Do-it-yourself country houses made of timber. Country house (simple and inexpensive): what type and design to choose, construction, nuances. Inexpensive roof and roofing for a summer house
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Have you purchased a summer cottage? Then we can safely congratulate you on the beginning of your dacha life! Surely this was a long-awaited event for you, and now you are looking forward to growing your own fruits, vegetables and just a wonderful vacation as far as possible from the bustle of the city. Very often, plots are sold with houses already built on them, but if this is not your case, and you definitely want to build a summer house yourself, then our article is for you. Today we'll talk about the types country houses, materials for their construction and how to build inexpensively country house IR with your own hands.
How to save money
Mostly for a dacha they choose small compact houses, consisting of a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and veranda. Building a country house with your own hands is not necessarily a highly costly and time-consuming process. It is quite possible to choose an inexpensive house project that meets all your requirements for comfort and convenience. If the budget is strictly limited, then you can save on building materials. The main thing is that the building is safe. Before starting construction, you need to choose the exact location of the future house, choose a ready-made one or create your own project and decide on materials.
Selecting a location
Construction of country houses is a must starts with choosing a location. Basically, the area of such a house is from 24 to 30 square meters. Larger dimensions are used much less frequently; more often than not, this is no longer a house for holding summer season, and a place where you can live all year round big family. When planning the location of the house, you must mainly rely on the requirements of your gardening association. But there are also basic requirements that do not depend on the region and local administration. Namely:
To avoid flooding during periods of heavy rainfall and melting snow, it is better to build a dacha on an elevated place. Excess moisture causes faster deterioration of the materials you will be building with. This is especially true for frame wooden houses.
Types of country houses
Most often, one-story buildings with an open or open veranda are erected at the dacha. closed type. Very popular cottages with attic- since it can store a considerable amount of things that are not used daily. If there is no attic space, then the roof will be ceiling covering. There are three most common types of country houses:
- log house;
- frame country house;
- block or brick house.
But what if you have a large family, but there is not as much space for construction as you would like? There is a wonderful way out - build two-storey house
. The first floor can be used as a kitchen and living room, as well as a terrace, but on the second floor you will get great rooms for relax.
When designing your dacha, take care of insulation. Despite the fact that a summer house is used in warm seasons and requires insulation of the walls and floor as such, there are also rainy, cold days on which you will certainly want to warm up. Mostly, summer residents use heating devices such as convectors, oil radiators and electric heaters. But if you wish, you can also include the construction of a stove or fireplace in your house design.
Material selection
If you have already prepared a project for your house, then it’s time to get started selection of materials for its construction. The total cost of the house, its comfort and appearance.
The most popular material is undoubtedly wood. Many people choose wood due to its environmental friendliness, pleasant smell and relatively low price. All that remains is to choose whether the construction will be made of timber or logs, or even give preference to the frame type. Despite the high flammability of this material, you should not be so afraid of building with wood. Indeed, today there is an incredible assortment of all kinds of impregnations and other coatings that protect wood coverings from exposure to fire and minimize the risk of sudden fire. Well, in general, it all depends on you - how careful and responsible you are in matters of safety.
Build a brick house- a much more expensive idea. But there is significant advantage before wood - the durability of such a structure and higher fire safety, since it is much less exposed to fire. And if you install a stove or heating in such a house, you can easily spend the winter. Probably the only drawback is the high financial costs and the longer construction process. You can safely add block houses made of foam concrete and expanded clay concrete blocks to this same category.
Most often, several types of materials are used at once. For example, the house itself is framed and built of wood, and the foundation is built of concrete and bricks. In principle, this option can be called optimal, since it includes a moisture-resistant foundation and an excellent basis for frame wooden walls. It is the construction of this type of country house that we will consider in more detail.
Construction stages
To begin with clearly calculate the quantity of all building materials, which will be needed to build a house. Decide in advance on color and texture solutions. The amount of materials purchased directly depends on the design of your house. If you do not have the time or desire to carry out thorough calculations of all expenses, then you can buy a model finished house in assembled form. This will simplify the construction process - after all, you only need to prepare the required area and, in fact, the assembly itself. But, if you still want to build a house inside and out with your own hands, then be patient and begin this, although not easy, but pleasant task.
Foundation
You need to purchase:
- sand, cement, crushed stone and expanded clay (middle fraction);
- boards and bars are not of the highest quality;
- concrete blocks or bricks;
- roofing felt or other vapor barrier material.
There are two main types of foundations for summer houses: strip and columnar. Which one to choose is only your decision. Columnar is chosen much more often due to the lower need for building materials and simple design, which can be easily handled alone. A strip foundation is stronger and more durable, but much more building materials will be required. And the construction process itself is quite labor-intensive - you need to dig trenches around the perimeter of the house and all rooms, isolate it from moisture, lay reinforcement and fill everything with concrete mortar. Moreover, it takes almost a month for such a foundation to harden.
Walls and roof
For the construction of walls and roofs purchase in advance:
Next, the support beams are installed at a distance of at least 60 centimeters from each other. They are attached to the crown bars using metal corners. After this, you can start building walls. You can assemble the frame separately and attach it ready-made, or you can start assembling it directly on the strapping bars. The size of the bars for frame walls should be no less than 10 by 10 centimeters. If you use boards, their cross-section should be no less than 5 by 15 centimeters.
When installing vertical racks, do not forget about openings for windows and doors. The door opening must be further strengthened with an additional stand. After the frame is erected, they begin to cover it. Most often they use lining. It is advisable to carry out the sheathing process before covering the roof, as this will strengthen the entire structure and add rigidity to the walls.
When installing the roof you need to decide on its type. Flat roof more simple and economical to implement, but the most popular is still the gable one. Rafter structure Such a roof can be layered or hanging. For a small house without load-bearing walls inside, a hanging rafter system is quite suitable. Hanging rafters they are secured using a special tightening and thereby remove excess load on the walls. The layered system presupposes the presence of load-bearing walls, on which the rafters are additionally supported. After installing the rafters and slope elements, you can begin laying the roof.
This process begins with vapor barrier film laying- this is done perpendicularly rafter system, and each subsequent layer must overlap the previous one. Only after this can you begin laying corrugated board or other material you have chosen for covering. Don't forget to organize a drainage system.
