• Floor cassette over the basement – a horizontal structure separating the basement from the timber frame storey above it. This type of floor cassette can be either concrete or wooden. This is a choice of a client based on the project type and the intended use of the basement.
• First storey floor cassette – is only used when the foundation on the house is not a concrete slab, but posts. The sandwich of such floor cassette is mostly the same as the floor between two living floors. However, additional layers for wind-proofing, ventilation and hydro-isolation have to be added from the bottom side.
• Floor cassette between the stories – these count as a floor of the second storey and ceiling of a first. In timber frame house construction this floor is always wooden. This type we will discuss in more detail below.
• Floor cassette between upper storey and attic/loft – the construction that shapes the flat ceiling over the upper floor, also creating a room in the loft. This floor is usually constructed by using horizontal members of attic roof trusses. Due to the lower loads coming from the attic than from the living storey, this floor can be thinner. But in cases where the attic is not usable and the roof insulation is rather transferred to this horizontal construction (leaving attic cold), the floor cassette has to accommodate 30cm of wool insulation.

The floor cassette between the stories is the most common type in timber frame houses. This is why we want to talk about it in more detail:

What is the sandwich of floor cassette between the stories?

What size floor beams are used in floor cassettes?

What are Frequently Asked Questions about floor cassettes?

Floor cassettes in modular timber frame houses are partly prefabricated elements that mainly consist of the wooden frame and floorboard on top. The rest layers are usually added on-site. The standard sandwich of floor cassette used between two main stories of the timber house are shown in the image below:

Flooring – is the chosen final finish of the floor. The type of flooring can be almost anything the client desires: parquet, laminated floorboards, carpet, tiles, Vinyl, etc. Most of the finishes are laid straight onto the chipboard (with some underlayers if applicable).

Chipboard – for the floor the board we use by default is 22mm thick impregnated chipboard. It is important to lay any flooring board correctly to prevent annoying squeaking sounds. More about it in the FAQ below.

Framework – the floor beam sizes are engineered individually for each project to ensure the floor will not bend. The framework is manufactured using these chosen floor beams and placed in calculated distances to form a stable and rigid construction. More about the sizes below.

Insulation – this type of floor as discussed previously is laid between two internal areas of the house, thus insulation would be not necessary. However, if we don‘t add any of the insulation in the frame the echoes will be loud when someone is walking on the upper story. In this case, the insulation is mostly used to insulate the sound and not the heat/cold. A minimum of 100mm is recommended to be used on the floor between the stories, but for better soundproofing, the whole frame can be filled with it. Insulation is loaded to the frame after the floor cassette is assembled on-site.

Lathing (or battens) – wooden square battens, usually 45x45mm in size, placed on-site perpendicularly to and under the insulated floor beams. The lathing is used for placing lighting items and electrical wiring. These battens can be increased in size on request. For example, LED lighting items are higher than 45mm, and 45x75mm lathing is then used. Battens are always installed on-site, however, their sizing must be decided prior to production of the house modules.

Inside Facing – gypsum boards are one of the standard finishes in modern living houses, however, the internal-facing can also be tiled, wooden T&G panel, MDF boards, you name it. If the chosen finish is gypsum, the lathing (mentioned above) has to be fixed at c/c400mm to prevent board bending. Inside facing is fixed on-site.

Fire-proof and acoustic ceiling cassette

In Norway and Sweden building detached houses it is common to use fire-proof, acoustic ceilings. Additional layers are required for such construction. The sandwich of specialty ceilings and floors has to be designed by a local engineer, specialist and we can manufacture accordingly. However, one of the types we already did was adding floating plasterboard and 2cm hard insulation between the final finish and chipboard. From the bottom site, the lathing had to be suspended on special metal holders and an additional layer of plasterboard (2 in total) added to the ceiling face.

In the production of our floor cassettes, we use certified C24 wooden beams. The cross-section and length are calculated on engineering software for each project at the design stage of the project. For smaller spans beams 45×220 and 45×240 are used. If these are too weak, they can be doubled. Other design options can be choosing the 70mm width instead of 45 mm, minimizing the distance between the beams, or changing standard wooden beams to I-beams. For the biggest distances additional glue-lam beams, metal H profile beams, and columns are used.

In the table below you can see some of the common sizings of such beams under the specific load conditions and using C24 wood. All the values are recommended to be recalculated by your architect specifically for your project‘s load conditions. Because adding some more furniture or a heating floor system will affect the sizes of wood to be chosen.

