Frame compression in settlement - what to expect

[Haku]

In speaking with one frame supplier last week he said to expect up to 10mm settlement at the ground floor and more at first floor over the first two winter heating cycles. Do others have experience of how much compression you actually saw as the frame dried out and what the impact was inside the house. 

 

The conversation came up as I was worried about how to finish the exterior window cils prior to the brick skin being built. It looks like there are specialist flexible sealing solutions for around windows to manage this. Any other considerations or pitfalls to be aware of? Is it better to get the roof on and then leave the timber frame to dry out for a while before fit out and bricking up the outside to reduce risk of cracks etc?

[Mr Punter]

Timber shrinks a lot across the width, so sole plates, top plates, locating plates and top and bottom of frame sections, together with floor joists, mean you need to allow for about 5mm for the ground floor plus 10-15mm for each additional floor.

 

This can impact cills, heads, soffits, roof, and soil pipes.

 

Compriband (Illbruck) is often used to seal around windows.  Just bear in mind the direction of shrinkage when making the allowances.

[nod]

Don’t fill any plaster cracks to early 

TF and traditional will settle for at least six months Then it’s just a case of filling and re sealing 

[ProDave]

Our last house was TF with rendered blockwork outer skin.

 

I can't say I noticed ANY shrinkage or movement between the frame and the block skin around windows or doors.  And only minimal movement at plasterboard joints.

[Russell griffiths]

Our window company would not supply a large door unless I allowed 30mm clearance above the door as they are having problems with large openings in timberframe construction. 

Even though I didn’t build in timber they said they would not warranty any door without this clearance. 

[nod]

11 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

Our window company would not supply a large door unless I allowed 30mm clearance above the door as they are having problems with large openings in timberframe construction. 

Even though I didn’t build in timber they said they would not warranty any door without this clearance. 

I work on both and while we leave a 5% retention on both 

The builders always pay us extra for TF maintenance As there are a lot more cracks on TF 

I would attribute at least some this to the speed in which the TF go up and are ready for windows and plaster 

 

[Haku]

1 hour ago, Mr Punter said:

Compriband (Illbruck) is often used to seal around windows.  Just bear in mind the direction of shrinkage when making the allowances.

Thanks. I just found the tech spec for this earlier today. Looks good and makes sense. 

 

I'm a bit concerned about cracks etc and a dodgy looking finish around windows as the properties are for resale - if I was living in them I'd be working slower, have more settling and drying out time and would be happy to patch up the decoration after a year. The thought of being called back once my builders have moved onto other projects is a bit of a concern. 

[Russell griffiths]

If you are doing a lot of the work yourself, many problems will go away naturally as you will have an increased length of time between jobs. 

So between frame up and internal plasterboarding could be 6 months to a year, this will allow stuff to settle and dry. 

A lot of problems occur because follow on trades are rushing to get their bit done. 

[TonyT]

Make sure materials are stored correctly, timber supported and covered up to prevent moisture/rain.

 

no point in building with wet products if you have too, only prolongs the drying process 

 

 

[Haku]

On 15/03/2021 at 07:52, Russell griffiths said:

If you are doing a lot of the work yourself, many problems will go away naturally as you will have an increased length of time between jobs. 

So between frame up and internal plasterboarding could be 6 months to a year, this will allow stuff to settle and dry. 

A lot of problems occur because follow on trades are rushing to get their bit done. 

The first houses are for resale so will be a main contractor doing all the work I think. The last house is to keep so that will be a mix of me and trades on day rate as needed. I dont plan to rush the houses but at the same time the build schedule is only planned to be about 7-9 months. Sounds like this is too short and could lead to some issues.

 

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by Haku

[PeterW]

5 houses in 7 months..? And this hasn’t started yet ..? I would expect unless you have money to throw at this then you’re off by 4-6 months. 
 

 

[Bitpipe]

5 years in our TF and not had any issues at all.

 

Maybe some frame designs are more susceptible than others?

[Haku]

On 16/03/2021 at 10:57, Bitpipe said:

5 years in our TF and not had any issues at all.

 

Maybe some frame designs are more susceptible than others?

I think so. been speaking to some of the other suppliers and they aren't expecting nearly the same scale of movement. Also hoping by getting frames put together in the summer the timber wont still be soaked from sitting in the yard through a damp spring.