So, the walls are up, the roof is covered - and this means it’s time to start installing windows and doors. Following this, you can insulate the walls and floors and do interior finishing work.
It is clear that you first need to make a house project, calculate materials, purchase these materials: all these points are described in various articles on our website. This time we will focus on the actual construction.
The first stage of cottage construction in Tyumen is the creation of a foundation for a future dacha made of timber. Before deciding what kind of foundation you will have, you need to know what kind of soil is on your site and what the groundwater level is. Based on this information, decide on the type of foundation and purchase materials for it. We will consider the option of arranging a strip foundation. Trenches are dug for him required thickness(depending on the walls). We water the bottom of the trenches with water to compact it. After this, we fill in crushed stone or stone, put several rods of reinforcement with dressings at the corners. Pour concrete into the prepared trenches to ground level. The part of the foundation that should be above the surface is constructed from stones and thicker mortar; you must not forget to put reinforcement in the upper part of the foundation. Next, the foundation must harden and stand. This option is very economical, but if you don’t skimp, you can build formwork for the foundation, and then pour concrete. In addition, reinforcement can be done in other ways.
The second stage is, in fact, the assembly of the dacha from timber. Such houses are assembled on wooden dowels. To make them, you can take old boards or scraps. We trim these trimmings on one side, and then saw them into right size– for us it is 120 millimeters: you should get neat planks, as in the photo. Next, we saw these planks into square sticks, sharpen the ends and the dowels are ready.
You also need to prepare insulation. You can take ready-made rolled moss, you can use moss for these purposes.
Construction will also require jambs for doors and windows. You can order their production, or you can try to make them yourself from timber: but this is a very complex process that not every carpenter can do.
When everything is prepared, we begin construction. A cottage made of timber, built with your own hands, will become your real pride!
When the second crown is ready, it is necessary to mark and install the dowels that will connect the beams. To do this, marks are made on the upper and lower beams, holes are drilled and dowels are driven in. After this, you need to spread moss and tow on the logs for insulation. After the next crown is laid, it is advisable to plant it with a sledgehammer. You also need to stuff moss into the gaps in the corner joints. Do not forget to alternate connections in the corners from crown to crown.
After all the crowns have been laid, taking into account the openings, we install the window and door jambs. Next, we arrange the roof and move on to finishing. This will be discussed in more detail in the following articles.
Owning a country plot gives you the opportunity to fully enjoy the fruits of your dacha labor and get some relaxation at a fragrant barbecue festival. But what is a plot without any building on it. And if there are no funds for capital construction, then you can build country houses economy class photos, which will become a seasonal haven for vacationers or those working in the country, and will also serve as storage for all gardening equipment.
About what is cheaper to build from garden house and how to do all the work correctly, in our material below.
Materials for the construction of an inexpensive country house
To understand what you can save on when building a country house, and how to build a cheap country house, you need to study all possible options for building materials. So, you can build an inexpensive cottage with your own hands from the following materials:
- Frame-panel fragments. Here, timber is used to mount the frame, and chipboard, fiberboard, OSB, etc. can be used as cladding. To insulate such a house (if desired), you can use polystyrene or mineral wool. As a result, the house can be used not only in the warm season, but also in winter. A special feature of the installation of such a frame-panel house is its undeniable savings. After all, it is fashionable to assemble a building using practically available materials, of which every summer resident/gardener/craftsman probably has a lot. As a last resort, you can borrow leftover material from your neighbors.
- A log house can also be made in a country house. Such construction will cost a little more, but the house will be stronger and more durable. The only drawback of wood (especially if the cheapest planed timber is used) is that it shrinks. As a result, cracks and gaps appear in the walls. It will be necessary to additionally insulate the building so that the country cottage can be used without problems.
- In response to the question of how to build a cheap dacha, we can advise building clay building. That is, to make a kind of adobe house. The construction technology is simple and similar to modeling. Materials for installation will cost the craftsman practically nothing, since the clay and straw from which an adobe house is built is practically underfoot. Such a clay country house, if all installation rules are properly followed, can become a durable building for any season. The only drawback of an adobe house is that it will take a lot of time to build. Perhaps even more than one season.
- Caravan house. This option for setting up a country cottage inexpensively is the simplest. You can find a more or less decent trailer that is simply installed on the site. If desired, water and sewerage are supplied to such a trailer.
Important: for any type of inexpensive country house, you can install lightweight types of foundations - pile or shallow strip foundations. And this is an additional point of savings during construction.
Frame-panel house: technology of work
To build such a house using frame technology, you will need to prepare material in accordance with the given perimeter of the building. The materials you will need are:
- Beam with a section of 100x100 to create the frame of the house;
- Self-tapping screws and metal corners for fastening frame posts;
- Panels or slabs of fiberboard, chipboard, OSB;
- Insulation material (if desired);
- Piles for the foundation and a metal channel for tying the piles.
We carry out the work in this way:
- It is worth installing driven piles in the designated places in the corners of the future house. Supports are also installed under wall joints and under load-bearing partitions, if any are included in the house design. Monolithic concrete pillars and brick supports can also be installed as supports. In any case, the pillars are mounted on sand cushion to a depth of at least 60 cm. In this case, both concrete and brickwork should be reinforced.
- The finished supports are tied with a channel or I-beam, and waterproofing material is laid over the pillars.
- Then a timber sheathing is laid on the resulting belt, which will become the base plate of the frame. That is, the timber should lie along the perimeter, and wooden logs should be placed on top of the timber frame in increments of 50-60 cm. That’s all. wooden elements securely fastened together with metal corners and self-tapping screws.
- Now it’s the turn of the vertical timber racks. They are mounted in increments of 50 cm, firmly resting against the timber frame. For additional fixation of the longitudinal supports, jibs are installed on each side. You can also install crossbars.
Advice: it is better to assemble the frame on the ground in parts, and only then lift it and fix it to the base.
- Once the entire frame is ready, the top trim of the vertical posts is completed. And attic or floor joists are laid on top of the upper belt.
- The finished frame is sheathed with selected panels, securely fixing them and leaving space for window and door openings.
- The top of the house is sheathed with any insulating material, not forgetting to install vapor and waterproofing materials.
- As exterior finishing you can choose corrugated sheet or siding.
