Modern materials for wall construction. Types and types of walls

The external walls of a private house must be:

1. Strong and durable
2. Warm and energy saving
3. Quiet
4. Harmless to humans
5. Beautiful

Which house walls are stronger?

Loads act on the wall of a house in several directions. Active forces tend to compress, move sideways and rotate the wall.

Compressive loads- these are vertical forces from the weight of the wall and the underlying structures of the house. These forces tend to crush and flatten the wall material.

Low-rise private houses are relatively light in weight. Wall materials, as a rule, have a fairly large margin of compressive strength, which allows them withstand vertical loads of a private house even with.

Horizontal loads and torques act as a result, for example, of lateral wind pressure on a house or soil pressure on a basement wall, due to the support of the ceiling on the edge of the wall, due to the deviation of the walls from the vertical and other reasons. These forces tend to move the wall or part of the wall from its position.

The general rule for walls is the thinner the wall, the worse it is it withstands lateral loads and turning moments. If the wall cannot withstand the specified loads, then it bends, cracks or even breaks.

It is the small margin of resistance to displacement that is the weak point in ensuring the strength of the walls of a private house. The magnitude of the compressive strength of most wall materials allows you to make a fairly thin wall for a private house, but it is necessary to ensure the stability of the walls against displacement, often forces designers to increase the thickness of walls.

The resistance of walls to lateral loads is significantly influenced by the design of the walls and the house as a whole. For example, reinforcement of masonry, installation of a monolithic belt on the walls at the floor level, strong connections of external and interior walls among themselves, as well as with floors and foundations, create the strength frame of a building that holds the walls together and resists the displacement deformations of the walls.

In order to ensure the necessary strength and durability of a private home with reasonable costs for construction, it is necessary to choose the right material and design of the walls, as well as the design of the power house frame, It is best to entrust this choice to specialists - designers.

Projects of private houses with walls made of masonry materials with a masonry thickness of only 180 - 250 mm. . Thickness can be 100 - 200 mm.

The walls of the house are warm and energy-saving - what's the difference?

In order for a person in the house to feel thermal comfort, Three conditions must be met:

The first condition is the air temperature in the room should be about +22 o C. To fulfill this condition, it is enough to install a boiler or stove of the required power in the house and heat it.

The surface temperature of the external walls in the house is always lower than the air temperature in the room. According to the requirements of sanitary and hygienic rules, temperature difference between air and surface outer wall there should be no more than 4 in the house o C - this is the second condition.

At the specified temperature difference, the surface of the outer wall in the house will be quite warm (+18 o C). There will be no “cold breath” from the wall; condensation or frost will not appear on the surface of the wall.

There will be thermal comfort in the house if the difference in air temperature in the room and on the surface of the outer wall is no more than d t<4 о C. Обе стены на рисунке не соответствуют этим требованиям при температуре наружного воздуха t н =-26 о С и ниже.

To fulfill the second condition, the outer wall of the house must have certain thermal properties. The heat transfer resistance of the outer wall must be higher than the calculated value, m 2 * o C/W. For example, for the Sochi region this value should be more than 0.66, for Moscow - 1.38, and for Yakutsk at least - 2.13.

For example, an external wall made of autoclaved aerated concrete (gas silicate) will be warm and provide thermal comfort in the house, with a thickness in Sochi - 90 mm, in Moscow - 210 mm., and in Yakutsk - 300 mm.

Third condition- the enclosing structures of the house must have. If the “clothes” of the house are blown by the wind, then there will be no heat, no matter how thick the insulation is. Everyone knows this from their own experience.

External walls with the above parameters will be warm and will provide thermal comfort in the house, but they will not be energy efficient. Heat losses through the walls will significantly exceed the building standards in force in Russia.

In order to comply with energy conservation regulations, The heat transfer resistance of external walls should be several times higher. For example, for the Sochi region - no less than 1.74 m 2 * o C/W, for Moscow - 3.13 m 2 * o C/W, and for Yakutsk - 5.04 m 2 * o C/W.

Thickness of energy-saving walls from autoclaved aerated concrete (gas silicate) there will also be more: for the Sochi region - 270 mm., for the Moscow region - 510 mm. for Yakutia - 730 mm.

Aerated concrete (gas silicate) is the warmest material for masonry walls. The thickness of energy-saving walls made of more thermally conductive materials (brick, concrete blocks) should be even greater. (The figure above shows the heat transfer resistance of a brick wall with a thickness of 2.5 bricks (640 mm.) = 0.79 and one brick (250 mm) = 0,31 m2* o C/W. Compare with the values ​​​​given in the examples and evaluate in which regions such walls will provide thermal comfort?)

Wooden walls made of timber or logs also do not meet energy saving requirements.

It should be noted that to comply with the requirements of building regulations for the heat transfer resistance of walls and other enclosing structures of the house not necessary for a private developer.

It is more important for the home owner to reduce overall heating costs.

It can be beneficial to sacrifice the energy-saving properties of walls, but increase the heat-saving parameters of ceilings, windows, and ventilation systems in order to meet the energy consumption standards for heating.

Heat loss through walls accounts for only 20 - 30% of the total heat loss in the house.

We must not forget about one more condition of an energy-saving house. The house must have a minimum- walls, ceilings, windows.

Which is better to make walls - single-layer or two-layer?

From the above data it is clear that wall materials allow you to build strong, thin and fairly cheap walls private house. But such walls will not provide thermal comfort in the house or have the required energy-saving properties.

Technologies for constructing walls of a private house are developing in two main directions:

1. Relatively thin and durable walls are insulated with highly effective insulation. The wall consists of two layers- a load-bearing layer that absorbs mechanical loads, and an insulation layer.
2. For the construction of single-layer walls, materials are used that combine a sufficiently high resistance to both mechanical stress and heat transfer. The construction of single-layer walls made of cellular concrete (autoclaved aerated concrete, gas silicate) or porous ceramics is popular.

It should be noted that wall materials for single-layer walls have mediocre both mechanical and thermal properties. We have to improve them with various design tweaks.

A combination of these two technologies is also used when walls made of cellular and porous materials provide additional insulation layer of highly effective insulation. This combination allows make wall masonry and a thin layer of insulation. This can be beneficial for structural reasons, especially when building a house in a cold climate.

Single-layer walls of a private house

Not so long ago, almost all private houses were built with single-layer walls. The thickness of the walls of the house was chosen based on the conditions for ensuring thermal comfort and thought little about energy conservation.

Currently, for the construction of single-layer walls, materials with sufficiently high thermal insulation properties are used, to make the house energy efficient.

What is the best material to make a single-layer wall of a house from?

All materials for single-layer walls have a porous structure and low density 300 - 600 kg/m 3. As the density decreases, the heat-saving properties improve, but the mechanical strength of materials decreases.

