A wooden frame made of logs or timber, placed under the roof, must stand for at least 6 months before finishing work begins. During this period, the structure will undergo the main shrinkage, and subsequently the height of the walls will change as a result of drying out wood material will not fundamentally affect the appearance and functionality of the house.
Preparation for finishing
A log house that has stood for six months, a year or more should be carefully inspected. If the installation was carried out in violation of technology (for example, instead of wooden dowels the crowns were fastened with nails), large gaps may arise between the crowns. IN difficult cases It is better to disassemble the frame and reassemble it.
It is important to decide on the type of wall decoration outside and inside. Log house in itself it looks decorative and does not require additional finishing. If it is intended to be insulated, it is mounted outer skin with a heat-insulating layer - in this case, natural air exchange through wooden walls which provides a favorable microclimate.
Internal insulation of a wooden house is contraindicated, since it will be necessary to install hydro- and vapor barriers mineral insulation or use non-breathable thermal insulation materials made of foamed polymer. Plus, it steals space in the house.
External and interior decoration a house made of old timber with an unattractive appearance may require. The outside is usually covered with siding or blockhouse, while the inside walls are finished with clapboard or plasterboard.
Decorating a house from natural wood includes timber processing protective equipment, protecting the tree from fire, damage by insects and fungus. If the walls are not intended to be covered, they are coated with wood varnish, transparent or tinted, or stain is used suitable color. Treatment will need to be repeated every 3-4 years.
It is important to take care of the installation electrical panel and connecting the home to the electrical grid to provide lighting and power for hand-held power tools.
Exterior works
Typically, a finished log house consists of wall structures, a roof covered with roofing felt, a subfloor on each floor and an attic.
At the first stage, it is necessary to cut out all window and door openings according to the project. It is important to add 6-8 cm in height for each opening for further shrinkage of the log house, which lasts 3-5 years, depending on the characteristics of the material. Grooves are cut into the sides of the openings and casing bars are inserted. If this is not done, the edges of the openings may sag.
At the top of the door and window openings casing boards are installed, the gap between this element and the upper edge of the opening should be 6-7 cm, it is subsequently filled with tow and covered with casing.
If you decide to leave external walls without covering, they are ground from the outside with an angle grinder with a power of no more than 1 kW and a “petal” emery wheel with a grain size of 36-150 units. You will have to remove it from the tool protective cover, if you have to process the curved surface of the logs. It is important to use a respirator and goggles, since a lot of dust is generated during the work.
After sanding the walls Finishing work consist of processing the log house with firebio protective composition and subsequent caulking. The walls are tinted (optional), covered 2-3 times protective varnish for wood. Eaves overhangs are also treated and painted.
At the same stage, they begin to decorate the outside walls with a block house or other materials, if provided for by the project.
On next stage install window and door blocks, install cash. If the structure is wooden and needs painting, it is painted in the chosen color. Next, you should install the drain and finish the base. Make sure that all communications are carried out into the house.
If the house is built on pile-screw foundation, you should first install the basement part to protect the house from freezing from below.
Interior work
If you plan to install a brick stove, fireplace or powerful floor-standing boiler in your house (in a specially designated room), you will need to build a separate foundation for the unit. When choosing a location, pay attention to the location of the ceiling beams and rafter legs so that there are no problems with installing a classic vertical chimney. To carry out the work, part of the subfloor will have to be dismantled.
Next is executed internal wiring communications and the first floor floor is installed with insulation along the joists. The heat insulator is laid on the subfloor between the joists on top waterproofing membrane. The insulation is covered with a vapor barrier membrane, a counter-lattice is stuffed over the joists and a flooring made of boards or plywood is installed - the base for finishing. In wet rooms, a thin screed is used for tiling.
The walls inside the house are sanded and caulked, treated with a fire-retardant compound, tinted and covered with water-soluble varnish. Window trim and sills are installed on the windows and painted if necessary. Laying a twisted cord between the log crowns will add aesthetics to the walls and create additional protection from blowing and freezing.
Wall covering with plasterboard, plastering, finishing with clapboard or other materials, if provided for by the project, is carried out after installing the base of the ceiling, which serves as the floor of the second floor or attic. Next, the ceiling is sheathed with clapboard or plastered. Stacked flooring.
Then mounted, processed and painted stationary ladder up. Full cycle interior works held at top floor. Between the floor joists, mineral wool insulation is laid, protected by hydro- and vapor barrier membranes - it serves as a sound insulator and prevents heat loss.
