Frame houses or made of timber. Construction of a frame house from timber with your own hands. Photo report

One of the most frequently asked questions, coming to our address, sounds like this: “Which house is better: frame or made of profiled timber?” The question itself is not very correct. Why? The answer is further in the text.

Let's start with the fact that both options have a lot in common:

these are undoubtedly houses, not temporary buildings;
the house will outlive you, your children and will be left to your grandchildren;
these are not houses for the poor: frame houses were designed for the US middle class, and houses made of profiled timber for the Scandinavian middle class.

The Volkswagen car was created in exactly the same way. The literal translation is “people's car”, while there are few complaints about the quality of Volkswagen.

You can compare prices of houses directly, but there are other more important criteria:

cost of land;
expenses for supplying communications;
finishing work and “filling” of the house.

These three points, given the low (compared to other technologies) cost of the house, can account for up to 80 percent of the costs.

Frame or profiled timber?

Even if there is money, it is unlikely that it will be possible to build a Winter Palace on 20 acres. After all, any choice of technology involves a compromise: each has both advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of both options:

low weight of the structure;
high degree of work performed in the factory;
low labor costs and costs for construction equipment;
high speed of house assembly;
the construction of a house does not depend on seasonal conditions.

Frame houses: pros and cons

Advantages of frame houses

To the advantages frame houses relate:

if everything is done correctly, then - ideal thermal insulation of the house;
communications hidden inside the walls;
light interior decoration, which has a positive effect on its cost;
earthquake resistance (this advantage may seem surprising; although, if you remember that the cause of the decline of the Smolensk Principality was an earthquake, the desire to discount this advantage may disappear).

Disadvantages of frame houses

There are no perfect technologies. The disadvantages of frame housing construction include the following:

the house will require care: fire retardants and antiseptics lose their qualities over time;
high requirements for the ventilation system, which is a consequence of good thermal insulation (an open window is not enough - this can be a complex system, in which the outgoing air heats the incoming air);
the need for careful adherence to technology in the process of assembling a house: also, there is no 50% surgical operation; a similar approach should be applied to assessing housing construction.

Houses made of profiled timber

Advantages of houses made of profiled timber

The advantages of houses made of profiled timber, of course, include:

environmental friendliness, although there is one “but”: the timber is always treated (there are fireproof and bioprotective impregnations, which cannot be avoided);
low heat loss; there is nothing new here: 20 centimeters of wood is comparable to 70 centimeters of brickwork (the technology of profiled timber is made to minimize heating costs: protrusions and grooves, of course, help with the accuracy of installation, but they also have another task - in construction this is called removing “ cold bridges");
Oddly enough, there is a frequent and worthy argument: “Grandmother had a wooden house” - here there is trust in the experience of ancestors, and support for traditions, and nostalgia.
building a house from profiled timber will cost less than construction frame house.

Disadvantages of houses made of profiled timber

Wood - proven over time natural material. However, it has not only advantages, but also some disadvantages:

flammability;
the tree may become sick: fungus, mold, woodworms (you will need preventive measures, not very frequent - once every 10 years is fine);
installation of a house made of profiled timber does not immediately involve finishing work: it will take time for the house to shrink;
the appearance of cracks in solid timber is inevitable - this is a property of wood, the same as the presence of knots;
Communications cannot be hidden in walls made of timber: load-bearing structures cannot be damaged.

So what should you choose?

The assessment of the advantages of the first or second technology is very conditional. What is important is not the choice of technology, but its adherence. It’s like the joke: the name of the bank does not matter, but the bank must be in Switzerland.

For example, houses in Japan, just like half-timbered houses in Western Europe, are frame house construction. Some of them are 600 years old.

But the museum complex in Kizhi was built about 300 years ago. Moreover, it is built from timber, and this is not a low-rise building.

From the above we can draw the following conclusion. The recipe for the customer is very simple: choose a project that you like and look at the technology with which it can be implemented.

And before you order construction from any company, find out the addresses of previously constructed objects. Go to the site, look, talk to existing clients of the construction company. The option is reliable, like a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Of course, the Internet and a search engine are an addition.

Wooden houses are becoming more and more popular from year to year. The reason for this was that on domestic market a wide variety of building materials have appeared that are used for the construction of wooden buildings or serve as additional internal and exterior finishing.

New technological methods have also appeared that make it possible to effectively counteract the formation of fungus and rot, which 20-30 years ago was the main problem of all owners of wooden buildings.

Experts say that with proper care, a house built of wood using modern technologies can last more than 100 years.

It is worth noting that the construction wooden house does not require large quantity time, especially when it comes to structures made of high-quality timber or frame buildings. However, structures made from these popular materials differ greatly in properties, and in order to answer the question of which house is better - frame or timber, you can comparative analysis and consider the main pros and cons of the proposed buildings.

Advantages and disadvantages of using timber

The primary task before building a house from timber is choosing the type of building material. Now on the market you can find both cheap options in the form of raw timber and high-quality analogues in the form of laminated veneer lumber.

Often, houses made from profile timber are produced with the involvement of special companies, and they arrive to the consumer in the form of a large wooden construction set. In this case, raw timber is practically not used due to the fact that there is a high chance of deformation of the erected buildings after drying. Manufacturers take this risk wooden houses usually they don't go.

