ᐅ Solid masonry house vs. timber frame construction?

Created on: 25 Jun 2020 12:40
J
Julian2301
Hello everyone,

We are just starting out and do not yet know what we want to build. So far, we have only visited prefabricated house providers using timber frame construction. We also tried Town & Country regarding solid or masonry houses, but they showed no interest at all.

What are your preferences? Why solid construction? Why timber?

Are there cost differences?
Which is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly?

Thank you very much in advance
D
Davidoff86
26 Jun 2020 09:58
Foxilein schrieb:

Solid wood construction has already been mentioned. That is still interesting for us, but we are building with a flat roof. And the civil engineers we know, even those specialized in wood, tend to recommend solid construction.

We will also have a flat roof (allowed up to 5° pitch according to the building plan/planning permission) but will still build with solid wood. A flat roof might not be ideal, but with the right tradespeople, we can manage it.
H
haydee
26 Jun 2020 10:05
Although we have a gable roof, our general contractor is constructing a flat roof on solid wood.
S
saralina87
26 Jun 2020 10:07
Here, it’s also the solid wood team.
We are getting a bay window with a flat roof – but it is really just a very small surface area.
F
Foxilein
26 Jun 2020 10:07
Davidoff86 schrieb:

We will also have a flat roof (allowed up to 5° pitch according to the local development plan) but will still build with solid wood. A flat roof might not be ideal, but we’ll manage it with the right tradespeople.

Yes, I mean, there shouldn’t really be a roof without any pitch. I think at least 2° (about 1.1°) is recommended or even required. That makes sense. The problem with both solid wood builders was that they consider their work done once the wooden roof structure is finished and don’t want to take care of the further roof assembly – that’s on the client – not even for extra money. And we’re not interested in that... I can already see potential problems if something comes up.
H
haydee
26 Jun 2020 10:09
In our case, the general contractor even took care of the demolition and completed the house ready for occupancy. I can't imagine that they would then leave the roof to the homeowner.
D
Davidoff86
26 Jun 2020 10:10
Foxilein schrieb:

And we don’t want to deal with that... I can already see more problems arising “if something happens.”

I understand that. However, we place great importance on having the house built as a solid wood construction. So we are willing to take the risk.