The roof is insulated, the gables and slopes are finished from the inside, the floor is insulated, the attic or attic flooring is installed, and baseboards are attached.
Electrical wiring in wooden houses, for safety reasons, is carried out externally. The wires are hidden in decorative cable channels, and overhead sockets are installed.
A separate stage is the arrangement of wet rooms. The interior finishing of the log house is carried out after the structure has settled, but wooden structures constantly change their geometric dimensions, absorbing and releasing moisture. If you plan to tile the walls, you need to mount a frame from sheet material, which will be held on vertical guides using special sliding fasteners.
Finishing of the log house after shrinkage is carried out according to the following principle: first of all, all dusty work is carried out, then finishing, and then last stage install decorative elements.
The list of disadvantages of buildings made of wood necessarily includes its tendency to shrink. Yes, unfortunately, you can’t do without this, this is a feature of natural material, and the more natural it is, the deeper these processes are. But, I think, this is unlikely to stop someone who decided on an option that has been proven for centuries.
The greatest shrinkage phenomena are observed in solid round timber, slightly less in rounded logs and beams; profiled timber that has been dried in a chamber and glued practically does not suffer from this.
Why does shrinkage occur?
The shrinkage process can be explained in a nutshell as follows: the log house shrinks by a certain amount after some time. Everything seems simple and clear - that’s why wood natural material that is subject to various kinds influences directly related to its structure and properties. But if you delve deeper, everything is much more difficult and many probably don’t even want to understand this, they just need specific numbers - when and how much. Still, let’s delve a little deeper into this topic.
There are two forms of wood shrinkage - shrinkage and mechanical.
Shrinkage is the most complex process, because its speed and intensity are influenced by many factors. To begin with, let's briefly talk about the basis of this phenomenon: any freshly sawn wood, regardless of the time of year, contains a large amount of moisture. It is found in wood fibers in both free and bound states.
Free water is intercellular water; it begins to come to the surface immediately after the tree is cut down. The process of its evaporation proceeds relatively quickly and directly depends on the ambient temperature - the higher the temperature, the faster it evaporates.
Bound water is found in the walls of wood cells, it comes out gradually and over a long period of time under natural conditions, it is possible to accelerate this process only in drying chambers. True, such equipment is most often designed only for fine gauges.
So, as the log loses moisture, it gradually loses not only weight, but also volume. Moreover, given that the wood fibers are elongated along the trunk, the loss of volume occurs by reducing its diameter.
Mechanical shrinkage is usually called the deformation of wood under the influence of weight; here it is meant that in the finished log house, the upper logs put pressure on the lower ones, as a result of which they are slightly compressed. To this we can add one more point, which for some reason is not mentioned by many - this is compaction. interventional insulation. For example, this phenomenon in a dry log house collected on moss gives the highest percentage of shrinkage among other factors.
The shrinkage process is influenced by a number of factors:
- wood type (wood density, initial natural moisture content),
- time of year of felling,
- period and method of assortment processing,
— drying of logs (logs) after debarking (cutting),
- technology felling of a log house,
- weather at the time of construction,
- type of interventional insulation,
— climatic conditions of the region and area,
— features of the building (height, number load-bearing walls),
- presence of finishing.
Taking into account all of the above, we present the figures (of course approximate) of shrinkage one-story bathhouse from various materials:
Solid log – 8-12cm
OCB - 7-10cm
Beam: - planed - 5-7cm,
- profiled - 3-5cm,
– glued – 1-3cm
As you can see, the first options have quite serious indicators, which makes it clear why the finishing will need to be delayed.
How did they do it in the old days?
Wood has long been a traditional material for construction, at least where there were forests. Many will probably be interested in how things were with this matter in the old days.
And it was like this: with rare exceptions, log houses from freshly felled forest were not immediately erected; the harvested logs were debarked directly and often left to “mature” there until next year or transported them to the site of future construction. Here the round timber was stacked to dry, not forgetting to cover it from rain and sun with flooring. Thus, the tree “flyed”, gradually gave up moisture and grew stronger. In future buildings, such logs gave significantly less shrinkage, which made it possible to start finishing it earlier.
If the log house was cut down immediately, then they also left it for a year, and sometimes two, to dry in a place well ventilated on all sides, and only after that they began to build a house or bathhouse. After the walls were brought under the roof, all work was suspended, they waited for the log house to settle and finally dry out, as the old people said, “to become rusty,” and only then began the finishing work.
