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Carpenter Oak & Woodland have been manufacturing and erecting bespoke timber frames for over 20 years. We pride ourselves on creating buildings that make use of the most appropriate materials available at the time and that meet or exceed all current and anticipated building regulations. Many of our clients want a house with a timber frame that is visible externally as well as internally.
We don’t specify a single solution to meet this need as each building and each client have their own demands and priorities. We offer our clients a range of options that meet different aesthetic, budgetary and ecological criteria. In our experience discerning customers want to understand the options and with our guidance select the most appropriate solution using proven technologies that allow the timber frame to be expressed externally as was traditional on many period homes.
As such we can provide our clients with external ‘build up’ specification sheets and discuss their needs with them so that they can make well informed choices that affect their home and living environment.
The first decision to be made is a preference for a system that creates a complete envelope outside the timber frame or a system that is set into the frame. Both achieve the same aesthetic but each presents a number of alternative build up option.
The following page indicates the various layers in each system and we will be happy to discuss the specific alternatives for each layer and their respective performance.
Customer’s interest in determining the external build-up of their house varies enormously. For some, deciding on the exterior finish will suffice and we are more than happy to work with the project architect to determine the appropriate materials for each layer. However if you wish to discuss the relative cost, performance and eco criteria of each layer we are more than happy to share our expertise with you.
Below is a typical build-up scenario and the part that each layer plays.
a) Internal finish
This is the visible internal finish and can be anything from wall paper to paint to lime plaster and lime wash.
b) Internal base layer
This layer provides the base for the internal finish. Often it will be plasterboard but can equally be masonry, reed board for lime or clay plastering or even lath.
c) Service cavity
You may want to accommodate electrical, plumbing and other building services in this area and we can help you accommodate them here.
d) Vapour check layer
This layer is necessary to ensure a breathable wall build up. Breath-ability is essential to both a healthy living environment as well as to the long term health of the frame.
e) Insulation
This layer provides the essential thermal insulation for the building. There are a vast range of materials available for this layer and ultimately there is a balance to be struck between performance, cost, eco criteria and depth of build-up.
f) Building envelope
This is the continuous vapour permeable layer that makes the building wind and water tight and can also add the insulation capability of the overall build-up.
g) External finish
This layer comprises the externally visible frame and the finish of your choice whether it be lime render, brick or wattle and daub!
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