Williams Wharf for McInerney Homes

Elecoframe® system brings savings to McInerney Homes.

McInerney Homes North West has employed Eleco Timber Frame®’s patented ElecoFrame® system in a modern 121 unit flatted development at Williams Wharf, Warrington. Specified across the seven blocks of one and two bedroom apartments, the ElecoFrame system is also in use across various McInerney Homes developments in the region as part of a growing partnership between the two companies.

ElecoFrame is a patented value-added engineered timber frame solution, designed to cut costs, construction times and waste, whilst ensuring legislative compliance for Part E of the building regulations. ElecoFrame simplifies site handling through weight reduction, reduces build times through off-site construction and improves rigidity, removing warping concerns common in other timber frame systems. These elements provide a highly efficient timber frame solution for high volume builds such as Williams Wharf, as well as smaller timber frame house developments.

The ElecoFrame system uses nail plate connections and diagonal bracing to provide racking resistance; this eliminates the need to use sheathing board on the outer face of wall panels and gives unprecedented strength and rigidity, and allows rigid insulation boards to be fixed to the outside of the panels once the frame is erected. As well as reducing build time, this creates a ‘warm frame’ thus avoiding cold bridging and the risk of condensation. Also, this process eliminates the need for a separate breather membrane and the taping of joints. Meanwhile the open web design of the engineered Ecojoist® used within the ElecoFrame system allows for easy access for installation of piping and wiring, also making retro-installation of services a far less disruptive practice.

“The ElecoFrame System is a very efficient method of timber frame construction,” comments Mick King, Deputy Managing Director of McInerney Homes. “It allows our homes to quickly meet all the requirements of the relevant building regulations, and exceed most of them. “Timber frame structures are generally more suitable for multi-storey residential builds of this kind, as they can be waterproofed immediately, allowing construction all year round. However, ElecoFrame offers considerable additional advantages, as it is more robust, and easier and quicker to erect. It also completely removes manual handling problems on site, though off-site construction and modular delivery, and removes shrinkage issues once the build is completed. All round, it’s a much more efficient product than a traditional timber frame equivalent.”