Important: in order to further save on the construction of a summer house, the roof is made pitched and covered with lightweight roofing materials.
- You can save additional money by installing simple wooden window frames and doors. This is how you can quickly build a house.
Timber country house
In this case, the work will be performed in a different sequence. First of all, you should prepare the following material:
- Beam of any section. But it is worth remembering that the larger the cross-section of the material, the stronger the finished house will be.
- Wooden dowels made of hardwood.
- Roofing material.
- Floor board.
The work is carried out in this way:
- First, the foundation is laid. It can be either a shallow strip (40-60 cm in height, including the base) or a columnar/pile type. But in any case, the concrete must dry well, and its top and all other sides must be properly waterproofed.
- A backing board made of moisture-resistant wood is laid on top of the foundation. In this case, the board is fixed to the foundation with construction anchors, deepening them 15-20 cm into the base.
- After this, they begin laying the timber, joining it at the corners into a bowl. That is, you will have to do additional work, forming grooves for laying the timber.
Important: each crown must be controlled horizontally.
- After 2-3 rows of crowns, the timber is additionally fixed with construction dowels. To do this, holes are drilled to the full height of the three stacked crowns and arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Pins are stuffed into the holes. It is worth remembering that next time the dowels need to be shifted relative to those already mounted below.
- The fully assembled walls are covered with floor beams, cutting them into the upper crown. The beams are laid in increments of 40-60 cm, and then covered with a floorboard.
Important: the same principle applies to the flooring in the house. If desired, both the upper and lower floors can be insulated with mineral wool or polystyrene slabs.
- The roof of a finished timber house can also be made pitched in order to save money.
Advice: a house made of timber needs about six months to a year to shrink. It is recommended to cut out window and doorways after the tree has settled. Otherwise, the house may suffer greatly.
House made of clay
If you don’t know what to build a dacha from, then try installing an environmentally friendly adobe house in your dacha. You'll have to tinker here. The fact is that to construct such a structure, a large volume of clay and straw should be prepared in advance in the summer. It is these components that will become the main ones in the construction of a cheap house.
- So, after the clay has rested for the winter, it can be used. To do this, clay is loaded into a specially prepared pit and moistened with water in an amount of 20% of the total mass of the material. Cut straw moistened with water is also added here. The straw cutting length should be 9-16 cm.
- The whole mass is thoroughly mixed. You can use your feet. And to make the adobe mixture stronger, you can add lime to the solution. It will strengthen the strength of the finished house.
- The mass is left overnight, and in the morning adobe blocks are made from it. To do this, the mixture is compacted into a specially prepared form, cutting off the top of the mixture with fishing line or wire. Five holes are made in the blocks so that moisture can freely leave the brick.
- The finished blocks are knocked out and laid on a platform in the sun, arranged at an angle.
- After two to three hours, the blocks can be transferred to the shade and left on edge until completely dry.
- In this way, you should prepare a sufficient amount of adobe bricks.
- The construction of the house is carried out on a pre-laid foundation. Laying is carried out according to the principle brickwork. And the same clay mass is used as a solution. The width of the seam in this case should be no more than 1 cm.
Important: you need to lay adobe blocks no more than two rows per day. This is necessary so that the adobe mixture can dry thoroughly. At night, the rows of masonry are covered with film.
- As soon as the walls adobe house will be ready, they can be plastered outside and inside.
- The floor in such a house is made on the ground, first laying waterproofing, and then laying joists and insulation between them.
- The roof of an adobe house can be anything, but it is important to make good projections (at least 70 cm) so that moisture from rain or snow does not spoil the clay walls. When installing windows in an adobe house, it is worth making canopies over the frames and ebbs in the area of the window sills. A house built in this way will serve the family for decades.
Caravan house
The simplest type of country house for a seasonal stay, as an answer to the question of how to build a country house. Moreover, the trailer can be installed simply on brick pedestals-supports, installed simply on a sand cushion. There should be one support post per meter of trailer length. If desired, the trailer can be insulated, and then such a country house will become cozy in winter.
Remember: you can build a country house with your own hands from any material, the main thing is to comply with all the basic requirements for each type of raw material used.
We can say with confidence that every resident of a noisy city wants to have a secluded and quiet place where they can escape from worries, problems and stress. There you can relax and gain strength. Such a place is a dacha. Some people use it as a place to relax, but for others it is an area with a lot of possibilities: a garden, vegetable garden or raising animals. Be that as it may, you need a house in your dacha. And if you have purchased a plot of land, the main and primary question for you is how to build a country house. You can hire specialists, or you can do everything yourself. Most often, country houses are built from timber. Such buildings are economical and environmentally friendly.
In this article you will learn how to build a country house from timber. We'll consider detailed instructions, compare some types of timber and learn the intricacies of working with it.
Choosing timber for a country house
If you decided to start construction wooden house 50-100 years ago, there was no need to bother, since the houses were built from logs. Today, thanks to technological progress, many different options for construction technologies have appeared, which have their own characteristics and characteristics. For example, if you need a country house made of economy-class timber, then ordinary timber is used. It is characterized by the fact that it has low price and everyone can afford it. But the material is practically not processed in any way. Its humidity is high, its strength leaves much to be desired, as does durability and precision of shape.
It is much more profitable to use rounded timber that has undergone some processing. It is cut to size, has a lock joint and is sanded. The appearance of the timber is very decent. However, humidity ranges from 15 to 25%, which causes greater shrinkage.
If you want to build a high-quality, durable, strong, beautiful and warm house, then it is better to resort to using profile timber. Thanks to manufacturing technology, it is several times better than regular and rounded timber. Each element has an ideal shape and a locking connection, which allows you to build ideal ones without gaps. A modernized version of profile timber is laminated veneer lumber. It is 70% stronger than regular timber, has excellent heat retention and durability. However, the construction of country houses from laminated veneer lumber entails large waste. Due to processing, the material has high price, so not everyone can afford it for a dacha.
Your primary task is to decide from what material to build a log country house. There are many factors to consider here, including price and personal preference. After this, you can begin to consider the technology of building a log house for a summer residence.
Preparatory work
Immediately before building a country house, you need to find out some nuances, without which normal construction is simply impossible. Once you have chosen the appropriate type of timber, here are some things to think about:
Perhaps it is the last point that is the most important. He needs to pay more attention, since the quality of your future country house, its design features, type of foundation, etc. depend on the project.
