Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How can I get a free Benfield ATT Estimate?
A: This service is completely free and, with our Estimate Booklets being designed to be as useful as possible, this is a popular service with Builders, Contractors, Architects, Self-Builders and the like. Simply send us a copy of your plans by post...
Benfield ATT Free Comprehensive Estimates have been designed around endless benchmarking exercises, customer's most frequently asked questions and built upon our experience of the timber frame construction industry.
This Totally Free service simply involves you sending us your ideas, sketches or plans (as long as we have dimensions and a good indication of your specification)...and we will do the rest!
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"I was very impressed with your thorough quotation and interest in high standards" Mr Winterbottom, self-builder, Norfolk |
We will offer you an indicative price for your entire project - no 'package' deal - you simply pick-and-mix our specialist products, components and specialist services to suit your project, your specification and your budget.
Please do not hesitate to send us your plans for your project - any size, any design and any challenge! We will return your drawings along with your Benfield ATT Competitive Project-Comprehensive bound booklet.
Send your plans (with covering letter including your contact details, location and any project-specific details which may affect our cost workings) to:
Benfield ATT Group Ltd
Unit 1 Symondscliffe Way
Severnbridge Industrial Estate
Caldicot
Monmouthshire
NP26 5PW
Q: From when I place my Order, how long is it before you are on site?
A: The building process is a dynamic, evolutionary animal. Whilst we cannot estimate know how long your project will take to complete (this obviously depends on your own project management), we can estimate that we can be on site between 9 and 14 weeks after you sign your Order Form, depending on the complexity of the engineering and the size of the project.
Each phase has many different parts that interact with the next or previous part. Sometimes fixing happens before framing and sometimes not - it ends up being project specific.
As our team operate a bespoke and flexible project management approach, we will always work with you to agree a delivery time and Shell Erection schedule to meet your project plan.
Q: How much does timber frame cost?
A: By far our most popular question! Benfield ATT believe that timber frame lends itself to bespoke design very well, and only offer bespoke solutions. With complexity, location and specification all being tailored to your project, we can therefore only offer an Estimate after looking at your plans.
Construction costs can vary by region and are subject to unpredictable market forces. There are no simple answers but we can share our experience with you...
It is true that a complex Timber Frame home will be more expensive than a more simple design of the same size. You really do get what you pay for with these homes but Timberframe's hand craftsmanship often works out to be better value than a 'brick-and-block' build. We strongly believe that 200 years from now your timber frame house will still be standing...while a 'wet' built home may have already seen the bulldozer. And don't worry, Benfield ATT are planning to be around in 200 years to defend that statement!
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"On carrying out a cost analysis and comparison between traditional and timber construction, the saving in using timber appears to be in the region of £2,700" Mr R, Chartered Architect |
Typically, if you use the DIY Home Design Guide to come up with some sketches with dimentions, and then use our DIY Estimating Guide to help you understand where you can save money/create value, you will be very close to understanding the complexities of the Benfield ATT Estimating System!
If at any stage of the project, you would like us to run your sketches/drawings through the Benfield ATT Estimating System, please send us your ideas by post and you will recieve your original drawings along with a Free Comprehensive Estimate by return, as soon as we can.
Q: How are timber frame houses different from a masonry house?
A: In simple terms, the 'breeze-block' structure in a typical masonary house is replaced with an engineered, millimetre-precise Timber Frame structure. This services better for the overall speed and quality of the build, the homeowner and the environment...
A modern masonry house is normally made of an inner supporting wall of concrete blocks and an outer 'rain shield' wall of brick. A modern timber frame house replaces the inner wall with a timber frame strong enough to carry all the loads of the house. This is usually covered by the plasterboard internally and a brick, stone, or timber 'siding' external finish.
Just as in any other modern building, the external 'skin' acts mainly as a 'rain screen' and to give you the aesthetic appearance you want. But if you use a smart, engineered timber frame to support your building, you can also use this to replace 'wet build' bricks, blocks, stone and render with completely dry - or near dry - external finishes that deliver an identical appearance. This means less delays for bad weather, no drying out and no shrinkage, no efflorescence of salts seeping out of masonry and ruining the appearance of your walls. The lighter structure also means you can choose an alternative foundation system - and that could save you up to 50% on foundation and earthwork costs.