We are not in a hurry to finish the bath
Announcements and advertisements from manufacturers are replete with offers to sell log houses for shrinkage, what does this mean? Which means it was made from fresh wood, normal humidity has not undergone long-term natural or forced drying. Those. your bathhouse will be built in two stages: first you purchase a ready-made log house, put it under the roof, and only then (after 6-12 months) you begin to arrange it.
Of course, many companies will not refuse you to build a building in a couple of months, which is called “turnkey”, but is it necessary - it is better to build slowly, controlling the shrinkage process and the behavior of the logs (beams), than to correct quite predictable consequences later. After all, no one will offer you a well-maintained log house - this is too troublesome.
So the log house was purchased and safely erected on a foundation prepared in advance. What do we do next? And then we continue to do construction - we erect the roof, lay the floor and ceiling, arrange communications (not all). At the same time, if the temperature allows, we be sure to take measures to protect the wood from unfavorable conditions. weather conditions and woodworms.
After completing these works, we leave the building to shrink; the time period is difficult to accurately determine due to the above factors.
Perhaps those who are not particularly patient will ask the question - is it possible to somehow speed up this? Yes, of course you can, only in the future you yourself will not be happy about it and here’s why. The shrinkage process can really be accelerated by regularly drying the room or by starting to heat it. Moisture will naturally evaporate faster, and accordingly the log house will shrink earlier than it is supposed to. It seems like there are only advantages - saving time, effort and money, but that’s it for now. After a while, you will be surprised to see how your beautiful logs will begin to burst with large and small cracks - this is precisely the result of accelerated drying.
For future owners of rounded bathhouses, we note that no amount of compensation cuts will save you from this, no matter what the builders say about it.
Shrinkage compensators
The shrinkage process does not proceed evenly, this is due to unequal evaporation of moisture in different places of the log house, for example, at the junctions of logs, moisture does not come out as intensively, trees even of the same species have different structure and density. In addition, somewhere the foundation may sag, somewhere a log may hang out due to poor-quality or incorrectly installed insulation. In general, you need to constantly monitor it, yes, it’s not entirely easy, but such a log house will then be warm, durable and will not require repairs in a couple of years.
Controlling shrinkage Special attention pay problem areas- purlins and embedded logs, outlets for attics, roofing, terraces, etc. These elements, being a continuation of the walls of the log house, sit down with it, but the vertical supports that hold them practically do not sit down. In this case, there is a high risk of the building becoming distorted or even breaking the above parts. In the old days, wooden wedges driven between them were called upon to protect against this - as the logs settled, they squeezed them out under the influence of weight, thereby protecting the outlets from bulging upward.
Currently, no one uses wedges anymore, everyone uses so-called compensators, they are also called shrinkage jacks or elevators. They are designed very simply - two stainless steel plates fastened in the middle with a threaded screw, a nut is also screwed on here, and this is where the clearance height is adjusted, loosening or tightening.
Compensator checks are carried out at certain intervals, in winter once every 2-3 weeks, in warm weather every 7 days.
How long are we waiting?
Voice the time for which wooden building The whole thing will end up being not rewarding and not even right. We will give only approximate periods that are most often mentioned by builders: the main shrinkage processes occur during the first year after the construction of the log house, in the next 4-6 months. the logs finally take their shape. Although it should be noted that in the future, over the course of 3-5 years, the bathhouse continues to shrink slightly, but this no longer carries with it any consequences.
When starting the outer and inner work, be sure to set aside the required percentage (with a margin) for shrinkage. For example, when installing windows, doors, or laying communications, be sure to leave space at the top so that later the logs do not hang and damage these elements.
After reading all this, some people will think - but the tree is capricious, then harvest the forest at a certain period, then not every species will do, then cut it down this way and not that way, in general one headache, Maybe better sauna from blocks? But you must admit that the properties of wood are so good and obvious that they will not force you to retreat in the face of difficulties that arise, especially since all this can be solved.
During the debate that flared up after the publication of the article “Ours in America,” a reader contacted the site’s editor who wanted to talk about his personal experience. Vyacheslav has been living with his family in a house from solid log house. And according to him, if he knew all the “nuances” at the time of choosing the material, he would build a house from bricks or blocks. Below in the text is his personal “Top reasons why you should not build a log house.” To maintain authenticity, we left the text almost unchanged, making only light stylistic changes.
Why did we want a wooden house?
