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Submit plansSelf building a timber frame (PH15) Passivhaus retirement bungalow. Want to timber clad entire building. We have been told we cannot timber clad near the boundary. The boundary is a rendered masonry wall and is at minimum 2000mm from the house. I have looked up what I can and I believe if it is more than 1m from the boundary and under 18 m high (bungalow height 6.2 metres) I should be able to timber frame and not have to add fire retardant chemicals. Please can you confirm that this is the case.
Many Thanks
Jocelyn Pannett
Hi Jocelyn,
Thanks for your question. I’ve asked one of our experts to give an answer. Please bear with us.
Hi Jocelyn,
This is a tricky part of the Building Regulations and any answer given on the basis of the limited information provided could end up misleading / wrong.
This question should really be directed to their system provider / designer http://www.phhomes.co.uk/.
The designer should also be considering the risk of fire during construction and here advice provided by the Structural Timber Association is especially helpful: https://www.structuraltimber.co.uk/get-download/13374
I am not certain if the PH15 system is covered by the STA Guidance so a bespoke radiant heat flux assessment may be needed depending on site specific features.
Also, wholly timber clad buildings can be tricky to mortgage / remortgage and secure insurance on and they should be aware of this. This can become particularly important when the property is being sold in the future.
Regarding mortgaging, in principle there should be no issues with a Timber Frame house. Most lenders are completely comfortable with Timber Frame itself but issues can be caused by the outerskin. Very few lenders will lend for instance if its timber frame, and more than 50% timber clad (unless there is a brick skin between frame and cladding). Without knowing the full property component details it is hard to say but I would doubt it’s the frame itself that is causing the issue.