How to build a country house: choosing a project and materials

Recommendation points

• What are the requirements for country houses
• Materials and technologies used for the construction of country houses
• Frame houses
• Log houses
• Houses from a bar
• Stone houses
• Choosing the best technology
• Optimal project of a country house

Despite the simplicity of country houses, their construction must be approached as responsibly as the construction of capital ones. What you need to consider in order for the result to correspond to your requests and investment, this article will answer.

Are you planning to build a light summer house on your site? The task seems straightforward. But this is only at first glance. Which project to choose, what material to build, which is more correct – to do it yourself, or to order a finished house in a construction company – these questions will inevitably arise before you. In order to answer them, to make your choice and at the same time not to overpay, you need to clearly imagine what you want from your home. Only then will it become clear what it should be. Let us consider in detail all these issues, together with all possible options for the requirements for the future home, in order to come to certain conclusions at the end.

What are the requirements for country houses

The first thing you need to decide on is which houses should be considered when talking about country houses. It is not entirely correct to consider only those that are built on a summer cottage and are intended for seasonal living – what is called a summer house. Absolutely analogous to them are houses that are being built for the period of capital construction, of course, unless we consider completely extreme options, such as sheds, booths, containers or construction cabins. So, country houses must meet the following requirements:

1. Should be built as soon as possible. Indeed, while there is no home, there is no place to change clothes, no shelter from the rain, or spend the night.
2. Must be technologically advanced. Even with construction skills, it is not so easy to independently cope with the construction work, albeit a light country house, but for some it is impossible at all.
3. Should not require large investments. A light summer house, by definition, should not be expensive, otherwise its construction is a waste of money..
4. Must be upgradeable. For summer cottages, it is important that, if necessary, they can be expanded by adding additional premises. For temporary houses, the possibility of their further use in a new quality is important, for example, a bathhouse, a guest house or a summer kitchen.
5. Must be durable enough. It is clear that the service life of such houses is less than that of capital houses, but at least 20-30 years such a house should stand.

Different people, of course, will arrange these requirements in their own way. For some, manufacturability is important, for others, for example, cost. Strictly speaking, by lining up these requirements in a certain sequence, all the possible desired options will be obtained. Now, considering them and knowing what materials are used in the construction of country houses, it will be possible to answer how and from what to build a house, or it is better to just buy a ready-made.

Materials and technologies used for the construction of country houses

Let’s move on to the materials. The most popular options are:

1. Frame houses.
2. Log houses.
3. Houses from a bar.
4. Stone houses.

Frame houses

This is the most popular construction option. About 80% of all country houses are frame or panel board.

Construction time. They are built in a maximum season. The minimum terms (without finishing) – 1.5 months, taking into account the construction of a light foundation.

Construction technology it is quite simple and does not require special construction skills. A frame is assembled from a bar, sheathed on both sides with panels of moisture-resistant plywood, OSB or clapboard. Requires interior and exterior finishing.

The cost. When buying ready-made – about 7,500 rubles / m², in case of self-construction – about 3000 rubles / m².

Upgradeability. Easy to build and rebuild, even with the transfer of windows and doors.

Durability. Subject to construction technologies and competent design, they serve for about 50 years.

Output:very good construction option in terms of price / quality ratio.

Log houses

The second most popular construction option.

Construction time. If you buy a ready-made log house, then they are erected in 2-3 months, taking into account the foundation. If you pre-order, then another plus 1 month for production. In both cases, it takes about six months to shrink..

Manufacturability. The log house itself will have to be specially ordered or bought, that is, its manufacture is a matter of professionals. You can assemble it yourself, the process is quite simple, in addition, the manufacturer is most often present at the same time, which means that at least one specialist will be at the construction site. You can do without finishing.

The cost. Since you will have to buy a log house in any case, the difference in the cost of the finished house and the one assembled on your own is not high. When buying a finished product, the cost is about 8000 rubles / m², for self-construction – about 6,000 rubles / m².

Upgradeability. Like any wooden house, it can be easily completed. Retrofitting with moving windows or doors is possible, but requires special skills.

Durability. When treated with bio-protective compounds, log houses last up to 100 years.

Output:a good option, but requires due attention to manufacturing and assembly. If you follow the recommendations set forth, for example, in the article “Choosing a log house for a wooden house”, the output will be a warm and reliable house.

Houses from a bar

Nowadays, as a tribute to fashion, a very popular option. Constructed from one-piece profiled timber.

Construction time. Since they are assembled only from industrially manufactured beams, in any case they are erected in 2-3 months, taking into account the foundation. Requires about half a year to shrink.

Manufacturability. Manufactured and assembled by specialists. Of course, you can assemble it yourself, but in this case, void the warranty from the manufacturer. No finishing required.

The cost about 10,000 rubles / m².

Upgradeability. Everything that has been said about log houses is true for log houses.

Durability. When treated with bioprotective compounds, they serve up to 100 years.

Output:beautiful, durable, warm and reliable houses made of timber have one drawback – high cost.

Stone houses

They are built from a very wide range of materials: bricks, cinder blocks, foam concrete, etc. In any case, the stone is based on.

Construction time. Since they require a reinforced foundation, and this is already about 2 months, and they are being built rather slowly – row by row, they are being built for at least 5-6 months.

Manufacturability. Such houses are built only by people with the skills of a bricklayer, that is, specialists. They require the most elaborate project among all types of houses. The most critical to mistakes made during construction.