There are several types of cellular concrete, which differ in the way they create pores (cells). The best properties for the construction of single-layer external walls of a house have density (grade) 300-500 kg/m3.

Aerated concrete blocks can have precise dimensions, which allows them to be laid on glue with a seam thickness of 2 mm. The ends of the blocks often have a tongue-and-groove profile and are joined without mortar in a vertical seam.

Aerated concrete has an open porous structure and therefore absorbs moisture well, but also dissolves easily.

Porous ceramics It is made from raw materials and in a way that is similar to the production of ordinary ceramic bricks. The difference is that components are added to the clay-based mass, which form pores when fired.

Hollow blocks are made from porous ceramics. The hollowness further enhances the heat-saving properties of block walls.

The thickness of the masonry of single-layer walls made of porous ceramic blocks is 38 - 50 cm. Porous ceramic blocks are laid using a special heat-saving mortar with a seam thickness of 10-15 mm.

As a rule, the exterior decoration of single-layer walls is. Cladding slabs made of natural stone or artificial products can be glued to the walls. Finishing using the ventilated facade method (cladding over lathing) is used very rarely.

Plastering of walls made of porous ceramics or expanded clay concrete from the outside is carried out with a traditional plaster composition with a thickness of about 2 cm. In addition to plastering, it can be done in other ways (see link).

The inside of the walls is plastered or...

It is faster to build a house with single-layer walls. In a new house with single-layer walls you can start living without waiting for the facade to be finished. This work can be left for later.

Walls with insulation - two-layer and three-layer

For installing a wall with insulation Almost any masonry material can be used— ceramic and silicate bricks, blocks made of cellular and lightweight concrete, as well as porous ceramics.

The load-bearing layer of a two-layer wall can also be make from monolithic concrete or wood- timber, logs. The choice of material is much more varied compared to single-layer walls.

For the construction of walls with insulation materials with higher mechanical strength and density are used than for single-layer walls. This circumstance makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the masonry of double-layer walls.

Wall masonry thickness from 180 mm. - depends on the properties of the materials used, on the design of the walls and frame of the house.

Walls are most often laid using ordinary masonry mortar, filling horizontal and vertical joints with mortar. The work is simpler and does not require any special qualifications from masons.

The mechanical strength of the wall material is, as a rule, sufficient for problem-free fastening of various structures to walls.

The thermal insulation properties of a wall depend mainly on the thermal conductivity and thickness of the insulation layer.

A layer of thermal insulation is placed outside ( double layer wall) or inside the wall, closer to the outer surface ( three-layer wall).

As thermal insulation, slabs of mineral wool or polymers - polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam - are most often used. Less commonly used thermal insulation slabs made of cellular concrete and foam glass, although they have a number of advantages.

Mineral wool slabs for wall insulation must have a density of at least 60-80 kg/m3. If used for finishing the facade, then use mineral wool slabs with a density of 125-180 kg/m 3 or slabs of extruded polystyrene foam.

Mineral wool insulation is plastered with a vapor-permeable composition - mineral or silicate plaster.

Insulating a façade with mineral wool usually costs more and it is more difficult to work with. But a layer of wool insulation allows moisture to escape from the wall to the outside.

A continuous layer of thermal insulation on the outside allows block all cold bridges in double-layer walls without the use of special constructive tricks that have to be done in single-layer walls.

General thickness of two-layer walls (with plaster from 35 cm.) usually turns out less than a single-layer wall.

The width of the foundation walls (basement) is also smaller, which allows save on their construction. This advantage does not apply to three-layer walls. The width of three-layer walls and their foundations is usually no less than that of single-layer ones.

Exterior finishing of double-layer walls is carried out thin-layer plaster over insulation. Insulation boards, preferably made of extruded polystyrene foam, are glued to the wall. The thickness of the insulation layer is not recommended to be more than 150 mm. A layer of plaster 5-7 thick is applied to the insulation mm.

Wall surface with thin layer plaster more sensitive to point mechanical influences than a single-layer wall with traditional plaster.

For double-layer walls often use ventilated cladding on the frame. In a ventilated façade, mineral wool insulation slabs are placed between the frame posts. The frame is covered with cladding made of vinyl or plinth siding, wooden materials, or various slabs.

Attaching insulation to the walls, installing a ventilated facade - all this work consists of many stages and operations and requires skill, accuracy and responsibility from the performers. A variety of materials are used for work.

When constructing double-layer walls in There is a great risk that employees will do something wrong.

In three-layer walls a layer of highly effective insulation is placed inside the masonry or wall monolith. Three-layer walls also include walls with an insulation layer facing with brick or other masonry materials.

For the construction of three-layer walls, single-row masonry made of (insulated walls, silica granite, polyblock) is also used. Thermal blocks have three layers of concrete-insulation-concrete bonded together.

Mineral insulation - low-density cellular concrete

Continued on next page 2:

If you are seriously considering the option of moving to the countryside, the question of which is best to build a house for permanent residence comes to the fore. The choice of materials for construction depends on the preferences of the owner of the future home, his financial capabilities, and in some ways, on established local traditions. Of course, the specific climatic conditions of the region and the characteristics of the soil on the site acquired for the construction of housing are taken into account.

Today, both traditional and new technologies are used for the construction of private houses. In order to choose one of them, you need to understand what problems will be encountered during large-scale construction work and during the operation of the finished building.

Criteria for choosing materials for construction

When choosing a material for building a house, you should take into account a number of important criteria:

• To make the house comfortable to live in at any time of the year, when choosing material for construction, it is necessary to take into account the average winter temperatures of the region where it is planned to be built, comparing them with the thermal insulation qualities of future walls and ceilings.

• In addition, most potential owners strive to make their homes energy efficient. That is, with minimal energy costs, obtain a comfortable temperature in the premises both in winter and summer.
• The ability of a building material to become an effective barrier against external noise is especially important if the building is being built near a busy highway or railway tracks.
• The durability and reliability of a residential building will directly depend on the strength of the selected material.
• The appearance of the building also plays an important role. Therefore, it is immediately necessary to decide which material option is preferable - one that requires or does not require additional finishing.
• Of course, an important criterion is always the affordability of the material. It largely depends on the region of construction.
• If the owner plans to carry out construction on his own (in whole or even partially), then the priority criteria may also be the degree of complexity of working with the selected building material.

Main types of materials for building a private house

Today, both traditional materials that have been used, without exaggeration, for centuries, and those developed relatively recently, but which have already managed to show their positive side, are used to build houses.

So, when deciding on the materials to build a house, you need to know that they are conventionally divided into four groups:

• Natural wood (log or timber).
• Brick, stone and shell rock.
• Porous blocks.
• Wood-based composite materials.

To determine which of the listed materials is best to choose for a particular case, it is necessary to consider their physical and technical characteristics and other features.

