Installing doors and windows in a log house is a responsible undertaking. Installation is complicated by the fact that, as is known, wood is capable of changes - shrinkage, shrinkage, etc. Therefore, in order to avoid defects and not spend money on purchasing new kits, you must carefully read these instructions and be sure to follow her advice.
Leaving the log house open is important
What does this phrase mean? But here's the thing - after the construction is completed, the most intense moment of shrinkage begins, which will last at least a year. During this time, if the doors and windows are already installed, they will simply be crushed.
Moreover, wood is much stronger than metal and can bend, even, it seemed, reliable designs. To prevent something irreparable from happening, you should carefully consider what is described below.
Before starting work, you should know in advance what size the entrance and swing structures. Usually, if the project is standard, then all measurements are put aside on drawings and diagrams and there is no need to bother. But if the log house is installed independently, then there is something to think about and decide quickly, since it is necessary that the cut opening fits together with the entire structure.
So, the installation stages:
- Before the log house has to be left to shrink, it is recommended to make the necessary openings. How to saw through a door in a log house? Actually this is not the most difficult question.
The required size is determined, and the diagonals must be taken into account, and the outline is drawn on the log house. You need to make sure that the bottom log is divided in half, and the top one too. Then 7 to 10 cm is added to these sides for shrinkage.
The thickness of the door frame ± 2-3 cm is added to the side ones. It is necessary to fill the edges of the future opening with boards to protect the short crowns from falling out. Thus, when the contours are ready, the desired size is selected with a saw.
- If the log house assumes the presence of several entrances, one of which must be the front entrance, then the question of how to cut a door in the log house, when a greater distance is required, must be resolved more scrupulously. Board protection must be present on both sides - external and internal.
Moment of sawing
To avoid any difficulties with the question of how to cut a door in a log house, you must first determine the middle log of the opening and make slits on it. After that it is easy to knock it inside. Well, then working with a saw will no longer be difficult.
If everything was done correctly and the soil did not fail, then you can begin the next stage - how to insert a door into a log house when the structure is already ready. If the opening does not meet the requirements, it is adjusted to the required size.
Door installation methods
Casing
- To ensure that the door in the log house does not fail and the house itself does not have an unfavorable effect on the structure, you should think about such a product as a casing. What it is?
This door element, having a longitudinal tenon, which is inserted into the vertical side walls and, thus, further shrinkage can only affect it, without affecting the door in any way. The question of how to embed a door into a log house can be solved perfectly with the help of a casing.
- How to do it? An end groove is selected in the sides of the opening. The box already contains a spike.
The space selected with a chisel is compacted, for example, with tow, and the side board is installed. Then the upper horizontal part is attached. It will serve as a spacer.
It cannot be left without a gap of 5 cm with the log house. Self-tapping screws and nails are suitable as fasteners. The bottom one can also be cut for a tenon.
The next method is on bars
Its difference is that bars with a cross section of 5*5 cm are inserted into the vertical groove selected on the sides of the opening. This is done to save material, and even if the door already comes with a frame.
The bars can be wrapped in tow and fixed in the grooves, and then the door frame is attached to them in the same order - side part, horizontal strut, next side and threshold. The disadvantage of solving such an issue - how to install a door in a log house on bars - is the possible weakening of the frame due to the smallness of the intra-groove material.
Installation of metal doors
In this case, no cuts are made. The box is installed using anchor bolts and a hammer drill. Everything in advance metal racks aligned to the ideal position, because the material is not soft, unlike wood, and will not bend at will.
The canvas is hung at the very end, when confidence comes in the correctness of the solution to the question - how to make a door in a log house from metal. Better installation Such massive, but necessary for the protection of structures, should be left to professionals.
If only because such a door itself is terribly heavy and the installation period can become a real torment for the owner. Yes, and it won’t take long to strain yourself.
Master of Architecture, graduated from Samara State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. 11 years of experience in design and construction.
What is the difference between installing a metal door in a wooden house and installing it in a stone building? The first and most significant difference is the material of the opening. The whole process largely depends on it. Therefore, it is established only when the properties of wood have been studied.
