Benefits of using Timber over Steel and Brick

Timber has been a favourite material for hundreds of years for building houses, furniture, as well as a wide variety of other necessary timber products. Today, timber is still the material preferred by many construction companies.

Just a few of the benefits of using timber over steel and brick include:

• It is a natural material – there are several advantages to using timber, one of the few natural construction materials around. It will not give off chemical fumes into a building, is generally non-toxic and is safe to work with. Also, the aging process of timber is completely natural, with the colour of the wood actually improving over time.
• Sustainable and ecology-friendly – unlike steel and brick, timber truly is a renewable construction material. The policy of most timber producing countries is to grow more timber that is felled, so timber will always be available as long as new trees are planted to replace those that have been harvested.
• Production energy is minimal – very little energy is needed to produce building timber from the trees that are felled. In fact, the energy used to produce timber products for construction purposes is the lowest, compared to the energy used to produce steel and brick.
• Provides excellent insulation – since it has natural insulation properties, timber is excellent for using on floors, doors and windows. Timber frames also provide more space for insulation than a building made from other materials. Timber homes therefore, require less energy for cooling and heating, which means that less fossil fuel is used.
• Easy to work with – being the versatile material that it is, timber can be used in many different ways. Because it is lighter than either steel or brick, installing timber is easy, requiring only simple equipment. Again, this lowers the energy needed during construction.
• Durable and easily maintained – timber is incredibly durable and evidence of this is the many wooden structures that have lasted for centuries. Compared to steel and brick, timber is easy and inexpensive to maintain.
• Fast build time – build time is incredibly faster with timber, since the frame can be pre-cut, modulated and built completely in advance before being set up on the building site. This is not possible with either steel or brick. Also, there is less building debris to clear away with a timber building, which saves time and money for both commercial and residential property owners.