In modern construction, a variety of materials are used for the construction of private residential buildings. However, increasingly, instead of traditional bricks, blocks or logs, developers are using frame technology, as well as the assembly of log cabins from processed timber.
Pros and cons
There is no consensus about what is better, a frame or timber house, among builders. This is due to the absolute difference in the technological principle of the construction of such buildings. And, nevertheless, we will try to compare them with each other, considering in a complex the financial costs, the construction process and the operational characteristics of each type of building.
First of all, when deciding how a house is better, you need to answer the following questions for yourself:
- need a building "for centuries" or housing for one generation;
- in what climatic region is the construction planned, how severe are winters here;
- is there a desire to independently understand the intricacies of the construction process;
- what aesthetic requirements are made to the house, whether it fits into the surroundings.
By answering them, you can begin to study the advantages and disadvantages, as well as choosing the best option.
Frame house
Sheathed frame has many positive qualities, the main of which are:
- quick time to build a house. Last but not least - due to the lack of shrinkage. So, a beam can also be used for the frame. But the important difference here is the spatial arrangement. Across the fibers, the material gives a strong shrinkage, and along the length it is practically zero. When installing the uprights of the frame vertically, it is possible to solve the most important problem of wooden houses;
- the frame version is quickly assembled without the use of special equipment;
- A frame house allows you to lay communications or wires in the walls. In a wooden building, this will have to provide for special gaps between the wall and the finish, or lay the wiring in an open way;
- lack of the need for a powerful foundation due to the low weight of building structures;
- the possibility of using a variety of materials for internal and external cladding;
- effective thermal insulation perfectly keeps heat in the winter and cool in the summer;
- laying insulating membranes reliably protects the house from moisture and passes air through walls quite well.
However, for the construction of the frame house, it will be necessary to attract specialists who will develop the project and carry out the corresponding installation work.
Timber house
Buildings assembled from timber, also have a considerable number of advantages. However, their number directly depends on the type of material used. According to the cross-sectional shape and manufacturing technology, a wooden beam can be:
- simple sawn, square or rectangular section;
- profiled, with connecting grooves from solid wood;
- glued, from several layers of wood with a figured profile.
At the same time, the cost of different grades of timber varies significantly. The best and most expensive is glued timber, and the most affordable, but also of lower quality, is simple sawn timber.
TO superior qualities houses from timber include:
- good thermal insulation performance, especially for profiled varieties that do not form cold bridges;
- aesthetic natural appearance of the surface with the texture of natural wood;
- the ability to abandon the finish, both external and internal, provided that a full range of work is carried out to protect the walls from negative environmental factors (moisture, fungus, mold, etc.);
- good ventilation (the walls of the wooden house “breathe”) provided that they are correctly selected for facing and heat-insulating materials (more on this below);
- preliminary special impregnations reliably protect wood from direct exposure to flames, insects, fungus, moisture and other adverse effects;
- environmental cleanliness and complete safety for human health (slightly reduced for glued beams).
The main disadvantage of buildings assembled from wooden beams is the higher cost than the frame. This is due to the complex and expensive manufacturing technology of high-quality material. Other cons:
- time costs for shrinkage of the assembled wooden house, which can take from 4 months to six months (for glued beams, and so this period can stretch for a couple of years). At the same time, the shrinkage process will gradually continue for another 5 years after the completion of construction. If this feature is not taken into account, the finish will be damaged during the active shrinkage of the wall material;
- restrictions on the choice of thermal insulation materials. A building made of timber is not recommended to be insulated with polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene. These materials are characterized by low vapor and air permeability. They create a greenhouse effect inside the building. Part of the positive properties of wood as a wall material is lost. Mineral wool is suitable for thermal insulation, which is just characterized by good vapor permeability;
- the need to eliminate cracks and caulk walls. Walls from a bar dry out over time. In this case, gaps appear between the individual crowns, into which cold air penetrates. To prevent such a phenomenon, it is required to thoroughly caulk the building at the construction stage. It is very likely that the procedure will have to be repeated during operation.
A timber house can be a serious danger when a neighboring building ignites, as well as during forest fires. To increase the resistance of the material to fire, special impregnations are used & mdsah; flame retardants. But it is important to remember that they cannot guarantee complete safety, but only increase the time for evacuating people.
Comparison
Now let's move on to the direct definition of which is better, timber or frame. To do this, we compare these buildings with such characteristics as:
- heat storage ability;
- construction cost;
- time of construction of the house;
- fire safety;
- durability of a design;
- environmental cleanliness;
- which is better for permanent residence of people.
Both types of buildings have specific advantages, but for a number of indicators they differ significantly and only a detailed comparison will help determine the leader.
