Frequently Asked Questions
Some often asked questions are listed below. If you have any questions that are not answered here please feel free to
contact us on Free phone 0800 80 98 99.
Q One of many Earthquake questions.* I trust and hope that you are all safe and well after the rumbles that you have encountered in the Christchurch area. Can it be that you are all living in the showhouse out of harm's way? Sandy & Isobel
A "Shaken, but not stirred!" Thanks everyone for your concern and kind thoughts.
At Fraemohs homes, our tar seal car park was lifted, we lost water and power for a time, some timber stacks fell, and a concrete block wall in the factory now has ‘step' cracks, but the show home and our 40+ yr old Fraemohs style office building both came through apparently unscathed.
We have had a steady flow of people coming to look at the show home to check how it fared in the quake, and like us they are really pleased to see that our solid timber homes have more than lived up to their earthquake resistant reputation. We have had emails from Fraemohs owners telling us how safe they felt in their homes during the earthquake and have also visited several Fraemohs homes to see for ourselves how well they stood up to the shaking.
Sandy you did hit the nail on the head, it is true to say we all feel very safe here at work, plus - unlike some less fortunate, extremely grateful to still have jobs and homes.
The miracle is, that no-one was killed during the quake!
Our love and thoughts go to all of you who still struggle with this disaster.
Kind regards from our team here, Marie.
1 What are the steps to purchasing a FRAEMOHS SOLID WOOD HOME?Buying a Fraemohs home is so easy! See BUILD PROCESS for details.
If one of our standard plans doesn't suit, discuss your modifications, other preferred plan, and ECO innovations, and then we will sketch, design and finally draw up your dream home for you.
We offer a free preliminary price guide - even off your simple sketch.
2 What comes with my kitset?For full details, please go to BROCHURES and select KITSET Pack Spec
Kitsets are delivered in clearly labelled weatherproof packs and every board is individually numbered for ease of construction.
3 Will Fraemohs Homes help me to build my kitset?Yes.
We can advise you on what build sections may require a builder.
You can hire your own builder, even if only for advisory purposes - or we can arrange for a builder to build to ‘closed shell' or other partial construction options.
4 Will FRAEMOHS HOMES build my SOLID TIMBER home for me?Yes!
Our FULL BUILD service is very popular.
5 Are your homes suitable for remote builds?Yes.
Because our product arrives onsite pre-cut, it is both convenient and popular for remote locations where these convenient packs can be trucked, barged or helicoptered in easily.
We also support using off the grid power supplies and ECO waste systems.
Can you build me a relocatable CABINEX in a different size and can I do my own painting?Yes, we can offer you whatever size CABINEX you prefer, in kitset or prebuilt, and you can choose the kitchen or bathroom facilities that you prefer.
You can paint your own CABINEX if you desire, and we will deduct the cost. We are very flexable with such things.
6 Can I make changes to your plans?Yes!
Both LIFESTYLE and FRAEMOHS SELECT options offer you this ability.
To achieve your dream home, we welcome discussing your exciting plans and ideas.
Alternatively, our pre-priced ‘EASY BUILD' range with standard fitments are a convenient option if you require a budget - fast build.
7 Can I choose to have a concrete or pile foundation for my home?Yes!
We design and build to suit short or long pile foundations, concrete floor, or any required foundation system.
8 What ongoing maintenance is required for a SOLID WOOD Fraemohs Home?Internally, Fraemohs Homes require very little long-term maintenance. Many owners and landlords refer to Fraemohs Homes as ‘Bullet-proof' because they are so resistant to wear and tear.
On the exterior, timely attention to the following will ensure your home is structurally at its best and will retain its "just like new" pride.
Stain -Oil - Paint - your house exterior as required (refer to the manufacturers instructions supplied with your product).
Prevent garden soil from coming into direct contact with the Fraemohs wall profiles.
Ensure leaky taps etc do not saturate wood long term.
For the first few months tighten the nuts on the bottom of rods inserted in the walls, then six monthly, and then yearly. Tighten until firm - do not over-tighten.
9 Are Fraemohs Homes insulated?YES!
FRAEMOHS HOME owners always comment on their home's warmth and the low
cost of heating, cooling and ventilation.