Is it possible to lay concrete on the wooden floor cassette?

Yes, usually the 50mm layer of concrete is used for heated floor systems. The weight of the concrete layer must be considered in the calculations for cross-sections and lengths of floor beams. Therefore, when our clients are in the technical design phase of each project, the question about additional floor layers is one of many we ask. While we do not install heated floor systems ourselves, the layers above our floor cassette sandwich are important because they may affect connections to the walls, length of wall layers, internal house heights, etc.

Does wool insulation need to be installed in the floor cassette between two floors (inside spaces)?

It is up to the client. It is not compulsory, but we recommend having at least 100mm. The reason is not thermal insulation, but sound. Leaving an empty floor cassette will create an echo effect when someone is walking on the second floor.

I know a wooden floor is not vibration resistant. Also, squeaks – how to avoid it.

Yes, the squeaking floor is one of the timber frame myths. We could call it a problem of old-tech wooden houses. To date, this problem is solved using improved technology and principles. When a person walks on the floor, it causes the floor to vibrate, to “jump”. At that moment, the floorboard bends, and its edges raise a little, causing friction between the nails and the board, and the annoying sound. To prevent this, 55mm screws are used (instead of nails), which do not allow the edges of the floor to move. (Special twisted or notched nails can be used as well.) For extra grip, glue the board to the floor beams. Few other installation tips: the gap between floor beams shall not be bigger than 600mm (to minimize bending); there has to be a 3mm gap between the floorboards; and a 6-12mm gap from the board edge to the wall. It is important to keep the chipboard inside the room temperature for at least 24 hours before mounting.

Outdoor columns are probably a term everyone understands. These are the posts that support the balconies, terraces, roofs, or even some extruding parts of the upper floor. External columns are external elements of timber frame houses that serve primarily as structural elements. We can make them in a square form or in a circular shape, and even add ornament. The house above shows exactly what an ornamented column looks like. Usually, the columns are matched to the corner edges of the house in both design and color.

Roof beams are beams that provide additional support to the elements of the roof structure. Some clients love to hide these beams as much as possible in the sandwich of the roof construction. Meanwhile, others want to showcase them as an additional feature, even adding additional 2-4 beams only for visuals. In cottages, winter vacation homes, these beams are often replaced with logs, as they add extra authenticity to this type of home. Alternatively, we can simulate roof beams in which logs or beams are visible only from the outside. And act only as decoration. Added under the rafter ends, these beams do not extend into the house.

The ridge decorations can be very different. Often short “columns”, sometimes a flat vertical board as part of the verge boards. Decorative ridges are rare in modern residential houses. However, in some cases, such elements are not only decorations but also have a purpose. The example of this house illustrates how the ridge decoration hides a metal lightning rod. There is no need for lightning conductors except in remote areas where there is no conductor serving the entire district.

Verge boards are a lesser-known name. Sometimes you will hear us calling it a “windboard” as it is a direct translation of a Lithuanian term. Verge boards that run along the slope of the roof and cover the side of the roof structures. Their chosen width is usually matched to the width of the weatherboard and corner trims. The number of verge boards depends on the thickness of the roof sandwich. Yet again, customers are free to choose whether they want three wide boards, or five but narrower. They can be painted in a color contrasting to the façade to emphasize the slope of the roof. If a solution of visible ornamented rafters is chosen for the design of the house, we can also add the same ornament to the bottom verge board.

It is true that wood is flammable. But the most vulnerable places in a brick house – the roof structure and often the ceiling – are also made of wood. And renovating fire-affected areas in a frame house is easier than in a brick house. Renovation can be easily done without you leaving your home. Also, a wooden house is not a “naked” wooded frame, it is covered by appropriate layers to protect the wood. All components to this day are technologically engineered to minimize the risk of fire spreading and the damage it can cause. A house built by qualified specialists will meet the required flammability classes according to all standards. I assume you would agree that if a frame house was really so flammable and dangerous to live in, you would not receive a building permit?

Gone are the days when a wooden house was built by guess. Nowadays, houses are strictly designed based on their own weight and the snow and wind loads on the site where they will be constructed. The house will not be built until all the calculations are approved and no matter what material it is from. In the photo below, a 2-meter layer of snow is covering one of our timber frame projects in Norway. It bears such loads every year, and the house stands unchanged. Today, timber frame homes are allowed to be built even in areas of seismic activity.

