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Most often, summer cottages require summer recreation areas: relax after work in the garden or in the garden. Verandas are best suited for this – open or glazed. They can be large or small, wooden, stone, polycarbonate. The best part is that a small do-it-yourself veranda in the country house is built by one person in a few weeks. True, modest in size.
Projects of country houses with a veranda
If the dacha is going to be built from wood – timber or logs – it does not matter, the most popular project is 6×6 meters. This is due to the fact that the standard length of lumber is exactly 6 meters. With this size of the house, waste is minimal. Considering the projects, we notice that it is necessary to look at six meters – this is only the residential part or together with the veranda.
For example, in a project from a bar, the photo of which is located below, the entire building area is 6 * 6 meters, 2 * 6 is a veranda, the habitable part is only 4 * 6 meters. The internal area will be even less – it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the walls and finishing materials.
In another project, 6 * 6 meters is only a building, and a veranda is attached to it. The total built-up area is larger (see photo).
Country houses with an attic and a veranda are popular (as in the photo above). With this layout, taking a small area under the house, use it to the maximum. Another one of these cottages is in the picture below.
In this project, the attic floor occupies a larger area than the rooms on the first floor, hanging over a spacious corner veranda that spans two sides of the house. Since the load from the attic is also transferred to the racks of the veranda, a common strip foundation is made.
The next project was created for a country house made of foam concrete. The asymmetric roof gives it an oriental flavor, which is echoed by the style of the veranda.
How to attach
Do-it-yourself veranda in the country house is not only built from scratch. Much more often it is attached to the finished house. In most cases, the foundation for the veranda is made columnar (on columns) or piled. For a light veranda made of wood or built according to the frame principle, such a base is more than enough. But you need to take into account the geology of the site, otherwise the extension will “walk” in height in winter. Then in the spring you will have to correct the distortions.
The foundation for the veranda in the country
We will tell you how to build an open veranda in the country. On sandy or sandy loamy, gravel soils that are not prone to heaving, it is quite possible to get by with shallowly buried columns. They are buried 20-30 cm below the level of fertile soil. Crushed stone is poured at the bottom of the excavated pit, it is well rammed. For reliability, it can be spilled with a liquid concrete solution. On this pillow, bricks or quarrystones are stacked (quarrystones are more durable when properly laid). To further simplify the work, you can put concrete pillow blocks down, and, if necessary, build columns on them to the desired height.
If the soils are prone to heaving – clay, loam, you can’t put posts: they will be pushed out every year. In this case, it is better to make a pile foundation, digging below the freezing depth of the soil for your region. You can make wells under them with a hand drill. On not very viscous clay, you can cope alone, in extreme cases – together. For greater stability, it is better to make piles with an extension at the bottom – TISE piles.
A little about how many piles or posts you need. They are placed at a distance of 1-2 meters. The distance depends on the cross-section of the pile or column and on the materials from which the veranda is built. Open wooden country verandas adjacent to the house weigh a little. Therefore, supports can be placed under them with a distance of 1,5-2 meters. If glazing is supposed to be on the veranda, the step should be less – at least 1,5 meters. In general, it would be nice to calculate the load and determine the required section of the piles.
Consider the mass of all materials that will put pressure on the piles: strapping beams, logs, floor boards, insulation, racks, truss system, roofing, expected heavy furniture. In general, consider everything. Add 20-30% percent for snow loads (if the winters are very snowy, then more) and a margin of safety. Divide the resulting number by the estimated number of piles. You get a mass that will put pressure on one support. According to the table, find the line that indicates the type of soil in your area. Moving along it, find the nearest greater value of the bearing capacity of piles. In the upper part above the column found, the diameter is indicated, which is necessary for this load.
Now about how high the pillars should be. The floor in the extension should be slightly lower than the floor in the country house. This will prevent rainwater from entering the house. The height difference is small – about 25-50 mm. And the height of the pillars or piles should be such that after the assembly of the entire structure (piping, beams, floor boards), the flooring is at the required height. On the wall of the house, this height is beaten off with the help of a beam, on which the ends of the floor log will rest (its upper edge is set below the required flooring level by the thickness of the board).
Do not forget to remove the fertile layer from the site, which will be under the veranda, before starting construction. Otherwise, it will smell bad from there. The resulting pit, after pouring piles on heaving soils, is covered with the same soil and well rammed; on well-drained ones, it can be covered with crushed stone. If on clay, for example, you fill a pit with rubble, then water will collect in the pit, which sooner or later will be under the foundation, or will bloom and smell accordingly. Therefore, spare no effort, tamp the soil well.
How to make a foundation for a veranda in the country, we think, is generally clear. Having chosen its type, you will need to thoroughly understand the details, and this is unrealistic within the framework of one article.
Construction of a veranda in the country
After the foundation is ready, the construction of the veranda begins. Let’s divide the process into stages.