Brick

Sand-lime and ceramic bricks are used to build houses. Both one and the second option are produced in two types, which differ in the internal structural structure - the brick can be hollow and solid.

Both types are widely used for the construction of house walls. However, different bricks can have very different characteristics.

Solid and hollow ceramic bricks

Solid brick has higher strength and can therefore withstand high loads. However, it has high thermal conductivity, and because of this, walls made from it usually require additional insulation and cladding.

Ceramic and silicate, solid or hollow bricks - each has its own advantages and disadvantages

Hollow products retain heat in a house better, so they are often used to cover a wall built of solid bricks, leaving a space between the walls that is filled with heat-insulating materials - slag, expanded clay, foam concrete or expanded polystyrene.

Agree, it is very difficult to compete with neat brickwork in matters of facade aesthetics

Brick houses have a respectable appearance and a long service life, which sometimes exceeds the deadlines set during the design of the building. Buildings made from this material compare favorably with other buildings due to their strength and reliability. That is why, despite the emergence of innovative materials, brick has not lost any of its popularity, as it has successfully stood the test of time. Proof of this is that buildings, sometimes erected several centuries ago, are still in use.

However, despite the large number of positive qualities of brick, this material has not only advantages, but also obvious disadvantages.

To the main benefits brick, and therefore houses built from it, include:

• Environmentally friendly material.

Nowadays, future home owners always pay special attention to this quality of the material. Brick buildings are impeccable in this regard, since the mortar from which the products are made does not contain artificially produced or toxic components. Ceramic bricks are made from purified clay, and silicate bricks are made from sand and lime.

• The strength of the structure built from it has a long service life.

Over the centuries, in different countries, both one-story and multi-story buildings have been erected from brick, some of which are still in use today, without even requiring restoration of the facades. Walls built from bricks made without violating technology and laid on high-quality mortar are resistant to ultraviolet rays, moisture, wind, and biological damage.

In addition, brick buildings are able to withstand various natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, etc.

• Frost resistance.

This quality indicates that the material is able to fully retain its operational and decorative qualities during numerous cycles of deep freezing and thawing. Today there are different brands of bricks on sale, the frost resistance of which may vary. Therefore, when purchasing this material, you should pay attention to the F indicator, which precisely shows this number of cycles. The higher the indicator, the more durable the material.

• Natural regulation of humidity in the building.
• Fire safety.

Unlike wood, brick is resistant to open fire, since it is made of non-flammable material, which is also hardened at high temperatures during firing. Brick does not ignite and does not support the combustion of adjacent building elements. True, when exposed to open fire for a long time, it loses its safety margin. This means that the service life of walls that survive a fire is significantly reduced.

To the list of essential shortcomings brick buildings include the following factors:

• Cost of material.

When choosing a brick to build a house, you need to be prepared for quite a lot of expenses, since, given the “modest” size of the products, you will need a lot of them. In addition to the brick itself, you will need to carry out interior finishing of the walls - this is plastering followed by putty, painting, or. All these processes are also quite costly and require some time.

• High thermal conductivity of brick. If the house is being built in a region with cold winters, where the temperature drops to -35÷40 degrees, then the brick walls must be thick and be at least 640-770 mm. Another option could be a “sandwich” wall, that is, made according to the “well masonry” principle. In this case, two relatively thin brick walls are simultaneously erected at a certain distance from each other, the space between which is filled with thermal insulation materials. Sometimes another method is used for insulation - a lathing is fixed on the front side of the wall, between the elements of which mineral wool or expanded polystyrene is mounted, and then the walls are lined with one of the decorative materials.
• Massiveness.

Brick houses are a very heavy structure. This means that it is necessary to build a reliable and solid foundation for them. Otherwise, under high load, it will sag, and with it the brick walls, resulting in deep cracks along them.

Therefore, to build a high-quality one that can reliably cope with a high load, you will also have to spend a lot of money.

• The design of a brick building should only be carried out by a professional. Errors in foundation calculations and determination of the thickness of load-bearing walls are unacceptable. The project and calculations will also be expensive.
• Hygroscopicity of the material.

This quality is especially pronounced in bricks made in violation of technology, that is, insufficiently hardened or too porous. In houses made of such material there is always high humidity, and getting rid of it is quite difficult. Therefore, the walls have to be etched periodically, which takes a lot of time and causes discomfort in the operation of the home. It’s good that today there are many products that will help protect brick walls from moisture - surfaces are treated with them at the very beginning of the building’s operation. It will help protect brick walls and high walls that separate them from ground moisture, rain splashes or contact with snow drifts.

Sand-lime brick is more hygroscopic than ceramic brick. Therefore, it is not recommended to use it to build a house in regions with a humid climate. And it is completely excluded when laying the base.

In digital terms, the main characteristics of bricks are as follows:

Name of characteristics	Solid brick	Hollow brick	Sand-lime brick
Density, kg/m³	1600÷1800	1400÷1700	1700÷1900
Thermal conductivity, W/m˚S	0.81÷0.87	0.44	0.95
Strength, kgf/cm²	125÷200	100÷200	150
Moisture absorption,%	7÷8	7÷8	8÷10
Frost resistance cycles	50÷100	50÷70	35
Recommended wall thickness, mm at air temperature -20/ -30/-40 ˚С (mm)	510/640/770	380/510/640	510/640/770

The cost of a brick is deliberately not indicated in the table. This parameter varies very widely, depending on the type, brand, size, manufacturer, and region of construction. Even among one seller, the spread of prices for seemingly identical products, but coming from different factories, can be very significant.

Cement-based masonry blocks

In recent years, cement-based building blocks are increasingly being chosen for the construction of a private house. Such masonry materials have a number of advantages over traditional brick, and the first of them can be called affordable cost. In addition, the blocks have impressive linear dimensions - one can replace from 4 or even up to 14 standard bricks, so building a house will go much faster.

Manufacturers today supply cement-based blocks to the construction market, but manufactured using different technologies and with different physical, technical and operational characteristics:

• Foam blocks and aerated concrete blocks.
• Cinder blocks and expanded clay concrete blocks.

To understand what each of these materials is and how they differ from each other, let’s take a closer look at their characteristics.

Aerated concrete and foam concrete blocks

These building materials, at first glance, are similar in their characteristics. However, their manufacturing technologies differ somewhat.

Aerated concrete is made from cement, lime, sand and water with the addition of aluminum powder. Thanks to these components, during the manufacturing process of the composition, a chemical reaction is activated, accompanied by the release of gas, which ensures the creation of a porous structure with an open cell. This determines the very high hygroscopicity of the material.

Foam concrete products are made from cement, sand and water. But the main thing for the formation of the structure of the material is the foaming agent, which is added at the stage of mixing the solution before pouring it into molds. The cell turns out to be closed.

