Hi Everyone,

I am planning to build a 2000sq ft house near Montreal with a full basement, a timber frame and SIP walls. It will be mostly one floor with a cathedral ceiling and a mezzanine, chalet style.

I am new to this so any advice welcome but I have a few questions that maybe people could help me with?

- I like the concept of a timber frame and it looks great but is it gonna cost me an arm and a leg compared to just using structural SIPS? Is a frame and SIPS overkill?

- Any ideas on how much it's gonna cost per sq ft for SIPS in this area?

-Any suggestion who could supply the SIPS?

I have someone to build the frame and will prob cost around $70,000 Canadian.

Cheers,

Rich

The standard "joke" in the industry is:

"What's the cost difference between a timberframe home and a SIP home?"

"The cost of the timberframe."

But if it's what you want..........

I have to agree with Bill from someone who is in the process of building a SIP / timber home.  The reality is that maybe 20% of the Timber frame will contribute to the structural cost of the home, the remaining cost will be for "looks".  There is no doubt in my mind that going all SIPS will be cheaper by about 80% the cost of the timber.

However, a timber frame is what I wanted, so by golly, that's what I'm building.

Now for some advice through the planning stages (I can provide more once we pour the foundation and erect the frame next month).

1) Decide on the overall house outline first
2) Design the timber frame second
3) Work the floor plan around the frame
Some people suggest to design the frame around the floor plan, but I can tell you if you make some big changes to the floor plan, it could have an even bigger impact (cost & design) on the frame.
4) Plan, Plan, Plan on the SIPs.  If you're taking an active approach on the project, verify every dimension, rough opening cutout, conduit placement, etc or be sure your builder is doing it.  Failure to plan will cost you time and money when erecting the SIPs and installing windows/doors.
5) If your house is two story....I would design the home with a subfloor cavity.  It will make plumbing and electrical so much easier.  My home is designed with no subfloor, and no attic.  That means I had to spend A LOT of time planning the plumbing and electrical runs.
6) Get someone who knows how to install SIPs.  I would force the manufacturer to sub-out the installation themselves, or if they have their own crew even better.
7) My timber framer is building and ERECTING the frame.  I would not have it any other way.
8) I prefer polyurethane SIPs over EPS.  You'll get better R-Value for the same thickness, and a superior fire rating to EPS.  However, don't interpret my preference for urethane as a total disgust for EPS.  There are plenty of homes built with EPS and it works.

9) You will end up with a beautiful home that will stand for centuries!

Thanks Olpjeb, I look forward to hearing how you get on with the rest of the project.

I assume that if you have a frame you don't need fully structural SIPS and so some saving is gained. But yes, I guees the timber frame is more for aesthetics than practicality!

From someone who has dabbled in timberframing and poured my own SIPs - they are a hand-in-glove fit. But it is as PPs have said. You have to want the TF look and be able to afford both.

Our home is an amalgamation of stick, SIP, ICF, and timberframe. The original home was a 2 bedroom Jim Walters which we remodeled. I poured enough SIPs in my shop to build a 24' x 24' addition onto it, with enough left over to build a 12' x 24' wood kiln chamber and enough to clad the 16' x 48' TF addition on the other end. Our 8' x 14' ICF safe room is attached to the kitchen and doubles as the main pantry.
g
We have joked about adding a second story on top of the stick frame portion and using log or straw bale since we haven't used that discpline yet. We did take a loghome building course in Washington State in Dec of 2004 but decided Texas was not the best place to build one. Then we "discovered" timberframing.

So richwood I would say to you that you should not hesitate to blend as many different building disciplines as you want. There is nothing taboo in building and construction when it gets right down to it.

olpjeb has just about said it all - - yes a timber frame house will cost more (almost as much more as the cost of the frame), but the look and integrity of those timbers, especially compared to foam and osb, will likely insure that the timber frame home will stand for a couple of centuries instead of ending up in a land fill in 50 or 75 years.  Now that is the real definition of building green!
eastsound

Richwood,

I am a installer/distributor in eastern canada call 888-250-6744