Click here to view the Journey of an A Rated House
Welcome to the ktf website.
If you have any questions that we have not covered on our site please
call us on
+353 41 685 0978
 
 
 
 
       
  Why Timber Frame ?    
   
How can Timber Frame Help?
 
In many parts of the world, timber frame is the norm – an engineered and proven system. Over 70% of people in the developed world live in timber frame housing. In the USA and Canada it accounts for 90% of low-rise buildings. Timber frame is the most popular form of house construction in Scotland, thanks largely to its suitability for a cold climate where homes need to be able to be built fast, be very energy efficient and keep people comfortable throughout the year. Timber frame housing in England grew by 15% in 2005, compared to a 2.0% decline for all other methods of construction. Over half of all new social housing in the UK is timber frame- 58% in 2005.
 
Here is a list of some of the environmental and practical benefits of Timber Frame.
 
  • Wood is ecologically friendly. Timber absorbs CO2 as it grows and releases oxygen! The carbon stored in the timber will not be released even when a tree has been harvested and processed into timber products.

  • Wood is a renewable resource. We will never run out of trees! The more wood we use, the more our forests grow, because in Europe we are committed to planting more trees than we harvest. Every year our forests grow by over 3,500 square miles - equivalent to an area the size of Cyprus. Ktf only source timber from properly managed forests which are governed by bodies like FSC and PEFC.

  • Mature trees absorb far less carbon dioxide and produce less oxygen than those at earlier stages of growth. So the harvesting of older trees for construction purposes, and their replacement with saplings - two planted for every one harvested in Scandinavian forests - ensures a constant cycle of CO2 absorption and oxygen production.

  • Timber itself is a good insulator against the cold.

  • For every cubic metre of wood used instead of other building materials, 0.8 tonne of CO2 is saved from the atmosphere. Compare this to concrete which creates 1 ton of CO2 for every 1 ton of concrete produced.

  • Wood has a high strength-to-weight ratio. Strength for strength, pine and spruce are 16 times lighter than steel and 5 times lighter than concrete.

  • Wood is a reliable and predictable building material.

  • As timber frame houses are superior in their energy efficiency, less fuel is used to heat them, thereby reducing both emissions & heating bills.

  • Given the unpredictability of future energy costs, building in timber frame is an investment you cannot afford to ignore. It will retain its market value, it will save money on fuel bills and it will ensure a good U- Value rating.

  • Timber frame building costs are similar to less efficient traditional methods but you gain all these added benefits.
       
Keenan Timber Frame - Ardee Business Park, Ardee, Co. Louth, Ireland
Tel: (041) 6850978 Tel: (041) 6850979 Email: info@ktf.ie
Website Design by Aquaweb.ie