From their County Kildare base, Premier Timberframe Homes specialise in the manufacture of timber frame homes and roof trusses, and also supply and fit timber frame houses anywhere in Ireland. We touched base with hands-on founder / proprietor Dave McManus to find out more about the fast, efficient and no-nonsense services provided.
Since its inception in 2017, Premier Timberframe Homes has delivered a vast portfolio of affordable, high-performance and aesthetically-pleasing homes the length and breadth of Ireland.
Offering a wealth of experience and knowledge in the supply and construction of timber frame homes, from design through to exterior walls, cladding and insulation, interior walls and roof, windows and doors, roof trusses and tiles, Premier Timberframe Homes are synonymous with the fast and efficient delivery of top-quality shells which always hit the spot in terms of value, workmanship and performance.
Owner Dave McManus – you may know him from his work on the popular ‘Dave the Builder’ podcast on KFM! – has been working onsite on housebuilding projects since he was 15 years old. “This is my 23rd year building houses and I suppose you could say I know my way around them at this stage,” he notes.
“We specialise in timber frame homes and we manufacture everything here in Kildare, and can supply to all of Ireland and even further afield. We’ve had great interest in our timber frames and roof trusses from the UK over the years as our profile increased through social media, etc. We’ve also had enquiries from as far away as Canada and we could definitely supply and deliver them if we got an order.”
Timber frame homes and structures are as solid as they are beautiful. When you add to that the flexibility of design, energy efficiency and how eco-friendly they are to build, as well as the strength and appeal that will last for generations, it’s easy to see why more people are choosing timber frame construction when it comes to building the home of their dreams.
“The beauty of our service is that we manufacture the timber frames and roof trusses ourselves and they are all NSAI approved,” Dave continues. “We are actually the only roof truss manufacturer in County Kildare.”
The speed, efficiency and accuracy of the excellent Premier Timberframe Homes service is such that it would be nigh on impossible to find a more economical or reliable way of building a new house… “We supply the self-builder who is embarking on their journey to build their dream home,” Dave reveals. “We supply a very durable and high-performance shell and they can then bring in their trades afterwards to finish the home off.
“We get involved from the very start of the project, from design stage and we will help the foundation man with his dimensions to make sure everything is perfect. We then come onsite and erect the timber frame and supply and install the windows and doors, the roof and roof slates, fascia and soffit, and the internal walls. We can also supply the internal plaster boards, but don’t fit them. We also supply one of the best insulation packages on the market.
“As well as supplying the house as a timber frame shell, we also offer a brilliant alternative to the concrete blocks to go around the timber fame,” Dave continues. “We can supply a concrete board, or render board, to go around the outside of the timber frame and these are factory fitted and they are almost ready to be plastered over straight away. The Germans have been using this method for years but it’s not typically done here in Ireland yet.
“But it’s a brilliant option and it is very efficient and convenient. The render board is replacing the concrete blocks and eliminating all the mess that comes with the blocks as well as removing the need for a block layer. Block layers are a dying breed today and young people just don’t want to do it anymore. Using the concrete board around the timber frame is a real win-win and I couldn’t recommend it enough – the feedback to that service has been extremely positive.
“We are booked out six months in advance, partly thanks to this method. It’s fast and efficient, there’s less labour, less downtime, it’s safer and things just fit together perfectly all the time.”
The end result with a Premier Timberframe Homes new build is a shell that ticks all the boxes. “You get a home that’s warm, affordable and long-lasting,” Dave confirms. “It’ll last easily as long as a block house, once it’s built properly and in line with today’s building regulations. I always say to people that half of every house in Ireland is a timber-framed roof with a lifespan of over 100 years easily.”
Little wonder Premier Timberframe Homes are busier than they have ever been. As well as tendering for new projects, they are always at various stages of ongoing projects, be that design, manufacturing or erecting. At any given time, Dave would have a project up and running at each of these three stages, with a pipeline of work in front of him going beyond six months.
The man behind Premier Timberframe Homes is a regular on KFM imparting advice to listeners on self builds and building in general. Isn’t he reluctant to arm the public with too much inside information? “Not at all, I have no problem passing it on. Knowledge has to be shared. Look, we are only doing a tiny slice of the cake. When you have had so many years of hardship, and you have learned from it, the least you can do is pass on as much of your learning as you can.”
Premier Timberframe Homes generates direct employment for a team of ten, including two in the office, a full time engineer and Dave himself handling office work, site work and sales. “We have a great team of local people – three from Allenwood, one from Carbury, one from Coill Dubh and one from Daingean,” he notes.
“We also offer an architectural service if people need us to design a house for them and we can take it through the planning stage for them too, if required.”
The Premier Timberframe Homes service is perfect for the self-builder as Dave can guide them through the entire process from the start, providing a complete one-stop shop solution for the shell of the building. “We can design it, plan it out, foresee and iron out any potential complications, help with the foundation and then we come in and do our work.
“Once we leave, the client has an energy-efficient, high-quality, weatherproof unit and all they need to do is get the wiring done, the plumbing, heating and ventilation system, plastering and painting. It’s the best, most efficient and most affordable way to build a house in today’s climate.
“The client gets speed, quality, efficiency and expertise,” Dave concludes. “Our team have 90 years’ carpentry experience between them and we have an engineer and a design team and can put that expertise into designing and building homes together with our clients.
“We are also experts in air tightness and pay very close attention to that. Because everything is fitted in a factory setting before going to site, we can achieve very high standards of insulation and air tightness.”
Premier Timberframe Homes,
Killana,
Carbury,
Naas,
County Kildare.
Tel: 087 096 0704
Email: [email protected]
Web: premiertimberframehomes.ie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/premiertimberframehomes
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, December 2024, Vol 10 No 12
featured, Premier Timberframe Homes
