In article , Terry D wrote:
I think that most houses in Scandinavia are timber framed. My first
house was a Yuill timber frame semi and I found it excellent for heat
insulation and soundproofing. I bought it for £3375 in 1969 and sold
for £7400 after seven years. When I moved into a conventional
(brick/concrete block construction), I was very disappointed with the
levels of insulation (sound & heat) and even experienced damp patches
on walls due to bridged ties in the walls. I then had to pay for
cavity wall insualtion, which wasn't necessary in my previous timber
frame. If I ever planned to build my own house, I would definitely go
for a timber frame.

There's nothing wrong with timber frame - some advantages and some
disadvantages over masonry construction. The crucial thing though IMO is
that timber frame construction does require a higher standard of
workmanship (particularly wrt clear cavities, vapour barriers and fire
stopping) which was sadly lacking in those Barratt homes mentioned by
the OP. Everything depends on the site agent appreciating what is
required and enforcing it.

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Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
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