What are the pros and cons of different house construction methods?

One Answer

1. Erika Chaffey says:

   22nd February 2024 at 2:35 pm

   Hi there John,

   Building traditionally these days to meet the current building regulations is getting harder, especially when trying to achieve thermal performance targets. The increased cost of labour, finding skilled bricklayers and increased costs of any building materials that require significant amounts of energy in the manufacturing process, can be significant barriers. You will also need to consider the amount of renewables that will need to be added to achieve the design thermal performance, which will inevitably be a lot more than with offsite construction.

   Building using pressed metal frame is an offsite solution so carries the benefits of being built in a factory in factory controlled conditions, and guarantees thermal and structural design performance. Also, it’s far easier to achieve airtightness with this kind of offsite option. You have to consider the increased cost of the pressed steel. As a raw material, the price has increased due to the energy used to produce it. However, detailing is far easier and build times are far reduced. The outer skin of random stone is also fairly easy to construct.

   Building today using timber frame is another offsite solution so carries similar benefits in terms of quality and design control. It performs far better thermally, mainly due to the fact that timber is a natural insulator.

   Cost wise, it’s always hard to predict, but your build costs will generally be less with timber frame construction and this option will help you to achieve a lower U value. Masonry can become expensive, mainly due to the amount of additional materials necessary to make the building thermally efficient.

   Thanks for getting in touch, best of luck with any future plans.

   Simon Orrells, Timber Frame expert at Frame Technologies

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