1. Once we saw with our own eyes a house made of logs - we immediately liked it, it looked very beautiful, we wanted one for ourselves.
2. For practical reasons: initially it was assumed that we would come on weekends, heat the solid fuel boiler and quickly warm up the house (the concept changed during the construction process).
3. Environmental friendliness: I wanted the house to breathe easily and smell pine forest. In general, I liked the traditional concept of living in a private house: wooden frame, grass near the house, forest nearby, etc.
house in summer
Start of construction
back view
Here we managed to learn a little from the mistakes of others. A friend of mine, in order to save money, purchased the timber himself. As a result, a timber truck came to him and the cutters took away suitable logs, half of the timber truck was leaving back... In the end, 120 cubic meters his timber turned into 200. I worked with contractors who sorted the wood at their base, and only what was actually used for work was brought to the site.
view from the yard
Initially, I was not worried about the construction process, since I trusted the contractors. During the work, they still made some mistakes in some places, but not much (more on that below). The logs were laid on moss. They chopped and hewed - by hand. After they made the “box” with the roof, the house stood for a year.
from the entrance
Of the interesting things in the construction process, I can note the discrepancy actual sizes their rooms visual perception until the ceilings are covered. I personally measured the 19-meter kitchen with a tape measure, because visually it seemed that there were 7-8 meters there. And so - with all the rooms.
Finishing
The most interesting thing began at this stage. Firstly, the house needs to be sanded ENTIRELY on both sides. This work is tedious and expensive - prices for work can be looked up on the Internet, four years ago it cost us a pretty penny (375 sq. m. at $5 per 1 sq. m.). Moreover, when estimating the area of work, the bend of the log is added to the formula “height by length” - the area increases.
upper plinth - adjustable to curves
Then - impregnation ($0.7 per 1 sq.m.). Then - painting in one layer. Then - to the second (both - $1 per 1 sq.m.). Moreover, so that the materials fit well, the house must be painted by hand(which stretches the process over time). After all these procedures, the question of a “breathing house” and “the smell of pine” disappeared by itself.
We didn’t make a basement, so our foundation is simple: PGS pad, insulation, concrete. The builders who poured the floor did not completely cut out the lower logs in doorways. As a result, a year later it “broke” in these places floor tiles(ceramic granite). I had to remove the entire damaged tile, cut out more logs, and pour a new floor. This turned out to be easier than somehow cutting out the laid tiles - not every tile cutter takes porcelain tiles.
a crack in the tile remains in the doorway
Added to the “pleasant” aspects of finishing are regular finishing off moss, stolen by birds, and sealing seams with sealant. This work is long, expensive and dreary. Fortunately, there is a sealant manufacturer in the Republic of Belarus that offers products at reasonable prices. If he missed the mark with imported ones, he would go to hell.
Laying communications in a log house it also becomes a problem. Plug the socket into round log- that’s another task (and a corresponding “tariff”). You can't hide the pipes inside. Attaching a plinth to an uneven log is also not an easy task, you will have to “think about it” and work with your hands.
plinth - strip + mastic
Due to the long-term shrinkage of the house, doors and windows were inserted into a frame made of boards. If you try to bet on a “live log”, the risk of getting it “sideways” increases significantly. Like risk of damaging the door or window. But even this “trick” did not help us personally: in 4 years of operation, the doors were adjusted twice. And some windows still siphon.
Home maintenance
box for the kitchen (on the left against the wall)
The house is constantly “breathing”. When the heating works, when it doesn’t, everything moves. To hang the kitchen, it was necessary to build a metal frame, cover it with plasterboard, and only attach the kitchen to it. No other way. So beloved by our citizens sliding wardrobes it is absolutely impossible to establish - there is nothing to “attach” to, and the wall and ceiling live their own lives. The staircase, which was “tied” to the wall, eventually became warped and the railing was torn out.
instead of a wardrobe...
Any decorative boxes, covering communications, turn into a work of art - they need to be somehow combine with log wall , and this process turns into jewelry fitting with a construction cutter in hand.
The joints sealed with sealant were sealed twice in 4 years. Doesn't matter - cracks appear. Wooden floor on the 2nd floor it is also drying out, there are also cracks there, and this is inevitable.
crack between logs
In autumn mice get into the house, in the gap between the lower log and the foundation. It is not yet possible to block this road for them, since the interface line is very uneven. And if on the main “animal trails” this phenomenon can be reduced to “nothing” with the help of poison and mousetraps, then when mice frolic between the logs without “visiting”, nothing can be done with them. Just curse it.