Specifics of installing an iron door in a wooden house
At self-installation Products need to be extremely careful, since even a minor mistake will cause a lot of trouble. Wood is a rather capricious material. Wooden buildings have a number of features that cannot be ignored when installing a steel structure:
When installing a metal door in wooden house it is important to take into account all these nuances in order to prevent deformation and breakage of the structure.
List of required tools
Pay attention to technological characteristics building material, for work you will need a set of tools:
- level;
- medium-sized scrap;
- nail puller;
- hacksaw or chainsaw;
- chisel;
- anchors;
- foam for installation.
Installation instructions
Installation of the product requires a clear sequence of actions. Step-by-step instruction will allow you to get an overall picture of the entire scope of work and not lose your way. consists of four stages.
Metal door installation diagram Preparing the opening
The locations of openings in the building are provided for by the design. They are made at the construction stage or cut out with a chainsaw after the house is built.
During construction, an opening for the door is cut out The width of the opening should be 150 mm larger than required by the door structure. This is necessary to install a casing box with a width of 65 mm. It is also necessary to leave a gap of 15 cm at the top, which will be closed over time by the settled crowns.
When replacing an old frame door, preparation of the opening begins with its dismantling. Disassembling the structure will not be difficult. To do this you need:
Assembly and installation of casing
The frame or casing is the name given to the bars around the perimeter of the opening, which form a rigid base for fastening the door. It does not prevent shrinkage wooden structure, but at the same time protects the openings from distortions that appear under the influence of settling crowns. When installing the casing, a groove is made at the ends of the opening using a router.
To install the frame, you need to cut a groove at the ends of the opening Then a beam is inserted into it. It is also called a sliding bar, along which the entire house settles. The contours of the opening remain unchanged.
A sliding bar is installed in the groove It is also possible to use others that perform exactly the same function. The choice of connection type is a matter of taste.
A transverse rail is installed at the top, and a soft insulation. The beams are extended on the sides with boards, the width of which is equal to the width of the end. As a result of these actions, a rough frame is obtained to which the iron door will be attached.
The door casing is arranged by analogy with the window 
Finished casing Installation of box and canvas
For buildings made of wood, frames with a high degree of rigidity are usually chosen. Typically this is a welded mechanism made from sheet material thickness of at least 2 mm.
Installation of a steel frame is carried out only when the diagonals of the frame coincide. If this does not happen, the casing will need to be corrected. Otherwise, the metal frame will become uneven, which will lead to the destruction of the casing.
Before inserting the frame front door into the opening, it should be insulated mineral wool and thereby seal the joints. Often there are products with an insulated box. In this case, no additional manipulations are required before installation.
The gap between the door frame and the casing should be in the range from 1.5 to 3 cm. It is filled with polyurethane foam.
Once you have managed to place the iron box in the opening, align it and secure it. To ensure that the load is evenly distributed over the entire wall, it is recommended to increase the number of fastening points.
After installing the box in the opening, it is aligned and fixed The length of the anchors should not be greater than the thickness of the carriages. The fastening elements are installed in a checkerboard pattern so that they fit into the carriage on both sides of the ridge.
The next step is hanging the sash. IN iron doors 2 fastening methods are used:
- Welded external hinges. To put the fabric on, you need to lift it and place the top of the loop on the pin. This fastening is considered unreliable, since the loops are easily cut off.
- Hidden hinges. They are inserted into the sash or hatch and are considered burglar-proof. To carry out installation, you will need a hex key, which is used to tighten the fittings.
By opening and closing the door, check that it is hung correctly The correctness of the door hinge is checked by opening and closing it.
Filling cracks with foam
After installation is complete, it is necessary to foam the cracks around the iron box. If you don't want it, cover its edges with masking tape.
After hardening polyurethane foam its excess is removed. As decoration. The overhead strips are not attached to the wall, but to a steel frame.
Regardless of the dimensions of the bathhouse building and the aesthetic preferences of future owners, the issue of arranging windows and doors requires detailed analysis. To install these functional structures, openings are required, the location and dimensions of which should be thought out and calculated in advance. Design of window and doorways for bathhouses made of timber or logs is carried out taking into account specific rules, depending on the operational features of the hygienic structure.
