The Welsh timber frame specialist, Treharne Homes, has been utilising SterlingOSB Zero, or the forerunners beforehand, for over 20 years to deliver bespoke building solutions
SterlingOSB Zero helps deliver high-performance homes for councils and other affordable housing providers.
Treharne Homes are based near Llanelli in Carmarthenshire and serve clients in multiple sectors, offering an award-winning, custom design, manufacture and erection service. The company prides itself on the quality and accuracy of its fabrication processes – even producing its metal web joists at its plant.
The team employs West Fraser’s 22mm SterlingOSB Zero T&G panels for its wall and roof constructions as well as CaberDek panels for its floors.
Making timber frame construction easier
Founder and managing director Delfrig Treharne commented: “We use West Fraser’s SterlingOSB Zero to help take the racking loads in the timber frames and also as a sarking across a lot of our roofs where we offer both site assembly and modular roof construction. The product is also used for internal load-bearing walls and cassettes. We basically always try and tend (respond) to whatever the needs are of our clients.
“In a typical year, we will normally do around a dozen private projects, including luxury homes with up to six bedrooms, leisure buildings and other structures. Then we also carry out some quite large social housing projects for the likes of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea, delivering dwellings of up to three or four bedrooms and including three-storey townhouses.
“In fact, we are just about to commence work on two different sites for Swansea Council where the SterlingOSB Zero will be an important part of the build.”
One of the key considerations for social housing landlords is trying to ensure their properties have a low environmental impact and are affordable for their tenants to heat, which, in turn, requires accuracy of manufacture to achieve high standards of airtightness.
“We have used other OSB boards in the past, but the quality just doesn’t match up, whereas with SterlingOSB Zero, every sheet is the same,” commented Treharne.
“During the pandemic, for instance, when building materials were in short supply, we bought a couple of packs from another manufacturer, and it was nowhere near the same quality – up to six millimetres out of square, which is a real problem. West Fraser’s sales consultant always finds me a good price through my local merchants,” he continued.
SterlingOSB Zero’s products are environmentally friendly
Available in thicknesses of 18 and 22mm, the 2400mm length boards come in widths of 590 and 1200mm; while being manufactured using UK-grown timber and with Zero added formaldehyde, SterlingOSB Zero has outstanding environmental credentials.
Both the 18- and 22-mm thick panels are strong enough to meet most load-bearing applications and are BBA Approved and recognised by NHBC Technical standards for housing applications.
SterlingOSB Zero T&G also bears the coveted UKTFA Q-mark, a quality certification which provides a benchmark for manufacturers and offers confidence to designers and end-users across the UK.