Also between logs every year wasps make their nests. The issue is resolved with the help of Dichlorvos. But it still has to be decided.
In autumn and early winter, the second floor is a kingdom of flies. First flies get stuck in the cracks for the winter. Then the house becomes warm - and they climb inside. We have not yet come up with any other means against this brethren except a vacuum cleaner.
And we also - best friends sellers of Tikkurila paint. There needs touching up, here you need to tint: steps, joints, terrace. They didn’t keep accurate records of production, but a lot of buckets of paint were purchased over 4 years.
In the spring, when the pine tree (and then the birch tree) blooms, the whole the house is covered yellow pollen. Moreover, in a thick layer. On a flat vertical wall, so much of it simply would not accumulate. This issue is resolved by washing the walls with a jet from a Karcher. But again it needs to be resolved.
Bath
Inside the house dust accumulates on the bend of the logs. Here already universal remedies no - dust can only be removed manually, the old fashioned way.
Sometimes spontaneous, inexplicable bursts of life happen inside the house - some bugs, midges, insects appear, but I have not installed any system here yet.
In the bathhouse, near the guest bed, some kind of perky creature lives in a log, crunching the log all night. It is not possible to find and kill her.
And finally - about the famous “winter” forest. My house was cut down from February. The bathhouse is from August. I still haven't noticed a difference.
Price issue
Considering all of the above, such housing cannot be called cheap. House with total area 240 sq. m. (with a small attic floor) cost me $40,000 only for the first stage: foundation, frame and roof. Then the project grew, we also built an outbuilding, a bathhouse from the same “round timber,” and landscaped the area and the street next to the house. All this (including materials, finishing, windows, doors and geothermal boiler) cost us a total of $180,000.
shrinkage to the roof
Conclusion: What we got for this torment is very beautiful house. And some kind of indescribable pleasure from the feeling of a thick, uneven log, its rough appearance, rich texture... Friends who began to build across the site from mine listened to approximately the same text, my complaints and advice to build from blocks. And in the end... the log house was also cut down. Here, of course, everyone decides for themselves. But I gave you fair warning.
Interviewed by: Dmitry Malakhov
While the assembled log house is standing on the site, undergoing shrinkage, you need to plan further actions and the sequence of work. So that a house or bathhouse lasts a long time, providing its owners with the advantages for which they choose wood for construction. The material is alive. Capable of both making you happy and, due to a bad attitude, making you sad.
Any log house for finished foundation They are collected immediately under the roof so that the walls and ends are less wet. Then it is left for the period of decline natural humidity external walls to an acceptable level for further action. During this period, nothing can be done with the log house. It’s possible, of course, but then you’ll have to repeat the grinding and antiseptic treatment with a permanent compound. On an undried log, in the first case, the lint will pick up, in the second, the antiseptic will not really saturate anything. During shrinkage (shrinkage), the log house must be freely ventilated inside.
Reducing the external wall humidity to 24% (on the north side) serves as a call to action. During the initial (most noticeable) shrinkage, the log house most likely darkened a little; precipitation damaged the street ends. All these points must be eliminated before antiseptic treatment. It will be useful to trim the frame and sand the log before applying the antiseptic. The walls become smooth and beautiful, the color of the wood is evened out, moisture absorption is reduced, and paint consumption is reduced. It may be premature to sand the inside of the house if the humidity of the solid wood there is still high. The inner corners are the last to dry.
After sanding, the frame should be immediately coated with a good protective compound. You need to paint at air temperatures above +7C°. IN sunny weather the composition will dry faster. On cloudy days it will soak the log deeper. Antisepticize the log house for at least 2 layers at intervals. The protective composition should be tinted to give it a darker color (UV protection). The lumber has dried out rafter system? You can hem the eaves and gable overhangs (overlaps) that were previously open for ventilation. Treat the hemming board with an antiseptic. The color of the roof overhangs is often chosen to be similar to the color of the windows and doors. Now let's montage drainage system nothing interferes.
False frames are installed in window and door openings. Are prerequisite for installation of non-shrinking elements (windows and doors). Strengthen the openings so that the ends of the logs that form them do not move away. The board and block for openings are also treated with a protective compound. It is useful to treat the jute with varnish for exterior work to prevent birds from becoming interested in the insulation. The log house will need to be thoroughly caulked at the same time, from the outside and inside. The following areas are subject to caulking: walls, pediments, corners, a vertical line at the exit of the corner from the wall, the gap between the backing board and the embedded crown.