Development of a country house project
A high-quality, correctly compiled and detailed project is like a map indicating the route. It is impossible to build a country house without it. Immediately before construction, you will need to collect some documents permitting construction. So, without a project it will be impossible to obtain permission.
What goes into a good project? Clearly indicated parameters of the building, its design and sketch. These are the dimensions of the country house (length, width, height), number of floors, roof structure. When you have distributed the main walls on paper, you need to choose the number of partitions and their location. They divide the building into rooms. If this is a dacha, then a kitchen, living room and bedroom will be enough for you.
In addition, the correct plan includes the type of foundation and its arrangement on paper. Also included in the project are all used Construction Materials that will be used. And in the case when you want to build a country house from glued, rounded or profiled beams, make a sectional plan. Thanks to it, the company from which you will order the material will be able not only to sell you finished goods, but also to process them correctly. All you have to do is put all the details together to get a finished country house, as in the project.
Now you can start construction.
We build a country house from timber
The first step to take is to build a foundation. Since timber houses under construction are usually light in weight, the foundation can be made simple. As an option - a columnar base. It is quick to build, affordable, and all the work can be done with your own hands. The instructions for creating are as follows:
That's it, the foundation is ready. Now all that remains is to tie it up using timber. A hole is made in it for a metal rod. Correct connection you can see in this photo.
We build the walls of a country house from timber
When the foundation and piping are ready, you can begin building up the walls from timber. If you are working with profiled timber, the process will resemble assembling a construction set. All you need to do is select the right parts and install the bars in their places. How exactly you can build a country house from glued or profiled timber, you can see from this video.
As for ordinary timber, the process is a little more complicated and meticulous. The first step is to lay the first row of beams on the finished base. Then a second row of beams is made, which is fixed along the entire length with dowels. They are slaughtered at a distance of 1 m from each other. Walls made of timber are built up in this way to a certain size, according to the plan. Regarding window and doorways, then they must be left empty until the country house completely shrinks. This way you can avoid deformation of the timber, skewing and unevenness.
You can learn more about the technology of constructing a country house from ordinary timber from this video:
Creating a roof for a country house from timber
When the timber walls are ready, you can begin to build the roof. The work is quite difficult, as it is performed at height. The first step is to install horizontal varnishes, which will serve as the ceiling. In the center, vertical supports are fixed to them, the height of which is pre-marked in the project.
After this, the rafters are installed, fastening them in different ways. The most common is through metal corners and screws. The rafters are installed in increments of about 60 cm. They are attached to each other with horizontal boards and jibs. All that remains is to make the sheathing and sheathe the roof with your chosen roofing material, which should also be in the project.
Conclusion
That's all, your country house is ready. All that remains is to complete its insulation and finishing. True, if you built a house from ordinary timber, then you need to wait six months or a year for the building to shrink. If it is laminated timber, then further work can be carried out immediately. Your log cottage is ready and waiting for its owners.
Of course, it is better to build correctly right away than to redo it later. Well, if you do do any modifications, then do it thoughtfully so as not to turn the reconstruction into an endless process.
We first evaluate any structure by its appearance. And as often happens (this is especially true for old-built country houses): the structure seems to be of good quality, but it looks unsightly. So what - break everything down and build again? Or should I try something less expensive? For example, apply techniques that allow you to create the optical effect of changing the size of an object in width and height, combining this with cosmetic finishing of the facade and minor design modifications ( rice. 1).
Rice. 1. A small modification to the house allows you to change the perception of the size of the object in width and height.
This can be done by different orientations of the architectural elements of the building in the vertical and horizontal directions. Let’s say we need to “stretch” the roof in width, and “raise” the frame upward. To do this, let’s “extend” existing window in both directions (at the same time it will be lighter in the attic) and install a gable ebb (the protection of the facade from rain will improve). You can install a ridge ebb, which is also structurally justified. An attic window will improve the ventilation conditions of the attic and, to some extent, its lighting.
Thus, all these decorative innovations not only improve the appearance of the building, but also turn out to be functionally useful. On the contrary, the main facade of the log house should be made visually higher. The simplest solution is not to trim the corners with boards, but to paint them in lighter colors. The actual height of the log house can also be disguised by planting trees and shrubs, as well as installing a fence of appropriate height.
There are many ways to influence the appearance of a building in the arsenal of designers and architects. You need to select the most effective and simple ones.
However, our the main task- to reduce construction errors to a minimum. Can this be achieved? Even if we have a whole statistical “bank” of errors, we will not be able to use this information effectively without integrated approach. It is necessary to systematize errors, and on the basis of this, develop rules that should be followed during the construction process. In other words, it is necessary to regulate the requirements for each part of the building under construction. Following them will prevent serious mistakes and help you look “in the right place.” A list of such requirements can be formed not only based on building codes, but also on the basis of survey results, common sense considerations, taking into account the materials and tools used.
However, requirements are only half the battle. Another critical component of success is the control system. After all, country houses are often built by non-professional builders. It is for them that they need a systematic approach that will allow them to build with high quality, quickly and without extra costs.
An example would be the construction of a country house from timber - the most common and relatively inexpensive material.
Foundation
The construction of any house begins with the foundation. The most common are shallow-depth tape reinforced concrete foundations. They are simple and technologically advanced to manufacture, reliable, well protect the underground from cold, snow and wind, and are quite versatile for almost any type of soil.
In cross section, the foundation consists of underground and above-ground parts, which are poured with concrete separately. For example, when building on clay soils (in the Moscow region their area is about 70%), concrete for the base of the foundation is poured directly into a trench dug in the ground, and then the formwork panels are installed and the base is poured.
The arrangement of the foundation begins with its marking. Many developers at this stage “fence the garden”, believing that they cannot do without cast-offs. Of course, cast-offs are necessary when constructing large construction projects. However, when we are talking about a rectangle with dimensions of 6x9 m, shouldn't we mark it in a simpler way? And horizontal marks can be easily obtained using a hydraulic level without a level: after all, the area is insignificant. Casting means extra labor costs, additional costs of lumber, and subsequently - inconvenience and interference during the installation of formwork panels, as well as difficulties in maneuvering concrete trucks.
