When building a house, the question of the diameter of the necessary and suitable log is very relevant. You need to solve this issue immediately before building a house.

Until 1999, construction in our country was carried out in accordance with SNiP 2.01.01-82, now the standards have changed, and houses are being built in accordance with SNiP 23-01-99. Innovations in building climatology differ from previous standards by new requirements for thermal conductivity of surrounding structures in a larger direction. For example, if earlier, according to the requirements of climatology, a brick wall of 30 cm was enough, now its thickness should be 60 cm.

It is interesting that new requirements for insulation appeared along with the development of companies in the construction market that specialize in the production of insulation materials. It is likely that the changes are related to lobbying interests with new companies. Otherwise, it will remain inexplicable that people in Siberia, both with the old and the new SNiP, continue to winter in houses where the thickness of the walls is 20-30 cm.

It is possible to answer the question about the required thickness of a rounded log only by having decided on the purpose of construction. The house can be designed for seasonal (summer) use and for permanent all-season use. The choice of the diameter of the rounded log for the house depends on how the house will be used in the future.

If the house is being built for living in it in the summer, then a thickness of 20 to 22 centimeters is suitable. And if the house will be used in winter, then it is advisable to choose a thickness of 24-26 centimeters. It is quite possible to buy a rounded log with a thickness of 28 centimeters or more for all-season operation, they will not be warmer, but will contribute to saving on heating.

To carry out the correct construction of a house from a log, you must follow the formula. This is a special formula, it is indicated in SNiP. Its essence suggests that the width of the log is half the diameter. The thermal properties of the house will directly depend on the thickness of the groove. So, for a 22-centimeter log, the groove is 11 centimeters, and for a 26-centimeter, this value will be 13 centimeters.

Of course, savings on the thickness of the rounded logs are possible, but this way you will only postpone costs for the near future. If you build a house for all-season use from a log with a diameter of 20 centimeters, then you will be able to save on construction, only in winter even more saved money will go to heating, since the house is guaranteed to be cool. If you build a house with logs with a diameter of 28 centimeters, then the cost of money and time will increase slightly, but you will not have to spend additional money every winter on appropriate heating. The volume of material with such a diameter will turn out to be larger, which means that the cost of the house will increase by an average of 50-150 thousand, depending on the size of the house.

Heat loss

Everything bearing structures have their own heat loss rate. In percentage terms, it looks like this:

If there is no chimney or ventilation, then these 20% of the heat loss is distributed between the roof and windows. This is due to the fact that in such a situation it is they who are the main sources of heat release and fresh air inflow. The presence of roof windows adds several tens of kilowatts to the heat loss to the roof per month.

Considering all of the above, it becomes clear that greatest heat loss going through the walls in log house this figure can reach 40%. But it should not be overlooked that all these data are relevant with a normally insulated roof and competently executed roofing piesince with an uninsulated roof and a cold foundation, the choice of the thickness of the rounded log does not play any role at all.

It is quite possible to make the house warm enough with walls made of rounded logs with a diameter of 22 centimeters with a good foundation, insulated roof and windows. First, take care of this. After that, you can start warming the log, meaning the warming of the space between the crowns, which is a kind of "bridge" for the cold. It is ideal in this case to use an acrylic sealant for round logs. It is used only in conjunction with a cord made of expanded polyethylene. Without such a cord, the sealant will have the usual properties: it will withstand wind and moisture, but will not be able to retain heat in the house. A cord made of foamed polyethylene, the thickness of which is 1 cm, can be confidently equated to 2-3 centimeters of wood. It turns out that if you lay it on both sides, then it will replace up to 6 centimeters of wood. In this case, the thickness of the groove of a rounded log with a thickness of 22 centimeters will be as much as 17 centimeters.

For materials close to technical specifications and used to solve similar engineering problems, constant comparisons are common. That is why questions like "Which bath is better - from a bar or a log?" Are so common. or "What is the difference between a bar and a cylinder?"

Taking into account that the only correct answer to such questions cannot be found in principle, we will still try to give in this article the most detailed comparison of these types of building materials.

Features of materials

Before deciding what is best for the house - a log or a bar, it is worth taking some time to study the materials themselves.

• A rounded log is a tree trunk, cleaned from bark and branches, which was given a certain shape during processing. In the process of cylindering, the workpiece is aligned in diameter, and at the exit we have an almost perfect cylinder.