You probably have been in an old wooden house where the sound of squeaking was not only annoying but sometimes distressing. Is the ceiling strong enough? To this day, this problem is solved by using modern materials and installing them correctly. One of the tricks is to glue the floorboard, especially the holes where the screws are placed.

Uninsulated partitions and ceilings can contribute to poor sound isolation in timber frame houses. Cavities allow echoes to form, which makes sounds seem louder. To prevent this, the ceiling and partition frames must always be filled with wool completely. We can always put an additional sound-insulation board in a room that is extremely sensitive to sound (baby’s bedroom, work office, etc.) and reduce noise transmission to a minimum. Poor-quality windows and doors are to blame for noise transmission, so select them carefully.

The myth has been prevalent since the days when poor-quality wooden houses were built. Today, thanks to all the improved technologies and variety of materials, timber frame houses are warm and airtight. As a result, frame houses are among the warmest on the market because it is easy to meet the requirements of leak testing and heat permeability. To achieve the same energy requirement of the walls, a frame house will need only a 20-25 cm thick frame filled with mineral wool, while the wall of a brick house will have to reach 90-100 cm. And with thinner walls, you will enjoy a more spacious home.

Many houses, whether timber or brick, often look alike. In the end, it is not about the material they use, but the outcome of your chosen project. We build bespoke houses according to client’s individual drawings, so every house is different. You want an exclusive house – we will build it for you.

There are still standing houses in the world that were built in the 10th-11th centuries but are now being converted into museums. Also, there are many wooden houses that are more than 150 years old and are still used for their intended purpose. With improved materials and technologies modern timber frame homes will last even longer. You could say that brick houses are more durable and many old ones will stay here for ages to come. True, but the energy class of most old brick houses is “E” or “D” and requires very expensive heating or even more expensive renovations. It seems that all houses “expire” morally and technologically faster than their life span. People’s lives, perceptions of interiors, and their needs will probably change so greatly in a few hundred years that they will likely be happy to demolish an old house and rebuild a new, technologically “healthy” home either way.

The wood rots only in direct contact with the ground. There are no such places in our timber frames. Here again, myths are shattered by modern materials and refined methodologies. Be aware that the builder of your choice includes waterproofing in the estimate, which must be placed between the foundation and the wooden frame. And most importantly, make sure it is actually put on during construction. In addition to waterproofing, it is also imperative to use dried wood, tightness, and vapor films. The advantage of modular construction here is that the elements/units are all hammered under the roof in the factory. The wood doesn’t come in contact with moisture or rain.

In contrast, the outdoor terrace is exposed to the weather and can possibly be in contact with the ground – although the wood used is impregnated for such purposes. We had projects in France and the UK, where building regulations required the soleplate of the wall frame to be impregnated. Although we do not do it by default (in most countries, it is not required), since our houses are bespoke, we can adjust such things for you.

Many people like to raise such myths, but when asked what kind of house they want to build – the most popular answer is up to 80 sq.m. or slightly larger. This myth is more appropriate for commercial buildings or high-rise buildings, but we do not work with such projects. In terms of residential houses, we have built more than one 500 sq m house or hotel and even several thousand sq m semi-detached houses and apartment buildings. Glulam beams, profiled metal beams, and wooden roof trusses allow for large spans in wooden houses. If, however, your house design requires very large spaces, and timber components are too weak, we can incorporate metal columns or even metal frames. Since frame technology is so flexible, almost any architectural idea can be realized. It’s usually just a matter of price.

Maintaining a timber home is no different from maintaining any other type of home. But you are probably already thinking about those old wooden houses with peeling paint. This should be prevented by priming the weatherboard and then painting it with modern paint that is more resistant to UV rays and rain. Also, make sure that your chosen home manufacturer will apply at least 2 coats of paint (1 coat of primer, 2 coats of paint, 3 in total). Another problem is the bending and cracking of the boards. There are certain profiles and widths, the combination of which can cause these problems. We warn our customers that such a combination is risky and only recommend time-tested types. A wooden exterior is always a wise choice because it is easily repainted to another color or the boards can be easily changed to another profile if wanted.

Wooden houses have traditionally been found only in villages or as holiday homes, cottages, or saunas. And really, for buildings like this, a tree seems like the obvious choice. However, when it comes to residential homes, few people want a house in the city to look like a cottage. To avoid this look, we offer a wide range of modern weatherboard profiles you can choose from. Also, some like to opt for “aged” larch, which provides exceptional modernity. And even if you do not want the image of a wooden house, you can choose other finishing options suitable for a ventilated facade.

