The time has come to assemble the wooden frame of the future house. The construction of the frame can be done either with your own hands or with the help of hired workers. However, the work of the team is not cheap - at least as much as building materials for the entire house. Therefore, more and more often today, the construction of a frame structure occurs independently.

Where to begin

Before you start building the frame, you need to tie the foundation. However, first of all, it is necessary to check whether everything was done exactly at the previous stage of construction. We are talking, first of all, about the evenness of the foundation on which the harness will rest. The geometry of the foundation is checked as follows: first the horizontal surface, and then the corners. The entire surface of the foundation must lie in the same plane, deviation of no more than 1 cm is allowed. You can check the plane using a construction laser.

If your difference is more than 1 cm, you need to smear the lower side with cement to the required level. In order not to make formwork, we take a more dense cement solution and simply carefully apply it on top.

The alignment of the corners can also be corrected with additional cement, but formwork will have to be done.

When the foundation is level, we lay the strapping. needed to fix the frame of the future house on it. We talked in detail about how to strap a frame building in our article here.

Methods for constructing a wooden base

The construction of the frame can occur in different ways. Some people assemble the walls one by one on the ground, and only then install them vertically. Others immediately install a wall frame, then insulate it, insulate it and sheath it. Still others make the frame of the entire building, including the roof, and only after that they begin to make layers of walls. You can choose any method convenient for you, but for now we will focus only on the construction of the frame.

The topic of today's issue is the rigidity of a frame house, namely what methods need to be taken to ensure that the frame of the house is rigid.
The basic rule for achieving rigidity is the sufficiency of the mechanical rigidity of individual elements and their complex interconnection in the overall structure of the frame.
Let's look at the points. I will also use a wireframe for a clearer explanation. I would like to note right away that having built more than one frame house, I consider it simply necessary to have double insulation for such a house, so design solutions also obviously assume such double insulation.
So, let's get started, you can watch a video episode on this topic
1. Selection of cross-section of frame racks
Relatively simple recommendation.

Load-bearing walls - a sufficient cross-section of 150*50, for non-load-bearing partitions 100*50. The cross-section according to North American standards is 6*2 and 4*2 inches, respectively; when converted to centimeters, it is slightly smaller, but the quality control and selection of material for the frame is higher there. For external walls, a section of 200*50 is also often used to lay a larger layer of insulation. Although for better thermal insulation, of course, it is more rational to use not increasing the insulation in the wall from 150 mm to 200 mm, but lathing the walls with a 50 mm layer, which will cover the relatively increased heat loss through the studs.

2. Pitch of racks.

There are two main standard pitches 400 and 600mm. Such center-to-center distances allow for trouble-free installation of plasterboard interior trim without trimming.

Many builders take steps of 600 to save money (there are savings on studs and on trimming insulation if basalt wool is used). They justify this decision with excerpts from Western norms. But at the same time, there are strict restrictions for a pitch of 600 mm, which the builders are silent about. This step is usually for one-story houses with small blank wall spans. If there are windows and connections with internal partitions, then the spans of the walls have no restrictions.
Also, a pitch of 600 mm is used in block construction, where there is a double ligation of the walls, which compensates for the increased pitch.
In general, I always recommend 400mm. And on frame houses I always use only this step.

3. Mandatory reinforcement of window and door openings.

The standard approach is that a wall break that takes at least one frame post should be properly reinforced and there is no need to reinvent the wheel, but use a proven reinforcement scheme.

4. Taking into account frame point loads in a local increase in the total cross-section of vertical posts.

Such reinforcements will include spliced ​​racks to receive loads from ridge beams, when transferring increased loads from large openings to vertical racks, etc. For example, a standard small window opening is reinforced by two additional racks, which take the load at the point of break. But if the opening is larger, then the loads collected by the window beam will also be greater, so more racks are added, otherwise one rack may be crushed.

5. Arrangement of jumpers inside the frame.

They perform several functions at once - as fire-restraining jumpers, for additional support of the upper insulation, and also add spatial rigidity to the frame. Usually they are performed on load-bearing walls, 50 mm less wide than the width of the load-bearing rack, placed flush with the inside of the racks and spaced apart from each other.

6. Making jibs or solid sheathing.
Both options perform the same function and their task is to bind the frame elements into one solid structure. I will talk about the specifics of the jib device in a separate issue or even two. The purpose of the sheathing is bandaging, so it is done using sheet materials and must be done with seams spaced apart.

Again, to save material and time, a number of builders simplify the technology and do not bandage, placing the sheets vertically. This is wrong if you want to make a rigid, reliable frame. Bandaging is also important between floors if a two-story house is being built. Accordingly, the first and second floors are tied in solid sheets. For this reason, a frame that is assembled on site can be considered more reliable than assembling a frame from factory panels, where the ligature of the walls along the floor has gaps between the panels, and there is no integral ligature between the floors.

7. Sheathing at the corners of window and door openings is done in solid sheets.

Please draw the attention of builders to this. They will always tend to use scraps in such places.

8. Selection of sheathing material.

When choosing between OSB and plywood, plywood wins. With a smaller thickness, the plywood will grip the frame much better and more rigidly. Due to its lower cost, OSB is nevertheless commonly used. The thickness of the OSB depends on the number of storeys. For a one-story house, 11 mm will do, while for a two-story house, the cladding thickness should be at least 12 mm.
Tying beam floors with a frontal board.
This is a prerequisite and not only for the rigidity of the floor. This strapping largely absorbs and redistributes the loads of the wall panels onto the beam floor. I will show this schematically along with a complete assembly of the junction of the floor to the walls in an issue dedicated to this topic.

9. Strengthening doorways.

This is especially true when using a massive entrance door. When closing, vibration will occur through the frame. Often this understanding comes after the door itself has been installed, when the walls are covered and it is difficult to change anything. But in order not to pay attention to vibration every day, which can also cause the formation of cobwebs on the finishing surface, you need to increase the array of racks, adding at least one additional one to each side. And the wall is additionally reinforced with internal cladding made of sheet material, preferably multilayer plywood.

10. Tying of each floor.

Everyone seems to know this, but it's surprising how many people do it wrong. Every second house I observed had this problem. The strapping is not just a beam laid out as it turns out on the walls, it must bandage them. Often builders walk around the outer walls in a circle without bandaging. Then they lay out the timber along the inner walls. It is not right..

Let’s say this is what the pattern of the top beam of the walls looks like. The beam is laid out first at the intersections of the internal walls with the external ones, and then we bandage the outer corners, while the strapping beam must bandage the two walls.
After this, ligation of other intersections is carried out in a similar way, and only then tying is added to the remaining gaps.

