Owners of suburban real estate often think about how to make an extension to a country house without seeking help from construction companies. Such a structure allows you to expand the functional space of the building, and it is not so important whether it will be open or completely closed. With the independent construction of the structure, it becomes possible to reduce the amount of expenses in the estimate.
Plan early
Before an extension to the country house is made, the purpose of the future premises must be clearly defined. For example, an ordinary glazed veranda can be used as a place to relax or a summer workshop. In the cold season, it will additionally protect the interior of the building from the penetration of cold. In an insulated structure, you can organize an additional room, create a winter garden or utility room.
Having decided on the functions that the structure will perform, you can proceed directly to the design. Necessarytake into account the dimensions of the future structure, soil features, location. The climatic zone and the direction of the world, from which the extension to the country house will be located, should also be taken into account. Photos of other objects will help determine the design.
Basic building materials should be selected taking into account many factors, but do not forget about external data. The attached structure should be successfully combined with the summer house. For example, if a tree was used in the construction of a country house, then it is better to use it for the veranda. Although some materials can be successfully combined.
On the advantages and disadvantages of wall materials
When a veranda is added to a country house, not all developers can quickly answer what they are going to make walls from. In fact, there are not so many options. Most often, the choice comes down to just a few popular materials, the pros and cons of which are discussed below.
- Wood is the most popular, so there are no difficulties in processing it. Its cost is low, but the material requires a special approach to protection against decay. The elements used (beams, logs, boards) must be treated with antiseptics to increase the operational period.
- Brick has high strength, but low thermal insulation characteristics. For residential premises, it is often necessary to build walls with a thickness of 50 cm or more. In addition, massive foundations must be laid under brick buildings.
- Lightweight concrete blocks have recently become popular, as they allow achieving acceptable thermal insulation performance. However, they are noticeably inferior in strength to brick. Of these, extensions to the country house are often erected. Projects of such buildings are simple.
- Polycarbonate is suitable for creating rooms that are operated exclusively in the warm season. It is usually attached to a metal or wooden frame. The main advantage of such structures is lightness, so there is no need for a massive base. Ordinary glass can be used as an alternative to polycarbonate.
Traditional shape or bay window?
At the preparatory stage, you will have to choose the configuration of the building. It is necessary to imagine what the extension to the country house will look like. It is better to find a photo for a visual aid in advance, if necessary. Looking at it, you can understand what to strive for in the future.
The traditional form of the building allows for more efficient use of space, but bay windows are more aesthetically pleasing. Most often they have from 3 to 5 side faces. As for the design of the bay space, it largely depends on the layout of the entire territory of the dwelling. The architectural ledge design can easily be used as a dining room or conservatory.
Features of the device of various bases
Before the veranda is added to the country house with your own hands, it is necessary to assess the soil, and then choose the right type of foundation. Atplanning should also take into account the mass of the future design. Below are the features of the main types of bases.
| Foundation type | Pros and cons | Features of construction |
| Tape |
Internal space is protected from the cold, bearing capacity allows you to carry high loads. At the same time, the consumption of materials used is quite large. |
Trenches are dug along the perimeter and under load-bearing walls, the width of which should exceed the thickness of the walls. Sand is laid on the bottom. A formwork is arranged on top, into which concrete is poured. |
| Columnar | It is economically advantageous, since the supports are created at a decent distance from each other. However, it is not suitable for heavy buildings. | Most often, reinforced concrete blocks are stacked in level at the same distance from each other. Strapping bars are placed directly on them. |
| Pile | Ideal for soft ground areas. To improve the bearing capacity, it is recommended to connect the elements to each other with transverse profiles. | Piles are installed according to the same principle as the supports of a columnar base. The distance between the elements depends on the selected section of the load-bearing beams. |
When erecting strip foundations in prepared trenches,be sure to fill up a layer of sand 10-15 cm. Waterproofing material should be laid on it, and then poured. The base will gain full strength only after 28 days, when the concrete is completely dry.
Building walls using frame technology
When constructing side surfaces, you can choose an economical, but at the same time quite acceptable option in terms of thermal insulation characteristics. Knowing how to make a frame extension to a country house will help the developer not only reduce costs, but also reduce the time frame.
Most often, the frame is made of bars with a section of 100 x 50 or 150 x 50 mm. First, the planks located around the perimeter are connected. After the diagonal is drawn out, the inner part of the frame is filled with racks in increments of no more than 40-50 cm. Reinforced bars can be installed under the door and window openings.
After installing the finished frames around the perimeter, the outer part is covered with waterproofing and sheathed with a suitable material. For decoration, wooden lining or siding can be used. After the roof is erected, thermal insulation is laid between the racks. It is closed with a vapor barrier film and sheathed with facing material.
It is recommended to insulate the frame extension to the country house with mineral wool, as it densely fills the space between the bars. When using foam, in any case, gaps remain through which cold air will enter the room.
Laying log wallsor timber
Solid wood elements can be used as main materials. These include beams and logs. It should be noted the relatively simple technology of installing such an extension to a country house. With your own hands, you can assemble it in a short time.
