Question 1

What exactly is a prefabricated timber frame house?

Accepted Answer

The walls, floors and roof elements are made to millimetre precision in our factory in Latvia, including insulation and, if you wish, pre-fitted windows. On your plot we assemble them like a large puzzle, usually in 3 to 5 days per storey, after which the house stands wind- and watertight.

Question 2

What is a closed panel timber frame?

Accepted Answer

Because the insulation, membranes and airtightness details are completed indoors under factory conditions, a closed panel system is quicker to erect, less exposed to weather and more consistent in thermal and airtightness performance. ZTC supplies closed panels for external walls and roofs, plus load-bearing and non-load-bearing internal walls (timber frame with 12 mm OSB on one side, the other side left open for services).

Question 3

What does "fabric first" mean, and why are ZTC walls described as fully breathable?

Accepted Answer

Our Premium and Lux build-ups are fully breathable (vapour-open): wood-fibre or cellulose insulation between the studs, a wood-fibre sheathing board outside and a taped 15 mm plywood airtightness layer inside. Moisture can move through the wall and dry out instead of being trapped, while the house stays airtight. The Comfort build-up uses mineral wool with a polyethylene vapour control layer, a conventional and cost-efficient alternative.

Question 4

What is the difference between timber frame and CLT?

Accepted Answer

A hybrid combines a CLT core with a timber frame envelope, joining load-bearing capacity with insulation at a more favourable cost than an all-CLT building. We make all three from one supplier and discuss in a first conversation which one suits your design and budget.

Question 5

Is a timber frame house the same as a log cabin or a tiny house?

Accepted Answer

No. A tiny house is usually very small (under 50 m²) and often movable, and a log cabin is built from solid logs. We build fully fledged homes: detached and semi-detached houses and apartment buildings that look like any traditional house from the outside.

Question 6

How long has ZTC been doing this?

Accepted Answer

Since 1991. ZTC has completed more than 400 projects in 14 European countries, including the UK and Ireland.

Question 7

What does a timber frame house from ZTC cost?

Accepted Answer

The final price depends on your design, the panel level (Comfort, Premium or Lux) and how much is finished in the factory. Send us your sketch or drawings and we will come back with a first budget indication. The price calculator at the end of the home page gives a quick estimate once you know what you need.

Question 8

What is included in the closed panel shell?

Accepted Answer

Plasterboard, the service-void insulation and (for Premium and Lux) the 45 × 45 mm service battens are added on site after the electrics and plumbing are installed. The externally finished option adds facade cladding, windows and external doors with installation, external sills and trims, roof covering, gutters and downpipes, so the house is fully complete on the outside.

Question 9

What is not included?

Accepted Answer

If the crew needs accommodation near the site, the client arranges it. Architectural drawings, planning permission and Building Regulations approval are handled by your architect and project team.

Question 10

Why does the price differ so much from project to project?

Accepted Answer

Shape: a rectangular house is cheaper than an L-shape, and an L-shape is cheaper than a free-form design.
Panel level: Comfort, Premium or Lux, with increasing insulation thickness.
Factory finishing: windows fitted, facade cladding mounted, roof covered.
Based on your sketch design, we can give a well-founded price indication within 10 working days.

Question 11

Do I get a fixed price?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The contract price is the final price, with no material escalation clauses. A pre-agreed rate for additional work only applies if you make changes yourself after the technical design freeze.

Question 12

Are prices quoted with VAT?

Accepted Answer

Our offers are quoted in euros and exclude VAT, because VAT treatment depends on the country and on whether the client is VAT registered. We confirm how VAT applies to your project in the offer.

Question 13

Is a timber frame house cheaper than masonry?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the project, which is why we assess each one individually. What is certain: the price is fixed up front, the house is energy-efficient thanks to high insulation and airtightness, and the build programme on site is much shorter.

Question 14

Can I deliver some of the work myself to save money?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We can supply only the panels and windows and let you or a local contractor install the windows, or leave facade work such as rendering to you. The offer shows the price of each scope separately.

Question 15

How long does it take from contract to a wind- and watertight house?

Accepted Answer

Engineering and production drawings: 4–6 weeks
Production in the factory: 8–14 weeks
Transport to the UK: 4–5 days
Assembly on your plot: 3–5 days per storey
Interior finishing (floors, kitchen, bathrooms, decorating) follows, usually 2–4 months depending on your choices.

Question 16

What do I need to arrange before delivery?

Accepted Answer

We give you millimetre-precise foundation specifications (tolerance ± 5 mm) and a dated checklist, so everything is ready on time.

Question 17

Who carries out the assembly on site?

Accepted Answer

Our own assembly crew from Latvia, the same people who erect our projects in Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. No subcontractors. For a private house we usually send a team of four, and the project leader speaks English.

Question 18

How long is a crane needed?