11. It is necessary to use high-quality fasteners, ties, anchors and hardware.

For example, instead of regular smooth nails, you need to use twisted or notched ones. Both types of nails are also available in reels and cassettes for pneumatic tools. Buying a compressor and a pneumatic gun for one house may be irrational, but the availability of these tools to the builders will hint at the fact that they have actually encountered frame construction before.
But if you like to do many things with your own hands, then a compressor along with the appropriate tools will be an excellent assistant for painting, blowing, cleaning, fixing and other tasks.

So, 11 simple rules, following which, you will get excellent rigidity of your frame house.
In the next issue about a frame house, I will talk about the features of tying external and internal walls, and these features apply not only to woodwork. Some points need to be taken into account when raising the frame, because... it will be impossible to correct them later.

Have you ever encountered the topic of “correct” or “wrong” frame house popping up in discussions on forums? Often people are pointed out that the frame is wrong, but they find it difficult to really explain why it is wrong and how it should be. In this article I will try to explain what is usually hidden behind the concept of a “correct” frame, which is the basis of a frame house, just like a human skeleton. In the future, I hope we will consider other aspects.

Surely you know that the foundation is the foundation of the house. This is true, but a frame house has another foundation - no less important than the foundation. This is the frame itself.

Which frame house is “right”?

I'll start with the basics. Why is it so difficult to talk about the right frame house? Because there is no single correct frame house. What a surprise, isn't it? 🙂

You will ask why? Yes, very simple. A frame house is a large constructor with many solutions. And there are many decisions that can be called correct. There are even more decisions – “half-correct” ones, but the “wrong” ones are legion.

Nevertheless, among the variety of solutions, one can single out those that are usually meant when speaking about “correctness.” This is an American and, less commonly, Scandinavian type frame.

Why are they considered examples of “correctness”? Everything is very simple. The vast majority of private homes for permanent residence in America, and a very significant percentage in Scandinavia, are built using frame technology. This technology has been used there for decades and perhaps even a hundred years. During this time, all possible bumps were filled, all possible options were sorted out and some universal scheme was found that says: do this and with a 99.9% probability everything will be fine. Moreover, this scheme is the optimal solution for several characteristics:

1. Constructive reliability of solutions.
2. Optimal labor costs during construction.
3. Optimal cost of materials.
4. Good thermal characteristics.

Why step on your own rake if you can take advantage of the experience of people who have already stepped on this rake? Why reinvent the wheel if it has already been invented?

Remember. Whenever we talk about the “correct” frame or the “correct” components of a frame house, then, as a rule, this means standard solutions and components used in America and Scandinavia. And the frame itself satisfies all the above criteria.

What frames can be called “semi-regular”? Basically, these are those that differ from typical Scandinavian-American solutions, but, nevertheless, also satisfy at least two criteria - reliable design and good solutions in terms of heating engineering.

Well, I would classify all the rest as “wrong”. Moreover, their “wrongness” is often conditional. It is not at all a fact that the “wrong” frame will necessarily fall apart. This scenario is actually extremely rare, although it does occur. Basically, the “wrongness” lies in some controversial and not the best decisions. As a result, things get complicated where things can be done easier. More material is used where less is possible. The design is made colder or more inconvenient for subsequent work than it could be.

The main disadvantage of “wrong” frames is that they provide absolutely no benefits compared to “correct” or “semi-correct” ones - neither in reliability, nor in cost, nor in labor costs... nothing at all.

Or these advantages are far-fetched and generally doubtful. In extreme cases (and there are some), improper framing can be dangerous and will result in a major home renovation being required within just a few years.

Now let's look at the question in more detail.

Key features of the American frame

The American frame is practically a standard. It is simple, strong, functional and reliable as an iron saw. It is easy to assemble and has a large margin of safety.

Americans are tight-fisted guys, and if they manage to save a couple of thousand dollars on construction, they will definitely do it. At the same time, they will not be able to stoop to outright hackwork, since there is strict control in the construction field, insurance companies in case of problems will refuse to pay, and customers of unfortunate builders will quickly sue and rip off negligent contractors like a stick.

Therefore, the American frame can be called the standard in terms of the ratio: price, reliability, result.

The American frame is simple and reliable

Let's take a closer look at the main points that distinguish the American frame scheme:

Typical components of a frame house

Timber in racks and frames is almost never used, unless this is due to some specific conditions. Therefore, the first thing that distinguishes a “correct” frame house is the use of dry lumber and the absence of timber in the walls. By this criterion alone, you can discard 80% of Russian companies and teams working in the frame market.

Points that distinguish the American frame:

1. Corners - there are several different schemes for implementing corners, but nowhere will you see timber as corner posts.
2. Double or triple racks in the area of ​​window and door openings.
3. The reinforcement above the openings is a board installed on the edge. The so-called “header” (from English header).
4. Double top frame made of boards, no timber.
5. The overlap of the lower and upper rows of trim at key points - corners, various fragments of walls, places where internal partitions join external walls.

I didn’t specifically mention Ukosina as a distinctive point. Since in the American style, if there is cladding with OSB3 (OSB) boards on the frame, there is no need for miters. The slab can be considered as an infinite number of jibs.

Let's talk in more detail about the key features of the correct frame in the American version.

Correct corners of a frame house

In fact, on the Internet, even in the American segment, you can find a dozen schemes. But most of them are outdated and rarely used, especially in cold regions. I will highlight three main angle patterns. Although realistically, only the first two are the main ones.

Nodes of corners of a frame house

1. Option 1 – the so-called “California” angle. The most common option. Why exactly “California” – I have no idea :). From the inside, another board or strip of OSB is nailed to the outer post of one of the walls. As a result, a shelf is formed on the inside of the corner, which subsequently serves as a support for the interior decoration or any internal layers of the wall.
2. Option 2 – closed corner. Also one of the most popular. The essence is an additional stand in order to make a shelf on the inner corner. Among the advantages: the quality of insulation of the corner is better than in option 1. Among the disadvantages: such a corner can only be insulated from the outside, that is, this must be done before sheathing the frame with anything from the outside (slabs, membrane, etc.)
3. Option 3 – “Scandinavian” warm corner. A very rare option, not used in America. I have seen it in Scandinavian frames, but not often. Why did I bring him then? Because, in my opinion, this is the warmest corner option. And I'm thinking about starting to use it at our facilities. But you need to think before using it, since it is structurally inferior to the first two and will not fit everywhere.

What is unique about all three of these options and why is timber a bad option for a corner?

Angle made of timber, the worst option

If you noticed, in all three versions of boards the corner can be insulated. Somewhere more, somewhere less. In the case of timber in a corner, we have two drawbacks: firstly, from the point of view of heating engineering, such a corner will be the coldest. Secondly, if there is a beam in the corner, then there are no “shelves” on the inside to attach the interior trim to it.