Why is it better to design everything in advance?
The windows and doors of a country bathhouse, by analogy with their other associates, are assigned a number of important functions. “According to the state” they are supposed to let in lovers of bath pleasures, natural light and streams fresh air. You shouldn't contribute to the loss required temperature, the creation of drafts and disruption of the technical condition of the building.
Architectural background
Country bathhouses are built to accommodate procedures adored by the people, which attract not only the standard hygienic effect. The indisputable priority of bath ceremonies is rightfully considered healing power and tonic effect. They are achieved due to the influence of steam, heat or heat and a special atmosphere. Therefore, the main task of the building is considered to be the preservation of a favorable regime, and not architectural “sharpness”.
Although no one claims that these two concepts should enter into irreconcilable contradictions with each other. In the name of preserving the not-so-cheap bathhouse atmosphere, it is customary to make the openings as small as possible, which is why bathhouses sometimes look “deaf” and “low-blind.” If you don’t know how to correctly design doors and windows for a bathhouse, the aesthetic component can seriously suffer.
Accounting for inevitable shrinkage
Steam and heat are far from the best allies of wood, which is very sensitive to unstable humidity and temperature fluctuations. Natural organic matter either increases in volume or shrinks following the changes occurring around the bath walls. Besides, like everyone else wooden buildings the bathhouse will definitely settle. In the first year, quite rapidly by 3-5 cm, depending on the quality of drying of the lumber and the type of wood. Then it’s not so fast by 1 cm or less. However, the movements inherent in wood will occur constantly, which needs to be taken into account when designing openings. Otherwise, the sagging crowns will simply squeeze out the window structures, and at the same time warp the roof and jam the door.
Forming openings in bath walls made of timber or logs is not at all a simple matter. To provide a reserve for the tireless movement of wood, it is necessary to leave gaps filled with insulation. A gap that is too wide will allow structures to move freely without breakage or damage, but will undoubtedly become an attractive area for heat leaks. Insufficiently wide stock does not guarantee safety window frames and door frames, which again strongly suggests the need for preliminary design.
Ensuring the strength of the structure
Among the good reasons for planning in advance the installation locations of window and door structures is the need for proper distribution of dowels or multi-faceted wooden coke connectors. They are used to hold the crowns of the log house from transverse deformations and from long displacements wooden elements relative to each other. In the partition between adjacent openings, fastening should be done by installing at least two connectors on the crown.
If openings are formed directly during construction and the partitions are made up of short pieces, it is impossible to forget about installing bonding pins or cogs. However, master carpenters, trained in the experience of previous generations, strongly recommend initially erecting blank walls for uniform shrinkage of the entire frame. This method allows you to avoid sometimes noticeable differences in the height of individual components after shrinkage. True, the consumption of lumber increases, which does not bother those who want to build a beautiful, durable bathhouse. According to the recommended scheme, all openings, except for the entrance fellow, are cut down or sawed out with an electric saw after a year of shrinkage of the log house, but an inexperienced builder may not lay the dowels in the required place.
In order to clearly indicate the location of openings and partitions in a “solidly” laid log house, a hole is left only in the crown on which the window sill board or the threshold of the interior door frame will rest. Next, the logs or beams are laid according to the principle of blank walls, and the cutting formed in the crown tells the builders where to install the connecting studs.
Impact of casing option
Casing or casing, aka okosyachka - required element installation of a window or door structure into a log house. It simultaneously performs several important work functions:
- serves as the basis to which windows and doors in the bathhouse are attached, because It is strictly forbidden to attach window frames and door frames to unstable wooden walls;
- its vertical elements play the role of unique guides along which gradual movement of door and window structures occurs during the shrinkage process;
- strengthens the frame in the area of the opening, ensuring a static position; in other words, it holds the laid logs or beams in a given position.
In the arsenal of experienced carpenters there are many options for producing sockets, differing in the method of execution. All types ultimately solve common problems. Structurally, in any design, they are a wooden box, essentially a buffer between the log house and what is mounted in the opening. Any casing is attached to the opening using the “tenon-and-groove” principle.
