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Having bought a plot, land, you think about the fact that you need to live somewhere while building a house. Such a temporary home in a summer cottage or garden plot is a change house. A small insulated structure, usually 3×6 or so in size. There are a lot of offers on the market: both wood and metal. But their quality is more than doubtful, the cheapest materials are used in construction. This is easy to verify by calculating the costs that you will incur if you decide to make a change house with your own hands. With the same dimensions, it’s cheaper for you, most likely, it won’t work, and if there is savings, then it’s small. You will consider normal materials, not the cheapest ones. But in terms of quality and durability, home-made change houses are many times superior to purchased ones.
What and how are they built
Almost all change houses are built using frame technology. As building materials for the frame, a wooden bar at least 100 * 150 mm or a profiled metal pipe 60 * 60 * 2 mm is used.
For sheathing, the choice of materials is much wider. Use:
- edged board;
- sheet material – plywood, OSB, chipboard;
- professional sheet;
- siding.
In any case, the lining is done on both sides – outside and inside. The outer one can also be metal, but inside they often make either lining or stuff plywood or OSB.
Thermal insulation is laid between the two skins. Although the building is temporary, spring and autumn, and sometimes summer nights, can be very cold. Therefore, without insulation – in any way. Any heater is possible. Better – mineral wool, cheaper – polystyrene. Extruded polystyrene foam has the best characteristics, but also the highest price. Just when choosing a heater, keep in mind that the foam almost does not muffle the sounds, so that the especially nervous will not be able to sleep. Therefore, the best choice is mineral wool. What layer? If wisely, then in Central Russia, preferably 100 mm, but at least 50 mm.
Please note that the floor also needs to be insulated. Especially the floor. The bottom is very tight. Therefore, it should be double: first, a rough one, on top, across the board, they put logs, a heater between them, and then a finishing floor.
Layout and drawings
Despite the fact that the building is considered temporary, it often turns into a bathhouse or a guest house. Therefore, even in a change house there is such a thing as planning. Even temporary housing should be relatively comfortable.
Change house trailer
There are two main types of change houses: trailer and vest. In a trailer-type building, the entrance is on the side, there is no separation inside, in extreme cases they put a partition – 1,5-2 meters from the entrance. This room is used as a vestibule-dressing room and a warehouse for storing tools. This is the simplest possible option.
The drawings will contain graphic and numerical designations, their decoding is in the photo below.
vest
The most popular layout is the vest. This is when the entrance is in the middle. moreover, the middle is fenced off and used as a vestibule, pantry, etc. The purpose of the other two rooms may be different. Someone uses both as bedrooms, someone uses one as a kitchen.
Change house with toilet and shower
Not everyone agrees to lead a Spartan lifestyle even at a construction site or dacha, even temporarily. At least basic amenities are required. Although it’s probably better to build them separately.
How to build a toilet on the street, read here, and how to make an outdoor shower – in this article.
Having chosen a drawing, do not forget, when developing a frame for a change house, that racks must be placed at the junction of the walls. If doors are attached to the racks, they must be reinforced – double.
Foundation for a house
Since the structure is temporary and light, the foundations are usually posts or blocks. Mostly blocks. Preferably – concrete, standard. No – you can use any construction, but high density and not hollow.
They are placed on a prepared base. If the soils are normal, you can simply remove the sod and level the sites. For greater reliability, they dig a small pit under each block with a depth of about 20-25 cm. Crushed stone of the middle fraction is poured into it and rammed well. Blocks are placed on such a substrate.
Note! The top edge must be level (be in the same horizontal plane). It is also necessary to check the geometry of the foundation: the angles are strictly at 90 °, the diagonals are equal.
With a change house width of not more than 2,5 m and using a wooden beam for the frame, blocks are placed in each corner, as well as under those places where the partitions depart. If the building will be without partitions, the spacing step – every 1,5-2 m – depends on the cross-section of the beam and the planned sheathing, as well as the weight of the roofing material. With a width of 3 m or more, an intermediate beam is required, and a base for it. In this case, three rows of blocks are obtained.