Of course, the last issue can be resolved. But remember what I said about the “wrong” frames? Why make it complicated when you can make it simpler? Why make a beam, creating a cold bridge and thinking about how to attach finishing to it later, if you can make a warm corner from boards? Despite the fact that this will not affect the quantity of material or the complexity of the work.

Openings and top trim are the most significant difference between the American frame design and the Scandinavian one, but more on that later. So, when they talk about the correct openings in a frame, they usually talk about the following scheme (window and door openings are made according to the same principle).

Correct openings in a frame house

The first thing (1) that people usually pay attention to when talking about “wrong” openings is the double and even triple racks on the sides of the opening. It is often believed that this is necessary to somehow strengthen the opening for installing a window or door. Actually this is not true. A window or door will be fine on single posts. Why then do we need cohesive boards?

Everything is elementary. Remember when I said that the American frame is as simple and reliable as an iron saw? Pay attention to Figure 2. And you will understand that solid racks are needed solely to support the elements lying on them. So that the edges of these elements do not hang on nails. Simple, reliable and versatile.

In Figure 3 there is one of the simplified versions, when the lower frame of the window cuts into a torn mullion. But at the same time, both window frames still have supports at the edges.

Therefore, we cannot formally say that if the racks are not doubled, then this is “wrong.” They can also be single, as in the Scandinavian frame. Rather, the mistake is when the racks along the edges of the openings are solid, but do not bear the load from the elements resting on them. In this case they are simply meaningless.

In this case, the horizontal elements hang on fasteners, so there is no point in doubling or tripling the racks on the sides

Now let's talk about an element that is already more critical and the absence of which can be considered as an “irregularity” of the opening. This is the “header” above the opening.

Window header

This is a really important element. As a rule, some kind of load will come from above onto the window or doorway - the floor joists of the second floor, the rafter system. And the wall itself is weakened by deflection in the area of ​​the opening. Therefore, local reinforcements are made in the openings. In American it is headers. In fact, this is a board installed on edge above the opening. Here it is important that the edges of the header either rest on the posts (if the classic American scheme with solid opening posts is used), or are cut into the outer posts if they are single. Moreover, the cross-section of the header directly depends on the loads and dimensions of the opening. The larger the opening and the stronger the load on it, the more powerful the header. It can also be double, triple, extended in height, etc. – I repeat, it depends on the load. But, as a rule, for openings up to 1.5 m in width, a header made of 45x195 boards is quite sufficient.

Is the absence of a header a sign that the framework is “wrong”? Yes and no. If you act according to the American principle of “simple and reliable,” then the header should be present at every opening. Do this and be sure of the result.

But in fact, you need to dance from the load falling on the opening from above. For example, a narrow window in a one-story house and the rafters in this section of the wall are located along the edges of the opening - the load from above on the opening is minimal and you can do without a header.

Therefore, the issue of the header should be approached as follows. If there is one, great. If it is not there, then the builders (contractor) must clearly explain why, in their opinion, it is not needed here, and this will depend, first of all, on the load falling on the opening area from above.

Double top harness

Double top frame made of boards, also a distinctive feature of the American frame

Double top harness

The double strapping again provides reinforcement along the top of the wall for deflection from the load from above - the load from the ceiling, rafters, etc. In addition, pay attention to the overlaps of the second row of strapping.

1. Overlap in the corner - we tie two perpendicular walls together.
2. Overlap in the center - we tie together 2 sections of one wall.
3. Overlap along the partition - we tie the partition together with the outer wall.

Thus, the double piping also fulfills the second task - ensuring the integrity of the entire wall structure.

In the domestic version you can often find the top frame made of timber. And this, again, is not the best solution. Firstly, the beam is thicker than a double frame. Yes, it may be better for deflection, but it is not a fact that it is necessary, but the cold bridge at the top of the wall will be more significant. Well, it’s more difficult to implement this overlap to ensure the integrity of the entire structure. Therefore, we return again to the question: why make it difficult if you can make it simpler and more reliable?

Correct jib in a frame house

Another cornerstone. Surely you have come across the phrase “jibs made incorrectly.” Let's talk about this. Firstly, what is a jib? This is a diagonal element in the wall, which provides spatial rigidity for shear in the lateral plane. Because thanks to the jib, a system of triangular structures appears, and the triangle is the most stable geometric figure.

So, when they talk about the correct jib, they usually talk about this option:

Correct jib

Why is this particular jib called “correct” and what should you pay attention to?

1. This jib is installed with an angle of 45 to 60 degrees - this is the most stable triangle. Of course, the angle may be different, but this range is best.
2. The jib cuts into the upper and lower trim, and does not just rest against the rack - this is quite an important point, in this way we tie the structure together.
3. The jib cuts into every post in its path.
4. For each node - adjacent to the harness or rack, there must be at least two fastening points. Since one point will give a “hinge” with a certain degree of freedom.
5. The jib cuts into the edge - this way it works better in the structure and interferes less with the insulation.

And here is an example of the most “wrong” jib. But nevertheless, it occurs all the time.

This is just a board stuck into the first opening of the frame. What is so “wrong” about it, since formally it is also a triangle?

1. Firstly, the angle of inclination is very small.
2. Secondly, in such a plane the jib board works worst of all.
3. Thirdly, it is difficult to fix such a jib to the wall.
4. Fourthly, pay attention to the fact that cavities that are extremely inconvenient for insulation are formed at the junctions with the frame. Even if the jib is carefully trimmed and there is no gap at the end, there is no escape from the sharp corner, and properly insulating such a corner is not an easy task, so most likely it will be done somehow.

Another example, also common. This is a jib cut into the posts, but not cut into the harness.

The jib is not embedded in the harness

This option is already much better than the previous one, but, nevertheless, such a jib will work worse than one embedded in the harness, and the work will take 5 minutes more. And if, moreover, it is fixed to each rack with only one nail, then its effect will also be minimized.

We won’t even consider the options for all sorts of small defective “corners and braces” that do not reach from the top harness to the bottom.

Formally, even the most crooked jib makes at least some contribution. But once again: why do it your own way if a good solution already exists?

This is where we finish with the American frame and move on to the Scandinavian one.

Correct Scandinavian frame

Unlike America, where frames are practically standardized and there are very few differences, there are more variations in Scandinavia. Here you can find both the classic American frame and hybrid versions. The Scandinavian frame, in essence, is the development and modernization of the American one. However, basically, when they talk about a Scandinavian frame, we are talking about such a design.

Typical Scandinavian house kit

Scandinavian frame

Corners, jibs - everything here is like the Americans. What should you pay attention to?

1. Single strapping along the top of the wall.
2. Power crossbar embedded in the racks along the entire wall.
3. Single posts on window and door openings.

