Hi guys,
I know that traditionally the comfortboards are used for exterior insulations. However, we were given a bunch of these boards (4") and I want to put them to good use. We want to put up new wall insulation on the interior of our timber framed house. Is there any reason why this is not a good idea?
Hi All,
I'd love to hear from the Structural Engineers who are familiar with the construction of residential buildings.
As most older homes have double brick structures (from the perspective of an Australian), and almost all newer homes are built with timber frames. I often hear that the new homes "just aren't as good as the older homes" or " these new homes won't last very long".
The premise is - constructing with double brick is too expensive, so timber is the cost-effective alternative. However, if double brick were cheaper it would be the preferred material even after all these years.
Say you were to choose between, double brick and timber in a new home build for yourself. Same location. Same cost. What material are you using and why?
Thanks for any and all input, can't seem to find objective information on this topic. If anyone has articles or documentation they can point me to, that would also be greatly appreciated.
I have been doing some research and see some massive benefits in building a timber frame / SIP home. The building is built using a material that acts as a carbon sink, and the SIP helps airtight and insulate the home.
I would like to one day build a home using that combination, however I have concerns about the sustainability of the heavy timbers required for structures. While they cost less energy to produce and construct, I am concerned that it incentivizes logging of old growth trees.
The alternative is engineered timber which uses adhesives to laminate smaller timbers into an equivalent heavy beam. This involves the use of plantation timbers and the chemicals used to bond them but has superior mechanical qualities.
Was hoping you could share any research or fact based thoughts on the matter. I am finding it a little difficult to find clear writing on the sustainability of engineered timbers outside of promotional material.
Hey! I'm building my tiny house in the UK on an 18ft x 8ft trailer. Currently trying to figure out how to frame my roof - I'm going for a gable roof with a 2/12 pitch over the loft and 7/12 pitch over the living space to maximise height in my loft space. I'm in the UK so won't have to contend with heavy snowfall or massively strong winds.
Ideally would love a roofer/builder to converse with on the issues I'm having (lol), or failing that advice on whether it will work to have a 2x4 ridge spanning the length of the build, with 2x4 rafters 24" on centre and 2x4 loft joists?
Many thanks in advance from a stressed DIYer
In structural engineering, engineers need numbers to design with. Graded lumber comes with a list of properties for this purpose. With unclassified materials, you can only rely on experience, gut feeling and a high margin of safety (which lead to oversized dimensions).
I am not yet sure what I want to investigate. Maybe I want to propose a method for testing, or maybe an analysis on a existing structure.
I'm looking for exiting ideas from other engineers!
I am looking into building an ~900 sq ft home that is completely timber-framed, and am hoping others might be able to give me an idea of how much greater lumber costs are for timber framed vs normal construction.
I live in Georgia, so I imagine there's a chance that lumber will be cheaper here than most places...
Thank you everyone for your help.
I am building a pavilion that let’s assume is 12x16 with posts at each corner. The foundation I was planning was 24 inch piers at each corner with the 4 inch pad set on top on a second pour. The ground under the pad is undisturbed and we will have a layer of crushed gravel. Should I worry about the concrete cracking as the center of the pad settles relative to the corners which are stable since they are down to the frost line? If so how would you suggest I mitigate the cracking?
https://preview.redd.it/vn3q8whic8d71.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5293551584ba58ea105f5b5f9f8476a8ec415c38
I build a small, light weight sauna that sits on a trailer ready to be taken to a nearby lake. Its half-timbered construction is time consuming to build but offers an appealing aesthetics. Following the traditional path further, led me to impose natural materials all the way. Baked cork with its low weight, being weatherproof and open to diffusion seemed the perfect candidate. This design is the first attempt of its kind to imply cork for both facade and insulation in a mobile sauna.
https://preview.redd.it/wex39tgpc8d71.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db73a681117cec9b357cf6dca80b22695d9806cd
The hole project is covered in a blog post here https://blog.project-insanity.org/2021/07/24/mobile-timber-framed-cork-sauna/
Tell me what you think ;)
https://preview.redd.it/5jztimtqc8d71.jpg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f026cfd0b05595fbe5866517e3348e17ba7034d1