Both some and other blocks can have different densities, and are divided into brands. The numerical indicator in the brand indicates the density of the finished material (kg/m³):

— D 1000– D 1200 - structural products, that is, intended for the construction of load-bearing walls. Their insulation qualities are not the most outstanding.

— D 500-D 900 - structural and thermal insulation materials. They are the ones most often chosen for individual construction, combining, so to speak, “business with pleasure.”

— D 300- D 500 - thermal insulating blocks. For load-bearing structures, the strength qualities of such a material are clearly insufficient.

Foam concrete is also produced in another version, which is marked D1300 to D1600. These are structurally porous blocks that have a high density, but also very significant thermal conductivity. As a rule, material of this brand is made to order and is practically not used in residential construction practice.

Aerated concrete and foam concrete blocks have the following characteristic features:

• Easy to process. The blocks are easily sawed using a regular wood saw. Thanks to this quality, anyone, even an inexperienced builder, can handle adjusting the material during wall construction. Moreover, the block can be given any intricate shape.
• Strength of the material. The indicators of this parameter may vary depending on the porosity and brand of the product.
• Low thermal conductivity. This figure averages 0.08÷0.22 W/(m×˚С). Brands D300 and D 500 have a particularly low coefficient, so they are excellent for additional insulation of houses for permanent residence. Walls made of this material perfectly retain heat in the house during winter cold and coolness on hot summer days.
• Soundproofing. Aerated concrete and foam concrete have significant noise absorption properties, and the final parameters depend on other characteristics of the material, as well as on the thickness of the walls. According to SNiP II-12-77 standards, in private houses the level of noise insulation should be 41÷60 dB, and the sound insulation qualities of aerated concrete usually exceed these indicators:

Brand of material most often used to build a private house	Sound insulation level, dB, with wall thickness of the enclosing structure, mm
	120	180	240	300	360
D500	36	41	44	46	48
D600	38	43	46	48	50

• Environmentally friendly material. Industrial production of blocks is carried out under strict control (this is especially true for aerated concrete). The laboratories check for the presence of radioactive materials and toxic components - they are completely excluded.
• Mass of blocks. This parameter depends on the density of the material:

As you can see, this parameter can vary somewhat in one direction or another. It must be remembered that the higher the density of the material, the higher its thermal conductivity and the worse the sound insulation.

Along with the positive characteristics, these building materials also have their own flaws , about which you also need to have information:

• Foam and gas blocks are fragile, so during work, if the material is handled carelessly, it may crack or split. In addition, this can also happen when the foundation shrinks. Therefore, the base for the walls should be as reliable as possible. To avoid subsidence and cracking, every second to third row of masonry must be reinforced with metal rods.
• The hygroscopicity of aerated concrete can be considered a serious disadvantage. This feature predetermines an increase in the volume of work that includes waterproofing measures.
• Mandatory interior and exterior finishing involves additional costs.

What to choose - foam concrete or aerated concrete?

Despite a lot of common features, these materials also have significant differences. By what criteria can you compare? More detailed information can be found in a special publication on our portal.

Expanded clay concrete blocks and cinder blocks

These blocks, like the materials described above, can be classified as very affordable and have decent characteristics.

Their frost resistance and strength are comparable to similar parameters of brick walls. The blocks have very large linear parameters and relatively light weight, so they can be laid in a short time.

Expanded clay concrete blocks are made from cement mortar with the addition of fine expanded clay of 5÷10 mm, or coarse expanded clay sand.

Now, having figured out what frame house structures are, it is necessary to highlight their positive and negative sides.

TO merits Properly built frame houses include the following:

• Possibility to do the work yourself.
• The low thermal conductivity of the walls helps retain heat inside the house.
• Relatively quick and fairly simple installation of structural elements.
• There is no need to arrange a massive foundation, since the construction is easy.
• The design does not shrink, so you can move into the house immediately after finishing work.
• There is no need to level the surfaces of the walls and ceiling, since they are already ready for decorative finishing both outside and inside.
• Relatively low cost.

However, the frame structure also has a fairly large number shortcomings , which can bring disappointment to future residents of the house during its operation:

• Low tightness of all frame structures, except for half-timbered structures.
• Insufficiently long service life due to low strength and reliability of the structure.
• Frame houses must be properly equipped, otherwise mold may appear on the walls and underground due to insufficient air exchange.
• Low quality sound insulation.
• High fire hazard.

• Insulation material in the floor and walls can be used for housing by rodents and various insects. And it will be very difficult to get rid of such a “neighborhood”.

So which is better, timber or frame construction?

If you have to decide which form of wood is better to choose for construction - timber or logs, or to give preference to a frame structure, then it would be useful to refer to a special comparative publication. The recommended link leads to it.

* * * * * * *

Above we figured out what materials can be used to build houses for year-round use. Taking into account their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, and approximate prices in your region, you can decide which one is best suited for a particular case based on a combination of all evaluation criteria.

If desires and possibilities coincide, then you can settle on the optimal option and begin developing a house project.

The information reflected in the article will be supplemented by an interesting video on the same topic:

Video: What material is better to choose for your own residential building?

Our own home is what each of us would like. In order to have our own home, we are ready to save money for many years, keep savings in the bank and work hard. A home is not only a place where we will live for a while, but also something that we will leave to our generation. After all, we do not build such a structure with the expectation of temporary residence, since we hope that the house will be well built, and several of our generations, children or even grandchildren, will live in it. What kind of memory we leave of ourselves depends only on us.

The construction of a house is influenced by many factors, such as: the amount of funds for construction, the location of the house, the climatic conditions of the region and much more. And when choosing a building material, one gets dizzy, because more and more new materials appear on the market, those that are more expensive and those that are cheaper, those that we know something about, and those that we may see for the first time. However, you must agree that when choosing a building material, you need to take into account not only its advantages, but also all its inherent disadvantages. Let's look at modern building materials for house walls.

Basic materials for building a house

Despite the fact that no houses are exactly alike, however, almost all of them are built from the same materials, such as stone or wood. However, all these materials are pre-treated, which gives them the necessary properties.

Let's take, for example, wood: laminated or simple beams, logs, carriages. At first glance, everything seems simple. However, it should be noted that these materials have very different characteristics. For example, a rounded log and timber are two completely different materials in their characteristics. But this is not even all wooden materials.

If we talk about stone, then we are not talking about a wild stone, but about an artificially created one. This stone was created with all the necessary properties that are needed when building a house. Although there are indeed a lot of varieties of such stones, they can still be classified into three types:

1. Brick.
2. Blocks where cement is the binding component.
3. Blocks made from clay or lime.

The greatest variety of materials exists in the group of building blocks, the binding component of which is cement. Often, lightweight concrete is used in construction, which is distinguished by the brand of cement, heat-insulating components and filler composition.