Externally, you won't be able to tell the difference. However, timber frame is naturally energy-efficient (saving the homeowner money), is quicker to build (saving you money) and uses twice as much timber as a masonry house. As every cubic metre of timber used in place of other building materials saves 0.8 tonne of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere, using timber frame to build, say, a house, can save around 4 tonnes of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere. This amount of Carbon is the equivalent of a 1.0 litre car travelling 14,000 miles. This is one of the most practical ways of helping reduce Global Warming.
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'...there was much interest in timber frame construction and - being brick builders - needed to see the difference for ourselves. We set about buying two ajoining peices of land either side of a road. We built one block of flats in timber frame on one side, and an identical block of flats in Brick and Block on the other side of the road. In the interests of research, we didn't tell the people who were looking around which were which. However, the timber frame block of flats sold out within the first two days, whilst the Brick side took two weeks to sell. When we asked the customers why they chose their flat over the ones on the other side of the road, they simply replied "I don't know...these just feel warmer"'.
extract from a conversation with a Brick housebuilder |
Q: Will a timber frame house look different?
A: The great thing about timber frame homes is it's flexibility of complimentary materials. Our timberframe homes are all individually designed, so you tell us what finish you would like! In the past our homes have been clad in brick, stone, block, render, timber boarding (cladding), or even glass.
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Timber Frame Design & Build, Kent
Benfield ATT Post & Beam Extension Kit, South Wales |
Above; two similar timber frame extension projects, with two very different finishes
Q: Do Benfield ATT have a demonstration show home?
A: Whilst we appreciate that you would like to get an idea of what the building you are buying will be like, as we build to bespoke requirements it is impossible for us to have something on display to please everybody. Instead, we produce 3D computer renderings and can invite you for a guided tour of the factory at our offices in South Wales. If we have any current projects in your local area, we may also invite you to the site, although this would obviously be at the discretion of the private client.
Q: Do Benfield ATT have a demonstration show home?
A: Whilst we appreciate that you would like to get an idea of what the building you are buying will be like, as we build to bespoke requirements it is impossible for us to have something on display to please everybody. Instead, we produce 3D computer renderings and can invite you for a guided tour of the factory at our offices in South Wales. If we have any current projects in your local area, we may also invite you to the site, although this would obviously be at the discretion of the private client.
Guided Tour of Benfield ATT Production Facility
For Benfield ATT Leisure Lodge enquiries and Log Cabins, we do have a half-built demonstration unit based at our Head Office in Caldicot. Please call us on 01291 437050 to arrange a visit.
Q: Are you more at risk from fire in a timber frame house?
A: No. In common with all other forms of construction in the UK, timber frame has to meet all Building Regulations. Safety in timber frame is our number one commitment and timber frame has an excellent performance record.
Q: Will a timber-frame home last?
A: Yes. A new timber framed home will last as well as, if not better than, any other type of new home. Softwood timber frame houses have been built in the UK since the 19th Century and are still going strong. Your timber frame home will last for generations to come.
Q: Will I get a mortgage on a timber frame home?
A: Yes. But don't just take our word for it. Tony Armstrong, Director of Corporate Relations at Northern Rock said "As a lender we do not differentiate between timber frame and any other standard form of modern property construction". In fact, the Benfield ATT Self-Build Mortgage is designed specifically for Timber Frame self build projects in the UK. Click Here to find out more.
Q: Will I have to pay more for insurance?
A: No. The Association of British Insurers says; "Insurance companies generally draw no distinction between modern timber frame and brick and block construction, provided the external roof covering is also of tiles, natural or mineral slates, or concrete."
Q: Can I still do DIY jobs around my timber frame home?
A: Yes. Many jobs are easier; because of the good fixing you can get in the vertical studs (structural timbers). But, as always with DIY activities, you need to follow health and safety guidelines and a few simple rules. Visit www.timber-frame.org, or contact us for free advice.
Q: Are timber frame homes quiet?
A: Yes. Modern timber frame systems enjoy better acoustic insulation qualities than masonry and fully conform to, or exceed, the latest Building Regulations. Because we built to your specific requirements we can even increase the internal sound insulation to suit your needs.
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