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Taylor Lane Timber Frame - Glossary of building Category: Architecture and Buildings > Timber frames Date & country: 03/12/2007, UK Words: 67

Attic Trusses
Roof trusses constructed with strong timbers to create a habitable or useful storage space in the roof

Birds Mouth Cut
The method of cutting the underside of a rafter (seat cut & plumb cut) to form a bearing surface for the timber rafter

Bracing - Wind Bracing
Lengths of timber used to brace components together to distribute loads more evenly throughout the structure to counteract forces such as wind loads

Breather Paper
A man made material such as woven polypropylene, generally stapled to the outside face of an external timber frame panel. It allows water vapour to pass through from the inside to the outside of a timber frame wall, but does not allow the passage of vapour in the opposite direction

Brickwork Coursing
Taylor Lane try to ensure wherever practicable to position openings in timber frame such as windows and doors and soffit lines to brickwork coursing. This is to enable complete bricks to line up with the openings to avoid the bricklayers having to cut more bricks than is necessary

Brickwork Lintels
Galvanised steel lintels that are fixed to the external timber frame panel and support brickwork / blockwork over window / door openings in timber frame

Bridging
solid pieces of timber generally at mid spans of floor joists to prevent twisting of timber

Building Regulations
An area of building control that states how a building should be constructed to ensure safe and healthy accommodation and the conservation of energy. This form of control is administered by the relevant local authorities, to whom an application must be made and permission received (generally a conditional approval) before work is started. Taylor La…

Cavity Barrier
Either timber / wire reinforced mineral wool blanket or polythene sleeved mineral wool used to seal off the cavities into zones

Concrete Screed
An in situ flooring of cement mortar laid to an accurate flat surface by screeding. Screeds are laid on the structural floor and usually have no reinforcement - in a timber frame situation it would be laid after the structural shell has been erected (generally approx 65mm deep)

Cripple Stud
A short stud that is connected to a full height stud to form a bearing for a horizontal lintel for a window or similar opening

Damp Proof Course (Dpc)
A strip of impervious material that sits underneath the timber frame soleplates or brickwork / blockwork to keep out moisture. The dpc at ground level excludes rising damp but they are also used to divert rain out of the cavity, to drain through weepholes at the lintel above door or window openings. Dpc comes in preformed rolls and made of flexible…

Damp Proof Membrane (Dpm)
A wide layer of impervious material such as mastic asphalt or a plastic sheet underlay beneath a ground slab to create a waterproof skin. A surface damp proof membrane can also be used such as what is supplied with a floating floor

Differential Movement
Timber being a natural resource is prone to some shrinkage across the grain although it is stable in the longitudinal section. An allowance is made in the floor where joists do have to lye across the grain. The difference between the timber frame movement and that of the external brickwork is the differential movement

Dormer House
Also sometimes known as a one and a half storey house or room in the roof bungalow. This is where the roof space is utilised by using Attic Trusses or similar. The rooms on the first storey will have sloping ceilings and either dormer windows or velux roof lights to allow light into the rooms

Eaves
The eaves are the roof overhang (usually clad in fascia and soffit) which protects the brickwork, or other external cladding from rain. It generally allows air ventilation to the roof void while keeping out insects and birds

Engineering - Engineers Certificate
Taylor Lane currently employs 3 structural engineers (all NHBC registered) to provide structural information on the size and nature of the various components that make up structural timber frame kit. Structural calculation, assembly drawings and details are supplied by Taylor Lane for submission to the Local Authority by the client or the client's …

Erection - Installation
The on site construction of the timber frame structural shell by a specialised team that usually include for there own mechanical handling and accommodation whilst working. A structural shell for an average 3/4 bed house will generally take approximately 7 - 10 working days

External Joinery
The windows and doors etc. produced from high quality planed timber or UPVC

Fascia - Bargeboard & Soffit
A board which is generally timber or upvc set on edge along the eaves. This covers the rafter ends and will usually carry the gutter. Bargeboard - As above but used on the sloping areas of the roof. They are fixed in pairs along the edge of the gable to cover the roof timbers and protect them from rain. They can be ornately carved or moulded if req…

Firestops
Cavity barriers such as flexible mineral fibre strips in polythene sleeves required at junction of separating and compartment wall and external wall with roof

Floor Joists
A wooden (or steel) beam which directly supports flooring in common with other joists (or a ceiling lining as a roof joist) Types of floor joists generally used by Taylor Lane are- SOLID TIMBER- Treated softwood floor joists that Taylor Lane commonly use at 400 centre spacings. The cross sectional sizes usually used are 195 x 44mm/ 195 x 70mm and 1…

