Half-timbered houses: the nuances of building a building with your own hands. Do-it-yourself half-timbered houses How to build do-it-yourself half-timbered houses

Frame houses based on the half-timbered principle have been known for a long time, since they were made of pine and turned out to be very warm and strong. Such houses to this day do not lose popularity among residents. country houses, private cottages and summer cottages, so they can be found in different parts of the world, where people care about comfort and want to live in beauty. We invite you to get acquainted with do-it-yourself technology for the construction of half-timbered houses.

Structures of half-timbered houses

Half-timbered house combines wood with stone and glass. All this is assembled and forms a common harmonious composition... The appearance of these houses is recognizable and it is difficult to confuse it with other types of frame buildings. A half-timbered house is being built quickly, it serves for a long time and is distinguished by its warmth and beauty. Availability large windows allows you to expand the horizon and make your stay at home comfortable.

The construction of a half-timbered house begins with laying the foundation. It is erected as a monoblock reinforced concrete foundation, or on the principle of a shallow one. The depth is calculated taking into account the peculiarities of the local soil, the proximity of the passage groundwater, features of the future construction.

For the frame of the structure of a half-timbered house, special pine beams are taken. The frame is made in full accordance with the design, taking into account the slopes and the calculation of the bearing capacity of the building. The walls according to the project of the half-timbered house are not load-bearing. They divide the house space into parts and at the same time turn out to be light and tough. Their connection is made using spikes, iron brackets, plates. The bottom of the frame connects to the foundation anchor bolts... Before that, the base of the house is covered with two layers of waterproofing. Bottom part buildings are covered with polystyrene foam, as it prevents moisture and cold from entering the room.

This frame structure half-timbered house according to construction technology can be filled various materials... The walls inside the house are filled with heat and vapor barrier in mats with a layer of isofol or other foil-clad material. Home decoration can be ordered on a turnkey basis or made by yourself using any mixtures.

How to build a half-timbered house with your own hands

Before erecting a half-timbered house, you need to create a plan. It should describe: technology and sequence of work, amount of material, type of foundation. You can draw up the planning for the construction of a house yourself, or contact professionals who will help you translate all ideas on paper and tell you how to implement them in life.

1. First, the depth is calculated, the reinforced concrete is laid out and poured reinforced foundation at home.
2. When creating a plan, axial structures and any extra features that will make the house design.
3. The frame is made of polished or glued pine timber, which is pre-impregnated protective compounds... After installing the frame, it must be opened with varnish.

Frame-frame construction allows:

• reduce construction using technology to the shortest possible time;
• make the house reliable and durable.

In such construction, the number of wood material, which allows, in addition to saving time, to get and save money.

The frame, terraces, walls, roof of the house are all connected by wooden spikes and iron brackets. At the same time, the structure turns out to be strong and at the same time lightweight. The outer cells are filled with mats with heat, sound and moisture protection properties. From above, everything is covered with plywood plates with antiseptic impregnation or OSB plates... After that, windows, doors are inserted and you can start cladding. The cladding of the frame is made from any material that the future owner of this house chooses to his liking.

Half-timbered houses by construction technology they always have many windows, and the walls are most often finished with wood or stone. These combinations make your home complete and beautiful. Windows are most often deaf, hinged, panoramic or showcase. They are fixed silicone sealant and are closed by platbands with felt insulation.

Engineering networks and communications are laid under the floor. Various cables for lighting houses and streets, water supply and sewage pipes are hidden. For such a house, a warm water floor is most often used in the form of heating. Pipes for sewerage and water supply inside the house are taken from polypropylene. The wiring to the sockets is carried out inside the walls.

When choosing a roof during construction, a gable roofless structure is most often used, but you can make any other, the most unusual option at your own discretion. In any case, there should be large overhangs that protect the house from bad weather and bright light. Terraces allow you to create the effect of a continuation of the house, they are also located under common roof... Ceilings inside the house are hemmed with plasterboard or any wood material... Full compliance with the planning documentation and technology allows you to build a half-timbered house that meets reliability, which will guarantee comfortable living in it for many years.

The half-timbered method is used for private construction, for the construction of hotels, cafes and other public buildings. Knowing the technology, you can build a turnkey half-timbered house with your own hands with minimal costs. Another way is to ask the developer for prices and buy a ready-made house.

