Highfield Cholesbury

An environmentally-conscious couple extensively researched sustainable self-building and appointed Frame Technologies to develop their timber frame home – Highfield Cholesbury has since been hailed as one of the most energy-efficient self-build homes in the UK.

The couple bought the 1930’s bungalow for its idyllic location, overlooking the Chiltern Hills. They wanted to convert the bungalow into an energy-efficient, six-bedroom home, avoiding excessive use of bolt-on technologies.

Frame Technologies fitted a thermally efficient twin frame system (TechVantage T) that achieves a U-Value of 0.11W/m2K. This superior system delivers excellent thermal and airtightness properties – the 310m² space only took three weeks to make watertight from delivery.

The home also showcases premium timber design, including vaulted and semi-vaulted ceilings in rooms that have exposed glulam purlins. Pairing sustainable materials with stunning building design allowed Frame Technologies to create an aesthetic, warm and cosy family home.

Timber frame is a hugely popular system among self-builders; the family were able to create specific layouts and select the finishes that best suited their needs using Frame Technologies’ range of structural timber systems.

The family commented: “This self-build project has been pretty straightforward. We have been lucky to have engaged with contractors and suppliers who have been great to work with, but more importantly understood our objectives and have had an active input into many of the build.”

As all Frame Technologies systems are manufactured in factory-controlled settings, the home owners benefitted from exceptional quality, project efficiency and minimal waste, alongside faster and safer onsite working practices. What’s more, Frame Technologies’ pre-insulated external wall solutions provide the home owners with cutting-edge energy performance, reducing the lifetime costs of running their home.

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