Mat Jackson Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Planning some building and extension work on the house, and as part of that I may replace the existing concrete pre-fab garage with a larger wooden garage. Does anyone on here have any real experirnec of wooden garages and the pros and cons? Came accross this company on the web, and was impressed with the spec of constuction: http://www.regencytimberbuildings.co.uk/timber_garages.htm In my mind: Pros: Look much nicer than concrete (will fit in much beeter in our garden.) Much cheaper than concrete or block built garage. Quick and easy to install. Cons: Will need treating each year or so. Will burn!! Not as substantial as block, but looking at the spec is substantial enough. Discuss..... Quote
SteveD Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 insurance can be an issue due to the fire hazzard of a wooden garage ,you can get injected treated wooden sheds and garages that are supposed to be good for 10 years or more Quote
peterg Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Wooden garages breathe much better than concrete so much less chance of condensation etc Quote
wiggywoo Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Wooden garages breathe much better than concrete so much less chance of condensation etc I've got a timber kids jail house with an up stairs at the back of my garden and the condensation in that through winter is awful and any fluid will freeze. if it helps Quote
peterg Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 well that's a little different to a proper wooden garage but it also sounds like there isn't sufficient ventilation hence the condensation.... Quote
wiggywoo Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 well ventilated the door as no draft seal's on it. And got vents on the windows. Mianly when the weather is really bad Quote
Mark (smokey mow) Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 To add to the list.. Pros: - If designed correctly timber buildings can actually be structually stronger than masonry construction. eg. it's easier to fix a timber roof to timber walls than it is to tie a a timber roof to masonry walls. - If built on a crap foundation that moves then a timber building wont crack and fail like the masonry one. - Easier and cheeper to insulate Cons: - Fire, but of all the garage fires I've been to they've all been masonry and there are intumescant paints that you can get for timber to give it fire resistance. - Greater chance of needing building regs approval for a timber garage depending on size and location. If you go for a block built garage then that'll also need rendering and painting every now and again so maintainence wise they'd both be pretty similar. Quote
Moody Blue Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I have a Warwick timber garage, 18ft by 10ft where I keep the Westy. Built it about 15 years ago and well satisfied. Hardly get any condensation but did put a dehumidifier in there when I was building the car but only had to switch it on occasionally when it was very cold. The timber was pressure injected before construction and I have never had the need to put any other preservative on the outside. Another advantage is you can easily put up as much shelving and storage in the rooof space as you want and exactly where you want. Having previously had a brick built garage I would certainly would choose a timber one again. Quote
Paul Aspden Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Planning and building regs will be needed for any garage regardless of construciton. A Timber garage is probably better in a fire than a concrete garage with a steel truss roof, as the wood will retain structural integrity whilst it burns, but a steel roof truss will collapse with the same heat. It's also likely to be better than a masonry building, as this cracks when in a fire. You'd be surprised at how difficult it is to make a timber building burn. Having worked on fire damaged houses etc the worst thing is the amount of water used to put out the fire, that does more damage! If you like the look of a timber garage, and can get the relevant consents, why not. Quote
slater Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 the only drawback we have found on timber garages is the roofing materials they use, felt will be good for around 6-10 years 5 if they use the same felt as for sheds, although with a good quality garage I would expect a 180 green, DONT go for an onduline roof the roof sheets distort, better to use an anti condensation metal sheet. The top quality garages use concrete or clay tiles but are a more substantial build lewis Quote
Mark (smokey mow) Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Planning and building regs will be needed for any garage regardless of construciton. Not true. You can build a detached masonry garage with a floor area of upto 30m2 and this would be exempt from building regs. You can also build in timber with a floor area of upto 30m2 but this would need to be a minimum of 1m from the property boundary, or if on the boundary then to a maximum of 15m2 floor area. Note however that all attached garages require building regulations. In a lot of cases a garage may also be Permitted development under planning and therefore not need planning permission. Have a read of the planning portal for more info. Quote
pete g Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 i have a double one in the rear garden lovely and warm better than normal garage. treated with good quality treatment 3 years ago still looks good . easy to build two days max. on me own. but its a lot of wood when it turns up on the flat loader Quote
John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I bought a 14 x 10 Warwick Timber Building wooden garage for my garden shed around 7 years ago. I got them to dispense with the main doors and make the front and back the same with just a pedestrian door and windows in the side. No damp whatsoever and only needs treating to a lick of protection every 5-6 years. The roof is covereded in corrugated roofing sheets and is completely waterproof with no signs of deterioration. Quote
speedy jon Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Mat, i have a wooden garage and the only problem i have is it needs to be bigger to get all my stuff in side. i havnt had any problems insuring my motorbike when iv said its inside a wooden garage Quote
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