Half-timbered houses are a method of building residential houses and mini-hotels, which was invented by Europeans in the 15th century. Today, the popularity of this construction method has started to return again. Initially, when such houses only began to appear, they became a new trend in architectural construction. The space between the girders was filled with clay and a mixture of various plants. Modern half-timbered houses look much more elegant. The construction of such houses is very practical, but at the same time lightweight. These houses are usually built without an attic. But there are also options with the construction of an attic.

Features of half-timbered houses

Half-timbered houses appeared in Scandinavia

Today, architects use one favorite technique - the removal of the walls of half-timbered houses. This is possible due to the fact that there is practically no load on them. In place of the walls, windows of any length can be mounted. This allows you to create a sense of oneness with the external environment. Most of these houses are being built outside the city.

One-story half-timbered houses are timber structures. The main feature of such houses is that the wooden beams are not hidden under the cladding. On the contrary, they become the main visible difference between such designs.

The main features of such houses are as follows:

Stages of building a half-timbered house

Stages of building a house in a similar style:

1. Before starting construction, it is necessary to develop a project, make a drawing. There are both classic and exclusive projects houses. The speed of project creation will depend on how complex it is. If you want to speed up the process, you can take finished project and upgrade it according to your wishes. At the same time, great attention should be paid to laying the necessary communications;
2. Installation of the foundation. It is desirable that it be monolithic.
3. Building a kit at home. A full-fledged set of parts for a half-timbered house is created in production. The frame of such a house consists of glued laminated timber... For its manufacture, natural wood is used, which is environmentally friendly. The thickness of the timber is chosen depending on the climate conditions in which the house will be located;
4. Assembling a half-timbered house. After the kit with the parts is received, you can start assembling. It is important to determine if the first row of strapping is horizontal. After all, if there is even the slightest bias, the integrity of the structure may be violated. The beams are attached to each other using a cut. They are fixed using a hairpin. If you have a drawing, it will not be difficult for you to assemble such a house from a bar. The assembly technology here is the same as when working with the designer. As a rule, you will need 2 weeks to build;
5. Roof installation works. At this stage, the roof and attic are insulated, the roof is mounted. The rafters are made of timber, which allows for greater strength. First, the place between the rafters is insulated. After that, waterproofing is done and the crate is attached;
6. Half-timbered house glazing. Distinctive feature, which has a half-timbered style, is high glazing. Display-type windows are not only very aesthetic, but also reliable. The windows can be of any length. The glazed space can fill more than half of the entire wall area. Do not be afraid that you will need to spend a lot of money on heating. Half-timbered houses require the installation of special heat-saving double-glazed windows. In such a house, you will feel comfortable even in severe frost;
7. Installation of walls outside. It uses technology using OSB boards... You can decorate the walls outside with any material. It all depends on the preferences of the customer;
8. Installation engineering communications... As already mentioned, this point should be resolved even before construction begins. After all, the installation of communications is associated with many nuances;
9. Interior decoration. This is the final stage of work. Half-timbered houses have a special design, thanks to which you can use a large number of various partitions... So, indoor spaces in such a house can be quite spacious.

   
   An example of a first floor plan of a half-timbered house

The frame of a half-timbered house always consists only of glued beams.

Construction time

Half-timbered houses look very beautiful

The duration of the work will depend on the specific characteristics of the project. These include the size of the building, originality, and others. In general, the construction is carried out in a very short time. Let's say a 300 square meter prefabricated house in this style can be commissioned in 10 months.

It takes just a couple of weeks to assemble a house. It will take about 2 months for the design. The same amount of time is needed to decorate the house inside and outside. The laying of communications will also take a couple of months. Three months - additional content.

If you need to install a bath or pool, then the construction can be extended for a longer period. By typical project you can build a house in seven months. Less will not work. After all, drying is required for the timber. And the foundation will have to be infused.

An example of the layout of the second floor of a half-timbered house

Construction features

Features of the construction of houses in such projects are as follows:

Half-timbered houses are also becoming more and more popular in Russia.

1. Due to the fact that such frame houses are lightweight, the foundation can be made monolithic strip;
2. There are strict requirements for the choice of timber. It must be made from softwood. Boards should be peeled of bark and trimmed from all sides. There should be chamfers along each edge. There should be no mold or other damage on the tree;
3. The technology of half-timbered houses also has its drawbacks. These are fragile floors between floors. So, it is better to build frame houses of no more than three floors. It is better to refuse the attic. As a rule, such projects of log houses involve one floor;
4. The facade of the house, made of wood, requires maintenance. It should be painted about once every three years;
5. The half-timbered house is very modern. Due to the fact that it allows you to use various options finishes;
6. Prefabricated houses made using this technology are very environmentally friendly and fireproof.

