Building your own home? Your timber frame, made in Ayrshire

Every home is different, so we price each project from its drawings rather than publishing a standard price. The main factors that typically affect the cost of a structural timber package are:

• the size and floor area of the house, and the number of storeys
• the complexity of the design — corners, gables, dormers, vaulted ceilings and large openings
• the roof shape and whether you need room-in-roof (attic) trusses
• the wall specification, such as panel thickness and insulation levels
• whether you need the full package (frame, trusses and joists) or individual components
• delivery distance and site access

The kit is only one part of your overall build cost — foundations, cladding, windows, roofing, services and finishes all need to be budgeted separately. Send us your drawings for a quote.

In most cases, yes. A new home in Scotland normally needs planning permission from your local council's planning authority, and a building warrant from the council's building standards service before construction starts. The building warrant checks that the design meets the Scottish Building Standards, and a completion certificate is applied for when the work is finished.

Your architect or designer will usually prepare and submit these applications. A timber frame design normally needs structural information to support the building warrant application. This is prepared by your own structural engineer; we supply truss layouts and truss calculations for the roof. Requirements vary, so always check with your local authority before starting work.

Timber frame homes still need properly designed foundations — the type depends on your ground conditions and the design of the house, and should be specified by a structural engineer. Common options include strip foundations and raft slabs. Foundations are usually built by your groundworker before the kit arrives.

Accuracy matters: the timber frame is manufactured to precise dimensions, so the foundation or base must be level, square and to the dimensions on the drawings.

We don't provide foundation or setting-out drawings, or foundation loadings for your groundworker. These come from your own structural engineer or designer.

You appoint your own structural engineer, often through your architect or designer, to prepare the structural calculations for your building warrant. We then manufacture your timber frame to your engineer's approved design and building warrant drawings.

For the roof, we supply truss layouts and truss calculations with our trusses, so you can pass them on to your engineer and building standards as needed.

Self-build mortgages are specialist products offered by some lenders and building societies. Rather than lending the full amount up front, they usually release money in stages as the build progresses — for example, after buying the plot, at foundation stage, when the house is wind and watertight, and at completion. Some products release funds in advance of each stage and others in arrears, which affects your cash flow when paying suppliers.

Lenders may also require a structural warranty or professional certification of the build. A specialist self-build mortgage broker can explain the options available to you. This is general information, not financial advice.

We supply only, so your kit is delivered to site ready for your own team. That can be your builder, your joiner or a specialist timber frame erector you appoint.

Either. We work directly with homeowners building their own home, and with builders and joiners who are building on behalf of a client. Just let us know on the enquiry form which applies to you.

A structure-only kit is the structural timber for your home. It includes:

• External wall panels
• Internal partitions
• Sheathing
• Breather membrane
• Insulation
• Fixings
• Sole plates
• Lintels
• Roof trusses
• Mid-floor joists, if required

Exact contents are confirmed in your tender price. Items such as foundations, windows and doors, external cladding, roof coverings, plumbing, electrics and internal finishes are arranged separately by you or your builder.

Our frames are open panel: wall panels are made in our factory and, as is usual with open panel systems, the insulation is fitted on site after the frame is up, along with services and internal linings. Kits are supply only, delivered to site for your builder, joiner or timber frame erector to put up.