To prevent dampness from entering the premises, waterproofing is laid on the blocks. You can – two layers of roofing material, you can – another waterproofing material, even a film. Another option is to coat with bituminous mastic. On this, the foundation can be considered ready.
Step-by-step instructions: photo reports with explanations
It is difficult to understand some things from the description. No matter how much you read, but until you do it, or at least look at how others do it, you won’t understand. That’s why photos of the construction of change houses are useful: you can see how the nodes were made and find a solution for yourself. This is a kind of guide for those who decide to build on their own.
Construction of a wooden cabin
A change house was built from wood in the country. Dimensions 3 * 6 m, insulated – for temporary residence during the construction of the house. Used the following materials:
- board 50 * 100 mm – 28 pcs;
- timber 100 * 150 mm – 5 pcs and 50 * 50 mm – 24 pcs;
- blocks 20*40*20 mm – 20 pcs;
- roof boards 25 * 150 mm – 10 pieces;
- grooved floor board 30 mm thick – 21 pcs;
- lining class A 5 packs of 6 meters and 6 packs of 3 meters;
- roofing material 4 rolls;
- polystyrene – 4 cubes;
- windows 90 * 90 cm – 2 pcs;
- doors;
- Senezh Ultra – 10 l;
- corners and plates to reinforce strapping connections;
- fasteners (nails, self-tapping screws, finishing nails), polyurethane foam.
This is what the materials look like on the site
Since the prices of materials are very dependent on the region, it makes no sense to talk about the cost of construction. But according to this list, you yourself can determine with fairly high accuracy how much a change house built by yourself will result.
Please note that this list does not include roofing material (ondulin was planned) and there is no glass. Also, lining for interior decoration was not purchased.
Before the start of construction, all wood, with the exception of the lining, was treated with Senezh Ultra antibacterial impregnation. Coated in two layers. So the quality of processing should be normal.
The site for the building has been marked out. We decided to put the blocks on the sand bed. They dug holes with a depth of 25-30 centimeters, poured sand, tamped. Set up blocks. First, they put out the two extreme ones, put a flat board on them, and a level on it. So put the extreme blocks. Then intermediate boards were adjusted to the height of the board. So on all sides.
Next, the binding was laid. Timber 100 * 150, washed down in half a tree. They folded it, for reliability they pulled it together with hairpins.
The next step was laying the floor joists. They were put in 50 cm, we will put racks through one. Made from a board 50 * 100 mm, placed on a narrow part.
We decided to immediately assemble racks with rafters on the ground, strengthen the joints with corners, and then install them in finished form. Collected from the same board 50 * 100 mm.
They nailed the racks with long nails. Then, for reliability, all attachment points were reinforced with corners and plates. They were already planted on self-tapping screws.
Bars 50 * 50 mm were nailed on the sides of the log. It turned out “nests” for laying foam. It was placed on mounting foam: both hermetically and reliably. A floor board was nailed on top.
Next, the plating phase began. First, they put additional racks on the sides, strengthened them with jibs.
Now the sheathing has gone directly. A lining of packs of 3 meters went to the short side, six meters were nailed to the long ones.
Having made the sheathing to half, they laid the crate under the roofing. They nailed a board 25 * 150 mm in increments of 30 cm, along the edges a pitch of 20 cm (so that the overhang could withstand). Then we continued with the trim.
In the places where the windows will stand, they put mortgages – a board that lies across the rack. The window frame will rest on it. They fastened with nails, through and through, but additionally the connections were reinforced with corners.
When the back and blind side walls were sewn up almost to the top, roofing material was rolled onto the roof. He will lie until we buy ondulin.
While we were finishing nailing the lining on the outside, work was also in full swing inside – they put foam. The width of the sheet is 100 cm, the distance between the posts turned out to be 95 cm. Thin strips have to be cut off.
