Tom Cox

After 8 years in our cosy cottage, we decided to built our own house. It had to be ecological and suitable for our family (3 children). We chose the wooden frame technique. Not only because wood is an ecological resource, but also for the insulationtechnique without thermal bridges. Unfortunately, the offers we received from the local wooden frame builders, were too expensive for our budget. And so, we started looking for an alternative. We did not have the intention to give up on our dream to built a low energy home! My father, who is a forester, adviced us to figure out were the wood, and the wooden frame technique, comes from. That appeared to be the northern regions, and so we ended up in Lavia. A beautifull country with the largest percentage of wood (after Sweden). Mainly pine, the basic raw material for wooden frame building. Because of the lower temperature, the trees grow slower and as a result of this, the wood has better construction values. I took contact with Frame House Kit by sending them an email and got a quick response. They asked for the drawings of our house and after sending it to them, they let me know it was perfectly possible to convert it into wooden frame panels. And of course, the indicative price was attractive too. So, we booked a flight to Riga, visited the factory, met the owner and the fellow workers and finally, we ordered our house. Back in Belgium, we proceeded our contacts via mail. We got the construction drawings (technical design package). After controlling it and asking for a few corrections, we gave our approval to start the production. Six months after our visit in Latvia, 2 trucks delivered the panels in Belgium. At the same time, I made things ready for the montage of the wooden frame panels. And it had to be perfectly according to the plan, because the panels are tailor made! For the montage of the panels, I got help from my local contractor. This man made the switch from steel and concrete to wood as well J! In less than a week, our wooden frame was ready. The roofer started, the bricklayer placed the outer wall and I started inside the house. The structural shell work was not cold and humid. Professionals who performed their work in our house, were full of praise. The neighbours were surprised by the ‘sudden’ appear of a new house in their street. And many people who were suspicious about our ‘adventure’, were impressed by the result. Proudly, we opend our house during an event that focussed on low energy houses. It was barely 11 months after the delivery of the frame house kit (and we allready lived in our house for 4 months)! The responses of the visitors were positive. They expected to see a ‘wooden house’, but they discovered a modern house full of light. And with a low energy consumption (nice to know for Belgian buiders: E42 & K22). Without any expensive techniques (connectivity options foreseen). Since that moment, I’m telling people about our experiences. Everyone is curious, but few people are confident enough to do the same. And so I started helping them. Togehter with Frame House Kit, I guide people to realize their own affordable low energy house. Please, be welcome at my place! Tom Cox