- It all starts with tying poles or piles. They are first covered with waterproofing, then racks are attached to them. After installing all the racks, the bars of the lower trim are laid between them. There is a second option: first, they attach the harness, racks to them. This option is worse: if you need to change the strapping bars (they are closest to the ground and are most often affected by fungi, although they are treated with antiseptics), you will have to disassemble the entire structure of the veranda, including the roof.
How to fix the porch racks to the foundation - After the bottom strapping, the floor beams are mounted. When building country verandas adjacent to the house, pillars or piles are rarely located at a distance closer than one meter to the main foundation. With such a device, the second end of the beams is attached to the support beam. At one end they rest on the strapping, the second on the beam attached to the wall of the house. With a sufficiently large width, there are also intermediate supports. Logs are also attached to them with nails hammered obliquely.
How to fix logs and floor boards on the veranda - Now install the upper harness, which connects all the racks. The next step is laying the ceiling beams. They are installed in increments of at least 1 meter. These beams can be open, but then the truss system must be assembled carefully, or they can be hemmed from below with clapboard, edged board, drywall, etc.
Assembled top rails and ceiling beams - The roof on the veranda should have a slope. Therefore, a rafter system is also required: they make the roof of the veranda adjoin to the wall or to the roof of the house. Since the veranda adjoins the wall, a beam is nailed to it at the right height. The difference between the height of this beam and the strapping determines the angle of the roof slope. Its minimum value depends on the type of roofing material.
The rafter system of the veranda attached to the house - Next, mount the truss system of the veranda. One edge of the rafter legs rests on the upper support beam, the second – on the outer beam of the upper trim. You can attach to the strapping by making a recess in the beam (the depth of the cut is not more than 50% of the thickness of the beam). The second option is to cut a recess in the rafter legs, nail it through with nails from above. The third – they simply lay the log, fix it to the beam with corners.
One of the ways to fasten the rafter legs of the veranda to the upper trim: on metal corners - If the truss system is of considerable length, the beams may sag. Spacers must be installed between the ceiling beams and rafter legs to minimize deflection. The number of spacers depends on the depth of the veranda. On average, they need to be installed every meter.
In order to prevent the roof from sagging over the veranda, spacers are installed between the ceiling beams and rafters. - Next lay the floor. If the veranda is open, it is better to take a terrace board: it has an uneven surface (wavy) and does not slip when wet. If you want a smooth floor, go with an edged board. One important point: on open verandas, the floor should be done with a slight slope away from the house. So the water will drain quickly. A floor board with a spike and a groove is needed only if the veranda is covered and the floor needs to be insulated. Then, first, a draft floor is made from a cut board, logs are placed on it, a heater is between them, and a finishing floor is already on top.
One of the stages of building a veranda: flooring - After laying the floor, you can mount the side rails. They will give the building even more rigidity.
It looks like the assembled frame of the veranda attached to the house - The roofing is laid last. There are no special features: they make a crate, the step of which depends on the weight of the material, and, according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, they mount the roofing material. After that, it is important to correctly connect to the wall: so that there are no leaks in this place. The most versatile option for dachas made of bricks or building blocks: make a strobe above the level of the roofing material, lay a beam in it, from which one of the faces should be trimmed (see photo below). Below, another beam is nailed, with a slightly larger section and also with a cut edge. From above, this entire structure is closed with an apron made of roofing iron.
The second option for joining the roof of the veranda to the wall of the house
On this we can assume that the veranda in the country house was built with his own hands. There are still questions of finishing and protection of wood. This is a very difficult question and a very important one.
How to arrange a veranda read here.
How to cover the floor on the veranda in the country
First of all, let’s make a reservation that by the word “paint” the floor in the country we mean to change the color of the wood, increase its security, but not paint over its texture. That is, we will talk about stains, but with protective properties. Rather, we will tell you how to cover the floor on the veranda in the country. Opaque paints that create an opaque film on the surface, even the best ones, will definitely swell and crack on the floor. Especially if it is an open summer veranda. In this case, it is better to use stains.
Impregnation for protection
Please note that all wood must be treated with antiseptics before construction. This is especially true of the open veranda. Here and the side rails, all the racks and the floor – all these elements – require careful protection. For impregnation, you can use the composition SENEG IMPRA. It is even suitable for processing wood in direct contact with the ground. Importantly, it does not change its color, does not wash out, and does not create a vapor-tight film. That is, after processing, the wood continues to dry.
The same campaign has another Senezh impregnation with similar characteristics. But it gives the wood an olive tint. If you then give a dark color, it almost does not affect the final result, but is visible under the light ones.
Pinotex Tinova Professional is a primer for dry wood. Protects against blue, darkening, mold and rot. Penetrates deep into fibers. It is applied to clean, dry wood (moisture content not higher than 18%). this is its drawback: verandas are rarely built from dry lumber.
Color changing
For coloring compositions, there are the following options:
- Tikkurila Valtti Puuoljy (Tikkurila Valtti Puyoli). This composition is intended for surfaces constantly exposed to atmospheric factors. Its base is oil. Therefore, it is necessary to use it on dried wood: the maximum humidity is 20%. Applied with a brush, on a clean surface, one layer of a layer is usually sufficient.
