With just days to go until our saws and hammers grind to a halt for the Christmas break, it’s a good time to reflect on what has been a challenging but very positive year for us at Target Timber.

We began the year with a strong order book and as predicted, it has remained strong throughout 2023 and 2024 looks to be equally as good if not better. But the road hasn’t been bump-free.

Like many UK businesses, we’ve had to navigate numerous issues that have arisen following the pandemic, global conflicts, and energy price hikes that have led to unprecedented material prices and the tightening of many credit belts.

Despite these issues, and some in the industry who like to wave the flag of doom, there has been a lot of positive news from across the industry this year about both the many benefits of structural timber and the significant investments being made across the sector.

Seeing the good from the trees

Confidence in sustainable timber frame buildings is growing month on month, year on year, evidenced by investments being made in timber frame manufacturing by most of the top 10 UK house builders.

In the last few months, CALA Homes acquired Taylor Lane Timber Frame Ltd, and Barratt Homes has invested a further £45 million in their Timber Frame company Oregon Timber Engineering Ltd, an indication of growing demand.

The signs are positive in our sector too. We’ve seen our turnover increase this year due to a rising demand from small to medium-sized house builders and property developers for eco-friendly housing developments and luxury one-off houses.

It hasn’t been easy (it never has been) but our repeat customers and recommendations prove that there is a continuing and rising demand for the quality products and full timber frame service that we at Target Timber Systems provide.

Further investment in our closed panel timber frame manufacturing

Our fully factory-assembled closed panel timber frames have been in high demand again this year due to their superior thermal qualities – standard u-values as low as 0.17 W/M²/K – that meet Part L Regulations, and have System Acceptance from both LABC Warranty and Premier Guarantee.

To meet demand, we invested in another panel maker this year, enabling us to scale up production further and turn around more orders at speed.

As a reliable and trusted timber frame manufacturer for independent housebuilders and property developers, the Target Timber team is excited about the future and ready to meet the ever-increasing demand for our premium quality timber frames in the coming year and beyond.

From all of the team here at Target Timber, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a successful New Year.

Nick Whittle

Joint Managing Director