The fashion for "green" technologies in construction naturally also actualizes the demand for environmentally friendly materials, the main source of which is wood. There are different methods of its application, but only masonry with cement mortar can optimally combine the principles of eco-building and compliance with modern requirements for the reliability of construction. This is how a classic woodpile or clay pot is built. As a result, the technology of such housing construction makes it possible to create a solid frame for housing with the necessary thermal insulation properties, which is also suitable for cold regions.
Technology overview
In one form or another, technologies for building log houses are used in various regions of the world. In Siberia and northern Greece to the present daytraces of ancient buildings of this type have been preserved, but in a more or less modern, optimized form, this concept of an eco-house began to take shape in the 1800s. In the northeast of America at that time, the cordwood technique was actively used, with the help of which utility structures were built. In Russia, the technology of building a house from clay firewood has been known since the time of Leo Tolstoy, and during this period, craftsmen made many changes to it, improving the concept of construction. The fundamental difference between the construction of a woodpile is the execution of the transverse masonry of walls from firewood using clay or cement mortar.
Building material
Since the logs will serve as the basis for the construction of the frame of the building, their choice should be approached with the greatest responsibility. The average length of firewood is 40-60 cm, that is, the thickness of the walls will be greater than with ordinary brickwork. As for the origin of logs, it is recommended to use oak or spruce trees. In extreme cases, you can take pine or birch chocks. The stage of pre-processing of the material is also important. There are disputes regarding the optimal section of firewood, but getting rid of the bark is a must. Whether to leave the logs whole or to chop - on this score, the technology for building clay pots does not have an exact answer. But there is an opinion that solid blanks are more susceptible to cracks over time, and splitting the chock relieves stress and makes the masonry more reliable. At least felling will not lower the technical and physicalwall characteristics.
Masonry Mortar
The second most important material for the construction of woodpile is mortar. With its help, a hitch is formed between the logs, sealing is provided and the warming function is increased. There are many approaches to making pottery mix, from traditional to modern. The classical technology involves the use of clay, hay, manure and needles for a solution. Also, in some cases, sand and wood chips are added. The recipe for a mixture based on lime and sawdust is also widespread. In this case, the clay pot technology involves the preparation of a solution in the following proportions: for 9 shares of sand, 3 shares of agricultural lime and sawdust are added, as well as 2 shares of cement. It is important to note that sawdust must be made of soft wood and have a diameter of no more than 12 mm. The presence of fibrous binders is extremely important for wood masonry, since such inclusions perform the function of additional strengthening of the frame structure. According to modern technologies, a clay mortar can be made on the basis of Portland cement and fiberglass reinforcing fibers. However, in this case, the ecological cleanliness of the building will be lowered, which contradicts the concept of an eco-house.
Preparation for construction
Before starting construction activities, the bearing capacity of the soil at the work site should be assessed. The soil must withstand heavy walls, without giving much shrinkage, otherwise the structure will deform. If you plan to independently harvest firewood for building a house,clay pots, then this work should begin in the spring. The fact is that the processing of logs during this period is facilitated due to the presence of cambium under the bark of the blanks. The juice moving in this layer provides lubrication, due to which cleaning and polishing of the material surfaces is simplified. In autumn, such preparation of logs is simply impossible. It is even better to plan the construction several years before its implementation. During this time, you can dry the firewood with the bark removed, which will further reduce the likelihood of discoloration and cracking.
Foundation arrangement
Despite the thickness of the walls, which is twice the size of brickwork, the construction of clay pots weighs less than stone structures, so the requirements for the foundation are less stringent. Deepening can be done by 60-70 cm. The platform is made with a strip foundation or ordinary masonry with a preliminary drainage cushion made of sand and gravel. More attention in the construction technology of the clay pot is given to the grillage and the plinth. This part is made as high as possible (up to 50 cm) from stone or block elements. A high plinth is required to minimize direct contact of precipitation and especially melting snow with the woodwork. A columnar foundation is not recommended in this case, although it is optimally suited in terms of load ratio. The limitation is due to the dynamic instability of such foundations, which is in no way compatible with the characteristics of the clay pot framework.
Masonry work
The walls are built from a grillage or basementoverlap. Using the prepared mortar and woodpile, you should gradually lay out the structure, maintaining the perimeter line. That is, all walls are laid with the same observance of the height level. For a greater thermal insulation effect, builders advise laying the cement bonding mixture directly along the edges, and filling the central part of the masonry with insulating solutions. If we talk about tools, then with your own hands you can build a clay pot with a standard set of technical equipment for a finishing master. At the masonry stage, trowels, a spatula and a rule with levels are suitable. In a separate order, the chocks are adjusted with a mallet, but it is advisable to avoid serious displacements after filling with a solution. Also, unlike brickwork, logs can be placed across in an arbitrary order relative to each other. It is not necessary to maintain a checkerboard geometry in this case, but leaving large gaps is also not recommended.
Finishing work
After the masonry is completed, the frame of the house must be insulated. This is done with plaster. All protruding parts of the logs must be necessarily treated with a primer with a biological protective function. Acrylic mixtures can be used for such purposes, which close the pores in the wood structure and prevent decay processes. To insulate a clay house, the technology involves the use of an insulating layer based on lime with sawdust and vermiculite. For greater reliability, it can be combined with mounting foam andreinforcing fibers. As an alternative, polystyrene and cellulose are also suitable, which are mixed with plaster. If we are talking about a cold region with extremely low temperatures in winter, then the thermal insulation function should be considered even at the stage of preparing the basic mortar for laying walls. Foam concrete, PVA glue in building modification and plasticizers are added to it.
Roof installation
You should not count on the high bearing capacity of the walls of the clay pot. The weight of the roof must be balanced in design, so it is desirable to exclude heavy metal and I-beams from wooden beams. The rafter system with wide overhangs up to 80 cm is made of bars of medium size. As a roofing, the technology for building a clay house involves the use of straw, shingles or tiles. But, again, the load from the flooring must be correctly assessed, so heavy ceramic or metal tiles are excluded. In this case, corrugated board can be used if it does not contradict the requirements for thermal insulation.
Advantages of Technology
The popularity of eco-houses as such can be explained by two factors - environmental and price. The low cost of construction is achieved due to the possibility of using completely natural materials, which also ensure environmental safety. All this fully corresponds to the construction technology of clay pots, which also has other advantages. For example, many owners appreciate the unusual design of the woodpile, whichdistinguishes them from other "green" buildings. In addition, the ease of construction and installation activities is noted. The absence of large-sized modules and critical racks at the heart of the structure allows you to manage on your own when building a house.
Flaws of technology
The owners themselves attribute the low basic thermal insulation of the woodpile to significant disadvantages. Without special insulation, which is implemented at different stages of construction, it will not be possible to achieve an optimal microclimate in it. It will also be possible to ensure sufficient structural stability of the structure only when using certain types of lumber that has undergone special training. As the reviews on the construction technology of the clay pot show, the proper level of frame strength is achieved when using professionally prepared firewood with heat treatment. In this case, you can count on both the biological and physical security of the structure, however, the price tag will be increased.
Conclusion
For all its merits, woodpile is rarely used as the main housing. Experienced craftsmen advise considering this area of housing construction only as an auxiliary one. For example, today the technology of building a clay bath is actively used, which organically combines all the advantages of an ecological structure. For utility rooms and a utility block, thermal insulation indicators do not matter at all, therefore, this technology is best suited for such purposes. As a suburban ecological housingclay pot will also work, but this requires a corresponding refinement in the form of the same insulating finish.
