In our country, houses built using Canadian technology (this is another name for frame structures) began to be used quite recently. In the rest of the world, this technology is the most popular. This is mainly due to the unique properties of the material and the relative ease of construction. Before considering the advantages of frame houses, it is necessary to understand what such a structure actually is and what are the prospects for the development of this technology.
Frame houses: general information about the design
Frame houses are structures whose base is a frame, and the walls are assembled from panels that form a layered “pie”. The material for the frame can be wooden beams or light metal. In the minds of Russian people it is associated with something unreliable. But practice shows that houses built using frame technology can withstand very high loads.
When walls are erected, they are immediately insulated. For this, various materials can be used: basalt slabs, mineral wool, etc. Therefore, additional thermal insulation of the walls of a frame house is very rarely done. In addition to thermal insulation, the design provides wind protection and.
Prospects for the development of technology for constructing frame houses
When erecting the walls of a frame house, it is important to maintain exact dimensions. Therefore, its structural elements must be produced in a factory. There are several assembly technologies:
At a construction site;
In factory conditions.
Assembly can be carried out directly on the construction site. In this case, the frame, walls, ceilings and roof are formed from pre-prepared elements. This takes from one to three months. The disadvantage here is that in “field” conditions it is sometimes impossible to comply with all installation requirements.
construction of a frame house
Therefore, most often, walls and ceilings are assembled at factory facilities, and finished panels are brought to the construction site. Thanks to factory assembly, maximum compliance with the design dimensions can be achieved. At the construction site, all that remains is to fasten the individual panels together. In terms of time, this assembly option takes a maximum of a week.
Important: In order for a frame house to be built efficiently, it is important to find a reliable contractor. Only in this case will the dimensions be accurately observed, and the design will delight you with reliability.
Depending on the choice of finishing material and insulation, as well as construction technology, prices for the construction of a frame house can vary quite widely. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the fact that the construction of a frame house will not be cheap. But in comparison with other technologies, frame houses are the most economical in terms of financial costs and labor intensity of construction.
It is thanks to the speed of construction that frame house-building technology is widespread. After all, erecting a frame house does not require a strong foundation, and such a house practically does not shrink. This allows for its internal and external finishing almost immediately after construction.
What are the advantages of frame houses?
section of a frame house
Taking into account the above, the following apartments can be distinguished:
Simplicity of design. You can assemble panels manufactured at the factory yourself;
No need to use heavy equipment. After all, the structural elements are light in weight;
Efficiency of construction. Most of the time when building such a house is spent on laying the foundation. For us, building a house is associated with “long-term construction”. And frame houses break this stereotype;
Economical. Compared to using wood or brick, savings are up to 25%. Without involving specialists, you can save up to 40%. But such relatively cheap frame houses are not inferior in quality to their brick or wooden counterparts;
Sustainability. Despite the fact that visually this structure is not durable, it is able to withstand loads that would cause stone and brick walls to crack. That is why in seismically active areas it is recommended to build frame houses;
You can make adjustments to the project or change communications without problems;
They can be built at any time of the year;
You can use the living space immediately after construction;
Frame houses warm up faster and retain heat better;
It is possible to hide the entire communication junction inside the walls;
Due to the design of the walls, their noise resistance increases.
When using frame technology for building a house, you can implement an architectural project of almost any complexity. The costs will be minimal.
Video about the advantages of frame houses:
The name “frame house” speaks for itself. that it is based on a rigid and spring structure - a strong frame.
- this is a type of building structure, the basis of which is a frame made of metal or wood, and special panels are also used for their construction (or they are also called non-combustible cement particle boards, with a base of wood fibers).
Frame technologies have been used in construction for more than 5 centuries, especially in the Scandinavian countries, Europe and North America. The popularity of building frame houses is due to the wide possibilities in construction: a wide range of geological and climatic conditions in the building area, the possibility of constructing frame structures in seismic areas and even in permafrost zones.
They build not only one-story houses, but also multi-functional office buildings with several floors.
Structural features
Another advantage in construction is the use of a pile-type foundation with support beams (a solid foundation is not required). Unlike concrete and brick houses, building a frame house does not require a lot of financial costs and effort, and is not much inferior in terms of durability.