Before you search for a timber frame house construction company you have to decide whether you want a turn-key option or a step-by-step construction with separate subcontractors. Both options have their own cons and pros, however working with separate subcontractors usually becomes a more desired option, mostly because of good cost savings. HUS construction company is a subcontractor for a timber frame box kit with completing units. Thus working with us you will have to find your other subcontractors, and what they shall do for you is:

• Timber Frame “Box” kit
• Construction site manager
• Groundworks and foundation
• Electricity, Plumbing, Ventilation
• Internal cosmetic finish

Let’s discuss each of those in more detail or jump to 5 tips to reduce the timber frame house cost.

The Timber Frame box is the main most visible item of house construction. And it is very important to check what every company refers to when saying the timber box is included. As we know there are different types of framing constructions. First, building a timber frame on-site from loose wooden studs and then adding other layers, known as post and beam construction. Second, the timber frame is premade in a factory. Third, the element modular construction, which again can be very different house kits. A) One company will have a timber frame with external sheeting, and insulation inside; B) another, will have the same as previous, but plus all the final external layers such as air gaps, cladding, windows installed; C) companies who have a closed element certificate will have the full wall with electricity and internal layers already on the element for delivery.

These are all element prefabricated kits, but they differ a lot and so will their cost. Our type is B. We do as much of the works in the factory as possible to finish all external layers, fully insulate the frame, air tighten and put moisture control and install windows in. Thus, once the wall elements arrive at your site in 2-3 working days your new house will look like a build house and not only as a frame.

Every house construction must have responsible people on-site to examine the quality, follow the whole process, etc. You need a site manager. At our company, we will assign a project manager to you, who will work with you from start to finish of the project, taking control of the whole process that involves our production, material orders, design questions, assembly flow, and sign-off of our works. However, there must be a qualified local person who will be responsible for all the documentation, requirements follow-up, and all the contractor work on site. Let’s call it the main contractor, site manager, depending on your country. HUS is a subcontractor of wooden frame kits working with other subcontractors, like electricity, foundation, plumbing, etc. So, let’s discuss those as well, as they are part of your timber frame house project.

Another subcontractor you will have to hire is a company or two who will do your groundwork and prepare your foundation. We will give a drawing for your foundation outline and main loads, but it will not be a foundation design. Foundation contractor will design what foundation type you need – concrete slab, piles, or other, what reinforcement has to be inside to support all the loads coming from the house. When we arrive at the site our work starts on the already prepared foundation. Ground work and foundation are a relatively big cost of the project, thus make sure you add it to your budget.

As discussed previously, our elements are open-type elements, meaning the wall from inside is ready for electricity, plumbing, ventilation works to be done on-site by other subcontractors. Once the wall elements are in place and roof water-resistant layers are finished electricians and plumbers can start their job. Offsite prefabricated timber frame element construction gives you a benefit of a very fast time-saving construction, but all the homework must be done in advance. Thus, you want to make sure the subcontractors for electricity and plumbing have designed their layouts according to your needs prior to arriving at the site for work. In traditional construction, many decisions are made on-site, which takes time and mistakes. With element construction, all decisions are to be made in advance, and works on site are processed quickly and usually with no delays.

We will close the walls with plasterboard or wooden panel, however, all the cosmetic finish that comes with plastering, painting, lighting, etc. will be the job of your appointed subcontractors. But usually, there is no rush with these works and you can take time because by this stage we have already left your site and these works usually do not affect the dates of completion that we agreed on.

House construction is never expected to be cheap. And usually, budget planning is a time-consuming and tiring thing. Since we cannot say the exact price of your timber frame house without a detailed look at your drawings, material preferences, and country’s requirements, we at least can shape some tips on how to reduce the timber frame house cost:

• Choose a house with fewer corners
• Choose a house with a simple roof design
• Choose a house with smaller and fewer windows
• Choose a one-story house, no stairs*
• Choose good quality and low maintenance materials

When designing a house and trying to spend less, make sure your house has as few corners as possible. Of course, 4 corners will be the least amount possible, unless you are going for a circular house design (to which this tip does not apply). So why fewer corners? Let’s look into it. You can have the same area of the house when its shape is rectangular, and the same exact floor area when it’s created by irregular shapes. The second option will have a bigger area of external walls. Thus, more walls, higher price! See the simple visual explanation below:

Let’s say below are two different shape houses mentioned before. They are divided into an equal number of squares of the same size to visualize their areas. The bold lines are the external walls of the house. Every square is the same floor area Y m² and every wall has a length of X m. If you count, there are 20 squares in each drawing below, so the area of both houses is 20Y m². But now count the walls – bold lines X.