Rice. 2. Marking the foundation
Let's consider the most simple technology marking the strip foundation (Fig. 2). First in in the right place determine the basic position of the main angle - in relation to the road, terrain, plan, etc. A peg is driven in at this place.
Then, using a triangle, a right angle is set from this point. Now, having the given dimensions of the sides of the foundation, it is not difficult to determine the position of all the corners. The accuracy of the work is checked by comparing the diagonals of the rectangle.
Pegs are driven in at the marked points. Then, according to the given width of the foundation strip, an internal rectangle is built and the pegs are driven in again. The position of the foundation for the veranda is also determined. Pegs are also driven in here. Thus, having driven in only 12 pegs, the work of marking the foundation can be considered completed.
After installing the pegs, an incision is made and the turf is removed along the contour of the foundation. To do this, take a board with a cross-section of 50x150 mm, first apply it to the outer pegs and, moving along the board, cut the turf with a shovel. Then the board is placed against the inner pegs and the turf is cut again.
They act similarly along the entire contour of the future building. All that remains is to remove the trimmed turf, after which the laying out of the foundation can be considered completely completed.
Such simplified markings make it possible to obtain the outline of the trench without precise millimeter measurements, the need for which may arise at subsequent stages of construction. After this, the excavation of the trench begins.
Some critics of strip foundations consider their main drawback to be the large volume of excavation work. However, this is not quite true. My colleagues and I have never used an excavator to remove soil. This is expensive, and the trench turns out to be extremely sloppy, which requires subsequent manual modification. In addition, the consumption of concrete increases. But for a house with dimensions of 6x9 m we need to select only about 9 m3 of soil. A team of four people will do this (including markings and smoke breaks) in just half a day. I dare say that drilling two or three dozen holes in the clay for columnar foundation, and even with broadening - much more difficult. When removing soil from a trench for a strip foundation, vertical markings are simultaneously made: the depth of the trench and the height of the panels are determined. Measurements are made using stakes and a hydraulic level (Fig. 3).
Rice. 3. Vertical marking of the trench
A sand cushion is poured into the bottom of the dug trench in layers of 10-15 cm and compacted. Then the reinforcement is installed and concrete pouring begins.
There is no point in preparing concrete yourself. A concrete truck will deliver and pour the finished mixture into the trench. However, it will be necessary to make room for equipment to approach the trench in at least 2-3 places. If you pour it at one point, then the concrete will have to be pushed far with shovels, and the coarse aggregate (crushed stone) will settle in one place. Only the liquid part of the solution will reach remote parts of the trench.
After pouring concrete into the trench, you can start preparing reinforcement and making formwork panels. In the meantime, while the base concrete has not yet hardened, you need to insert pins into it every 1-1.5 m to connect the base of the foundation with the base. Reinforcing bars ø14-16 mm and 50 cm long are buried 30 cm into the concrete of the base.
In order for the foundation to work reliably, it must meet the following requirements:
- the foundation strip must have sufficient strength and stability;
- the foundation must provide necessary ventilation underground;
- the surface of the base bed must be straight and located strictly in a horizontal plane;
- walls and corners of the plinth must be strictly vertical;
The surface of the walls should not have peeling, chips, empty spaces, sinkholes, or open areas with reinforcement;
- the height of the base must be at least 50 cm.
All further actions should be aimed at fulfilling these requirements, and only then the list of errors when laying the foundation can be reduced or eliminated altogether.
To fill the base, you need to make and install shields. In the case under consideration, 42 m2 of external formwork panels and 30 m2 of internal panels will be required. External panels are subject to more stringent requirements, since they form the front part of the foundation. For them, it is advisable to use boards with a section of 50×150 mm, which were purchased for rafters. After dismantling the formwork panels, they are used for their intended purpose.
It makes sense to make internal panels (as experience suggests) from boards with a cross-section of 25×150 mm, which were purchased for sheathing. However, to ensure the strength of the formwork, they need to be knocked down in 2 layers.
Rice. 4. Manufacturing of formwork panels
In addition to the economical production of formwork panels, it is advisable to use a simplified scheme for installing and fastening formwork panels, which my colleagues and I have been using for quite a long time. Its essence is as follows. First, the outer panels are assembled (4 boards per panel). To have fewer gaps between the boards, you can use a simple method of joining the boards together using shovels (Fig. 4). Shield ties made of bars with a cross-section of 50×50 mm and a length of 80 cm are laid out on the ground. Boards with a cross-section of 50×150 mm are laid on them. The result is a shield 60 cm wide, which allows you to get a plinth of the desired height. The boards are pressed together with shovels and nailed to the ties. The boards are not nailed together at the ends of the shields. Locks will be placed there, which are nailed into place when installing the shields. The ends of the ties protruding at the top are used to place twisted wires.
Internal contour panels are made in the same way, but they are assembled from boards with a cross-section of 25×150 mm in two rows with a slight offset. Here, for assembly, it is advisable to use self-tapping screws instead of nails. Ready shields before installation, they are wrapped in roofing felt, since glassine and film tear when pouring concrete, forming unnecessary patterns on the surface of the concrete.
The main thing when assembling formwork- ensure its stable position at the time of pouring concrete. Insecurely fastened panels at the time of pouring can cause a lot of trouble. To prevent them from tipping over, various braces, stakes and stops are often used. As a result, material is wasted, work takes a lot of time, and the reliability of formwork installation leaves much to be desired. The most important thing is that the fastening elements take up a lot of space on both sides of the base, which interferes with work and complicates the movement of concrete trucks.
There is an alternative to such an irrational method of attaching formwork. To install and fasten the panels, reinforcing pins are used, which are inserted into the base of the foundation along its central axis. The formwork panels are secured to the pins with wire ties. As a result, the panels will be securely tied to the base of the foundation and firmly attached to it without external structures interfering with the work. The pins are installed at the corners of the foundation at the junction with the lintels, and in the spaces between them they are placed in increments of 1.0-1.5 m.
Let's look at the technology for installing panels with reinforcing pins in more detail.(Fig. 5). First, the inner contour of the shields is installed. It is placed taking into account the width of the base. Since the base of the foundation is slightly wider than the base (40 cm versus 25-30 cm), there is some space for arranging the panels. The panels are connected at the corners using locks and temporarily secured with scraps of lumber. Correct installation is checked by comparing the diagonals. The temporarily fastened inner formwork box serves as the basis for installing the outer contour.