What is warmer and more energy efficient
There is a widespread belief that wood is a warm natural material and retains heat well inside the house. However, this statement is not entirely correct for a wooden beam with its limited thickness. To verify this, it is enough to simply compare the real characteristics of a common pine timber and mineral wool based on basalt fiber, which is used in frame construction.
Mineral wool mats with a thickness of 20 cm and a density of 60-70 kg / m2 has a heat transfer coefficient of 4.4 ° C * m2/ Watts Pine beam with the same thickness & mdsah; only 1.6. Turns out that insulated basalt wool frame is almost 2.5 times warmer and more energy efficient.
Where less cost
Discussion of what is cheaper, frame house or timber, can not be complete without comparing the cost of construction. Often, the cost of building a building is for the builder a decisive factor that determines the significance of other indicators in the selection process.
It is very difficult to give an accurate estimate of the cost of building a house due to the huge number of planning options, materials used and installation technologies. But if we accept that the dimensions of the building, the internal layout, foundation, roof and the installation of ceilings are the same, then the installation of walls will require:
Brusova:
- wooden beam according to the size of walls and partitions;
- interventional seal;
- lacquer impregnation for protective and decorative finishes.
Insulated frame:
- timber or steel galvanized profile for assembly of the supporting frame;
- basalt insulation in the amount of 85-95% of the total wall volume;
- membrane vapor barrier;
- outer and inner lining;
- a large number of materials for finishing work outside and inside the building.
From these lists it can be seen that the variety of materials for assembling a frame house is much higher and many of them cost no less than a quality beam. Installers will also appreciate their work more expensive, as the total number of work operations will increase.
As a result, we can say for sure that timber house costs the developer cheaper or at the same price with the frame construction.
Complexity and installation time
It is much easier to assemble a log house from a wooden beam than a high-quality insulated frame. Especially in cases where materials for building a house are delivered in the form of a kit ready for 80-90% for installation. Walls from timber do not need additional cladding and decoration, since the wood texture itself creates the necessary interior of the facade and interior.
The frame building is a much more complex structure, requiring the development of a detailed design and highly qualified installation. First, a bearing "skeleton" is mounted, after which the lining and insulation are installed, and then finishing work is carried out.
If you do not take into account the loss of time for shrinkage of a building from a beam, then the wooden log house wins according to the duration of the direct execution of work. However, the total construction time of the frame building is much shorter due to the lack of necessary technological breaks.
What is fire safe
Fire hazard is a complex characteristic of any structure and must take into account such indicators as:
- combustibility of materials;
- type of surface cladding;
- flame retardant treatment;
- technical features of the use of materials.
The peculiarity of the frame building is that in its design it is possible to provide for the presence of materials that prevent the spread of flame. This is drywall, mineral wool, steel profile for the supporting frame. Protection of the beam can only provide for the performance of expensive special impregnation with special compounds.
What is more durable
Walls from a bar differ in a simple design and monolithic. Therefore, they are stronger than frame, although this statement is more true for profiled material. It should be borne in mind that the presence of volumetric windows, arched passages and a large number of angles significantly reduces the strength indicator of a timber house.
The durability index of both types of buildings is approximately the same. There are real examples of structures of both structures that have been in operation for more than a hundred years. At the same time, the construction norm BCH 58-88 determines that major repairs are necessary to wooden walls every 30 years. STO 00044807-001-2006 says: frame houses must be repaired every 20 years, and chopped wooden houses after 50.
Turns out that if you take into account the normative indicators, then the preference on the side of the houses of their wooden beam.
What is more environmentally friendly
Most experts believe that in the issue of environmental cleanliness, the frame house is inferior to the timber. This statement is based on the use of OSB and mineral wool sheets containing formaldehyde resins in the outer skin. However, it can be confidently stated that the influence of these substances can only occur when the material is heated to more than 30 ° C and is so small that it can be neglected.
But still timber house is cleaner ecologically, as it is assembled from natural natural wood. Only glued beams can cause some doubts due to the chemicals used in the manufacture of the material.
When choosing which option is best in an earthquake-prone area, you should undoubtedly give the palm to the frame house.
Where is better to live
The comfort of the building is determined by such indicators as
- ability to effectively maintain microclimate;
- heating, ventilation and air conditioning costs;
- the timing of the overhaul and its complexity;
- security of building structures from biological damage.
In the first two positions of the list, frame-type houses are leading. According to the last two - buildings of timber.
Short summary of comparison
Both types of buildings have their own advantages and weaknesses. However, many experts are inclined to believe that building houses from profiled wooden beams is preferable, despite their higher cost. Their maintenance is cheaper, and the level of comfort and durability is higher than that of frame buildings.
When choosing, it is important to consider the seasonality of operation. If the wooden house is not used half the winter, and then moved into it, it will take a long time to warm up. The frame warms up faster, and therefore it is good for breaks in living.