The construction market is full of materials for building a house, but ordinary log houses are becoming popular again. The possibilities of wood processing, the environmental friendliness of the material, its thermal conductivity make it the best choice. While maintaining the technology of building a house and selecting the material in the home, there will always be comfortable humidity and temperature, the natural secretions of wood in the form of resin are only useful for humans.
Log houses fit perfectly into the natural landscape, look natural and peaceful, and ready-made projects will satisfy even the most sophisticated taste.
Select tree
First of all, it is worth deciding what type of log the house will be built from. The construction of log houses in Russia is gaining momentum, and round logs are a popular material in our time. It is machined, takes the ideal shape and is assembled like a designer. It takes a little time to build, such material almost does not shrink, but during processing the logs are removed from the most durable layer - sapwood, and the surface is impregnated with antiseptics and various strengthening solutions.
A hand-cut log, or "wild" log, will require a lot of time to process. Construction is best done during the winter months when the humidity is constant. The construction will take up to 6 months, since each log must be adjusted individually, then the house will shrink for another year. Only after that you can start inserting windows and doing finishing work.
Log houses are also made of glued beams. Such material is not available in all regions of Russia, but it is possible to build houses of any shape from it. The tree has already been processed, and there is no need to wait for shrinkage.
The tree itself should be selected from coniferous species: pines and spruces are more convenient to process and, due to the large amount of resin, are resistant to moisture and last longer. It is desirable that the tree be grown in the same area where the house is being built - this way the natural humidity will not change and the tree will shrink less.
It is also worth considering that the logs are of a uniform yellow or dark yellow color, the cut is even, without resin pockets and visible defects. End cracks should not penetrate deeper than a third of the log diameter.
Preparing the base
The site for the future home must be prepared and before that, determine the type of foundation. Log houses do not have a lot of weight and do not require a strong foundation. Basically, a concrete strip foundation is used, buried to the freezing depth, there is also a foundation option on concrete or screw piles.
If you want to save time, nerves and money,seek advice from a builder who understands what log houses are. Ready-made projects are easy to find, they already calculate the amount of material and costs - this will also save time.
First, you need to remove the plant layer to a depth of 15-30 cm. Level the area. If you choose screw piles, then no more excavation is required, a trench is needed for the strip foundation, and wells for the piles.
The foundation on screw piles is simpler and cheaper, but in terms of reliability it is much inferior to its competitors, although log houses are often built with their use. The photo clearly shows this option.
For concrete piles and strip foundations, gravel and sand are poured, a reinforcing cage is installed and concrete is poured. A vibrator is needed to compact the mixture, and in general it is worth observing the concrete laying technology for the long life of the foundation.
To protect the future house from groundwater, it is necessary to perform vertical waterproofing of the foundation, for example, coating, and horizontal. Roofing material or any of its analogues is laid on the upper edge of the foundation, which rises 30-50 cm above ground level.
Mount options
The main task in the construction of a log house is the issue of fastening the walls to each other, as well as lengthening the logs. There are several mounting options. And all of them are used when log houses are being built. The photo shows one of them.
To save material, logs are fixed so thatthat they do not protrude beyond the wall. However, this raises the problem of additional protection of nodes, because the remains in the connections play the role of a protective buffer. They absorb changes in humidity and protect the corner nodes. To lengthen the logs, they are overlapped.
The most common options for connecting logs to each other are a simple bowl, comb and fat tail. When building from logs, a simple bowl connection is used, it is the simplest in execution, but a comb and fat tail reduce the likelihood of cold bridges.
To fasten logs along the crown, dowels are used - this is a rod made of metal or wood. He fastens two crowns together. It is better if the dowel is made from the same wood as the log houses. Projects include precise location of pin holes and other types of fasteners.
Required set of tools
If you decide to build a log house with your own hands, then you should prepare. A good tool is the key to quality work! To build a wooden house, you will need some tools. A small carpenter's ax will be very handy for cutting knots, fitting parts and connections. A hand saw is required by default: what else to cut a tree with? With a large amount of work, it is better to get an electric or chainsaw as well. An electric drill is useful for drilling holes for dowels. A tool for marking cuts in knots - a “line”, or a scriber. You also need a small hammer, and preferably a mallet for driving pins. A chisel will also not be superfluous if the insulation during layingthe logs will shift and will need to be put back in place. Sometimes a construction stapler is used to fix the insulation.
Do not forget about the level, as it is worth checking the horizontality of the crowns every time.
Building walls
We already have a foundation, it's time to raise the walls. Logs cannot be laid immediately; to distribute the load, a coniferous board is laid under the first crown, sometimes a beam 50-100 mm thick with a width of up to 150 mm is used. Next, the assembly of the frame begins. The first logs are stacked from opposite walls, then the other two. The groove and recesses of the bowl are filled with insulation (moss, tow, jute, etc.). They try to keep the insulation hanging on both sides by several centimeters. Then the crowns are laid out in the same order as the first. It is necessary to observe 90 degrees. between the logs and control the horizontality of the entire structure.
Two crowns are fixed with dowels between themselves (the hole for them is drilled with a slightly smaller diameter than the dowels themselves) and hammered to a slightly smaller depth than the hole, so that there is free play during shrinkage. Pins are hammered in a checkerboard pattern and always in corner joints.
Roof installation
The next stage of construction is the installation of the truss system. Beams are mounted in the upper crown. If necessary, lay the Mauerlat. The rafter legs themselves are installed in increments of 600 mm. The ridge analogue is connected with metal studs. Sliding supports are used to securely fix the structure to the upper crown. The crate is placed depending on the roofing used.
After that, the walls are caulked, sealing up all the cracks. Log houses are left alone for one year to shrink, after which they are caulked again. Only now door and window blocks are inserted, since the tree shrinks up to 12%, then with early installation they could simply be broken.
Log home decoration
After shrinkage and connection of all networks, it's time to start finishing work. Log houses, like any other, can be sheathed with siding, sewn up with plaster or other material. There is only one limitation: do not use airtight materials, films as finishes, as wood is very sensitive to changes in humidity and ventilation conditions.
Just don't rush to completely sew up the walls. Properly processed, they look very colorful and do not lose color over the years.
Operating Rules
Like any other structure, a tree needs to be looked after. Organize a drain so that water falls less on the walls, at the first sign of the appearance of bark beetles, treat the tree with insecticides. It is recommended to caulk all the cracks again after a year of operation. It is better to identify and eliminate small minor defects at the inception stage than to redo entire sections of the house later.