Rice. 5 Formwork installation diagram
Then they act in this order. Spacers are placed on each pin, the position of the pins is marked on them (since you cannot place them exactly in the center), nails are hammered into the spacers according to the marks and they are bent around the pins. After this, wire is wound around the pins.
External shields are placed close to the spacers, and the ends of the wire are wound around the fastening nails (they are not bent yet). Both walls of the formwork are temporarily fixed, and 2-4 reinforcement rods ø12-16 mm are placed on the spacers.
The most important point is the formation of products. These design elements determine the underground ventilation conditions. They are often formed using scraps of asbestos-cement pipes or wooden boxes are knocked together. The disadvantage of these methods is that with a slight deviation of the shield, a gap is formed between it and the liner, where it immediately flows concrete mixture. As a result, work often goes down the drain.
We do things differently in our practice. We take a piece of timber with a cross-section of 150×150 mm or a piece of round timber ø130…150 mm, wrap it in 2-3 layers of roofing material and insert it between the panels. To make it easier to push out the insert and allow water to drain from the vent to the outside, we make the inner part of the insert smaller in cross-section. I note that in the future these plugs can be used to protect air vents in the winter.
To improve ventilation conditions, vents on opposite walls of the base must be placed co-ordinated. And to ensure that rodents are not interested in your underground, it is advisable to place a mesh with bent edges between the liner and the internal shield. After pouring the concrete, the underground will be reliably protected.
After installing the liners between the panels, the upper spacers should be inserted and secured with nails, which (together with the lower ones) determine the width of the base. The rods of the upper reinforcement belt of the plinth are also placed on these bars, which are secured with nails against lateral displacement at the time of concrete pouring. All that remains is to bend upward the nails with the wire wound on them, and the shields will be securely pulled to the reinforcing pins.
Given the dimensions of the structure and loading conditions of the foundation under consideration, vertical reinforcement elements may not be installed.
Now you need to set the height of pouring concrete into the form. To do this, set the filling height at the lowest point of the base. From this point, using a hydraulic level, other points are “beat off” along the entire contour of the foundation. Then nails are driven through the shields every 1.0-1.5 m, along the protruding ends of which the top of the base is rubbed.
After marking the concrete pouring level and installing the top twists, you should check everything thoroughly again (compare the diagonals, make sure the panels are installed vertically).
For rigidity, the inner and outer contours of the shields near the corners need to be tightened with overlays (Fig. 6). And if there are cracks at the bottom of the shields, they should be filled with sand.
Rice. 6. Formwork box
Unfortunately, not all concrete trucks unload concrete with pumps. Therefore, you should be well prepared for receiving concrete - clear the entrances and mixer stops for unloading. It may be necessary to make receiving trays. You can also make your own concrete.
Concrete must be poured in layers, carefully monitoring the position of the boards. Compaction of concrete is done with the help of vibrators, but you can do without them. Good results are also obtained by simply tapping the shields with the butt of an ax - then the surface of the base will be free of holes and flaws. But in the corners, to prevent the formation of chipped formations, the mass of concrete must be pierced with a piece of reinforcement (Fig. 7).
Rice. 7. Compacting concrete in corners
I note that with the traditional (using stakes and spacers) system of installing panels at the time of pouring concrete, troubles often arise. For example, the top or bottom of the shield may be partially deflected. Various supports this process can be stopped, but after the concrete hardens, swellings (“belly”) may form in this place, which will spoil the appearance of the foundation. It's even worse when the concrete ends up on the ground.
If a deviation of the shield is detected, the supply of concrete should be immediately stopped and the solution should be thrown away from the emergency area with shovels. At this time, other craftsmen hammer in the stakes. Then a brace is inserted, one end is rested against the peg, and the other, together with the wedge, is brought under the shield (Fig. 8). The bottom of the shield is also fixed with an emphasis on the stake. After this, carefully tapping the wedge, raise the shield slightly. This operation is repeated several times until the formwork is completely restored.
Rice. 8. Straightening the formwork
If the bottom of the shield has come off, then they also drive a stake into the ground and install a spacer between it and the shield. After this, using the butt of an ax or a sledgehammer, the spacer is gradually driven into place and the “belly” is eliminated.
Concrete is a plastic material, and it is precisely this property that is used to restore formwork. However, this property of concrete must be taken into account. When the solution vibrates, significant expansion forces arise, and the mixer feeds concrete intensively. In this regard, I would like to draw the attention of readers to typical mistake when attaching shields, when the twisted wire is hooked to the boards, and not to the cross-bars (Fig. 9). As a result, the boards move away from the bars and the shield deviates from the vertical.
Rice. 9. Shields cannot be mounted this way
When installing formwork using the method proposed above, some difficulties may arise. For example, when the pins and crossbar ties of the shields do not match (see Fig. 5). And this is natural, since it can be difficult to combine them. If the difference is large, then it is better to install additional ties. This means that you need to have a supply of the necessary material on hand, just in case.
The poured concrete is protected from cracking with sawdust, roofing felt or film and moistened with water. After the concrete has hardened, dismantling the formwork begins. There are different opinions on this issue. Some people think that this should be done after 2 weeks, others are convinced that the form cannot be disassembled until the concrete has gained full strength.
In my opinion, there is no need for a long curing period for concrete. It can be very difficult to tear off the boards (many of them split), and minor irregularities cannot be corrected. You can disassemble the formwork already on the third day. By this time, the concrete will have already gained 25% strength, and some irregularities will not be difficult to remove mechanically. At this time it is also convenient to repair various chips and sinks.
The finished foundation (Fig. 10) should be carefully inspected and the horizontality of the upper cut (viewpoint /) and the flatness of the plinth walls (viewpoint II) should be checked. If an instrumental control method is necessary, a tape measure, hydraulic level, plumb line, etc. are used.
Rice. 10. Foundation control
Preparation for installation of timber frame
Any construction project as a whole and each of its parts separately (foundation, walls, floors, roof) can be characterized using concepts such as verticality, perpendicularity, parallelism, flatness and straightness.
