As for any other form of house construction timber frame buildings must comply with the requirements of UK Building Regulations. The structure for all timber frame houses must be designed by a qualified structural engineer or by an approved organisation such as TRADA Technology to prove the structural stability of the construction.

Most timber frame houses, flats or maisonettes, have been built to a maximum height of three storeys. However, timber frame construction of four or more storeys is no longer unusual and the TRADA/BRE project Timber Frame 2000 has publicly demonstrated the performance of medium rise timber frame subjected to wind, fire, acoustic and structural testing.

The normal standard of thermal and acoustic insulation exceeds the requirements of the building regulations and much higher levels can easily be achieved.