One of the important advantages of building a house based on a frame– this is the ability to maintain optimal temperature at any time of the year, which significantly saves energy resources.
To insulate a house based on frames, inexpensive and accessible insulation materials are used:
- basalt wool;
- “ecowool”;
- mineral wool;
- natural environmentally friendly insulation (wooden sawdust or dry reeds);
The choice of insulation is quite wide. Then the insulation on both sides (internal and external) is covered with sandwich boards (as an option, you can also use dense plywood or oriented strand structures), which are lined with plaster for facades, and siding is used for cladding.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantages of houses based on a frame structure include:
- Speed of construction and saving money.
- Fairly light construction and lack of a massive foundation.
- Simple finishing work.
- High thermal protection and low heat capacity (it is quite easy to heat the house itself and the floor in it in winter).
- High fire safety (the use of fireproof materials creates obstacles to fire inside the house).
- Low probability of design errors and dependence on soil properties, since frame-based houses are less massive compared to brick ones.
- High air permeability (“breathing house”).
- Wide selection of design and architectural solutions (giving various shapes).
Disadvantages of building houses with frames:
- For insulation, you need to use high-quality and environmentally friendly materials that do not contain phenol-formaldehyde resins and will not be sources of carcinogenic dust, and they, in turn, are quite expensive.
- Insufficient strength of the house, which is associated with its “lightness”.
- Low “security” of the house (the walls can easily be broken with a chainsaw, thereby allowing thieves to enter the house).
- High risk of fire due to the use of wooden materials.
- Very accurate calculations are required to install ventilation systems to avoid high humidity in the house.
Construction technologies of frame houses
Depending on the type of frame structure, various technologies are used when building a house.
Let's consider the most popular options for constructing frames:
Frame-rack
This type of structure requires the presence of massive vertical posts that form the supporting frame of the house. The piles are installed in the ground and this design allows the house to be slightly raised, thereby ensuring good ventilation.
With threaded racks
Suitable for two-story houses where vertical posts extend through two floors. Accordingly, the racks are positioned vertically and the interfloor beams are fixed to them. Such construction technologies are widely used in Scandinavian countries and Norway.
Post-beam
This design is also called “classical”. It is difficult to construct, as it requires many insets, notches and tenon joints. But this type of frame is one of the most resistant and durable, since the entire load falls on massive racks. Such technologies for building houses with frames are widely used in Austria and Germany.
“Pallet” design
This is a frame structure where the frame is assembled from top to bottom. the basis of the frame is “beds” built into the foundation. Construction logs and beams seem to be knocked together into a single “pallet” and frame walls are installed on it.
Combining multiple building technologies
For example, in the gables you can use a structure with threaded posts, and the walls on the sides of the house can be used using frame technology. Frame house designs involve a combination of several types of frames in one building.
Stages of work
The technology for building a house with a frame foundation includes the following steps:
- Creation of a preliminary and main project.
- Carrying out all calculations of frame housing construction.
- Design and architectural choice.
- Drawing up estimates and calculating expenses.
- Selection and measurement of building materials.
- Laying the foundation.
- Laying cascades and stage-by-stage construction of the house according to the preliminary plan.
You can begin finishing work immediately after installing the frame. All calculations must be carried out accurately and a suitable ventilation system must be selected, and it is best to entrust the preparation of the project to experienced professionals to build a reliable and practical house.
Required materials and tools
For frame construction you will need the following tools:
- various types of hammers (finishing, for assembling the frame and others depending on the materials);
- nailers;
- sledgehammer;
- drills;
- screwdrivers;
- electric plane;
- grinder;
- miter saw;
- hacksaws;
- stepladders, ladders, scaffolding, etc.;
Accordingly, you cannot do without additional construction tools (various wrenches, axes, shovels, concrete mixer and much more).
The main materials for building a frame house are:
- edged boards;
- timber;
- insulation;
- polyurethane foam;
- roofing felt (to create waterproofing);
- different types of fastening materials (depending on the type of structure);
Since ancient times, various materials have been used for housing construction. The desire to build a cozy home with a good microclimate and at the lowest cost led to the creation of frame houses.