Brick

Brick is one of the most common materials in residential construction. With this material you can not only build a house from scratch, but also complete additional structures. Why is brick so popular? Because this material is quite durable, not afraid of fungus, and frost-resistant. Compared to wooden building materials, brick does not rot. It is also not afraid of fire, ultraviolet rays and does not cause heavy precipitation. Brick is a durable material that meets all environmental standards. The strength of a house built of brick is explained not only by the quality of the material, but also by the method of masonry, since the top row of bricks is laid on top of the bottom row. Thus, you will not see any continuous vertical seams on the wall.

Of course, learning how to do masonry with your own hands is not at all difficult. This can be done even by those who do not have much experience in construction work. However, such work will be easier to perform for a qualified specialist, since he knows many of the subtleties in performing such work. Another disadvantage of building a house from brick is that brick has a high heat transfer, which leads to the rapid cooling of the room, and it will take several days to warm up the house. In addition, you will not be able to complete all the construction work quickly enough, since brick is a heavy material, due to which you will have to wait for the house to completely shrink, that is, several months (although wood shrinks about a year). Well, perhaps one of the main disadvantages is that the price of brick is quite high.

I would also like to talk about silicate and ceramic bricks. It is these two types of bricks that are often used in construction work. Therefore, such information will be useful to you.

Ceramic brick

Has a red tint. It is made from baked clay, which makes the material quite durable. Since clay is a natural material, brick does not contain harmful toxic substances. It can be hollow or solid, it all depends on the percentage of emptiness inside the material. This brick has good thermal insulation properties.

Sand-lime brick

Has a white color. It consists of sand, lime and a small part of the necessary additives. Like the previous version, this brick is also made either solid or with holes inside. The advantage of solid sand-lime brick is the variety of colors. And brick with cavities inside has better thermal insulation properties. Both options are quite durable.

Cellular foam concrete and aerated concrete blocks

What makes these two materials different? Inside the foam concrete there are cells with air, and inside the aerated concrete there are cells with hydrogen. Both the first and second types of materials have their pros and cons. Let's consider each of them separately.

Foam concrete

Laying with such material is not a very labor-intensive process, since the blocks are quite light and slightly larger in size than bricks. The foam block has good heat-insulating properties. An important advantage of the foam block is that giving it the required shape and size is not difficult. The thing is that you can cut it with a simple hacksaw or chop off a piece with an ax. Thanks to this, you can give the block different shapes, make it oval, create bay windows, etc. In addition, the foam block does not burn, and it is quite convenient to transport it.

One of the disadvantages is that foam block is a material that has moisture-absorbing properties. Complete shrinkage of the walls will be completed in about a year. Only after complete shrinkage can you begin the façade and interior work of your home. As for the foundation, it must be made of stable foundation slabs or monolithic concrete, thanks to which the walls will not develop cracks.

Aerated concrete

It is a fairly cheap material for building a house, which is why it is very popular in the construction industry. The gas block is lightweight, it is even lighter than the foam block, which reduces your labor costs. You can give the material the required size and shape using the same hacksaw. This material boasts high-quality heat protection and high strength. According to some experts, aerated concrete combines the strength of stone and the lightness of wood.

The big disadvantage of aerated concrete is that the wall will constantly accumulate moisture. To avoid this unpleasant phenomenon, the wall surface must be sealed with a high-quality waterproofing finish. The second disadvantage is that the material is quite brittle, so large cracks can form when the wall moves. To avoid this, you need to build a high-quality strip foundation.

Expanded clay concrete

The composition of such material includes fairly light components, such as foamed and fat-free clay. Although the material is light in weight, it is used both to create partitions and load-bearing walls. It has the following advantages:

• more moisture resistant compared to concrete;
• resistant to aggressive environments;
• has excellent noise insulation properties.

The disadvantage of expanded clay concrete is that when moisture gets into the pores, it reduces its frost-resistant properties. The porosity of the material also affects its strength, since you will have to constantly calculate whether the lower blocks will withstand the weight of the next row.

Construction of walls using wooden materials

Handmade log house

Our grandfathers also used this method of building walls in the house. How did it all happen? First, the size of the tree trunk was determined, after which grooves and locks were cut out on the tree. After this, the logs were connected, laying out the outlines of the house. Next, it was necessary to wait for the house to completely shrink, which would occur within a year. Only after this did they begin to seal the cracks and trim of doors and windows. However, this method is no longer used because it is quite complex and time-consuming work. It was replaced by a new method, we will talk about it further.

The main structural part of a building is the walls. Walls are load-bearing structures that are designed to have sufficient strength and stability under vertical and horizontal loads.

Wall is a vertical fence that separates a room from the outside environment or from another room.

The walls are divided:

• depending on the load perception - on carriers, self-supporting And non-load-bearing;
• by type of material - stone, wood, walls made from local materials, as well as combined

In this article we will look at the main types of walls by type of material - wooden And stone.

Wooden walls

For the walls of low-rise buildings, wood is a traditional material. The most comfortable in terms of sanitary and hygienic requirements are paving walls And chopped walls from coniferous trees. Their disadvantages are sedimentary deformation in the first 1.5–2 years and low fire resistance.

Frame walls justified in the presence of lumber and effective insulation. Note that frame walls do not require massive foundations, unlike log walls, they do not cause post-construction deformations. The fire resistance and strength of frame walls increases when facing with brick.

Logs It is advisable to harvest in winter, since the wood is less susceptible to rotting and warping during drying. Wood moisture content should be 80–90%. Logs must be free of cracks, rot, and not affected by bark beetles and fungi. The quality of the material can be determined by hitting the butt of an ax; a clean and clear sound indicates good quality. Wooden houses are built no more than two floors high.

By design wooden walls of heated buildings are divided into chopped from logs or beams, frame, panel and frame-panel.

Chopped log walls

Characteristic

Chopped log walls They are a structure made of logs stacked on top of each other in horizontal rows and connected at the corners by notches. The thickness of the logs in the upper cut for the external walls of heated buildings located in the central zone of Russia is 22 cm, in the northern and north-eastern regions 24–26 cm. The diameter of the logs is chosen to be the same, with a difference between the upper and lower cuts of no more than 3 cm.

Technology

Each row of logs in the wall is called crowning glory. The crowns, laid sequentially one on top of the other from the bottom to the top of the wall, form a frame. The first lower crown is called the frame; it is made 2–3 cm thicker than the other crowns.

The crowns are laid with butts alternately in different directions and connected along the length by means of vertical ridge(Fig. 10), and the joints of the crowns are spaced apart along the height of the wall. The crowns are held together using grooved grooves and insert tenons measuring 25x50x120.

The crowns are stacked groove down, thereby eliminating the possibility of water flowing into it. Tow is placed in the grooves between the crowns to seal the seam and insulate it. Depending on climatic conditions, the width of the groove is taken from 12 to 15 cm.

