It’s obviously not good news that the receivers have gone into two well-known timber frame firms in as many months. First Novaside in Scotland went under, then, in probably an even bigger shock for the trade, the ex-Beazer Homes business Torwood.
Because it’s the nature of the beast, the misfortunes of these two companies probably left the brick and block and steel frame lobby rubbing their hands with glee. But the feedback we’re getting from the wider market is that any celebrations by competitors would be seriously premature.
Firstly, both the recent casualties are set to make some form of recovery. Novaside has already been snapped up by Strathclyde Homes and receivers expect to find a buyer for Torwood’s Scottish plant. At the same time, Amphion Consortium, the specialist social housing developer which bought timber frame ‘kits’ from Torwood II in Ipswich, is already lining up alternative suppliers. Its commitment to timber frame is unabated.
It seems overall that the problems of these two companies were just that, their problems, and not symptoms of a wider malaise affecting the UK timber frame sector. The UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA) insists that the industry will continue to grow and increase market share over coming years. Nobody says that it will become the dominant mode of house building in this country anytime soon. But it provides an obvious solution to the UK’s housing problems. It’s quick to build, safe and durable and lends itself perfectly to the offsite-construction approach which the government seems so keen to develop to offset building site skills shortages.
And, of course, timber frame has probably the strongest environmental arguments of any construction method. It’s based on wood for starters, and is a low energy-consuming building approach overall, with the finished house also easily meeting latest legislation on insulation.
According to the UKTFA, timber frame homes are also up to scratch when it comes to meeting the new Part E of the Building Regulations on noise insulation. So it’s probably a safe bet that the only thing we’ll hear from timber frame’s knockers in a few years’ time will be the sound of silence.