In fact, the main difference is this very “Scandinavian” crossbar - it replaces both the American headers and the double harness, being a powerful power element.

What, in my opinion, is the advantage of the Scandinavian frame over the American one? The fact is that it places a much greater emphasis on minimizing all kinds of cold bridges, which are almost all solid boards (double strapping, racks of openings). After all, between each solid board, a gap could potentially form over time, which you may never know about. Well, it’s one thing when the cold bridge is the width of one board, and another question is when there are already two or three of them.

Of course, you shouldn’t focus on cold bridges. There’s still no escape from them, and in fact, their importance is often exaggerated. But, nevertheless, they exist and, if it is possible to minimize them relatively painlessly, why not do it?

Scandinavians in general, unlike Americans, are very concerned about energy saving. The colder, northern climate and expensive energy resources also have an impact. But in terms of climate, Scandinavia is much closer to us (I’m talking primarily about the North-West region) than most American states.

The disadvantage of the Scandinavian frame is that it is slightly more complex, at least in the fact that in all racks you need to make cuts for the crossbar. And the fact is that, unlike the American one, it does require some kind of mental effort. For example: large openings may require double racks to support horizontal elements, and additional crossbars and headers. And somewhere, for example, on the gable walls of one-story buildings, where there is no load from the joists or roof, perhaps a transom is not even needed.

In general, the Scandinavian frame has certain advantages, but requires a little more effort and intelligence than the American one. If the American frame can be assembled with the brains completely turned off, then in the Scandinavian one it is better to turn them on, at least in the minimum mode.

“Semi-regular” frames

Let me remind you that by “semi-correct” I mean precisely those that have every right to exist, but differ from the typical Scandinavian-American solutions. Therefore, calling them “semi-correct” must be done with caution.

Let me give you a few examples.

An example of how you can “overdo it”

The first example is from our own practice. This house was built by us, but according to a design provided by the customer. We even wanted to redo the project completely, but we were limited by deadlines, since we had to go to the site; In addition, the customer paid a significant amount for the project and formally there are no violations in the design, but he has come to terms with the stated shortcomings of the current solution.

Why then did I classify this frame as “semi-regular”? Please note that there are Scandinavian crossbars, American headers, and double trims not only at the top, but also at the bottom of the walls. In short, there is an American scheme, and a Scandinavian one, and another 30% of the Russian reserve is thrown on top, just in case. Well, the prefabricated stand of 6 (!!!) boards under the glued ridge beam speaks for itself. After all, in this place the only insulation is isoplate on the outside and cross-insulation on the inside. And if there was a purely American scheme, then there would simply be no insulation in this section of the wall, bare wood from the outside in.

I call this frame “semi-correct” because from the point of view of structural reliability there are no complaints about it. There is a multiple margin of safety “in case of nuclear war.” But there are an abundance of cold bridges, a huge waste of material for the frame, and high labor costs, which also affects the price.

This house could have been made with a smaller but sufficient margin of safety, but at the same time reducing the amount of lumber by 30 percent and significantly reducing the number of cold bridges, making the house warmer.

Another example is a frame using the “double volume” frame system, promoted by a Moscow company.

The main difference is that it is actually a double outer wall, with racks spaced apart relative to each other. So the frame fully satisfies the strength criteria and is very good from the point of view of thermal engineering, due to the minimization of cold bridges, but loses in manufacturability. The problem of eliminating cold bridges, which is primarily solved by such a frame, can be solved by simpler, more reliable and correct methods such as “cross-insulation”.

And, curiously, usually “semi-correct” frames somehow contain Scandinavian-American solutions. And the differences are rather in an attempt to improve the good. But it often happens that “the best is the enemy of the good.”

Such frames can be safely called “semi-correct” precisely because there are no gross violations here. There are differences from typical American-Scandinavian solutions in attempts to improve something or come up with some kind of “trick”. Whether to pay for them or not is the customer’s choice.

“Wrong” frame houses

Now let's talk about the “wrong” frames. The most typical, I would even say collective, case is presented in the photo below.

The quintessence of “directional” frame house construction

What can you immediately notice in this photo?

1. Total use of natural moisture material. Moreover, it is a massive material, which dries out the most and changes its geometry during the drying process.
2. The beams in the corners and on the straps and even on the racks are cold bridges and an inconvenience in further work.
3. No headers or reinforcements for openings.
4. Do not understand how the jib is made, poorly fulfilling its role and interfering with insulation.
5. Assembly on corners with black self-tapping screws, the purpose of which is to fasten gypsum boards during finishing (and not for use in load-bearing structures).

The photo above shows almost the quintessence of what is commonly called an “irregular” frame or “RSK”. The abbreviation RSK appeared in 2008 at FH, at the suggestion of one builder who presented a similar product to the world, called Russian Power Frame. Over time, as people began to figure out what was what, this abbreviation began to be deciphered as Russian Strashen Karkashen. Like the apotheosis of meaninglessness with a claim to a unique solution.

What is most curious is that, if desired, it can also be classified as “semi-correct”: after all, if the screws do not rot (black phosphated screws are by no means an example of corrosion resistance) and do not burst during the inevitable shrinkage of the timber, this frame is unlikely to fall apart. That is, such a design has the right to life.

What is the main disadvantage of “wrong” frames? If people know what they are doing, they will come to the Canadian-Scandinavian pattern pretty quickly. Fortunately, there is a wealth of information now. And if they don’t come, then this says one thing: they, by and large, don’t care about the result. The classic answer when trying to ask them why this is so is “we have always built it this way, no one has complained.” That is, the entire construction is based solely on intuition and ingenuity. Without trying to ask how it’s generally customary to do this.

What prevented you from making a board instead of timber? Reinforce the openings? Make normal jibs? Collect on nails? That is, do it right? After all, such a frame does not provide any advantages! One large set of not the best solutions with claims to super strength, etc. Moreover, the labor input is the same as the “correct” one, the cost is the same, and the material consumption is perhaps even greater.

Summarize

As a result: the American-Scandinavian frame scheme is usually called “correct”, due to the fact that it has already been tested many times on thousands of houses, proving its viability and the optimal ratio of “labor-input-reliability-quality”.

“Semi-regular” and “irregular” include all other types of frames. In this case, the frame may be quite reliable, but “suboptimal” in terms of the above.

As a rule, if potential contractors cannot justify the use of certain design solutions other than the “correct” American-Scandinavian ones, this indicates that they have no idea about these very “correct” solutions and are building a house solely on a whim, replacing knowledge with intuition and ingenuity. And this is a very risky path that may come back to haunt the home owner in the future.

