A frame house is a great opportunity to acquire your own comfortable home for reasonable money and in a short time. But to prevent the first strong wind or heaving of the soil from collapsing it like a house of cards, you need to know a clear sequence of work and some secrets of frame construction. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to do it correctly.
Design project and drawing of a house
Design will help you significantly reduce construction time, avoid many mistakes and reduce material consumption. But this is not only about designing the interior of the rooms. The design project includes blueprints. They are simply necessary for the foundation, rafter system and wall frame.
To develop a design project and drawings, you can turn to professional designers or try to master specialized programs. For example: ArchiCAD, Arcon, WoodEngine, CadWork. However, please note that some programs require the purchase of a license key and time to master.
Laying the foundation for a frame house
A frame house can be erected by you on a slab, pile, column or strip foundation. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages and is suitable for a certain type of soil. How to determine which one to choose?
Soil analysis at the construction site
A foundation selected in accordance with the characteristics of the soil is not just a reliable foundation for the entire structure. This is also a rational use of your money. A frame house does not always need an expensive slab or deep foundation.
Helps you make the right choice earth analysis, taken from the construction site. What it will help determine:
- Depth of groundwater. If they flow close to the soil surface, you will have to abandon the construction of a cellar.
- Qualitative composition of the soil (fine sand, gravel, clay, etc.). The best option for construction is gravel soil, the worst is fine sand.
- The depth of soil freezing. The larger it is, the more labor-intensive and expensive the foundation work will be.
For research, you can dig a hole yourself, at least one and a half meters deep, take soil samples and take them to the laboratory. A less labor-intensive option is to invite geological engineers directly to the construction site.
Features of strip foundation
The strip foundation is a closed loop made of reinforced concrete. It is laid under the load-bearing walls of the house along their entire length.
Despite the labor-intensive and expensive installation, a strip base is the best option for a frame house. It has a large load-bearing surface, allowing you to equip a basement and carry out construction work even on heaving soil.
Sequence of construction of a strip foundation:
- Digging a trench and laying a sand cushion on its bottom.
- Waterproofing trench walls.
- Installation of wooden formwork.
- Assembly and installation of reinforcing mesh.
- Pouring the formwork with concrete and compacting it.
Height of strip foundation should be at least 2 times its width. Under such conditions, transverse deformation does not occur in it.
Pile-screw foundation - a simple and affordable foundation for a house
A pile-screw foundation allows you to build a residential building on weak areas and areas with uneven terrain without construction experience. It becomes a reliable support for the walls, since the piles firmly cling to hard rock below the freezing level of the soil.
Screw piles– metal rods, onto the pointed ends of which blades are welded. This design allows you to simply screw them into the ground like a drill. This can be done using special equipment or manually. But in the latter case, at least three people will be needed.
Laying a columnar foundation
The columnar foundation is erected only on stable soils with high bearing capacity.
The work is carried out step by step:
- Round holes are drilled in the ground along the selected perimeter.
- They install a metal frame connected from reinforcement.
- Formwork made from casing pipes is lowered into the wells.
- Above-ground elements are cut one level at a time.
- The wells are filled with concrete and compacted.
The height of the heads (the above-ground part of the pillars) should not be less than 400 mm. Otherwise, the wood flooring will rot from constant exposure to moisture.
Slab foundation - when considerable investments pay off
The slab foundation is rightfully considered the most expensive. This is due to the large load-bearing area, which is the main advantage of a monolithic foundation.
A house built on such a slab is protected from distortions, because even when exposed to the forces of frost heaving, it moves along with the foundation.
The base laying technology involves
- Removing the top layer of soil (fertile).
- Laying geofabric, backfilling the sand and gravel cushion and compacting it.
- Flooring waterproofing material.
- Installation of wooden formwork.
- Installation and installation of mesh knitted from ribbed reinforcement.
- Pouring concrete and its subsequent compaction with a special vibration machine.
The height of the slab base is usually 100 mm.
Bottom frame of the house
If you are planning to build a frame house with your own hands, you cannot do without the bottom frame. It unites all the elements of the foundation, if it is columnar or pile-screw, connects the base of the house with its walls, and serves as a support for laying the floor.
For device bottom trim use 150x200 mm timber or a bunch of boards placed at the end. Lumber must be pre-treated with an antiseptic and fire retardant.
They are fixed to the foundation using anchor bolts with a wide nut. The beams are connected to each other using panels or “half a tree”, “in a paw”, additionally strengthening them with nails and steel corners.
Laying and insulating the subfloor
The base of the subfloor is the basement beams. Their function is performed by beams with a cross-section of 140x180 mm or boards measuring at least 160x50 mm. The ideal option is material with the same cross-section as the elements of the lower trim.
The floor beams are fastened “in half a tree”, making appropriate cuts. For additional fixation, use two nails at each junction of the beams.
Then the flooring and its insulation are carried out according to the following scheme:
- Attaching the cranial bars to the bottom of the beams.
- Fixing subfloor boards on them.
- Waterproofing beams and decking using dense polyethylene.
- Laying insulation in cells formed by beams.
- Installation of vapor barrier.
- The flooring is plywood, floorboard or OSB board.
This “pie” is ready for finishing at the final stage of independent construction of a frame house.
Stages of construction of the frame of walls and roof
The subfloor with its rigid base is the reference point for the construction of the wall frame and installation of the rafter system under the roof. This is one of the most labor-intensive stages of building a frame house.
Installation of vertical racks for external walls
Using the existing lower trim, markings are made for fastening the vertical frame posts. Their length determines the height of the ceiling on the floor minus its finishing.
