Huntingdon- Cambridgeshire

Clients Alison and Phil built their stunning new home using an insulated timber frame kit from English Brothers Limited.

Alison, who runs her own architectural business, had worked with English Brothers on behalf of her own clients, and when it came to choosing a timber frame company for her own build she knew where to go!

“What I particularly like about English Brothers is that, as an architect, they worked with our design rather than trying to change it to fit their system,” says Alison.

This superb home, totaling 315m², was built on a slightly sloping south-facing plot, and it lent itself to a split-level design which always adds interest. The addition of covered balconies to the south elevation, which incorporate LED lighting, really add value to the living spaces they adjoin.

The timber frame system, designed and manufactured entirely by English Brothers in-house, was insulated to a final u-value of 0.12, and special attention was paid to the incorporation of MVHR ducting to ensure that when the system came to be installed it was problem-free with no structural elements in the way.

Showcasing the flexibility of timber frame, the home features three complimentary external finishes: brick, timber and standing-seam zinc, and of course wide and tall glazed openings to make the best of those south views, with solar gain carefully managed by the overhangs.

The choice of timber frame construction meant that despite the split-level design, balconies, overhanging roofs and the need for structural steel to bring these elements together, a ‘whole-house engineered solution’ was provided – as is usually the case with timber frame. In other words, despite the relative complexity everything was taken care of prior to manufacturing, meaning no structural detailing was left unanswered: the kit was designed, fabricated, installed, and then handed over to the following trades for completion.