The cost. Since there are many different materials for the construction of stone houses, and they all have different prices, it is problematic to determine the cost unambiguously. The simplest ready-made houses of 200 mm foam blocks cost about 11,500 rubles / m². With self-erection, the cost will decrease by a third. However, one should take into account the need for a reinforced foundation, compared with other options for houses, and this also increases the total cost.

Upgradeability. They are good as a basis for a capital house – they are easy to complete, re-insulate, etc., but they are difficult to modernize.

Durability. Subject to all technological requirements, a stone country house is the most durable.

Output:the most expensive and difficult to build option, but unrivaled strength and durability make them an excellent intermediate option between summer and capital houses.

So, we have decided on the requirements and materials. Now let’s tie it all together.

Choosing the best technology

For simplicity, let’s introduce some designations: construction time – SV, manufacturability – T, cost (price) – C, upgradeability – VM, durability – D. Then a certain set of requirements such as: it is necessary that the house be erected in the shortest possible time, was cheap, easy to build, the house is being built for a short time and it is not necessary to modernize it – it will look like SV + C + T + D + VM. Requirements are arranged in descending order of priority. Then we get a simple formula:

• SV + C + T + D + VM = ordering a frame house

That is, making such requirements for a house, the best solution would be to order a frame house.

The same formula in case the price in the first place looks like this:

• C + SV + T + D + VM = independent construction of a frame house

The rest of the most popular options for correlating queries with technologies will look like this:

Construction option	Requirements	Notes
Self-construction of a frame house	C + SV + T + D + VM C + SV + D + VM + T C + T + VM + SV + D etc.	It turns out that wherever the price comes first, it makes sense to build a frame house yourself..
Ordering a frame house in a construction organization	SV + C + T + D + VM SV + C + VM + T + D SV + VM + C + D + T etc.	Thus, if the construction time is in the first place, and the price is in the second or third, then it will be optimal to order a ready-made frame house.
Self-construction of a log house	T + D + C + VM + SV VM + T + D + C + SV T + D + C + SV + VM etc.	It makes sense to independently build a house from a previously purchased log house if the main requirements are manufacturability and durability. In this case, the price is not the main thing, but also not in the last place. Since the house requires shrinkage, the construction time is at the end of the list of requirements.
Ordering a log house in a construction organization	VM + D + T + C + SV D + SV + VM + C + T VM + SV + D + C + T etc.	If you are not a specialist, that is, the manufacturability of the house is not important to you – professionals will build, then you need to order a finished log house when the main thing is the possibility of modernization and durability. The price is not important..
Ordering a house from a bar in a construction organization	VM + D + T + SV + C D + SV + VM + T + C VM + SV + D + T + C etc.	Almost similar to the formulas for ordering a log house. The difference in the demand for the price, which is even less important and, as a result, at the very end.
Self-construction of a stone house	D + VM + T + C + SV VM + D + C + T + SV D + T + VM + C + SV etc.	The most important requirements for self-constructed stone houses are durability, the possibility of modernization (in the sense that the house is planned to be converted into a permanent one) and manufacturability (if, of course, there are skills of a bricklayer). Price and construction time do not matter.
Ordering a stone house in a construction organization	D + SV + VM + C + T D + VM + SV + T + C VM + D + SV + T + C etc.	If ahead, in comparison with the requirements for independently erected stone houses, a requirement is put forward for the construction time, then it makes sense to order the construction of a stone house from professionals. They will do it much faster..

List your requirements in descending order of importance, find the corresponding formula in the table or analyze yourself based on the generalizations in the comments column, and you will get a completely unambiguous answer. This will be the best advice on what kind of house you should build..

Optimal project of a country house

We decided on the materials and technologies, it remains only to choose a project. It is clear that everyone has their own preferences, but there are several types of house projects that are optimal for using them in the capacity we have indicated..

1. Bungalow house. By definition, a bungalow is a one-story single-family house with a simple roof, usually a pitched one, and an extensive veranda. As you can see, the definition itself paints a picture of a house ideally satisfying all of the above conditions. If you use natural materials for interior and exterior decoration, then the result can surprise many. Thatch, shingles or natural turf on the roof, some kind of driftwood, matting and wattle in the decoration will make your home and the area adjacent to it unique. Building a bungalow is quite simple – a light foundation and a flat roof simplify the project as much as possible and make the construction of a country house easy to implement.

2. A-shaped house. It is also called a hut house. The rafters of such a house make up a shape similar to the letter “A”. They go straight from the base to the ridge. In fact, this house does not have two side walls. Their role is played by the roof. Such houses gained the greatest popularity in Europe after the Second World War thanks to their optimal budget. An A-shaped house is also a bungalow house for a summer residence, only two-story. Perhaps this option is the most preferable for building a house in a summer cottage. For a temporary home, consider another option..

3. The most popular option for country houses is a one-story house with a two- or four-pitched roof and an attic floor under it. Ideal for both summer cottages and temporary buildings. At the summer cottage, thanks to the attic floor, a spacious house is obtained in a small area, and due to the simple construction of the roof, it is inexpensive and easy to manufacture. If you build such a house as a temporary one, then after completing its initial task, it easily turns into a bathhouse or a guest house. You can combine these two functions if you build from a bar or make a log house. Then a bath is made on the first floor, and on the second there is a guest area.

Well, just by approaching the question in a systematic way, you can easily get an answer and, as a result, a house in which you will be comfortable and which will serve you for a long time in one capacity or another.