Work begins with the installation of corner elements with a cross-section of at least 100x100 mm. They are fixed in two main ways:
- Using a wooden dowel, which should rise 80-100 mm above the corner connection of the trim. In this case, the stand is literally strung on it.
- Using galvanized metal corners with reinforcement.
For racks on straight sections, timber with a smaller cross-section – 50x100 mm – is suitable. Its connection to the harness is made by complete or partial cutting or using steel corners. Here you can use fasteners without reinforcement.
When determining the pitch of the racks, be guided by the width of the insulation or sheet material of the wall cladding. To prevent the vertical elements of the frame from tilting, they can be fixed with temporary jibs.
Upper frame frame and interfloor slab
Only after fixing the racks strictly vertically and in a stationary position do they begin to work on the upper trim. All grooves and fastenings in it must be similar to those in a similar lower chord. This will give the structure good spatial rigidity.
Note! The width of the top frame beams should be equal to the width of the vertical posts.
Mounted similarly to the basement. Logs from boards 50x200 mm with a pitch of 600-800 mm are fastened with nails to the beams of the upper frame.
If the ceiling is not an element of the roof truss system, but the floor of the second floor, it must be additionally reinforced with spacers. Their function is performed by edged boards, which are lined up between the joists in one line and fixed with nails. With a second floor span of 2.5-3 m, one line of spacers is sufficient. For a larger span you will need two parallel lines.
Assembling the rafter system
The rafter system determines the shape of the roof of a frame house built from scratch. Most often it is gable.
Suitable for rafters boards with a section of 50x150 mm or 50x200 mm. They are installed on the bars of the upper trim in increments of 0.6-1.1 m.
The rafters are also connected to each other, which gives the roof appropriate rigidity and determines its load-bearing capacity. To do this, use the following elements:
- longitudinal runs;
- lathing;
- crossbars;
- racks;
- sill;
- puff.
If the span of the second floor or attic is less than 10 m and there are no load-bearing walls in the house except external ones, hanging rafters can be installed. This system involves fastening each rafter with one end to the frame, and the other to the counter element. Tightening in the form of a horizontal beam allows you to strengthen the structure.
Layered rafters appropriate where there is an intermediate support for them in the form of a load-bearing wall or a columnar element. They are reinforced with internal middle pillars.
Thermal insulation of walls and roof
Work on insulating walls and roofs should begin only after all windows and doors have been installed.
In a proper frame house, the technology for their implementation is similar and comes down to creating a “pie” consisting of several layers.
- External cladding. It can be fiberboard, OSB, DSP or facade board.
- Waterproofing. Necessary to protect the insulation from moisture from the street.
- Thermal insulation material. This can be polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, mineral wool, etc.
- Vapor barrier. Typically, a membrane film is used to remove moisture from the room.
- Internal lining. Suitable for these purposes: plywood, OSB, drywall.
The roof is not sheathed on the outside with sheet material. His place is taken sheathing, which serves as the basis for the roofing material.
The insulation of the interfloor ceiling is similar to the thermal insulation of the subfloor.
Frame house engineering systems
Without utilities, a frame house will be a dark and cold box. For this reason, it is necessary to know where and at what stage they are laid.
- Heating and water supply system pipes are mounted inside frame walls. This is done before they are insulated. The cold water supply pipe is placed in a corrugated moisture-resistant “sleeve”, which is associated with the constant formation of condensation on it.
- Sewer pipes are installed in walls and under the floor. Their supply to septic tanks is provided at the stage of laying the foundation.
- Electrical cables are located inside the walls, under the suspended ceiling or in the channels of the baseboards.
- The laying of hidden electrical cables can only be carried out in special pipes and ducts. These works are also carried out before the walls are thermally insulated.
Video: unacceptable mistakes in construction
Despite a certain conservatism in the thinking of the population of our country in terms of construction (the use of heavy, reliable stone and concrete materials), lightweight structures are becoming increasingly widespread. Houses made of SIP panels, wooden frame and frame-panel buildings are gaining more and more popularity. The reason for this is the significantly lower cost of both the required material and its installation. In this article we will look at the stages of building a frame house from the foundation to the roof.
Nuances of wooden construction
The main difference between wooden structures and “classic” stone, concrete, reinforced concrete and steel structures is the high fire hazard. The use of load-bearing wooden structures determines the fire hazard class of the structure to be no higher than III (class II is typical for stone and concrete structures).
The problem is partially solved by fire retardants. These are special substances intended for processing wooden structures in order to reduce flammability and combustibility groups. Neglecting such processing can lead to the most dire consequences.
Another vulnerable point in the construction of a frame house is susceptibility to biological destruction. We are talking about rotting and woodworms. To combat these factors, bioprotective compounds are used. Modern industry offers complex fire-bioprotective agents that are most suitable for use for the protection of wooden structures.
Separately, we emphasize the importance of scrupulously fulfilling all electrical installation requirements. The most common cause of house fires is poor-quality wiring, the use of uncertified electrical equipment (sockets, switches), and violation of the rules for operating electrical appliances.
The indisputable advantages of wooden frame houses include their lower cost and speed of construction.
The foundation is the first stage of building a frame house
A difficult issue in private construction was, is and will be the choice of foundation type. Wooden buildings are characterized by low weight. The foundation, as a rule, is also made “lighter” in relation to the classic “stone” version of the house. Moreover, all types of foundations (strip, slab, pile) can also be used for wooden houses.
