Insulation and Timber Frame Homes: Is One Match Better Than the Other?

If you’re like many people, your decision to build a timber frame home hinges largely on timber frame homes’ ability to hold in heat and cool air and to keep the elements out. However, despite their inherent insulation capabilities, you still need to equip your home with insulation. There are several types of insulation from which to choose, but which you ultimately use depends on your budget, needs and where in your house you want to install it.

Mineral and Wool Insulation  

Mineral and wool insulation are best for the walls and roof. Similar in nature to the more popular fiberglass, the greatest advantage of mineral and wool is that it is fire resistance. For this reason alone, it is more expensive than its prevalent counterpart.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass insulation is the most used type of insulation for one main reason: It’s cheap. However, despite its affordability, fiberglass tends to sag, which could compromise the integrity of your timber frame home structure. For this reason, it is generally not recommended that builders use fiberglass on timber frame homes. If you do, though, you should only use it in vertical spaces and between studs.

Polystyrene

There are two types of polystyrene you can use as insulation: Expanded polystyrene and extruded polystyrene. Both versions are made of tiny beads of insulating material that gets blown into wall and ceiling cavities and fills and forms to its surroundings. Though a great insulating material, polystyrene is brittle and prone to breakage. The extruded version is water resistant, which could prove useful for if/when your roof develops a leak.

Of the types of insulation you can use for your timber frame home, mineral and wool are probably your best options. Though slightly more expensive than the other two options, it is durable and effective at what it was designed to do.