Spikes placed every 1.5–2.0 m along the height of the log house in a checkerboard pattern, rectangular (8x2 cm) or round (3–4 cm) cross-section, 10–12 cm high. In the piers, spikes are placed in each crown, one above the other in quantity at least two and located 15–20 cm from the edges of the wall.

Within 1–2 years after construction, the log house gives a settlement amounting to 1/20 of its height, due to shrinkage of the wood and compaction of tow in the seams. Due to draft of the log house nests for tenons should exceed the height of the tenons by 10–20 mm, and gaps of 6–10 cm are left above the openings, which are filled with tow and covered with platbands.

Seams between logs to reduce airflow, caulk with tow for the first time immediately after the construction of the walls and a second time 1–2 years after the end of settlement. In the corners of the building, the crowns are matched with a notch with the remainder in the bowl or without the remainder - in the paw. With the method of joining the crowns in the corners into a paw, i.e. without any residue, less wood is consumed, so this method is more appropriate. In Fig. Figure 11 shows a section of a chopped log wall from the cornice to the foundation.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Chopped log walls are highly durable and have good heat-protective qualities, under favorable operating conditions, durability. Processing logs and building walls is a labor-intensive process that requires a lot of wood consumption.

Cobblestone walls

Characteristic

Cobblestone walls erected from horizontally laid beams. The use of beams makes it possible to eliminate manual processing of logs, cutting of corner joints, wall junctions and move on to mechanized preparation of wall elements.

Procurement of material

Bars for walls are prepared at the factory with all notches for mates and sockets for tenons. Compared to log houses, the labor intensity of constructing log houses is significantly less, and wood consumption is reduced. Unlike log walls, block walls are assembled immediately on ready-made foundations.

Technology

Section of beams for external walls, 150x150 mm and 180x180 mm are accepted. Depending on climatic conditions, for internal walls - 100x150 mm and 100x180 mm. The beams are laid on top of each other with resinous tow placed between them and the seams caulked. For better drainage of water from the horizontal seam between the beams, a 20x20 mm chamfer is removed from the upper edge of the front part of the beam.

Rows of beams are connected to each other cylindrical dowels with a diameter of 30 mm and a length of 60 mm, placing them at a distance of 1.5–2 m from one another. The crowns of the mating paving walls are at the same level and connect them at corners, junctions and sections in various ways. The conjugation of the corner and the junction of the walls using dowels is shown in Fig. 12 using spikes measuring 35x35 mm and 35x25 mm.

Protection of paving walls

Effective protection of paving walls from atmospheric influences is planking or brick cladding, which protects walls from moisture, increases thermal protection, reduces exposure to wind, and fire resistance increases with brick cladding of walls. Brick cladding must be installed with a gap from the paving walls at a distance of 5–7 cm; vents must be left at the bottom and top of the brick cladding to ensure ventilation.

Frame walls

Advantages

Frame walls require less wood than log or block walls, are less labor-intensive, and therefore more economical.

The basis of the frame walls is load-bearing wooden frame, sheathed on both sides with sheet or molded materials. Frame walls, due to their lightness, are practically not subject to shrinkage, which allows them to be sheathed or covered immediately after construction.

Wall protection

Frame walls must be protected from atmospheric moisture by external cladding with overlapped vertical and horizontal joints and arranging drains from the protruding elements of the walls. Protection against water vapor is provided by installing a vapor barrier made of synthetic film, glassine, or using other types of vapor barrier, laying them between the inner lining and the insulation.

Technology

For frame manufacturing 50 mm thick boards are used for external and internal walls, as for rafters and beams. With a thickness of 50 mm, load-bearing wall posts are recommended to be used with a width of at least 100 mm.

Width of frame posts in external walls is determined by the calculated thickness of the insulation, depending on the efficiency of the insulation itself and the calculated temperature of the outside air. The supporting frame posts are placed at a distance of 0.5 m, depending on the size of the window and door openings. The basement beams are placed at a distance of 0.5 m. The corner posts of the frame are made of beams or composite boards, and the row posts are made of boards 50x100, or 60x120 mm.

The frame is sheathed on the inside with boards of any profile and section, and plasterboard; typesetting, sheet wall panels and other finishing materials. On the outside, clapboard, siding, planks, thermal brick panels and other materials are used to cover the frame.

Insulation

Insulation of frame walls carried out using mineral and organic materials with a density of up to 500–600 kg/m³. Mineral, glass wool boards, and expanded polystyrene are effective modern insulation materials, because they are fire-resistant, lightweight, not susceptible to rotting, exposure and penetration of bacteria, fungi, and are not destroyed by rodents. Organic insulation materials are susceptible to destruction by rodents, are flammable, and subject to rotting; in addition, before backfilling, they must be treated with an antiseptic and mixed before use with a mineral binder - cement, lime, gypsum, then laid in a wet state in layers of 15–20 cm, compacting. This backfill dries within 4–5 weeks, so pre-prepared slabs and blocks of lightweight concrete should be used to fill the frame. The materials for backfilling are: pumice, sawdust, gilak, shavings, peat and others, which are significantly inferior in their properties to modern mineral insulation.

Panel walls

Advantages

Difference panel wooden houses from frame ones is that their main structural parts consist of enlarged panel elements, manufactured, as a rule, at the factory. The process of constructing panel houses comes down to installation at the construction site and finishing work. The construction of panel wooden houses reduces the labor intensity of work and ensures high installation rates.

Technology

In panel wooden houses, the basis of the walls is the lower frame made of wooden antiseptic bars, laid on the base of the building and attached to it using anchor bolts. Wall panels are installed on the frame. Above wall panels they are fastened with the top trim laid on them, on which the attic floor rests. Wall panels are made internal and external, which, in turn, are divided into blind, window and door. The height of the boards is equal to the height of the floor, the width is assumed to be 600–1200 mm. The panels consist of paving frames and sheathing, internal and external, between which insulation is placed.

Mattresses made from mineral felt. A vapor barrier is laid under the sheathing on the inside of the shield in order to prevent the formation of condensation of water vapor inside the shield penetrating into it from the side of the room. To reduce airflow, paper is placed under the outer skin.

The panels are placed vertically and connected with nails. When making joints between panels, it is necessary to ensure sufficient density and airtightness of the joint. In Fig. 14b shows the recommended design of vertical joint of panels. The joint must be covered with continuous layers of air and vapor barrier.

Mineral felt 20 mm thick is placed in the joint, gluing it cold bitumen mastic. Then, using a lever device, the joint is compressed. In panel houses, the floors are made of panels or beams.