The choice of foundation type for a frame house primarily depends on engineering and geological conditions - soil strength, groundwater level, and so on. For the frame construction option, it is possible to use columnar foundations.
To save money, you should order engineering and geological surveys in a minimum amount. At least one well about 5m deep. Based on the survey report, through consultation with a specialist, it will be possible to determine the optimal foundation option. An independent solution to this issue “by eye” will most likely result in either an overexpenditure of materials “in reserve” or problems in the operation of a house installed on top of a foundation that is too weak.
Particular attention should be paid to the level of groundwater, its seasonal fluctuations, as well as the risk of the appearance of perched water - the so-called “soil water”. Paying for research and consultations with a specialist will pay off handsomely.
Stage 2: construction of the frame and interfloor covering
The construction of the frame during the construction of a wooden house begins with the installation of the lower frame. The dimensions of its cross section will directly depend on the type of foundation. For piles installed with large pitches (3m or more), the lower frame will be more powerful than for other options. The lower frame on top of the pile foundation is essentially a grillage. In all cases (including strip and slab foundations), this piping must be located above the ground level. The lower harness should be antiseptic especially carefully. In addition, waterproofing made of dense polyethylene, roofing felt or other rolled insulating material should be placed under its bottom.
The frame can be erected using two methods - by assembling each element separately directly at its design position, or by assembling the frame of an entire wall on a horizontal surface, then lifting it “on its butt” and installing it in place. The second option is preferable as it is more productive. It is especially convenient when using a foundation in the form of an insulated Swedish slab - at the time of assembling the frame, the rough surface of the first floor floor (top of the slab) is a convenient platform for collecting wall frames.
The spatial stability of the frame is ensured either by boards (frame-panel design, typical, among other things, for SIP panels) or by a board slanted in the opposite direction. At the installation stage, temporary braces are often used, installed on top of the frame. After covering one side of the future wall with shields or diagonal boards, the temporary braces are removed.
As a rule, OSB (QSB) boards with a thickness of 12 mm are used as shields. When covering with a board, its thickness is in the range of 18-25mm.
The pitch of the racks (columns) of the frame is very often set to 60 cm, which in the case of a frame-panel scheme causes confusion. The size of the OSB board is 125x250cm, as a result of which a step of 60cm creates the need to trim each panel by 5cm in width or 10cm in length. In this case, a step of 62.5 cm will be a complete multiple of the width of such a sheet (2 steps) and length (4 steps). With plank cladding, a multiplicity of 60 cm does not create problems.
The choice of panel/board cladding is usually based on the prices for these materials in the construction region. At the same price, preference should be given to the panel version, as it is more technologically advanced and quickly erected.
After the construction of the frame of the walls of the first floor and the installation of the upper trim (belt), the installation of floor beams begins.
Reinforced concrete floors (both monolithic and prefabricated) are not used in wooden houses. It is also better to refuse lightweight options like Terriva and the like. Wood has very different indicators of linear expansion due to temperature changes than other materials. In addition, wood, as a “living” material, changes its size slightly with changes in humidity. The combination of dissimilar materials in the supporting frame is highly undesirable.
Floor beams are usually made from 50x200mm boards or paired 50x150mm boards. The second option is preferable if the boards are paired with a mirror image of the growth rings - such a beam will be more stable. The pitch of the beams depends on the span to be covered, cross-sectional dimensions and loads. Usually this step is in the range of 60-100cm.
Before constructing the frame of the next floor, it is necessary to lay the flooring on top of the floor beams. To do this, use tongue-and-groove floorboards or board materials (OSB, plywood) in two layers. The joints of the second layer should not coincide with the joints of the first. If the floorboard is used before the completion of construction, it is protected from contamination and damage with sheets of fiberboard or thick cardboard.
Floors in wooden frame houses must be soundproofed. It is advisable to use finishing materials with vibration isolation. For example, laminate flooring laid over a balsa wood underlayment. Otherwise, audibility will be very high, and the floor will be an analogue of a drum.
Stage 3: roof
A good option for installing a roof for a frame house is its pitched version. The roof can be single-pitched, gable, hip, etc. Any material can be used as a roofing layer - slate, corrugated sheets, metal tiles, bitumen shingles, etc.
The roof slopes are formed by a rafter system. Rafters are most often made from boards with a section of 50x150 or 50x200. The pitch of the rafters depends on the snow loads in the construction region, span, and cross-section. Usually the step is 80-120cm.
The rafter leg rests on the mauerlat. In a frame wooden house, its function is performed by the top frame of the last floor.
Stage 4: partitions, communications and interior decoration of a frame house
The best option for partitions in a wooden frame house is a frame made of wooden beams with a section of 50x100mm, sheathed on both sides with the same OSB boards. The spacing of the partition racks is identical to the load-bearing walls. The internal cavity of the partitions is filled with soundproofing material.
In rooms with a wet regime (bathroom), the floor and walls are additionally sheathed with magnesite slabs, on top of which waterproofing is done with coating materials. The use of magnesite slabs makes it possible to cover walls and ceilings with ceramic tiles.
There are no obstacles to installing plasterboard partitions in wooden frame houses.
Internal communications are laid up to the internal wall cladding. Electrical wiring is placed in special corrugated sleeves. It is better to avoid laying water-carrying communications in the body of the ceiling. The risers of such communications are usually passed into the wall cavities.
The best option for interior finishing of walls and ceilings is plasterboard. It is easy to secure it with wood screws and then putty. The final part of the finishing can be anything - from painting to wallpapering.
Fasteners
Fastening elements in the construction of wooden houses are nails, construction staples and powerful self-tapping screws. It is better to avoid using black phosphated screws “for drywall” due to their fragility. The use of such fasteners when installing plasterboard partitions is permissible.
You can strengthen the connection of wooden elements using steel angles, plates, overlays, etc.
Stage 5: finishing of facades
Ventilated facade systems are most widely used for finishing the facades of wooden frame houses. For example, siding.
Any plastering options for wooden houses are unacceptable. Facing with decorative wooden bricks will also cause problems (with the possible exception of the basement part, if no wooden structures were used within its boundaries).
Conclusion
To avoid distortions of load-bearing structures, it is necessary to strictly follow the stages of construction of a frame house. This is especially true for elements of spatial rigidity - temporary braces and frame sheathing. It is highly undesirable to use thinner materials, especially shields. This construction technology does not tolerate deviations and amateur activities. For example, it is impossible to replace OSB sheathing with chipboard, cement-sand, magnesite, and gypsum fiber boards. If the requirements given in this article are met, the service life of a wooden frame house will be at least 50 years.
Among all prefabricated structures, frame houses are the most popular. Such buildings have many advantages. They are quite light, so they do not need a powerful foundation. Thanks to its good thermal insulation qualities, such a house can be used not only as a summer house, but also for permanent residence. In addition, frame buildings are easy to build with your own hands, which is why many developers choose this option. In our article we will tell you in detail and step by step how to build a frame house.
Technology
The construction of a frame house with your own hands can be carried out using Finnish or Canadian technology. But the basic principles of constructing frame houses are the same for both technologies. Regardless of the choice of technology, we build a frame house, adhering to the following sequence:
- Selection of materials. The basis of such buildings is the frame. It can be made of wood or steel elements. More often, private developers prefer to build a frame house with their own hands using a wooden frame made of timber. Such buildings are economical, environmentally safe and quick to install. If you decide to build your house on a steel frame, then its price will be 1/3 more. However, these structures are a little lighter, which allows for a lightweight foundation. You can also safely use steel fasteners on a steel frame.
- After installing the foundation, they begin to manufacture the floor of the future house. We will describe in detail how to make a floor in a step-by-step guide.
- After installing the floor, the construction of the frame of the walls, ceilings and roof begins.
- Next, the completed frame is sheathed with wood sheet materials. The constructed house is insulated. Window and door openings are being installed.
- Now you can begin laying utilities and performing external and internal wall decoration.
As you can see, the construction technology is quite simple, but to build a frame house with your own hands, you need a construction diagram and drawings. Detailed diagrams that make it easy to build a house yourself can be found online, but it is much easier to work on a specially designed project, so don’t be lazy and order it. Once you have a project or diagram in hand, figuring out how to build a house will not be difficult with our step-by-step guide.
Preparatory work
When building a frame house with your own hands, work begins with preparing and marking the site for construction. Preparatory work includes the following steps:
- First, you need to clear the construction area of debris, stones, and unnecessary green spaces.
- If there are uneven areas or a slight slope in the area, the area must be leveled. That is, all the hills should be cut off and soil should be poured into the depressions.
- Next, you need to mark the future building on the site. In order to transfer data from the design documentation to the site, you need to use pegs and a cord to mark the axes and dimensions of the building, and it is also worth laying out the internal load-bearing walls. If we build a frame house with our own hands, then it is very important that all angles are strictly 90 degrees.
Foundation
If you want to know how to properly build a frame house, then first you should familiarize yourself with the sequence of the foundation. Since the walls of such a building are quite light, there is no need to equip a massive capital foundation. In this case, we build a house on one of the following bases:
- shallow monolithic or prefabricated strip foundation;
- columnar base design;
- pile screw foundations.
The easiest way is to build a columnar foundation for a frame house. The pillars must be located at the corners of the future house, at the intersection of walls and with a certain pitch under the external and internal load-bearing walls. Typically, the pitch of the pillars is taken to be 2 m. The installation of the base is carried out in the following order:
- Under each pillar, holes are dug to the required depth. To do this, you can use a shovel or a motor drill.
- At the bottom of the pits there is a sand cushion 100-150 mm high. Wet sand is carefully compacted.
- After this, wooden formwork is installed. It should rise above ground level by at least 30 cm.
- The inner surface of the formwork is lined with roofing felt, which will serve as waterproofing and facilitate the dismantling of the formwork.
- Concrete is poured into the formwork to a height of 5 cm.
- After the concrete mixture has hardened, a frame made of reinforcement is installed. At the same time, it should not approach the formwork closer than 50 mm. On top of the frame, it is necessary to leave reinforcement outlets 15 cm long, which will allow you to tie together the structure of the pillars with the grillage.
- Concrete is poured.
Important: in addition to reinforced concrete, pillars can be made from ready-made concrete blocks, bricks, steel or asbestos pipes with concrete poured inside.
To make the frame of the grillage, rods with a cross-section of 12 mm, connected with wire, are used. The formwork for the grillage is made from boards. After installing the reinforcement cage, it is connected to the reinforcement outlets from the pillars. After pouring and compacting the concrete mixture, studs 300-500 mm long are inserted into the grillage. The frame of the house will then be attached to them.
Base strapping
After the mortar has set and the formwork has been dismantled, horizontal waterproofing of the base is performed. To do this, lay two layers of roofing felt on bitumen mastic. Typically, timber with sides of 15 cm is used to perform the strapping.
