies who will do both thus removing a large element of risk to get to wind and water tight stage , if budget was not a concern then they would be top of the list as very impressed with their system and company overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Quick update, Solo is out I am afraid... They quoted £100k supply and install for the frame without any wall, or roof upgrade, so 0.20u Value as part of the standard spec. That is the passive house territory as quoted by MBC... Let's hope Flight Timber come up with less of a shocker ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 1 minute ago, BartW said: Quick update, Solo is out I am afraid... They quoted £100k supply and install for the frame without any wall, or roof upgrade, so 0.20u Value as part of the standard spec. That is the passive house territory as quoted by MBC... Let's hope Flight Timber come up with less of a shocker ? good luck with Flight. let us know how you get on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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