What material can you build a house from? Do-it-yourself country house - a simple step-by-step instruction for stylish summer houses (75 photos)

The first and main issue to be resolved before the construction of a country house begins is the choice of material.

Not only the comfort of living, but also the level of energy saving depends on the correctness of its decision. Let's take a closer look at what materials are offered on the market today and how each of them fits into the universal formula "price-environmental friendliness-energy saving".

Brick house (brick, ceramic blocks)

Such a building has two advantages - durability and environmental friendliness. Indeed, in terms of its bearing capacity, a brick wall is not much inferior to a concrete one. At the same time, there is no crushed granite in it, which gives a background radiation in buildings with a monolithic reinforced concrete frame and floor panels. However, in terms of energy saving, walls made entirely of solid clay or silicate bricks are seriously inferior to other materials.

In order to keep within the current rigid framework of energy efficiency, the thickness of the brick wall must be at least 120 cm. It is clear that there is no point in building such a powerful "bunker". Therefore, these days brick is inferior to its primacy and is most often used as a decorative exterior cladding.

Attempts to improve the energy-saving qualities of bricks have been going on for a long time. For this, voids of various shapes (point or slot) are made in it. This modification gives a small increase in the energy efficiency of the wall structure, but does not fundamentally solve the problem. If we add to this the laboriousness of building walls from small-sized standard clay bricks, it becomes clear that he needs to look for a replacement.

A good solution to the question of what is the best way to build a house is to buy products produced under various brands (Porotherm, Kerakam, Poroton, etc.)

This large-sized material (250x250x140 mm, 380x250x219mm, 510x250x219mm) replaces 4 to 14 standard bricks (250x120x65mm). This makes the masonry process faster and easier.

The thermal conductivity coefficient of such walls is 0.21 W / m ° C, which is almost 3 times less than that of ordinary bricks. In terms of strength, the ceramic block is also not inferior to it (100 kg / cm2) and at the same time has good frost resistance (up to 50 freeze-thaw cycles) and vapor permeability.

The only drawback of porous ceramic blocks in the recent past was their high cost (more than 4,000 rubles per 1m3). In 2016, the average price for this material decreased and is from 3,500 rubles per cubic meter.

House of building blocks

Large-sized building blocks have seriously supplanted the standard clay brick. And the point here is not only that it takes less time and effort to install them. Affordable price is an important factor in choosing a developer. Since the list of building blocks produced today is quite extensive, we will tell you separately about each type.

Foam and gas blocks

These materials are now well-deservedly popular in low-rise construction. The fundamental difference between foam and aerated blocks lies in the manufacturing technology and internal structure.

Aerated concrete is obtained by introducing a powder blowing agent into the mixture of cement, sand, lime and water, which creates a network of small through channels inside the material. A foaming agent is added to the raw material for foam concrete, which creates closed pores filled with air inside the block. It also significantly reduces the weight of the unit and improves its energy efficiency.

Open channels serve as good conductors of moisture, so gas blocks need protection from getting wet. The foam block is more profitable in this regard, since it absorbs less water. The thermal conductivity and frost resistance of these materials are practically the same.

The density is in the range from 300 to 1200 kg / m3, which allows the developer to accurately select the block to suit his needs. Manufacturers produce heat-insulating (density from 300 to 500 kg / m3), structural and heat-insulating (500-900 kg / m3) and structural (1000-1200 kg / m3) blocks in several thicknesses - 10, 15, 20 and 30 cm.

This allows you to make the wall warm without additional costs for laying the insulation and its protection. To do this, a thinner heat-insulating block (15 cm) must be laid in the outer row of masonry, and the inner layer must be made of denser structural and heat-insulating blocks 30 cm thick.

Thanks to the ideal geometry, a house made of blocks with your own hands, without the involvement of professional masons, is built quickly and requires minimal finishing in the form of putty or decorative plaster.

The cost of these materials starts from 3000 rubles. for 1 m3. In their reviews, the owners of houses made of lightweight cellular blocks emphasize the low cost of construction and minimal heating costs.

Expanded clay blocks

Without abandoning the use of solid bricks, builders in the last century invented. This composite material consists of expanded clay gravel (pellets of fired and porous clay) and a cement mortar that holds them together.

