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Non-traditional construction

Timber-framed houses

Homes built around a load-bearing timber frame, often made up in panels off site. 129 house types, each with how it was built, what to look out for and what it means when you buy.

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  • 129 house types
  • Updated July 2026

House types A to Z

B

Timber framed The Bennett Bungalow The Bennett House is a distinctive form of non-traditional housing constructed in the mid-1960s. Designed and manufactured by H W Bennett Ltd in 1965, these properties were… 4 min read Timber framed The Boro House The Boro house, also referred to as Borohus or Enso Gutzeit, represents a distinct form of non-traditional housing introduced in the late 1960s. These properties were constructed… 3 min read Timber framed The Boulton & Paul House Boulton & Paul houses are early 20th-century non-traditional dwellings manufactured from the late 1890s onwards. Produced by the Norwich-based firm Boulton & Paul, these… 3 min read Timber framed The Bricket Wood Special House The Bricket Wood Special house is a rare form of non-traditional residential construction dating from 1929. Only four examples were built, all as semi-detached chalet bungalows… 3 min read Timber framed The Bullock House The Bullock house is a system-built form of non-traditional housing developed during the late 1960s. Manufactured by D T Bullock & Co. Ltd, these properties reflect the… 3 min read Timber framed The Bur-Pal House The Bur-Pal house is a distinctive early 20th-century system-built property developed during the 1920s in response to growing demand for affordable housing. Its design reflects… 3 min read Timber framed The Burt Boulton House The Burt Boulton house is a distinctive form of non-traditional, system-built housing developed in the mid-1970s. Designed by H K Harwood and manufactured by Burt Boulton Ltd… 4 min read

C

Timber framed The Calder Homes The Calder House is a system-built residential property developed during the mid-1960s. Constructed between 1964 and 1967 by Calders Ltd, with designs produced by Harding and… 3 min read Timber framed The Caldervale House The Caldervale house is a rare form of non-traditional housing dating from the mid-1960s. Built in 1965 by Caldervale Construction Co. Ltd, only around ten examples were… 3 min read Timber framed The Calverley Type I House The Calverley Type I house, also referred to as the Calverley Modular or CM, is a non-traditional system-built property developed during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Designed… 3 min read Timber framed Calverley Type II House The Calverley Type II house is a system-built form of non-traditional housing constructed in the late 1960s as part of wider post-war efforts to address housing shortages. Built… 3 min read Timber framed The Cameron House The Cameron House is a distinctive non-traditional property type developed in the early 1970s as part of the UK’s post-war housing programme. Manufactured by Donald Cameron Ltd… 4 min read Timber framed Canadian Demonstration Homes The Canadian Demonstration Homes, also known as Canadian Timber, were built in 1965 as part of an experimental initiative to show what newer construction techniques could do. Only… 5 min read Timber framed The Canadian Timber Type I House The Canadian Timber Type I house dates from the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, when the UK faced a severe housing shortage. Only 90 were built, between 1946 and… 6 min read Timber framed The Caspon House The Caspon house is a system-built timber-framed house manufactured by J L Spooner (Hull) Ltd to designs by D C H Jenkin. Around 5,500 were built between 1964 and 1980, meeting… 5 min read Timber framed Cedar Homes Cedar Homes are a system-built, timber-framed type that appeared in the UK in the mid-twentieth century, built from 1955 onwards. They were manufactured by Guildway Ltd and… 5 min read Timber framed Cedarworth Homes Cedarworth Homes are a system-built timber type from the UK's post-war housing boom. They were manufactured by Worth Buildings Ltd between 1962 and 1970, and are also known as… 5 min read Timber framed The Celtic Homes House Celtic Homes houses are timber-framed, system-built houses of the 1960s, produced by Celtic Homes Ltd. The company set out to address the housing shortage with new designs and… 5 min read Timber framed The Challow House The Challow house, also known as the Challowette, is a system-built timber-framed bungalow from 1967. It was designed by D W Chitty & Partners and J R Swift and manufactured by W… 4 min read Timber framed The Colt House The Colt house is a system-built timber house manufactured by W H Colt, Son & Co. Ltd to designs by A L Osborne and built between 1965 and 1975. It came out of a period of… 5 min read Timber framed The Cowieson House The Cowieson house is a steel-clad, timber-framed, system-built house from 1926 to 1927, manufactured by F D Cowieson & Co. Ltd. 500 were built. 5 min read Timber framed The Czechoslovakian Timber House The Czechoslovakian Timber house is a timber-framed house from the period immediately after the Second World War. It was built between 1946 and 1947 in a limited production run… 5 min read

