For Bob Tomlinson, director of eco-housebuilder Living Villages, when it comes to using timber it’s a case of, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.
Now building The Wintles, the second phase of a second, 40-house development in the quiet Shropshire village of Bishops Castle, Bob Tomlinson revels in the amount of timber used, from the softwood stud frame to the exposed internal glulam beams, timber floors, windows and internal joinery, through to the larch cladding. This cluster of two- to six-bedroom houses is not just timber framed, it is what Tomlinson describes as “timber featured”.
And what’s more, because the emphasis is on sustainability, virtually all the timber is sourced from the UK – or more specifically, the environs of Bishops Castle. The studding comes from Scotland and other packages, such as the larch cladding, are sourced locally, with merchants Ransfords and Pontrilas supplying timber from the nearby Welsh forests. The exception are the windows, which are from a Danish company because Living Villages couldn’t find a UK manufacturer who could supply the volume to the specification required.
In the interior, Living Villages tries to keep as much of the woodwork exposed as possible, while the exteriors are finished in lime render, reclaimed bricks or larch boarding.
“We wanted to make a statement that they were timber frame buildings,” said Tomlinson. “It always seems a bit strange to me to build a timber frame building and then clad it in brick and plaster it all on the inside so you can’t tell what it is.”
And, he added, if it wasn’t for the planning constraints and the fact that the site is adjacent to a conservation area, the exteriors would feature more timber. “We’re already pushing the boundaries of [planning] permission,” said Tomlinson.
The five pilot houses in the first development consisted of a Douglas fir post and beam frame but the second development uses an engineered stud frame, with bigger pieces of wood used for decorative features. This was partly in answer to some movement problems with the post and beam system but also because Living Villages is NHBC registered and “they don’t really like the idea of solid wood”, Tomlinson explained.
Now the open panel frame system comprises a 44x95mm stud with a Panelvent racking membrane. A secondary stud on the inside provides a 300mm cavity which holds the Warmcell insulation, producing a U-value of 0.12 – around half that required by the current Building Regulations. The company prefabricates the frames – in a cow shed it inherited with the site – but now it has fine-tuned the system and is increasing production, there are plans to contract out the manufacture.
The high degree of insulation would not be possible with brick and block because of the depth of wall it would produce and Tomlinson said that timber frame has also enabled more innovative design, which sets the houses apart visually from the UK norm.
“We’ve drawn from what we think is cutting edge in Scandinavia and North America,” he said. “Timber frame lends itself to being much more innovative with design. We’ve got spans, spaces, open plan living – that has resulted in a fairly striking sort of house which wouldn’t have been the case with brick and block.”
The latest house is quite different: in the form of a Dutch barn, it features a rolled recycled aluminium roof.
As the houses are sold off plan, engineering the design to avoid load-bearing internal walls also provides the flexibility to make changes requested by the clients and for households to make alterations in future. The designs include a lot of fenestration and this is made easier through the use of timber frame. “Timber frame is more appropriate for that style of building,” said Tomlinson.
Despite the site’s remote location, 10,000 people visited in the first year, drawn by the development’s eco-friendly credentials. Each of the houses is designed and oriented for solar gain, features a heat recovery system and is plumbed to give occupants the choice of using grey water.
Those who buy a house in The Wintles are attracted by its long, green tick list but not necessarily by the fact it is timber framed. “They’re not necessarily interested in the construction but buy the houses because of what they are – and the houses are what they are because of the way they’re constructed,” said Tomlinson.
However, buyers do seem to like the fact that timber is a natural material and Living Villages advertises this in its sales brochure. “In an eco-friendly scheme you have to avoid concrete because of the energy and CO2 production involved in its manufacture, so you’re better off using timber,” said Tomlinson. “It’s a grown, natural material and it absorbs CO2.”
Bob Tomlinson also offers a consultancy and design service for other developers and has even had some interest from a district council in New Zealand.
And the company’s development received a commendation in the Royal Town Planning Institute awards, where it was rubbing shoulders with the likes of the National Trust, Coventry City Council and English Partnerships.
“We were like the village football team in the premier league,” said Tomlinson.