Using dry or laminated timber is more practical. This material is made mainly from wood. coniferous species, which initially contains a certain amount of antiseptic substances.

Based on the opinion of experts, the following advantages of houses made of timber can be identified:

Thermal insulation. Standard profiled timber and its laminated veneer lumber are very good thermal insulation materials, which do not require additional finishing materials to insulate the room. Stacked in compliance with all necessary requirements wooden beam perfectly prevents the penetration of not only cold, but also moisture into the room.
Aesthetics. When making timber, its edges are cut as evenly as possible. Immediately after construction, the house will not require any finishing work, but it will look very presentable.
Safety. Fire retardants (special impregnations that reduce the possibility of wood ignition) are used in the production of timber. As a result, the material practically does not burn, and it is quite difficult to cause significant damage to it using fire. The tree is also impregnated with other substances that help the wood resist rot, fungi and various types insects

But, despite the large list of advantages, buildings made of timber also have their disadvantages.:

Shrinkage time. Any type of timber after the construction of a house must stand for some time without occupants. This period can take from 3 to 6 months, and in the case of raw material, even longer. This process is necessary for the shrinkage of the building.
Selection of material. Despite the fact that timber is a very popular material that can be purchased everywhere, it should be understood that its selection is a very responsible process. It is not always possible to independently determine the quality of raw materials, especially when it comes to the construction of permanent housing, where the durability of the house will depend on the quality of the timber used.

Pros and cons of frame buildings

Frame houses can be divided into buildings for seasonal living and those that are used all year round. The latter are called capital. For their construction they are often used Additional materials in the form of siding or trim natural stone, which increase the service life and make homes warmer.

Seasonal structures are erected using panels consisting of insulation and materials made from waste from the wood processing industry. They are additionally treated with substances that help the wood resist moisture and ultraviolet radiation. Such structures are often used as a summer house or cottage. It is uncomfortable to live in them in the autumn-winter period, because such housing has poor thermal insulation characteristics. In permanent buildings, this problem is solved by using panels made of denser materials. This applies to both wood and various insulation materials.

The advantages that can be highlighted in the material for frame houses:

construction time: frame houses do not require downtime and are erected almost instantly, the panels are quickly assembled into a single structure without additional adjustment;

frame: the base of the house can be built from a variety of materials, but the most popular are metal and wood.

cladding: a wide variety of materials can be used for the interior and exterior cladding or cladding of a home. different materials, making allowances only for the properties of the frame and its capabilities, thanks to this there is a chance to independently choose the design style of the house.

Unlike a wooden frame, metal structure maintains its integrity for a long time and does not change its physical properties.

The main disadvantage panel houses- this means that for its construction it is necessary to attract professionals. Especially when it comes to the construction of permanent housing. In addition, panels for frame houses are a rather rare building material. Usually it is made to order, because such a product can have various variations in terms of combining raw materials.

Cost of frame houses

Many people believe that frame house or a cottage is much cheaper than timber housing. To some extent, the statement is true. However, it should still be noted that there are practically no significant differences in the cost of a capital frame structure and a building made of timber.

If you make a comparison, you will indeed notice that laminated veneer lumber or even standard timber will be noticeably more expensive. However, a house built from panels does not require interior or exterior finishing. In addition, an all-season panel structure requires additional costs for the purchase of insulation and work aimed at increasing the level of waterproofing.

In this case, if we take the total costs of building both houses, we can calculate that their total cost will be almost the same. The only thing cheaper than a building made of timber is the construction of a frame summer house.

It should also be noted that financial investments in the construction of a frame house must be one-time, and the construction of housing from timber is carried out gradually, which makes it possible to finance it in parts. This, of course, does not make a timber building cheaper, but it significantly relieves the financial burden during construction.

Additional Analysis

Despite the fact that each material has its pros and cons, we can say that when choosing from two possible options, it is best to give preference to timber. This is due to the following factors:

Long service life of the timber. This is achieved thanks to the ability to replace damaged timber with a new one. Frame houses sometimes need to be almost completely disassembled for repair work. In addition, high-quality profiled timber is a solid material that is initially stronger than multi-component panels.
Facing. Houses made of timber can be left completely without cladding. However, their properties will not change. In the case of a frame structure, cladding or finishing is a necessary measure.

Before choosing a material for building a house, it is important to weigh all the positive and negative qualities, and only then start building housing.

Everyone who thought about building their own house asked the question: what to build it from? Nowadays there is a huge amount of building materials on the market, and new types are appearing every day. In this article we will try to understand two types of materials for building houses: frame and timber.

Comparison of the strength of frame and timber houses

It is safe to say that timber houses are more reliable than frame ones. There is an explanation for this. Frame houses are made of wood using various chemical treatments to protect the building.

Chemical compounds allow a frame house to last longer, but they are not able to protect against all factors environment. As a rule, frame houses are treated against mold, moisture and anti-fire preparations.

Sectional diagram of a frame house wall

Log houses are made from solid material, which itself has protective properties against environmental factors. The service life of frame houses is 25 - 30 years, after which the supporting structures will have to be replaced.

Log houses will stand quietly for more than 50 years. Modern technologies allow to increase service life timber houses up to 80 years: use of laminated wood, treatment against cracking.

The maximum service life of a frame house is 30 years.

