A few decades ago, we did not hear about the frame-panel technology for building houses. And now in Russia, about 30% of IZHS houses are made using the frame construction technology.
A bit of history…
Frame construction technology has developed independently in different parts of the world. A few centuries ago, Europeans began to build their homes on the basis of a frame made of oak and larch. In Japan, this housing option is very common, especially in the suburbs with a high level of seismic activity. Feedback from the owners of frame houses has been positive, as the buildings have proven themselves well, they are able to withstand severe shocks with minimal damage. In America, frame houses began to be built at the time of the arrival of colonists from Europe. It was thanks to the settlers that frame housing construction reached Canada and became widespread there. The reason for such widespread use of different types of frame housing construction is obvious: buildings require minimal cash costs for materials, constructioncarried out in the shortest possible time, the construction is easy, so a serious foundation is not required.
Frame construction came to Russia much later, and housing itself is usually called "Canadian home". It is the Canadian technology of building houses that is more suitable for the Russian market due to the similarity of the climate in the countries. How do frame houses behave in winter? The reviews of the owners are mostly positive, it is comfortable to live in a frame house in winter. Thick walls that reach 40 cm are able to keep the heat in the room even during an emergency shutdown of the heating, and the strength of the structure is able to withstand the load of snow in the winter months.
There are several types of frame houses:
- Frame. The frame is presented in the form of sawn timber. Outside and inside, such a house is sheathed with windproof panels (OSB, DSP), the internal space between the panels is filled with insulation. (mineral wool, foam plastic, sawdust, etc.) According to the reviews of real owners of frame houses, they chose this type of construction for themselves because of the convenience and low cost of this housing.
- Frame-panel. Such houses are assembled from ready-made SIP panels. The joints of the panels are reinforced with timber. The assembly speed of such houses is incredibly fast.
- Frame-panel. This method of building a house involves assembling structures according to pre-prepared templates for walls, floors and roofs. SIP panels are already connected at the manufacturing plant into solid modules. Ready-made walls with all the necessary openings arrive at the construction site. With crane modulesinstalled in the correct places. Builders can only fix the elements. According to real owners, frame houses made using panel technology were installed within 1-3 days.
- Monolithic frame technology. Used in the construction of industrial multi-storey buildings. In some cases, this technology is also used in the construction of residential buildings, but less often. Monolithic-frame houses, according to reviews of construction organizations for housing construction, are not a very suitable option due to their high cost.
The materials for cladding a frame house are constantly being modified, the old ones are being replaced by innovative types of cladding for the facade and interior of the house. So, for example, a few years ago fiberboard sheets were used for wall cladding, and now OSB boards have appeared that are superior to fiberboard in strength and durability. Technological innovations make the construction of frame-panel houses even more simplified, and the build quality is improved due to improved materials.
Planning a frame house
Frame technology will allow you to recreate even the most complex project at home. Before you decide on the appearance of the house, you need to think about the technical components of the project. An important role will be played by the location of the future building and the climatic features of the area. When choosing the thickness of the walls and insulation, it is necessary to take into account the temperature regime of the environment: in more northern latitudes, it canreach 20-30 cm. According to the owners of frame houses, the thickness of the insulation in the southern latitudes can be 10-15 cm.
At the initial design level, consider the ventilation, sewerage and plumbing system. If this is not done, then later it will be much more difficult to install these systems. To make a frame house fireproof, the frame elements must be treated with a special compound.
When designing a house on your own, do not make mistakes in planning. Reviews of owners who already live in frame houses with improper design say: if you leave a large distance between spans, the ceiling sags noticeably over time. Incorrect calculation of the beam pitch or insufficient section thickness can lead to the destruction of structural elements. The entire mass of the building must be evenly distributed between the supporting elements. Unaccounted for loads can lead to catastrophic consequences. If you do not take care of steam and moisture removal in time, then the frame elements will begin to rot, and in a few years the housing will become emergency.
When building a frame, it is necessary to use chamber-dried lumber, and not natural moisture. Wood of natural moisture during drying decreases in size up to 17% of the total volume. If such boards were used as elements for the frame, then there is a possibility of deformation, cracks and rupture of fasteners due to uncontrolled changes in the dimensions of the board during shrinkage.
In vertical openings, use only hard insulation,bulk options here will be inappropriate, as over time they shrink. Cold frame houses, according to builders, are obtained precisely because of the appearance of cold corridors. The same situation will happen with the roll insulation, which will eventually slide down and will not fulfill its purpose.
When assembling the frame, only galvanized nails or chrome-plated self-tapping screws are used, the minimum diameter of which should be 5 mm. Black screws are not allowed. Due to their low strength and exposure to corrosion, these fasteners can break when stressed.
