Benefits of building timber frame construction

This is part one of a series of blogs explaining the benefits of building your new  home or home extension using timber frame construction.

In the Perth Metro area of Western Australia, it is public knowledge that most people prefer to build their homes using double brick construction. I have written a blog comparing the two types of constructions here.

There are benefits to building with double brick and I don’t discount those benefits, however due to the negativity around building timber frame in Perth I am writing this series of blogs to enlighten people on each of the aspects of timber frame construction which I believe will benefit the owner who chooses to build with this type of construction.

---

The benefit discussed in this blog is based around the timing of building timber frame homes this benefit can further lead to overall build cost reductions.

Timber framed homes and extensions can be built much quicker than a double brick home. Complete house frames can be manufactured off site as pre-fabricated walls and roof truss and erected in a day or two on site. This alone saves significantly on labour time, as the trusses and wall frames can be made up off site while the building approval is going through council. This leads to a reduced cost of labour which can in some cases reduce the overall cost of the build.

When the stud wall is built on site by carpenters it is still much quicker than double brick as trades are not laying single bricks, brick by brick, and therefore no matter whether using pre-fabricated frames or building on site walls and roofs, timber frame construction is significantly quicker to build than double brick.

Brick internal walls must be plastered and white set and left for at least 2-3 weeks as a minimum before painting.  In some cases, builders will advise on waiting months before painting the internal plastered walls due to potential cracks.  Time is reduced significantly when constructing your home using timber frame as the internal walls are lined with Gyprock (plaster board) which is then flushed and painted within days.

Once the slab is poured on a double brick home you must wait close to one month before you can start laying bricks as the slab needs to cure, this is due to the sheer weight of all the bricks. Timber framing is a light weight construction method and therefore you can build on the slab the very next day if you wish.  Which again results in time savings.

All the above time savings reduce the holding costs while you build. If you are building an investment property you can reduce the holding costs by on average $10,000+. In the case of a rental it means tenants in the property much quicker or with a on sell development, settlement on each property much quicker. That alone is enough to persuade most developers to build using timber frame construction.

---

Distinct Renovations have recently completed a custom 3x2 timber frame home in Craigie which was built in 12 weeks as part of a build and retain subdivision and the owner’s tenants moved in right after the painter took his last brush stroke!
If you are not wishing to build an investment property -even better! As you can move into your new home or renovation much quicker than the standard 6-12 months build time of most builders here in Perth.  Distinct Renovations recently completed an extension in Mount Hawthorn and the owners were back living in their home within 2 months of demo day!
If you want to build a brand new custom home but don't want to wait years to move in or want a home extension but don’t like the idea of renting for 6 months before moving back in to your home, contact Distinct Renovations now to find out how we can help.

---