An economical, easy to install timber flooring systems

Advice from Forest and Wood Products Association

A research project has developed a practical lightweight timber ground-floor system that includes prefabricated timber floor panels and the ‘stumps,’ that is, the floor support to the footings.

Builders currently prefer concrete slab-on-ground construction for new house construction. They have concerns with traditional built-on-site joist and bearer systems because of the multiple trades required and the longer construction periods compared to the slab-on-ground alternative.

This project has developed practical options for easy-to-install prefabricated lightweight timber ground floor systems that include both the prefabricated timber floor panels and the floor support to footings and provides a viable option that will deliver one contract, to deliver a working platform, on a site, on a specific date, for a specific cost with the additional benefits of a raised timber floor for:
• sloping sites
• highly reactive clay soils
• flood inundation areas
• homes for second and third buyers/owners where quality is the measure rather than minimum
cost.

Prefabricated timber ground floors represents a significant opportunity to grow volumes of timber used in housing construction. A copy of the report can be found at the following link:

FWPA report