F

Timber framed The Facta House The Facta house is a system-built timber-framed house constructed between 1967 and 1972 by Modern Building (Wales) Ltd, a company known for its new approaches to residential… 5 min read Timber framed The Faculty House The Faculty house is a timber-framed house from the 1960s, a period of new approaches to housing driven by demand for affordable homes. It was manufactured by Dudley Coles Long… 4 min read Timber framed The Federated System 2 House The Federated System 2 house is a timber-framed, system-built house constructed by Federated Contractors Ltd in 1968. It belongs to the period when the need for quick and… 5 min read Flettons Photograph to follow Timber framed The Flexi House The Flexi house is a timber-framed house from the 1960s, manufactured by Flexi House Developments Ltd to a design by Myle, Bust & Simmonaes. It was built as a detached bungalow… 4 min read Timber framed The Fontaberry House The Fontaberry house is a timber-framed house of the late 1960s, built mainly in 1967. It was manufactured by Fontaberry Insulated Homes Ltd and designed by K Sargant, and the… 5 min read Timber framed The Forfar Borough House The Forfar Borough house is a timber-framed terraced house built in 1965 to a design by the Forfar Borough Architect. A total of 100 were built. The construction was carried out… 5 min read Timber framed The Frameform House The Frameform house is a system-built timber-framed house built mainly between 1965 and 1975. It was manufactured by James Riley and Associates to designs by D G Jones, and around… 6 min read Timber framed The Fredericks Cedarwood House The Fredericks Cedarwood house is a system-built timber bungalow from the 1960s, designed by Maurice R Day & Associates and manufactured by Fredericks & Pelhams Timber Buildings… 4 min read Timber framed The Fredericks Frame System House The Fredericks Frame System house is a timber-framed system-built house of the 1960s, manufactured by Fredericks & Pelhams Timber Buildings Ltd. Only 50 were built. The type is… 5 min read

H

Flettons Photograph to follow Timber framed The Hall House The Hall house is a timber-framed system house built between 1966 and 1970. The houses were manufactured by Robert H Hall & Co. Ltd to designs by I S Watson, and only 350 were… 5 min read Timber framed The Hallam Mk I and Mk II Houses The Hallam Mk I and Mk II houses are system-built, timber-framed houses designed by S A Roe and manufactured by Vic Hallam Ltd between 1963 and 1970. They were built at a time… 5 min read Timber framed The Hallam Mk III House The Hallam Mk III is a system-built timber-framed house from 1965 to 1975, a decade of rapid urban development and pressing demand for affordable housing. Around 8,000 were built… 5 min read Timber framed The Hallam Volumetric House The Hallam Volumetric house is a system-built timber-framed house manufactured by Vic Hallam Ltd between 1972 and 1975. Approximately 2,000 were built, as bungalows and two-storey… 6 min read Timber framed The Harvey Frame House The Harvey Frame house is a timber-framed, system-built bungalow built mainly in 1969. It was manufactured by Harveys (Structural Services) Ltd and designed by M Seal &… 4 min read Timber framed The Hertfordshire County Council House The Hertfordshire County Council house is an early twentieth-century timber-framed house, built in 1921. The houses were manufactured by Botsford, Vale & Wightman Ltd to a design… 5 min read Timber framed The Hultsfreds House The Hultsfreds house is a system-built timber house from the 1970s, manufactured by AB Hultsfreds Industrierna and Western Timber Co. Ltd, both of which brought timber… 4 min read Timber framed The Humphreys House The Humphreys house is a timber-framed system-built house from 1968 to 1970, developed by Humphreys Homes Ltd with design by Hubbard Ford & Partners. Only 50 were built. The type… 4 min read