The material turned out to be quite warm (density from 500 kg / m3) and very durable (you can build houses up to 3 floors high).

At the price, the expanded clay concrete block looks attractive (from 2900 rubles / m3). The environmental friendliness of this building material also deserves attention. The absence of synthetic and polymer additives, good vapor transmission allow it to be fully used in housing construction.

Shell rock blocks

In the era of cheap cargo transportation, shell rock was a serious competitor to the expanded clay block. This "free" material, which only needed to be cut out of the marine sedimentary massif and loaded into wagons, has now become "biting".

Judge for yourself, the price per cubic meter with delivery to the central regions of Russia reaches 5,000 rubles. Coupled with the fragility and its poor geometry of the stone, the developer can only rely on its excellent environmental friendliness.

Arbolite blocks

The main components of this material are wood chips and sawdust (ratio 4: 1). They not only make the block warm and light, but also reinforce it, increasing its strength and crack resistance.

As in the case of expanded clay blocks, a cement mortar acts as a binder. The density ranges from 500 to 850 kg / m3. It is possible to build low-rise buildings from it without using a reinforced belt. This material is quite elastic, therefore it can withstand the load from floor slabs without cracking. The breathability of wood concrete blocks is high and is quite comparable to wood.

Its low density speaks volumes about the good heat and sound-insulating qualities of wood concrete. Impregnation with cement makes the wood chips durable and resistant to decay. Decorating walls made of wood concrete does not require the use of reinforcement mesh, since the rough surface of the material perfectly holds the plaster. The price of wood concrete blocks starts at an average of 4,000 rubles per 1 m3.

Teplosten blocks

The developer's dream of a masonry material, in which there is a load-bearing part, insulation and exterior decoration at the same time, was embodied in Teplosten blocks.

By its construction, it is a three-layer "sandwich". The outer and inner layers are made of expanded clay concrete, and inside there is foam. Dissimilar materials in the contact zone protect the fiberglass rods installed inside the block from delamination.

On the outer edge of the three-layer block, we see a textured pattern. Having built a new house from this material, the owner can only paint the walls in the desired color, without resorting to expensive decorative plaster.

Exterior view of Teplosten block

The main disadvantage of Teplosten blocks is obvious. It is polystyrene enclosed between layers of expanded clay concrete. It does not allow water vapor to pass through, so it will be damp without forced ventilation. Manufacturers solve this problem by issuing special blocks in which there is a ventilation hole with a grill.

If the owner of the future house made of Teplosten blocks does not take care of the ventilation problem in time, then the foam can present him with another unpleasant surprise. Consider the physics of the process of diffusion of water vapor through a wall. Having met an insurmountable obstacle in the form of foam plastic on its way, water vapor will condense in the inner layer of expanded clay. This will lead to wetting of the walls with all the ensuing uncomfortable consequences for living.

The cost of Teplosten blocks starts from 7,000 rubles / m3. Despite the rather solid price, let's not forget that such a wall does not require insulation and rough finishing.

Cinder blocks

Produced in the 80s of the last century as an inexpensive alternative to scarce bricks. Today, cinder blocks are rarely used in residential construction. The large weight and high thermal conductivity of cinder block walls require insulation with plates of mineral or ecowool (10-15 cm) and high-quality finishing.

The cost of cinder blocks, offered today to private developers, is low and ranges from 2300 to 3000 rubles per 1 m3.

Houses from a log, a bar, a wooden frame

At the same time, you should know that a sufficiently warm house for permanent residence can only be built from a log with a diameter of at least 40 centimeters. Today, the standard wall thickness of a log house is from 24 to 32 cm, which does not meet the requirements of heat engineering standards. Therefore, in order not to spend significant amounts on heating, the wooden blockhouse must be additionally insulated.

The cost of 1m3 of rounded logs prepared for stacking in 2016 ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 rubles. The cost of dry profiled timber is even higher and starts at 10,000 rubles per cubic meter.

For glued profiled timber, which gives minimal shrinkage and is practically not subject to warping, sellers ask from 22 to 26 thousand rubles. Market experts predict that no price jump is expected for this material in 2017.

Concluding a brief overview of materials for the construction of wooden houses, a few words should be said about frame technology.