Modern frame houses, the technology of which has undergone significant changes since the time of mass migration to North America: it has become simpler and more economical. Many argue about the advantages and disadvantages of houses built using frame technology, without going into their design features.
How to build frame houses
The history of the development of frame construction goes back more than two centuries. The first structures were built using the frame-frame type. First, a log base was made, and logs or beams were attached to it. For greater stability, the vertical part was strengthened with braces.
Boards were placed on the finished frame outside and inside, and heat-insulating material was laid between them. This type of structure did not have internal load-bearing partitions; the entire structure was strong thanks to wooden trusses. Houses of this type could consist of two or three floors.
Due to improvement, technology has come to the ability to erect buildings from ready-made panels, and thus frame-panel houses have appeared, which are built much faster and at lower costs. New technology made it possible to manufacture parts of a house in one place, transport it to the construction site and erect it in the shortest possible time.
The first panel houses, in addition to the positive aspects of quick construction and relative cheapness, also had their drawbacks. The main disadvantage was the lack of high-quality insulation in winter - it is difficult to maintain heat in such a house, good heating was required.
The disadvantage was considered to be the impossibility of redevelopment. It is almost impossible to change the inside of a house built from ready-made panels due to the rigid connection of the elements. And another drawback that can be attributed to all wooden structures is the possibility of damage by wood-boring beetles. There was no talk of fire safety; if fire was handled carelessly, such houses burned quickly and were practically beyond repair.
With the development of the chemical industry, new materials have come into construction technology that make it possible to protect wooden buildings from many dangers. Wood treated with special substances stopped igniting when exposed to open fire. Other materials, antiseptics, made it possible to prevent damage to parts of the building by biological factors.
Technological features of modern frame houses
Today, frame houses are built using several technologies. The differences between some technologies are insignificant; often the Finnish type of house can be called German, according to the construction method used in these countries.
There are three main technological types of building frame-based houses:
- Finnish houses;
- Canadian houses;
- half-timbered houses.
It is the half-timbered houses that belong to a variety of German construction technologies. When building a house, a timber frame is constructed. The main feature is that the frame beam is not covered by the cladding and is visible on the facade of the building. Such houses, despite many advantages - good thermal insulation and resistance to natural factors, are not without drawbacks.
The main disadvantage is the contact of the frame with the external environment. Therefore, if periodic processing or painting with oil paints is not carried out, the frame may become unusable over time, and the building, despite good cladding, will collapse.
According to Canadian technology, the construction of a frame house is carried out with the closure of supporting structures. In this case, the frame itself is not exposed to natural factors and, if necessary, you can change the skin or part of it. Typically, the lower cladding boards, which were close to the ground and more often exposed to moisture and biological factors, were subject to replacement.
Using modern antiseptics and preparations that prevent wood from burning, houses built using Canadian technology are less susceptible to damage and are fireproof. The use of modern insulation, vapor and moisture insulation materials allows for increased comfort and energy saving in such buildings.
Finnish panel technology allows you to build houses more quickly. For construction, ready-made panel blocks are used, connected using the tenon method. They are mounted on a pre-built frame.
In the production of shields, wood treated with antiseptics and fire-fighting substances is used. For insulation, modern materials are used that make it possible to make walls with low thermal conductivity. The main advantage of the technology: fast construction, high seismic and wind resistance.
Advantages and disadvantages of panel structures
Modern frame houses, built using the latest materials, are more profitable and easy to build.
The main advantages of a panel house:
- speed of construction;
- low cost of construction;
- fire safety;
- improved thermal insulation
- no solid foundation required;
- Possibility of construction at any time of the year.
Service life more than 70 years.
Disadvantages of a panel house:
- the possibility of poor-quality insulation and waterproofing in finished panels;
- there is no possibility of redevelopment;
- Rodents can settle in some types of insulation;
- buildings cannot be erected with more than 2 floors;
- lack of impact sound insulation.
Country frame houses with minor thermal insulation properties are quite suitable for temporary living. They are not heated and are suitable only for seasonal living.
Which design is better?
