Timber Frame Homes Now a Popular Choice in Ireland Added to SitesForSale: 4th May, 2007 Introduction Throughout Europe timber frame homes are the norm and now Irish people looking to build their own home are beginning to follow suit. Over 30% of new houses in Ireland are timber frame with that figure set to rise significantly. This is not surprising considering that this type of build is energy efficient, can be built quickly and provides a comfortable home to live in. Benefits of Building a Timber Frame Home Timber frame homes can provide energy savings of up to 40% – 50%, and in the case of Griffner Coillte homes up to 60%, in comparison to masonry homes. January 2007 saw the introduction of the BER (Building Energy Rating) certification by Sustainable Energy Ireland which is designed to give people a better estimate of the energy costs their house will incur. Griffner Coillte, a timber frame construction company based in Mullingar, are set for its buildings to achieve an ‘A’ rating under the BER certification scheme which implies that its buildings are truly modern and energy efficient. This was confirmed as a Griffner Coillte show house was recently tested by an independent energy assessor and received an ‘A’ rating. Overall, the building performed well above average under thermal analysis as no areas of thermal bridging or looping were found during the interior or exterior analysis and no cold bridges were identified as joints fit so snugly together. As all Griffner Coillte houses are quality controlled it is likely that houses built in the future will follow suit. Another benefit to building a timber frame home is the speed of the building process - after just two weeks of builders moving on site a Griffner Coillte house will be lockable weatherproof and complete finished on the outside with windows and doors already installed in the factory. Timber frame buildings are particularly durable and generally come with a 10 year structural guarantee. Manufacturing Process The manufacturing process for a timber frame home is also energy efficient. There are no chemicals used in building the walls which provides a healthy and ideal environment for anyone to live in. Griffner Coillte houses are built off-site in a factory in Mullingar, each element of the house is then transported by an articulated lorry to the site where a team will erect the building. Bill Stanley, chief executive of Griffner Coillte explains the composition of the external walls: “The walls are lined with Fermacell on the inside, an alternative to the standard plaster boards. Fermacell is strengthened by the addition of recycled paper which gives it a much higher level of durability and allows us to fit it in the factory without the risk of it getting damaged before going to site. Behind this there is a cavity for services and cables. SmartPly OSB board then provides a significant amount of strength to the wall which is insulated with Rockwool, a mineral based insulation product. The high levels of insulation along with the pre engineered air tightness are the key factors in creating the overall energy efficiency of the building.” He continues: “The wall is closed with a fibrous board and is covered with a waterproof breathable membrane. Outside this there is a ventilated, drained cavity to take away any moisture. The external walls are usually finished with an acrylic render or with larch timber cladding. Our breathable wall construction eliminates the risk of condensation within the wall structure and this does away with the requirement for unnecessary chemical treatment of the timbers.” The double-glazed windows are pre-fitted before the external wall panels leave the factory. Filled with Argon gas, the u-value of the windows is a mere 1.2 compared to the building regulations recommended 2.2. The lower the u-values, the more energy efficient the building component. Considerations for Self Builders Another consideration for anyone building their own home is insurance. People tend to have a perception that due to the materials involved in a timber frame home it is more difficult to insure, however this is not the case. Insuring a timber frame home is no more difficult or expensive then insuring a conventional masonry home. Griffner Coillte homes meet all current Irish building regulations. Maintenance after the build Once a timber frame home has been built there is little or no maintenance involved and most will come with a guarantee. Griffner Coillte homes are guaranteed by the Premier Guarantee Scheme which gives the self builder further peace of mind with their dream timber frame home. Griffner Coillte Case Study Ronan Fennessy, 29, from Delgany, Co. Wicklow could not afford to buy a house on his own as the price of a three bedroom semi in his village cost around €500,000. His parents had built their own home 20 years previously on a 2.5 acre site and generously donated one acre to Ronan to enable him to build his own home. Once he’d secured his site, Ronan considered the self-build options. “My father is a forester”, Ronan explains. “He showed me a Griffner Coillte brochure and I thought that the Classic design with its large glazed gable and exposed timber beams would be ideal for the woodland setting. Once I visited one of their houses and saw the finish, my mind was made up.” Griffner Coillte designs, manufactures and constructs sustainable timber houses. The company is a joint venture between Coillte, the commercial forestry company and Griffnerhaus, an award-winning Austrian building firm which prefabricates timber framed houses. Griffner Coillte’s closed panel system means that the house structure is pre-manufactured in its factory in Mullingar. Doors, windows, insulation and exterior finishes are installed before the units leave the manufacturing plant. Site work started in Delgany in February 2005. Once the ground works were complete, Griffner Coillte’s workforce arrived on site. Each of the elements were delivered on articulated lorries from the company’s factory in Mullingar where a crane unloaded and lifted the parts into place. Within one week the shell of the house was complete. Six months later Ronan and his girlfriend Ciara moved into the finished property. Says Ronan “Energy savings were voiced a lot at the start but I didn’t believe the house would be so heat efficient. I spent in the region of €225,000 on the structure and a further €50,000 on foundations and fitting out the interior. Now the house is valued at around €1.2 million but more importantly is the fact that after all the planning, it’s like a dream come true to be living here among the trees.” For more, visit Griffner Coillte's website at www.griffnercoillte.ie or call on 044 933 7800. The postal address is Address: Griffner Coillte Ltd, Forrest Park, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. BACK TO ARTICLES

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