That's why. Do you want guaranteed correct, optimal solutions? Pay attention to the classic American or Scandinavian frame house construction scheme.

about the author

Hello. My name is Alexey, you may have met me as Porcupine or Gribnick on the Internet. I am the founder of the Finnish House, a project that has grown from a personal blog into a construction company whose goal is to build a high-quality and comfortable home for you and your children.

You can often hear the opinion that frame houses are one of the simplest, most rational and inexpensive types of building structures. Based on this idea, many developers choose frame technologies for construction, thinking about savings and even the possibility of building a house on their own. Unfortunately, the idea of ​​​​the simplicity and cheapness of frame technologies applies only to those buildings that do not comply with any building codes and rules, which are erected by guest workers and inexperienced DIYers. However, the same can be said about building log houses from wood with your own hands.

Frame technologies indeed have many advantages, but only in cases where the house is erected by experienced builders from industrially produced components for frame house construction. An inexperienced or illiterate builder, working with frame technology, can make many more mistakes than when building a house from solid wood or stone materials. Where, when building a house from massive wall materials, only a few technological operations are required, frame technologies will require a much larger number of technological “passes”. With a larger number of operations, the risk of making mistakes, non-compliance with technology and improper use of materials increases significantly. Therefore, frame houses built without a project and the involvement of qualified specialists “at random” or on trust in guest workers may be short-lived and soon require major repairs due to unsatisfactory consumer qualities (freezing, wet insulation, high heating costs, rotting of structural elements , destruction of both individual elements and the entire structure as a whole). Unfortunately, in Russia the list of regulatory construction documentation for the design and construction of frame houses is significantly limited. Currently, the 2002 code of practice SP 31-105-2002 “Design and Construction of Energy-Efficient Wood-Framed Single-Apartment Residential Buildings” is in effect, developed on the basis of the outdated 1998 National Housing Code of Canada.

In this article we will provide a brief overview of the main errors and violations of frame house construction technology.

Construction without a project.

This is a universal “general” mistake when choosing any construction technology. However, it is in frame technology that the cost of errors can be especially high and lead to cost overruns instead of savings, both due to the use of an excessive amount of material (frame made of large-section timber) and the need for repairs due to insufficient sections of beams, a rare step in their installation. destruction of structural elements due to unaccounted loads, incorrectly chosen methods of connection in nodes and fastening materials, biological destruction of wood due to impaired steam and moisture removal.

Construction from "natural moisture" wood.

Almost nowhere in civilized countries are houses built from raw wood, just as before in Rus' they never built houses from freshly cut tree trunks. SP 31-105-2002 clause 4.3.1 states: “The load-bearing structures (frame elements) of houses of this system are made from softwood lumber, dried and protected from moisture during storage.” Raw wood is only a semi-finished product for the production of building materials. In Russia, sellers and suppliers delicately call raw lumber wood of “natural moisture.” Let us remind you that a freshly cut tree has a humidity of 50-100%. If the wood was rafted on water, then the humidity is 100% or more (the amount of water exceeds the amount of dry matter). “Natural moisture” usually means that the wood has dried out slightly during processing and transportation, and it contains between 30 and 80% moisture. When drying in the open air, the amount of moisture is reduced to 15-20%. The normal equilibrium moisture content of industrially dried wood in contact with the atmosphere will be a moisture content of 11-12%. When drying wet wood, the length of lumber is reduced by 3-7%, and the volume of wood by 11-17%. The use of “natural moisture” wood for the construction of frame houses leads to uncontrolled shrinkage of the wood, which changes the linear dimensions of structural elements and can lead to deformation, cracking and rupture of the wood with destruction of fasteners. When a wooden frame dries out, numerous cracks and gaps open up, significantly increasing the thermal conductivity of the walls of the frame house, tearing the insulating materials, preventing the penetration of moisture. When wood shrinks, its density increases, which leads to better conductivity of vibrations and sounds.

Construction from lumber without preliminary antiseptic treatment.

Even in the most properly designed frame house, a certain amount of condensation is inevitable on the media sections, of which there is much more in frame houses than in buildings made of solid materials. A moistened tree, containing polysaccharides in its structure, is an excellent nutrient medium for various forms of microflora and microfauna, representatives of which are capable of destroying the structure of the tree in a short period of time. SP 31-105-2002 (clause 4.3.2) states that all wooden elements located closer than 25 cm from ground level and all wooden elements not made of dry wood are subject to antiseptic treatment.

Incorrect use of materials.

In classical frame technology, the corner posts of the frame should not be made of timber or three boards knocked together closely - in this case, increased heat loss through the “cold corners” is ensured. The correct “warm corner” is assembled from three vertical posts located in mutually perperdicular planes.

Materials that can bear loads are used to cover the frame. For example, OSB must be structural and intended specifically for outdoor use.

Insulation of vertical frame walls is permissible only with rigid insulation boards. Due to shrinkage and sliding over time, fill-in and roll insulation can only be used on horizontal surfaces or in roofs with a slope of up to 1:5. When using economical versions of low-density insulation slabs, it is recommended to secure each row of slabs with spacers between the slabs to prevent slipping. This solution makes the structure more expensive and increases the thermal conductivity of the wall, so it is more profitable to use high-quality, more expensive insulation of higher density. The size of the openings between the frame racks should not exceed the transverse size of the insulation slabs - 60 cm. It is even better if the size of the opening is reduced to 59 cm in order to eliminate gaps between the racks and the insulation slabs. You cannot fill the walls with scraps of insulation - there will be many gaps.

Incorrect fastening of materials.

Black self-tapping screws can only be used for fastening sheet materials. The use of black self-tapping screws in a load-bearing frame, especially in a frame made of damp wood, can lead to the rupture of these unreliable fasteners that have low shear strength.

In all cases of assembling the load-bearing elements of the frame, galvanized nails or chrome-plated or brass-plated screws with a minimum diameter of 5 mm are used. The use of perforated steel fasteners without ligating wooden elements does not always guarantee the design strength of the frame.

It is unacceptable to fasten fastening elements of beams and other elements of the load-bearing frame to OSB boards, especially with nails.
When nailing sheet elements or screwing them with self-tapping screws, it is unacceptable to recess the cap or head deeper than the plane of the surface of the material. From the point of view of structural strength, the deepening of the head or cap by half the thickness of the material is considered a missing fastening element and must be duplicated with a correctly installed screw or nail.
The minimum distance from the edge of the covering material to the cap or head of the fastener is 10 mm.

Since 2012, the International building code for residential buildings (International building code, paragraph 2308.12.8) requires to prevent shifting during earthquakes, wind loads, etc. secure the frame of all newly erected frame buildings to the foundation with anchor bolts through pressure plates measuring at least 7.6 by 7.6 mm with a steel plate thickness of at least 5.8 mm. The minimum diameter of bolts or anchors is 12 mm.

Construction of frame houses using “innovative” technologies.