Importantly, the high thermal mass of our 95mm thick walls is a major contributor, plus all
our homes include double glazing and under floor and ceiling insulation.
To name just a few, other insutative options may include thermally broken window
joinery, wooden windows and solar technology.
DOUBLE WALL OPTION:
Imagine how warm and safe you will feel inside DOUBLE EXTERNAL WALLS!
Building a home with double walls that are each 63mm thick provides the very best in
insulation, energy efficiency, increased strength, sound proofing, thermal mass and a
High 3.4R Value. ( 95mm thick profile also available). Insulation is placed in the wall cavity
of double walls.
"Building Green in NZ" (Forest Research Institute) shows concrete at 800 j/kg.K and wood
at 2090 J/K.K This means that wood stores 2.6 times as much heat as concrete on a per
Kilo basis.
10 I just love your solid wood homes, but can I break the wood look with a plain wall too?Yes - A Very Smart Look with SOLID WOOD!
Such popular choices can be seen in our latest Show Home.
Easy clean, back painted glass splash back in kitchen
Feature walls that are battened, gibbed and then painted.
Selected wall areas blonded with 'Resene rocksalt', resulting in a lovely modern light
wood finish.
Doors and architraves finished in ‘Resene Raincloud".
Such attractive stain applications both modernise and provide that ‘WOW' factor to
your FRAEMOHS Solid Wood Home.
Interior walls are traditionally protected with 2 coats of clear satin polyurethane.
Prefer an oil finish? - you can choose your favourite.
11 What heating can I have in my FRAEMOHS HOME?Just request your favourite heating method/s.
Electric heat pumps, compliant wood burners, Gas, Solar,
underfloor, passive solar, etc .....
12 Is it true your buildings can withstand severe weather conditions?FRAEMOHS HOMES are well favoured for their proven strength and durability.
Many buyers choose to build a Fraemohs Home because their build site may
encounter harsh weather, storms, heavy snow or earthquakes.
We design/engineer your home individually to suit local conditions and authority
requirements.
Our double wall option is popular for this reason too.
13 Are your homes Termite proof?Yes!
We operate our own treatment facility which impregnates our structural timber with a
precise level of Vascol Azure. This light, solvent (white spirits) based preservative
contains only biodegradable active ingredients and contains no nasty arsenic or heavy
metals. Using this modern technology, it's as close as you can get to eco-friendly
preservation, while meeting all appropriate New Zealand and Australian standards.
Vascol Azure protects with insecticide/termiticide,fungicide and water repellent.
FRAEMOHS only treat timber after manufacturing, so our waste is untreated.
14 After we build, can we add on an addition at a later date?Certainly, we design and construct additions for current owners.
For new builds, we can 'future proof' your new home to ensure your planned addition
will work for you.
15 Someone told me they heard that some brands of wooden homes can be noisy.FRAEMOHS HOMES are fitted with steel hurricane rods in the walls which are tightened as
your new home settles.
This extra stregthening virtually eliminates any creaking noises - ask any owner.
As a plus, when choosing a Fraemohs SOLID WOOD home you will appreciate the
exterior sound proofing and excellent interior acoustics much sought after by musicians.
Fraemohs Homes are great for noisy families too, as SOLID WOOD does not 'echo' noise.
16 Why are solid wood homes good for the environment?Growing wood requires very little energy and timber is known as carbon negative, which
means it removes Carbon Dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere.
Every growing tree helps to improve water quality, increase land stability and sucks up
carbon dioxide. The more SOLID WOOD homes we all build, the more NZ planted pine
trees are replanted to continue this cycle.
"The global warming potential of the hypothetical steel framed home is 26% higher and
the concrete framed home 31% higher than matching homes framed with wood."
(CORRIM STUDY www.beconstructive.com)
A web search will reveal many institutions passionate to educate the world about the
added environmental benefits of building a SOLID WOOD home.
17 How safe are your solid wood homes in a fire?Unlike hollow wall construction, SOLID TIMBER walls do not provide an internal source of
oxygen to feed a fire. This assists longer structural integrity, which offers occupiers a
longer evacuation timeframe.
It has also been noted that SOLID TIMBER has shown to maintain its structural integrity beyond steel which buckles at between 800-900 degC.