Many people believe that these two types of houses differ in reliability, but this is true:

Let's summarize: if we compare these two types of houses from the point of view of strength and durability, then houses made of timber material are definitely in the lead here.

Cost comparison

Pricing of frame houses

Every owner is looking for a home option that will not only be warm and reliable, but also cost less than others. Let's look at what goes into pricing frame houses.

The calculation will be given for a house with an area of 46 m2:

The main advantage of a frame house is its low cost

Any home starts with a foundation. Nowadays, for a prefabricated house, you can install a strip foundation or a columnar one. A prefabricated house weighs less than a timber house, so it does not require a massive foundation. A columnar foundation consists of supports that are installed at a distance of two meters from each other. The larger and taller the house, the more foundations will be required. Such a foundation has an advantage: you can always get under the house and water will not accumulate there. This type of foundation is well suited for areas where it is difficult to remove water from the site where the house is being built. Strip foundation is a more classic and frequently used option, but it will also be more expensive. If a columnar foundation costs 30-50 thousand rubles, then a strip foundation starts at 50 thousand;
House frame. This is the main stage of construction. The frame consists of walls made of wood, internal and external decoration. It’s worth saying right away that to build a good frame house you need to use insulation. If the cost of constructing the frame is 100,000 rubles, then the same amount will have to be spent on insulation and interior decoration of the house. There are a great many options for insulation and finishing;
An important part of building a house is building the roof. For a prefabricated house being built wooden base which needs to be insulated and waterproofed. The roof can be covered with metal tiles or soft tiles tigola or shinglis. The cost of erecting a roof for a house is approximately 80 - 120 thousand rubles. The cheapest covering option is metal tiles - from 90 thousand rubles;
The outside of prefabricated houses is sheathed with cement-bonded particle boards, but the house cannot be left in this form. It is cheaper and more practical to cover it with siding. Now there is a wide variety of this material on the market: all colors, shapes and sizes are available. Vinyl (cheaper) siding for our house will cost 40 - 60 thousand rubles. If you want the house to look like a timber house, then you can use a block house to decorate the walls. This covering is made of natural wood and is quite easy to install. The cost of finishing is from 80 thousand rubles. Do not forget that wood is less durable than plastic. This coating will have to be painted and treated against mold;
Electrical wiring and water supply. We will specifically indicate this point, because work on lighting and supplying water to the house must be carried out before interior decoration. The minimum cost of work is 60 thousand rubles: if there is a well or well on the territory;
If you plan to heat the house, then the pipes are partially placed inside the walls. It is quite difficult to calculate the cost, since there are different types of heating: stove, boiler for wood, gas, water, fireplace;
Interior decoration of the house. Finishing begins with the construction of plasterboard walls. Then you can use any available material: wallpaper, tiles, plastic panels, wooden cladding.

Comparative characteristics frame houses at their cost, depending on the size

The most expensive thing in a frame house is the frame itself.

Pricing of timber houses

Pricing of timber houses has the following components:

The degree of complexity of constructing frame and timber houses

Frame houses consist of several layers:

internal lining;
frame;
vapor barriers;
thermal insulation;
waterproofing;
external cladding.

For each layer, it is necessary to select materials that are suitable for this area, will retain heat well, and protect the house from moisture and mold. If you build a house yourself, you will need special knowledge.

Log houses are installed using material and dowels. The process of building houses from timber is much faster than frame houses. Pre-cut parts will allow the building to be erected in two days.

An example of a two-story frame house project

If we talk about which house is better: frame or timber, according to the degree of complexity of construction timber house will take first place.

Architectural and structural parameters and their differences

Timber structures are excellent for standard-built houses. If you want an unusual roof, round kitchen and bay windows, then it is better to start construction from frame material.

Houses made of timber are more durable than frame houses

Of course, you can build a complex structure from timber, but you should understand that the price of such a house will be significantly higher than its analogue. The construction of a log house can be done with one assistant, without the involvement of a team: all the parts are signed and they need to be laid in accordance with the construction plan.

If we talk about which house is warmer, then there is no definite answer. The timber structure itself retains heat better than a frame sandwich. The use of high-quality insulating materials, good finishing and the presence of heating in a frame house will guarantee that it will be warm in the dead of winter.

We have already said that specific gravity There are fewer frame houses than timber houses. This means that you can move into frame houses almost immediately after construction, since they will have little shrinkage.

Finishing interior spaces can also be done almost immediately, but in a timber-framed room you should wait to decorate the walls, especially if you plan to install tiles or decorative plaster, and the laminate will lie flat if you wait for it to shrink.

Sample Project two-story house from timber

Another difference between a prefabricated house and a house made of timber is that a timber house can be erected in several stages: walls, roof, finishing inside. House frame type requires a one-time investment of money and completion of construction, since you cannot leave only the frame and vapor barrier for the winter, because you will have to do everything all over again.

If a frame house is planned for year-round use, then each layer of the house must be installed dry, and the building must be mothballed for the winter.

Environmental comparison parameters

In the modern world, almost any material for construction has the prefix “eco”. However, this name does not provide a guarantee of safety. If future residents have problems with allergies, then the house must be built from timber. Such a house will include minimal amount components that can cause allergies.

Rating various technologies building a house

To summarize, we can say that log houses have a number of advantages: attractive appearance, do not require finishing, are durable and reliable. Frame-type houses are lightweight, you can build any type of premises, the house can be finished with siding, wood, tiles and other materials, you can save on the foundation.