Please note that fixing the casing to the frame with self-tapping screws or nails is unacceptable. The tightness of the joints between the tenons and grooves is achieved by laying insulation. It is prohibited to use polyurethane foam along the interface lines between the frame and the frame.
Common methods of constructing casing boxes:
- "Deck" installation. At the vertical ends of the opening, tenons are formed by sawing or carefully cutting them for subsequent attachment of carriages or thick boards with a groove hewn or cut along the central axis. If an independent designer prefers this method of constructing a frame, then he needs to take into account the thickness of the board or the equivalent size of the carriage. They will partially narrow the opening;
- Installation “on the embedded beam”. A groove is selected at the vertical ends of the opening for installing the embedded beam. Because The “floating” block is laid flush with the end plane of the opening, then the dimensions of this hole will be affected only by the thickness of the casing nailed or screwed to the block. But the window frame will be attached to it or. This means that the size of the casing must be taken into account;
- Budget analogue of the previous option, which consists only of installing the embedded beam into the grooves selected at the ends of the log house. According to this economical method, the frame is immediately attached to a movable guide on mounting plates. Those. the stage of constructing and fixing the casing to the embedded beam is completely absent, along with the consumption of material.
The last budget method is not reliable. It can only be used for installing window frames that are small in size and weight. Canvases bath doors usually quite massive. They are made from wood, which becomes even heavier under constant exposure to moisture. The beam simply cannot withstand a couple of emotional slams made by the exhausted bathhouse attendants.
We found out that windows and doors can be installed in a bathhouse different ways by following one or all of the above methods. Numerous variations on the presented theme of pigtails exist and are actively used. Often, openings are not selected during the construction of full-size crowns. They bring them “to mind” before direct implementation finishing. However, it is recommended to form the entrance door frame during the construction of the log house with strengthening the end of the decks with embedded bars. The top of the entrance opening is connected by a temporary jumper, eliminating distortions.
In general, if you plan to build a bathhouse with your own hands, at least approximate designs of the openings are necessary to mark the installation location of the frames and fastening points with studs.
General rules for arranging openings
Installing a frame using any of the listed methods is a strict condition for installing windows and doors in wooden frame. Even if it took several years for it to settle down. An equally mandatory condition is the formation of gaps between the structure mounted in the opening and the immediate end of the assembled crowns.
Between the mounted door or window design and you need to leave the pigtail:
- along the side edges of the log house 1.5 - 2 cm on the left and right;
- on top 6% of the height of the installed frame;
- 0.5 cm below for laying insulation for installing a window or birch bark as a natural waterproofing under the door frame.
For those who are going to demonstrate personal carpentry and carpentry skills in hand made boxes and frames, easier. He just needs to accurately set the distances in each of the openings being arranged. To do this, you should arm yourself with a dash - a carpenter's tool similar to a compass. The “sword of Damocles” of a specific size does not hang over your head. Whether the opening is a little larger or a little smaller is not very important. The main thing is to cut off the excess equally. After all home handyman it is necessary to make frames for the openings, and not vice versa.
With cutting out openings for factory window and door designs You will have to tinker scrupulously to ensure that the hole in the log house fits exactly in size. To avoid the formation of too large gaps, which reduce the insulating qualities and aesthetic aspects. It’s better to cut out the opening first exact dimensions frame, and then cut off the excess along the contour for the casing and mounting gaps. Please note that the use of polyurethane foam along the interface lines of the casing and window frame, as well as the casing and door frame, is allowed.
