Timber framed house - pros and cons?
Pep
Posts: 501
A house we are interested in buying, here in northern Germany, is constructed with a timber frame, "scandinavian style" as the agent put it.
From the look, outside or inside, you can't tell is not bricks and mortar.
I am rather disturbed by the facts that 1) neither the vendor nor the agent mentioned it, I learnt it by pure chance from a common friend, and 2) although the house is only 1yr old they want to sell already (the owner occupier is a pro musician, and they complain about a buzz in the house, it appeared very silent when we viewed it on a Sat afternoon).
After a little of Google research, I now wonder about 1) the future resale value, 2) and the natural danger like rot and termites.
I am not scared by the risk of fire.
Any of you has real knowledge about the pros and cons of wooden house compared to bricks and mortar?
Thanks,
From the look, outside or inside, you can't tell is not bricks and mortar.
I am rather disturbed by the facts that 1) neither the vendor nor the agent mentioned it, I learnt it by pure chance from a common friend, and 2) although the house is only 1yr old they want to sell already (the owner occupier is a pro musician, and they complain about a buzz in the house, it appeared very silent when we viewed it on a Sat afternoon).
After a little of Google research, I now wonder about 1) the future resale value, 2) and the natural danger like rot and termites.
I am not scared by the risk of fire.
Any of you has real knowledge about the pros and cons of wooden house compared to bricks and mortar?
Thanks,
0
Posts
Also if it's only a year old should it not have some sort of guarantee or be covered by building regulations.
Bricks and mortar houses have an awful lot of timber in them anyway in the floors, internal walls and roof. A lot of new-build houses in the UK are also fully timber-framed with just an external cladding of brick. There's no inherent reason why a properly constructed timber framed house is more at risk from decay than one with masonry walls. Timber construction is lighter than masonry, so will have a different acoustic quality, but if that's not an issue then nothing to worry about. Also check for cheap light fittings - fluorescent or anything with a transformer - as these can buzz. If it is only a year old, the vendor should be able to provide full documentation from the original developer.
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Tinnitus?
German house construction regs should be way higher than ours, you need local advice.
Vast swathes of the USA have housing constructed almost entirely out of timber, and also to a very high standard
This. 75% of new houses in Scotland are timber framed these days, it's not that unusual. I'd imagine the figure for europe is about that level or higher.
My first thought on the buzz aspect, if he is a professional musician then he could easily be picking up 'buzz' whilst recording that isn't noticeable at all normally, it might be a hum on the track from electrical things elsewhere in the house which are less inhibited by the timber
Sorry I was wrong in writing. It's not just the frame that it's timber, it's the whole house that is wood, there are NO bricks. There is drywall, tough. You can see only plaster, inside or out.
That's exactly how the agent put it.
Maybe the noise comes from the timber moving/settling. Apparently timber moves a lot, especially at the beginning, eventually it kind of settles.
I wouldn't be at all concerned about the musician's "buzz". I used to live in a very quiet area out in the sticks a bit, and bought a *very* expensive turntable. Got it home, and immediately noticed a hum from the motor - could hear it from across the room. Took it straight back, and in the shop again (even in an acoustically insulated room) could not hear a damned thing wrong. It was only noticeable in the absolute silence out in the boonies...
If your prospective house is in a similar quiet area, you will notice background noises you never imagined were there. Critters, creaking stuff, spooky things....
Conversely, I've moved from a noisy house to a dead quiet one and couldn't sleep for weeks till I got used to the lack of background white noise going on...
I'd have no hesitation in buying a timber framed house, they perform extremely well in terms of insulation, sound proofing and longevity. If I were building a new house for myself I would go timber framed all day long
As above if you look at North America and Northern Europe/Scandinavia 90% of the housing stock is timber frame.
Conversely my 1930 brick built house had chronic woodworm in the ground floor when we moved in
To be fair, there'll be plenty of woodworm in the ancient houses of Clare. And I still get the odd bit of it in my 1930s house - but that's probably because it gets a bit cold in winter. A modern timber frame house should be pretty much immune from woodworm due to efficient heating and insulation. Woodworm doesn't like it warm and dry.
My objection to a modern house wouldn't be so much the materials but the likely build quality!
Fair point, which others also made.
But how to judge the quality? None of the wood visible, only the plaster can be seen. Even if I hire a surveyor, I imagine without seen the hidden wood he won't be able to say much...
Presumably the builder will have an online reputation?
It was built in Germany. It'll be fine.
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You could say exactly the same about a masonry built construction. You can't see if they have used the correct grade of lintel, have they used padstones, is the insulation placed properly in the cavity, have they used the correct type and quantity of wall ties? Joists/trusses are they stress graded, treated have they used correct hangers? Has the plumber drilled loads of holes in them and compromised the integrity? etc etc
You have to rely on Building Control (or whatever the german equivalent is) to have checked that it is built to the required standard
Hah. Having spent the past 16 years picking apart old buildings I can confirm that censored build quality is a long and distinguished tradition. A form of natural selection has just removed the really bad old buildings.
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition
jeez :roll: