Frame construction has recently become increasingly popular. This is explained by the fact that such houses are one of the most inexpensive and practical ways to build your own home. Our step-by-step instructions and expert advice will help you easily build a frame house with your own hands.
A frame house has a number of advantages, but there are also some disadvantages that you need to familiarize yourself with first.
The advantages of these houses are:
- High speed of construction – a house with finishing can be erected in 2 months.
- Low cost, which contributes to the spread of these houses throughout the world.
- Environmental friendliness – mostly natural materials are used in construction.
- Simplicity of design, so there is no need to use heavy equipment during construction.
- There is no need for a buried foundation, because the weight of the structure is relatively small.
- Ease of finishing inside the house, since the walls are sheathed with modern slab materials and plastering is not required.
- With high seismic resistance, the frame house can withstand vibrations of up to 9 points.
- Resistance to temperature changes.
The disadvantages of a frame house include:
- High flammability.
- Low-noise insulation, which requires the additional use of special soundproofing materials.
- It is difficult to hang heavy objects on the walls.
- In damp climates, mold and mildew may develop.
Step-by-step instructions for building a frame house
Step 1: Preparatory work
Firstly, it is necessary to clear the area for construction. To do this, all debris and vegetation must be removed. It is also important to prepare space for vehicles to enter and turn around.
The angles between walls must be strictly 90 degrees; otherwise, the building will be unstable.
Step 2: Laying the foundation for a frame house
To properly lay the foundation, the following conditions must be met: determine the type of soil on the site, the approximate weight of the house, snow and wind loads.
The great advantage of a frame house is that almost any type of foundation is suitable for it. The most common are pile-screw, slab and shallow belt types.
The pile-screw foundation is used most often because it is quite simple and cheap. In addition, you can build it with your own hands. Such a foundation involves installing piles that are screwed deep inside. It is suitable for almost all soils except rocky ones.
A pile-screw foundation is especially effective for swampy soils, where other types of foundations require large costs.
A slab foundation must be at least 30 cm high. It is buried 10-20 cm into the ground. Such a foundation, despite the increased cost, has a number of advantages: it is stronger and more durable.
Step 3: Construction of the floor
In the case of a concrete floor, the slab foundation is already the foundation. When a strip foundation is installed, additional work is required to pour the concrete floor. In this case, lightweight types of concrete are used, for example, expanded clay concrete.
The construction of a wooden floor on a pile-screw foundation requires more complex work. Initially, it is necessary to tie the foundation. Strapping is needed to give the foundation strength, evenly distribute the load on it, and create support for the floor.
The next step after strapping is the installation of the logs. Logs (bars of appropriate length) are attached to the harness using fastening angles at a distance of about 60 cm from each other. This distance is necessary so that floor insulation can be placed between the joists.
The final work on the construction of the floor requires waterproofing and insulation.
Step 4: Installing the walls of a frame house
The frame of the house is assembled from boards measuring 50 by 150 mm or 50 by 200 mm, which are fastened to each other and to the beams using metal corners and nails.
The walls are assembled on the already-finished floor of the frame house. Parts for the walls are prepared in advance. Usually, each wall is assembled separately. It consists of vertical, top and bottom elements, which are called templates. Another strapping is made on top of the wall, which is necessary for installing the roof rafters.
Bevels and braces. These elements are needed to make the wall stable. If the wall is sheathed with clapboard, then permanent braces should be installed. They are attached to each pair of racks, with two at the top and bottom.
Angles. They play an extremely important role in the frame of the house because they bear a lot of load. Typically, two racks are installed in the corner, and the resulting space is filled with a heat insulator.
Internal partitions. They are assembled in the same way as external walls, from separate templates, after which they are installed entirely into the structure of the house. Since internal partitions do not bear much load, they are made of lightweight boards. The insulation inside the walls performs the function of sound absorption rather than thermal insulation.
Step 5: Construction of the roof of a frame house
The roof of a frame house is not much different from the roofs of stone and concrete houses, and its fastening to the walls is easier to implement.
First of all, you should decide on the type of roof structure. Most often, a gable or mansard roof is chosen. If you are building a house with your own
hands, then it is better to go with the first option, as it is simpler.
The slope angle of the roof slopes should be within 30–45 degrees, which provides the best way for water and melted snow to drain. It is necessary to calculate in detail the required number of rafters, their cross-section and length, and the method of fastening. A sheathing of dry boards is mounted on top of the rafter structure, which is the basis for installing insulation and roofing material.
Step 6: Insulation
In a frame house, everything should be insulated: walls, floor, and ceiling. Mineral wool, basalt wool, polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene are most often used as insulation.
The insulation process itself is carried out as follows. Outside, a special waterproofing membrane is stretched over the boards. Inside the house, the insulation is laid between the studs. The amount of insulation depends on climatic conditions and wall thickness.
The floor is insulated in a similar way. It is better to start insulating the ceiling from the attic. The vapor barrier film is attached from below to the ceiling beams and hemmed with plywood or boards.
Step 7: Interior and exterior decoration
The final stage of building a frame house is interior and exterior decoration. Interior finishing can be done using the following materials: lining,
OSP board, plasterboard or gypsum fiber.
Expert advice
- When laying the foundation, it is better to use piles that have an extended heel. This design of piles increases the bearing capacity of the foundation several times. In addition, this design will effectively prevent soil swelling.
- For strapping, you can use timber measuring 150 mm by 100 mm, but its cost is quite high. It is better to use several boards of smaller thickness connected together, which will significantly increase the strength of the strapping.
- To reduce the cost of building a frame house while at the same time significantly increasing its strength, you can use the technology of prefabricated racks.
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