- Pinotex Terrace Oil (Pinotex terraces oil) – oil for Pinotex terraces. This composition is applied to the base and more: it must be tinted by adding the desired pigment. Designed for processing wood on terraces, verandas, stairs, etc.
Both of these compositions are oil-based. They need to be updated once a year or two – look at the state. But at the same time apply to the old coating, simply after cleaning it. Easy to apply, leaves no streaks. It is usually absorbed quickly: if after 15-20 minutes there is an unabsorbed composition somewhere, it must be blotted with a dry cloth. At the same time, even after a year, the surface looks attractive, no cracks, chips of the coating and other troubles.
If the wood you have used is not dry enough, the solution is this: impregnate with antibacterial impregnations that do not create a vapor-tight film on the surface. After a while, it will dry enough (in a year – for sure). During this time, of course, it will darken. Remove the top layer with a grinder and then cover the floor on the veranda in the country with oil.
If you look at prices, then Pinotex is cheaper, but under it it is necessary to apply its own “Base” – basic impregnation. Tikkurilu can be immediately on the boards (but on dry ones). If water gets on the surfaces treated with these compounds, it stands in separate puddles, not being absorbed until it is wiped off or it dries.
Sometimes the verandas are covered with yacht varnish. If you take expensive, high-quality ones, the coating lasts for several years. Cheaper yacht varnish cracks in a year, rises in places. Before applying a new layer, the old one must be removed, the surface must be sanded. If you want to varnish, try Eurotex alkyd varnish or Etheral urethane. They have good reviews. But keep in mind: it is slippery on varnished surfaces in winter. So if you want shiny surfaces, paint walls, posts and side rails. On the floor, after all, better than butter.
Glazing: what and how
Even a large open veranda can be glazed if desired. The easiest way is to call a measurer from a company that sells metal profile windows and listen to their suggestions. Windows they can offer opening or not. Here the choice is yours. Such a glazing of the veranda looks like in the photo below. For giving seasonal residence, this option may be unsafe: if the territory is not guarded, they can break it.
Even with this solution, questions arise:
- Install single or double frames. If you have finances, it is better to bet double. They keep warm much better. Even if you come to the dacha in winter only to check how things are going, then in spring or autumn it will be much warmer. Up to the fact that if the veranda is located on the south side, while the house is heated, you will bask on the veranda: the sun heats the air, and the frames retain heat. It will be especially warm if you make an insulated floor. But even with a single deck, the temperature in the glazed extension will be much higher than in the house.
- Windows must be anti-burglary or not. If there are no guards nearby, then even the best ones will be able to hack. Against brick, even toughened reinforced glass won’t last long. And in order not to provoke thieves, the entrance to the house should be behind a reliable metal door, while the entrance to the veranda can be equipped with simple doors.
How to install plastic windows read here.
In the photo below, the veranda in the country house was glazed with double windows. With a slatted floor in the spring, it is much warmer in the extension than in a log house.
Large glazing area – large shutters. If you order double frames made of wood, they will open inward (same as fiberglass). With a small area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe veranda, they can interfere. There are several options here. First: order those in which both frames will open outward (there are such). The second is to put sliding. One point: sliding doors are made only from aluminum profiles. If they can make such windows for you from wood, they will cost a lot (this type of windows is also quite expensive from aluminum). We see the glazing of the country veranda with sliding metal-plastic windows in the photo.
If the veranda in the house is made of logs, and it was cut down along with the house and was originally planned as open, the white windows in it will look, to put it mildly, “not very good”. Not everyone can pull windows in wooden bindings over a large area; metal-plastic is still cheaper. The solution is simple: there is laminated aluminum. A film imitating the surface of a tree is pasted on it. You select the required color and everything looks good (an example of such a veranda glazing on two floors is in the photo below).
After the veranda is glazed, I want to build an open gazebo. How? Read here.
Another option is frameless glazing. In this case, a strong strapping is made at the top and bottom, special glasses are inserted between them, the gaps between which are laid with rubber seals or covered.
Wood is better combined with polycarbonate. Its plus is that you can install it yourself: make frames with a quarter taken out, install polycarbonate sheets in them on a sealant. They are attached to the frame with self-tapping screws with special thermal washers that compensate for different thermal expansion. The seams between the sheets are filled with a transparent sealant, but there are special mounting profiles for joining the sheets.
You can glaze the veranda in this way yourself. Polycarbonate weighs relatively little, is not so demanding on the conditions of transportation, it is easier to work with it than with glass. Due to the cellular structure, it keeps heat even better than glass: it is used in greenhouses and greenhouses. So a do-it-yourself veranda in the country house can be not only built, but also glazed.
Having glazed the veranda, you will want to have an open area. Read how to build a polycarbonate gazebo here, and read about pergolas and their construction here.