The most common frame construction technology in the world involves the sequential assembly of “platforms” - floors with floors, followed by the assembly of walls on them and their installation in a vertical position. In this case, it is convenient for builders to move along a continuous surface, it is convenient to work with materials, any deviations from the design position can be eliminated before the construction of walls begins, and the floors themselves rest securely on the underlying structures. For some reason, domestic builders are trying to invent their own options for building a frame house with assembling walls “on site”, mixing the technology of building a frame house with the technology of half-timbering or “posts and beams” with the installation of floors last, which is fraught with the need for inserting or “hanging” floor beams, the need to move on temporary flooring, with a high probability of injury when falling from a height.

Errors in working with floor beams of a frame house.

Most mistakes are made with the fastening of beams. It is best to rest the beams on the top frame of the load-bearing walls, on the purlins. It is prohibited to reduce the cross-section of the beam by cutting down the cutout for joining with the trim. If it is necessary to connect the floor beam with the strapping beam or beam purlin, it must be secured through a backing support bar with nails, or using steel beam supports. The steel beam support must have a height equal to the height of the beam and be fastened with nails through all mounting holes. Fastening beams using smaller supports, not punching through all fastening holes, fastening with black self-tapping screws, fastening only with nails without a support bar are mistakes.

The most common spacing of floor beams in the world practice of frame house construction is from 30 to 40 cm. This spacing of beams allows you to obtain strong floors that do not sag under impact loads. The installation of floors with a pitch of more than 60 cm is generally not recommended. The minimum thickness of sheet materials for flooring on floor beams is 16 mm for a beam spacing of 40 cm.

Often beams-purlins that work in bending are assembled from boards flat, rather than installing them on an edge.

The load-bearing capacity of the floors increases if the covering sheet material of the subfloors is additionally glued to the floor beams.
The load-bearing capacity of frame floors can be increased due to rigid transverse connections of the beams. Such connections are installed in increments of 120 cm and can serve as support for internal non-load-bearing partitions (through the subfloor). Also, transverse struts serve as an obstacle to the spread of flame during a fire.

How to properly drill holes in floor beams:

I-beams:

Composite I-beams can only be cut or drilled in certain locations per the manufacturer's specifications. The upper and lower elements of I-beams must not be disturbed. No more than 3 holes are allowed per beam. One hole with a diameter of up to 40 mm can be drilled in any part of the I-beam with the exception of the support parts. I-beams glued Wood-OSB-Wood are designated “Top”. When independently producing beams based on OSB, you should take into account the direction of the force axis of the material.

Floor beams made of sawn wood:

Errors in working with the cladding of a frame house.

According to foreign building codes and recommendations of the American Engineered Wood Association (APA), the frame can be sheathed with OSB boards both vertically and horizontally. However, if the OSB board is sewn along the frame posts, then the force axis (indicated on the OSB panel by arrows and the inscription Strength axis) will be parallel to the posts. This arrangement of the plates is useful only for strengthening weak frame struts that work in compression without significant lateral and tangential loads (which is almost unrealistic in real operating conditions). If OSB boards are sewn perpendicular to the racks, they strengthen the building frame to absorb tangential and lateral loads that arise when exposed to wind and base movements due to soil movement. Particularly relevant is horizontal cladding of OSB panels in frames with missing slopes, to impart the required structural rigidity. If OSB sheets are laid across the racks, then the force axis will be perpendicular to them, and the OSB sheets will withstand greater compressive and tensile loads. So, for example, in the domestic SP 31-105-2002. “Design and Construction of Energy Efficient Single-Apartment Residential Buildings with Wood Frames” provides (Table 10-4) the recommended minimum plywood thickness for framing the frame: if the plywood fibers are parallel to the frame posts at a pitch of 60 cm, then the minimum plywood thickness is 11 mm. If the plywood fibers are placed perpendicular to the posts, then thinner sheets with a thickness of 8 mm can be used. Therefore, it is preferable to sew OSB sheets with the long side not along, but across the racks or rafters. For the outer cladding of one-story frame houses, OSB 9 mm thick can be used. But when building two-story houses and any houses in areas of strong winds, the minimum thickness of OSB for external cladding is 12 mm. If a frame house is sheathed with soft fiber boards of the Isoplat type, then the frame structure must have jibs that provide lateral rigidity to the structure.

Gaps of 2-3 mm should be left between all sheet sheathing materials for thermal expansion. If this is not done, the sheets will “swell” as they expand.
Joining of sheathing sheets is carried out only on racks and cross members. The sheets are sewn “staggered” to ensure greater strength of the load-bearing frame structure using chain ligation. The outer sheathing should connect the wall frame with the lower and upper trim.

« Pies" of the floors of the walls and roof of the frame house.

The main mistake in the design of frame pies for floors, walls and roofs is the possibility of the insulation getting wet from moisture penetrating inside. The general rule for building walls in heated rooms is that the vapor permeability of materials should increase from the inside out. Even in the floor, where they often do the opposite: a vapor barrier is laid on the ground side, and a vapor-permeable membrane on the room side.
Any insulated frame house pie must have a continuous layer of vapor barrier from the inside. “Continuous layer” really means that the vapor barrier should not have any defects: the sheets must be glued together with an overlap along the entire protected contour, without exceptions. For example, almost all builders, at the stage of assembling the frame, forget to lay a vapor barrier under the junction of internal partitions and external walls according to the standard diagrams for arranging junctions in clause 7.2.12 of SP 31-105-2002.

Additionally, all gaps between sheet sheathing materials in wet rooms and on the roof must be sealed with waterproofing materials to prevent moisture from getting inside the insulated “pies.”
In addition to preventing moisture from entering the insulated cake, it is necessary to ensure the removal of moisture: the outside of the frame wall should either be sheathed with OSB boards, which is a “smart” vapor-permeable material that can increase vapor permeability when the environment is humidified, or protected by a semi-permeable membrane that ensures the removal of moisture from the insulation. Cheap single-layer membranes have unsatisfactory vapor permeability and require an air gap between the insulation and the membrane. Also, cheap single-layer membranes provide poor protection against moisture penetration from the outside. It is preferable to use expensive superdiffusion membranes, which have really good vapor permeability and can be mounted directly over the insulation.

Ventilation of a frame house.

Figuratively speaking, the interior space of a properly built frame house is identical to the interior space of a thermos: heat loss through the walls is very small, and moisture transfer through the walls is most often practically absent (but can persist during use). Accordingly, it should be vented outside. Without a thoughtful one, this becomes impossible. In a frame house, ventilation valves must be installed in each room, or the windows must have a micro-ventilation mode or built-in slot ventilation valves. Exhaust ventilation must be installed in the kitchen and bathroom. Abroad, frame houses for permanent residence are practically never built without supply and exhaust ventilation with a recovery system.

