Pros and cons of a house from a bar
Every year more and more houses are being built from timber. This is due to the significant advantages of wooden buildings. However, there are also some disadvantages here. Let’s analyze the pros and cons of a house made of timber and listen to the opinions of experts

Features of the technology of building a house from a bar

Any construction involves the use of technologies that have specific features. The construction of a house from a bar is no exception. The technological originality of this construction is as follows.

First, wood is a more “capricious” material than most others. This is due to its natural, organic nature, which differs significantly from artificial materials (metal, plastic, cement, artificial stone, etc.).

Secondly, a wooden beam absorbs moisture well and retains it for a long time, which leads to deformation and shrinkage of the building during the drying process.

Thirdly, the construction of a house from a bar is carried out in two stages: first, the foundation is laid, the box of the building and the roof are built, and after about six months, finishing work begins.

Fourthly, builders must have good carpentry skills, because in the process of building a wooden house, you have to do a lot of manual work related to sawing and trimming.

Fifthly, the technology of working with timber should take into account the different strength and stiffness of wood in different areas. This involves the use of special methods for fastening the bars.

Sixthly, the bars are attached to each other with the help of grooves and protrusions cut at the ends. Special metal pins are also used – dowels, which connect the upper and lower beams.

Seventh, construction is carried out by laying crowns – horizontal layers of timber, stacked on top of each other around the perimeter of the house. The cracks after shrinkage of the house are caulked, and the wood is treated with an antiseptic.

Advantages of a log house

A house made of timber has a number of advantages compared to houses built from other materials:

Cons of a house from a bar

As you know, disadvantages are a continuation of advantages. The same applies to houses made of timber, which have some disadvantages, naturally arising from their advantages:

  1. Increased fire hazard is a disadvantage of any wooden house. To increase the resistance of the house to fire, already in the factory, the timber is treated with fire retardants, which allows the substance to penetrate deeper into the tree, since the whole process is carried out under pressure in an autoclave. The processed timber can still catch fire, however, the likelihood of ignition is significantly reduced, and the combustion process is not so intense.
  2. Since a wooden house is built from natural materials, it is more susceptible to natural decay than artificial structures. The tree rots and is eaten by insects, so a house made of timber must be treated with special impregnations every five years.
  3. The timber in the process of drying may crack. Based on this, it is better to use already dried timber during construction. Incorrect heating of the house can also affect the occurrence of cracks. It is not recommended to immediately increase the temperature sharply. In the first week, the house is heated to 8-10 degrees, in the second – to 13-15 degrees, and in the third week the temperature is brought to 20 degrees.
  4. If they live in a house made of timber all the time, and not only in the summer, then it needs serious insulation. This requires additional work and money. But as a result, the comfort and coziness of a country wooden house will be achieved.
  5. It is almost impossible to create complex architectural forms (towers, outbuildings, bay windows, etc.) from a bar, since it assumes a rectilinear arrangement and is difficult to pattern sawing.
  6. The process of redevelopment is almost impossible. The grooves of the bars are firmly attached, if you start to disassemble the crown after the crown, you can destroy the fasteners. Therefore, it is necessary to initially think over the building plan so as not to try to make changes to it later after the construction is completed.

expert Tips

After the house is built, it needs proper care. Experts recommend adhering to the following basic rules:

Popular questions and answers

Pavel Bunin, owner of the bath complex“Bansk”:

Is it possible to live in a house made of timber in winter?

Yes, you can. A house made of timber holds heat well even without a layer of insulation. This is its great advantage over a brick or concrete structure. A wooden house heats up quickly and cools down slowly, and in addition, it absorbs moisture from the air well or gives it away when the air is dry. With sufficient wall thickness, a house made of timber can retain heat even in 40-degree frost.

To reduce heating costs, it is desirable to warm the house after all. Warming is carried out outside the house. For these purposes, you can use mineral wool slabs 5-10 cm thick. It will be the cheapest if you cover them with siding from the outside, but you can also use wood coatings, for example, imitation timber.

Does the timber require maintenance?

Since timber is a natural material, it naturally needs regular maintenance. For example, our ancestors used a winter forest to build houses, as it has less moisture and practically no harmful microorganisms and insects. Currently, winter wood is also used in construction, but various antiseptics are also widely used.

To protect the timber from precipitation and direct sunlight, varnishes, oils and paints can be used. This not only guarantees safety, but also gives additional attractiveness to the house. It is advisable to use antiseptics every two years, and renew paintwork every five years.

The timber is also treated with flame retardants – substances that protect wooden buildings from fires. It is necessary to act with this remedy only on the internal parts of the house in order to increase the time of their resistance to fire. Outside, such processing is ineffective and will simply lead to unnecessary costs.

Which beam is better to choose?

In the construction of wooden houses, the following types of timber are used: ordinary, profiled and glued.

An ordinary beam (four-edged) is a log sawn from four sides. It is cheaper than other types, because it has not been processed and dried. This creates additional difficulties in the work.

Profiled timber is a much better product. It is already dried, so it does not shrink much. There may or may not be gaps between the crowns. Mounting grooves are also made at the factory, which facilitates assembly.

Glued laminated timber is the most technologically advanced product. But its price is 3-4 times higher than that of a conventional timber, which is a significant disadvantage.

If we compare the price and quality, then the best option, in my opinion, is the use of profiled timber. Its reasonable price is combined with a fairly high quality.

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