Guided by the postulate “if you want it done well, do it yourself,” many people strive to build a house with their own hands. The question arises: from what material? The leaders of the construction market immediately come to mind: concrete, aerated concrete, foam concrete, brick and wood. But there is a material about which one can say “well forgotten old” - this is wood concrete. And the idea of making wood concrete with your own hands is generally great, since it is in no way inferior to the above-mentioned building materials, and in some cases even surpasses them.
What is wood concrete made of, its advantages
Arbolite is a lightweight concrete that has a coarse-grained structure. It is also called wood concrete, since wood waste (chips, sawdust, shavings) takes up about 90% of its composition. In addition to wood chips, the composition of wood concrete includes cement (a binding component) and chemical additives. The advantages of this material are obvious:
- has high bending strength;
- retains heat well;
- environmentally friendly;
- practically does not burn;
- resistant to low temperatures;
- not susceptible to mold;
- absorbs noise well;
- any building materials adhere perfectly to its surface;
- has low weight;
- its use saves labor costs during installation;
- there is no need to use special equipment;
- when using it there are no problems with the foundation;
- shrinkage of the house does not cause deformation of the walls;
- low cost.
Options for constructing an arbolite structure
Building a house from wood concrete with your own hands is not so difficult. The main thing is to decide on the choice of method for constructing the walls. There are two options:
- the first, using wood concrete blocks, made with your own hands at home or purchased in specialized stores;
- the second, using technology that uses monolithic wood concrete.
That is, the projects are different, but the building materials are the same.
Important! It should be remembered that such material can only be used for low-rise construction (no more than 2-3 floors).
How to make wood concrete blocks on your own
The site for the production of such blocks can be personal plot or garage.
Preparatory stage
First of all, we purchase wood waste from the nearest sawmill ( minimum size wood chips 4.0 x 5.0 x 0.5 cm). A smaller one is not suitable, since when mixed with cement, the relevance of using this component disappears. Next we do this:
- we put wood chips under a canopy and leave it there for 2-3 months;
- treat with lime dissolved in water (2 kg per 120 liters of water);
- periodically mix the waste (2-3 days);
- leave to dry completely;
- mix the wood concrete solution.
Components and proportions of the mixture
To prepare 1 m2 of mixture you will need the following components:
- 300 kg of pre-treated organic filler;
- 300 kg of cement;
- about 400 liters of water;
- 20-30 kg of modified chemical additives.
You can prepare the mixture in a concrete mixer or any suitable container (for example, in a trough).
Preparing the mold for filling
To make the mold we use wooden boards, which we sheathe or sheet metal. We cover the bottom with linoleum. In order to ready product It was easily removed from the mold; we recommend that the design include handles.
Advice! It is recommended to moisten the mold with water before filling it with the solution.
Production of wood concrete blocks
The manufacturing technology is quite simple:
- pour wood chips and modified chemical additives into the container;
- pour in water (not all of it, just enough to cover the waste);
- mix everything well;
- add cement and remaining water;
- mix thoroughly again;
- fill the form with the solution (leave 3-4 cm from the top edge unfilled);
- compact;
- keep the block in the mold for 24 hours;
- remove the block from the mold and leave it under a canopy for 2-3 weeks.
House made of arbolite blocks
The construction of a building such as an arbolite house begins with design and technical documentation.
Design
Documentation for the construction of any private house, which includes not only a building plan, but also information about the foundation, the building materials used, and the possibility of connecting to communications, must be agreed upon and approved by the relevant authorities.
On a note! Designing a building made of wood concrete is not much different from a typical plan for building a house made of expanded clay concrete.
Foundation construction
Due to the fact that wood concrete has the advantage of being light weight, you can choose absolutely any foundation for your house: on piles, on slabs, strip or columnar. Let's say we are building a house on a strip foundation. Work order:
- mark the dimensions of the foundation;
- We sample the soil to the required depth;
- We lay a layer of a mixture of sand and crushed stone on the bottom;
- compact it and spill it with water;
- install reinforcing elements;
- we install wooden formwork;
- pour sand-cement mixture inside the formwork;
- after hardening, lubricate the foundation with bitumen and lay two or three layers of waterproofing (for example, roofing felt);
- the surface limited by the foundation is covered with a mixture of sand and crushed stone and tamped;
- fill with a layer of concrete (more than 50 mm).
Base
We carry out this part of the structure using brickwork 40-50 cm high. The main function of the plinth is to protect wood concrete blocks from the harmful effects of water.
We build walls
The technology for constructing walls from arbolite blocks is similar to the process of constructing walls from some other blocks (aerated concrete, foam concrete, expanded clay concrete) and is very similar to brickwork. We lay out the blocks in a checkerboard pattern, in rows, starting from the corner. We check the degree of vertical deviation using a level. To fasten the blocks we use a cement-sand mixture. After installing three rows, we take a break for 24 hours to allow the bonding solution to dry completely.
Advice! To prevent quick removal moisture from the mixture, we recommend moistening the blocks before laying.