At the end of the article, we present illustrations of the widespread “folk” construction of a frame house, in which, upon closer examination, there is not a single correctly executed element.

The typical mistakes that we described in the article are easily preventable. Before you start building your first frame house or hiring builders, study in detail the albeit slightly outdated, but the only set of rules for frame house construction available in Russian, SP 31-105-2002. By paying attention to all the details and subtleties of creating a power frame of a building and ensuring the durability of its operation, you can avoid costly mistakes when building or ordering your frame house.

Currently, many people cannot afford to build a new home. Taking a loan from a bank, a mortgage - it turns out to be a fairly substantial amount of $28,000, so this is without interest! But you can purchase an old home, in particular a frame or panel house whose service life is more than 40 years, for a lower price, starting from about $11,300 (without gas, running water and other amenities). And all the “conveniences” can be done over time, and if you do it yourself, then the cost of the house will be approximately $17,800.

But you ask, what if the house requires major renovations? After all, it’s one thing to change the roof, but if the lower part of the walls of a frame or panel house has become unusable, then what to do in this case?

There is only one answer to this question - buy a house, and repairs, even major ones with replacing the lower part of the walls, as they say, are “a matter of technique.” This is what I want to talk about in this article, to give an example of how you can replace the bottom of a frame (panel) house. So, from words to action!

Preparatory work

1. Preparation of material and tools for repair and restoration work:

Materials you will need:

• timber with a cross-section of 150x150mm, to replace the embedded crown or log with a diameter of at least 18 cm
• beam with a section of 100x80 mm, for the installation of support posts
• construction staples*
• insulation (mineral wool)*
• hydro-vapor barrier materials*

Note:* - the asterisk marks materials that need to be purchased only when repairing the walls of the house; when replacing the mortgage crown, these materials will not be required.

From the tool:

• chainsaw (wood hacksaw), for sawing embedded beams (logs)
• jack (hydraulic or mechanical with a lifting capacity of at least 5 tons) for raising a house
• nail puller, crowbar
• set of chisels
• hammer, ax
• steel lining with a diameter of at least 10 cm (shape: circle or square)

2. Dismantling of the façade cladding (partial or complete) and rubble (parts of the base). You can read more about the filling device in the article

3. Dismantling window and door blocks

A- before starting preparations for repairs

B- after preparatory work for home renovation

Before starting repairs, it is necessary to dismantle the cladding of the facade of the walls of the house in order to gain access to the cladding of the frame of the house; also, after dismantling the facade cladding, it is necessary to disassemble the blockage (if any), remove the door and window frames.

Window and door frames must be removed so as not to damage them when lifting the house, since when lifting from one side by 10-15 cm, the deviation of the house will be approximately 6-8 cm, which will inevitably lead to breakage of the door and window frames.

The façade cladding must be completely dismantled in the following cases:

• if you plan to repair the lower part of the walls of the house, with replacing the cladding boards along the bottom of the wall.
• if you plan to repair the frame, racks or the lower beam of the framing walls.

If the lower part of the walls of the house does not require repair, and only the crown molding will be changed, then the sheathing needs to be removed only to the level of the window openings.

Replacement of embedded beams (logs) in a frame house

The installation of the house frame is carried out not on the foundation, but on a mortgage crown, which is made from logs or timber. You can get acquainted with the structure of the house frame in the article.

If the mortgage crown has become unusable and requires replacement, then it is necessary to replace it. How to do it? We will consider the answer to this question in two options - the first option is for replacing the mortgage crown in a frame-frame house, the second option is in a panel house.

Option I

Frame preparation

The façade cladding and heaping have been dismantled, as have the window and door blocks, and you can begin to carry out the work directly on replacing the crown molding. To do this, it is necessary to prepare the frame for lifting - it needs to be strengthened.

To do this, it is necessary to attach 50 mm thick boards on both sides of the house at the level of the window blocks using long bolts or studs (? 14 mm). To make such a screed from boards, you first need to attach them to the frame posts with nails, and only then can you drill a through hole for bolting the boards to each frame post.

When the wall is screeded using boards, it is necessary to prepare a place for installing a jack.

To do this, you need to dismantle the fence between the columnar supports at the columnar foundation and near the supports, which are located next to the outermost ones, level the area for installing the jack, and also make a solid base (a shield made of bars with a cross-section of 100x80mm or make a concrete platform).

If the house has a strip foundation, then you cannot do without partial destruction of the foundation; you will have to gouge out places in it for installing a jack, from both corners of the house (as shown in the figure).

After a niche has been made in the foundation and the anchor log has been sawn, you can install a jack and check its functionality, but the house cannot be lifted. This action checks the output of the rod from the hydraulic cylinder of the jack.

In this case, the height of the rod exit should be no more than half of its length; this is necessary so that at the top point of lifting the house at a height of 10-20 cm, the rod does not completely come out of the hydraulic cylinder, which will ensure the safety of the work of lifting the house.

When the functionality of the jack has been verified, it is necessary to prepare support posts that will secure the house after lifting to the required height. For this you will need a beam with a cross section of 100x80 cm.

A- jib support post

B- rack support bar

IN- transverse connecting bar of the jib and support post

This design of the support post will allow you to suspend the house with the installation of posts only on one side of the house (from the outside). Since the racks will not be installed inside the house, this will not require partial dismantling of the floor and will save time on the work of replacing the embedded crown.

Support block (B), designed to strengthen the jib (A) support post, and also serves as a guarantee that the support post will not tip over under load. Cross connecting bar (IN) in the design of the support post it is also intended to increase the area of ​​support of the post on the prepared platform (blind area, wooden board, etc.).

The racks must be installed along the entire length of the wall at a distance of no more than two meters with emphasis on a solid, durable base - for example, a concrete base, which can be a blind area or on a wooden board made according to the same principle as a board for installing a jack.

If the blind area will serve as a supporting platform, then it is necessary to make a recess of at least 5 cm in it at the place where the support is installed. If a wooden shield made of timber will serve as a supporting platform, then it must be dug 15 cm into the ground. In this case, the bottom of the hole and its edges must be carefully compacted and only after that the wooden shield must be lowered into the hole. In a wooden panel, as well as in a blind area, it is necessary to make a recess (cut) in the place where the support post is installed.

Lifting the house and replacing the mortgage beam

The work of lifting the house must be carried out by four people, since the house must be lifted with two jacks installed at a distance of no more than 1 meter from the corners of the house (a log house made of logs and beams can be lifted with one jack installed in the center of the house). The exit of the rods from the hydraulic cylinders of the jacks must be carried out synchronously to prevent the house from tilting.