Houses made of timber are at least 2 times more durable than frame houses.

If you plan to build a classically built house with four corners and the right roof, then the use of timber in this case is advisable. Frame houses are suitable for the construction of any architectural ideas; it is easy to attach more buildings to them.

For a summer cottage, a frame house - The best decision. For year-round use, it is better to use timber. The construction of a building “for centuries” requires the use of timber.

Video

You can watch a video where experts will talk about the difference in the cost of frame and timber houses.

If previously getting an apartment in a high-rise building was the ultimate dream of many Russians living in the private sector, today the opposite trend is observed. Accordingly, the overall scale of construction of own houses is growing rapidly. This is also facilitated by the fact that in the construction industry technologies that have been successfully used for decades in other countries have become generally available and have begun to be widely used. Any future owner of the house, choosing its design, drawing up a project and calculating the amount necessary materials, tries to reduce costs as much as possible, but at the same time strives to obtain a high-quality, warm and durable structure.

It would seem that the spread of technology frame construction, which previously could not be considered traditional for our country, alleviated the severity of many problems. However, the practice of construction and operation has shown that the result, alas, does not always live up to expectations. And frame structures failed to displace the technology of building houses from timber. So the question of whether a frame house or a timber house is better still remains relevant, since both designs have their advantages and disadvantages. When choosing one of these options, you should take into account many nuances relating to the climatic conditions of the region of residence, the technology of building a house, and the comparative cost of projects.

It is necessary to immediately say that in both options the main construction material is timber. But the assembly of the walls of the house is carried out according to different technologies. In one case, the timber performs only load-bearing functions, in the other it becomes the only wall material.

Wooden houses have always been distinguished by their warmth, durability and strength. Subject to choice quality material, compliance with construction technology and subsequent operation rules, they can serve for many decades without needing major repairs.

The beam has the same basic characteristics as a log, while it compares favorably with a much simpler installation technology. This is due to the very shape of the material.

Today there are two types of timber on the construction market - solid and glued.

A solid beam is made from a log, from which, during the manufacturing process, rounded parts are cut to obtain the required square or rectangular section. This option is the most affordable material.

Glued laminated timber is assembled from well-dried and carefully processed and fitted lamella boards. Their number and thickness may vary.

If the manufacturing requirements of this material were met, then it is distinguished by high quality and aesthetic appearance. Glued laminated timber, unlike conventional sawn timber, turns out to be more durable, practically not causing deformation even in the worst conditions. favorable conditions operation. The advantages of laminated veneer lumber also include the absence of shrinkage of the material. Therefore, using it to build a house, finishing work can be done immediately upon completion of construction. According to these parameters, it is much more suitable for building a house.

However, laminated veneer lumber is quite expensive, since selected wood is usually used for its production. And the manufacturing technology itself is also quite expensive.

The highest quality is considered to be laminated timber made from different breeds wood Thus, the outer layers of timber are often assembled from larch, which is resistant to external influences, and the inner layers are made from pine, which has lower thermal conductivity.

Both solid and laminated timber can have smooth surfaces or profiled.

The profiled timber on its two opposite faces is given a rather complex relief, which can vary in depth and shape. But in any case, it is designed for strong joining of parts according to the “tenon-ridge” principle, which increases the overall strength of the walls, simplifies installation, and eliminates cold bridges, especially when correct use high-quality interventional insulation.

Several popular profile types are shown in the illustration below. In fact, their diversity is much wider.

The walls of cobblestone houses are built from profiled timber. And for the construction of frame structures, lumber with a regular rectangular or square cross-section is used.

Design features of cobblestone and frame houses

To decide on the choice of design, you need to know what each of them represents. Therefore, their features will be discussed in this section.

Cobblestone log house

Some general construction nuances

A house made of timber is built using approximately the same technology as a log house. And, in fact, it is modernized design of traditional chopped huts For its construction, glued profiled or ordinary timber can be used.

If the house is being built for permanent residence, then the cross-sectional size of the beam must be at least 200×200 mm. This means that, most likely, you will have to purchase laminated veneer lumber, since it is quite difficult to purchase a high-quality batch of solid timber with such parameters.

For dacha summer buildings, a lumber size of 100×100 or 150×150 mm in cross-section is suitable. If a beam of this size is chosen for a permanent structure, the walls will need to be insulated. Mineral wool is most often used for this purpose.

The peculiarity of a log house built from ordinary sawn material is its very considerable and long-term shrinkage, which can last up to a year. Therefore, the installation of windows and doors in the openings, as well as wall insulation and external finishing will have to be postponed until the walls have reached their final stable position.

Many craftsmen, when constructing a log house, do not make window and door openings at all until the walls have completely settled, in order to avoid their deformation. In this case, a small door is cut out, simply to allow entry into the building. Well, after shrinkage, the opening is cut to the required size. The remaining openings for installing windows are only marked and cut out after the house is ready for finishing.

In another option, an example of which is shown in the illustration, all openings are temporarily fastened with a solid beam, which will prevent them from deforming. After the structure shrinks, the lintel beams are cut to the width of the openings.

Connecting parts when building a log house

When choosing one type of timber for building a house, you need to know how it is joined at the corners of the house and, if necessary, its extension, that is, decide on the choice of connections.