Wall protection

When installing the basement and cornice units, it is necessary to take measures to protect them from freezing by installing insulated base and an insulated frieze belt at the eaves, as well as from humidifying the internal air with vaporous moisture, arranging a vapor barrier for this purpose. The underground under the basement floor is not insulated. The underground should be cold and well ventilated, and the structure ceilings above the underground and especially the basement unit must have reliable insulation and vapor barrier laid on top under the finished floor structure. To protect against freezing, an insulated belt is installed outside at the ceiling level.

Stone walls

Homogeneous walls

Material

Homogeneous walls made of ordinary hollow or light building bricks. In heterogeneous lightweight walls part of the brickwork was replaced by the thickness of the wall with thermal insulation tiles and an air gap.

Technology

Walls are erected with a thickness of 1/2, 1, 11/2, 2, 21/2, 3 bricks or more, taking into account the thickness of the vertical joints equal to 10 mm; brick walls have a thickness of 120, 250, 380, 510, 640, 770, respectively mm or more. The thickness of the horizontal joints is assumed to be 12 mm, then the height of 13 rows of masonry should be 1 m.

When constructing brick walls, two masonry systems are used: two-row - chain and six-row spoon.

IN double-row masonry system Pod rows alternate with spoon rows. Transverse seams in this system overlap by 1/4 of a brick, and longitudinal seams by 1/2 of a brick (Fig. 16).

Six-row system involves alternating five spoon rows with one back row. In each spoon row, the transverse vertical seams are tied in half a brick, the longitudinal vertical seams formed by the spoons are tied in stitched rows through five spoon rows.

Masonry using a six-row system is simpler than using a two-row system. To reduce the air permeability of the walls, the facing seams of the masonry are sealed with a special tool, giving the seams the shape of a roller, fillet or triangle. This method is called jointing.

Flaws

The disadvantage of ordinary solid brick, clay or silicate, is its large volumetric weight and, therefore, large thermal conductivity.

Crowning cornices

Technology

Crowning cornice, shown in Fig. 17, brick masonry walls with a small offset - up to 300 mm and no more than 1/2 the thickness of the wall, can be laid out of brick by gradually releasing rows of masonry by 60–80 mm in each row. When the projection is more than 300 mm, the cornices are made of prefabricated reinforced concrete slabs embedded in the walls.

The inner ends of the reinforced concrete slabs are covered with prefabricated longitudinal reinforced concrete beams, which are attached to the masonry using steel anchors embedded in it, thereby ensuring the stability of the cornice.

Lightweight brick walls

Characteristic

Lightweight brick walls, in which the brick is partially freed from heat-insulating functions unusual for it, by replacing part of the masonry with less heat-conducting materials, they can significantly reduce brick consumption, thereby increasing material savings.

Classification

Lightweight brick walls are divided into 2 groups. The first group includes structures consisting of two thin longitudinal brick walls, between which thermal insulation material is laid, the second group includes structures consisting of one brick wall insulated with thermal insulation slabs.

Brick walls with insulation from thermal insulation panels

Characteristic

Brick walls with insulation of thermal insulation panels (Fig. 19) consist of a load-bearing part - masonry, the thickness of which is determined only from the conditions of the strength and stability of the wall, and a heat-insulating part - foam concrete, gypsum or gypsum slag panels.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Lightweight concrete stones Compared to ordinary bricks, they have a lower volumetric weight and lower thermal conductivity, so the use of ceramic stones for the construction of external walls makes it possible to reduce their thickness. The disadvantage is that lightweight concrete stones with a lower volumetric weight have less strength and resistance to weathering.

Characteristic

Three-hollow stones with large voids have dimensions of 390x190x188 mm. In bonded rows, a bonded stone with a smooth end surface is used.

After laying stones in the wall, the voids in the climatic conditions of the middle and northern regions should be filled with slag, a material with low thermal conductivity, since when the voids are large, air exchange occurs in them, increasing the thermal conductivity of the wall. Filling voids with low-conductivity materials increases the labor intensity of masonry. To reduce air circulation in voids, three-hollow stones with blind voids are used - five-walled stones.

Traditional brick or warm ceramics, aerated concrete or wood concrete, timber or frame technology - which material is better to build a house from? Any novice developer, when choosing a building material, is faced with conflicting information. Making the optimal decision is not an easy task. We will try to narrow the scope of the search by selecting the most practical and cost-effective options.

What to consider when choosing a material

The importance of choosing building materials for external walls is difficult to overestimate. To understand what kind of house to build, experts recommend deciding on the following points:

• type of housing – short-term visits or permanent residence;
• requirements for the strength and environmental friendliness of wall material;
• expected date of occupancy;
• heating method;
• construction budget and labor intensity of the process;
• availability of building materials in the region;
• Is it possible that the house will be sold in the future?

There is no universal answer to the question of which material is best for building a private house. It all depends on the project, climate, characteristics of the region of residence and personal preferences of the owner of the site.

Basic requirements for technological properties of materials:

• good thermal protection - heating a house with cold walls will be very expensive;
• fire safety;
• durability;
• soundproofing qualities.

An important factor in the choice is the final strength of the structural elements. The walls must withstand the weight of the roof, ceilings, wind and snow loads.

Comparison of materials for building a house: qualitative assessment

To understand in what situation one or another solution would be preferable, let’s compare the technical and operational qualities of modern materials for the construction of a private house.

Brick - reliability and high cost

Despite the development of innovative technologies, brick houses retain their leadership position. The main arguments in favor of traditional material:

• excellent noise insulation performance;
• fire and environmental safety;
• prestige, aesthetics and wide architectural possibilities;
• ensuring a healthy microclimate in the room.

Brick is the most durable material for building a house. The service life of the building reaches up to 100 years.

If everything is so good, then why experiment and develop new technologies? Brick also has disadvantages:

• the need to build a solid foundation due to the weight of brick walls;
• high cost and duration of construction;
• high labor intensity and seasonality of construction work.

Ceramic brick has a fairly high thermal conductivity. To achieve effective thermal insulation, it is necessary to resort to additional insulation.

Deprived of the last drawback ceramic block– porous ceramics. Due to the smallest air pores, the material retains heat well. An additional plus is the increased dimensions and accelerated masonry process. The downside of warm ceramics is fragility. When chipping a wall, you can split the block.

Characteristics of foam and aerated concrete blocks

One of the options for how to build a warm and economical house is the use of gas and foam concrete. The thermal insulation characteristics of a wall in one layer correspond to the properties of multi-layer brickwork. The thermal efficiency of blocks is three times higher than that of bricks.

Both materials have similar characteristics, their main difference is in the internal structure. Aerated blocks are made from a homogeneous sand-cement mixture. When a blowing agent is added, small through channels are formed inside the block.

In foam blocks, on the contrary, closed pores are formed inside the material. This technology gives foam blocks some advantages over gas blocks:

• improved energy efficiency properties;
• reduced weight;
• not susceptible to moisture.