Recommended wall thickness for two-story house– 300 mm, and if higher – 400 mm. The thickness of the walls may be smaller (for example, 200 mm) if it is subsequently planned to use heat-insulating materials or external cladding. But remember: it’s warmer where the walls are thicker.
It is not necessary to reinforce walls built with wood concrete. But if you want to increase the strength of corners, junctions of walls, doors and window openings, you can apply reinforcing elements.
Interfloor ceilings
If you have restrictions in cash, then a good option for coverings is wooden beam. If finances allow, then iron is appropriate concrete plates or metal channels.
Roofing and rafter installation
The algorithm for installing rafters and installing roofing material for buildings made of wood concrete is the same as for buildings built from other building materials.
Important! Before installing the rafters, it is necessary to lay a layer of waterproofing on the wood concrete blocks.
External and internal finishing
Any materials and methods are used for finishing. Finishing work can be produced immediately after construction is completed or even during the process.
This video will help you how to build a house correctly:
Features of monolithic construction
To build a monolithic house, you need to study installation technology monolithic walls, and other stages of construction are similar to the process of building a house from blocks.
The technology for constructing monolithic walls is very similar to conventional concreting: formwork is also constructed (height - maximum 600 mm), reinforcement is made, wood concrete is poured with a layer of 500 mm (no more). After this, everything is compacted and dries for 3-4 days. Then the formwork is lifted up in order to pour the next layer.
A house made of monolithic wood concrete in detail - watch the video:
In custody
It becomes clear that building a house from wood concrete with your own hands is not particularly difficult, and knowing all the nuances of making such blocks, you can build a very warm and high-quality house.
Construction from arbolite blocks is gaining momentum in Moscow and the Moscow region. Arbolite (in other words – wood concrete) remains one of the unique building materials. An environmentally friendly product, largely consisting of organic filler, has optimal characteristics for the construction of two- and three-story residential buildings, agricultural and industrial buildings.
Due to its excellent thermal conductivity and sound insulation, resistance to biological influences, high frost and fire resistance, as well as ease of processing with any tools, wood concrete has been in demand in the construction market for many years. The main proof of the favorable price-quality ratio of this material are houses made of wood concrete, built back in the mid-60s in the Soviet Union and which have not yet lost their strength characteristics.
Construction of a house from wood concrete. What determines the choice of material?
Wood concrete consists of an organic filler (most often wood chips, shavings), cement, water and a chemical additive.
GOST defines the use of wood chips, sawdust, rice straw, flax, and cotton as an organic filler for wood concrete. Depending on the components and purpose, thermal insulation and structural types of material are distinguished. Both of them have a number of technical characteristics that distinguish them from similar building materials:
- light weight of products;
- high heat capacity;
- long service life;
- special strength;
- environmental cleanliness;
- fire resistance;
- frost resistance;
- good sound insulation.
No less important advantage the absence of shrinkage processes is considered. A minimal reduction in the size of the block can be caused by the large weight of the roof and floors and is observed only in the first few months after the construction of the building.
The water absorption of wood concrete varies from 75 to 85%, which means that when poured from above onto the block, water easily penetrates inside, but does not linger there. Therefore, when building a house from wood concrete Special attention need to be given exterior decoration, thereby considering protection against moisture from the environment.
In all respects, wood concrete is ahead of its construction counterparts and is a profitable investment. An association best qualities stone and wood guarantees the construction of arbolite houses high strength indicators and at the same time maintaining the ability of the walls to “breathe”. 
It must be remembered that blocks made in handicrafts at home may be inferior in some characteristics to products created industrially. The MARSi GROUP company produces and sells wood concrete in the Moscow region and offers high quality at low prices. By contacting us, you can always be sure that the building material meets the declared characteristics.
We are building a house from wood concrete. Process Features
It is not difficult to build a house from wood concrete; to do this, it is enough to know some of the features of the material and follow the recommendations of experts.
The MARSi GROUP company pays special attention to the characteristics of building materials. We build houses from high quality wood concrete in Moscow, Balashikha, Domodedovo, Dubna, Kolomna, Krasnogorsk, Serpukhov, Chekhov, Korolev, Podolsk, Elektrostal and other cities and towns of the Moscow region.
In some cases, our specialists make their choice in favor of monolithic construction of low-rise buildings. With this approach, removable or permanent formwork is used, and the material itself is manufactured on site. The monolith eliminates the presence of cold bridges and, therefore, improves thermal insulation characteristics the whole house. Experts recommend installing a monolithic base, but do not rule out the possibility of using a regular lightweight one. strip foundation.
Construction stages
The rules for arbolite construction are not much different from other materials and require compliance with the main stages of the work.
Development and design of the project
It is important to consider that wood concrete is intended for the construction of one-, two- and three-story houses. Walls made of this material will not withstand greater loads. The most common layout option for a two-story house: on the ground floor there is a living room, hallway, kitchen combined with dining room, bathroom, boiler room; on the second floor there are bedrooms, a spacious hall, a bathroom, and a storage room.