Information about this should be obtained in advance so that the complexity of the work can be assessed. The joining of timber may differ from the connection used in the construction of a log house, since, unlike the latter, it has been developed more options installation

There are two types of basic types of compounds - “in the cup” (with residue) and “in the paw” (without residue). But, in turn, each of them is divided into several varieties:

Joining at the corners “into a cup” can be done in several ways, but the most popular of them are “in the okhryak”, “in the fat tail” and a simple connection “in half a tree”:

— Most often, a simple “half-tree” connection is used, when the cutout on the beam is made on one side. This docking method is the most popular due to the maximum simplicity of its implementation.

— “In the tail” is a rather difficult connection to make, since a kind of tenon is formed in the main cutout, and a groove for it is cut on the other side of the beam. Similar method docking ensures effective thermal insulation in the corners. But it will require good carpentry skills.

— The connection “in the okhryap” guarantees a rigid and durable joining of the elements wooden structure. It is used quite often in both cobblestone and log buildings.

When connecting using a method without a residue, that is, without the beam protruding beyond the main surface of the wall, there are more options for joining wooden elements. The most commonly used ones are shown in the diagram below:

- “On the main tenon” - this method involves cutting out a protrusion-tenon on one joined beam from the end, and on the other, on its inner side, a groove corresponding in size to the tenon. Additionally, the joined elements are fixed with wooden dowels driven into the corner part, as well as along the entire length of the beam in increments of 350÷400 mm.

- “On a plug-in tenon.” In this case, grooves are cut in one beam at the end and in the other on the side so that when joined, the holes coincide with each other. After which, a tenon is cut out, corresponding in size to the two combined grooves. After laying the mating parts, this spike is driven into the formed channel. Additionally, the timber is fastened with dowels laid previously along its entire length.

- “Half-wood with an insert tenon” - this joining option involves cutting the ends of each of the beams at the same distance from the edge and half their thickness. Additionally, grooves are cut from the edges of the joined part of the beam, which must also align. After laying the wall parts in place, a tenon is driven into the grooves. Along the entire length of the timber they are also driven in wooden dowels.

— “In the paw” - this connection has the simplest cutout on the end side of the beam. It is somewhat reminiscent of the cut that is made when forming a “half-tree” joint, but differs in that it is performed at an angle. On the lower beam, the slope is formed from the edge of its end, and on the upper beam, from the inner side to the outer. That is, when they are connected in a corner, the slices should be pressed tightly against each other, and the direction of the resulting vector of forces ensures the strength of the created corner unit.

Whatever option for cutting the timber is chosen, the surfaces of the cutouts, as well as tenons and grooves, must be perfectly flat and smooth. Otherwise, high-quality joining of parts may not work out, or gaps will form that will reduce the thermal insulation qualities of the wooden wall.

Advantages and disadvantages of cobblestone construction

If you choose a cobblestone structure for a house, you need to know not only about its advantages. Information about shortcomings is also very important, since they also exist and may well come as a surprise to the owners of the building during the construction of the house and its subsequent operation.

TO benefits The following characteristic features of a cobblestone house include:

Timber is a natural material, and if the optimal thickness for local conditions is selected for building a house, additional insulation in the form of mineral wool will not be required. Therefore, the house will be an environmentally friendly structure. In addition, it is important to choose a high-quality sealant for the roof, for example, based on natural felt or flax fibers, which interact well with wood and are also environmentally friendly materials.

What materials are used for interventional insulation?
The disadvantages of building a cobblestone house include the following:
The large massiveness of each part does not allow you to install the walls of a block house yourself. For construction work Helpers will definitely be needed, and sometimes you can’t do without special lifting equipment.
A rather long period of shrinkage does not allow us to begin finishing and operating the house immediately after its construction.
Walls made of timber with a small thickness will require additional insulation, and therefore subsequent decorative cladding with clapboard or block house. Therefore, if you plan to save on timber, you will have to pay for additional materials.
If you choose laminated veneer lumber for construction, you should know that it will cost several times more than regular timber. But its advantage is that the material practically does not shrink, so finishing works You can start immediately after building the house.

Even laminated veneer lumber can be of poor quality, which will manifest itself after a certain time. This may manifest itself on its end sides in the form of unsticking lamella boards and their cracking under the influence of external natural influences.
In case of violation of installation technology ordinary timber, as well as due to neglect of the need to treat its surfaces and ends with special compounds, deformation or cracking of the wood along the fibers may occur.

