Timber homes need careful and effective maintenance to preserve their appearance and weather-proofing, and to help ensure that they are as durable and long-lasting as their builders intended.
High Quality Timber
If you are constructing a timber house, it always pays to use very high quality timber, or to choose a timber frame construction company who will do the job for you. This includes ensuring that the chosen timber is properly treated. Attempts to cut costs by choosing lower quality timber or scrimping on the treatment process will inevitably affect the building’s longer-term condition. When it comes to the treatment procedures during the construction process, it is always sensible to choose a professional with an appropriate understanding of what is needed for the particular type of timber used.
Weatherproofing Timber
Many people fear that their timber home may rot, particularly in wet climates such as those experienced in many parts of the UK. However, timber can be waterproofed in such a way as to prevent any moisture from soaking into the wood. It is critical that this is done not only to prevent the wood from rotting, but also to guard against the damage that can occur when damp wood freezes. In sufficiently cold weather, any water that has seeped into the wood will expand into ice. This will force the timbers apart. The damage caused over only relatively short spaces of time can be considerable, and the cost of putting it right may be far more than the building’s owner is comfortable with paying.
Protecting Timber Homes Against Insects
Insects such as deathwatch beetle are a major pest in timber buildings. Left unchecked they can cause significant damage, however judicious use of both a dry rot treatment and a wet rot treatment can guard against this outcome most effectively.
What to Look for if You’re Buying a Timber Home
To be effective, the treatments covered in this short article must be carried out during the building’s construction. Conscientious builders such as http://www.qtfhomes.co.uk/ will have kept a record of all the various treatments to which they have subjected the wood, and you should not be afraid to request copies of them.
As a would-be buyer of a timber home, make sure that you do your research and check that your prospective purchase has been treated properly.