The pros and cons noted in the reviews of the owners of frame houses are formed precisely because of compliance or violation of the basics of the assembly process. Done right, your home will be warm and comfortable.
Foundation for a frame house
Due to the lightness of frame buildings, there is no need for a solid foundation. Replacing a difficult-to-build concrete foundation with shallow-depth options saves a significant amount of money.
The most common types of foundation are the following options:
- Pile-screw. Metal piles are screwed into the ground to the required depth, which are treated with a special anti-corrosion solution. Such a foundation is the most practical to use in the construction of a frame house, according to builders and designers, especially onuneven surface, as well as on a site with a significant slope. A pile foundation is a great option for unstable and heave-prone soil.
- Pile-grillage. Such of their own are connected by a metal or reinforced concrete tape and form a single structure, which is called a grillage. The grillage is a kind of support for the walls, which redistributes the uneven load on the piles.
- Shallow-depth block. The most primitive type of foundation, which is used on inactive soils. It must be used with caution. Be sure to examine the soil for composition and determine the level of groundwater penetration.
The main criterion for choosing a foundation for the construction of a frame house, according to experts, is strength and reliability. A poorly executed foundation can lead to catastrophic consequences.
Building a frame house
After the foundation is installed, the frame is erected. As a rule, a beam of 15x15 cm, or 20x20 cm is used to assemble it.
- Overlapping the first floor. The strapping beam is attached to the foundation with the help of anchors through the waterproofing layer, and has the function of a grillage with a columnar foundation. Logs of the first floor are installed on it.
- Walls. The frame is assembled taking into account window and door openings, and then it is installed on the floor base.
- Roof. Rafters are installed taking into account the individual project.
Outside, the house is sheathed with OSB, which is attached to the frame. It is necessary to remember about the vapor barrier and windprooffilm. The same plate can be sheathed and the walls inside. An alternative option for OSB boards can be moisture-resistant plywood, DSP, fiberboard. Each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, but OSB boards remain the most popular material for building frame houses. Insulation is laid between the frame elements. Most often, foam, polystyrene or mineral wool is used.
The roof is also sheathed with OSB from the outside and from the inside. Metal tile or sheet steel is used as a ceiling.
According to reviews, frame houses for permanent residence can be built with only two people. It is for this reason that this type of housing construction is so popular in Russia. After all, the cost of work is about half the price of a finished house.
House made of SIP panels
The use of SIP panels in construction is gaining great popularity. The ease of use of the panels makes the construction of a frame house, according to professional builders, affordable even for people who do not have experience in this area. The panel itself consists of OSB boards, which are located on two sides, and the central part is foam. The thickness of the plate may vary, it all depends on the desired size of the insulation. The construction of SIP panels is distinguished by its lightness and high heat-saving capacity.
The technology of building a house from SIP panels is simple: each panel is attached to the next one through a wooden beam. The joints are treated with mounting foam, andthe plates themselves are attached to the frame with self-tapping screws. With the help of SIP panels, not only walls are erected, but also a floor with a roof. The strength of the OSB allows it to withstand severe loads.
When buying a house kit from SIP panels, you get instructions and the panels themselves with numbers for self-assembly. All that is needed is to follow the element connection sequence diagram.
Factory assembly of the house kit uses solid wall technology, installation is carried out with a crane, and the assembly of such a house can be completed in one day.
Reviews from residents of frame-panel houses
Due to little experience in the construction of frame-panel technology for building houses in our country, it is not yet possible to track how such a building will behave in 50-100 years. But there are people who have been living in such houses for several years, and they share their impressions on various forums.
Those property owners who are satisfied with the performance of their frame-panel housing, pay attention to the low cost of maintaining the house. Due to the ability to retain heat, less money is spent on organizing heating. Negative reviews, as a rule, arise from residents whose housing was built with violations of assembly technology.
Advantages of frame houses
Frame-panel technology has received such widespread use due to the ease of erection of buildings, the low cost of materials and the high quality of housing. The main advantages of frame buildings are:
- Lightweight building. For the construction of light buildings, it is not necessary to build a foundation of significant depth. The organization of a shallow foundation occurs in a short time, while saving a significant amount of money.
- Easy assembly technology. In the construction of a frame house, you do not need any special skills and abilities that specialists possess. Assembly is carried out according to the principle of the designer. The erection mechanisms are simple and accessible to anyone. The most important thing is to follow the technology and not deviate from the project.
- Quick assembly. A frame-panel house can be assembled in 2-3 months if two people participate. In the case of the work of a team of builders, the terms are reduced significantly.
