ᐅ Timber Frame Construction vs. Passive House: Pros and Cons of Each Building Material?

Hello everyone,

we are planning to build a new single-family house and are unsure whether to choose a timber frame or “brick by brick” construction (considering financial aspects as well as indoor climate and other factors).

Originally, we thought about building the timber frame house ourselves because, given the following conditions, I believe we could save a lot of money compared to a prefab house or invest the money saved into higher quality than what a prefab manufacturer can offer:

- We have a master carpenter in the family (who is also willing to frame and erect the entire house and guide us on how to insulate the walls, etc.)
- Space and tools for carpentry and assembly are available (an empty barn with a crane, forklift, etc.)
- The building plot is less than 100 meters (330 feet) from the barn and our current home (so it’s worthwhile to do some work on the site after work)
- Although we are not professionals, as the builders we don’t shy away from working evenings and weekends and consider ourselves reasonably handy

We have already discussed our ideas with an architect who pointed out that, for a solid masonry house, the indoor climate and thermal mass are significantly better. The carpenter, however, emphasizes the excellent (or possibly better) insulation properties of a timber house. If we decide on the masonry house, we would generally trust ourselves to handle the bricklaying as well (at least with an expert supervising).

Is there perhaps a comparison of pros and cons for timber versus masonry as building materials? Or could someone list the most important points to consider? Are there any formulas or tools available to compare the costs of both construction methods?

Many thanks in advance for any replies!

Best regards
schmitzkatze

Just a side note:
Do you know how many hours go into building a house like this? When do you plan to be finished? I don’t think that’s feasible. No matter how motivated you are, it will wear you down.

I believe this is a classic case of overestimating one’s own abilities.

Hello toxicmolotov,

we are not in a hurry and fully understand that building a house doesn’t happen within six months, especially when doing a lot of the work ourselves!

Why do you think it can’t work? I never said we would do everything on our own. Our own contribution will focus on trades where we have skilled professionals available (for example, the carpenter if it’s a timber-frame house). I would never trust myself to do everything alone, neither in terms of time nor experience. But I believe that with an architect guiding us and subcontracting the tasks we can’t handle ourselves, it could definitely work and possibly be cheaper than a prefab house.

My post was more about discussing the pros and cons of a timber-framed house versus a solid (masonry) house.

Others can argue the pros and cons of wood versus stone.

Do you have the money for building the house readily available, or will you need partial financing? In that case, time and financial pressure might already work against you. Furthermore, banks tend to reject projects if the construction period is planned to be significantly longer than one year, since even planned schedules rarely hold.

I don’t know your skills, but as a non-professional, many tasks usually take twice as long. It sounds like this is supposed to be done casually on the side.

Friends of ours have been renovating an old house for four years now and aren’t even halfway done, although they’ve paid everything in cash and done the work themselves. Sometimes they lack money, but more often they simply don’t have the time, because after a 50-hour workweek, you may just not feel like it anymore.

Considering that the shell of a house normally takes a few weeks, doing it yourself can take several months. The same applies to all other trades.

There is nothing wrong with hiring an architect and subcontracting trades. The pros and cons of prefabricated houses are a different discussion altogether.

I would remain cautious when evaluating your own technical skills and time availability.

Hello,

schmitzkatze schrieb:

We are not in a hurry and are well aware that a house won’t be finished in half a year if you are doing a considerable amount of the work yourself!

I wouldn’t really call it a “considerable amount,” so I can well understand Tox’s response.

schmitzkatze schrieb:

Why do you think it can’t work? I never said we would do everything ourselves. The work we plan to do ourselves is limited to trades where we know the professionals personally (in other words, the carpenter—if it’s going to be a timber-framed house).

I don’t know what the friendly Tox would write… but let’s assume you decide on your family carpenter: when—and above all, how regularly—do you think he would be able to work on your house? I simply assume that the gentleman also has to earn a living. What timeframe do you expect for the shell of the building to be completed? Then there are also issues like construction management and supervision to consider…

schmitzkatze schrieb:

I would never trust myself to do everything alone, neither timewise nor experience-wise. But I believe that with an architect at your side and subcontracting the tasks you cannot do yourself, it could definitely work and perhaps even be cheaper than a prefab house.

Believing is good in church… building a house with your own hands requires a lot more than “just” a pair of skilled hands.

schmitzkatze schrieb:

My contribution was more aimed at the question of what speaks for and against a timber-frame house versus a solid (masonry) house.

Everything has its pros and cons; generally, I am inclined to agree with the architect that if you choose a prefab house, you often end up living inside plastic sheeting. However, to be fair, if a solid house is constructed with an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS / external wall insulation), it is not really better in that respect either.

All other points will be answered by users here who have built or commissioned one system or the other.

Regards, Bauexperte

Bauexperte schrieb:

You can believe that in church... building a house with your own hands requires more than "just" a capable pair of hands.

That’s why I wrote "I think" rather than "I believe." And when planning a construction project, thinking things through certainly doesn’t hurt...

Regarding the mentioned "living in plastic wrap": this is also one of the main reasons why we are against prefab houses, or at least some prefab manufacturers. We have seen that some actually include a plastic membrane in the wall assembly (which is supposed to be vapor permeable, but just the idea of plastic layers inside the walls sounds creepy and unhealthy). That’s why I’m wondering if the mandatory OSB board might have a similar "plastic wrap" effect, and what wall assembly you would recommend for a timber house.