We received numerous enquiries over the 4 days of the show and are now receiving drawings daily requesting quotations for new builds.

If you have a project please forward your drawings to enquiries@oakworthhomes.co.uk and we will be pleased to advise and quote for your project. Currently we are extremely busy clearing the show enquiries but we will look at all your projects and provide you with comment and costings.

Thank you for visiting us at the NEC show.

(John Warrington – Oakworth Homes Ltd)

There has been an update from the Department of Energy and Climate change in the timescales associated with the RHI scheme.

The key points are as follows:

• The Government remains committed to the deployment of renewable heat and they are committed to clarifying the timings surrounding support for renewable heating for households in the longer term in September 2012. Delivering this support is anticipated to be from Summer 2013.

• The support will consist of a new voucher scheme for domestic households and a new social landlords’ competition building on the experiences of Phase 1 of the RHPP.  The second phase also includes an £8m Communities Competition which will help to introduce a wider pool of householders to renewable energy. Potential applicants for the voucher scheme will be able to pre-register with the Energy Saving Trust from Monday 2 April. Further details on eligibility criteria and the competitions will be announced in due course.

Key Milestone Summary

Well, that’s exactly the question we at Oakworth Homes asked one of our client’s recently, a client for whom we’ll be building the 2100ft2 timber frame for their new house on their site in Shropshire in April.

Without hesitation, the client agreed and so we will be erecting a large element of their timber frame at the National Home Building and Renovating Show at the NEC from 29th March to 1st April.

The time allowed to build an exhibition stand at the NEC is limited, so to erect the house in the same time frame is going to be a challenge to say the least …… so why not visit us at the exhibition and see if we succeed!

(Blog by Graham Hughes, Oakworth Homes Ltd)

Unlike masonry builds all the components are fixed together usually nailed via hangers of clips preventing movement at junctions with walls and ceiling.

Deflection of the engineered Boise floor joists are minimal and are a perfect solution when screeds arerequired with under floor heating at upper floor levels.

After 2 years I found the snagging required due to structural movement is virtually nil. However it must be remembered that there is a differential movement between the structural timber frame and the masonry cladding. This is addressed at construction stage by introducing a ‘soft’ joint under the windows and door frames that are set in the frame timber and protrude through the masonry. This soft joint, i.e. non setting mastic or a bitumen impregnated foam strip allowing for this settlement usually:

3mm @ Ground Floor

10mm @ First Floor

15mm @ 2 StoreyEaves

This settlement should occur within 12 months after which the joint will become static and can be redecorated as required.

When cladding a timber frame with materials that are fixed directly to the frame i.e. timber boarding, render boards etc there is no differential settlement as the cladding is fixed to the frame.

Our conclusion is that movement in timber frame building is far less than traditional with builds, reducing snagging and redecoration costs.

(Blog by John Warrington – Customer & Employee of Oakworth Homes Limited)

Our designs are tailored specifically to the customer’s individual needs, one off individual designs or developments of different sizes and shapes. They can be easily modified to provide maximum efficiency.

Oakworth Homes Timber Frame Systems exceed all energy efficiency government regulations, meaning the home owner can save as much as 40% on their heating costs.

The insulations we use produce no harmful CFC emissions.

With well managed sustainable sourcing of timber and optimum design we reduce raw material waste, therefore the impact to the environment is minimised.

Our Timber frame offers significant ‘speed of build’ with greater thermal and acoustic performance than its building material counterparts.

Research has found that timber and brick party walls are actually better at providing acoustic reduction than ‘traditional’ buildings.

I have proven this in the many apartment blocks I have built.

The frame that is delivered to your site is all that is required (no silly extras).

Wastage is minimised, keeping the site much tidier and less hazardous.

A traditional building requires approximately five times more materials to be delivered to the site than a timber frame building.

This means a reduction in the number of lorry loads delivered so puts less weight and traffic on the hardcore of the site, so you have less damage to temporary road surfaces.

