Replacing metal components with timber in construction — March 17, 2011

Industrial processes are responsible for very high levels of carbon emissions within the construction industry, but this is something that many self-builders are trying to set right. There are ways that you can significantly lower your carbon emissions when guiding a construction project through to completion. One way is to build a timber frame house.

Timber frame homes use natural timber from renewable sources. These timbers act as excellent substitutes for steel girders and other heavy duty metal components. They are strong and durable and are more than capable of supporting the weight of the house itself.

The environmental advantage to using timber frames in construction is that they do not require vast amounts of energy to produce. Metal components need very high temperatures and power-consuming processes in production, so replacing them where possible is important to any self-builder with a conscience with respect to the environment.

The energy used in timber frame construction related to cutting the timber to size and delivering it to the site where the frame is built quickly. This is a more environmentally-friendly approach than using steel which takes so much energy to produce and which requires more protracted processes during the construction stage.