It is difficult to call it a high-speed one, since the degree of factory readiness here is practically "zero". At the site, builders assemble a frame from separate beams and boards, spending no less time on this than bricklayers on laying blocks. But in terms of reliability and durability, a house built using frame technology is not much inferior to capital structures made of wood.

There are no problems with energy saving in such housing either. The customer can choose any thickness of insulation without spending money on external insulation and finishing, as in the case of block or log construction.

Since no one evaluates the frame in cubes, then we will have to compare the cost of 1m2 of a frame wall with the cost of a log and squared wall.

The main elements of the frame - racks, board, mineral wool, vapor barrier, wooden blockhouse or DSP slab (outside), drywall or wall paneling (inside) are calculated quickly and simply, amounting to a total of 1,200 rubles / m2.

At the same time, the cheapest wall made of rounded logs with a thickness of 32 cm will cost you 2,500 rubles per 1m2. Do not forget that you still have to insulate it, spending from 250 to 300 rubles. Thus, in terms of the price of materials, the "skeleton" significantly outperforms the frame.

With the same heat-insulating capacity, a wooden frame house wall is cheaper than a block one (a frame with 150 mm mineral wool versus 40 cm thick aerated concrete blocks + 5 cm mineral wool).

House from SIP panels

This material cannot be called optimal from the point of view of environmental friendliness, although the manufacturers of such buildings are trying to prove the opposite.

The main advantage is the high construction speed. It is difficult to classify these structures as cheap.

The cost of 1m2 of a sandwich plate, depending on the thickness of the insulation (10,15,20 cm), ranges from 900 to 1,500 rubles. For comparison, the cost of 1m2 of a wall made of 40 cm thick aerated blocks is about 1200 rubles.

LSTK (light steel structures)

The undivided dominance of plasterboard technology prompted engineers to create a more durable analogue for assembling the frame of low-rise buildings. This is how a new technology appeared. It was based on light steel structures (LSTK).

The assembly of buildings from steel profiles is similar to the assembly of wooden frame frames. At the same time, houses made of LSTC surpass them in terms of durability, biostability and fire safety. The construction speed of such housing is lower than when using SIP panels, but higher than that of block and log construction.

The high cost of metal is the main disadvantage of the LSTK technology. The average cost of materials for the construction of 1 m2 of a wall from a metal profile is about 2,400 rubles.

Concrete panels

Large-sized expanded clay panels are rarely used these days. The main reason for low demand is the minimum choice of sizes and planning solutions.

Expanded clay concrete wall panel

Nevertheless, it is possible to build a new house from them faster than using bricks, beams or cellular blocks (the price of 1m2 of a 34 cm thick panel does not exceed 1,300 rubles). To this price you need to add the cost of the insulation (150-200 rubles per 1m2). Without it, the wall will not meet modern thermal engineering standards.

To summarize our review, we will give brief practical recommendations.

1. The most popular budget options for low-rise construction include gas and foam blocks, expanded clay concrete blocks and a wooden frame.

Ceramic blocks, which were included in the category of expensive materials, have fallen in price today in most regions of Russia. Therefore, we will also rank them in the category of budget solutions for private construction. Excellent thermal insulation qualities, impeccable environmental friendliness, a large selection of standard sizes - all these positive qualities of ceramic blocks deserve your attention.

2. Arbolite blocks occupy a higher price step. The house from them turns out to be warm and durable. It creates a comfortable microclimate and comfortable acoustics. The disadvantages of wood concrete should include the dependence of quality on the production capabilities of a particular manufacturer. Not all companies producing this material use high-quality wood chips, adding a large amount of sawdust and substandard woodworking waste to the feedstock.

3. Blocks Teplosten and LSTK at first glance evoke sympathy. Houses from them are built quickly and not expensive. At the same time, many developers have reasonable doubts about their reliability and environmental friendliness, which does not reflect in the best way on the popularity of these materials.

4. Installation of a house from SIP panels can rightfully be called the fastest and most budgetary option. It is difficult to attribute these structures to the category of popular solutions, since there are serious doubts about their environmental friendliness and reliability.

5. Logs and profiled timber in the first approximation look quite budget. However, here you need to take into account the additional costs of insulation and regular antiseptic processing of the walls. In addition, the quality of log cabins strongly depends on the quality of the material used and the qualifications of the installers. The main advantages of rounded logs and profiled beams are environmental friendliness and aesthetics.

