Everything you want to know about a timber home

The walls, floors and roof elements are made millimetre-precise in our factory in Latvia. Including insulation and — if you wish — pre-fitted windows. On your building plot we assemble it like a large puzzle: usually 3 to 5 days per storey. Then the shell stands wind- and watertight.

Timber frame (HSB): a load-bearing frame of timber studs, filled with insulation. Lighter, highly insulating, perfect for 1 to 5 storeys. The most common form of prefab timber construction in Europe.

CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber): solid wooden panels built up from cross-glued boards. Sturdier, goes up to 8 storeys, and gives a beautiful visible wooden wall indoors.

Hybrid: CLT core + timber-frame facade. Combines load-bearing capacity and insulation, with a more favourable cost profile than all-CLT.

We make all three variants in the same factory. In a first conversation we discuss what fits your design and budget.

No. A tiny house is usually very small (under 50 m²) and often movable. A log cabin is made of solid logs. What we make is a fully fledged home — detached, semi-detached, apartments — that meets all Dutch building standards (Bbl, BENG, Wkb). From the outside it looks the same as a traditional house. It is energy-efficient, sustainable and quick to assemble.

Since 1991 — 35 years. More than 400+ projects in 14 European countries, including the Netherlands (Gassel, 's-Hertogenbosch, Amsterdam and private homes).

The price depends heavily on your design, the finishing level and the degree of prefab finishing. That is why we do not quote a fixed price per m² on this page.

Use the price calculator for a project-specific estimate in two minutes — or send us your sketch for a first budget indication within 3 working days.

Please note: our delivery covers only the prefab timber structure. Not included: foundation, terrace, interior finishing (floors, kitchen, bathroom), installations (electricity, water, heating, ventilation), crane and scaffolding on site, permits.

Three main factors:

1. Shape of the house. Rectangular is cheaper than L-shaped, and L-shaped cheaper than a free-form design.
2. Energy level. Comfort, Premium or Lux — different insulation thicknesses and window quality.
3. Degree of finishing from the factory. Do you want the windows already fitted? Facade cladding already mounted?

In a 30-minute conversation, based on your sketch design, we can give a serious price indication within 10 working days.

The economics differ per project, which is why we assess each project individually. A few things are certain:

• Fixed price up front, laid down in the contract — no surprises from rising material prices.
• Energy-efficient thanks to high-grade insulation and airtightness.
• Lower environmental impact (counts towards the MPG score for your permit).

Yes. Our contract price is the final price — no material clauses, no escalation. Only if you make changes yourself after the technical design freeze does a pre-agreed rate for additional work apply.

We make almost anything an architect draws. Our CNC machines handle complex shapes — we have delivered challenging villas, eco-districts and architecturally distinctive projects. What we do not simply do: high-rise above 8 storeys (CLT limit) or 5 storeys (timber-frame limit).

We deliberately don't quote a single total in months — the overall timeline is mainly determined by steps that come before production, such as your permit and the design phase. What we can give you is the timeline per phase:

The exact production slot is confirmed by our project management after the detailed quotation. One fixed rule: assembly never starts in December just before the holidays. Interior finishing (floors, kitchen, sanitary, painting) follows after the shell — usually 2–4 months, depending on your choices.

• Building permit (Dutch environmental permit for building) in order
• Foundation prepared and poured — we give you millimetre-precise specs of what our panels require (tolerance ± 5 mm)
• Site accessible for a lorry up to 18 m long and a crane up to roughly 30 tonnes
• Connections for utilities ready or in preparation (water, electricity, sewerage)
• If needed, scaffolding arranged if your home has more than one storey

We guide you with a checklist with dates, so everything is ready on time.

Our own assembly crew from Latvia. No subcontractors, no strangers — the same people who erect our projects in Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The project leader speaks Dutch or English (or arranges translation).

As standard you pay in instalments as the work progresses:

The exact schedule can be adjusted or split further per project and is laid down in the contract. So you do not finance 100 % up front — you pay as the work progresses.

Our homes are insulated to a high standard, well above the requirements of the Dutch Building Decree. You choose the insulation level yourself: Comfort, Premium or Lux — with increasing insulation thicknesses and window quality.

In practice a well-designed ZTC home can reach BENG-plus, zero-on-the-meter (NOM) or even passive-house level.

A well-insulated timber home is energy-efficient; exact consumption depends on design, installations and use.

The home is also airtight — we achieve a measured airtightness down to n50 = 0.24 (passive-house level), where the Dutch Building Decree allows n50 = 0.6 as a maximum. That means no draughts, no cold fall, and highly effective mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.

