Build or Buy Timber Frame

[Dave_madl]

looking for some advice,

 

We have a plot on the isle of Mull and starting to look into various routes to go down, 

 

Route 1: use a timber frame supplier such as scotframe/flemming that offer architectural services and get them to do our design, planning, building warrant and kit supply

or

Route 2: get an architect to design our house, do the planning, building warrant and then get local joiners to build the kit onsite?

 

what are peoples experiences on both and recommendations?

 

Many thanks

[ProDave]

For me it was flexibility.  The Kit suppliers tended to only do standard packages and none met the insulation and air tightness I wanted and one even stopped talking to me when i talked about taking their kit and improving the insulation, so for me it was architect and local builder to stick build it to their plans.

[Thedreamer]

I used local joiners to stick build with structural plans. 

 

Even with me sourcing the materials (1st time self builder) we were wind and water tight in a matter of weeks. 

 

This saved a lot and resulted in me having a big cashflow advantage during the build.

 

This is from my blog on here

 

It cost £13k for the materials to build the kit. Included within that is £5k for engineered attic trusses from Pasquill.

 

Labour was £9k, included within that was the time making the kit, erecting it and also the suspended ground floor.

 

Other expensive items were a steel beam for the vaulted ceiling and three Kerto beams for the middle ridge part.

 

I also had to hire a telehandler with a truss jib for two weeks that cost around £750. 

 

By the end of that we looked like this.

 

 

 

That just under 140m2 for reference.

 

https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/blogs/entry/811-financing-and-reflection/

 

What's your plot like? I wanted to eliminate some uncertainty before building getting the foundations, access and utilities all sorted.

 

 

 

 

[Dave_madl]

2 hours ago, Thedreamer said:

I used local joiners to stick build with structural plans. 

 

Even with me sourcing the materials (1st time self builder) we were wind and water tight in a matter of weeks. 

 

This saved a lot and resulted in me having a big cashflow advantage during the build.

 

This is from my blog on here

 

It cost £13k for the materials to build the kit. Included within that is £5k for engineered attic trusses from Pasquill.

 

Labour was £9k, included within that was the time making the kit, erecting it and also the suspended ground floor.

 

Other expensive items were a steel beam for the vaulted ceiling and three Kerto beams for the middle ridge part.

 

I also had to hire a telehandler with a truss jib for two weeks that cost around £750. 

 

By the end of that we looked like this.

 

 

 

That just under 140m2 for reference.

 

https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/blogs/entry/811-financing-and-reflection/

 

What's your plot like? I wanted to eliminate some uncertainty before building getting the foundations, access and utilities all sorted.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your reply and information, Really like the layout you've gone for. Did you ever get a price from a kit manufacturer for your build to see how much you saved by just building it on site? 

 

At what point did you clear your site? As soon as you got planning permission? 

 

We are just waiting for final site plan to come back then can start the design  stage to get planning underway

[Thedreamer]

1 minute ago, Dave_madl said:

Thank you for your reply and information, Really like the layout you've gone for. Did you ever get a price from a kit manufacturer for your build to see how much you saved by just building it on site? 

 

At what point did you clear your site? As soon as you got planning permission? 

 

We are just waiting for final site plan to come back then can start the design  stage to get planning underway

 

Hi Dave,

 

On the layout I posted the plans in that blog entry if that is of interest. 

 

I looked at scotframe and fleming etc but at that stage it would have been an off the peg design of a similar size rather than our finished design.

 

Our route is a bit different, as the land was family croft ground  we expected that we would be building on clay. I made the site serviced about three years before building.

 

 

 

[Redoctober]

Hi @Dave_madl and welcome @Thedreamer has provided a link to his blog which is well worth reading as it gives you an insight into one of your options mentioned. For completeness and an example of your other option mentioned, take a look at my blog - there are a number of similarities I suppose, but they do give you an insight into the two different approaches. I used a TF company and sourced many of the materials myself - basically project managing the build which was 100% trades and contractor driven with me "sweeping up " afterwards.?

 

 

Edited September 26, 2021 by Redoctober

[Dave_madl]

On 26/09/2021 at 23:36, Redoctober said:

Hi @Dave_madl and welcome @Thedreamer has provided a link to his blog which is well worth reading as it gives you an insight into one of your options mentioned. For completeness and an example of your other option mentioned, take a look at my blog - there are a number of similarities I suppose, but they do give you an insight into the two different approaches. I used a TF company and sourced many of the materials myself - basically project managing the build which was 100% trades and contractor driven with me "sweeping up " afterwards.?

 

 

thank you for this, great blog, i will spend time reading through it properly. can i ask what timber frame company you used?

[Redoctober]

1 hour ago, Dave_madl said:

thank you for this, great blog, i will spend time reading through it properly. can i ask what timber frame company you used?

 

Flemings. No complaints.?

[TonyT]

Get a price from Mull Joiners Ltd to build a frame on site?

[Dave_madl]

14 hours ago, Redoctober said:

 

Flemings. No complaints.?

thats great to hear, Flemming is who we have been looking at using.

[CalvinHobbes]

TBH my head has been totally deeved over TF vs block. Spoke to cousin yesterday, he used to manage building maintenance for lots of govt buildings of many diff types. He said he would only go for block. He said if there is a leak the moisture ends up being locked into the wall and rotting it.

[Iceverge]

22 minutes ago, CalvinHobbes said:

TBH my head has been totally deeved over TF vs block. Spoke to cousin yesterday, he used to manage building maintenance for lots of govt buildings of many diff types. He said he would only go for block. He said if there is a leak the moisture ends up being locked into the wall and rotting it.

IMO bad timber frame is the worst and good timber frame is the best.

 

Block spans the mediocrity in the middle but rarely gets to the extremes. 

 

If you’re expecting leaks you will have serious issues whatever method you choose.

 

 

 

 

 

[CalvinHobbes]

32 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

IMO bad timber frame is the worst and good timber frame is the best.

 

Block spans the mediocrity in the middle but rarely gets to the extremes. 

 

If you’re expecting leaks you will have serious issues whatever method you choose.

 

 

 

 

 

Jeez what house has never had a leak, a burst pipe or a kid that's decided to put cling film over the sink because they saw it on you tube (yes seriously)?

[Iceverge]

I don’t see how a leaking sink water would end up inside a wall? Best practice in a new build would be to have a floor drain + waterless trap in all wet rooms and under the hot water cylinder to account for this very possible scenario. ( I wish i had done it)

 

If fixed promptly leaks will not do long term damage to TF.  If you give them enough time they can ruin any house.

 

Funny kid Btw!