6. Glued laminated timber is an elite building material. Beautiful and environmentally friendly houses are being erected from it, which cannot be classified as budget ones. The absence of shrinkage and the high assembly speed delight the developers who have chosen this option.

Concluding our review, we note that when looking for the best option for building a new house, you need:

• Find out the availability and price of the material you like in your region.
• Study the reviews of the owners of houses built from it.
• Get as much information as possible about suppliers, manufacturers and contractors offering construction services from the material you intend to buy.
• Visit construction exhibitions in your region, production shops and facilities under construction. Here you will receive valuable and objective first-hand information.

Even in the tale of the three pigs, the most important and always relevant thought about the correct choice of building material for the house is raised. It's a fairy tale, but many of us, like the heroes of the famous work, want to build a solid, reliable house with minimal effort. However, today it is quite possible to do this thanks to the development of construction technologies. Nevertheless, there are so many different wall materials that the developer has to puzzle hard when deciding what material is best to build a house. Brick, aerated concrete, wood, sandwich panels - which is better, more reliable, durable and warmer?

The cost of building walls at home is up to 40% of the cost of all work, so it is so important to weigh the numerous pros and cons of each material in order to make the only correct decision. It is also necessary to take into account the seasonality of living in the house, the requirements for thermal insulation, the cost of the fuel used for heating, as well as the labor intensity of the work and the budget allocated for the construction. There are a lot of materials for building a house today - to find the one that most closely meets the needs is not a problem.

# 1. Wooden house

The most conservative and traditional material for building a house is wood. Its undeniable advantages include:

Minuses:

• high fire hazard, even despite the fact that today special impregnations are used in the production of timber;
• the tree is sensitive to moisture and pests, they also try to fight this, but without constant care, the material will be constantly damaged;
• shrinkage;
• high price.

Glued profiled timber

# 2. Brick house

Another classic and time-tested material for building a house is. Despite the appearance of a mass of alternative materials, it remains most popular material for the construction of low-rise private houses, and there are many reasons for that.

pros:

• high durability and strength;
• inertia, insects and;
• fire resistance;
• the material is breathable;
• brick allows you to translate into reality a project of any complexity.

Minuses:

For the construction of a 2- or 3-storey house enough brick of strength M100 or M125, but the basement floor is better to be built of brick M150-M175. It is also necessary to take into account the frost resistance of the brick, which is determined by the cycles of freezing and defrosting, which the material can withstand without losing its basic properties. If for warm regions it is quite possible to use brick F15-30, then for the middle lane it is better to take material with frost resistance F50, and for the most severe regions - F100. After the construction of the house, he is given some time to dry. Brick walls are usually finished.

By filling, bricks are divided into:

For the construction of walls, only two types of bricks are used:

• silicate (white).

Ideally, it is better to build from plastic formed ceramic bricks... It is made from high quality clay using the extrusion method. Dry and semi-dry ceramic bricks are mainly used for cladding due to their high geometry accuracy. differs in durability, good sound insulation and durability.

Silicate brick produced on the basis of sand and lime, it is cheaper than ceramic, but more fragile, has a small variety, lower thermal insulation and low moisture resistance.

Number 3. Aerated concrete houses

Lightweight concrete blocks are the most promising material for building a house from all existing at the moment. Of all stone materials, cellular concrete has the best performance in terms of thermal insulation. Due to the fact that the block is large (replaces 17-20 single bricks), the construction of buildings is carried out quickly. In terms of strength and durability, the material is practically not inferior to brick. Aerated concrete includes aerated concrete, foam concrete,, but the most widespread in private construction were the first two.

Aerated concrete house (aerated concrete)

House of cinder-concrete

No. 4. Frame house

No. 5. Reinforced concrete panel houses

Another option for fast construction is the technology of erecting houses from ready-made factory houses. A low-rise house can be built in a few days! The technology resembles the one that was so actively used in the Soviet Union for the rapid construction of millions of square meters of housing.

pros:

Minuses:

• a solid foundation is needed;
• a small number of offers on the market (few companies cast slabs for the created project - usually elements of typical sizes are made);
• such a house “does not breathe”;
• concrete does not hold heat well.