Carrying out excavation work, pouring the foundation
The foundation is buried below the freezing level of the soil in accordance with the established markings. The average dimensions of the trench are 50x30 cm. Formwork is constructed, which is filled with sand, reinforcement cage (10 mm in diameter), and M300 concrete. The foundation is designed to protect the wood concrete walls from moisture, so it rises at least half a meter above the ground.
Laying arbolite blocks
For masonry, a cement-perlite mortar is used, consisting of perlite, cement, water, air-entraining additives, in a ratio of 1:5 or a regular cement-sand mortar 1:3. To prevent moisture from penetrating into the blocks during laying, they are moistened with plenty of water in advance. This way the solution does not lose its adhesive strength.
Conducting communications
In addition to the main work with communications, in one of internal partitions it is necessary to lay the blocks intended for the ventilation duct.
Installation of floors between floors
These floors are concrete slabs that resemble a strip foundation in shape and evenly distribute the load from the weight of building materials. Using arbolite blocks they are insulated around the perimeter.
It is important that in order to avoid deformation of the walls and to lighten the structure of the entire building, hollow blocks should be used for the second and third floors.
At this stage also preceded by installation cement screed with reinforcement, which has the same functions as the floors between floors. The roofing material is bitumen or metal tiles.
External and internal finishing
Any material is suitable for finishing the external finishing of an arbolite wall: brick, plaster, siding, lining, timber and much more. This allows you to decorate the house in accordance with any wishes of the owner. Interior decoration also does not have any restrictions, although most often experts choose wood as the main material.
It is easy to build a house from wood concrete in a fairly short time. Laying block elements is simple; there is no need to involve heavy equipment - you can do it in a couple of months. Since there is no shrinkage process, you can begin exterior finishing immediately. All this not only minimizes house construction time, but also reduces material costs.
Wood concrete houses: pros and cons
Advantages low-rise buildings a lot of wood concrete. Let's list the main ones.
The dream of any person living in a stuffy and gray city is to sooner or later become his own Vacation home made of environmentally friendly material, reliable and durable, comfortable for year-round use. A building made of arbolite blocks meets all these requirements.
Despite whole line advantages, this building material also has disadvantages that you also need to know about.
- The influence of moisture on the structure of the wood concrete block. The liquid easily penetrates inside the product and also evaporates. Therefore, it is so important to protect walls with special finishing materials.
- Low-rise construction. For the construction of a four-story or higher building, wood concrete is no longer suitable due to the likelihood of its deformation under the weight of the floors and beams.
If you, as a future home owner, are not afraid of the disadvantages of using wood concrete in construction, do not hesitate to give preference to this universal building material.
Turnkey construction from arbolite blocks in the Moscow region
The MARSi GROUP company has been building one-story (as well as two- and three-) houses made of wood concrete in Moscow and the Moscow region for several years: in Kolomna, Lyubertsy, Noginsk, Serpukhov, Protvino, Shatura, Fryazino and other cities in the region. Our qualified specialists have extensive experience in the design and construction of residential and industrial buildings made of wood concrete. We are ready to take into account all the wishes of the future owner and take full responsibility for carrying out construction work. We offer services:
- creating a project;
- earthworks;
- selection and pouring of the base;
- construction of a turnkey house;
- designer services;
- gardening, landscape design;
- commissioning.
If you still doubt your choice and are wondering: how much does a house made of wood concrete cost? Know that when collaborating with our company, you can count on an additional reduction in the cost of the building under construction. This is due to the fact that we not only carry out and control the entire construction process, from project development to commissioning, but also independently produce wood concrete, which eliminates the participation of third-party companies and manufacturers and frees the customer from paying additional costs for delivery and overpayments for basic cost of construction raw materials.
For more information regarding product characteristics, construction process features and the construction of green residential and turnkey buildings, please contact our company. Based on your application, managers will calculate the cost of blocks and additional services.
Building a house is one of the main responsibilities of a man (after that, planting a tree and giving birth to a child). Everyone dreams of living in their own home. But, for this you will have to make a lot of effort, spend a certain amount of money and time, especially if you carry out the construction work yourself. Another problem is the choice of material for construction. At the moment, there are so many raw materials for work that you can break your head. You have to choose, analyzing the pros and cons of the material, the purpose of constructing the building, climate, available funds, etc. As practice has shown, one of the best materials Wood concrete is used for the construction of a residential building. This is a practical, lightweight, durable, durable and environmentally friendly material, which is made from sawdust and Portland cement. Houses made of wood concrete blocks are distinguished by their energy intensity, because the heat conductivity of wood concrete is 0.07-0.16, depending on the density. Living in such a house is warm and cozy.
In this article we will look at how to build a house from arbolite blocks, the stages of doing the work yourself and some recommendations for constructing a foundation and laying walls. The article contains supporting videos.
Tools for getting the job done
You won't be able to build a house without suitable tools and materials. They must be prepared in advance and be in good condition. The list is as follows:
- shovel, stone-cutting saw.
- level, tape measure, plumb line;
- stakes and long rope;
- reinforcement bars Ø14 mm;
- solution container;
- trowel, notched trowel or trowel for laying blocks;
- rubber mallet;
- fishing line for leveling blocks.
