Can you please advise me on seasoned oak and green oak? Can either be used for structural work? Green oak can be defined simply as oak which has been freshly cut. Thus green oak construction is the craft of forming a building frame with members of green oak. It is not a new craft, but […]
The Durability of Douglas Fir
Like Oak, there’s not a lot Douglas Fir can’t be used for externally, it is naturally durable, but can be difficult to treat due to its density and resin content. Properly maintained the service life of structural timbers can be well over 100 years. Douglas fir is more than just a good-looking wood. Its durability and […]
Wordworm Treatment
Most structural timber is immune from woodwormPretty much every period property will have experienced a woodworm attack at some point in its life. It can be a cause of much worry, but this is rarely as serious as you might fear, and in fact very frequently prompts unnecessary, expensive and potentially harmful remedial work and treatment. Unfortunately, […]
Green Buildings
What is Green Building?Green Building, green construction, or sustainable building is not new; it’s the practice of designing, constructing, and operating buildings to minimize resource use, reduce waste and avoid negative environmental impacts.Slide Share Green BuildingFor 25 years – and more – we’ve been designing, manufacturing and constructing ‘Green Buildings’ and components in a ‘Green way. Creating […]
What will be the impact of BREXIT on the UK Construction Industry?
This article can be downloaded in PDF format from here Brexit is More than BrexitResisting the temptation to consider the impact that leaving the EU will have on Construction as a single event, this paper approaches this question more holistically. In part it regards historical background, recent trends, emerging technologies, social structures, emerging nations and […]
“Construction’s Competitive Conundrum”
You can download this article as a PDF from here Contents:The 3.5 bn. Cost of Securing WorkCosts BreakdownsTotal Costs to Get One JobWho foots the bill?What’s the Addition?Other Costs to be CoveredClever Bidding20+% May go on bid costsWhen Bigger means SmallerEnthusiasm beats Value –v- PriceDelivering Better Value for MoneyWhere the Money GoesEgan’s ‘Better Way’Partnering FundamentalsCreating the […]
Building for the 21st Century
You can download this article as a PDF from hereContents:What Specification Do I Need?The Climate Change AgendaChanging The Way We BuildFabric FirstGood Fabric is More Than InsulationEnergy Saving Sustainable BuildingsThe Road to Zero Carbon is Paved with Building RegulationsOur ‘Optimised Specification’ Approach to DesignGreen Dream Homes – Target U-values & Air PermeabilityGreen Dream Homes SpecificationWhat […]
Emergency Housing – with a Difference
… solving on-going, as well as immediate, disaster resettlement issuesDiRRep- Disaster Relief Re-locatable or Permanent housingEmergency housing, emergency shelter and disaster housing is needed all over the world. With our ever changing unpredictable global climate, disastrous weather conditions, and frequent earthquakes, the world is increasingly prone to disasters of every description. Even worse is the displacement of […]
How much does the Timber Frame for a House Weigh ?
A question often raised by someone contemplating the use of timber frame for their new home is: “How much will my timber frame house weigh?”It’s not just the self-builder that wants to know this, but also her/his architect and foundations engineer. House builders and developers also find it a very relevant question because if the […]
Britains Housing Crisis
For 30 years or more Britain’s housing crisis has been getting progressively worse. The sale of council houses, failure to replace these, mortgage gluts and famines, unbalanced planning system, negative equity disasters, acute shortage of land for development, ever higher regulatory demands on building, and millions of immigrants needing homes are all partial reasons for […]