Most of these parameters are regulated by building codes and regulations. Unfortunately, amateur developers are not always guided by them, and sometimes are not even aware of the existence of relevant standards. However, this does not reduce the importance of the design requirements that are enshrined in these regulatory documents. Even for the reader uninitiated in the intricacies of construction, it is obvious what, for example, non-parallel walls or their different heights can lead to. Today we will talk about walls.
Natural moisture timber
Most often, country houses are built from timber natural humidity. This material, which is much cheaper than profiled or laminated timber, allows you to build a warm and reliable house.
However, without knowledge of the basic rules for working with natural moisture timber, success in construction cannot be achieved.
The purchased timber should not be dried. It is necessary to build walls from it as quickly as possible, since when drying the material is greatly deformed: it bends, takes on a rhombic shape, or even worse - it is twisted by a “propeller”.
Some developers prefer to plan the timber, believing that this will allow them to avoid sheathing the walls later. Others believe that it is necessary to sheathe and insulate walls only on one side and plan only one edge of the timber. In my opinion, it is still better to sheathe the walls on both sides. In this case, there is no need to plan the timber and chamfer its edges.
However, if you decide to plan the timber, consider the following. The edge of a beam with a cross-section of 150×150 mm can be planed in 2 passes, since the working width of planes is limited. To ensure that there are no steps on the planed surface, the plane is first planed along the beam, and the second pass is made, holding the tool at an angle a = 25°-45° to the longitudinal axis ( rice, 11).
Rice. 11. Planing the edges of the timber. To ensure that there are no steps on the planed surface, the planer is first used to plan along the beam, and the second pass is made at an angle to the longitudinal axis.
The beams laid in the walls dry out. As a result, deep cracks are formed into which water gets in, which does not bode well for the structure. The most important thing is that as the beams dry out, they decrease in size. This property of wood must be seriously taken into account when constructing timber houses- shrinkage reaches 3-10% of the wall height.
Wall requirements. Walls are a fundamental part of the structure, which determines the living conditions in the house and its architectural appearance as a whole. In accordance with this, the following basic requirements can be presented to the walls.
1. The main overall dimensions of the walls must have an optimal ratio.
2. The walls must be straight, and the joints between them (corners) must be strictly vertical.
3. Opposite walls must have the same dimensions throughout the entire height.
4. The plane of the upper frame of the building must be strictly horizontal.
Of course, this is far from full list requirements for walls in general and timber frames in particular. However, in amateur construction, monitoring only these parameters gives good results.
Bottom trim and overlap
The lower trim should be reliably waterproofed from the foundation. Ruberoid for this is not the best choice. Over time, it dries out, the bitumen impregnation evaporates and the wood becomes practically defenseless. The following method of waterproofing is more reliable. The surface of the base is coated with bitumen mastic, and a layer of waterproofing is laid on it, which, thanks to the coating, is connected to concrete base no gaps. The beams are laid on this mat bottom trim, which are pre-treated with protective compounds ( rice. 12).
Rice. 12. Installation of the bottom trim and ceiling
Bioprotection of wooden structures- the most important construction operation. And here everything needs to be done right away to ensure the durability of the building. It is no secret that any antiseptics evaporate after a few years. Getting to the structural elements in order to reprocess them is difficult, if not impossible. In this regard, it is advisable to first saturate the material with an adhesive agent, and to prevent it from evaporating, cover the outside of the beam with bitumen mastic. The antiseptic penetrates deep into the wood, and the mastic protects it from evaporation. Floor beams are processed similarly.
After checking the diagonals, the laid lower trim is connected with staples ( see Fig. 12, Node B), and the position assembled structure marked on the waterproofing of the base. This is necessary to control the position of the frame on the foundation. For reliability, the harness can be attached to the base with crutches or long nails through plugs. There must be at least two such fastenings on one side. After installing the bottom trim, install the ceiling, B construction practice The following two are most often used design diagrams, one of which is the “beam-clag” scheme. In this option, beams are first laid, and logs are installed across them. The latter are placed more often than beams. Placed on edge, boards together with beams form a rigid structure capable of bearing specified loads. It is advisable to use this scheme if thin tongue-and-groove boards are intended to be used for the floor. With the “beams + joists” scheme it is easier to solve issues effective insulation floor, however, the consumption of lumber with this type of flooring increases.
It should be noted that in dacha construction much more often they use a floor plan consisting only of beams, on which floor boards are laid. In this case, beams with a cross section of 100×200 mm are used as beams. Together with the cranial bars, such beams have sufficient load-bearing capacity and, just as importantly, due to their height, they also make it possible to effectively insulate the floor. When using thick floorboards, such beams can be spaced in increments of up to 1 m.
The beams should be laid so that there is a ventilation gap (2 cm) between their ends and the framing. This is done using gaskets, which are removed after fastening with staples (see Fig. 12, node B). The ends of the beams must be carefully treated with an antiseptic.
The technology for installing beams is simple. First, the outer beams are mounted and aligned in a horizontal plane. After this, a board is placed on edge between them and intermediate beams are installed on it. The work is usually monitored visually, and if necessary, a level is used. Technological flooring is laid on the beams.
Labour Organization
You need to prepare for assembling the box, since both the quality of construction and its pace depend on the organization of work. To ensure the work progresses, the beams are laid out in a stack at a distance of 5 m from the building on one or, better yet, both sides (Fig. 13). Inch boards are laid between the rows of beams. To do this, it is advisable to use material intended for subfloors.
Rice. 13. Organization of the workplace
Between the stack and the log house, work stations are equipped for marking the beams and cutting them. You can do it like this. At the required height (depending on the height of the worker), support boards are inserted between the rows of beams. The timber is carefully laid on them and marked using a template. Then the workpiece is transferred to the cutting site, the necessary operations are performed, after which, using a rope, the workpiece is lifted along the slopes onto the walls and laid.
To facilitate the ascent to the slopes, it is advisable to nail wedge-shaped stops. They will prevent the beam from sliding down uncontrollably, which can pose a serious danger to workers on the construction site. In addition to safety, the stops allow you to get by with little force. Even one person can lift the load if necessary, securing it with stops at intermediate points.
Marking the bars
This stage of work is very important, since the quality of further construction depends on the correct marking. Traditionally, marking is done using a tape measure. Overall dimensions are taken directly from the walls, and then grooves, tenons and other profiles are marked on the ground using a square.