Having examined the various types and technologies for constructing frame houses, we can confidently say that there is no ideal model, but only a design for a specific type of use. Therefore, when choosing the best frame houses, you should focus not on technology, but on the purpose of the structure. For temporary residence, a lightweight panel house is suitable; for permanent residence, it is better to build a house using Finnish technology with high-quality insulation and ready-made communications inside the panels.
Increasingly, having acquired a plot of land, owners plan not a brick house, but a panel house, for permanent housing, despite warnings about the disadvantages of such houses. How reliable is this type of housing?
What is meant by frame construction?
Once upon a time, on large construction projects, on long-term geological exploration expeditions in a specific area, and simply on summer cottages, prefabricated panel houses quickly grew up. With sufficient insulation of the walls, floor and ceiling, one could even spend the winter comfortably in them. It was they who became the harbingers of modern frame construction.
Panel buildings are based on a structure of beams vertically installed on a base frame and connected at the top by strapping, between which thermal insulation is laid, after which the racks are sheathed with OSB or OSB panels on top. Sometimes waterproof chipboards are used for interior decoration. A beam with a cross-section of at least 150x150 millimeters is always placed in the base; it is also used to tie the racks of the lower tier when constructing a two-story building.
As a rule, beams of 50x150 millimeters are used as load-bearing structural elements, but in a large building, 150x150 racks are installed at the corners, as well as at the junction of internal and external walls. Coniferous wood is usually used for frame construction, but some unscrupulous developers replace it with hardwood lumber, which is more susceptible to rotting and moisture absorption. Often, all the necessary parts for building a house, according to the project, are produced on an industrial scale in large quantities or, at least, mass-produced in a small well-equipped workshop.
Each kit comes with instructions so that owners can assemble their home themselves, but each frame construction company offers its own home installation services. For the most part, the cost of such a turnkey service exceeds 50% of the cost of the kit, and sometimes even reaches 80-100%. At the same time, the build quality is not always higher than what home owners could get by building it themselves.
Are there any disadvantages to frame houses?
Of course, when comparing advantages and disadvantages, negative factors can be found in considerable quantities if you are initially biased. Then every little thing will catch your eye and, in principle, can be eliminated. But brick buildings also have enough disadvantages, not to mention multi-story panel buildings.
However, some really significant disadvantages of frame construction should still be remembered in order to eliminate or reduce them initially during the construction of the cottage. There are two main disadvantages: rodents and sound conductivity of the walls. Opponents of frame houses first of all point out that mice and even rats can live in wall cavities. Yes, they can, since neither the sheathing panels nor the thermal insulation are a significant barrier to rodents. However, they also live in brick houses.
The gloomy prophecies do not take into account modern finishing technologies, in particular, external finishing materials are not particularly attractive to rats. And the internal lining most often becomes a serious obstacle to the penetration of illegal living creatures inside the walls. Additionally, rodent infestations are unlikely if building codes are followed. Sometimes it is enough to install a house on a columnar foundation or make a high base. Or get a cat.
The second factor why a frame house is really bad is that the spread of any sounds between the rooms of the cottage is practically not restrained by anything, since there are neither massive walls nor monolithic ceilings. To some extent, you can reduce noise by doing it correctly, laying a thick layer of insulation, which can serve as sound insulation, and using noise-absorbing materials. However, this will not protect much from the booming of the structure, since vibrations from steps and the movement of furniture spread throughout the house, transmitted to the walls and ceilings in the form of vibrations.
Among the troubles awaiting those who decide to build a frame house, the following disadvantages are also listed: easy flammability and complete burnout of the building in a fire, susceptibility to dampness and fungus. Don't forget about woodworms. Also, many knowledgeably claim that wind and vibrations caused by household appliances cause the house to become loose and the frame joints lose their rigidity. And, of course, without exception, all opponents of panel houses insist on the fragility of buildings of this type, in comparison with brick or log ones. Let's take a step-by-step look at what is true and what is a myth.
One of the biggest disadvantages of a panel house, which rarely anyone remembers, is the inability to drive a nail into the wall anywhere; this can only be done where the timber is located under the sheathing.