Choosing the right size
It cannot be said that the recommended sizes are regarded as technological dictates, but it is advisable to adhere to the advice given by the experts. After all, they rely on rules that have been formed over centuries in the environment craftsmen. At the forefront of the design of openings is thermal insulation, according to which:
- Bath doors are built with a threshold height from 10 cm to 30 cm. The threshold will be a barrier from drafts. You need to arrange it according to your personal feelings of comfort and safety when stepping over. The presence of a threshold is required in the entrance door frame;
- There is no need for a door threshold between the steam room and the washing room. On the contrary, a gap of 5 cm should be left for free circulation of warm air flow;
- The optimal door height is from 1.6 to 1.8 m. A doorway that is too high will become an area of significant heat loss. For the same reason, you shouldn’t get carried away with width. The recommended size is 0.6 m, 0.8 m is possible. In extreme cases, for dense owners, a width of 1.0 m is allowed with minor deviations;
- The preferred window configuration is a rectangle, the long side of which is parallel to the plane of the floor. The priority is small window frame sizes with an aspect ratio of two to three or three to four. Minimum height 30 cm, maximum length 90 cm;
- Windows are rarely installed in steam rooms, but those who wish can indulge in a small rectangular or square window with patterned glass. It is better to place it at the level of the top shelf of the bath;
- maximum glazing area in the steam room and washing room 5% of total area floor surfaces;
- There are discrepancies with the height of the bath windows. Some advise stepping back from the door threshold line 60 or 70 cm, some recommend 90 cm, or choose eye level as a guide.
Instruction in pictures and video guide
And here is the video:
There is advice from architects on the rational and most aesthetic arrangement of openings in a bathhouse - single level for the top elements of casings for windows and doors. If you follow this rule, a building with small openings will look quite decent. And thermal insulation priorities will be preserved to the maximum. And terraces and verandas will help get rid of low-blindness in buildings with small windows. Their vertical elements, serving as supports for the roof or canopy, will imitate window openings.
To the masters who started independent construction baths, it is worth doing preliminary design so that the result of construction does not disappoint and does not require alterations.
When shrinking log house Incorrectly installed window and door frames can become deformed. To avoid this, the openings in the log house for doors and windows are mounted in a “sliding” manner, allowing the structure to sit down unhindered.
When starting the construction of a log house, you can choose two options when designing openings:
- The first involves the construction of a log house without windows and doors. The necessary openings are made after the house has stood for 1 - 2 years.
- An alternative to waiting a long time is making window and door openings at the same time as building the walls.
Both options are acceptable and require strict compliance with the requirements for constructing a casing (pipe). And it is important to remember that the location of the openings must be planned in advance to avoid irrational laying of dowels. Special attention should be given to window partitions. To prevent squeezing out under the weight of the roof, at least two dowels on the crown must be installed in the walls near the openings.
The role of the casing (casing) and its types
What is a pigtail and what is it for? A casing (casing or casing box) is nothing more than a prefabricated wooden frame with a specific connection that allows the structure not to deform when the log house moves. Windows or doors are subsequently installed in the casing boxes.
For clarity, let's consider general form design of openings with casing:
The following functions fully reveal the purpose of the pigtail:
- Casing creates reliable connection in the opening of the log house.
- The necessary compensation gap is created between the frame and the top log.
- Sliding joint protects against deformation installed windows and doors during settlement and other movements of the frame.
- Windows and doors can be mounted into frames without much difficulty.
Depending on whether the log house will be sheathed in the future finishing materials or not, there are two types of socket: “rough” and “finish”. The rough type allows for rough processing of logs and saplings. The finishing option assumes that the casing will be installed without further finishing of the log house. Cleaning the socket both from the outside and from the inside The log house is decorated with platbands. Notches should be made under the platbands in the logs. For walls made of carriages or timber, cutting off the openings for joinery is not required.
Types of casing connections in log openings
To securely fix the frame with the log house opening, you can use the following tongue-and-groove connections:
| Spike connection | Connection "in the deck" |
 |
 |
| In timber on both sides are selected longitudinal grooves. In the opening, a corresponding vertical groove is cut along the cuts of the logs. The jambs are inserted with T-shaped tenons into the grooves and spread out with transverse boards. | With this connection, all cuts and grooves are made in mirror image. That is, a tenon is made in the logs, and a groove is made in the jambs. The elements are assembled in the same order as for a finger joint. |
How to make a frame for openings in a log house
The table below describes the main stages of installing a casing box:
| After assembling the log house, using a level and tape measure, the openings are marked in accordance with the project. They are cut out and leveled with a saw. A tenon (or groove) is made at the ends of the logs. |  |
| In the side jambs of the casing, a groove (or tenon, depending on the chosen connection method) is selected for the previously made tenon (or groove). The jambs are installed in openings without rigid attachment to the walls of the log house. Platbands, when used, are attached only to the frame of the openings. |  |
| The shoals are grooved onto the tenons and burst open at first bottom trim, then the top one. Between the top of the casing (4) and the overlying log must provide a gap (5 - 6% of the height of the door or window (3) ). Upper clearance and seats filled with moss, linen or other sealant (1) . After trimming the openings, windows (doors) can be inserted into them. (2 - platband). |  |
Video addition
By following all the rules when constructing openings in a log house, you will finishing stage get high-quality and neat places for installing window and door units.