Accepted Answer

For a typical private house, around 10 days (± 2), for unloading lorries, setting panels and lifting large windows or doors. The client books the crane; we plan the lifting sequence.

Question 19

How do payments work during the build?

Accepted Answer

Design: 10%
Start of production: 30%
Production complete: 30%
Assembly complete: 10%
Windows, roof and other agreed scope: 10–15%, depending on the contract
After project completion: 5–10%

Question 20

Do you work in 3D and BIM?

Accepted Answer

You receive a complete 3D model of your house, including all structural elements, for your own records.

Question 21

How well insulated is a ZTC timber frame house?

Accepted Answer

The building system is designed to surpass the fabric requirements of the Future Homes Standard. Lux external walls have been calculated at around Rc 10 m²K/W (U ≈ 0.10 W/m²K). Factory-sealed airtightness reaches n50 below 0.6, with 0.24 recorded on completed projects.

Question 22

What does that mean for my energy bills?

Accepted Answer

A well-insulated, airtight timber frame house needs very little heating. Exact consumption depends on the design, the heating and ventilation system and how you live in the house.

Question 23

Is timber construction more sustainable than masonry?

Accepted Answer

Circularity: at the end of the building's life the timber elements can be dismantled and reused, recycled as raw material or, as a last step, used as biofuel, while the forest has already grown back.
Local material: we use wood from sustainably managed Latvian and Scandinavian forests, FSC or PEFC certified on request. Latvia is one of the most forested countries in Europe.

Question 24

Will I see the wood inside?

Accepted Answer

That is your choice. Timber frame walls are finished with plasterboard, so you do not see the wood. With CLT you can choose visual-quality panels that stay visible (oiled, lacquered or untreated). Many clients combine one visible CLT wall with plasterboard elsewhere.

Question 25

What is the indoor climate like?

Accepted Answer

Residents generally describe it as pleasantly stable. Wood buffers moisture, absorbing a little during the day and releasing it at night, so rooms feel less muggy in summer and less dry in winter. Wood also feels warmer to the touch than concrete or brick.

Question 26

How fire-safe is a timber frame house?

Accepted Answer

Solid timber burns at a predictable rate (around 0.65 mm per minute under Eurocode 5), so engineers can design for it precisely, unlike steel, which loses strength, or concrete, which can spall. Most house fires start in furniture, appliances or the kitchen, where the building material makes no difference.

Question 27

What about sound insulation between floors and neighbours?

Accepted Answer

Separating walls and floors are designed together with your engineer to meet Approved Document E, and pre-completion sound testing is carried out where the regulations require it.

Question 28

Will I get moisture problems, mould or woodworm?

Accepted Answer

In use, a vapour-open or vapour-control build-up, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and a watertight facade keep the structure dry. Our projects in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Latvia, all damp climates, show more than 30 years of trouble-free service. Your building physicist can request our build-up specifications at any time.

Question 29

What happens after water damage, such as a burst pipe?

Accepted Answer

The same as in any house: act quickly, dry out and repair. Timber dries out relatively quickly, and after serious damage a single panel element can often be replaced locally without touching the rest of the structure.

Question 30

How long does a timber frame house last?

Accepted Answer

As long as a masonry house, provided it is maintained. Modern prefabricated timber construction is rated for 75 to 100+ years, and the oldest inhabited timber buildings in Europe, including English Tudor timber framing, are centuries old.

Question 31

Is maintenance more work than with a masonry house?

Accepted Answer

Comparable or slightly less. The structure itself needs no maintenance. Timber cladding needs repainting or staining every 7 to 15 years depending on type and colour, while brick slips, render, fibre cement and metal facades are practically maintenance-free.

Question 32

Is there a structural warranty for UK homes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ZTC is a Build-Zone vetted timber frame supplier, which helps UK customers access insurance-backed 10-year structural warranty options.

Question 33

Can I insure and get a mortgage on a timber frame house?

Accepted Answer

Ask two or three insurers or brokers for quotes and state that it is a prefabricated timber frame home with CE marking (ETA-21/0014) and a structural warranty. We supply the supporting documentation.

Question 34

Do I need planning permission and Building Regulations approval?

Accepted Answer

Our engineers work with your structural engineer and supply the calculations building control needs. The system is CE marked (ETA-21/0014) and engineered to Eurocode 5.

Question 35

Do I need an architect?

Accepted Answer

We give your architect all technical parameters up front, so they know what we can and cannot produce.

Question 36

Can I bring my own design?

Accepted Answer

Our CNC machinery handles complex shapes, from villas to architecturally distinctive projects. The limits are 5 storeys for timber frame and 8 storeys for CLT.

Prefab timber frame houses: your questions answered

Prefab timber frame basics

Price and scope

Timeline and assembly

Fabric first, comfort and sustainability

Safety, durability and warranty

Planning and design

Have drawings or a sketch?