If you are in a position to build a space on your property dedicated to health and fitness then you can make the most of the project by choosing timber frame construction as your method of construction. Timber frame structures are very suitable for gyms and other spaces that are dedicated to fitness. This is largely because they allows for plenty of space.
If you want a gym at home then you will need access to a fairly large open space indoors. This is purely so though you can fit a range of sports equipment into the space and leave enough open floor space for you to engage in certain training methods for which you need room to move around.
Timber frame structures can be built to house large open areas because the frame takes the weight of these structures and interior walls are not necessary. Moreover, timber frames are appealing in an aesthetic sense and they are the ideal choice if you want your gym to become a really attractive feature of your home, whether you are building it as an annex or a separate structure.
If you have quite a lot of space on your property that is not actually used for building space then it may be worth considering whether you need a more suitable garage. It is often the case that large homes with a reasonable amount of land around them do not already have large garage spaces to suit because the house may actually be older than the widespread use of cars. Otherwise, the original plans for a garage may never have come to fruition.
Timber frame garages are great assets and they add market value to your property at the same time as providing a very practical function. It is possible to build a large open timber frame structure to act as a garage relatively quickly thanks to the timber frame method and the techniques it comprises of.
Structures of this kind can be built to house a number of cars if you need them to and they can also be built with extra space for use as utility rooms, a gym and all sorts of other purposes. Timber frame structures can be finished in a range of styles in order to make sure your garage suits your home.
A swimming pool is a fabulous feature for the home and it is actually something that people are able to build provided they have the space on their property. It may be a case of using some of that garden space you have at your disposal in order to create something that sets your house apart and also adds considerable market value to your property. A swimming pool is quite an asset in this regard.
Building a structure to house a swimming pool is a case of finding a construction method that allows for you to have reasonably high ceilings and an area of interior space big enough to contain a swimming pool and enough walking space around the pool to make the space useful, appealing and practical.
The best construction method when it comes to satisfying these concerns tends to be timber frame construction because the techniques involved allow for such cavernous spaces as those required by indoor pools. There is also the fact that exposed timber frames have a kind of health club aesthetic that many people find suits their pool space better than other methods and finishes.
In the first part of this post on timber frame construction time frames, it was mentioned that the incredible detail and sophistication of the design process means that the construction process itself takes up less time. This is the case, but there are other reasons why the construction process of a timber frame house can take place at a faster rate than the construction processes involved in other conventional types of building.
The rapid construction stage
It is only natural that you should want to get on site and off again very quickly because time means money on a construction site. Timber frame construction is cost-effective and time efficient in this sense because all of the components for the frame are manufactured accurately in the safe environment of the factory beforehand.
After they are delivered to the site they can be erected swiftly by professionals according to the details of the design process and the specific set of instructions for the project. Being able to carry out these stages quickly is in everyone’s interest as it ensures there are no delays because of poor weather and it keeps tight control on the costs associated with time on site.
It is quite common for the design stages to take as long as the construction stages when it comes to building a timber frame house. This is due to two chief factors. The first is the thoroughness of the design stage and the second is the speed on the construction process. These factors ensure that time is distributed properly between the necessary steps of timber frame construction.
The detailed design stage
It makes sense that the design stage of a construction project should be invested with so much time, thought and energy. At the design stage you will be able to posit problems and overcome them in theory before you even meet them in a more physical sense. You will also be able to experiment and model the home you are hoping to build before you make any moves on the site.
The more you put into the design stage the less likely you are to run into difficulties when it comes to getting the house built. This also paves the way for a very fast and efficient construction process that allows you to cut costs.
Just because you do not have any experience of building your own home does not mean that it is completely impossible. You do not have to be a builder or a professional designer or architect to have a hand in the construction of a house built expressly for you and your family. However, you do need to get some expert help in order to being the project off.
The fact is that plenty of self-builders rely heavily on the advice and skills of professional construction experts and simply work alongside project managers in order to make sure that they have a proper brief for the project that is followed properly. You can still be very actively involved in the design of your home even without any formal training – you just need to work closely with the people who specialise in such work.
It may be the case that you put more time into the design of planning of your project than the construction itself, but this represents good practice anyway because it indicates that you have prepared properly for the project and covered all the bases when it comes to designing something ideal.
There is no unanimous agreement in the construction industry on what the best way to build happens to be. Like any practical topic there are a range of different opinions on the matter. Then there is the fact that certain techniques and methods can be mixed within the same project in order to make use of the positive attributes of each. Timber frame construction is one of the methods that often finds its way into projects that primarily use another technique.
This is because timber frame construction is often the most useful technique to use for particular projects like those that require open spaces. It is common for the principals of timber frame construction to be used in the construction of garages, for instance, and also in the construction of major open features like indoor gym areas and swimming pool areas.
Timber frame construction is very versatile so it is easy to incorporate the structure built using this technique into other projects because they can be finished accordingly to create a seamless impression. There is no reason why you and your team cannot work with a range of solutions in this manner as a means of getting the right results.
In the previous post we discussed the ways in which self-build projects allow individuals, couples and families to design entire homes according to their personal tastes. This represents a really positive approach because it makes the house a more pleasant place to spend time – a place that truly reflects what you want in a living space.
However, it is not all just about aesthetics. There is definitely a sense in which convenience comes into things around the house. Can a home really feel like a home if it is impractical and doesn’t suit your personal requirements in terms of functionality? This may come into play more and more as your life changes and you have different responsibilities. When you are in a position to build your own home, you may be able to outline precisely all the practical ways your house should differ from those you have lived in previously.
Personalisation is definitely a mixture of aesthetics and convenience where construction is concerned. Successful self-build projects are those that satisfy on a visual and comfortable level as well as on a functional level.
In the last post we introduced the topic of personalisation in the home and arrived at the idea that self-build projects give you a unique opportunity to get closer to that ideal home in your mind. This is largely because they put you in complete control. You are no longer trying to manipulate the original character of a home to make it more personal to you – the original character of your self-build project will be totally personal because of your involvement in its design.
As we have mentioned, there are two ways in which more personal design is more beneficial to you when you move in. The first is about aesthetics. It is always nicer to live in a home that reflects your design sensibilities and your particular tastes and interests.
You can achieve this to an extent with good interior design, but when you are responsible for the layout of your house, its shape and a whole host of other matters related to design and construction, you stand a better chance of creating the ideal space. This is one of the reasons self-build projects prove popular with individuals, couples and families.
Building your own home is about stamping a bit of character onto your surroundings. You may have lived in a whole host of different houses and flats over the years and you may have found it difficult to endow those places with some of your own personality. Even with a very proactive approach to interior design, it can be difficult to make a home feel completely personal because it was not specifically designed for you and your family.
This is obviously where self-building differs from finding a nice house and settling there. You are suddenly in complete control of design and there is no question of moving into a place and then trying to start impressing your own character onto it. This is something you can actually do from the very beginning with a self-build project. There are two primary ways you can take control of the design of your project to personalise it successfully.
These ways relate to aesthetics and convenience. If you really want your home to act as a bona fide personal space it must satisfy your aesthetic tastes and your practical needs. This will be examined further in due course.