One of the most current issues, arising during the construction or repair of a wooden house, sounds like this: “Do you need door frames in a wooden house?”
This question is far from idle, since the cost of time and money for framing windows and doors is very significant and, oddly enough, is often not included in the original design of the house.
In our opinion, the answer to this is obvious: it is definitely needed, and the main proof of this is the age of this technology. Over the course of hundreds in Rus' they built wooden houses without milling cutters, band saws and electric drills, spending many times more time on each operation. And, nevertheless, doors and windows in a wooden house were always installed in a casing frame.
Let's consider what reasons determine the need to install window and door casing, and what designs exist.
Wood is good and environmentally friendly construction material, but has one significant drawback - its linear and volumetric dimensions are not stable and depend on the level of humidity.
In turn, the moisture content of wood changes not only over time (due to natural drying), but also depending on climatic conditions.
For a new log house, the total changes in its geometric dimensions can reach 100–150 mm during the initial shrinkage and up to 7–10 mm during the remaining period of operation (due to seasonal humidity fluctuations).
Let us immediately emphasize that humidity changes in size always occur, even after the end of the shrinkage period.
To prevent size fluctuations from being transmitted to those structural elements of the house, the dimensions of which must remain unchanged, they are installed in special casing boxes, also called “casing” or “casing”.
The connection between the casing and the rest of the house structure is always sliding. That is, the logs in the log house shift, but the dimensions of the frame remain constant.
The basis for debate on the topic “is a joint necessary? doorway in a wooden house? is the assumption that when using modern methods stabilization of wood (special drying modes, oil impregnation, etc.), seasonal fluctuations in size in a wooden house are negligible and in an old house you can install doors and windows without frames.
To some extent, these judgments are correct. A wooden house built from profiled or laminated timber, specially dried in a factory and treated with water-repellent agents, will indeed maintain stable dimensions in the first 5-10 years.
Impregnations and protective coatings They also have a certain “shelf life” and even the instructions for their use state that it is necessary to update the coating (every 3-5 years). But in practice this requirement is rarely met, especially in cases where log house sheathed on the outside with clapboard.
Summarizing the above, let's summarize: installing doors in a wooden house without casing can only be done in temporary buildings, and even then, only with certain conditions, but a house for yourself and your family must be reliable and built with casing installed.
Types of door frames
Let's consider what types of casing there are for doors in a wooden house in terms of labor costs and cost, since it is from this perspective that most builders who are faced with the need to manufacture a casing consider this issue.
Mortgage beam
The fastest and cheapest way to prepare an installation site for wooden or metal doors is a socket in the embedded timber.
In this case, the load frame is made of ordinary timber rectangular section and is placed in grooves punched at the ends of the openings.
Height of casing frame under doorjamb should always be less than the opening by the shrinkage height of the log house (that is, by 60-100 mm).
The timber is placed in the groove using a soft fiber compactor ( jute tape or flax wool). No additional fastening is required - the frame should move freely in the grooves.
This technology is especially convenient in timber house, where logs can be supplied with ready-made grooves in the ends.
But since door frame should be installed only within the casing frame - and its thickness is only 50-70 mm - then this scheme rarely used for installation of external doors. The optimal area of application for casing in embedded timber is the frame of interior doors.
Piglet in a monolithic spike
In practice, to install wooden and metal doors, a T-shaped casing is used in a monolithic tenon. The difference from the previous version is that the end of the opening is closed solid board, rigidly connected to the spike.