D-I-Y Pricing

Detailed estimates are complex, involved, and take considerable time to produce. However, we hope you will find this Rough Guide to the cost of your engineered timber-frame building project, helpful in assessing budgets and affordability for your project.

 

First, these guidelines apply primarily to Engineered Timber Panel and Trussed Rafter structures. If you are contemplating traditional oak, post and beam, freeform glulam, or stick-build, then please send us your plans for our experts to help you further.

 

Second, please understand that design complexity and specification have considerable effect upon build costs. A square timberframe box is much simpler, easier and quicker to design, engineer, manufacture and build than a shape, especially if walls have differing heights, angled heads, and so on. Height, number of floors, ratio of outside walls to inside walls, type of windows, floor finishes, tiles, etc. also affect costs.

 

Third, while building costs are broadly the same throughout the UK subject to local labour and transport variations, land costs are not included and will vary enormously. Of course, land costs are NOT included in these guidelines.

 

Indicative Square Foot Calculations:

Plans:

'Square' plan £7

'L-Shape' plan £7.50

'T-Shape' plan £8

'H-Shape' plan £8.50

 

Roofs:

Plain Gable Roof £6

Hips & Valleys Roof £9

Mansard Roof £12

 

Working out the kit price

1. Measure the plan of your proposed building to the outside of the external walls and calculate the surface area in square feet for each floor.
2. Add the area of each floor together to get the total floor area.
3. Referring to the outlines given above, decide what type of plan form your building will have and multiply the price for that plan form by the floor area. This will give you the kit price for the panel frame and first floor joists.
4. Measure the plan of the roof to the outside of the exterior walls and calculate the surface area on plan of the roof.
5. Referring to the outlines given above, multiply this area by the price for the roof type your building will have. This will give you an indicative price for the roof trusses and other timbers.
6. Add the prices for the panel and joists frame and the roof timbers together to get an indicative basic kit price delivered to your site in no more than two articulated lorry loads within 50 miles of our factory.
7. As a further rough guide, the costs of erecting this kit will be about one third of the basic ˜kit price.

 

 

DIY Estimating Examples (based on a two-storey 1,800 square foot house)...

 

Plain Gable Roof

Plan Form	Square	L-Shape	T-Shape	H-Shape
Panel Frame & Joist	£12,600	£13,500	£14,400	£15,300
Plain Gable Roof	£5,400	£ 5,400	£ 5,400	£ 5,400
Shell Erection	£6,000	£ 6,500	£ 7,000	£ 7,500
'Kit' Guide Price	£24,000	£25,400	£26,800	£28,200

 

Hips & Valleys Roof

Plan Form	Square	L-Shape	T-Shape	H-Shape
Panel Frame & Joists	£12,600	£13,500	£14,400	£15,300
'Hips & Valleys' Roof	£ 8,100	£ 8,100	£ 8,100	£ 8,100
Shell Erection	£ 7,000	£ 7,500	£ 8,000	£ 8,500
'Kit' Guide Price	£27,700	£29,100	£30,500	£31,900

 

Mansard Roof

Plan Form	Square	L-Shape	T-Shape	H-Shape
Panel Frame & Joists	£12,600	£13,500	£14,400	£15,300
'Mansard' Roof	£10,800	£10,800	£10,800	£10,800
Shell Erection	£ 7,50	£8,000	£ 8,500	£ 9,000
'Kit' Guide Price	£30,900	£32,300	£33,700	£35,100

 

 

Further Costs and Options:

 

Access

• The indicative prices given above assume that your site is easily accessible, that there are no obstructions, and that it is level with plenty of room for off loading and storing components and other materials while the kit is being erected.

 

Health & Safety

• To ensure that your site meets current Health & Safety regulations, you will have to provide scaffolding to the outside of the frame and fall from height protection (you adapt this for exterior brickwork or other cladding after the frame is erected), toilet, hot water, electricity, canteen and secure storage facilities (also needed for follow on trades). We can help arrange these if required.

 

Handling Equipment

• Again, to ensure that you satisfy all Health and Safety requirements, you will need to provide on site handling equipment for the erection and follow on trades. Most usual is a tele-handler (large, all terrain, telescopic fork lift tractor), and crane. Tele-handlers are usually hired by the week and cranes by the day.

 

Floor Decks, Roof Sarking, Fascias, Bargeboards, Soffits, and Windows

• To ensure that your building is made wind and watertight and secure as quickly as possible, we recommend that a peel clean first floor deck, OSB roof sarking with breather membrane and counter-battens, and windows are provided and installed by us as part of your package. If we also supply and fit the fascias, soffits and bargeboards, this leaves the roof ready for roof tiles and, with the windows factory glazed, provides a fully enclosed building to enable all follow on work to continue immediately, e.g. insulation of walls, plumbing, heating and electrical harnessing, dry lining, etc.

 

Insulation

• Depending on the level of insulation you require, we can suggest and supply a range of different insulation materials. Where appropriate, these can also be factory fitted, if required, saving even more time on site.

 

Wall Linings, Window Boards, Pre-hung doors, and Stairs

• A further option is to order your plasterboard, or other wall lining, window boards, internal doorframes with doors pre-hung in the factory, and staircase/s from us. With all these materials coming from one place, it is quick and easy for you to get your building ready for the decorators in double quick time. We can even fix all of these for you if required.

 

Joined Houses and Flats

• To meet updated building standards for sound insulation between buildings, you will need to take special care with intermediate floors and walls. If required, we design these for you using specially treated, moisture stable timbers, beam or Metal Web joists

 

Benfield ATT Estimates...

cover all of the above and more, providing you with much of the detail you will need.

 

Full Build Prices...

also vary according to location and specification from around £85 per square foot up to around £130 per square foot.

Related Pages

• D-I-Y House Design