In parallel with the work described above, you can make a gasket engineering communications. Decide what is cost-effective to bury: use a septic tank or overflow filtration rings. Put up gates and fences. Then we begin to improve the territory. You can hide electrical wiring in a wooden house. Finish the foundation base when all communications are connected to the house. Place a gazebo with a barbecue outside and install a fireplace in the house. Or a Russian stove. Next comes the interior finishing. It is better to lay the finishing floor with the latest flooring, otherwise you will have to sand the original floor that was lost during construction. appearance an expensive floorboard.
Log house manual cutting good for its durability and natural beauty. Order suitable house, bring to mind over time, realistically for any working person. After 1.5-2 years from the start of felling the log house, it will be possible to close the door behind the housewarming guests. Log house always comes out unique. Twin houses are made from rounded logs. It’s much easier to buy a rounding machine, read the instructions and hire workers than to have experienced teams of carpenters on staff and delve into the nuances of wooden house construction.
Regardless of whether you install the log house yourself or hire people, you should know the main nuances and features. The assembly of a log house from logs and beams is slightly different, but the main differences are in the connection of the corners. All other technology and features remain the same.
Types of log houses
Log houses are made from logs and beams, only the beams and logs are different. They all have advantages and disadvantages, and more about them below.
What types of log houses are there?
The logs are hand-processed - they are removed manually (with an axe, plane, other hand tools) the bark is removed, the shape is not adjusted. So they remain on one side with a larger diameter, on the other - with a smaller diameter. When laying on the wall, the logs are turned so that thick and thin butts alternate. Assembling a log bathhouse from such a log is exclusively handmade piece work. Each bowl is drawn on the spot, it is adjusted to fit the log laid underneath. The process is lengthy - lay it in place, draw the recess and bowls, roll it back, make a groove the entire length of the log, cut out the bowls, “plant” it in place, if necessary, work on the groove and/or bowls (roll it back again and fix it if necessary). For a long time…
Hand-cut logs (chopped) are imperfect, but that’s what makes them attractive
Calibrated or rounded logs are processed for special machine. They come out of it the same length. They make them standard - of a certain diameter. Immediately at the enterprise, a longitudinal groove and a deformation groove are formed in the log ( longitudinal cut, which reduces drying cracking). The company can also cut the bowl. With this approach, all that remains is to assemble the log house like a construction set. Saunas made from rounded logs are assembled quickly. But not everyone loves them: they have their drawbacks.
A rounded log has the same diameter
When processing logs rounding machine, most of the popular wood, the densest and most durable layer, is removed. As a result, rounded logs are more susceptible to fungi, insects and diseases. All this is “treated” with appropriate processing and good drying. However, for some this factor is important.
Regardless of the type of log, the assembly of the log house is carried out using a compactor. This is moss, jute, flax wool. They can be in the form of fibers - tow, but it is more convenient to work with felt cut into a tape. The insulation is laid on top of the log, usually secured with brackets made of construction stapler. Carefully line the bowl, also securing the strips. The crown placed on top presses the insulation and it closes any possible cracks. It is impossible to achieve perfect filling right away; the remaining gaps will be filled later, when caulking the log house.
A sealant in a log house is required Log houses made of timber - types and features
Log houses are also assembled from timber. It has a more regular shape - its edges are smooth or relatively smooth, which facilitates finishing work. There are three types of timber:
As you can see, ideal material No. You need to choose by weighing all the pros and cons, taking into account the price not only of the material itself, but also the cost of its installation, and taking into account the complexity of the finishing. So planed timber is the most cheap option. But if you plan to leave the walls without covering, putting them in order - leveling, sanding - is long and difficult on your own, and expensive with the participation of hired workers.
Prices for log houses
A little about the price of a cube of building material and the thickness of the walls. If you look at the price per cube, then a log costs much less. But a log house requires much more building material in terms of cubic capacity: it has a rounded shape and in fact the thickness of the walls is much less than the diameter. And if you take a beam with a cross-section of 200*200 mm, then your wall will be exactly 200 mm. So in reality the difference in costs for building materials is not that big.