L

Timber framed The Lanark County Council House Lanark County Council houses are timber-framed, system-built homes from the 1940s, built in response to the urgent need for affordable housing after the Second World War. Speed… 5 min read Timber framed The Langlands Bungalow The Langlands Bungalow is a timber-framed bungalow dating from 1926, a period of new approaches to meeting the growing demand for affordable homes. Only 20 were built, which makes… 4 min read Timber framed The Langlands Terrazzo House The Langlands Terrazzo house is an early twentieth-century timber-framed bungalow, built in 1926 during a period of new building techniques. Only two were built, as a pair of… 5 min read Timber framed The Lawrence House The Lawrence house is a timber-framed system-built house from 1966, developed by Walter Lawrence & Son Ltd. The design was a collaboration between the architects Booth Ledeboer &… 5 min read Flettons Photograph to follow Timber framed The LCC Mobile House The LCC Mobile house is a timber-framed, system-built bungalow from the 1960s. It came out of a period of rapid urban development and a pressing need for affordable housing, as… 4 min read Flettons Photograph to follow Timber framed The Linton Mobile House The Linton Mobile house is a system-built timber-framed house manufactured by Linton System Buildings Ltd to a design by R Cheshire, and built between 1965 and 1970. It is also… 5 min read Timber framed The Liverpool Special House The Liverpool Special house dates from the 1920s, a period of severe housing shortage and rapid urban expansion, when new construction methods were adopted to meet demand. The… 5 min read Timber framed The Lovell House The Lovell house is a timber-framed, system-built house constructed between 1967 and 1979, as part of a broader effort to address housing shortages in the UK. It was manufactured… 5 min read

M

Timber framed The Macrae Plus House The Macrae Plus house is a volumetric timber-framed house of the 1970s, produced by Hugh Macrae & Sons Ltd at a time of rapid housing development, when demand for affordable and… 5 min read Timber framed The Mactrad House The Mactrad house is a system-built, timber-framed house built between 1964 and 1971 by John Maclean & Sons Ltd to designs by E N Hall. Around 3,200 were built, a figure that… 6 min read Timber framed The Maple Leaf House The Maple Leaf house is a timber-framed house built in 1966 by Maple Leaf Homes Ltd, during a period of architectural experimentation in the mid-twentieth century. Only eight were… 5 min read Flettons Photograph to follow Timber framed The McAlpine House The McAlpine house was built in 1945 by Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons, and only two were ever built. It is also known as the Westminster. The houses are two-storey and semi-detached. 5 min read Timber framed The McDonald House The McDonald house is a timber-framed, system-built house of the late 1920s, designed and manufactured by J McDonald (Contractors) Ltd. Approximately 1,000 were built between 1926… 5 min read Timber framed The MeTraTim House The MeTraTim house is a system-built timber-framed house from the mid-1960s, a period of rapid urban development and new construction techniques. The houses were manufactured by… 6 min read Timber framed The Meyer House The Meyer house is a system-built timber-framed house constructed between 1969 and 1979. It was manufactured by Montague L Meyer Ltd and designed by the Montague L Meyer Technical… 4 min read Timber framed The MHC House The MHC house was produced by the Midlands Housing Consortium between 1965 and 1975, as part of a wider initiative to address the post-war housing shortage. The design is credited… 6 min read Timber framed The Miller House The Miller house is a timber-framed, system-built house manufactured by Miller Construction (Northern) Ltd to a design by G Taylor, and built from 1965 into the 1970s… 5 min read Timber framed The Moelven Brug House The Moelven Brug house is a system-built timber-framed house manufactured by Barratt Developments between 1965 and 1975. It is also known as the Barratt, the Norwegian Timber… 5 min read Timber framed The MOHLG House The MOHLG house is a timber-framed, system-built house designed by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Development Group, with Patricia Tindale playing a central role in… 5 min read Timber framed The Multigrid House The Multigrid house is a timber-framed, system-built house constructed between 1959 and 1967. It was produced by the Weir Housing Corporation Ltd to a design by J Gray, and… 5 min read

