ᐅ Timber Frame Construction vs. Passive House: Pros and Cons of Each Building Material?
Created on: 5 Aug 2014 13:57
S
schmitzkatze
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
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
B
Bauexperte13 Aug 2014 11:32Hello,
Every carefully built solid masonry house passes this test without any problems.
I never said it makes you "sick"; however, it does require a higher investment to control moisture inside the house. You encounter the same phenomenon in a detached house built with a classic external wall insulation system (ETICS / EIFS).
Regards, Bauexperte
Cascada schrieb:
...and so far I don’t understand what is really bad about having a plastic vapor barrier in the walls. Except maybe great results in the blower door test?
Every carefully built solid masonry house passes this test without any problems.
Cascada schrieb:
But is that a disadvantage? Has anyone ever gotten sick because of a vapor barrier in the walls? Has no one ever fallen ill in a brick house?
I never said it makes you "sick"; however, it does require a higher investment to control moisture inside the house. You encounter the same phenomenon in a detached house built with a classic external wall insulation system (ETICS / EIFS).
Regards, Bauexperte
D
Doc.Schnaggls13 Aug 2014 12:47Cascada schrieb:
...and I still don't understand what’s really bad about plastic sheeting inside walls. Except maybe excellent results in a blower door test? But is that a disadvantage? Has anyone actually gotten sick because of plastic sheeting in walls? Has nobody ever gotten sick in a brick house? I will never understand these statements... Maybe it’s because we all live inside such a plastic envelope?It’s just like the building expert says.
With proper ventilation control, the plastic sheeting is not a problem – without it, however, things can get quite tricky – then the occupants need to ventilate manually very thoroughly...
The plastic sheeting doesn’t cause illness; at most, it can lead to increased humidity if the points mentioned above are not considered.
Regards,
Dirk
Bauexperte schrieb:
Hello,
Any carefully constructed solid masonry house easily passes this test.That may be true – however, to achieve comparable U-values, I need a significantly thicker wall assembly or expensive insulated bricks.
I never said that it "makes you sick"; rather, it requires a higher investment to control moisture inside the house. You encounter the same phenomenon in single-family houses built with traditional external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) / external wall insulation (EWI).
Yes, but statements here like plastic vapor barriers being a reason to exclude a single-family house, or being described as "creepy and unhealthy," are complete nonsense. And a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery not only reduces ventilation heat loss but also provides a significant comfort increase during the cold season. By the way: you often hear about problems caused by insufficient or improper ventilation in masonry houses without ETICS / EWI – and also in houses with it anyway...
Regards, Bauexperte Best regards from Franconia
That may be true in some cases. However, a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery reduces ventilation heat losses and provides a significant comfort improvement during the cold season.
Issues related to insufficient or incorrect ventilation are often reported in masonry houses without external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) – and even more so in those with ETICS.
With a mechanical ventilation system, the problem of excessive humidity is generally resolved.
I am simply quite amused by the opinions regarding plastic in the walls ("creepy and unhealthy," etc.). In a masonry house with ETICS, the plastic is located on the outside of the wall rather than inside it.
Best regards
Issues related to insufficient or incorrect ventilation are often reported in masonry houses without external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) – and even more so in those with ETICS.
With a mechanical ventilation system, the problem of excessive humidity is generally resolved.
I am simply quite amused by the opinions regarding plastic in the walls ("creepy and unhealthy," etc.). In a masonry house with ETICS, the plastic is located on the outside of the wall rather than inside it.
Best regards
I’m not sure if controlled residential ventilation really adds comfort. We have one, and it’s pretty much useless. We turned it off. Why? Simply because instead of too much humidity, we have too dry air. And dry air is just as bad for the respiratory system, especially when you have children. Constantly dry noses, persistent throat irritation—my daughters, who have lived in the house since they were babies, had almost continuous dry coughs from fall through spring. This only improved after we switched off the ventilation system.
Fresh air from outside is still better than the air from the ventilation ducts. Even when the system was running, we kept opening doors and windows because outdoor air is simply more pleasant—especially after rain—it also smells completely different.
We are currently living in a single-family house built in 2008. Now we are building a solid structure (without any wall insulation), and the only ventilation we will have will be decentralized units in the bathrooms and utility room.
Fresh air from outside is still better than the air from the ventilation ducts. Even when the system was running, we kept opening doors and windows because outdoor air is simply more pleasant—especially after rain—it also smells completely different.
We are currently living in a single-family house built in 2008. Now we are building a solid structure (without any wall insulation), and the only ventilation we will have will be decentralized units in the bathrooms and utility room.
D
Doc.Schnaggls13 Aug 2014 13:51Strange thing...
Actually, the ventilation system should only bring outside air into the building – maybe preheated, but that shouldn’t affect the humidity.
Or do you have a dehumidifier installed somewhere?
Actually, the ventilation system should only bring outside air into the building – maybe preheated, but that shouldn’t affect the humidity.
Or do you have a dehumidifier installed somewhere?
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