• Today, the blanks of building logs are impregnated with an antiseptic immediately after production, which provides the structures being built with resistance to the effects of fungi and bacteria.
• In contrast to the Also, the workpiece can be subjected to profiling, in which locks are formed on the lower and upper plane for a more efficient connection of parts to each other.

• If the log is most often solid, then from several strips of wood. In this case, pre-dried and antiseptic-treated boards are used for the production of the material, which are interconnected adhesive composition on a resinous basis.

However, external differences and design nuances are far from all. You can only see the difference between materials by analyzing the features of their use in construction.

Log houses

Design

When choosing which log house is better - from a bar or a log - they often stop at a more traditional version. What are the features of log structures?

The log is used as building material a very long time ago, however, cylindering is a relatively young technology. This view processing provides a significant increase in the strength of the structure being erected, since the most loose parts of the tree trunk are removed during the cylinder.

Houses built from logs are distinguished by high strength and significant thermal insulation performance. The connection of individual elements into the frame is carried out by means of special grooves and crown cups, which (of course, subject to high-quality manufacturing) allow minimizing gaps.

Note! As a rule, a separate set of logs is made for the construction of a house, with grooves and bowls in the appropriate places.

Pros and cons

The advantages of buildings made of this material are as follows:

• Provided that a set for a log house is made with sufficient accuracy, the assembly does not take much time. At the same time, the costs of wages for the foremen are significantly reduced.
• The installation of a log house can be done with your own hands, especially if there is an experienced mentor nearby or at least detailed instructions.
• The connection of the logs to each other ensures that the building is sufficiently tight. At the same time, the resistance to heat transfer can be increased through the use of effective sealing materials.

• The attractive appearance of log walls makes additional decoration unnecessary. Perhaps for this reason, thinking: "A bath from a bar or a log - which is better?", Many choose the second option.

As for the shortcomings, they are as follows:

• Substantial shrinkage. Since the log is natural material, then in terms of the amount of deformation it is significantly inferior to glued beams. The "box" of the building must stand at least a year before finishing work begins.

• If you decide to trim interior walls - you will have to suffer, since the crate will need to be fixed on an uneven surface.
• Another drawback is significant flammability. It is possible to reduce the threat of fire by impregnating with fire retardants, but it will not work to completely secure the building.
• Also, a log, especially its ends, is highly susceptible to external influences. If you neglect the protective treatment, then in a few years the frame will lose its attractive appearance.

Summing up, I would like to note that the last two minuses will also be typical for the timber. And here is the strong shrinkage and complexity interior decoration - these are the disadvantages inherent specifically to the log. They must be taken into account even at the planning stage.

The use of timber in construction

Technology features

When building houses from a wooden bar, a variety of technologies for connecting elements can be used. The profiled material looks more advantageous from this point of view, since it makes it possible to ensure the most hermetic joining of the crowns to each other.

The connection of the bars is carried out either with metal nails or with wooden spikes. The second method is “warmer”, since the metal acts as a “cold bridge”.

As in the construction of a log house, a seal is laid between the beams. An important argument in favor of the use of profiled blanks is the fact that the seam is practically windproof due to the special configuration of the locks on the planes.

As for the laminated veneer lumber, it is many times superior to the solid one in stability and strength. The glued parts practically do not warp and do not deform, which makes it possible to reduce the time for standing the log house before finishing.

Wall length

m

Wall width

m

Wall height

m

Bar section

150x150 mm. 180x180 mm. 200x200 mm.

Bar length

5 m 6 m 7 m 8 m 9 m 10 m 11 m 12 m

Advantages and disadvantages

The popularity of the timber is due to the advantages that it provides:

• First, the installation technology is very simple and does not require any special costs.
• Square and rectangular blanks are easy to process and, if necessary, can be used to make a part of almost any shape.
• As a result of construction, we get a house with smooth internal and external walls that can be easily finished in a variety of ways.

There are also disadvantages:

• The use of a timber of natural moisture can lead to a change in the geometry of the wall. This is due primarily to uneven shrinkage.
• When installing walls from non-profiled blanks, sufficiently large blown slots are obtained. They must be hidden behind the cladding, otherwise the heat loss will be very large.

• Profiled glued products are free from these disadvantages, but their high price significantly limits the distribution of this material.

Note! Even when using a timber glued from a chamber-drying board, the log house must stand for at least six months before finishing. This is due to the residual deformations of the base and the inter-row seal.

As you can see, there is no ideal. Both materials have pros and cons, and the main task of the master is to analyze them and make the right choice.