Logs and beams are stacked on top of each other during work. Special locks in the form of a dovetail are arranged at the corners. They are connected to each other by means of pins, which are wooden rods that have a rounded shape. Special holes are drilled for them.
Modern technologies make it possible to produce perfectly shaped logs and beams, therefore, when purchasing such products, additional finishing may not be carried out. It is enough to treat the surface of the elements with protective and decorative compounds.
Masonry brick walls
Much more serious should be approached the situation if the extension of the veranda to the country house will be carried out using bricks. The material is heavy, so you can not do without a powerful base. In addition, the masonry process itself is quite laborious and complex.
The thickness of the future walls is selected taking into account the climatic features and the purpose of the room. The number of rows of stacked elements will depend on it. Most often, laying is carried out in one and a half or two bricks. Products are arranged according to a special pattern, bandaging each other. This method of laying makes it possible to correctly distribute the load over the entire surface of the wall.
Cement-sand mortar in proportion. The ratio of cement to filler is usually 1 to 3. With the help of a metal corner, the corner bricks are first leveled, after which the remaining elements are laid along the line.
Using Wall Blocks
There is a less time-consuming way compared to bricks. It consists in the use of foam concrete blocks. The products are light in weight and relatively large in size, which allows you to work faster. Instead of a cement-sand mixture, you can use special adhesives.
Blocks are laid in the same way as bricks, but every 3-4 rows reinforcement is made with metal rods. For steel elements, special grooves are cut with a grinder. Reinforcing rods are inserted into them.
Polycarbonate sidewalls
The simplest option is to add a terrace to a country house. For it, you can use polycarbonate sheets. Of these, a structure is easily created to protect against wind and precipitation. The material can be attached to a metal and wooden frame.
When installing cellular polycarbonate, certain rules should be followed:
- stiffening ribs should be vertical so that condensate does not linger inside;
- diameter of holes for fixing sheets must be made 1 mm larger than the cross-section of fasteners;
- connection of elements is best done using one-piece panels;
- the bottom ends are sealed with perforated tape, and the top with regular tape.
Roof and roofing
An extension being built to a country house can have a shed or gable roof. In the first case, the rafters are laid with a slope down from the walls of the capital structure. With one side, they rest on the outer wall, and on the other, on a bar attached to the side surface of the building. In the second case, the rafter legs are connected at the top. The bottom sides should lie on the side walls.
Rafters are installed in increments of 40-50 mm. A crate of edged board is attached directly to them. It is produced along the edges for the device of the cornice part. The distance between the elements depends on the roofing material used. For some coatings, a continuous crate is arranged from boards laid close to each other, or OSB sheets.
If the roof is to be insulated, then waterproofing material should be spread directly on the rafters. It is fastened with a stapler with small staples. In this case, bars with a section of 40 x 40 mm are additionally fixed along the rafters. They are necessary for ventilation of the internal space. The crate is already being applied to them.
Floor installation
After the extension to the country house is brought under the roof, you can start arranging the lower part. Most often, logs are laid on the strapping bars or the protruding edge of the base. The section of the elements is selected taking into account the width of the span. The distance between them depends on the thickness of the boards to be laid.
Maximum allowableparameters are shown in the table.
| Determination of the section in millimeters | Step in centimeters | ||
| Span | Dimensions of a suitable timber | Thickness of flooring | Space between elements |
| 2000 | 110 x 60 | 2 | 30 |
| 3000 | 150 x 80 | 2, 4 | 40 |
| 4000 | 180 x 100 | 3, 5 | 60 |
| 5000 | 200 x 150 | 4, 5 | 80 |
When warming from the bottom side of the lag, a draft floor is arranged. To do this, bars of 40 x 20 mm are nailed along the edge of the crossbars. Pieces of OSB or edged boards 20 mm thick are attached to them. The surface of such a flooring is covered with waterproofing, on which thermal insulation elements are laid. The insulation is necessarily closed with a vapor barrier membrane, after which the boards are laid along the control rails, which are stuffed onto logs to ventilate the space inside.
Door and window installation
In order for the extension to the country house to look complete, it is necessary to carry out full-fledged finishing work. They consist in the installation of windows anddoors, as well as in the sheathing of joints with skirting boards, platbands and decorative slats. It may also require processing with a decorative composition.
As for the windows, they are attached to the side surfaces with the help of suspensions made of metal. The space around the perimeter is filled with mounting foam. The door is usually fixed in the opening by means of special brackets or thick self-tapping screws. Foam must be introduced between the box and the ends of the walls. Its quantity should not be excessive, otherwise the metal racks may lead slightly.
Final part
The most cost-effective option is an independent extension of the veranda to the country house. The photos presented above will help determine the overall design and constructive solution, and the information provided will allow you to select the best materials for the work and gain the necessary knowledge. Turning to professionals will cost a lot, especially if it is not an ordinary team of workers, but a specialized company.