Frame construction houses
Frame construction in last years became an alternative to building houses from timber. Frame buildings have a considerable number positive qualities However, they also have their own very serious shortcomings. In order to understand the features of such structures, it is necessary to consider them in more detail.
There are several types of frame buildings that differ in the principles of assembly and use various materials. You need to know what to do right choice in favor of a specific frame, you can significantly save money, reduce construction time and save your own strength.
There are four main types of frame structures - frame, continuous, frame-panel or panel and half-timbered or post-beam. In some cases, when building a frame house, several of the above options are used simultaneously. However, the construction of any type of frame is carried out from ordinary timber, which may have different size in cross section. This parameter of the material depends, as a rule, on the massiveness of the structure being created - after all, it is the beam that bears the load-bearing functions.
Frame frame construction
The frame structure is also called pallet or platform, “American” or “Canadian”. The last two names apparently came from the “founders” of such construction technology, while the first are based on the principles of installation work.
The pallet construction method is based on the principle of erecting walls on a platform or on a pallet. Moreover, it does not really matter what material is used and how the base is formed.
On the formed basis, for example, on one of the types of foundations, frame wall structures are mounted. They are raised, leveled, fastened and tied together with boards. After that, the top trim is made and the floor platform is installed.
The advantage of this construction method is the ability to carry out construction independently, without the involvement of assistants. This factor is especially important if it is decided to build the house alone, saving on a construction crew.
Further, installed frame The walls are filled with insulating material. Most often, mineral is chosen for this purpose. stone wool, which is covered from the outside with a windproof waterproofing membrane, and then sheathed with wooden lining, siding, ventilated facades are installed, or another material is selected.
From the inside, for wall cladding, moisture- and heat-resistant plasterboard, marked GKLVO, can be used, on which it is mounted decorative finishing. Drywall, just like timber, is an environmentally friendly material. It is a good basis for any type of finishing and creates a certain protection of premises from the emission of binders (formaldehyde resins) that make up mineral wool.
It should be noted that today insulation materials made from environmentally friendly raw materials have appeared on the market. For example, these are mats made of flax fiber, which perfectly resist external influences, are “breathable” and have a low thermal conductivity coefficient. However, the cost of such material is significantly higher than mineral wool.
Continuous frame structure
This structure is called continuous because to create the frame of the walls, a solid beam is used, going from the base of the house right up to its ridge and forming the pediment of the building.
This type of frame is well suited in cases where you not only need to save on building material, but also speed up the construction of the house. In addition, a continuous frame is perfect for building a two-story house, or one with attic room, the total height of which corresponds to lumber standards,which are 6000 and 4500 mm. If a house with an attic is being built, where the ceiling height of the first floor is 2500 mm, the attic is 1800 mm and the floor thickness is 200 mm, a beam with a length of 4500 mm is ideal.
If this type of frame is chosen, then it is necessary to ensure very reliable fastening of the floor beams, since they will not only serve as lags for arranging the floors of the second floor, but also as a strapping that holds all the elements together into a single structure. In addition, they will absorb the load, preventing possible deformation of the racks that form the frame of the walls.
When choosing timber for a continuous frame, it is necessary Special attention pay attention to its quality, or use only laminated veneer lumber from a trusted manufacturer for its construction. Naturally, special attention is paid to the verticality of the frame posts and the horizontality of the beams, strict adherence to all dimensions in accordance with the project.
It will not be possible to build a house using the continuous frame principle alone. The work will require at least two assistants, and it is advisable that they have experience in the construction of frame structures.
The frame is sheathed according to the same scheme as in the frame structure described above.
Panel or frame-panel house
This type of construction allows you to build a house in a very short time and is perhaps the most technologically advanced of all types of frame structures.
The frame-panel method of assembling houses is not new at all for Russia. Back in Soviet times, it was used for the rapid construction so-called " Finnish houses» . However, those panel-assembled buildings often did not meet the requirements for effective thermal insulation, so many owners decided to clad them with brickwork. This method of additional insulation significantly increased the level of comfort of living in such buildings.
Today frame-panel houses assembled from SIP panels, which, having standard thickness from 124 to 224 mm, have higher thermal insulation abilities than Brick wall half a meter thick.
What is a SIP panel? For the manufacture of such large mounting parts, OSB sheets of different thicknesses are used, between which there is a insulation material- this can be polystyrene foam or polyurethane foam, as well as mineral stone wool.
SIP panels are often made to order according to a pre-developed house project. That is, using this technology, ready-made parts of the building walls are made, which are assembled on a prepared fundamental basis, into a single structure.
There are also separate panels from which the walls of the house are built. Such slabs are connected through a beam installed between them, the fastening parts are self-tapping screws, and the additional seal is polyurethane foam. Individual panels are most often mounted into a finished frame made of timber. That is, builders get rid of several stages of work, such as external cladding frame with OSB sheets, laying insulation and interior lining, since all these materials are combined in SIP panels and installed at the same time.
When using separate slabs, their installation can be done by two or three people. If the elements of a house from this material are made to order according to a project, and are ready-made walls with windows and doorways, then its assembly will require not only assistants, but also specialized lifting equipment.
If the rooms in the house have small area, that is, the spans between the walls are small, then ready-made SIP panels can also be used as a ceiling. In addition, slabs are also used to form a floor platform, provided that a reliable monolithic foundation is installed.
The advantages of this type of frame construction include the short construction time of the building. The disadvantage is the high cost of factory-made panels.
What to do with facade finishing houses from SIP panels?
It is quite clear that no one wants to leave the “boring” appearance of OSB boards on the facade. Therefore, home owners try to decorate the walls, giving them additional protection from external natural influences. One of the options - house cladding from SIP panels ceramic bricks , and one of the regular readers of our portal shares relevant experience.