Conclusion

Considering all of the above, it can be noted that the answer to the question "Which is better - glued laminated timber or log?" depends on the source data. If finances allow, then you need to choose a glued profiled beam - with it, work will go easier, and the building will look more neat and modern. If you want to save money, it is better to take a quality log.

In the video presented in this article, you will find additional information on this topic.

The purchase of a ready-made log house from a rounded log or bar can significantly speed up, simplify and reduce the cost of building a house. At the same time, it is important that it is assembled correctly and from high-quality material. After all, a log house is the basis of a building and, with poor quality, significantly worsens living conditions.
Therefore, before choosing a log house for a house, you should consider the following characteristics of logs:

• wood species,
• felling season,
• thickness,
• type of felling for laying.

When is the best time to cut down trees for felling logs?

In winter, trees are in a kind of hibernation, when all the processes occurring inside them slow down or stop. This also applies to the circulation of juice, a significant part of which leaves the trunk to the roots. Therefore, trees felled in winter can be dried to their full depth. And the logs from them keep longer white color and are resistant to external influences.

A log from a forest felled during the summer period is of low quality: it quickly darkens, becomes fragile and has a low biological resistance. Felled trees are often stored outdoors in high humidity. One of the manifestations of the described shortcomings of the "summer" log house is the formation of cracks on the surface of its logs, which worsen its thermal insulation and aesthetics.

Therefore, it is advisable to choose a log house for the house and buy it in the winter period (better closer to spring). Moreover, it must be collected from fresh logs. Thus, with the onset of warming (storage of a log house in winter conditions excludes biological destruction of wood), you can immediately proceed with the installation of a log house.

How does the type of wood affect the quality of the log house?

Best for quality indicators logs are made from fine grained wood that is strong and resinous. It is usually found in trees growing in dry soils and on hills. If you use wood that grows in damp places (for example, in swampy areas), then the frame made of it will rot.

The best option for making logs for a felling is considered conifers trees. They are best suited for log cabins of pine or larch, since their wood is characterized by high density, which determines mechanical strength and biological resistance. Spruce is characterized by a low density, which allows the walls to pass air, effectively regulating the microclimate inside the house. The disadvantage of spruce is the presence of numerous knots in its structure.

Hardwoods should be used in exceptional cases and only for medium-sized logs, as they are not resistant to temperature, humidity and biological influences. The exception is oak, since its wood is distinguished by its high density and hardness. This makes it possible to use logs from it for the manufacture of the lower ones (they get wet and serve as a support for the entire structure of the house) and upper ones (they serve as a support unit rafter system roof) the crowns of the log house.

The influence of the thickness of the logs on the quality of the frame

The diameter of the logs directly proportionally affects the strength and thermal insulation of the log house. But the thickness of its walls also directly determines the mass and cost of the building. Therefore, it is cost-effective to choose a log house from a log of the minimum diameter, capable of providing comfortable living in the given climatic conditions.

For example, if in winter the air temperature drops to -40 ° C, then the minimum log diameter is 22 cm for larch or oak and 18 cm for spruce or pine. In this case, the width of the longitudinal groove is taken equal to 14 ÷ 16 cm.For building a house, it is most advisable to use log cabins with a diameter of 24 cm.A wall of them is equivalent in terms of heat engineering parameters brickwork 50 cm thick.

How to cut logs for laying in a blockhouse

There are 2 main ways to cut a log house. The first is called “no residue” - the connecting elements are located at the ends of the logs. As a result, a log house made of them is characterized by economy in terms of the volume of materials used and a larger useful area. The disadvantages of this method include reduced thermal insulation of the corners and worse stability of the house.

In logs cut with the remainder, the connecting element is located at some distance from their ends. As a result, the structure of the outer corners is cruciform, which achieves their high thermal insulation and improved rigidity of the house structure. Most often, such a scheme is implemented by cutting logs "into a bowl", which provides (with the correct manufacturing technology):

• absence of a gap in the inter-row junction,
• sealing joints when shrinkage of the log house,
• prevention of relative movement of logs,
• manufacturability of the production process.

How to choose the right frame for a log house

To choose the highest quality log house for your house, ideally, you should fully control the process of making a log house, including:

• cut trees,
• processing of trunks to the required size,
• preliminary assembly of a log house,
• all important time intervals (duration of drying, shrinkage, etc.).

To do this, it is useful to visit the seller's production site and see the tools and equipment used. It also does not hurt to get acquainted with the projects completed by him, which have stood for several years, in order to assess their current state. Only in this way can you be sure that a house built from such a log will be warm, strong and durable.