Attention: the cross-section of the timber for strapping is directly related to the pitch of the pillars. The larger it is, the larger cross-section the beam is needed to avoid sagging.
If you are building frame houses with your own hands, step-by-step instructions for installing the strapping will definitely be useful to you:
- The beam is mounted on the foundation base along its perimeter. At the same time, they strictly control the length of the walls and constantly check the data with the project. It is allowed to join the timber if its length is not enough. The joints should be directly above the posts. In the corners and at the junction, the beams are connected into a “half-tree”, fixed with nails and corners.
- The beam is attached to the base using bolts and studs. To do this, holes are drilled in the timber and foundation caps. If possible, fastenings should be deepened into the material.
Floor
To know how to properly build a frame house, you need to understand the process of making the floor of the future structure. For the logs it is worth taking a beam with a section of 100x200 mm. The lag pitch is selected based on the width of the insulation boards. Usually it is taken equal to 60-70 cm. The logs are attached to the framing beam using corners and nails.
After this, the floor installation is performed in the following sequence:
- We attach the cranial blocks to the installed joists, and lay the roughing boards on them.
- Then the surface of the joists and ridges is covered with a waterproofing membrane.
- Thermal insulating material is laid on top of the membrane.
- From above, the entire structure is covered with a vapor barrier membrane.
- Next, the floor is covered with OSB or moisture-resistant plywood.
Walls and ceiling
We continue to make frame houses with our own hands - step-by-step instructions for installing walls:
- To make the frame, you can use timber from coniferous wood. To begin with, it is necessary to assemble the span of the wall at the construction site, and then install the assembled structure on the frame.
- The distance between the frame posts is usually determined taking into account the width of the insulation boards that will be laid between them. If mineral wool is used for insulation, then the pitch of the racks should be 1-2 cm less than the width of the heat insulator for its tight fit.
- The frame posts are fixed with nails to the lower and upper horizontal elements. For additional fixation, you can use mounting angles.
- To increase the rigidity of the frame, jumpers are mounted between the vertical posts. They are fastened in a checkerboard pattern.
- Window and door openings are installed in the places specified in the project. To do this, racks are mounted along the edges of the opening, and lintels are installed at the top and bottom of the window opening.
After assembling all the spans, they are mounted on the framing frame in the following order:
- The first span is attached to the floor and secured with supports.
- Next, the second span is installed. It is attached to the floor and side post of the first span.
- All subsequent spans are connected to each other using nails.
- To install spans in a strictly vertical position, they use jibs - diagonal struts that are fixed at the corners.
Installation of internal partitions is carried out similarly to the installation of the external frame. After this, the entire structure is tied with a board on top to provide additional rigidity. Then the walls on the outside are covered with oriented strand boards.
The ceiling is mounted on the top frame:
- To do this, grooves are made in the timber into which beams are inserted.
- They are additionally fixed with nails and steel corners.
- Support beams are installed along the internal partitions. They are connected to the upper and lower trim.
- Then the ceiling panel is nailed. It is better to make it from tongue and groove boards.
- After this, a vapor barrier layer is laid. The material should also be applied to the ceiling beams.
- Now the thermal insulation material is laid out.
- The thermal insulation layer is covered with a waterproofing film.
- A rough floor made of boards is laid.
Roof
To know how to build a frame house yourself, you need to understand the sequence of roof arrangement:
- The rafter pairs are assembled on the ground into a structure, like a truss, and lifted up to be installed on the top frame beam. The overhang of the rafters should be within 350-500 mm. The rafter pairs are installed first on the gables.
- All subsequent rafter pairs are installed between them with a step of 700 mm from each other.
- The rafters are connected by a ridge beam, which is attached to the “foot floor”.
- Next, a continuous or thinned sheathing is made, which is laid over a waterproofing membrane fixed to the rafters with a counter batten.
- Now you can lay the selected roof covering.
- At this stage, you can notify your family members and friends about the completion of installation of the housing frame.
Wall insulation
To insulate a house, polystyrene foam, mineral wool or polystyrene foam are used. The thermal insulation layer must be at least 50 mm thick. Insulation and finishing of the walls of the house are carried out in the following order:
- Thermal insulation material is laid between the frame posts. If two layers of material are used, then the joints of the slabs in the layers should not coincide.
- On the inside, the walls are covered with a layer of membrane vapor barrier, which is attached over the insulation to the frame studs using a stapler.
- Then the walls from the inside of the house are covered with OSB, moisture-resistant plywood or clapboard.
- The outside walls of the house must be protected from moisture. To do this, a waterproofing membrane is attached to them.
- Then a sheathing of slats is placed on the walls, which will allow ventilation of the walls of the frame building.
- The selected finishing material is sewn on top of the slats. For the exterior decoration of the facade of a house built using frame technology, you can use vinyl siding, lining, etc.
How to build a frame house with your own hands - video lesson:
With limited budgets, many people decide to build a house on their own. We will not dissuade you from such a decision. This is a truly bold step that will require a lot of effort and knowledge from you. It’s good if construction is not just a hobby for you, and you are familiar with most operations. But what if this is your first experience? Which technology to choose for construction? Where to begin? What elements of the house require special attention? Frame structures are perfect for building a house with your own hands. We will try to figure out how to build such a frame house with our own hands, step-by-step instructions will help you with this.
Why a frame house?
This is a structure whose walls are built on a wooden frame. The walls, floors and ceilings of such houses consist of heterogeneous materials, which experts also call “pie”.
Frame construction has many advantages, such as high energy efficiency, environmental friendliness of the construction process, and low weight. But why do we recommend this particular technology when building a house with our own hands?
- Firstly, if the question in favor of building on your own has arisen for financial reasons, then a frame house will help save you a lot of money. After all, such a building of a similar area and purpose will cost 35-40% less than a log house made of logs or timber and almost 2 times cheaper than a brick structure.
- Secondly, the light weight of the house will require a less complex foundation. Even if you pour a strip foundation, you can do all the work yourself. The low weight of the house as a whole also indicates the low weight of individual structures. If the frame is assembled on the construction site, you only need a pair of helping hands to install the building under the roof.
- Thirdly, the construction of such houses will only require a standard set of tools for carpentry work: a saw, a level, a hammer, a screwdriver or drill, and a construction stapler. In the case of work with some types of finishing, additional tools may be required, but we have already given you the basic set. Construction of a frame house will not require the use of heavy special equipment.
- Fourthly, even without special skills, but carefully following the instructions for installing each frame element, you will be able to build a reliable and cozy house for both summer and year-round use.
Construction of a frame house: step by step
Before starting construction, it should be mentioned that frame technology is conventionally divided into North American and Scandinavian types. At some stages of work, these types of frames are almost identical, and at others they require special attention.
A Finnish house is assembled on a frame made of timber. The walls are sheathed inside and outside with finishing or rough finishing materials. The wall is filled with mineral insulation.
A Canadian house is also built on a timber frame (sometimes without a frame). The key difference is the insulation used: these are organic insulation materials based on polystyrene. It is a mistake to say that a Canadian frame house is built only on the basis of SIP panels. This is just one of the options for constructing such frames.
So, you can start building a frame house step by step.
Design work
First of all, you should spend time drawing up a detailed project for your future home. It is important to discuss with each member of the household the elements of the house necessary for convenience and comfort. It is also necessary to draw up a project for the location of the building on your site.
Design work can be divided into several stages:
- Selection of a development site.
- Choosing the purpose of the future home and preliminary calculation of dimensions. It is necessary to decide whether this will be a country house or a place of permanent residence. It is necessary to calculate approximate financial capabilities. If you build a residential building with your own hands, its turnkey cost will be from 15,000 rubles. per 1 square meter (depending on technology, number of floors and finishing options).
- Selecting a project for construction. A lot of frame house projects can be found on the Internet. Most developer websites also indicate the cost of constructing a turnkey project. If you are satisfied with the indicated cost and the project as a whole, then you can take it into service. We do not recommend remodeling the project yourself without knowledge of construction. It is important to understand that the construction of a large house will require not only a design of the facade and layout of the building. Before construction begins, it is necessary to have a set of drawings for each element of the building and communications. It is important to have a project for the engineering systems of the house, because most of their elements are laid inside the walls, floor and ceiling at the stage of wall construction.
- Drawing up an estimate of the necessary materials and searching for suppliers. Continuous work on site will require a stable supply of materials. It is better to conclude the necessary supply agreements before starting work. This will allow you to avoid many problems.
In addition to working with the project and purchasing materials, we recommend conducting a geological survey of the soil. This is necessary for the correct choice of foundation type. It is also important to solve problems with sewerage and water supply. The installation of a septic tank is often carried out before other work begins. Water supply to a private home is often solved using a well; this also requires an inspection of the site by specialists. The location of the house may need to be repositioned.
So, you have in your hands a project and a clear drawing of all the elements of your house. The layout of your site has been marked out. Problems with the supply of materials were resolved. You can consider yourself ready to begin work on the site.
Foundation installation
Having a detailed design and estimate for materials, you can calculate the approximate weight of your structure. This is important for correct calculation of the foundation. The foundation is one of the most important stages of work; the service life of your home will depend on its reliability. Therefore, it is important to know the bearing capacity of soils. Depending on it and the total weight of the house, the required support area of the building is calculated. After this, it remains to choose the type of foundation: columnar, pile, strip, base on screw piles, monolithic slab. Let's consider the order of work on each of the options.
Columnar foundation
Columnar foundations are used for one-story houses on hard soils. The foundation for the grillage is made of concrete pillars or asbestos-cement pipes.
Work order. The area is cleared, markings are made using twine and pegs in the places where the pillars are installed. Depending on the length of the pillar, holes are dug, at the bottom of which a sand cushion with a thickness of at least 15 cm is filled and compacted. Next, the pillars are installed with the sand cushion adjusted to install the pillars at one level. Now you can fill and compact the soil around the post. The grillage for a columnar foundation is usually the lower frame of a timber house. Before laying the timber, a layer of waterproofing is laid on each pillar: roofing felt or glassine.
Pile foundations
Pile foundations are conventionally divided into bored and reinforced concrete. In the case of work with factory-produced reinforced concrete piles, the installation procedure does not differ from the construction of a columnar foundation.
Procedure for working with bored piles. Preparatory work also includes clearing and marking the pile field. In places where piles are poured, holes are dug or holes with a diameter of at least 250 mm are drilled. Sand is also poured into the holes and primed. After this, formwork is installed from edged boards, plywood or roofing felt. Concrete is poured into which pre-connected reinforcement is immersed. The ends of the reinforcement rods usually protrude above the plane of the piles for subsequent fastening of the wooden grillage. In the case of installing a reinforced concrete grillage, the reinforcement of the horizontal grillage is tied to these pieces of reinforcement. Formwork is also installed under the grillage. Concrete is poured into the already connected reinforcement. A layer of waterproofing is also laid between the wooden grillage and the plane of the pile or between the concrete grillage and the mauerlat.
Foundation on screw piles
The foundation on screw piles is a young technology for constructing foundations; previously it was used only for military temporary buildings, the construction of piers and other above-water objects. The essence of the technology is to screw in special hollow pipes with blades at the end, which allows the construction of a foundation on any soil. There are screw piles of different diameters and lengths, which makes them possible to use for almost any building, especially frame houses.
Procedure for working with screw piles. We carry out the same site preparation and marking. To simplify the start of screwing, holes are dug in the places where the piles are installed, removing the turf. Next, using a special head for attaching the levers, these levers are installed and the pile is screwed in with constant control of its verticality. A metal platform is welded onto the base of the pile to easily secure the grillage. The grillage can be the bottom frame of a house made of timber or metal.
Strip foundation
A strip foundation involves pouring a reinforced concrete strip around the entire perimeter of the house and under all supporting structures. For frame houses, a shallow foundation with a base height of 200 mm is usually used.
Work order. After marking the foundation, a trench with a width of at least 250 mm is dug. Sand is poured and compacted at the bottom of the trench. Next, the formwork is mounted and pre-connected reinforcement is installed, which is responsible for the bending and fracture strength of the tape. Then the concrete is poured. After the final maturation of the concrete, a layer of waterproofing is laid and the mauerlat is laid.
Slab foundation
A monolithic reinforced slab is poured under the entire area of the house. Used only on extremely difficult floating soils.
Work order. A pit is dug according to the markings, and a sand cushion is filled. Reinforcement or metal mesh is laid, concrete is poured and holes for communications are filled.
As you have already noticed, after installing the foundation, a layer of waterproofing and the lower frame of the house are laid, which must be treated with deep-penetrating antiseptics.
Installation of the bottom trim, floor joists and subfloor
Another feature of frame structures is the installation of the floor before the construction of the walls. We have already laid the bottom frame of the timber house on the finished foundation. Now you need to install the floor beams. For this, a beam with a cross section of 50x150 or 50x200 mm is used. The logs can be sawed into the beam of the bottom frame, installed on top of the bottom frame using fastening angles, or mounted in the same plane with the bottom frame (vraspor) using special beam supports.
If the floor is insulated with mineral insulation, the logs are installed in increments of 1.5-2 cm smaller than the overall dimensions of the insulation. In the case of insulation with sheets of expanded polystyrene or extrusion - strictly a multiple of the overall size of the sheet. If the floor is covered with SIP floor panels, the step between the joists should be equal to the width of the panels, which should be joined strictly on the joist.
First, the outermost joists are installed. The level of the logs themselves and the plane between them is controlled. After the level is “caught”, the twine is pulled between the beginning and end of the log and diagonally between them. Intermediate logs are installed along this twine.
After installing the logs, it is necessary to install the subfloor, which serves as the basis for insulation. When installing floor panels, there is no need for a rough coating. The subfloor can be mounted on top of the joists - a board or sheet material (OSB, plywood, chipboard) is laid. In this case, another row of joists is installed on top of the subfloor across the primary floor beams.
Most often, the subfloor is installed between floor joists. To do this, a block with a cross section of 50x50 or 40x50 mm is fixed to the side surface of the log. It is covered with planks or sheet material. Regardless of the method of laying the subfloor, a vapor-permeable membrane is laid on top of it to remove dew point vapors from the thickness of the insulation (in the case of insulation with mineral insulation) or the joints are sealed when insulated with polystyrene foam.
Insulation of floors and laying floor coverings
Insulation can be laid between the joists (primary or secondary) in the finished base. In the case of mineral insulation, each layer is laid with a shift in the insulation joints to avoid cold bridges. When insulating with polystyrene, all joints are foamed. A layer of vapor barrier is laid on top of any insulation. After this, you can immediately install the finishing or rough flooring: solid or parquet boards, plywood, chipboard, OSB, etc.
Construction and insulation of walls
The walls have a key difference between Finnish and Canadian frame house building technology. Therefore, we will consider them separately.
Finnish technology
To build a frame, it is very important to have a strict drawing of each of the walls of the future house. Without this, it is impossible to strictly place all the elements of the frame and finishing (window and door openings, communication elements). Each rack and horizontal header (reinforcement of openings) must be located in its place. All frame elements of load-bearing and intermediate walls are secured to the floor and to each other using fastening angles and self-tapping screws. Installation begins with load-bearing racks, intermediate ones are installed between them in a strict plane, controlling their verticality.
After installing the frame, internal or external cladding is produced. There are a lot of options for this, and each has strict installation instructions. We will not consider each of them. It is only important to follow the correct “pie”: outer cladding - vapor-permeable membrane - frame with insulation - vapor barrier film - inner lining. Sometimes a counter-lattice with a thickness of at least 20 mm is laid between the outer skin and the membrane for better ventilation.
Canadian technology
In the case of building a Canadian house on a frame basis, no films are laid. Extrusion slabs are mounted between the beams, all gaps and joints are carefully sealed with polyurethane foam.
Separately, it is worth considering the installation of SIP panels. In this case, a skull block is sewn onto the finished floor covering in strict accordance with the panel layout drawing. The block has a cross-section that strictly corresponds to the groove on the underside of the panel. Polyurethane foam is applied to the surface of the block and the panels are installed. The installation of panels begins from one of the corners of the house, temporarily securing them with supports. The side surface of the panel is also pre-foamed to ensure a tight fit of each element. The final fastening is made when installing the top trim and ceiling beams.
