Structural · 6 min read
Timber structures in Brisbane: Queenslanders, framing, termites and rot
Timber built Brisbane. It is light, cheap to work and easy to modify — and it rots, it burns, and termites eat it. Designing and assessing timber structures in this climate is as much about moisture and durability as it is about spans.
Timber framing design
Most housing framing is designed to AS 1684, with engineered members where the tables run out: LVL and glulam beams, long span rafters, cantilevers and large openings.
- Floor joists, bearers and posts, including sizing for tiled and stone finishes
- Wall studs, lintels and bracing walls for the site wind classification
- Roof framing, trusses, hips, valleys and verandah beams
- Tie-down from roof through walls to footings — the load path that keeps roofs on in a storm
- Deck and pergola framing, footings and connections
Old Queenslanders: what actually fails
In older homes we mostly find failures at the bottom and at connections, not in the middle of members: rotted or crushed stumps, termite damage in bearers, split ends at bearer joints, and no meaningful bracing or tie-down by modern standards.
Unlevel floors and springy hallways are usually a stump or bearer problem, and they are fixable without touching the rest of the house.
Raising, restumping and strengthening
Raising a Queenslander and building under means new footings, new posts, a braced lower level, and often replacement bearers. Restumping is a smaller version of the same engineering question: what carries the load, and to what footing.
We design what has to be replaced and what can stay, which keeps the cost down compared to a blanket rebuild.
Durability in the subtropics
Durability class, treatment level, ventilation under the floor, keeping timber off the ground and clear of splash zones, and protecting exposed ends are all part of the design. Detailing for water is what makes timber last here.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you design timber framing for a Brisbane house?
- Yes — timber framing to AS 1684 plus engineered members where needed, with RPEQ certified drawings. Single storey design starts at $1,200.
- My floors are bouncy and uneven. Is that serious?
- Usually it is stumps, bearers or joists rather than the whole structure, and it is repairable. A site inspection from $400 identifies which.
- Do you assess termite damage?
- We assess the structural consequences of termite or rot damage and design the repair. Treating the termites themselves is a pest controller's job.
Get timber structural design from $1,200.
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