Now you can start building a house from wood concrete blocks.
Stage 1 of construction - design
Every developer knows that the construction of any building begins with drawing up a project. However, this procedure is the first in any type of work. Projects are needed for orientation so that construction proceeds quickly and according to plan. Such a plan must be drawn up in advance and approved by the district administration. It should include details of the entire construction of the house. You can say - this is a map by which you will know what to do.
The plan should include drawings of the house, its size, number of storeys, material, layout, communications, etc. Projects for a house made of wood concrete sides can be obtained in several ways:
- Order a specialist designer (the most expensive option).
- Buy the project on special sites.
- Free download.
Regarding point 3, be careful, since free projects may not always be of high quality. And this, in turn, will affect the entire construction. A well-drawn plan can include the approximate cost of each material, its quantity and the approximate costs of building a house.
When your project is ready, you can purchase everything necessary materials and start construction!
Stage 2 of construction - foundation installation
The basis of any building is the foundation. It is he who is the guarantor of the reliability and durability of the building. Due to the fact that arbolite blocks are quite lightweight material, the construction of a reinforced foundation is not required. This allows you to save some money. The type of foundation can be different:
- pile;
- tiled;
- tape shallow;
- columnar.
The most commonly used type of foundation for an arbolite house is a strip foundation that follows the design of all walls.
Let's look at the sequence of work on its construction:
- Preparation and marking of the site. The site must be cleared of everything unnecessary: garbage, old things, bushes, etc. Based on the project, markings are made on the ground with rope and stakes and the top fertile layer of soil is removed.
- Digging a pit. The recommended trench width is 30 - 40 cm, depth - 60 cm (depending on the soil). These dimensions must be taken into account when marking and done correctly.
- Leveling the walls and bottom of the trench.
- Sand cushion installation. Compacted with 5-10 soy sand and a 5 cm layer of crushed stone.
- Construction of formwork. Its height can be 30 cm, but if you live in an area with a harsh climate, we recommend making a base of 50 cm.
- At this stage, communications can be laid while the concrete has not yet been poured.
- Manufacturing of reinforcement frame. In order for the foundation to be strong, you need to do reinforcing mesh(reinforcement Ø14 mm) and place it in the pit.
- Pouring concrete. There are 2 options for the development of events: prepare concrete yourself or order a ready-made mixture. The pit is filled with concrete. After which the finished foundation is leveled with a trowel.
Now it takes time, as the concrete must dry completely. This takes about a month. The formwork can be removed on the 10th day. The foundation surface must be protected from external factors. To prevent it from collapsing, cover it with polyethylene.
note! To prevent the foundation from cracking, periodically spray the surface with water to moisten it.
Now your foundation is ready. You can begin building the walls of a wood concrete house. You can buy blocks or make them yourself.
Stage 3 of construction - laying walls
Before starting masonry, it is necessary to ensure the foundation is waterproofed. For this it is covered bitumen mastic or spread 1-2 layers of roofing felt on the surface. This way the foundation and walls will be protected from destructive moisture, and construction will not be in vain.
Advice ! To correctly calculate the number of wood concrete blocks for the masonry of a house, use a special calculator.
All that is required is to enter into the form the dimensions of the block, the thickness and height of the walls, the perimeter and thickness of the mortar when laying. Then you will know the amount of material required.
Laying walls is a responsible undertaking. They must be perfectly smooth and strong. It will be easier for those who have already done masonry with brick or other material. Working with wood concrete is even easier. First you need to prepare a cement mortar. Everything is simple here: achieve a 1:3 ratio (cement, sand) and add water to bring everything to the desired consistency. Make sure to prepare as much mortar as you need for masonry. If you make a lot of solution, you may not have time to use it while it is liquid.
Note! For masonry, you can also use special adhesive for aerated concrete. It dries faster and is easier to work with.
The time has come to lay wood concrete blocks. The order of work is as follows:
- Masonry starts from the corners of the building. Place the corner blocks on the mortar. They must be perfectly even, because the blocks in the corner are fundamental. Use a level. If the wall is long, install additional block in the middle.
- Stretch the fishing line between the products. It should slightly touch the top of the block and serve as a guide for even laying.
- Now lay the remaining blocks, forming 1 row. Apply mortar or glue to the foundation and align the blocks evenly. Please note that the seam between them should not exceed 10 mm. Rubber mallet tap the block, adjusting it to the fishing line.
- It is clear that the length of the wall will not always be equal to the exact number of blocks, so one of them will have to be cut. The question arises: how to saw wood concrete blocks? You can use a stone cutting saw. Arbolite is easy to process, so it is easy to saw. When doing this, use a metal corner so that the block comes out even.
- When the first row of masonry around the entire perimeter is completed, you can proceed to the next one. The procedure is exactly the same, only now you need to make a dressing.
- During the construction process, do not forget to make openings for windows and doors in the right places.
Watch the video, which clearly shows the laying of wood concrete blocks.
This is all technology. All that remains is to build walls, make lintels over the windows and doorways, perform the overlap and install the roof using the chosen technology. The construction of the building frame made of arbolite blocks has been completed. But this is far from the end, because you still have a lot of work to do.