Gable Ladders
The structural link between trusses and gable panels that will overhang to form the eaves. They will often be used as a fixing for barge board and soffit

Gable Panels - Spandrel Panels
Triangular external infill wall panels that form the gable ends of a House and follow the roof profile or pitch

Glu-Lam
Large section timber material for structural applications. It is an engineered product built up by gluing together layers of timber boards with staggered joints

Head Binder
Horizontal timber member that ties together individual wall panels

Insulation
The materials used in walls / floors and roof space to create a warm structure to satisfy the clients requirements and comply with part L of the building regulations . Types of insulation are- TIMBER BATTS - A semi-rigid unfaced slab designed to give thermal and acoustic insulation and fire resistance. It is push fitted between studs at 600mm centr…

Internal Partitions
Timber wall panels that are prefabricated and generally without sheathing unless required for engineering purposes

Joist Hangers
Galvanised steel hangers that can be nailed to timber or other materials that floor joists sit into for support

National House Building Council
(NHBC / NHBC Builder) An organisation that encourages better house building. It has a register of reputable house builders and includes services such as conciliation between builders and purchasers, the NHBC Warranty, ten year insurance on new houses and advice on proper site practices. Taylor Lane will provide a suitably signed engineers certifica…

Noggins (Plasterboard)
A horizontal member fitted between 2 studs, Joists or Trusses generally to supply a fixing for plasterboard

Oriented Strand Board (Osb)
Timber board generally used to sheath external panels of timber frame. It is manufactured by flakes of timber 'snowed' into a mat using a small electrical charge so the resulting board has a specific strength

Over Fascia Vents
An eaves vent that runs along the top of the fascia. They can have different size openings depending on the ventilation requirements of the roof (generally 10 - 25mm)

Parallam
This is a beam created from shards of timber formed longitudinally in line with the length of the beam. This product is stronger than conventional timber and is generally used as lintels above windows or beams in floor zones

Party Floor
A separating floor between flats that has to perform similar duties to the party wall above. A party floor has to give more consideration to impact sound insulation as well as airborne sound

Party Wall - Compartmentation
A separating wall between two dwellings that must fulfil two main requirements 1, To reduce the passage of sound between the dwellings to levels set out in part e of the building regulations. 2, To comply with regulations as to give adequate fire protection between the buildings right up to the roof and through the cavities. Timber frame party wall…

Platform Frame
Most timber frame construction in the UK is generally platform frame. It is where a structure is built sequentially upwards in platforms (floor by floor)

Plywoods
These consist of an odd number of thin layers of timber with their grains alternating across and along the panel or sheet. They are then glued together to form a strong board which will retain its shape and not have a tendency to shrink, expand or distort. Generally used for floor decking or as sheathing boards

Purlins
Horizontal heavy section timber, steel or glulam that run at right angles to the underside of the roof rafters. They carry the load of the roof to the gable ends of a house and also generally supported on internal panels which transfer the loads to the foundations

Racking Resistance
The wall panel studs (generally set at 600mm centres) carry the vertical loads from the floor / roof down to the foundations. The studs must be restrained using a sheet material such as plywood or oriented strand board to provide resistance to racking and stiffen the structure

Rafters
A sloping roof beam that generally runs from eave to ridge. Most roof elements are generally pre-fabricated trusses but rafters are used for infilling and for other areas where prefabrication is not practical. This term can also be applied to the principal rafter of a truss

Roof Trusses
These are triangulated plane roof frames designed to give clear spans between the external supporting walls. They are delivered to site as prefabricated components and fixed to wall plates generally at 600mm centres. They receive lateral stability through wind bracing timbers that are fixed through them to bind them together

Sap Rating
The standard application procedure that defines the energy efficiency of a structure by taking into account items such as heating systems, the position of the site and the makeup and materials of the structure

Sarking
A material such as plywood applied to the upper surface of rafters on a roof to give a continuous panel support. A system that is used as standard in Scotland, but uncommon in England and Wales

Scaffolding
These are temporary working platforms erected around the perimeter of a building to provide a safe working place at a convenient height. With timber frame the scaffolding is generally erected around three sides of the building before the kit is delivered. It is then enclosed at a suitable time. The scaffolding is erected far enough away from the ex…

