Wooden houses for private residences offer comfortable and environmentally friendly housing, favored by an increasing number of people who value quality of life. Wood is an affordable material that is easy and quick to work with. Assembling a house from profiled timber yourself takes no more than a month.
Advantages of building with profiled timber
Profiled timber is a log processed on a special woodworking machine on four sides with interlocking elements cut out. Profiled timber is easily assembled into walls by driving tenons into grooves.
The advantages of timber construction using profiled materials are:
- Lightweight. Wooden log houses don't require a substantial foundation, which reduces construction time and saves money. For buildings made from this material, a shallow strip, block, or screw pile foundation is sufficient;
- Affordable price. Building with profiled timber is cheaper than brick. You'll also save on interior and exterior finishing, insulation, and wall alignment;
- Special mechanical processing and drying in chambers make the material durable. After profiling, the timber is less susceptible to cracking and deformation;
- Speed of construction. The geometric shape of each element makes it possible to assemble a log house in just two weeks;
- Environmental friendliness. Wooden houses have a favorable microclimate inside, created by natural ventilation.
- high heat-saving coefficient. Sealed walls made of profiled timber they retain heat well inside and do not allow cold air to penetrate;
- Attractive appearance. Wood is characterized by its natural beauty. Wooden houses look stylish and well-built.
Houses made from profiled timber experience the least amount of shrinkage. It only takes one year for the walls to settle into their original position.
Building a house from profiled timber step by step
https://youtu.be/Z2okKrar2ek
Building your own timber house using profiled timber doesn't require specialized equipment or professional crews. Just two people can build a timber house. Follow all the steps step by step to achieve comfortable, eco-friendly, high-quality, and affordable housing.
- Design. This stage requires a great deal of attention. A sketch and plan of the future home is necessary to calculate the quantity of materials, take into account the location of utilities, take measurements, and scale it to the site plan.
- Prepare the construction site. Cut down trees and shrubs, remove stumps, and demolish any structures in the planned construction area. Mark the construction site with stakes and rope.
- Foundation construction. Due to the light load the foundation will bear, a shallow strip foundation, concrete blocks, or steel screw piles are sufficient for a house made of profiled timber. To strengthen the concrete pour, use rebar and fill with crushed stone, broken brick, or cobblestone. Before constructing the concrete foundation or driving the blocks, excavation work should be carried out. When using steel screw piles, a grillage of larger-section timber or a metal structure is erected on top of them.
- Assembling the frame. The first two rows of timber are laid on a waterproofing layer above the foundation or on the foundation surface. The timbers should be treated with special agents to prevent wood rot caused by moisture. Subsequent rows are assembled by locking each element together. Corner joints—either dovetail or offset—must be carefully considered in advance. Insulation material, such as jute, is placed between each row. This natural, durable fiber prevents heat loss and cold air penetration, ensuring a tight seal between the rows. The rows are secured with dowels.
- Cutting window and door openings. Using a saw, cuts are made in the assembled frame in accordance with the approved design at the locations of planned entrances, passages, and windows.
- Subfloor installation. During the frame construction, depending on the design, subfloor joists are installed at the planned height through cut-out holes in the profiled timber. These joists can be a block, a log, or a thick board. The flooring is laid on top of the joists.
- Roof assembly. A truss system is constructed on top of the assembled walls, using a sturdy wooden frame made of beams or thick planks. Joists are laid on the top crown to construct the ceiling. Sheathing is installed on the rafters, with each element spaced at least 1 meter apart. Waterproofing is laid on top of the structure, and the roofing is installed. Roofing materials used include slate, metal tiles, flexible shingles, roofing felt, corrugated sheets, ondulin, metal sheets, etc.
- Log Shrinkage. The frame, complete with roof, assembled on the foundation should be left until the following year. The structure will need to settle due to natural ground movement and wood drying.
- Installing windows, stairs, and doors. After the settling period, the house assumes a static position. Installing entryways, frames, stairwells, and railings before the wood has reached its final shape risks structural deformation and the cost of replacement or repair.
- Connecting utilities. After the frame has settled and all necessary components are installed, water is supplied to the house, sewerage is installed, electrical wiring is laid, and a ventilation system is installed if necessary.
- Interior and exterior finishing. Building with profiled timber requires minimal effort and finishing costs. The walls do not require leveling or external cladding. The frame and all wooden elements should be treated with preservatives and fire retardants.
Building a private home from profiled timber doesn't require the services of qualified builders. You can independently construct a permanent home in the city or in your country house that will meet modern standards of comfort, environmental friendliness, and durability.