When it is necessary to quickly build a reliable and durable house of decent size, then this is one of the best options, especially since today it is possible to cast panels of strictly necessary shapes and sizes in order to erect a building according to.

When choosing a material for building a house, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the climate, the type of soil, and the future heating system, and many other factors. But even the highest quality building material can be disappointing in case of violation of construction technology or an incorrectly laid foundation, so these points should be given no less importance.

Any construction is always a cost, and a big one. But even if your budget is small, you should not give up trying to acquire your own home, because you can always build a house inexpensively if you know what and how you can save money. However, it should be understood that any savings should not be at the expense of the strength, comfort, beauty and durability of the home. In our article we will tell you how to quickly build a house with your own hands and at the same time get by with a minimum budget.

Savings methods

To begin with, building a house cheaply is, of course, possible, but since you and your family have to live in it, the quality of the construction should not suffer. Moreover, a house made should not be:

• Too small. The usable building area should meet the needs of your family.
• Inconvenient. It is necessary to choose a layout option in which all family members will feel comfortable and cozy in such a house. It is equally important to provide for the zoning of the house, separating the sleeping (quiet) area from the living room, kitchen and hallway.
• A well-built home doesn't have to be expensive. To build a cheap home, you can use inexpensive but solid materials, economical construction technologies, and simple installation methods.

To make your home quickly and inexpensively, you can save in the following ways:

1. At the very initial stage, you can save on choosing a project. Moreover, we are talking not only about the use of a standard project instead of custom-made developments, but also about economical planning solutions, as well as the selection of durable and inexpensive structures.
2. To build a house cheaper, you can save on finishing work. That is, you should use the simplest and most inexpensive finishing materials for walls, floors and ceilings, inexpensive plumbing. The comfort of living in the house will not decrease from this, but the savings are obvious.
3. It is better to carry out the purchase and delivery of materials yourself, and not to entrust the contractor. So you can control everything, choose less expensive materials.
4. It's a lot cheaper to build your own home than to hire a team of workers. But this option can be realized if building houses is at least a little familiar to you.

This is not worth saving

If you decide to build the cheapest house, but want it to be warm and economical, then in no case should you save on the following things:

1. If you entrust the construction process to a team of workers, then you should not save on technical supervision. Even with at least some knowledge of the construction process and materials, you still cannot fully control the quality and correctness of all construction work. And the strength and durability of the entire building depends on this.
2. Even if you are buying a typical house project, it is worth ordering its binding to your area and climatic conditions. So you can build an inexpensive house, the design solutions of which will be adapted to your climatic conditions, soil characteristics, groundwater level. It will also be useful to perform a heat engineering calculation of the thickness of the enclosing structures so that the house is warm in winter, and there is no waste of materials for unnecessarily thick walls and insulation.
3. If you decide to build an inexpensive house, then you should not save on engineering systems and communications, because the comfort of your stay in the house depends on it. Power supply, water, sewerage and good heating - all this must be of high quality and work properly for a long time.

Economical housing options

To build a house inexpensively, you need to choose the optimal construction technology. To date, several technologies are known that allow you to build a house quickly and inexpensively:

• frame-panel housing construction;
• frame-panel houses;
• building a house from a bar;
• use of aerated concrete blocks.

The construction of prefabricated houses for each of the above technologies has its pros and cons. So that you can choose the best construction option that will allow you to build a house relatively inexpensively and quickly, it is worth examining the advantages and disadvantages of each technology.

Frame house building

The construction speed using this technology is the highest. A house can be built even in a few weeks. The resulting structure will be sufficiently warm, durable and weather-resistant. The service life of a frame house can be up to 75 years.

A house can be built cheaply using one of two frame technologies:

• Frame-panel construction in the first place for the speed of installation. For the construction of a house, ready-made or home-made sandwich panels and a frame made of timber are used. The construction technology is so simple that the structure can be built independently.
• For building a house frame-panel technology it will take a little longer, but the cost of construction will be cheaper than the previous installation method. In this case, a wooden frame of the house is first erected on the construction site, then it is sheathed with wood sheet material. Heat-insulating material is laid in the gap between the frame posts, then the walls are sewn up from the inside with OSB or moisture-resistant plywood. Necessarily in the construction of the walls a wind and hydro-barrier is used.