Fire danger of frame cottages
If a fire suddenly breaks out in a brick house, in 90% of cases it remains relatively intact, at least the skeleton of the building is preserved, in which wooden structures can be re-assembled. Well, furniture is a real deal. After a fire, an adobe house only becomes stronger (which is not at all a reason to rejoice at the ignition of the house). A frame cottage always burns down completely, sometimes not even nails with fastening plates and corners remain. But is it worth abandoning a prefabricated and fairly cheap panel structure because of the fire hazard?
First of all, let us remember that the wood used for houses of this type is coniferous, it burns especially hot, that is, it would seem that the disadvantages are increasing. However, we should also not forget about fire retardants produced today in large quantities - impregnations that significantly increase the resistance of wood to fire when in contact with an open flame. In addition, fire safety can be increased by installing an alarm system with temperature and smoke sensors, as well as an automatic powder extinguishing system, which will cope with the flames and will not flood the house with water. And, of course, don’t forget about the fire extinguisher, it’s not bad at fighting a fire.
Frame house like a big mycelium
This is scary to even imagine, but indeed, in regions with a high degree of air humidity and a large amount of precipitation falling per year, there is reason to fear the occurrence of dampness in the house. Moreover, even in the cold season it is difficult to protect yourself from it if the calculation of the “dew point” is poor - the boundary between the external and room temperatures where condensation can occur.
It is under such conditions that inconspicuous pockets of mold appear under the baseboards, behind the wallpaper, although sometimes in plain sight, for example, in the area of the window sill or even in the corner between two external walls. All this is truly possible with complete sealing of the premises. It would seem that it is necessary to exclude even the smallest possibility of a draft, and this is so, but without high-quality ventilation, the panels, which do not breathe like the walls of a log house, prevent moisture from escaping outside.
As a result, dampness accumulates in the premises and settles on any sufficiently cold surfaces, for example, near the window. Also, do not forget about impregnating the wood of the frame with antiseptics against fungi; such treatment should be done no less carefully than with anti-flammation preparations. By the way, impregnations also provide excellent protection against insects; with deep penetration of an antiseptic with biocidal properties, there is no need to worry about wood borers.
How reliable and durable is the frame?
If we talk about strength, it is immediately worth clarifying that any project of a frame-panel house is carried out in such a way that the finished building can withstand an earthquake with a power of 7 points. Which, however, largely depends on the quality of the building materials and the build quality of the structure. If we talk about the instability of frame houses, then with a rigid connection with carpenter’s nails (and not screws), as well as with the observance of paneling technology, no vibrations will bring the cottage into an unstable state. A skillfully assembled building will withstand even the strongest hurricane with almost no damage.
Durability is a special conversation; here we immediately need to clarify what we mean by it. For example, if we keep in mind the service life of a building over two generations, then this is quite achievable. Of course, it will not do without minor repairs, but the frame is quite capable of standing for 100 or 150 years. In Germany there are houses of this type that were built 5 or even 6 centuries ago. But, of course, then the quality of the materials was, for the most part, always at the required level, although, by the way, there were no impregnations other than resin and salt. In Canada today, due to the use of the cheapest wood products, cottages often become unusable within 20 years.
What are the advantages?
For objectivity, one should consider not only the disadvantages of frame panel houses, but also their advantages. The latter can include the already mentioned low cost of the assembly kit (with a fairly expensive turnkey construction service from the developer). Also, do not forget about such advantages as lightness of construction, due to which there is no need to build a deep and monolithic foundation, and considerable money is saved.
And, of course, for many, the decisive factor is the ease of building a house, which can be completed by even one person in a maximum of 8 weeks. If we compare the advantages and disadvantages of frame houses, in contrast to the relatively low durability, we can note the absence of shrinkage, which means that as soon as the panels are installed, finishing work can begin. Which implies the ability to move in immediately upon completion of construction. In a brick cottage, the masonry cement gains strength in 21 days, only then can you begin finishing, but in a log house you need to wait more than 1 year before you can celebrate a housewarming party.
Remember one more thing. In any building, be it a panel building, a brick estate or the same log house, in order to lay cables and all kinds of communications it is necessary, at a minimum, to ditch or chisel the walls, or install boxes on them. The exception is pre-fabricated lightweight partitions and plasterboard ceilings, whose frames can be wired. When assembling a frame cottage, you can immediately extend all communications inside the walls or under the floor/ceiling lining, secretly, using, of course, metal hoses and pipes to avoid fire.