For example, in the case under consideration, each crown consists of 7 beams from 3 to 6 m long. To assemble the box, hundreds of measurements must be taken. You can make your work easier and increase its accuracy if you use templates instead of measurements. Marking in this case is reduced to simply tracing the contours of the templates with a marker, which allows not only to reduce labor costs, but also to minimize measurement errors. When using templates, the blanks have identical dimensions, which ultimately makes it possible to achieve high-quality assembly of the timber box.
Note that if you use traditional templates (one for two mirror-arranged blanks), then for the construction of walls you will need 7 marking devices, which will inevitably clutter working space(Fig. 14). This may be why many builders don’t like templates, despite the obvious advantages of using them. This means that you need to make sure that there are not too many marking devices.
Rice. 14. Schemes for cutting beams: 1.1′ - main beam of the longitudinal wall (right and left); 2.2′ - additional beams of the longitudinal wall (right and left extensions); 3 - marking holes; 4 - marks on the edges; 5 - parts of the workpiece to be removed; 6 - transverse wall template; 7 - partition beam; 8 - transverse wall beam; 9 - marking holes.
Rice. 5. Scheme for developing templates for longitudinal walls: 1 - main beam; 2 - additional beam; 3 1 partition; 4 - corner grooves; 5 - groove for the partition beam; 6 - longitudinal wall template; 7 - extras; a,d - cuts on the edges; b, c - marking holes.
Let's look at the principles of template development (Fig. 15). So, let’s say we have to assemble a lumber box with dimensions of 6x9 m. If we have standard lumber (6 m), this can be done, at first glance, without unnecessary waste. However, it is not. It is possible to assemble a crown 9 m long without loss of lumber only if you join pieces 6 m long and 3 m long end-to-end (this masonry is often called “brick”). However, this connection is a gross construction mistake, since such a joint turns into a “cold bridge”.
The correct connection of “half-tree” beams with an overlap of 15...20 cm. But then the total length of the spliced parts will not be 9 m, but 8.8 m. The joints are arranged in a checkerboard pattern, which should be taken into account when developing template profiles.
The internal wall (partition) should be positioned with some offset from the joint to the right or left. Thus, on one crown, long beams are laid on the left, and extensions on the right. On the next crown, installation begins in a similar order, but on the right.
Having determined the exact dimensions of the parts included in each crown, you can begin to detail the contours of the templates for the right and left versions.
Templates can be made from edged “inch” boards prepared for lathing. The surfaces of the boards should be pre-planed.
To mark the extensions, you can not make separate templates, but place them on the main templates by making 4 small cuts (“a” and “d”) on their edges and drilling two holes (“b” and “c”). Thanks to the through holes, the template becomes technologically “transparent” while actually being “opaque.” Thus, a typical technical contradiction can be resolved quite simply.
After marking the template, the shaded parts are cut out. The marking devices are ready.
As a result, we manage to reduce the number of templates from 7 to 3 (2 for longitudinal walls and 1 for transverse walls). Two longitudinal templates (right and left) provide the ability to obtain blanks for longitudinal walls, and one transverse template allows you to prepare parts for transverse walls and partitions.
Moreover, only a partition installed asymmetrically forces you to make 2 longitudinal templates. With a symmetrical installation, one marking device would be enough.
When developing templates, you should consider that construction site The marking devices can be rotated 180° relative to the longitudinal axis, and can also be moved along the longitudinal axis. It is strictly not recommended to rotate a long template 180° around the vertical axis, since it will be almost impossible to do this during work. Now let's look at how templates are used. To mark the first beam of the crown (for example, starting from the left), the left template is laid on the beam and the end of the template on the left is outlined with a marker, then two grooves and, finally, a recess for the “half-tree” connection. The marked timber is transferred to the cutting site, where unnecessary fragments (it is better to shade them when marking) are cut out with a chain saw.
The same is done with the second beam. On the longitudinal wall, we need to make an “extension” for each full beam. To do this, place a template on the beam (position I in Fig. 14) and trace it. The sample for the “half-tree” connection at the end of the workpiece is marked with an awl, pricking the beam at points “c” and “b” (see Fig. 14, node A).
Then the template is shifted (position II in Fig. 14) and the contour is traced again. The timber with two marked additional parts is placed on pads in the cutting area. After cutting out the shaded areas, extensions are obtained for both longitudinal walls. Arrows in Fig. Figure 14 shows manipulations with the installation of additional parts in the walls.
Since the joints of the beams are staggered, the markings of the crown located above begin right side. Here the elements of the corner locks are already changing: if there was a groove on the longitudinal beam, and a tenon on the transverse beam, now everything should be the other way around.
However, how to mark parts with spikes? Should I make separate templates for them or make do with the marking devices that I already have? It is quite obvious that the tenon and groove are elements of the same unit, and therefore must correspond to each other in size and location, which means that a template with grooves can be used to construct tenon profiles on timber blanks. In Fig. 14 (node B] shows a template for a transverse wall with a groove and parts with a tenon obtained using it. Moreover, to make the partition, holes are drilled in the template, which set the width of its tenon.
As for the size of the tenon, in no case should the tenon be allowed to fit tightly into the groove. The thorn will subsequently dry out, and as a result a channel will form, which will certainly turn into a “cold bridge.” Therefore, if the dimensions of the groove are 5x5 cm, then the tenon should have dimensions of 4.5x4.5 cm. The gap is filled with insulation.
Until now, speaking about marking, we assumed that the template profile was transferred to the upper edge of the beam. Various grooves and tenons are sawed from the side. This means that the horizontal markings need to be transferred to the vertical edge of the beam. This is done using squares. Accurate cuts are made using these markings.
Practical construction experience shows that it is unrealistic to keep in mind the sequence of marking the elements of corner joints. Therefore, mistakes often occur here when a tenon is marked instead of a groove, and vice versa. And this is no wonder if you do not use a system that makes marking grooves and tenons extremely simple. The diagram (Fig. 16) shows the walls with the designation of the serial number of the crown, type connecting elements at the ends of the blanks, and also indicate the positions of the openings in the wall. Such a diagram, which can be applied directly to the template, simplifies the organization of work and prevents marking errors.
Rice. 16. Scheme for marking corner joints of timber frames: 1 - joints of parts of longitudinal walls; 2 door openings
