Timber Frame in Restoration

The average conception of Timber Frame is "Those Wooden Houses" which of course is absolutely untrue. Those Wooden Houses are normally nothing more than cheap imported, temporary, glorified sheds, with no contribution to modern day living. If you have looked at this site, you will notice that Timber Frame is a highly engineered and a very versatile modern method of construction.

There are also other uses for TF other than new-build solutions and one such application is RESTORATION of buildings Iberia has many ruins or outdated properties available at very sensible prices. Traditional methods require the buyer to demolish the whole structure and rebuild completely - but this need not be the case.

Timber frame can be used as "liners" on the inside of the building, tied into the existing walls and effectively taking all the loads off the now external walls. Because the walls now have no structural duties, they become simply decorative and a raincoat for the timber frames. By using Timber Frames, you can insulate the walls to a high degree and because you have provided an air cavity, you can guarantee that the building will be damp free and require minimal heating in the winter. The building will also remain cool in the summer. This means that you have a traditional external building, blending in with the landscape and a 21^st century engineered home internally.



RUIN BEING RESTORED USING INTERNAL LOAD-BEARING TIMBER FRAMES



RESTORATION USING TIMBER FRAME INTERNAL LOAD-BEARING WALLS

You can also use Eco-joists to provide a 1^st floor and these can be installed in a couple of hours in most cases. Again, this is an engineered product and they come pre-fabricated, cut to size and ready to install. These joists are lightweight and can easily be handled by two people and because they do not have a "turning moment" they do not need bracing (saves a fortune in materials and labour). They arrive on site cut to size and are designed to take different loads. They also come in six different depths and two chord widths. Because of the design of Eco-joists they can be hung by the top or the bottom chord. These features make the Eco-joist invaluable for restoration projects as they offer many different combinations when ceiling heights would be a problem or impossible using standard timbers. There is also no possibility of shrinkage cracking or creaking using Eco-joists, unlike sawn carcass or structural timbers.

  
Eco-Joists                                     Eco-joists showing services internally

In many cases a ruin or restoration project may not have parallel walls making the use of Eco-joists difficult and in these cases we switch to another engineered product to bear floors called an I-beam or a TGI - Beam. You will see in the picture below why they are called I-beams. The I beam has similar characteristics to the Eco-joist in that it is lightweight, and quickly installed - the difference is that we send these to your site "oversize" and the site erecting engineers will cut each to the required sizes.

  
I-BEAMS                                      I-BEAMS IN SITU

The roof is formed with Engineered Trussed Rafters and because these components are so flexible, almost any roof-scape can be formed. Roof trusses are easily installed and an average house can have the roof superstructure installed in one day - again, another amazing saving in labour and materials over traditional methods.

  
TRUSSED RAFTERS                   TRUSSED RAFTERS IN SITU

So, before you discount the idea of restoring a ruin or a dilapidated building, contact us and we will be happy to help you with your project. We hope that this article will encourage you to consider restoration instead of new-build.
Using Modern Methods of Construction is a fast, economical and versatile solution to owning a modern luxury home, yet retaining the character of a traditional building. We are here to help - so feel free to call us anytime.

SEQUENCE OF BUNGALOW
RESTORATION & CONVERSION

	This is an older two bedroom Bungalow
	The old roof comes off and a new TIMBER FRAME 1st FLOOR Is added to the old bungalow GROUND FLOOR
	A new TRUSSED RAFTER roof is installed on the TIMBER FRAME and then tiled.
	Internal shot of the underside of the TRUSSED RAFTERS prior to Insulating and Plaster-boarding
	The Bungalow is now a 4 bedroom DETACHED HOUSE

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