Wall thickness depending on the diameter of the log (rounded)
The second point is the qualifications of the hewers and, naturally, payment for their work. If assembling a log house with your own hands is not part of your plans, then you will pay more for the services of cutting bowls and assembling walls from logs. Hand-cut logs are especially expensive to assemble. As mentioned above, each bowl is drawn and cut “in place”, and this requires highly qualified and takes a lot of time. The thicket of timber is cut according to a template - it is cut out of plywood, outlined and cut, most often with a chainsaw. Here, of course, qualifications are also needed, but they are much lower.
There is another option - order a ready-made log house from a woodworking enterprise. You give them a project, they bring you a “constructor” with ready-made bowls. Each element is numbered, they just need to be folded according to a given pattern. Just one caveat: if you or the team you hired have started assembling the log house, and you see that the elements of the “constructor” do not fit, there are more gaps left, check yourself again. Do not start adjusting the bowls (especially if there is a large discrepancy). Most likely you have laid the logs/beams incorrectly. If there is some kind of diagram, double-check it again, or call the company where you ordered the log house. Let them tell you everything again. Usually such a discrepancy is precisely the incorrect installation of the crowns, and not unscrupulous manufacturers.
Large gaps are most likely the result of an error when laying the crowns
The cutting of log bowls, methods of connecting logs and beams in the corners, and joining partitions are described here.
What are they collecting for?
Logs or beams are not just stacked on top of one another, they are fastened together. It is impossible without fasteners. During the drying process, both the logs and beams “twist”. The installed fasteners hold them in place, preventing them from turning too much. If there is no fastener, the crowns fall out or in, depending on the direction of the prevailing forces. Most often this is observed on gables, in walls where there are windows and doors.
Loose crowns fall out
Fasteners can be metal or wood. It’s easier, of course, with metal ones - you don’t need to prepare them and it’s more familiar to work with them. But the metal does not change in size, and the wood dries out. As a result, the log house does not shrink during drying, but “hangs” on the studs. This leads to the formation large gaps between the crowns. So metal pins are only permissible when assembling a log house from laminated veneer lumber: it does not dry out. Nails should not be used at all. They are not for the log house.
It is also not recommended to use pieces of reinforcement, spring units and, in general, any metal. Wood conducts steam, and on the metal it will condense with all the ensuing consequences (rapid oxidation and destruction of the metal, and on rusty metal the wood “hangs” very well, another disease is the proliferation of fungi in a humid environment). So if you decide to assemble a wooden frame, it is assembled using wooden fasteners.
Nageli
Dowels and dowels are made from wood. Pins are long thin bars of round, triangular or square cross-section. More often they use round ones; holes of a slightly smaller diameter are drilled for them (1-2 mm less than the diameter of the dowel), into which the bars are hammered. For triangular or square ones, you need to select a larger drill diameter, and drilling with them will be very difficult.
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The length of the dowel is calculated depending on the cross-section of the beam: the height of the three crowns is multiplied by 0.8. If you have a beam 200*200 mm, then three rows is 600 mm, after multiplication we get 600 mm * 0.8 = 480 mm. The dowels should be of this length.
The most popular diameter/section of dowels is 25 mm or 30 mm. They are made from hard wood - birch or oak. Spruce resists torsional forces very well, so spruce can also be used. If you follow the SNiP standards, then the dowels must have a moisture content of no higher than 12%, they must not have knots or other defects, and they must be treated with antiseptics/fire retardants before use.
Drilling must be strictly vertical
Place the dowel at a distance of 200-600 mm from the edge of the log/timber, and then every 1.5-2 meters in a checkerboard pattern. They are placed strictly vertically, in the middle of the log/timber. To prevent the crowns from hanging on the fasteners when the wood dries, the holes for them are drilled 2-3 cm deeper. To make it easier to track the depth of the hole, a strip is wound around the drill masking tape or bright electrical tape. They are used to navigate. Then, even with a significant reduction in size, the log house will sit evenly.
Assembling a log house on a dowel - installation diagram
When driving in dowels, it is important to control the effort and hit strictly from above so as not to crack the wood. To make it easier for them to “fit” into the holes, they are dipped in oil (you can use it for mining).
When assembling a log house from timber or logs, the work technology is as follows:
- The first two or three rows are fastened with dowels, spacing them at the required distance.
- Next, two more crowns are laid and fastened to the top row of the previous package. Only now you move the dowels so that they do not end up on top of each other, but move in a checkerboard pattern.
- Next, put two crowns again and tie them to top beam the previous packet (also with a shift).
