Little has changed in the way masonry houses have been built over the years. They rely on the skills of a dwindling number of craftsmen working on messy sites in all weathers. Timber frame homes, on the other hand, are precision-engineered under factory conditions, doing away with many of the building processes traditionally done on-site. Room dimensions are more accurate too – useful when you're fitting a kitchen or a carpet!

A ‘dry’ plasterboard lining system is used, rather than wet plaster, allowing decoration to be carried out immediately the house is finished and eliminating the need to make good where shrinkage of the plaster has occurred.

The National House Building Council's (NHBC) records show fewer problems with timber frame houses than other construction methods. Choose a home built by a member of the UKTFA and be assured that the frame design, manu-facture and build are covered by an independently monitored Quality Assurance scheme.