So that it does not “fall”, we grab it from above with thin corners, which we attach, of course, only to the bar of the rack.
We started lining the inside, but the lining ended. While switched to painting the outside. It turned out well, it seems.
We bought the lining, finished the interior decoration.
Started building the partition. It was assembled from the same boards – 50 * 150 mm. The joints, traditionally, were reinforced with corners. Sheathed – clapboard.
Roof insulation has begun. They used the same foam and the same technology – they propped it up with corners.
Joints with wall insulation were foamed with mounting foam.
After we started lining the clapboard.
Started laying roofing. We bought ondulin and laid it with an overlap on one wave. They were attached to each wave with special hardware purchased along with ondulin.
Then we began to bring to mind the interior. The partition was also insulated with foam, sheathed on the second side with clapboard.
Lining inside is covered with water-based varnish. It gives only a slight tint to a slightly darker color. Films on wood seem to be non-existent. If you look directly, it generally seems that the tree is not covered with anything. Only if you look from the side at a certain angle, you can see the shine.
On the floor, the varnish is already with a film: so that the wood does not wear out. Coated in two layers.
After we started finishing the overhangs. They were all sewn up with the same clapboard. In general, work with lining took the most time.
Metal frame for shed
Metal was chosen as the basis as more reliable and durable. The idea that the change house may have to be moved also played its role. If the frame is made of metal, nothing threatens her.
The dimensions were determined based on the length of the corner whips: 11,7 m. The following dimensions emerged: 2,8 * 5,8 m, height – 2,5 m. The frame was welded from a corner with a shelf of 75 mm, 6 mm thick.
The foundation is made on self-cast columns: construction began in autumn, and there is still nothing more to be done. So it was decided to pour reinforced posts: six pieces. First, the site was marked out, after which the places for the foundation columns were determined.
Holes 50*50 cm were dug, the total depth was about 30 cm. Crushed stone was poured into the bottom with a layer of about 10-15 cm and compacted tightly. From above, the same amount of sand, also with a rammer. As a result, the backfill came out on the same level with the ground.
Roofing material is laid at the bottom so that moisture does not leave the concrete, and it “matured” normally, and did not dry out. Next, the formwork was assembled and the reinforcement was laid in it.
The site is dry, the water drains normally, so there shouldn’t be any problems. I just mastered welding, so the fittings are either welded or twisted – it is not clear.
Everything is filled with concrete, covered with a film: the end of October, and in order for the concrete to be of a normal fortress, it needs to be wrapped.
The frame frame was cooked for a long time – all winter: frosts, workload, did not allow to act with the desired frequency. The base was cooked from a corner of 75 mm, 6 mm thick, 40 * 2 mm were used for reinforcement.
The side parts were cooked as a whole, then with the help of 4 people they were placed in a vertical position and so fixed. On the racks to which the window frames and doors will be attached, profiled pipes 40 * 40 * 2 mm went.
The most inconvenient moment is to measure the diagonals alone. You have to constantly control them, and doing it alone is inconvenient. But everything must be set, otherwise it will be skewed.
To give greater rigidity, I welded strips of metal in the corners. I received them by opening a corner (40 mm). It was possible to buy a strip, but I used corner trimmings.
It was difficult when they put the frames: in the cold, only in thick gloves, and it is difficult to hold them tightly. Therefore, they propped up with boards, with everything they could. But the corner was kept strictly.
In order to have a rigid fastening to the frame, metal plates are welded at an angle.
Gradually assembled the entire frame.
Now the skin remains. It can be anything: at least the same lining, block house, at least an economy option – plywood and OSB. To attach the bleaching to the corner, it is more convenient to screw the timber, and to it already attach the crate and everything else. The situation is the same for the rafter system: around the perimeter, a bar is screwed onto self-tapping screws with preliminary drilling, and rafters are attached to it.