Sheathing
Boards laid side by side - tongued and grooved boarding is used for flooring (generally 18 or 22mm moisture resistant chipboard or plywood) and close boarding for timber frame panels and roofs (9mm OSB or plywood generally used for panels)

Soleplate
A horizontal timber member fixed to the ground floor slab to which the wall panels are then nailed to. It is generally treated with a powerful preservative

Soleplate Layout
One of the first jobs to be done by a timber frame company after receiving an order is to issue a soleplate layout. This is an accurately dimensioned drawing for the ground workers to set out the foundations precisely. It indicates the load bearing and non-loadbearing panels. It is important that the foundations are constructed accurately to the ti…

Soleplate Ties - Fixings
The soleplate fixings serve two purposes, to locate the plates accurately during construction setting out the superstructure. They also transfer wind loads down to the foundations once the building is completed. The soleplates may be fixed by shot-firing through the timber into the concrete slab or using stainless steel soleplate fixing shoes. Sole…

Sound Insulation
The reduction of the sound transmission from one space to another especially significant through walls and floors between separate dwellings (see party wall / party floor)

Stick Built
A method of timber frame where a structure is built on site from loose materials as opposed to in the factory. This type of construction is more common in the United States and Canada than in Britain

Studs
A vertical timber (generally 90x38mm or 140 x 38mm) that forms the wall panels and is the height of the required wall

Tank Platform & Walkway
Timber bearers and floor decking such as chipboard or plywood that are installed in the roof space to form a walkway and take the load of the storage water tank

Tcb
A non combustible material (generally flexible mineral fibre strips in polythene sleeves) which cuts off the path of smoke and fire. It is mainly used vertically either side of party walls and up the lengths of the eaves on gable ends. Fire Barrier consisting of 300 x 50mm x 4m wire backed insulation, single folded at floor & ceiling zones, rafter …

Timber Types
The majority of timber used in the Timber Frame Industry is Scandinavian softwoods. We ensure that all of our timber suppliers source their materials from renewable resources and properly managed forests

Top Plate
Horizontal timber rail that ties together studs in a wall panel

Treatments Of Timber
It is important that all timber used in the structural shell is sufficiently treated against insect attack and general decay and comply with the requirements of the N.H.B.C. and the Building Regulations 1995. The various types of timber used in different areas will be treated with a different material such as Tanalith or Vacsol

Trimmer
Cross member between joists or studs to form an opening. A typical example is to trim out an opening in a floor around a staircase

Valley Set
A set of diminishing trusses that will infill an area of roof between two different roof directions

Vapour Barrier
Usually a layer of polythene, Taylor Lane generally use125mu, supplied in rolls which is installed to restrict the passage of water vapour, e.g. on the inside of external wall panels on the warm side of insulation

Wall Cavities
The void between the timber frame wall panel and the external skin such as brickwork or blockwork. The standard timber frame cavity is 60mm below dpc and 50mm above as 10mm is used up by the external sheathing board of the timber frame

Wall Panel Thicknesses
External wall panels generally consist of 90x38mm or 140x38mm timber studs, a 10mm sheathing board, breather paper and tape that is factory fixed. The internal panels are usually studwork (some internal panels are sheathed with a 10mm board for engineering purposes) The 140mm external panels are used instead of the 90mm so that higher insulation va…

Wall Ties
Stainless steel brackets and nails installed to tie back and brace the external brick or block cladding to the timber frame. Polypropylene tape fixed to the outer face of external wall panels indicate where the studs are so that the ties can be fixed back at approximately 5 per m2. wall ties provide lateral restraint but do not carry the weight of …

Warranties Of Timber Frame
House builders are required to get adequate insurance and guarantees on what they are building whether it is through the NHBC or through a company such as Zurich Municipal. Structural calculation, assembly drawings and details are supplied by Taylor Lane for submission to the Local Authority by the client or the clients representative. N.H.B.C. HB3…

Windbracing
A structural tie (generally made up of 100 x 25mm timbers) giving lateral bracing to roof trusses

I Beams - Silent Floor
- These generally use laminated veneer lumber flanges, routed to accommodate an OSB centre web. They can accommodate larger spans than standard joists and are a lightweight, uniform product. Advantages include reduced shrinkage, cupping, bowing, twisting

U Value
The measure of the thermal insulation of a material or group of materials. Timber frame achieves excellent U values such as the ones listed below that are typical for external walls. (based on insulated timber frame panel / 50mm cavity & 100mm brickwork external skin)