The post-and-beam frame assembly method is often called “German”, since in Germany quite a few private houses are built using exactly this technology. Its other name is half-timbered. This method of constructing frame houses can be considered the most traditional, since it has been used in construction for decades.
The frame of the walls in this case is assembled from massive beams with a cross-section of 150×150 or 200×200 mm and powerful floor beams. Sometimes boards with a cross section of 150÷100 or 200×100 mm are used to form the frame, where a larger figure will determine the thickness of the walls.
The main vertical and horizontal elements of the frame are additionally strengthened with jibs. Traditionally, all structural parts are fastened together using a tie-in method, resulting in a strong and reliable frame.
However, in Lately Increasingly, metal corners and plates are used to fix structural elements together, so assembling the frame is much more expensive. The advantage of this approach in ensuring the connection of parts is faster construction of the structure.
To insulate half-timbered frames in its traditional version, they use clay-straw blocks that fill the space between the beams. True, these days not many home owners use this material as insulation, since its production must be done independently, but this is enoughlabor-intensive a procedure that requires quite a lot of time. But blocks made of clay mixed with chopped straw have very low thermal conductivity, and a house insulated in this way turns out to be very comfortable.
A wall thickness of 200 mm is suitable for the construction of houses being built in the southern and central regions of the country. If construction is carried out in areas with very low winter temperatures, the amount of insulation will have to be increased. Therefore, for this purpose it was developed special design frame, which is called “Russian half-timbered timber”.
The design details are shown in the diagram with digital symbols:
1 - Bearing main beam - man.
2 - Racks of the external front contour of the frame.
3 - Bottom trim.
4 - Upper trim.
5 - Crossbar or board.
6 - Jib, increasing the rigidity of the structure.
7 - Vertical stand internal contour.
8 - Crossbar connecting the outer and inner contours.
9 - Strapping beam of the internal contour.
To insulate this structure, a special material is used - rufalit, which is used to fill the internal space of the frame layer by layer.
Rufalit is a gypsum-based mixture enriched with silicon modifiers and organic fillers, most often chopped straw. Thanks to this composition, the result is a “breathable”, environmentally friendly material with antiseptic and high thermal insulation properties.
Before pouring the mortar prepared from a dry mixture, the frame is sheathed with temporary removable formwork, which is covered waterproofing material. After the poured mixture has hardened, the formwork is removed. The result of the work done will be a smooth, warm wall. It can be sheathed decorative material or plaster. When choosing lining or siding as cladding, wooden frame the wall will serve as a lathing to secure this material. However, to prevent wood from becoming a kind of cold bridge, everything wooden elements located on the outside will need to be additionally insulated.
Any frame option construction of a building, in contrast to a block structure, gives more ample opportunities use of various materials. You can choose the most suitable methods for carrying out installation work, depending on the budget of the future owner of the house.
Making comparisons
Now, having understood in general terms what frame and timber structures of buildings are, and already having a rough idea of how much work needs to be done in a given case, we can sum up the results by highlighting and comparing their characteristics.
Difficulty of carrying out work
Cobblestone house , especially if it is built from profiled material, it is easier to build. Moreover, this process does not require any special skills; it is enough to act in accordance with the developed project. The difficulty lies only in the large weight of the beam, so you won’t be able to do it without an assistant - you won’t be able to lift the beam to a height on your own.
True, all this is true if the purchased construction kit has the necessary parts for corner connections. Otherwise, there is no way to do it without good carpentry skills.
Frame construction . In this case, the level of complexity will depend on the choice of frame type. The simplest of them is the panel design, but installation work will require specialized equipment. Other types of frames, compared to the construction of a log house, are more difficult to install and require precise calculations, as they consist of numerous parts that must be correctly connected and interact with each other.
However, most frames can be assembled alone, but this process will take a lot of time.
The strength of the created structure and the duration of its operation
The durability and strength of both one and the other design directly depend on several factors:
The quality of the selected material.
Correctly carried out calculations.
Scrupulous adherence to construction installation technology.

If all these conditions are met, then you can rely on documents regulating the duration of operation of buildings. So, according to STO 00044807—001-2006 clause 6, table No. 2 service life log buildings from their construction to overhaul, is 50 years, and panel board and frame walls- 20 years. That is, a clear win for the cobblestone house!
Cobblestone house more durable and resistant to wind loads due to its massiveness. Fully wooden walls When properly processed, they will be more resistant to external influences.
Frame construction . The strength of a frame house depends on the thickness of the timber and its quality, as well as on the installation work. To ensure the maximum possible durability of frame buildings, it is necessary to protect their external surfaces from the effects of aggressive natural factors. That is, external finishing will be required.

Environmental qualities of buildings
A building constructed from ordinary timber can be called completely “environmentally friendly”. However, during construction, both one and the other structure may use materials that do not fully meet environmental requirements. To get the desired result, you need to choose only natural materials for building a house.
Cobblestone house . If a house is being built from laminated veneer lumber, then it must be remembered that during its manufacture, chemical compounds are used for antiseptic treatment, and adhesives of various origins are used for gluing boards. So this question should be clarified when purchasing the material - how “clean” it is, but whether dangerous emissions, for example, formaldehyde, are expected.

If the construction is made from ordinary timber, then it is recommended that the insulation and cladding of the walls be made exclusively with natural materials. Only in this case can you achieve an ideal result, getting an environmentally friendly home.
Frame construction. It is more difficult to achieve “complete cleanliness” of the structure in this case, since the frame is usually sheathed with one of the types of plywood or OSB sheets, in the production of which formaldehyde-based compounds are most often used. Instead of plywood, you can use moisture-resistant plasterboard or other modern sheet material on natural basis, covering it from the outside with a waterproofing windproof membrane. And as insulation, use not mineral wool, which still contains the same formaldehyde resins, but linen, wool, cork insulation, or cellulose ecowool pressed into mats.