Weighty arguments in favor of both building materials: relative availability, fire and biological resistance, lightness, ease of processing.

Disadvantages of block technology:

• fragility of walls;
• the need for external finishing;
• presence of chemical elements in the composition.

Pros and cons of a wooden house

Adherents of natural materials prefer wood, focusing on the following advantages:

• environmental friendliness - the walls do not emit toxic substances hazardous to health and the environment;
• attractiveness - wooden buildings have a special charm;
• low thermal conductivity of wood;
• creating an optimal microclimate inside the house - wooden walls “breathe” and absorb excess moisture;
• strength - breaking through a wall made of logs or timber is not easy;
• the possibility of arranging a simple foundation is suitable.

A relative advantage is the cost of construction. In general, the construction of a wooden house will cost less than a brick house due to the absence of the need to finish the walls and strengthen the foundation.

However, wood cannot be called the cheapest material for building a house. The price largely depends on the region. For residents near forest plantations, it is more cost-effective to use wood; for others, the feasibility of construction is questionable. Main arguments against wood:

• the duration of wall shrinkage is about 3 years;
• fire hazard - fire-resistant liquids partially help reduce the flammability of the material, but do not completely solve the problem;
• the likelihood of cracks;
• the need for regular protective treatment of wooden walls from rotting and insect attacks.

Many wood critics have negative comments about the thermal efficiency of homes. The presence of cracks negates the thermal conductivity of wood. The building needs sealing and additional insulation.

Features of the use of wood concrete

The second name of wood concrete is woodconcrete. The material is made from cement binder and organic fillers - wood processing waste. This symbiosis has awarded wood concrete blocks a number of technical advantages:

• low thermal conductivity (up to 0.18 W/m) and good sound suppression properties;
• bending strength – wood concrete does not crack;
• the material is difficult to ignite and slightly flammable, smoke formation is low;
• ease of processing - the slabs can be sawn;
• breathability, rot resistance;
• low weight - the weight ratio of wood concrete and brick is 1:3, the requirements for the foundation are reduced.

When thinking about what to choose - wood concrete or another material, you need to take into account the climate of the region. The key to the durability of wood concrete is ensuring dryness. The basement of the house needs additional waterproofing.

In conditions of constant humidity, an arbolite block is capable of absorbing 40-80% of moisture from the outside, which reduces its thermal insulation properties.

Additional disadvantages of wood concrete: imperfect block geometry and high cost of quality material. Due to the ease of manufacture, the market is overflowing with privately produced products, the quality of which does not always meet the standards.

Monolith and concrete blocks

Concrete is considered stronger and more durable than brick. There are two technologies for building a house:

• one-piece structure made of monolithic concrete;
• prefabricated structure made from prefabricated reinforced concrete panels.

Cast concrete. The technology is quite complex: the frame of the house is built from reinforcement and gradually filled with liquid concrete. As the solution dries, the formwork is removed and moved to another pouring area.

Advantages of monolithic technology:

• reliability - the strength of the building is explained by the absence of seams, a cast house is the best option for seismically active areas;
• durability – service life more than 150 years;
• fire resistance - the walls of the house are not destroyed in a fire;
• variability of forms - by building the formwork, you can give the structure any configuration.

Disadvantages of monolithic buildings: high cost, the need to strengthen the foundation, the difficulty of creating high formwork, demands on the quality of concrete.

Prefabricated panels. This is an option for those looking for a home-like way. Ready-made concrete panels are transported to the site and a structure is formed from them.

The main advantages of the method: speed of construction, ideal geometry, affordable cost, fire safety.

In private housing construction, the method is not particularly popular for a number of reasons: the slabs are produced in standard sizes - the choice of projects is limited, concrete walls need insulation.

Frame technology - cost-effectiveness and speed of construction

For many Europeans and Americans, the question of what material is best to build a house from is not so relevant. Most people prefer frame technology.

The basis of the building is wooden frame, which is subsequently covered with thermal insulation boards. The method has a number of significant advantages:

• speed of construction and the ability to carry out work all year round - there are no “wet” processes;
• simplicity of construction - you can build a small house yourself without the use of special equipment;
• ease of construction - the frame does not require a powerful foundation;
• convenience of laying communications - water pipes, ventilation ducts and electrical cables can be laid in the cavities of walls and ceilings;
• good thermal insulation - if construction standards are observed and high-quality components are used, they are energy-intensive.

With a standard wall thickness of 30 cm, the frame retains heat, just like a brick house with a wall thickness of 50 cm.

An important and sometimes decisive factor in favor of frame technology is the low construction budget. Prefabricated houses are the most affordable and very economical to operate in winter due to the effective thermal insulation of the walls.

Frame houses are demanding on the quality of wood for the construction of the supporting structure. Compared to brick buildings, they have a lower level of sound insulation.

When is the best time to build a frame house? The popularity of framers among compatriots is increasing. The previously prejudiced attitude has changed - many have become convinced from personal experience of the practicality and heat capacity of housing. Such houses are versatile and cost-effective; their construction is justified in different climatic regions.

Alternative building materials for a private home

In some regions, in addition to the technologies described above, non-standard solutions are used:

1. Adobe. The building material is popular in Central Asia. Adobe is made from a mixture of scrap and clay. The material keeps you cool in summer and keeps you warm in winter, but is not particularly durable and is afraid of water. Adobe houses are only suitable for dry climates; the material cannot be used in conditions of long, rainy autumns and harsh winters.
2. Natural stone. The choice of lovers of antique style and all things natural. Building a house from stone is an expensive proposition. Such a structure will stand for more than a century.
3. cinder block. A compressed block of filler – slag and binder – cement. Cinder block is a cheap alternative to brick, a building material popular in the construction of outbuildings and country houses. The environmental safety of pressed blocks is questionable, so they are not recommended for the construction of residential buildings.

What kind of house to build: profitability scale

If we compare the cost of building houses from different materials and compare the upcoming maintenance costs, the rating will look like this:

• 1st place. Frame house. The estimated cost of construction is 180 USD. e./sq. m, heating and house maintenance costs are minimal.
• 2nd place. Wooden beams without insulation. The approximate cost of construction is 200 USD. e./sq. m, but heating costs are doubled, which means heating bills increase.
• 3 place. Aerated concrete with insulation. The cost of building a house is 320 USD. e./sq. m. Heating costs increase by a quarter compared to a frame house.
• 4th place. Brick, double masonry. The issue price is about 400 USD. e./sq. m. Operating a house in winter will cost three times more than maintaining a frame structure.

Potential developers often doubt whether it is worth building a frame house or whether it is better to resort to traditional technologies. Many years of foreign experience, profitability indicators and positive reviews from compatriots speak in favor of frame buildings. In many respects they are ahead of brick, wood and concrete houses.

Video: comparison of wall materials