Using software to develop a timber structure can deliver cost benefits to the specifier, contractor and customer or end user. And there are now numerable packages available, covering all aspects of a project, from conceptual stage design through to manufacture and delivery of the finished product. They can make the various processes more straightforward and shave valuable time off a job. Saving time contributes to overall savings on a project and that can be translated to the bottom line.

When new timber frame design consultancy Spencer Jones Design Ltd took on our software products it experienced this benefit first hand. The company, founded by Paul Spencer and Rupert Jones, provides design services to architects, timber frame fabricators and developers of open-panel softwood timber frame structures.

Mr Spencer decided to use the Consultec package for designing panel elevations and producing cutting lists for timber frame manufacturers in the belief that, by partnering with a software supplier, the company would be better able to give clients the correct information first time round.

“There is always room for human error when using the old manual referencing system,” he said. “When a designer is tired or distracted, errors can creep in and mistakes, such as a simple substitution of numbers on the drawing, can equate to a huge discrepancy when the materials reach site, with such errors proving expensive.”

Ideal solution

Combining Spencer Jones Design’s expertise and understanding of the structural requirements of timber frame construction with a software package that imbues the user with the confidence that every piece of information will be correct has proved to be the ideal solution for the company and its customers among manufacturers, fabricators and contractors.

“Since September 2006 we’ve completed 10 contracts with no errors,” said Mr Spencer. In addition, he said, the new system is speeding up work rates by about 15%.

For a newcomer on the timber frame design scene, such time savings and the consequent cost benefits are proving a significant advantage. The company now intends to take on more designers, all of whom will be using the software.

The rise in popularity of offsite and modular construction and pressure on the construction industry to become generally more sustainable have created an inevitable trend towards timber frame construction. This, combined with the availability of sophisticated software which enables designers quickly to realise plans for both residential and commercial construction, is driving the market towards ever faster, more immediate design and planning of buildings. Some even suggest that the continuing development of such modules will enable end users to specify their own homes. In fact, this is already reality when you consider the extent to which housebuilders are able to pass the final specification of internal fittings to customers.

Skilled users

That said, there will always be a need for skilled users of the software, and companies like Spencer Jones Design, which understand the requirements of timber frame structures, are set to continue to grow and prosper.

There is also scope for the timber industry, and in particular the timber frame sector, to push the boundaries of implementation – putting the capabilities such software enables into new hands, those of specifiers and architects. That will further empower the sector and help to promote the time and cost saving benefits of specifying timber frame over other construction methods.