Why the UK is Going Back to Timber

After the great fire of London, a mandate was brought in to prevent the use of timber as a structural material in the area—as a result, stone and bricks became the default choice for housebuilders. Helpfully, people quite liked the way these homes looked and the trend spread across the rest of the country, even in sparsely populated areas that didn't pose much of a fire risk. Since then, most of England has had a bias towards brick and views timber as a lesser material (which we know not to be true!). In this blog, we'll explore why UK housebuilders are going back to timber and why. 

(We know this is in York—photos of timber homes in London are hard to find for obvious reasons)

Why It's a Good Building Material

CO2 Absorption: Most of us are aware that trees capture CO2 and release oxygen, but most aren't aware that even when felled, the CO2 is still trapped inside the wood, essentially preventing it being released into the atmosphere. So, if we ensure that more trees are planted than are felled, we have an infinite source of building materials that will continue to trap CO2 for centuries. Although most housebuilders probably aren't looking at this, the government will be encouraging the use of timber more stringently as part of the bigger picture to reduce our emissions.

Energy Efficiency: Timber has excellent thermal insulation properties, helping regulate indoor temperatures. This can reduce the need for artificial heating or cooling, making buildings more energy-efficient. The more efficient a home and the lesser the running costs, the more desirable to the potential buyer. 

Good Value: Modern-day timber products, such as roof trusses or posi-joists, are designed and manufactured quickly and accurately off-site and then delivered ready to be installed the same day. This dramatically cuts labour costs and makes them great value compared to some other methods. 

Why is the UK going back to timber?

Our built environment is responsible for 25% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions, and as such the government has released their Timber in Construction Roadmap. This aims to increase tree canopy and woodland cover in England to 16.5% (from 13.2%), increase planting rates to 30,000 hectares per year, promoting timber as a construction material, increasing skills and capacity for installation and erection, and addressing fire & safety concerns. If all of this is implemented, each home in the UK could see a reduction of up to 60% in its embodied carbon emissions with all of the associated benefits listed above. 

Although we don't produce timber frames, we do produce components of the structure, including roof trusses, attic trusses, posi-joists (also known as metal web joists or engineered joists), and loose timber, and have good connections to local skilled companies that can work with you, and us, to complete your next project. Get in touch below if you've got any questions or queries and we'd be happy to answer them.