Recommendation points
One of the most ancient building materials used by our ancestors several thousand years ago is, of course, wood. Wooden housing construction does not lose its relevance today, numerous cottage settlements of the Moscow region offer many options for country buildings, the main building material of which is wood.
The advantages of a chopped house made of debarked solid logs include undeniable attractiveness, environmental friendliness, if all technologies are followed, excellent thermal insulation, however, the construction of such buildings is impossible on an industrial scale and it is simply impossible to imagine a village consisting entirely of such residential buildings. This is very expensive, one might say a piece goods made exclusively by hand and under the order of a specific client.
By the way, all of the above pros and cons fully apply to houses made of rounded timber, which is also a favorite habitat for various parasites and needs special protective treatment. A four-edged log can also be attributed to this category of materials that are too expensive and not very convenient to use – it also shrinks, requires certain work and assembly skills already at the construction site.
In general, the cost of such a log house depends on the diameter of the log, on average, only the first stage of construction, without finishing and communications, will cost the owner 500-600 thousand rubles for a one-story residential building with an area of only 50-60 square meters.
Wooden sandwich panels
Currently, one of the most common building technologies in the United States is the construction of inexpensive prefabricated wood sandwich panel buildings. In our country, such a technology has not taken root and is unlikely to have a chance of success, since such buildings are designed for a much warmer climate: their heating system implies central ventilation, runs on electricity, and in the absence of it, such a house completely freezes over in almost a few hours.
Such houses are distinguished by their impeccable environmental friendliness, visual appeal, excellent thermal insulation properties..
In addition, the technology of making panels from wood shavings in Russia is still only developing, and the import of materials makes the construction of buildings positioned in America as houses for low-income segments of the population, makes construction too expensive.
Buildings made of wood sandwich panels, which are now widespread in Switzerland, are more modern and reliable. Such houses are distinguished by their impeccable environmental friendliness, visual appeal, and excellent thermal insulation properties. However, such buildings are very expensive, since panels made from natural, perfectly dried boards are assembled without the use of glue, they are “sewn” only with beech dowels.
Edward Hopper. Tonys House. 1926
All the necessary parts of the house are manufactured in production, only assembly is carried out on the construction site, so construction takes very little time, and the building itself does not shrink. For our country, this is still a fairly new method of building wooden houses, quite suitable for the Russian climate, fast, but so far too expensive for more mass distribution..
In general, a house made of American sandwich panels made of pressed shavings, with an area of about 100 square meters, costs about 1.5-2 million rubles (without finishing), but the price of a residential building built using Swiss technology through the use of more expensive materials will be at least 2-3 times more.
Glued laminated timber
The most common building material in Russia. Glued laminated timber does not shrink, the accuracy of fitting the parts is verified to the millimeter, only the assembly of finished parts is carried out on the construction site, which takes literally a few days. It’s nice that the material is quite affordable and relatively inexpensive. Other advantages of houses made of laminated veneer lumber include excellent sound insulation, great strength – according to statistics, houses made of wood treated in this way are better able to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes, good thermal insulation and excellent aesthetic parameters.
The average price of a turnkey house with an area of up to 100 square meters will be about 4 million rubles.
However, it is worth considering certain difficulties with conducting communications and bringing the house to a residential state, that is, the implementation of interior decoration. There is a need for treatment with special fire-fighting compounds and protection against parasites that prefer wood as a habitat.
The cost of a house made of laminated veneer lumber depends on the size of the timber, as well as the number of used supporting beams. The average price of a house with an area of up to 100 square meters, erected on a turnkey basis, that is, including insulation, communications and finishing, will be about 4 million rubles.
Frame structure – half-timbered
The uniqueness of construction using the half-timbered technology, that is, with the use of a frame made of various parts – boards, beams and combined beams of a very different configuration, lies in the fact that the frame does not hide behind the panels, but becomes the main decoration of the building. Such buildings are widely spread in Germany, the Czech Republic and other European countries, the streets of half-timbered houses look extremely attractive, interesting, and for our country they are also exotic.
Minh Dam. Fachwerk House. 2009
The finished frame is “sheathed” with pre-assembled panels, the erection itself takes place quite quickly. The technology, in the process of which an additional layer of insulation is laid between the panels, is called “Canadian” and it has proven itself perfectly in cold climates. A variety of materials can be used for interior decoration of premises, from ordinary lining to decorative plaster.
By the way, experts believe that today in Russia only two options for technologies of wooden houses are applicable on an industrial scale – large-section half-timbered houses and buildings made of laminated veneer lumber..
The price of a half-timbered house depends on the type and size of the beams used for the construction of the frame; in general, the cost of such a building is quite comparable to the price of a house made of laminated veneer lumber – at least 4 million rubles will have to be paid for housing of 100 square meters.
Perspectives
According to experts, the popularity of wooden housing construction will grow due to the fact that many townspeople are now making a choice in favor of country houses, the cost of a building made of wood-based materials is quite comparable to housing made of brick or cinder block.
However, log houses made of debarked or cylindrical timber will certainly retain their positions, but only as exclusive, expensive and rather rare buildings. Bathhouses built in this way are now found much more often than residential buildings, but those who want to live in such an environmentally friendly house, built in strict accordance with the traditions of their ancestors, will always be.
Broader prospects open up for houses made of laminated veneer lumber and frame-panel buildings, since this construction technology is fast, low cost and is quite suitable for the Russian climate. It is timber houses that are offered to buyers by developers in cottage settlements of the Moscow region, such as Timashevo, Boroviki-2, Velegozh Park and many others.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using different technologies for building a wooden house?