Keen to achieve a highquality finish? Chris Bates takes a look at the facade options for timber frame projects

Chris Bates

If you’re wondering which claddings will work best for your timber frame build, here’s the short answer: they can all be a good fit. But that’s not the whole story. The fact is, some finishes complement the qualities of a timber construction better than others.

A big attraction of this structural system is that, once work starts on site, you can expect the weathertight shell of your home to be up and ready in as little as five to 10 days. At this point, first fix work can proceed inside and out – so whilst the plumber is busily working away on getting the pipework network in place, the external roof and wall finishes can be applied, too.

Using a factory-manufactured structural system also means you can achieve good energy performance within a relatively thin wall profile. According to Kingspan Timber Solutions, to get to a U-value of 0.17 W/m2K (a fairly typical level to aim at on a self build project), you’d need a wall profile of 435mm with standard masonry. Using a high-performance timber frame, you can achieve that with a wall thickness of just 312mm. That could translate to more floor space inside the finished property.

Your choice of cladding can help to accentuate these benefits. “These days, three out of every four timber frame builds we work on is probably finished in a lightweight system,” says Simon Orrells from Frame Technologies. Wooden weatherboarding is a classic choice, but you can also consider products such as fibre-cement, render boards and brick slips (slithers of masonry cut from the block or extruded as tiles). All of these options are quick to install and require minimal wall build-up.