Ingenieurbüro Müller, Heinsberg
Timber construction in Heinsberg
We design load bearing timber structures for new builds, extensions and conversions: the members, the connections and the proofs that have to be submitted. The material drives every decision, from the section down to the last screw.
See the material- Material
- Softwood, glued laminated timber, cross laminated timber
- Service
- Structural design, calculation, proofs
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday, 9 to 18
Material01
Timber carries far better in one direction than in any other
Timber grew, it was not poured. Along the grain it carries a great deal, across the grain considerably less. It takes up moisture, gives it back and moves while it does. Allow for that early and you get a structure that stays quiet.
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Grain
Along the grain timber is strong. Across it, what a member can take is decided by the detailing rather than by the section alone.
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Moisture
Structural timber keeps moving until it reaches equilibrium moisture inside the building. Shrinkage and swelling belong in the design, not on a defects list.
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Grading
Knots, slope of grain and shakes decide the strength class. What arrives on site has to match what was calculated.
Timbers02
Six timbers and the reason to choose one of them
Not every member needs the same timber. These six cover most of what goes into housing and small commercial work.
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Spruce and fir
The everyday building timber. Light, widely available, easy to grade and usually the first choice for rafters, joists and stud walls.
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Larch
Denser and more resinous, with durable heartwood. Worth it wherever timber is exposed to weather or is meant to stay visible.
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Douglas fir
Strong and durable, with a calm figure and long knot free lengths. A favourite for long span members left on show.
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Solid structural timber
Kiln dried, planed and finger jointed. Accurate enough that a connection sits where it was drawn.
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Glued laminated timber
Built up from single laminations, so it spans further, stays straight and can be made curved. The material for beams and wide openings.
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Cross laminated timber
Layers glued at right angles that act as a plate. Walls and floors become one member instead of a frame with infill.
Connections03
Timber construction is decided at the connection
A beam rarely fails in the middle. It fails where it meets something else. That is why we draw the connections out instead of leaving them to the site.
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01 Notched joint
The strut is cut into the bottom chord. The oldest joint in a roof frame and still the most economical one where the geometry allows it.
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02 Mortise and tenon
Tenon and mortise, pegged with a timber dowel. Visibly clean and free of hardware wherever the member can take it.
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03 Slotted in steel plate
A plate in a slot with dowels drilled across it. Discreet from the outside and the sensible answer where a lot meets at one node.
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04 Fully threaded screws
Set at an angle and threaded over their whole length. They reinforce bearings and notches without weakening the section.
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05 Joist hanger
A standard connector for joining a joist to a beam. Quick to fit, with a nailing pattern that is prescribed.
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06 Dovetail
A tapered housing that holds itself as it is pushed home. Today it is usually machined and accurate to the millimetre.
The drawings are schematic. Which connection is right for your member is calculated and shown on the drawings.
Have a connection checkedServices04
What we take on for your timber structure
From the first section through to the documents that get submitted. You have one person to talk to and receive a set of documents that agrees with itself.
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Structural design for timber
Roof, floor, wall and column are sized and reconciled with one another, bracing included.
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Structural calculations
Checkable calculations for the load bearing members, with the proofs that belong to each of them.
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Layout and detail drawings
Member layout, schedule and the detail drawings the carpenter cuts from.
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Building physics proofs
Thermal, moisture and acoustic performance, matched to how the timber build up is actually put together.
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Seismic verification
Where the site calls for it, we verify the bracing and the hold down of the structure.
Enquiry05
Tell us about your project
A few sentences are enough to start: what is being built, where it stands and when it should begin. We will get back to you and say which documents we need.
- Telephone
- 02452 6593528
- Office
- Ostpromenade 89, 52525 Heinsberg
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday, 9 to 18
We use what you send only to answer your enquiry.
Views06
Timber, seen close up
Six photographs of the material and of the places where the real work in timber construction sits.
Photographs of timber as a material. They do not show projects by the office.
Ask about your projectHow it runs07
From the first sketch to a complete set
Four steps that repeat on almost every timber project.
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First conversation
You send plans, sections or even just a sketch. We tell you what follows from it structurally and where it may get tight.
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Preliminary sizing
Spans, sections and the question of which timber product belongs here. Early enough that the design can still change.
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Calculations and drawings
Checkable calculations, member layout and detail drawings, together with the proofs the project requires.
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Follow up questions
We stay reachable when the checking engineer, the cutting shop or the carpenter has a question about the design.
Area08
Timber construction in Heinsberg and the Heinsberg district
Our office sits on Ostpromenade in Heinsberg. We work on projects in the town itself and in the neighbouring municipalities of the district.
If your project sits outside the district, please just ask.
Kreis Heinsberg
- Heinsberg
- Erkelenz
- Geilenkirchen
- Hückelhoven
- Wassenberg
- Wegberg
- Übach-Palenberg
- Gangelt
- Selfkant
- Waldfeucht
Ostpromenade 89, 52525 Heinsberg
Questions09
Frequently asked about timber construction
The things we explain most often on the telephone.
Does a timber extension need structural calculations?
As a rule yes, as soon as load bearing members are created or altered. Exactly what has to be submitted depends on the project and on the building authority. Ask before you start and you save a round.
Can I take a wall out and carry it in timber?
Often yes. What decides it is the span, what stands above and how the new bearing meets the existing structure. For that we look at the plan and at the building itself.
What is the difference between solid structural timber and glued laminated timber?
Solid structural timber is kiln dried, planed solid timber for ordinary spans. Glued laminated timber is built up from single laminations, which lets it span further and hold its shape better.
How does timber construction deal with fire?
Timber chars slowly and evenly and keeps a load bearing residual section underneath. The proof is carried out on that residual section. Which requirement applies at all is set by the building code for your building.
What do you need from me?
Plans and sections, to scale if possible, together with the location and the intended build up. For an existing building, photographs of the members that are to stay help a great deal.