From the above we can conclude that both one and the other design can be environmentally friendly when used natural materials, the choice of which depends on the desires and capabilities of the future owner of the house.
Maintenance costs
Maintenance costs depend on the frequency and complexity of preventive and routine repairs. One of the most important factors, on which the need for regular intervention depends, is the protection of the external surfaces of the structure both from negative atmospheric influences and from biological damage.
House built from timber with a cross section of 200×200 mm, as a rule, it is not lined both outside and inside. Therefore, if there is no initial high-quality treatment of wood with antiseptic agents, then the risk of it being damaged by fungus or wood-boring insects is quite high. And in order to protect a structure from insects, antiseptic treatment alone is often not enough. It is necessary to seal all inter-crown joints between the beams with a special sealant.
Frame construction subject to construction and subsequent finishing technologies, it is protected from external influences of moisture, ultraviolet radiation, wind and dust, as well as from water vapor concentrated indoors. However, a frame structure that is closed on both sides is much more difficult to monitor for damage and damage, in contrast to walls built from timber that are always open.

Due to the fact that for interior and exterior decoration frame structure are used modern materials, less susceptible to biological influences, its maintenance costs will be significantly lower. Again, when answering this question, you should take into account the quality of installation and cladding work.
From these characteristics we can conclude that a high-quality frame structure will require less preventive and repair work than a cobblestone house. But let us not forget that its theoretical age is almost half as long.
Thermal insulation qualities of walls
Another question that affects the comfort of living in a house, as well as the cost of its full heating, is how warm it is.
As is known, wood has quite low thermal conductivity, and this quality of it, is cited as the main argument in favor of the paving structure. You can estimate how warm a house will be by finding out the characteristics of a particular material.
Thus, the thermal conductivity coefficient of pine, which is most often chosen for building houses, is 0.1 W/m×˚С, and that of mineral wool is 0.04 W/m×˚С. That is, the thermal insulation characteristics of insulation are almost twice as high as those of wood.
Simple calculations show that the wall of a frame house covered with OSB and insulated mineral wool, retains heat much more effectively in paving than when laid out of timber. This means that a frame house, built in accordance with the technology, will be more than twice as warm as a non-insulated cobblestone house with the same wall thickness, say, 200 mm.
In addition, the frame structure allows you to equip the wall with insulation of any thickness, which is difficult to do in a cobblestone structure.
Fire safety
In both frame and timber structures, the main material is wood, which belongs to the highest flammability group - G 4. Based on this, it becomes clear that both options are potentially fire hazardous.
Unlike a cobblestone structure, it is easier to protect a frame structure from rapid fire by choosing non-flammable insulation and covering the walls with a material with low flammability and the ability to prevent the spread of fire.
Walls built from timber can be protected only soaking them in fire retardant solutions. Moreover, this process is recommended to be carried out every 2–3 years, depending on the product used for this purpose, since the coating loses its protective qualities under the influence of wind, sun and moisture. But it does not guarantee complete protection against fire under the influence of an open flame.
Construction cost
When determining which design is better and more profitable, there is no way to avoid the issue of construction cost. And this is quite understandable - the financial factor can radically influence the choice of one or another option.
Of course, it is impossible to determine the exact cost of the house being built, since it consists of its design features. However, you can try to make an estimate based on the number of items of required materials. Due to the fact that frame and timber houses have the same roof structure, its cost will also not differ, but the walls will require different materials and their quantities.
The list of materials needed to build a log house includes:
The beam has a cross-sectional size of 200×200 mm, the quantity of which will depend on the area of the walls of the house.
Inter-crown insulation laid between the beams of the walls.
Antiseptic solution to protect wood.
Wood varnish for external use.

To build a frame house, the list of required materials is somewhat larger and consists of the following items:
Timber for the construction of the frame - it will require 12÷15% of the total area of the walls.
Insulation material - 85÷88% of the wall area.
External cladding, which is most often used OSB sheets with a thickness of 10÷12 mm.
Internal lining - this can be wooden lining, drywall, etc.
Facing facade material chosen according to the taste of the home owner - ventilated facade, brickwork, ceramic facade tiles etc .
Vapor barrier and waterproofing membrane.
For interior decoration you will need putty, plaster, paint, wallpaper, ceramic tile and etc.

Having studied the presented lists of basic materials, without taking into account fasteners, you can see that a log house will require more wood and less finishing materials. For frame structure will require significantly less natural wooden parts, but a lot of other materials will need to be prepared. Moreover, additional materials in the total volume will most likely cost no less than wooden beams.
Based on the list of necessary materials for the construction of walls, it is easy to imagine the number of diverse stages of work that will need to be done, bringing the walls to full readiness. From which it is clear that building a frame house is a more labor-intensive and lengthy process.
Now, having received information about the features of designs, their advantages and disadvantages, it will be easier to make the right choice. You can find out the cost of materials in your region of residence and proceed to calculations, focusing on the expected plan for your future possessions. Then the picture will become even clearer.
At the end of the publication, there is an interesting video in which the author shares his vision of the advantages and disadvantages of frame and timber houses.
Video: Comparison of timber and frame houses in terms of wall thickness and their thermal insulation qualities