Wood has a favourable sustainability profile on several fronts:

• CO₂ capture: construction timber captures CO₂ as it grows and keeps it locked in the structure.
• MPG score (the Dutch environmental performance score, mandatory under the Building Decree): wood scores favourably, which helps with permitting and valuation.
• Circularity: at demolition, timber elements are reusable or recyclable as raw material or biofuel.
• Local material: we use wood from sustainably managed Latvian and Scandinavian forests, FSC- or PEFC-certified on request. Latvia is among the most forested countries in Europe.

That is your choice.

• Timber-frame home: as standard the frame is finished with plasterboard — you do not see the wood.
• CLT home: you can opt for visual-quality CLT — the solid wooden panels remain visible as interior walls (oiled, lacquered or untreated). Very popular in modern designs.
• Mix: many clients choose one wall of visible CLT (often behind the sofa, or in a stairwell) and the rest finished with plasterboard.

Residents of timber homes generally experience the indoor climate as pleasantly dry and stable. Wood has the natural property of buffering moisture — absorbing a little during the day, releasing it at night. The result: less muggy in summer, less dryness in winter.

Plus: wood feels warmer to the touch than concrete or brick.

Better than many people think. Three reasons:

1. Solid wood burns predictably. Unlike steel (which sags) or concrete (which can spall or crack), CLT and heavy timber frame burn at a known rate (roughly 0.65 mm per minute, in accordance with Eurocode 5). Fire services and structural engineers can calculate with it precisely.
2. Our panels achieve EI 30 to EI 120 fire resistance, depending on the build-up (30 to 120 minutes of structural integrity in a fire). For apartments we reach up to EI 120 with CLT.
3. Fires rarely start in the structure. Almost all house fires start in furniture, electrical appliances or the kitchen — where the building material makes no difference.

Our standard floor build-up achieves Rw ≥ 55 dB (heavy floor) to Rw ≥ 65 dB (premium floor with a sound-damping layer). The Dutch Building Decree requires Rw ≥ 52 dB between dwellings.

For terraced houses / apartments (where sound insulation between dwellings is critical) we typically use CLT walls of 140 mm or more, plus a decoupled lining wall. With that we achieve Rw ≥ 65 dB and in practice little to no noise nuisance.

Properly designed and built: no.

• During construction: our panels leave the factory dry (moisture content < 18 %). During assembly they are protected against rain. If it really pours during assembly, we have tarp strategies to protect the panels.
• In use: a correctly designed vapour-open or vapour-retarding structure + mechanical ventilation with heat recovery + a watertight facade = no moisture problems. Woodworm stands no chance in wood that stays permanently dry (moisture content < 20 %).
• Our reference projects in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Latvia — all damp climates — show 30+ years of trouble-free service.

We design with vapour-open membranes (Intello or similar) and ensure a controlled indoor climate. In case of doubt: your architect's structural engineer or building physicist can always request our build-up specs.

The same as with any other house: act quickly, dry, repair. Wood — unlike concrete, which retains moisture — dries out relatively quickly. In case of serious water damage, a timber panel element can often be replaced locally, without touching the rest of the structure.

The simple answer: just as long as a masonry home, provided it is well maintained.

• The oldest still-inhabited wooden houses in Europe are 800–1000 years old (Norwegian stave churches, Swedish towers, English Tudor timber framing).
• Modern prefab timber construction (as we make it) is rated at 75–100+ years of economic lifespan, the same as masonry.
• Mortgage lenders and valuers nowadays routinely work with 50+ years (see the mortgage section below).

Comparable or slightly less. Specific to wood:

• Facade: if you choose timber cladding (shiplap, battens or greyed Western Red Cedar): repainting or staining once every 7–15 years, depending on type and colour. Maintenance-free facades (brick slips, render, fibre cement, metal panels) are also simply part of our range.
• Interior (plasterboard finish): identical to any other house — repaint whenever you wish.
• The structure itself: no maintenance. Wood in an insulated, dry wall construction lasts indefinitely.

Nothing unusual. Timber homes are insured by most Dutch building insurers on the same terms as masonry — sometimes slightly better thanks to the proven fire safety and durability of prefab.

Our advice: request quotes from two or three insurers (Centraal Beheer, Univé, Allianz, Nationale Nederlanden) and compare. State in the quote request that it is a prefab timber home with CE marking ETA-21/0014. We can supply the accompanying documentation.

Yes, just as for any new-build home — a Dutch environmental permit for building (omgevingsvergunning) via your municipality. The process is identical to masonry.

What helps: our homes meet all Dutch building standards (Building Decree / Bbl 2024, Eurocode 5 for timber structures, BENG, MPG). The permitting authority receives properly substantiated calculations from your structural engineer (if desired in cooperation with our engineers).

As standard, yes — and with our standard Comfort insulation you sit well below the BENG 2 limits (energy demand). At Premium level we reach BENG-plus or NOM (zero-on-the-meter).

For those who want the fully CO₂-neutral route: we deliver the timber structure; you combine it with solar panels, a heat pump and proper energy performance advice.