A single timber frame system for a typical domestic dwelling can be assembled and made watertight in as little as four or five days, allowing internal work to commence, even in inclement weather!

As skilled labour and machinery costs can be extensive, this reduction in overheads can translate into substantial savings in time, and as time is money, free up resources for an earlier start on your next project.

(Blog By Jeff Franks – Customer of Oakworth Homes Ltd).

A timber frame system differs from blocks and mortar construction in that the inner leaf is a fully insulated timber wall.

This system can be supplied complete with roof trusses, floor members, internal walls, insulation and stairs.

Once it is assembled, internal works can commence. The outer leaf can be built now or left until you are ready. The weather may be inclement, but the work can carry on inside a wind and waterproof structure, keeping your project progressing.

Timber frame is a precision engineered structure producing a dimensionally accurate building having high levels of air tightness and a highly efficient energy performance.

It is a strong, durable and flexible build solution that can be designed to meet today’s demands of modern living.

I would recommend Oakworth Homes for your Timber frame, as it is a low carbon emission construction solution, contributing the conservation of our environment.

Their timber frame designs can offer a greater efficiency than its masonry equivalent.

This system is readily transported and erected in either built up areas or the most remote of locations.

(Blog by Jeff Franks –  Customer of Oakworth Homes Ltd)

‘Fabric First’ is the key phrase and translates to producing a specification for the external envelope of your building, predominantly the external walls and roof structure, that effectively retains the heat within the house, due to having the correct levels of u-value and air-tightness.

U-value is a very important consideration and one where timber frame will allow you to go as far as you want to!

With our timber frame structures, we can achieve u-values from a very standard 0.21, down to 0.1 and onto levels required to achieve CSH Code Level 6 or Passive House.

It comes down to identifying the correct timber frame and insulation specification combination, that is right for the individual client and their budget and at Oakworth Homes, we work closely with our clients to review the options that are suitable, within the cost parameters of their project.

(Blog by  Graham Hughes, Oakworth Homes Ltd)

This efficiency has been achieved by using a quality frame with factory installed insulation, thermal breather membranes and attention to detail by the frame erectors, creating a structure with little air leakage through the external envelop.

The combination of good installation and low air leakage is the key to efficiency and allows the Air Source Heat Pump to cope with the low weather temperatures , (down to -14
C last heating season) and still providing the comfort expected in modern homes.

We would recommend this combination of construction and heating, and will use this method of build on our next home.

(Blog by John Warrington – Customer & Employee of Oakworth Homes Limited)

A – When it’s a single storey contemporary dwelling!

Mention the word ‘bungalow’ in the UK in relation to housing types and most people will immediately conjure up the image of an old person shuffling around a few tired, little rooms seeing out the rest of their days! Not very inspiring …. unless of course, you’re a self builder!

There will be many plots of land or replacement dwelling opportunities, where due to planning policy, only a bungalow …. sorry, single storey dwelling, will be allowed. So should you turn your back on these situations – absolutely not!  Oakworth Homes have a client at present who owns a plot of land in a beautiful rural location, but a ‘singlestorey dwelling’ is all the Planners would allow. He now has full planning approval for a stunning, single storey, contemporary barn, incorporating:

• Vaulted ceilings throughout

• Exposed feature oak trusses

• Open plan living, dining and kitchen area

• Floor to ceiling feature glazed, gable window

Visually and architecturally, you couldn’t get further from the image of a bungalow if you tried, but in terms of planning policy, the principles are the same … and comply! Other clients with the same planning issues, i.e. ‘only a single storey dwelling with a restricted ridgeheight will be allowed’, have built striking contemporary properties with flat or mono-pitched roof detail, mezzanine floor areas, feature glazing, open plan contemporary interiors … the list goes on!  So rather than dismissing that plot with planning permission for a bungalow only, think of it as an opportunity to acquire a piece of land on which to build your very own, unique, single storey dwelling with Oakworth Homes!

(Blog by Graham Hughes, Oakworth Homes Ltd)