If this is your first time laying wood concrete blocks, then these tips will help you do everything right.
Keep in mind that wood concrete blocks must be protected from external factors. Therefore, it is better to finish finishing the interior and exterior quickly.
We invite you to watch the video, which describes in detail the construction of a house from wood concrete blocks.
Today, a person who is planning to build his own house needs to do a lot Difficult choice. The fact is that the vast variety of the most modern and already well-known building materials can put a non-specialist in a hopeless situation. Even highly professional builders now and then have discussions among themselves on the issue of choosing the key building material for constructing the walls of a building.
In this article we will talk about another building material called wood concrete (wood concrete). We will not exhort the mandatory use of this building material during construction work; we will simply talk about its inherent advantages and typical disadvantages.
Advantages and disadvantages
Due to its structure and characteristics, arbolite (wood concrete) is endowed with both positive qualities, and some flaws.
Positive properties enable wood concrete blocks to compete with classical building materials, but disadvantages make their use unacceptable in specific situations (multi-story construction, high humidity).
In general, there cannot be a building material consisting of only advantages, otherwise it would be used everywhere, and the rest would be undeservedly forgotten. The advantages of wood concrete as a building material are obvious.
Thus, a block made of wood concrete has many advantages.
- Thermal conductivity wood concrete is approximately the same as the coefficient for light cellular (porous) concrete and makes it possible not to produce additional insulation. However, such similarity can also be a disadvantage, since in some areas the material presented is more expensive in comparison with the named concretes.
- When following the wood-concrete manufacturing technology the block is environmentally friendly, which is especially important for people who are concerned about the environmental friendliness of building materials and the state of the environmental situation.
- Material has good sound absorption, which provides maximum protection for all inhabitants of the house from extraneous noise from the street and adjacent rooms.
- On to the positives can be attributed to the high vapor permeability, which allows the walls to “breathe”, but the advantage immediately becomes a disadvantage as soon as the conversation turns to areas with a consistently high saturation of the atmosphere with moisture and cool climatic conditions. Everything is explained by the fact that in the presented version the thermal efficiency of the building material can change sharply for the worse.
- Due to low volumetric weight light blocks, and when working with them, the use of an order of magnitude less physical effort is required compared to denser building materials, and the need for lifting equipment is significantly reduced.
- Dimensions arbolite block makes it possible to build structures with significantly higher speed than when using the same brick.
- With wood concrete very easy to work, it can be sawed without any problems with any sawing tool. In addition, you can drive nails and screws into it.
- Due to the structure of the material and its very high bending strength, there is no need to reinforce walls or install reinforced belts, which further reduces resource consumption and operating time. There is a similar positive point exclusively in low-rise construction.
- Wood concrete block non-flammable Therefore, there is no need to worry about its fire resistance.
The disadvantages of wood concrete blocks include some nuances.
- The manufacturer's ability to profit from the cement used in the production of blocks. In this case, the building material sharply loses its strength, thus, this minus eliminates some of the previously presented advantages.
- Similarly, a disadvantage that can nullify a number of advantages is the permissibility of changes by the manufacturer in the fraction of wood particles in the structure. It follows from this that it is likely that products will be produced with too large a fraction of wood chips or, on the contrary, the main share of the wood component may be sawdust. Both options have a great influence on the quality characteristics of the finished block and, consequently, the structure built from it.
- Wood concrete, due to the wood in its structure, is capable of absorbing water in significant volumes, which is why close attention must be paid to protecting wood concrete structures from water penetration.
- Another drawback is the frequent errors in the geometry of wood-concrete blocks; they, as a rule, are not very strong, but can lead to consumption beyond the masonry measure. cement mortar. And it increases the thermal conductivity of the rebuilt wall, which is also difficult to call an advantage.
Having analyzed all the advantages and disadvantages of wood-concrete blocks, we can draw the appropriate conclusions.
Wood concrete is an environmentally friendly material from which it is possible to construct energy-efficient efficient house very quickly and thoroughly.
Building materials should be used with caution for buildings with a high level of air humidity inside.
Before purchasing, it is imperative to check the material and make sure of its quality characteristics. It is necessary to evaluate the size and interweaving of wood particles located in the structure, to check the absence of excessive formation of hardened cement mortar or components of products that are not tightly coupled with each other.
Design
In the process of creating a project, the composition and characteristics of the soil are determined in order to calculate the characteristics of the foundation in accordance with this information. Then the shape of the house, the thickness of the walls, the presence or absence of thermal insulation, the placement of windows and doors, as well as other necessary characteristics are established. In addition, during the process of creating a project, the quantity and type of building materials are determined.
For example, on the outskirts of the city of Sochi, a wall thickness of 20 centimeters makes it possible to do without thermal insulation, while in the Omsk area the smallest wall thickness, which allows one to do without the use of thermal insulation, is 50 centimeters.
A competently created project will save you from unnecessary consumption of materials and the possibility of rebuilding some areas or details during the construction of the house.
Note: all standard house designs ranging from 100 m² up to 150 sq. m are adapted to the area of construction work (soils and local climatic conditions of the area).