Now a little about the prices of dowels. They are usually sold individually. The price depends on the size and type of wood, but we can definitely say that they are expensive. To save money, people buy rake handles (they have the right diameter), cut them into pieces of the required length and use them. Just note that knots and other wood defects must be cut out.
Square dowel
Even cheaper - buy a board suitable wood(dry, “elite” grade without knots and defects) and cut it into bars of the required size. For example, you can buy a 50*25 mm board, make 25*25 mm bars from it, cut it into pieces of the required length, and slightly sharpen the edges. Apart from the time investment, this approach is the least expensive.
Dowels
Assembling a log house using dowels is less popular because it takes more time. They only hold two crowns together, so there's more work involved.
Assembling the log house with dowels
You need to cut holes for each dowel in the top and bottom logs. Install the prepared fastening bars, then carefully “put on” the upper crown. The work is precise, long and hard.
What does a dowel look like when cut?
The procedure for assembling a log house
Two layers of waterproofing are laid on the foundation. It may be ordinary roofing felt, but in modern design It is very unreliable and breaks after just a few years. To waterproof a log house, it is better to use more modern version something like Hydroizol. In areas with high level water or large quantities precipitation, it is advisable to make a combined waterproofing: first coat the foundation with bitumen mastic, stick waterproofing on it. For reliability, you can use two layers (the second one is also bitumen mastic).
Example of waterproofing
Before laying logs or beams, they must be treated with antiseptics and fire retardants. But the fact is that if you then plan to sand the log house, it is better not to treat it: treated wood requires many times more effort when sanding. On the other hand, there are parts that will be inaccessible after the frame is assembled. If they are not treated until the wood is dry, fungi may develop or it will darken. Darkening is not scary, it can be bleached, but fungi are worse. Especially for a log bathhouse, where periodically there will be high humidity. The solution then is to coat with impregnation only those parts that are closed, and impregnate the free surfaces after grinding.
After the logs/beams are soaked and dried, the actual assembly of the log house begins. The first crown is laid on the waterproofing, its geometry is checked - the diagonals are measured, the angles are checked. Then it is secured to the foundation with previously laid studs. If there are no studs, drill holes and install anchor bolts(holes are drilled under the caps so that they are recessed). Next - on technology. If you are assembling on dowels, then install them in two rows.
Anchors must be driven to a depth not less than the height of the beam/log
The first crowns can be laid by hand without any problems. As you gain height, it becomes increasingly difficult to lift logs. The problem is solved simply: two inclined beams are installed. Two slings are nailed from the inside to lower crowns log house, thrown over the wall. They are threaded under the log/beam that needs to be lifted, and pulled up along the inclined bars (see photo).
This is how logs or beams are lifted onto a log house
The log house is built with solid walls - no windows or doors. They are cut out after the walls are completely removed and the roof is installed. If the log house is left to spend the winter without a roof, you don’t have to cut out the windows/doors: there will be enough ventilation anyway. But if the log house is placed under a roof, then window and door openings are necessary for normal drying.
Before cutting them out, the frame is fastened (a fixing bursa is nailed in, which holds the crowns in a stationary state). After the opening is cut, a frame is installed (a beam that holds the opening and to which the door or window frame is then attached). The beam is held in the groove only due to the force of friction; it is not fixed by anything else. So the logs/beams remain in place and the log house can shrink.
A groove is cut out into which the timber is driven. It is no longer held in place by anything - no nails, no screws
If you cut openings, be sure to install a window frame. At least in this version, as in the photo above - a block driven into a groove. Just pay attention once again: it is not attached to anything. It is held in place only by friction. That is, it is simply driven into the groove. If you leave the openings unsecured, the logs/beams will most likely go in different directions and you will become the owner of walls like the one in the photo below. It is possible to level them, but it is long and difficult.
What happens if you don’t put the sapling in place for the winter?
In this case, the doors and windows themselves are not installed: a draft is necessary. If you want to prevent visits, cover the doors with mesh, membrane, and cross the openings with boards, but air must pass through.
After the walls are kicked out, the assembly of the roof truss system begins. The upper crown is used as a Mauerlat. If necessary, holes are cut out in it for installing rafter legs. Roofing material may not be installed. You can leave the rafters with sheathing covered with a helicopter-protective membrane over the winter. You just need to fasten the membrane according to all the rules: start from the bottom, move up, lay the sheets overlapping one on top of the other, gluing the joints with double-sided tape. Fasten with wide-backed staples from a powerful stapler.
The log house is ready for wintering