Timber frame opportunities are "unprecedented"

The opportunities for timber frame in UK construction are "unprecedented", according to Potton Homes sales and marketing director Joe Martoccia.

Mr Martoccia, who previously worked in the panels and timber industries, gave this upbeat message to a meeting of the London Softwood Club and said that a whole range of factors were playing in timber frame's favour.

"One issue is the lack of traditional on-site construction skills," he said. "The developers have the land and the ambitious building programmes, but they cannot get the bricklayers, carpenters and other tradesmen. So taking house production into the factory helps them enormously."

He added that timber frame's speed of construction was another attraction. "Potton can complete the structure of a a 36-apartment block from sole-plate to roof in six weeks – contractors are never waiting for us to finish the job, it's usually us waiting for them," he said.

The government's tightening of regulations on acoustic and thermal performance, its commitment to "modern methods of construction" and major programmes to increase the UK's affordable housing stock had also helped create a healthy market.

"Whatever you may think of this government, they've done timber frame no harm whatsoever," said Mr Martoccia.

Answering questions from the floor, he said it was no longer the case that insurers and mortgage companies were prejudiced against timber frame. And he believed that the sector was now less vulnerable to the knocking efforts of the brick and block sector. "There are still people out there purveying myths about timber frame, that it creates problems fixing kitchen furniture and appliances, wardrobes and so on, or that you can't get structural warranties," he said. "But these are being dispelled and today the industry is increasingly broad and underpinned by quality asurance in the UK Timber Frame Association's Q-Mark scheme."

The UK timber frame sector was now worth £400m a year, said Mr Martoccia, accounting for 80% of new build in Scotland and 15% in the UK overall.

"And the UKTFA forecasts that it will take an extra 1% of market share [in UK new build] per year – that's an additional £27m."