The absolute charm of a wood frame house is hard to resist. Wood frames are sturdy and timeless. When you build a house with wooden frames you address several issues at once: availability, design versatility, eco-friendliness, insulation and ease of construction.

Here are the top 5 reasons to build a house with wood frames:

Availability

The most popular reason to get yourself a timber-frame house is the abundance of this raw material. Wood is readily found everywhere and your builder can source some of its best variants to build your house with.

It is true that it requires some amount of treatment to prolong its durability. Also, it is required in a large volume where home building is concerned. This makes wood-framed homes slightly pricier than brick-and-mortar homes. But it is obtainable in almost every second home-improvement centre and timber yard. It is easy to ship and easy to work with. Hence, more and more home builders and home buyers are gravitating towards houses made of wood frames.

Most timber suppliers prefer planting more trees than they cut down in order to use this forest resource responsibly. And since trees continue to grow, more and more timber is continually available.

Most often timber sourced from mills is put to use locally, thus reducing the time and cost of transport.

Design Versatility

One of the reasons wood is a popular construction material is that it lends itself to a mind-boggling variety of designs, polishes, shapes, and structures. Wood frames for walls, roofs, floors and other structural components turn a house around and add to its aesthetic appeal.

There are more than three thousand varieties of wood in the US and they are used for various types of framings. The natural patterns, marks and colour they carry usually broaden their versatility. When included in custom built houses, these frames lend a timeless beauty to everything it touches. Few materials can surpass the old-world charm of wooden framing.

The visual attraction of wood frames surpasses that of any other material and part of it derives from its structural strength. This is also the reason you still find wood-framed homes and other buildings standing tall. It is remarkably durable.

Eco-friendliness

• What is the one material that has the lowest carbon emissions?
• What is the most sustainable construction fiber?
• What is the most renewable home building material?

The answer is wood. If any have any doubts regarding the suitability of wood as a component for your house, you can safely bury them now.

First, wood is naturally occurring and it is subjected to fewer stages of processing before being cast into frames. Consequently, it is safer to use than most chemically-treated construction materials. It doesn’t release toxic fumes in the house or outside of it. Hence it contributes to not only a greener but also a healthier home environment.

Second, wood grows fast and is quickly replenished. That’s why it is easy to renew and its supplies can be maintained for long. Responsible suppliers and mill owners despise carelessly felling trees and depleting natural resources. Hence many prefer giving back to nature more than they take -planting as much as ten times the green cover they had to remove.

Insulation

Another reason builders include wood frames is the unbeatable insulation they provide. Whenever you think of inflated energy consumption, consider getting wooden frames.

The miniature air pockets that are present in wood make them poor conductors of heat. It means that less heat escapes outside, minimizing the strain on indoor heating systems. Similarly, wood frames also keep the house cooler in summer. So you have naturally climate-controlled indoors and low energy bills. Wood is considerably more insulating than glass, aluminum and steel and only ranks behind concrete and stone.

When timber frames are used for doors and windows, there is more room to fit in additional insulation of your choice.

Ease of Construction

When you consider the simplicity of building, wood frames are not only easier to shape but also quicker to put together.

Timber framing can be precision-cut and shaped as desired faster than stone. With little wastage, clearing up after also becomes less time-consuming. The framing is installed swiftly. All these cut down on the overall building hours. Simple mortise and tenon joints fixed with pegs stand the test of time. This reinforces the joints and strengthens the frames. As such it needs no extra wall to balance out the load. These joints are still used by home builders around the world.

When it comes to upkeep, wood frames are highly cost-effective. The labor is available cheaply and home owners often take charge of minor repairs themselves.

All in all, wood framing in custom homes add structural power to the house and keeps it low-maintenance. It is a greener solution that minimizes heat loss and yields to customization readily.