To lift the house using jacks, two people will be required, and the other two people should bring a piece of timber under the side walls of the house on the sides of the house. This is necessary so that the beam of the lower framing of the frame does not break at the moment when, after lifting, the house will be held in a suspended state with the help of support posts.

After the house is raised to the desired height, it is necessary to install support posts. The supports are installed starting from the corners of the house to the center, as previously mentioned, the distance between them should be no more than 1.5 meters.

The supports must be inserted at one end under the attached board to the house, and at the other end against the made base. The end of the support installed on the base must be securely installed so that the support does not move to the side after the jacks are removed from under the house. Also, each support must have a support post and at the top it is necessary to make a tie with the wall of the house (as shown in the figure).

In order for the supports to stand securely, it is necessary to make corner cuts at the ends (the choice of the cut angle is arbitrary).

If the support rests on the blind area, then in those places in the surface of the blind area you need to make indentations - approximately 3-5 cm deep, the width and thickness should correspond to the dimensions of the corner cut of the support.

To remove the old embedded beam (log), you need to use a chainsaw or a hacksaw with a large tooth to cut it at the junction of the crown. To make it more convenient to remove the embedded beam (log), it can be sawed on site into several parts.

When the old embedded beam is removed, you need to cut off the notches from the side embedded beams, this will allow you to easily install the new embedded beam onto the foundation without sawing it into pieces.

The notches on the new embedded beam must be made in advance and the timber must be laid with the notches facing up. Before putting the timber in place, you can lay inter-crown insulation on top of the waterproofing - jute (made of flax fiber).

When the beam is wound up and laid in place, it is necessary to install the jacks in place, while the rod must be completely inserted into the hydraulic cylinder, if the jacks are not installed - the laid embedded beam is in the way, then the beam must be lifted and, having installed the jacks, put it on top of the jacks' support platforms.

In this case, one person holds the beam in the center, and two people, using jacks, lift the beam to the beam of the lower frame of the wall. The embedding beam must be pressed tightly against the trim beam. Next, you need to raise the wall of the house a little more - 3-4 cm in order to remove the load from the support posts and remove them.

In order to lower the house into place, it is necessary to carefully unscrew the plug in the jack so that the rod settles smoothly into the hydraulic cylinder.

Important!The rods on both jacks must lower synchronously to avoid tilting the house, which can lead to damage to the frame and the house moving off the foundation!

And so the house is installed in place, the embedded beam (log) under one wall is replaced, then the replacement of embedded beams proceeds in stages - replacement is carried out under the next wall and so on in a circle.

A- connection of new embedded beams “in a quarter”

B- connection of the new embedded beam with the old one - “in the paw”

If replacing the embedded beam on the side of the terrace is not required, then there is no need to trim the notches in this beam; you just need to make in the new embedded beam at the end that will be connected to the old embedded beam exactly the same notch as is on the old beam.

But this method is more suitable for a house with a frame-frame structure; for a panel house, you can choose another method. This may be due to the fact that, having bought an old panel house, you cannot be sure that the connection of the panels has retained the same strength and when raising the house these connections may be broken - and this may have irreversible consequences, the house may simply fall apart.

Option II

In order to avoid such a situation, there is an option to replace the mortgage crown with a minimum lift of the house (about 2-3 cm) without hanging the house on support posts, but in this case, replacing the old beams (logs) with new solid beams will not work. New beams will have to be joined together and fastened with bolts or studs, or selective replacement of the embedded crown will be carried out, only in those places where the material has become unusable.

Just as in the first option, it is necessary to dismantle the blockage, if any, and remove the house cladding in the lower part of the facade (if the facade cladding is old, then it is best to replace it immediately). The window and door blocks do not need to be dismantled, just remove the window frames and remove the doors from the doorways, and this is only necessary if the house has to be raised a little.

When access to the mortgage crown is free, it is necessary to conduct a thorough inspection of the mortgage crown. Beams or logs may not become unusable along their entire length, mainly in places where the embedded crown becomes unusable - the material rots, this is under the windows of the house and on the corners of the house.

If the house is raised to a certain height, in order to completely change the mortgage crown, then in this case it is necessary to fasten the panels together with boards 50 mm thick in two places. From below, fasten the panels, departing from the mortgage crown by about 25-30 cm, and from above, retreating from the level of the lower part of the window block by approximately 5 cm. In this option, unlike the first, the panels must be fastened immediately along the entire perimeter of the house.

Next, you need to make niches in the foundation for installing jacks, at a distance from the corners of the house, so that there is a distance of at least 3 meters between them. Then cut out pieces of the foundation timber in the niches and install jacks in them, and raise the house by 2-3 cm so that the remaining part of the foundation beam can be removed.

When the central part of the mortgage crown is installed, you can remove the side cuttings of the mortgage crown; to do this, you need to make the same niche in the side of the house foundation as in the front of the foundation. After this, cut off part of the embedded beam and install a jack in the niche, use it to lift the house (by 2-3 cm) and remove the side trim of the timber that is located in front of the embedded crown. In its place, install a new beam with ready-made cuts, as shown in the figure.

After installing the timber, you need to remove the jack and connect the beams located in the front part of the house using bolts or studs; for this you will need to drill through holes with a diameter of at least 12 mm into which bolts or studs will be installed to connect the beams. For a more durable connection, it is necessary to fasten the beams with at least two bolts, and the length of the notch for connecting the beams is at least 30 cm.

Precautions when performing work to replace the embedded beam:

• lifting mechanisms (jacks, winches, etc.) must be in good technical condition and their load capacity should not be less than 5 tons
• the beams used for the installation of support posts should not have deep cracks, they should not have large knots on which the beam could break under load
• when the house is raised and supported on support posts, it is forbidden to put your hands under the raised house; if there is a need to perform any work that requires it to be carried out under the raised house, then additional safety bars must be installed under the house; when the work is completed, the bars should be removed

• It is not recommended to carry out work during strong gusts of wind, since a raised house installed with one wall on support posts can simply fall off the foundation in a side gust. If there is a need to work to replace the mortgage crown in a strong wind, then you should install safety jibs on the sides of the house, digging them into the ground, as shown in the figure (the bottom of the hole must be properly compacted).

If you are not sure that you can cope with this work, then it is better to hire a team of carpenters who specialize in replacing mortgage crowns, etc., since unprofessional work can lead to the fact that the house may fall off the foundation or simply fall apart.

Prices for such work in each region are different, but on average you can figure out the approximate amount that you will need for such home repairs if you use the help of professionals - on average this amount will be about $800-1200.

When replacing the embedded crown, pay attention to the condition of the lower part of the frame skin and the lower trim bar. If the boards have traces of fungus or other putrefactive defects, then in this case it is worth replacing the lower part of the walls of the house, as this will be described in the second part.

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