Right! The second house of irregular shape has more meters of external walls (in this particular case it is by 10X meters more!). So, even if both houses are of the same size, same materials, same kit, the price of the house with fewer corners will be less expensive! And this is exactly how two 200m² houses can have a different cost in a range of 500-700eur/m².

Continuing on the example above, more walls will require more roof area, which again will increase your costs. The roof has many layers in it, so by increasing your roof by 5m² you are not only increasing the roof construction cost but insulation, sheeting, battens, roof finish costs, which will make a relevant difference. The various extrusions and interconnecting sections of the roof make a beautiful house design, but also require more assembly hours (more costs). Thus, if your goal is to save, you may consider having less of those.

Furthermore, consider your roof use. You may want to have the internal volume of roof trusses being used as storage. You will need an attic-type roof truss for it. It will be a more expensive type, but it is worth considering if it creates extra space for storage, which we always need. Especially, good for projects where due to a restricted footprint, you don’t want to waste your room areas for storage as you’d rather have it for more bedrooms or bigger living rooms.

Windows are one of the biggest expenses from a timber frame box offer alone. Thus, you want to consider how many of those you want to have. There is a minimum window area requirement (specified by each country individually), which must be followed for each room usually based on its type and size. But everything extra is not only a cost for the window itself, but also, bigger areas of glass will require more heating when winter comes, and more cooling in summer.

This tip only works if we do not take into account the price of a building site. Because, in some countries, the building sites are so expensive, thus, of course, people buy smaller building sites and build multi-story homes. That’s the best option to save.

However, let’s compare only the house price itself here. It is always known that if you want to have a less expensive house – make it a one-floor design. Despite all the other extra things for a multi-story house, stairs are one of the most expensive interior features in it. They are usually a centerpiece of the whole interior design, you want to make them safe and look good. Nonetheless, the wall area is smaller for a single-story house than 2-story of the same floor area. Let’s visualize the same approach that we did when counting corners:

As you see in the drawing above, there is a one-story house on the left and a 2-story house of the same 20Y m² floor area on the right. If you count the bold lines, the external walls, the 2-story house will have 10X meters more external walls. As a result, the left house will cost less, plus will not need extra expenses for a staircase.  Cha-ching!

Many of us choose materials based on their initial costs. But what is important is to also check what are the maintenance requirements for every material. For example, wooden windows are cheaper than aluminium coated from outside, but they will require repainting at some point. Don‘t get me wrong, it does not mean that wooden windows will have to be repainted every year, but still, their paint is not eternal. Aluminium coated will be a bigger investment, but you will not need to do any painting maintenance on them. When buying always think about what will be the costs in the long run. Of course, if you have a fixed budget, you will probably want to fit in it now, not thinking about the future costs.

Treating the exterior cladding. There are a few options to choose from for the treatment of spruce weatherboard. And it is important to do so because wood without treatment can be more sensitive to UV rays and rain. These two options are painting and staining. Painting gives good coverage, hiding the timber look of the building well, which works great for people who do not want their house to look „very wooden-ish“. Because of the good coverage and also of compatibility to put primer under the paint, painting is less maintenance requiring material and will require repainting every 10-15 years or even longer (depending on your location and exposure to UV rays and rain). One tip: When you paint your newly built house or build your new house with a timber frame production company, make sure their coverage of exterior wood is 1 coat of prime and 2 coats of paint. On the other hand, the stain is a perfect solution for summer houses or house designs that need this authentic look of timber in it. Stain can give a tone of colour to a building rather than putting the full layer of colour on top. Stain penetrates the external side of the wood and prevents it from sun and rain; however, it is less resistant and will require re-staining every 3-7 years (again depending on your exposure). One tip: don‘t wait for the stain to fully fade to put a new layer of stain on the wood. The period of “naked” wood being in contact with the exterior will create a risk for wood damage. Changing the weatherboard will be more expensive than staining it on time.

What can save the stain colour longer? Having trees planted in front of the building, or extending the roof over to form an overhang will create a shade on your wall, thus the treatment of wood will be kept on for much longer.