So, we have looked at the disadvantages of frame panel houses. We also learned their advantages, and, as it turned out, for the most part, all the mentioned disadvantages can be eliminated or are outweighed by the advantages. In many ways, negative factors generally turn out to be myths, in particular, the opinion that it is cold in a panel house in winter and unbearably hot in summer. The reason for this opinion was the assignment of the specified properties of buildings made of plastic panels to frame houses. Meanwhile, the microclimate in them is not at all bad, and the heat consumption for heating 1 m2 of a panel cottage is 2 times lower than for heating a brick building.
When purchasing a plot of land for construction, its owners increasingly prefer to build on it not a classic stone structure, but or. Meanwhile, advisers and reviews on websites often warn them about the disadvantages of such buildings for permanent residence. So how reliable is this type of housing? What are the real disadvantages of this technology?
If you look for it specifically, negative properties can be found anywhere, including in brick buildings and in multi-story panel buildings. But it is worth paying attention to individual construction shortcomings in order to reduce or eliminate them as far as possible at the construction level. Let us dwell in more detail on the advantages and disadvantages of frame structures.
Disadvantages of frame houses
.
Wooden materials are indeed quite flammable, and such a danger exists. However, the industry today produces a wide variety of fire retardants. These are special ones that extremely increase the fire-resistant properties of wood even in direct contact with fire.- Fragility. It is considered one of the main disadvantages of a frame structure. Yes, there actually is such a problem - the chance that a home will last hundreds of years is quite small. What could stop him, other than physical impact such as a meteorite falling on him? In buildings of this type, time has the greatest effect on those located in the outer walls. But this factor can be fought. About once every 30 years it is simply replaced. To do this, remove the sheathing, carefully remove all unusable insulation, replace it with a new one, return the vapor barrier to its original place, etc. And your home will become cozy and warm again.
Rotting frame house Nothing ideal exists, and it is even more difficult to imagine a completely ideal home. American citizens are extremely easy-going and often change their place of residence.
Residents of Europe are more conservative, treating the house as a family nest, often serving as a home for several generations. But both choose a similar type of development. In Europe, America and Scandinavia, the number of private and public buildings built using frame technology is growing. If the disadvantages of such a method were really so significant, it is unlikely that this method would have gained such popularity. What are the advantages of structures built using frame technology?
Advantages of frame houses
- Significant savings on foundation construction. The frame structure is light and durable, so it does not need. Such a building is quite stable, and not too sensitive to possible seasonal movements of the foundation that arise due to.
- Impressive construction speed- an undoubted advantage of a frame house. It is quite possible to erect a building from scratch to the roof in one decade - three months. Compared to a building of similar size, the difference can be up to six months. A frame house along with its foundation can be built in eight weeks, and a brick structure in the same number of months.
- When erecting a frame structure, there is no need to wait for shrinkage to occur. And the structure is made of bricks, logs or needs it. Its duration can be up to one year, only after a certain time you can begin leveling the load-bearing walls and subsequent work. That is, at least two years may pass before you can enjoy your new home. You can safely move into a frame house after finishing the finishing touches.
- Saving on equipment– another advantage of frame construction. All components used in construction are quite compact and relatively lightweight. Therefore, there is no need to use special equipment to move and lift individual parts.
- Good earthquake resistance. The frame building is quite stable due to the absence of major rigid connections between the elements. In addition, the tree has sufficient flexibility to withstand without destruction.
- Due to the low thermal conductivity of wood, a frame house saves heat better than a house made of
- Redevelopment. It will not be difficult to carry out redevelopment in a finished home. It will not be accompanied by large expenses and labor-intensive processes.
- Variability. Availability of a variety of projects, the ability to choose the right one or implement your own project. Each completed project is accompanied by a detailed implementation plan to help guide construction.
Risk of disappointment in building a frame house
The risk of disappointment is present in everything, and this can happen with a built house. This can be facilitated by poor-quality materials, not very conscientious or unskilled workers, violation of the sequence of activities, and damage to materials from improper storage. However, if you follow technology, adhere to the necessary standards, and choose high-quality materials, then the built house will faithfully serve your family for many years.