Projects of houses made of wood concrete with an area of 100 to 150 square meters. m can be one-story or two-story and have in its structure an attic, a garage and even a basement or ground floor.
Construction technology
A house can be built in two ways.
- Construction made of wood-concrete blocks. In this situation, industrially created ones are already used. ready-made blocks from wood concrete. Often a decision is made to make wood concrete with your own hands. Before starting work, you need to make sure that the blocks have achieved the required quality for the job.
- Monolithic construction from wood concrete. The application of this practice involves the creation of permanent formwork with further pouring of wood concrete solution into it. To build a house from monolithic wood concrete, you need to study the method of organizing monolithic walls. Other phases will be similar to block construction.
Preparing the mixture
The manufacture of wood concrete has its own tricks, without knowing which you cannot obtain the proper quality. Actually, this is basically the reason for the suspicious attitude of individual builders towards this material.
At first glance, everything is clear - mix sawdust with cement and water. Only it soon becomes clear that what was received does not want to harden, and when it does harden, it peels off and cracks. Therefore, it is concluded that all the talk about the advantages of wood concrete is not worth the spent sawdust.
In reality, everything is not so primitive. Tree cells contain different types sugars (hemicellulose, glucose, sucrose and others). The above are water-soluble elements that negatively affect cement component material. They delay and sometimes completely interrupt hardening and have a detrimental effect on the composition of the cement.
Luckily for us, it is possible to fight this.
Much it is easier to let the wood raw material rest on outdoors two years. During this period, all compounds undesirable for cement are washed out, converted into substances that cannot be dissolved, or disintegrate.
But since such a long process is not possible every time, various ingredients are mixed into wood concrete to block sugars. Of these, for the production of wood concrete with your own hands, a combination of slaked lime with liquid glass or calcium chloride and aluminum sulfate (aluminum sulfate).
The first method is more economical. In addition, some experts believe it to be the most faithful and less demanding of the quality of the source material. The second seduces with the significant acceleration of the hardening of the solution.
Foundation
Due to their insignificant mass, arbolite walls exert significantly less pressure on the soil than brick, concrete or stone structures; therefore, for such houses, screw piles, shallow strip foundations, or combined foundations are used. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the price and labor costs of work when compared with the construction of a foundation for concrete or brick houses.
When laying the foundation, close attention must be paid to protecting the building from water and thermal insulation, since winter time an insulated base has a significantly less impact on the temperature of the floors. To insulate from moisture, roofing felt or roofing felt is used, and foam is used for thermal insulation.
If you plan to create an insulated or warm floor, then there is no need to insulate the foundation.
Walling
Due to the fact that cement is used as a binding element when creating wood-concrete blocks, various cement-based mixtures are used for laying wood-concrete blocks. You can use either a classic mortar in a ratio of cement and sand of 1:3, or any glue or masonry compositions that are intended for blocks based on cement. Wood-concrete blocks can be sawed without much effort hand saw ,as well as an electric or chainsaw, in this regard, installation on site does not cause problems.
As with the construction of houses made of building stone, every 3rd or 4th row is fixed using reinforcement laid over all arboblocks under a layer of masonry mixture or glue.
Due to the good strength of wood-concrete blocks, installation of windows and door leaves does not cause problems - they are fixed using anchor bolts.
The construction of walls starts from the corners, using a level, a plumb line and a cord that is pulled between the last blocks, this makes it possible to lay other blocks along an exact line. In this regard, the laying of arboblocks does not differ at all from the laying of brick, cinder block, foam block or gas silicate blocks. The masonry mixture must have the correct consistency so that the wood-concrete block displaces excess mortar with its own weight. The construction of walls must be carried out at an air temperature of more than +10°C. Wood-concrete blocks do not need to be wetted or soaked before laying.
Often, manufacturing companies deliver wet wood-concrete blocks to the client that have not accumulated the required strength characteristics. Walls should not be built from such blocks, since the lower rows will be crushed by the upper ones, and the configuration of the wall will be upset. If wet blocks have been delivered, they must be laid aside and allowed to rest for 15-20 days, after which they are absolutely ready for installation.
In parallel with block masonry, two methods of pouring are practiced load-bearing walls made from wood concrete with your own hands.
1. Pressed technology for pouring wood concrete, without frame
A string is stretched along the length of the axis of the base of the house. Using it as a guide, formwork panels are installed.
The solution is mixed, poured into permanent formwork layers of 20 centimeters each and compacted, the solution is added until the formwork box is filled to the very top. The stuffing is covered with cellophane film and left to harden.
The next day, it is checked how well the solution has gained strength, the formwork is dismantled, installed in another place or raised to the next row. The formwork is again filled with the mixture, and the solution is compacted. This continues until the wall is ready.
2. Frame method of pouring wood concrete
The frame of the future walls is made from a 50x60 or 50x70 mm block, the frame posts are aligned along the cord to form the external and internal planes of the walls.
After this, the resulting frame is filled with wood concrete in the same way as the first option, moving the formwork along the frame bars.