In case of installation, finished walls are brought to the site and installed using lifting equipment. The walls are secured to each other with a top frame and ceiling beams.
Ceiling beams and ceiling insulation
The pitch and cross-section of the ceiling beams are selected according to the principle of floor joists. Ceiling joists are also installed according to the floor principle. The ceiling of the first floor serves as the basis for insulation. It is also important to follow the correct insulation “pie”.
For a house with a cold attic: first floor ceiling cladding - vapor barrier - ceiling beams with insulation - vapor-permeable membrane - attic flooring.
For interfloor coverings: first floor ceiling cladding – vapor barrier – ceiling beams with insulation – vapor barrier – second floor flooring.
Installation of rafters and roofing material
The roof is one of the most complex elements of a frame house. But if you have a detailed and clear drawing indicating the size and location of the tie rods, supports and rafter legs, you can completely carry out the installation with your own hands. Along the rafters, sheathing is made from edged boards or sheet materials, depending on the selected roofing material. Installation of the finishing roof must also be carried out in accordance with the instructions. We will not consider this technology for every roofing material.
Finishing work
After completing the roofing work, you can begin finishing. Frame houses have a high level of preparation for finishing, because often the walls inside and outside are already finished with finishing material, and most of the communications elements are already embedded in the walls.
One of the disadvantages of frame houses is the thermos effect. They do not have gas and vapor exchange with the environment, so it is very important to install ventilation: under the floor, in the walls and under the roofing material. You can find the rules for arranging ventilation for each type of frame frame on the Internet with detailed drawings of the location of each element.
Conclusion
Of course, it is impossible to build a frame house based only on this article. We have only given you direction to study the issue. You will need to sit for more than one hour reading literature, studying the experience of those people who have walked this path from beginning to end. But the very fact that such people exist indicates the possibility of implementing your project.
The construction of frame houses is becoming increasingly popular in Russia. All new technologies are being introduced into the construction of such structures, and it does not matter what technology - Finnish or Canadian - the house is built using. In this article we will tell you how to build a frame house with your own hands, give step-by-step instructions, as well as diagrams, photos and videos of phased construction.
Foundation
Since frame houses are recommended to be built no higher than two floors, they do not require a massive foundation. A strip foundation, a prefabricated concrete block foundation, or a columnar foundation are suitable. The most important thing is that they fulfill their main purpose - to ensure the rigidity of the frame in space.
For this purpose, reliable and durable reinforcement is used in a strip foundation, and a wooden or concrete grillage is used in a columnar foundation.
Frame installation
Frame houses are built using wooden or metal structures. During self-construction, the latter are rarely used; they increase the cost of construction by 40-45%, but their use allows saving financial costs on the construction of the foundation, this is due to the lightness of metal structures.
A wooden frame is best built from oak, but it can also be made from other types of wood. The timber must be made of high-quality wood with a cross-section of at least 150x150 mm. Corner joints must have no gaps. Choose a tongue-and-groove connection method.
Note! A metal connection is undesirable, since wood rots when it comes into contact with metal. Over time, such fasteners will weaken and the house will begin to loosen. Wooden dowels will provide reliable and durable fastening, and this guarantees a long service life of the frame house.
The frame must be braced with braces; they give the house rigidity. The technology for constructing a frame house provides for the installation of three braces. They are made from the same material as the stands.
The outside of the house is sheathed with boards or clapboards no more than 60 mm wide and at an angle of 45°. Old craftsmen do not advise nailing them firmly; during the first year of use they can swell and dry out.
Floor
The manufacture of the floor of a frame house begins with the laying of wooden beams with a section of 150x50 mm along the perimeter of the walls.
Note! It must first be treated with an antiseptic solution.
The timber should be laid on roofing felt and secured with anchor bolts every two meters. Pay special attention to the alignment of the corners, check them using a level. Possible deviation 10 mm.
First, the logs are installed, then a subfloor is made from cheap edged boards, insulation is laid between the logs, and then the floorboards are installed.
Walls
After installing the floor, you can begin building the walls. It is best to make them in sections. They are assembled on a dry surface from timber, equal in length to the height of the future room. You choose the width of the beam installation step yourself, usually it is 300, 400, 600 mm.
Note! All wooden parts of a frame house must be from the same type of wood.
Window
According to accepted building codes, windows should make up 18% of the wall area. Try to stick to these sizes. In a house for year-round use, it is better to install double-glazed windows with a large glass area.
Roof
The roof frame is the main part of the entire structure of the house. The frame bears most of the mechanical load. It must be made according to accepted rules from high-quality material. If you do all this, you will have a reliable and long-lasting roof. You choose the roofing material, insulation and waterproofing material yourself, based on your financial capabilities.
It is not difficult to build a frame house; you just need to follow all the rules prescribed by this technology. Then in the end you will get a beautiful and warm, reliable and durable home.
How and how to insulate a house
The insulation of a frame house depends on what role it will perform. If you are building a house for permanent residence, then the insulation must be appropriate. The house is a structure of racks arranged vertically, fastened with horizontal bars.
Note! Thermal insulation material is installed in the voids between the bars, and the top is lined with various finishing details.
What thermal insulation and finishing material you will use largely depends on the climatic conditions of the place where you live. There are tables indicating what thermal conductivity different materials have. For example, a 4 cm layer of polystyrene foam replaces 14 cm of wood or 86 cm of brick.
Video
We invite you to watch a series of videos about the construction of a frame house:
Photo
Scheme
We invite you to familiarize yourself with some schemes related to the construction of frame houses:
