Timber Frame Construction at Cala

The critical environmental benefit of using timber in construction is carbon capture. As trees grow, they use their roots to take in water and other essential nutrients.  The leaves then use the water and carbon dioxide from the air, in combination with sunlight, to turn the water and carbon dioxide into glucose, giving off the by-product of oxygen in the process: the carbon is ‘captured…’ within the timber, known as sequestration. The sequestered carbon is retained within the timber throughout its life as a structural building material, only returning to the atmosphere when decayed or burned.

Timber Frame build systems, by calculation, have also been shown to have up to 20 per cent less embodied carbon than a typical masonry build - the equivalent of driving a diesel car 1.7 times around the equator in the lifetime of the building - this is key to achieving a reduction in embodied carbon.

The majority of the structural timber used in UK is imported from Scandinavia and the Baltic states, with Cala Group requesting that all the timber we source from our supply chain, is either PEFC or FSC certified. Each of these organisations promote sustainable forest management via its audited certification schemes.

Typically for every tree cut down, three or four more are planted within well-managed productive woodlands, ensuring large scale re-forestation, and further aiding the fight against climate change. Timber is the only true renewable building material, indeed, if it were ‘invented…’today it would be seen as a wonder product.

There are several advantages for a developer like Cala – flexibility when designing a home; due to being easier to craft to different taste and style, the speed at which a house can be built; including the ability for tradespeople to start their work inside, taking brickwork off the critical path; helping fix entry date, and benefits in building performance.

As with other build types, homes built using Timber Frame need to meet the same standards and functional requirements of the Building Regulations, whether this is for resistance to fire and moisture, or sound attenuation.

Putting it simply, the intermediate floors of masonry houses are made from timber, as is the roof structure. The only difference with a timber frame home is the inner wall/leaf of the overall wall is now made with timber with thermally efficient insulation held within it. Providing that normal levels of house maintenance are carried out timber frame homes do not have a lower durability than masonry build.

There is no problem securing a mortgage on a Timber Frame constructed home. There are over one hundred High Street and Independent banking institutions, throughout the UK, that actively mortgage homes built using Timber Frame.

Both the UK and Scottish Governments actively encourage the use of timber frame in construction as a great way to reduce the carbon content in buildings; all to help meet their own net zero carbon reduction targets.

Likewise, insurance firms will provide buildings insurance on Timber Frame properties, and there is no cost penalty for owning a Timber Frame home, with costs like-for-like compared to masonry properties.

Currently, 80 percent of new Cala homes within Scotland utilise timber frame, and 34 percent of all home completions across the wider Cala business in 2023 were built utilising timber frame. While developments in England have some way to go to match this figure, our Sustainability Strategy will ensure that by 2030 at least 60 percent of our new homes will be constructed using timber frame.

Having said that, not all homes are suitable to be built in timber frame due to design considerations, however, Cala is committed to exploring new green technology and further Modern Methods of Construction [MMC] to reduce carbon across all of our sites, no matter the constraints.

Customers should speak with their Sales Consultant and read the specification for their home for the details of what is included on their development.