This poured method is more expensive, but provides the highest accuracy, and is more convenient, since it is not necessary to control every time how the formwork is positioned correctly. We simply move the formwork along the vertical bars of the frame, as if along guides.
Note: if you don’t want to tinker with this yourself, a ready-made house kit made from wood concrete panels is available for sale.
Insulation
Ways to build walls individual house There are now a lot of wood-concrete ones. In warm regions, a wall made of wood concrete can be built 30 centimeters thick without additional thermal insulation. In cold regions, an outer wall of 30, and sometimes even 40 cm, will not be effective enough to conserve heat. In order to prevent the structure from freezing, and to protect the housing from possible heat loss, it needs to be covered from the street with a layer of thermal insulation.
Thermal insulation of walls made of wood concrete with polystyrene foam
Polystyrene foam must be used exclusively for thermal insulation of a wood concrete house from the outside. In this case, it will be necessary to improve the ventilation system for air masses in the house, since the use of foam plastic will lead to a decrease in the vapor permeability of the walls. The plates are fixed to the facade using glue and, in addition, they are fastened with disc-shaped dowels; the gaps between the plates must be well foamed to eliminate temperature bridges.
Thermal insulation of wood-concrete walls with mineral wool
Manufacturers stone wool It is recommended to use a layer of insulation of at least 10 centimeters for thermal insulation of the facade. It's better to lay slabs mineral wool in two layers to eliminate cold bridges in the structure.
In order not to miss the selection of the thickness of thermal insulation, use the insulation calculator and do not forget to cover the fiber insulation with a vapor barrier film.
Thermal insulation of wood concrete with sawdust and cellulose insulation (ecowool)
The presented materials are natural insulation materials consisting of cellulose. Sawdust and ecowool are filled in during the construction of walls between load-bearing wall and finishing brickwork. Expanded clay, polyurethane foam or polystyrene foam boards can be used as thermal insulation inside the walls.
Roof
Mounting on wood concrete walls is allowed rafter system any design. The mauerlat can be made from a 15x15 centimeter block, rafters from a 50x200 mm board, racks from a 150x200 mm block, and a bed from a 200x200 mm block. Choice roofing materials is also not regulated.
Experts recommend using bitumen (soft, flexible) shingles to implement roofing works. They explain their own choice by saying that flexible tiles is able to withstand slight swaying of wood-concrete walls without causing significant defects.
A fundamental aspect when constructing a roof will be to follow the rule - moving the roof 300-500 millimeters from the wall, which will make it possible to protect it from direct penetration of thawed and rainwater.
Finishing
The shrinkage of a wood concrete structure is only 0.4%. This makes it possible to begin facing work immediately after completion of construction.
Due to the strong moisture absorption of wood concrete (from 40 to 80%), the walls must be protected from high humidity. This is also required by the unattractive appearance of wood-concrete walls.
For external cladding walls, it is possible to use any building material: siding, lining, brick and so on. In most cases plaster is applied. If you are plastering, then when choosing, you must not forget that the vapor permeability of the material used must be similar to wood concrete. To cover it with clapboard or siding, you need to thoroughly waterproof and ventilate the wall.
Note: appeared on the construction market the new kind material – wood concrete with decorative finishing. It makes it possible to do without lining the walls of the house with wood concrete from the outside.
A house made of wood concrete does not need internal lining walls The most important condition so that the humidity level in the house used is not higher than 75%. In another case, in particular for a bathhouse, it is necessary to take into account additional vapor barrier of the walls.
A modern approach to low-rise construction involves the use of materials with a minimum heat transfer coefficient and simple installation technology. Arbolite, also known as wood concrete, fully meets these requirements, because in terms of heat transfer coefficient it is only slightly inferior to wood and is many times superior to brick, concrete and even cinder blocks. In this article we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of wood concrete, the features of construction using this material, and reviews of people who built or bought houses from wood concrete and lived in them for several years.
What is wood concrete and what are its properties?
Wood concrete base – well dried sawdust, which are used for the production of wood concrete - a mixture of sawdust, cement binder and various additives that improve the quality of the product. Immediately after preparing wood concrete, it is poured into molds and compacted using a vibrating table, after which it is left for 30–40 hours. Then the finished blocks are removed from the molds and left on a special platform to gain strength; this process takes up to 30 days, after which wood concrete blocks of any size are ready for use. Thanks to this production technology, blocks of various sizes are produced, both wall and partition. Typically, when producing blocks, the following dimensions are adhered to:
- length 60 cm;
- width 5–25 cm;
- height 20–25 cm.
In addition, they also produce additional blocks, the use of which allows you to do without cutting and adjusting conventional blocks. Additional blocks include corner blocks, half blocks and other popular shapes. Thanks to this approach, the buyer can choose the most suitable block sizes. A wall made of standard arbolite blocks 20 cm thick in terms of its heat transfer coefficient corresponds to a brick wall 1 meter thick, therefore in warm regions such houses do not need insulation, and in cold regions the cost of insulation will be noticeably lower than when using brick. The price of wood concrete blocks is comparable to cinder blocks and backfill bricks, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the cost of building a house. Another significant advantage of wood concrete is its light weight, because its base is dry sawdust, which reduces the requirements for the load-bearing capacity of the foundation, so for houses made of wood concrete they use the same foundations as for wooden buildings.
