Timber frame houses are now made in factories. On the building site, they just put

We have spoken many times about timber frame houses and their advantages, and it is a subject that is arousing more and more interest. One of the advantages for which many people choose to go for this type of housing is the reduced working time on site. On a timber frame house the time on site to erect the walls and put on the roof is measured in weeks, sometimes even days. Why is this possible? Because much of the work is done in the factory, with the house arriving as a package at the construction site, where it is installed on the foundation. This eliminates much of the work needed to build a brick or concrete house and cuts the time significantly.

In-factory processing not only has the advantage of shortening time. The factory facilities allow the wood to be treated and processed in infinitely better conditions, which makes the end result much better. I recently came across the video below taken at Dimmer from Marius Șoflete of the Creative Engineering. Those who have subscription to the printed Revista din Lemn learned about Comănești's wood frame home builder in the March 2019 issue. The edition was themed Wooden houses and one of the manufacturers featured in the magazine was Dimmer.

As soon as I saw the movie I said I had to tell you about it. Watching it will make it much easier for you to understand the advantages of factory-built timber frame and walls. The movie follows the technological flow, from cutting the logs and drying the lumber to packing the walls. We've certainly talked about some of the processing that goes on in the factory. But the movie is perfect to understand the importance of each operation.

Factory work with very high impact on house strength

I know you're anxious to see the movie, some of you I've probably already missed. Please just let me point out some of the processing steps that have direct effects on the strength of the house:

• Drying wood in the kiln - The humidity thus decreases to 12-13% in a short time compared to natural drying. The low humidity protects the wood from insect attack and reduces warping;
• Elimination of defects - Knots, knots, twisted fiber reduce the strength of wood;
• Using wood efficiently - The removal of defects also results in smaller pieces of wood which, unlike on the building site, are not discarded. They are processed to be joined in the teeth and get long elements;
•  Obtaining strength members by nailing. Lamellar beams have much higher strength than a wooden element of the same dimensions obtained from a piece of wood. In addition, it is possible to obtain strength members of great thicknesses and lengths, which are very difficult to obtain directly from the trunk;
• Calibration and grinding of structural elements. The factory's in-house calibrating machines produce surfaces that are much smoother and smoother than what can be achieved on site;
• Processing on CNC. The computer-aided machines perform very high precision machining, ensuring a perfect fit on site. This reduces working time and material waste. Also, very accurate joints ensure that the structure is watertight;
• Application of treatments. The conditions in the factory allow the wood to be properly immersed in baths containing insect and fungicide and fire retardant substances, resulting in a well-treated wood with high resistance over time;
• Installing walls. You get ready insulated walls with all layers very well fixed. This precision of fixing and the immobility of the layers ensure an energy-efficient house;
• Packaging. The walls are shipped to the construction site packed to protect them from rain and moisture.

All this factory processing makes the site of a timber frame house much easier for the beneficiary. We all dread the long construction time, the extensions due to bad weather, the daily containers of waste to be disposed of. The wooden frame houses are quickly erected and the waste left behind is almost negligible.

A picture is worth a thousand words, isn't that what they say?

All right, I won't keep you any longer. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I figure a movie can be a million. Of words, I mean! 🙂 If you have any questions after watching the movie, leave them below in the dedicated space. And if you think it's a useful article for others, feel free to share it! Enjoy!