Mandatory for most new-build homes since 1 January 2024. This means: an independent quality assurer checks during construction that your home meets the Building Decree.

Our experience: quality assurers are generally positive about prefab timber construction because:

• Production in a factory is far easier to inspect than a building site
• Our CNC tolerance of ± 1 mm means predictable quality
• CE marking ETA-21/0014 is already an external quality check
• Our blower-door tests prove airtightness

We can put you in touch with quality assurers who have experience with prefab timber construction.

We hold CE marking under ETA-21/0014 — the European counterpart of the Dutch KOMO mark, recognised as equivalent by the Building Decree. We currently do not hold a KOMO certificate itself — for most private projects it is not needed either. If questions arise, we can help demonstrate that ETA-21/0014 suffices.

Good news for you. Dutch government policy actively steers towards bio-based materials (National Approach to Bio-based Construction 2026–2030, the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area Timber Construction Pact). Subsidies and accelerated permitting for bio-based projects have been introduced in several places. Ask your municipality whether regional incentive schemes exist.

Yes. All Dutch mortgage lenders (Rabobank, ING, ABN AMRO, Triodos, Centraal Beheer, etc.) provide mortgages on prefab timber homes, provided:

• The home meets the Building Decree (naturally)
• A building permit is in place
• The home can be valued by a valuer

For the valuation it helps to state that the home is CE-marked (ETA-21/0014) and falls under Eurocode 5. Most valuers are by now familiar with modern prefab timber construction.

Usually yes, and sometimes slightly better:

• Green mortgage discount (Triodos, ASN, Rabobank) for energy-efficient homes — ask for it. A ZTC home almost certainly achieves label A++ or better and qualifies.
• Tailored financing for sustainable new builds — some banks apply lower risk rates.

A well-built timber home in a good location is almost always valued equal to or higher than a comparable masonry home, mainly because of:

• The high energy label
• Lower heating costs for the next owner
• The growing reputation and market appreciation of sustainable homes

Usually not. Timber homes are priced by the major building insurers the same as masonry. Some insurers give a discount for energy-efficient new builds.

For the construction (CAR) insurance during the build: ask your architect or contractor which insurer they use — they often have experience with timber projects. We can supply supporting documentation (CE certification, production specifications, fire class).

For a detached home or a project above 150 m²: practically always yes. An architect:

• Translates your living wishes into a design that meets the rules
• Guides the permit application
• Works with our engineers to translate your design to our prefab technique

We give your architect all technical parameters up front, so they know what we can and cannot produce.

Yes, provided the architect is open to our technical constraints (panel dimensions max 13.8 × 3.1 × 0.4 m, ± 5 mm foundation tolerance, CNC-friendly design). Most modern architects actually enjoy working that way.

For architects new to timber construction we offer an introduction + lunch-and-learn: 1–2 hours in which we walk through our build-ups, CLT possibilities and BIM workflow. Free of charge.

Yes. We build to your architect's design — not a catalogue home you pick from a list. What we do add: in a technical review we walk through the design and give feedback where production optimisations are possible (panel layout, foundation detailing, openings for installations), without compromising the design.

We work in SEMA, the European standard for timber-construction BIM. Your architect can supply the design via IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) — we translate it into production data for our CNC machines.

End result: you receive a complete 3D model of your home, including all structural elements, for your own documentation.

Standard warranty: 3 years on the house and all work carried out.

Extendable to 5 years — the terms are agreed and recorded at contract stage.

At handover you receive a warranty certificate as part of the handover file.

For warranty issues you can contact your dedicated Dutch point of contact — Theo Rolvink — who handles the matter with ZTC in Latvia. For on-site repairs we have Dutch partner contractors where needed.

In practice: serious warranty claims are rare. Production quality is high thanks to CNC and airtightness testing.

• Aftercare package: as-built drawings, CE certification, warranty documentation and the results of the airtightness test (blower-door)
• Questions or advice: Theo Rolvink (dedicated point of contact) or directly our engineering team in Latvia
• Should you wish to extend (extension, dormer, roof storey): we gladly make the panels in the same quality, provided it suits the original structure

Of course, just like any other home. Timber homes are still relatively scarce on the Dutch market and therefore distinctive — which is good for your selling price.

For the next owner we provide support: you can pass on your construction documentation and certification, so the buyer and their valuer know everything about the structure.

More questions?

Contact your dedicated Dutch point of contact:

Theo Rolvink theo@ztcprefab.nl +31 6 3844 1395

Or plan a first conversation of 30 minutes — we answer your questions, walk through your sketch idea and give you an honest indication of whether a ZTC home fits your project and budget.

Calculate a first price indication in 2 minutes →

Visit our factory in Latvia — we would be delighted to welcome you for a tour.