LOCAL PROJECT
Workers are usually trained on the job , and it requires about four experienced people to erect a timber house in six or seven days , depending on weather conditions .
Owners of timber houses have options in terms of interior design .
BEING EFFICIENT AND SAVING COST
The idea of timber houses is not new in South Africa . They have been around for a long time especially in the forested areas of the Eastern Cape and towns like Knysna on the Garden route of South Africa . The beauty of timber houses is that you can , much like a brick structure , do whatever you like in design and for practical reasons . Owners can decide whether to add insulation in the ceilings and in the walls before it is panelled , for example . It all depends on the limits imposed by the budget , of course .
However , building with timber rather than brick will result in cost savings of at least 60 %, a significant amount in a depressed economy at a time when most households are struggling to keep head above water .
Chimu Construction ’ s client in the Eastern Cape says that he was impressed with the efficiency and quality of the work . RhinoBoard was fitted on the inside walls of the living space and a waterproof panelling in the bathroom and kitchen . “ The client chose 22mm half-log treated Pine logs for the outside of his house , the other sizes being 16mm and 32mm ,” says Chizema .
The inside of the house can be panelled , or products like RhinoBoard can be installed and painted .
He further explains that the first step in the building process is to plot the plan on the ground before cementing poles ( in this case 280mm treated poles ) to carry the timber floor into holes in the ground . The poles and the timber flooring are painted with CreoSite . “ The holes are normally 500mm deep , or until they encounter steady ground , before the poles are fixed into these holes . In total , the house has 32 poles underneath the floor with a metre spacing between the poles . The floor consists of 22mm Pine Tongue and Groove with floor trusses spaced 500mm apart and bearing beams underneath the trusses . Chizema says that the owners can tile the floor or put another layer of wood flooring on top of the Pine , depending on the strength of the floor . They can also choose to build the entire house on a solid concrete floor . There are between four and five workers on site at any one time . All the client really has to do is mark out the house on the land . Chimu Construction transports all the wood to site and takes care of the rest .
The last touches on the inside after the shell of a timber house has been erected .
Chizema believes his business has grown through word of mouth because his clients are always happy with the outcome . “ We focus on building timber houses at a competitive price , but most of all we make sure we deliver a quality product according to what the client wants , and we do it quickly ,” he says . Chizema sources his timber within the Pretoria area , mostly from retailers like Nambi Log Homes , with whom he has established a solid relationship . He then trucks the wood across Southern Africa , to wherever he works , including neighbouring countries where he has completed several substantial projects . Chizema is on a good wicket , and with South Africa experiencing huge challenges in its housing and construction sectors , it will be interesting to see what role SMEs like Chimu Construction will play in the future .
www . timberiq . co . za // DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 15