Advice Centre - FAQ's

Total capital costs per square foot constructed tend to work out much the same as any other form of construction in Ireland. The additional and valuable bonuses are speed of construction, reliable finish dates and ongoing energy savings - up to 50% annually on heating costs compared to traditional construction.

In a word, yes. It is classified as 'permanent construction' by all state agencies and financial institutions. There are timber frame homes in North America and Scandinavia of similar build to today's methods which are well past the century and showing minimal signs of their age other than superficial external deterioration. Modern technology and insulating materials promise even greater longevity.

Broadly speaking no, unless you want it to. Usually the choice of external cladding will decide the overall appearance and brick, stone, rendered block or wood are the usual choices and look just the same as any other house finished in this way. But the nature of timber frame does offer more opportunities for design variation because the walls themselves are not load-bearing. Many clients take advantage by choosing larger windows, for example, or alternative external finishes for feature sections of wall such as slate, tiles or even metal cladding.

There are none - or at least none that your site and design would not otherwise raise. There are timber frame houses in every county in Ireland at this stage and planning officials understand the technology very well.

Again, no reason for any difference. In fact the energy performance and comfort levels of timber frame homes are now being generally appreciated in the market so if you sell your home you may even realise a premium price.

Certainly not, for the same reasons as above.

Definitely not. Do not be misled just because wood is combustible. Timber frame construction and its components are in fact highly regarded in the matter of fire safety and meet all fire standards under current building regulations.

Not inherently and they certainly compare favourable with typical speculative housing developments. Any such reputation may be because in recent years timber frame clients have often chosen to have natural wooden floors also and these tend to propagate noise in any form of construction. Acoustic insulation performance is designed into all Cygnum houses but upgrading at the construction stage is regarded as a good investment by many. We offer a special Silent Home pack that adds a three-layer flooring specification and additional acoustic wall insulation to cut down noise transmission to the bare minimum.

No. In fact timber frame is less prone to some of the issues that can affect traditional construction, such as wall cracks and minor subsidence, leaks and damp, etc.

Cygnum can offer you standard plans based on reasonable quality sketches of your requirements which you will be able to review or even see in an onscreen computer visualization. But most housing architects are familiar with the special characteristics of timber frame and will happily take advantage to design the home of your dreams.

With the customary poured concrete slab foundation. Cygnum will supply drawings and specifications to the builder.

Yes. The methods are different but Cygnum offers advice and help while the general skills required are those of any experienced house builder.

Our principal role in any project is to supply the complete kit of factory fabricated components for the timber frame structure and directly associated materials, prepared according to the individual building plans. We supply the builder with detailed plans and specifications for the foundations while each kit delivered is accompanied by appropriate drawings and instructions to enable the builder to erect the timber frame and associated components.

Cygnum guarantees its own timber frame and structural components and our houses are fully eligible for the Home Bond scheme in which most house builders participate.

Generally speaking it will in fact be easier than with traditional construction and especially in regard to the integrity of water and damp proofing and thermal insulation.

Certainly and in fact many jobs are easier because of the good fixing you can get in the vertical studs. But you should know a little about the original construction to get the best results. On the other hand, it would be difficult to do serious damage by mistake.