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Timber framing and COVID-19

During these uncertain times, you can be sure you have made the right choice by using timber for your housing project. Over 80% of house frames in Australia are built with this sustainable and strong material, and now it's even more important to support this great Australian industry!

Timber framing now on Facebook

Whether you are a builder, carpenter or architect we know you're not at your desk 24/7! Stay up to date with what's happening in the Timber industry by following us on Facebook

Re-building after Bushfires

The future for timber framing continues to be strong, despite a devastating bushfire season. With the majority of burnt logs being recovered and processed by domestic sawmills, timber supply will not be an issue. And when it comes time to-rebuild after the bushfires, Timber-framed homes can be built in bushfire-prone areas when constructed in accordance with AS 3959.

Timber framing. The low cost framing solution with built in flexibility.

Timber framing systems whether prefabricated, built off-site or stick built represent the lowest cost framing solution available.

Are you a builder? Did you know that over 80% of house frames are built from timber – the ultimate renewable.

Timber is a proven and popular framing material that provides comfort and security for hundreds of thousands of Australian homes.

It is a sustainable, renewable product that we are proud to promote and we support our extensive professional national network of timber fabricators.

Timber house frames are responsibly sourced and store carbon for life, absorbed from the atmosphere by a growing tree. When timber for framing is harvested today it’s replanted for tomorrow.

That’s why timber is the ultimate framing material.

Twelve reasons why more Australian home builders & owners choose timber framing:

  • Low-cost Flexibility
  • Fire Predictable
  • Durable and Termite Treated
  • Strong, Stable and Quiet
  • Proven and Popular
  • Fast to Assemble
  • Easy to Renovate
  • Simple to Install Services
  • A Good Insulator
  • Renewably and Responsibly Sourced
  • Low Embodied Energy
  • Stores Carbon from the Atmosphere

1. Low-cost Flexibility

Today, most framing systems are prefabricated or built offsite. However, any last-minute changes or variations are easily made onsite by carpenters equipped with all the tools they need. Of course, if they need extra timber, it’s as close as the nearest hardware store.

2. Fire Predictable

A home’s timber framing is usually protected by cladding, often brick on the exterior and plasterboard on the interior. Timber maintains its structural integrity for a long time as it chars at a predictable rate.

3. Durable and Termite Treated

In designated termite areas, it is important to install a termite barrier system to build termites out. This is because, regardless of the material used for the frame, termites can still eat through other items such as flooring, joinery and plasterboard if they have access. They can also cause damage to electrical cabling. Today, in areas subject to termite attack, timber framing is made from wood safely treated to resist termites, so that is no longer a worry. In fact, many Australian timber framed houses are well over 100 years old which shows the longevity of wood.

4. Strong, Stable and Quiet

Since the properties of timber are so well understood, a timber-framed house won’t be noisy, as it doesn’t expand and contract during temperature changes and risk premature cracking in plaster linings.

5. Proven and Popular

Lightweight timber framing is the popular choice for Australian homes. Decades of experience have ensured that the system is safe, reliable, cost-effective and well understood by designers, professional builders and even experienced DIY’ers. Owners and occupants can be assured that they are gaining the advantages of a proven building method.

6. Fast to Assemble

Prefabrication, flexibility and builders’ knowledge of how timber frames are assembled, (joints, connections, tie-downs and bracing) combine to deliver fast, efficient buildings to lock up stage.

7. Easy to Renovate

When a family outgrows their home, more space is needed, or you buy a home requiring renovation, timber framing is simple and easy to work with. Whether it’s removing existing framing, adding more timber framing or both, the ready availability of designers, materials and tradespeople familiar with the material make it an easier process.

8. Simple to Install Services

Timber frames can be easily drilled to install plumbing and electric cables, unlike some materials that require cushioning grommets to protect cable insulation during installation and limit longer term damage to plumbing due to expansion and contraction or corrosion.

9. A Good Insulator

Timber framing helps insulate your home as it has a higher R-value than many other materials. This means that it doesn’t act as a ‘thermal bridge’, conducting energy (heat) from one side of a wall to the other.

10. Renewably and Responsibly Sourced

Most Australian-sourced timber is covered by either one or both certification systems, Australia’s Responsible Wood, which is endorsed by the world’s largest certification system the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), or the Forest Stewardship Council. This means that the wood you use has been produced in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.

11. Low Embodied Energy

Wood has the lowest embodied energy of all common building materials. This is a measure of the energy (usually produced by greenhouse gas-emitting generators) that is used to convert the wood in trees to framing timber.

12. Stores Carbon from the Atmosphere

Choosing wood removes greenhouse gasses from the air. Approximately half the dry weight of wood is carbon, absorbed from the atmosphere by a growing tree. Using timber in buildings stores the carbon for as long as the building exists or the timber is reused or recycled.

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Video Testimonials

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Timber is the only building material that helps tackle climate change

Paul Burnell,
Ronald Young & Co Builders

Ronald Young & Co Builders have been creating homes for Australian families for over 50-years.

As experienced and trusted builders, they use only timber for the wall frames and roof trusses in the homes they build. They use timber because of its versatility, ease of use, stability and environmental benefits.

Find a Frame and Truss Manufacturer

Market data shows that offsite timber framing design and manufacture for wall frames, roof trusses and floor and ceiling cassettes is increasingly replacing traditional on-site stick construction. The growing demand for pre-fabricated framing is due to the many advantages, including; accuracy, safety, efficiency and speed to construct.

Today, you have the advantages of access to a national network of timber fabricators with experience built over many years of providing the products and services you need, when you need them to.

To find your nearest timber fabricator please follow the link here: www.ftmanews.com/find-a-member/

Industry Collaboration

Our timber industry is thriving and we are excited to be embarking on a new wave of industry collaboration spanning the whole timber supply chain.

This collaboration includes industry participants ranging from sawmillers, preservative suppliers and nail plate manufacturers to industry associations, wholesalers and our channel customers.

Whether local or imported, timber framing is robust and reliable and supported by an extensive network of industry partners.

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Founding Funding Partners

AKD Timberlink Australia Boral Wesbeam One Forty One Wespine

Funding Supporters

Koppers Lonza

Supporters

FTMA Australia Hyne Timber MGA TMA Tq Atif

Did you know that:

  • Australian softwood plantations would re-grow an average house frame in less than a minute
  • Wood is a natural carbon store – up to 50% of its dry mass is carbon1
  • For every tree that is harvested from certified plantations at least one is replanted2

Did you also know that a typical* Australian home:

  • Has absorbed more than 7 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air
  • Stores almost 3 tonnes of carbon3

* Note: a typical Australian home is made up of approximately 12m3 of sawn timber4

Download Brochure >

Industry Assets

Building on the ongoing success of The Ultimate Renewable™, our timber framing campaign provides a positive communications message for the whole sector to share.
It’s all about making timber framing a conscious choice for builders and homeowners, reinforcing the association between what’s holding up the house and what’s best for our future.
The timber industry has collaborated to develop a range of marketing and promotional assets that can be incorporated into your own collateral and communications. The campaign assets include:

  • Logos
  • Brochures
  • Print advertisement templates
  • E-signature images
  • Email direct-mailer artwork

We encourage industry members to access these industry assets to help us all reinforce that timber framing is The Ultimate Renewable™.

Access Timber Framing
Industry Assets here

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