Arbolite has good vapor permeability, being only slightly inferior to wood, due to which houses made from it always have an optimal level of humidity. The absorption and evaporation of moisture does not affect the strength of wood concrete blocks, so the walls do not collapse when moisture is transferred. If an arbolite block is made using dry sawdust, then its internal humidity will never reach critical values, so a wall made of such blocks is not afraid of frost. If wood concrete is made from raw sawdust and wood chips, then there is a high probability that after several frosty winters it will begin to lose strength, because under the influence negative temperatures the liquid inside will freeze and destroy the binder.
Wood concrete is a very practical material that is not afraid of fire, is resistant to rot and mold, and can easily withstand tensile loads. Thereby arbolite houses in terms of fire hazard, they are closer to stone and brick buildings than to wooden buildings. However, if the house is in a severe fire area or a large fire breaks out inside the house, the walls will lose a significant amount of strength. But this also happens with any other lightweight concrete and, to a lesser extent, with brick, stone and reinforced concrete. Wood concrete houses do not require special processing to protect against rot and mold, but if the house is built incorrectly or the blocks are made of raw wood chips and sawdust, then pockets of fungal infection often appear in them. In this case, it is necessary not only to cut out and replace the damaged section of the wall, but also to take measures to reduce humidity. That is why houses made of wood concrete are very demanding when it comes to waterproofing the foundation.
Technology of building houses from wood concrete
When building houses from wood concrete, a standard procedure is used, which includes:
- design;
- creating a foundation;
- walling;
- roof construction;
- flooring;
- insulation;
- connection of communications;
- internal and external finishing.
Design
During design, the composition and properties of the soil are determined in order to calculate the foundation parameters based on these data. To learn why it is necessary to take into account the properties of the soil when calculating the foundation, read the article - Which foundation is best for a house made of timber - calculation features. After this, the configuration of the house, the thickness of the walls, the presence or absence of insulation, the location of windows and doors and other important parameters are determined. Also during design, the quantity and type of building materials are determined. For example, in the vicinity of Sochi, a wall thickness of 20 cm allows you to do without insulation, while in the Omsk region the minimum wall thickness that allows you to do without insulation is 50 cm. A correctly drawn up project will save you from overexpenditure of materials and the need to redo some during the construction of the house - areas or elements.
Creating a foundation
Due to their low mass, arbolite walls put much less pressure on the ground than brick, stone or concrete structures, so shallow strip foundations, pile screw foundations or combined foundations are used for such houses. This can significantly reduce the cost and labor intensity of work compared to creating foundations for brick or concrete houses. When creating a foundation, special attention must be paid to waterproofing and insulation, because in winter an insulated foundation has a much lesser effect on the floor temperature. Roofing felt or roofing felt is used for waterproofing, and foam plastic is used for insulation. If you are going to make an insulated or warm floor, then there is no need to insulate the foundation.
Walling
Due to the fact that cement is used as a binder in the manufacture of wood concrete blocks, any cement-based mixtures are used for laying the blocks. You can use either a traditional mortar of one part cement and three parts sand, or any adhesives or masonry mortars designed for cement-based blocks. Arbolite blocks can be easily sawed with a regular hacksaw, as well as with an electric or gasoline saw, so fitting in place is not difficult. As in the construction of cinder block houses, every third or fourth row is reinforced with reinforcement laid across all blocks under a layer of glue or masonry mortar. Due to the good strength of wood concrete blocks, installing windows and doors is not difficult - they are secured using anchors.
The construction of walls begins from the corners, using a plumb line, a level and a rope, which is pulled between the outer blocks, this allows you to lay the remaining blocks along a strict line. In this regard, laying wood concrete blocks is no different from laying bricks, cinder blocks, foam blocks or gas silicate blocks. The masonry mortar must be of normal thickness so that the wood concrete block squeezes out excess mortar with its weight. Wall laying must be carried out at temperatures above +10 degrees. Wood concrete blocks do not need to be wetted or soaked before laying. Often, manufacturers deliver raw wood concrete blocks to the customer that have not achieved the required strength. It is impossible to build a wall from such blocks, because the lower rows will be pushed through by the upper ones and the shape of the wall will be disrupted. If you brought raw blocks, you need to put them aside and let them sit for 15–20 days, after which they are completely ready for laying.
Roof erection, finishing, connection of communications and insulation
All these actions are performed in the same way as for houses made of any other materials. The roof Mauerlat is attached to the upper blocks using powerful screws, thanks to which the roof can withstand even strong winds. Both plaster and cladding with wood or other materials can be used as finishing; in this regard, wood concrete is universal. Arbolite houses are insulated only from the outside; the insulation technology itself is the same as for wooden (timber) houses. You can read more about insulation in the article - Proper insulation of a house made of timber. The connection of communications must be carried out by specialists from utility companies; unauthorized connection will lead to large fines.