- Low cost. The materials used in the construction of a frame-panel house are available. The cost of a house made of SIP panels will be several times less than the cost of a brick house.
- Keep warm. Frame houses built with full compliance with technology are very warm.
- All-season construction. Construction can be carried out in any conditions and at any temperature. The only caveat is the rainy weather. If the frame is wet, you can not proceed to the sheathing stage. It is necessary to wait until the wood dries.
Disadvantages of frame houses
Not everything is so smooth and ideal in the operation of frame houses. As with everything, except for the positive, there are also negative points.
- Durability of the building. Compared to houses made of timber or brick, which can stand for centuries, frame houses differ in theirshorter life. The average service life is 30-50 years.
- Less solid construction. For living conditions in stable areas, this indicator will not become critical, but in places that are characterized by hurricanes or earthquakes, such a house will become an analogue of a "house of cards".
- Soundproofing. According to reviews, the disadvantage of a frame house is a high level of audibility. This is not very convenient. If you want a quiet home, then consider using a material with a high level of sound absorption as insulation. Such material is, for example, mineral wool.
- Fire safety. This is a serious disadvantage of frame houses, according to the owners. A frame building can quickly flare up and burn out in a matter of minutes, so when building, it is worth giving preference to materials that do not support combustion.
- Ventilation. The operation of the ventilation system can be both a plus and a minus in reviews of frame houses. Some residents complain that the effect of a greenhouse is created in a house made of SIP panels, others say that in such a house it is warm in winter and cool and not stuffy in summer. It's all about the proper organization of the ventilation system.
Building a frame house with your own hands
If you decide to build a frame-panel house with your own hands, then first you need to stock up on great theoretical experience in the field of construction. When the production technology becomes clear, you can proceed to the plan for future construction.
Determine whichThe area will be housing based on the needs of your family. Do not aim at huge apartments. Think about heating costs in the winter. To create a house design, you can use a special program. In it, you can not only reflect the appearance of the future building, but also design a detailed layout of all frame elements. After that, it will be easy to calculate the amount of material needed. The most popular home design programs are:
- Google SketchUp.
- Revit.
- AutoCad.
- SweetHome.
According to the reviews of the owners of frame houses who already live in buildings built by their own hands, the use of design programs at the stage of creating a building plan greatly simplifies the process of forming the structure of the building.
When the project is ready, and the amount of necessary materials has been calculated, we proceed to the selection of suppliers from whom these materials will be purchased. The quality of raw materials plays one of the most important roles in frame construction. Here is a list of materials that cannot be saved on:
- Foundation. Be sure to invite a specialist to conduct a geological study of the soil before deciding on the type of foundation.
- Quality materials. Edged board must be of the 1st category, chamber drying. OSB boards or SIP panels, check for chips and detachments.
- Quality of fasteners. Negative feedback from residents about frame houses in terms of their reliability appears from owners whose housing was built with violations of construction technology. To connect the frame elements, we use only galvanized nails and chrome-plated self-tapping screws. Only these fasteners can ensure the strength and durability of fixing the frame elements. For fixing OSB boards, you can use black self-tapping screws.
- Wood processing. Some people skip this step, considering it optional. It's a delusion. All elements of the frame, which are located 50 cm from the ground, must be treated with antiseptic agents without fail.
You can save money on certain things during construction, here are some of them:
- Project. The pros and cons of frame houses, according to residents, vary depending on how well the construction plan is drawn up. A ready-made individual house project can cost you 30,000-90,000 rubles. Do-it-yourself design will not only save money, but will also give you more information about your project. You will know and understand the structure of the structure, the principle of operation of systems, if you draw up a plan yourself.
- Windows and doors. You need to buy these elements directly from the manufacturer, preferably before the start of the project. You may come across inexpensive options that turned out to be abandoned by the manufacturer. Custom windows are always much more expensive.
- Construction tools. Buy only the essentials: a circular saw, a hammer, a tape measure, a level, a screwdriver,drill, square. You can ask your friends about the availability of the necessary tools, perhaps they will let you use them. Some instruments are available for rent.
- Facade decoration. Instead of siding, you can use lining, this will significantly reduce costs. An inexpensive way to improve the facade is painting with preliminary putty.
If you decide to start construction, but it is not possible to buy all the materials at once, then it is better to wait and save money. It is better not to leave a bare frame for the winter. If you managed to sheathe the frame with OSB boards, but there was not enough finance for the facade design, then cover the walls with a moisture-proof film. It will help the building survive the winter and spring with less damage.
In closing
Accumulate theoretical knowledge in the field of construction and study technology. When in doubt, seek help from experts on the forums, they are always ready to advise beginners. But if you do not believe in yourself, then it is better to entrust the construction of a house to professionals.