S

Timber framed The Scano Type I House The Scano Type I house is a timber-framed house from 1925, designed by the London County Council and manufactured by Scanhouse Ltd. Only four were built. The type is also known as… 5 min read Timber framed The Scano Type II House The Scano Type II house is a timber-framed house built in 1925, designed by the London County Council and manufactured by Scanhouse Ltd. Only two were built. The type is also… 5 min read Timber framed The Scano Type III House The Scano Type III house is a timber-framed, system-built house designed by the London County Council and manufactured by Scanhouse Ltd. It was built between 1925 and 1928, when… 5 min read Timber framed The Scotlog House The Scotlog house is a solid timber house built in 1967 by Timber Systems Ltd, a company known for its approach to timber construction, at a time of growing interest in… 5 min read Timber framed The Scottwood House The Scottwood House is a non-traditional property type built between 1948 and 1953 as part of the post-war housing programme. Approximately 1,500 units were constructed, primarily… 4 min read Timber framed The Seco Temporary Bungalow The Seco Temporary Bungalow is one of the best-known post-war prefabs. Around 29,000 were built across the UK between 1943 and 1946, manufactured and designed by Uni-Seco… 5 min read Timber framed The Segal House The Segal house is a timber-framed house built between 1962 and 1975, designed by Walter Segal and constructed by C J O'Shea Construction Ltd. Segal, a Swiss architect, set out an… 5 min read Timber framed The Sherwood House The Sherwood house is a system-built timber-framed house from the late 1960s, designed by Mason and Richards and Partners and manufactured by Tarmac Building Ltd. The houses were… 5 min read Timber framed The Silksworth House The Silksworth house is a system-built, timber-framed house designed by the National Building Agency and built between 1968 and 1970 as part of a wider effort to address the… 5 min read Timber framed The Simms C-DA House The Simms C-DA house is a post-war system-built timber-framed house, constructed mainly during the 1950s and 1960s by W J Simms Sons & Cooke Ltd at a time of significant demand… 5 min read Timber framed The Simms Sons & Cooke SWPA House The Simms Sons & Cooke SWPA house is a timber-framed, system-built house from the 1960s, also known as the West Pennine or simply the Simms. Approximately 1,500 were built… 5 min read Timber framed The Simms Sons and Cooke House The Simms Sons and Cooke house is a system-built, timber-framed house manufactured by W J Simms Sons and Cooke Ltd in the 1950s and 1960s, a period of strong demand for affordable… 5 min read Timber framed The Solid Cedar House The Solid Cedar house is a non-traditional system-built property developed in the late 1930s. Designed by R G Tarran and manufactured by Solid Cedar Homes Ltd, these houses were… 3 min read Timber framed The Spooner House The Spooner house is a post-war timber-framed house, manufactured by J L Spooner (Hull) Ltd and designed by R Binnington. Approximately 4,800 were built between 1948 and 1955… 5 min read Timber framed The Spooner Temporary Bungalow The Spooner Temporary Bungalow, also known as the Spooner Mk III or simply a prefab, is a timber-framed, steel-clad bungalow manufactured by Spooner Ltd in the 1940s. It was one… 5 min read Timber framed The SSHA House SSHA houses, also known as SSHA Canadian Commissioner's Houses or SSHA Canadian Timber houses, were built between 1937 and 1941 as part of a government initiative to tackle… 6 min read Timber framed The Swedish Sectional Timber House The Swedish Sectional Timber (SST) house, also known as the Swedish Timber house, is a non-traditional property type constructed in the UK between 1937 and 1947. These homes were… 3 min read Timber framed The Swedish Timber House The Swedish Timber House, often referred to as “Swedish Homes”, represents a distinctive form of post-war housing constructed in the UK between 1945 and 1951. Approximately 4,500… 3 min read Flettons Photograph to follow Timber framed The Swift House The Swift house is a system-built, timber-framed house manufactured between 1965 and 1970 by Swift Homes Ltd and Netherton Building and Construction Co. Ltd. It dates from a… 5 min read Timber framed The Swiftplan Multiflex H12 House The Swiftplan Multiflex H12 is a timber-framed system house from the mid-1960s, a period of new construction techniques and a pressing need for affordable housing. The houses were… 5 min read

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