The advantages of the technology include the following:

1. Due to the low weight of the building, you can save on the manufacture of the foundation and the amount of earthwork. Moreover, the walls themselves are cheaper at cost than building a house out of brick or concrete.
2. Such a house warms up very quickly and retains heat well. Walls 20 cm thick protect from the cold in winter no worse than a 0.5 m thick brick wall.
3. Due to the low thermal conductivity of the material, you can significantly save on heating your house in winter.
4. Such buildings do not shrink, so finishing work and settling into the house can be done immediately after the construction of the box.
5. Since there are no wet processes during construction, the house can be installed even in winter.

Cons of wireframe technology:

1. The high tightness of the frame house is its main disadvantage, because for a comfortable stay in the house, you will have to equip high-quality supply and exhaust ventilation.
2. The ecological purity of such a building is questionable, because the OSB contains synthetic resins, and the expanded polystyrene itself, which is used to insulate a house, cannot be called an environmentally friendly material.
3. Increased flammability. Moreover, expanded polystyrene emits toxic components during combustion.
4. The durability and safety of such a house is questionable, because if you wish, you can cut a hole in the wall with an ax.

Aerated concrete houses

You can quickly build a house from aerated concrete blocks. Building a house box made of this material is much more profitable than building a brick for several reasons:

1. If you are looking for how to build a house cheaply and quickly yourself, then aerated concrete is exactly the material that will allow you to achieve what you want three times faster than using traditional brick.
2. The built house practically does not shrink, so after installing windows and doors, you can immediately start finishing and settling in the dwelling. This is especially important if it is important for you to get your home as soon as possible.
3. The low thermal conductivity of the material helps to retain heat in the house. As a result, you can save on heating in winter. Moreover, the walls are 1/3 thicker than brick structures, which also retain heat well in the house.
4. Due to the small specific weight and significant dimensions of one block, a house can be built with your own hands without using construction equipment in the shortest possible time.
5. The porous structure of aerated concrete allows the walls to breathe. Thanks to this, a microclimate favorable for humans is formed in the room.
6. Aerated blocks give a flat, smooth surface that does not need additional leveling before finishing.

Important: when building such a house, it is better to use not an ordinary solution, which will contribute to the formation of "cold bridges", but a special glue that gives an airtight and thin seam.

When deciding what is cheaper to build a house from, it is worth considering the disadvantages of aerated concrete:

1. Due to its high porosity, the material is very hygroscopic; therefore, it must be carefully protected from moisture with special finishes outside and inside the premises. A damp gas block loses its thermal insulation characteristics.
2. Aerated concrete walls cannot be left without finishing, so you cannot save on finishing materials.
3. To lean on the aerated concrete blocks of the truss structure and floor slabs, it is necessary to equip a monolithic armored belt, and this entails additional costs of money and time.

Log houses

When choosing from which to build a cheaper house, you should pay attention to profiled and glued beams. Of course, glued laminated timber is not such a cheap material, but profiled products of chamber drying are not worse in terms of performance and at the same time have an affordable price.

Among the advantages of log houses, it is worth noting the following points:

1. High thermal insulation characteristics. A wall of timber 22 cm thick is equivalent in terms of thermal conductivity to a brick wall 0.6 m thick.
2. Walls made of profiled and glued laminated timber look so attractive from the outside and inside that they do not need any finishing.
3. Due to the lightness of the material, a shallow lightweight foundation can be made for the structure.
4. The technology for building from a bar is quite simple, so you can build a house with your own hands.
5. The timber structure is distinguished by its ecological cleanliness and a special favorable microclimate.
6. The speed of construction is another plus in favor of this technology.
7. A house from a bar can be built even in winter.

Among the disadvantages of the technology, it is worth mentioning the following:

1. Wood is susceptible to rot, mold and insect damage, so periodically you will need to renew the protective antiseptic impregnation.
2. A house made of wood shrinks, so it will not be possible to move in immediately after the construction of the box.

Attention: it may take 6 to 12 months for a house made of natural moisture wood to shrink. A chamber-dried building of glued and profiled timber will shrink in 3 months.

1. Wood is a combustible material, so all elements must be treated with fire retardants.
2. It is necessary to strictly observe the construction technology and use a mezhventsovy insulation so that the house is warm and comfortable, and the structure itself has served for a long time.