How to Build a Timber Frame House in the UK

Step 1: Starting Your Project with Tŷ Eco

Your journey starts with a discussion about what you want to build and how you want it to perform. For a timber-frame quotation, we ideally need a full set of drawings showing the floor plans, elevations and sections, along with the required specification. 

These give us the detail we need to understand elements such as window positions, internal walls and the overall structure before we start developing the timber-frame package.

If your project is still at an earlier stage, send us what you have and we can let you know what further information is needed before we prepare the quote.

Step 2: Designing Your Timber Frame Home

Once the quotation is agreed, we move into the detailed design stage. We develop the drawings used for quotation towards production-ready detail and send the project for third-party structural engineering calculations. 

We’ll also work with you, your architect or engineer to refine the design, resolve any difficult details and identify opportunities to make the structure more cost-effective before the drawings are approved and frozen. 

We then design the timber frame around one of our two main panel systems: 

ADRA P0 Panel System

Our higher-performance 300mm panel system, developed for projects targeting Passive House levels of performance. 

Its I-joist construction reduces the amount of solid timber through the wall build-up, helping to minimise thermal bridging.

The Standard 140mm Panel System

Our standard 140mm stud system is the mainstream timber-frame option and can be supplied as either an open or closed panel. 

It is the system most commonly specified for projects looking to meet current Building Regulations without moving to the higher-performance ADRA specification. 

The exact wall build-up depends on the performance requirements of your project. A typical closed panel can include OSB sheathing, factory-installed insulation, a vapour control layer (VCL) internally and an external breather membrane. 

The specification can vary depending on the U-value required and the preferred construction details agreed with your architect or engineer.

We work with established supply partners including Knauf, Partel, Masonite and Södra, selecting materials appropriate to the individual project rather than applying one fixed specification to every build.

Step 3: How Tŷ Eco Prefabricates Your Timber Frame Panels

Once the drawings have been approved and frozen, they are developed into panel-level production drawings for the factory. Components are cut using automated machinery before the panels are assembled in a controlled factory environment. 

This allows far more of the work to be completed accurately before the timber frame reaches site. 

Closed panel options can come pre-insulated. With a closed panel, the insulation is installed in the factory rather than being left for trades to fit once the structure reaches site. 

Step 4: Preparing Your Site for Delivery and Installation

Make sure to include:

• Foundations that are correctly positioned and level

• Clear access for delivery vehicles

• Planned space for crane movement or manual handling

• Adequate storage area for panel drops

Around a week before the panels are due on site, we generally send out the sole plate and, where we are supplying it, the damp proof course (DPC). 

The foundation is checked before the sole plate is fixed because it needs to be level and set to the agreed dimensions. 

Getting this stage right is critical: it ensures that the panels manufactured in the factory fit correctly and that the structure can be erected straight and square. 

If foundations do not meet agreed tolerances, installation may be delayed. Site readiness ensures your building system can be erected efficiently, with clear access for trusses, roof trusses and joinery components to be lifted safely into position.

Final checks should be made before delivery to confirm that the sole plate is level, correctly positioned and matches the agreed dimensions. Resolving any issues at this stage helps prevent avoidable problems once the panels arrive. 

Step 5: Delivering and Erecting the Timber Frame

The panels are delivered flat, weather-protected and stacked in the sequence needed for erection. They can then be craned or forklifted from the delivery vehicle, ready to be lifted onto the sole plate. 

Because so much of the structure has already been manufactured off-site, erection can move extremely quickly once work begins. 

On one recent three-bedroom detached house, we erected the entire timber-frame structure, including the roof, in just three days!

The project used our ADRA system, with larger-format wall panels, floor cassettes and roof cassettes allowing the structure to progress rapidly from the prepared slab upwards. 

• ADRA projects use larger, heavier panels and generally require crane-assisted installation

• Standard 140mm timber frames can be installed by experienced timber-frame installers

The basic sequence starts with the ground-floor external panels and load-bearing internal walls. Intermediate floor joists or prefabricated floor cassettes follow, then the upper-storey panels and finally the roof structure. 

Standard 140mm projects will generally use roof trusses, while ADRA projects are more likely to use prefabricated roof cassettes. 

Once the frame is erected, the membrane details are completed so the structure is weather-resistant. With the windows and doors installed and the shell secured, internal first-fix trades can then begin. 

Step 6: What Happens After the Structure is Up

Once the shell is secure and weather-resistant, follow-on trades can begin work on elements such as electrical and plumbing first fix, internal finishes, roofing and the chosen external façade. 

If windows and doors were installed in the factory, we can also arrange an airtightness test to verify performance.

Because the frame is designed and prefabricated before it reaches site, much of the structural work has already been resolved in the factory.  That means less cutting, insulating and adjustment is left to complete during erection. 

Reaching a secure, weather-resistant shell quickly also allows the next stages of the programme to begin much sooner than they would if the structure still needed extensive work on site. 

How Much Does It Cost to Build a Timber Frame House in the UK

The cost of a timber-frame package depends on the size and complexity of the building, the panel specification, structural requirements and the level of performance you want to achieve.

For that reason, we price each project against its drawings and specification rather than relying on a generic cost-per-square-metre figure.

Once a quotation is accepted, the project moves through three payment stages. The first 10% is the design-stage payment, covering the detailed design work and third-party structural engineering calculations. Once the drawings are approved, a 50% manufacturing-stage payment secures the production slot, with the remaining 40% payable before delivery.

This staged approach means you can see exactly where the project is in the process and what each payment is progressing towards.

Speak to Tŷ Eco About Your Timber Frame Project

Whether you're planning a one-off self-build or a larger residential project, Tŷ Eco can help turn your drawings into a bespoke panelised timber-frame package. 

From detailed design and structural engineering through to factory manufacture, delivery and installation support, we'll help you understand exactly what is required at each stage. 

Find out more about our timber frames or contact Tŷ Eco to discuss your project in more detail.