All of the above indicators that prefabricated houses have are quite high, but only under certain conditions. So, for example, the environmental friendliness of a house will depend on how environmentally friendly all of its components are.

The floors in half-timbered houses are fragile. In the event of a strong fire or earthquake, they will collapse.

If toxic paint is used to paint the timber, then it will be possible to argue with environmental friendliness. The same goes for fire safety. All elements must be non-flammable. They can be treated with refractory compounds.

It is quite difficult to draw up a project of a half-timbered house.

The thermal insulation performance will be high only if thermal insulation materials selected correctly.
Production frame houses this technology has both certain advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages and disadvantages of half-timbered houses

Among the advantages are such as:

Half-timbered houses look harmonious especially against the background of nature

1. Ease of construction. This eliminates the need to build a solid foundation. Accordingly, the construction time in general is reduced;
2. Huge opportunities for glazing. Prefabricated houses built using half-timbered technology are quite durable. So, there is a possibility for the implementation of continuous glazing without the use of frame structures;
3. Large areas of the premises. Any length of windows. All this is possible thanks to the use of glued beams, which are able to cover huge spans;
4. Short construction time. A modern half-timbered house does not require the use of powerful technology. It can be assembled very quickly by a team of six people;
5. Unique and modern design;
6. Use of environmentally friendly material - timber;
7. Prefabricated houses built with this technology will not shrink.

Among the disadvantages are the following

1. High cost of materials;
2. Frame materials require constant maintenance;
3. High fire hazard;
4. The likelihood of mold and mildew;
5. Small wall thickness.

Thanks to a special lighting technology, such a house will have a record amount of light. So, such modern house can become a real dream. The construction of a half-timbered house is quite complicated, so it will not be easy to build it yourself.

It is necessary to have certain skills in frame construction. The technology for the construction of such houses was widely used in Germany and Europe. People who have never seen such a modern house from the inside believe that from the inside it looks the same as the outside. In some cases, they turn out to be right.

Sectional wall of a half-timbered house

Such a house is decorated from the inside in the "half-timbered" style or in the Scandinavian, which involves the use of white tones, a large amount of free space.

High-tech style is also acceptable. It is characterized by a large amount of metal, minimalism. If the construction of such a house does not involve the use of metal parts, then they can be successfully used in the interior.

Half-timbered houses have one significant drawback, which is the high risk of fire.

Some owners of such houses prefer to design their home in classic style... House beams can be actively used as an interior element. The roof of such houses is traditionally made gable without an attic. Although if the presence of an attic is important for you, then this option can also be thought over.

Video

You can watch a video where experts will tell you about the features of half-timbered houses.

Half-timbered houses have become one of the business cards architecture of the middle ages. Features of this architectural style becomes clear already from the word itself - the German Fachwerk, which consists of two semantic parts: Fach, which means part, panel, section, and Werk - structure. Medieval technology was so successful that half-timbered houses - frame house projects, which appeared in Germany in the 15th century, are popular again centuries later.

Construction of half-timbered houses: technologies tested for centuries

Created in Germany, half-timbered houses, the construction technology of which practically did not undergo significant changes, appeared as a result of an acute shortage quality wood in medieval Europe. Therefore, they created from wood wooden frame, and the space between the beams was originally filled with clay, which was replaced by more durable materials: stone and brick. Another undoubted advantage in the Middle Ages, it was possible to quickly restore a destroyed or damaged half-timbered house with your own hands. This was very important for the constantly belligerent Europe of that time.

The basis of a half-timbered house is a complex wooden frame consisting of horizontal, vertical and diagonal elements, which are the main feature of the half-timbered architectural style. Diagonal elements - braces located between beams and struts add rigidity and strength to the structure. To create the structure of the frame, wood was used - spruce, oak, fir, Douglas, and the strength of the frame is achieved through accurate calculation of loads and precise connection of all parts.

The vertical arrangement of the beams has fully justified itself - today you can find houses built more than 500 years ago. The reason for this longevity is due to a well-polished vertical beam rainwater drains quickly, practically without lingering and not being absorbed. And this is the fundamental difference between half-timbered houses and traditional chopped Russian huts, in which the logs were placed horizontally and, as a result, absorbed more moisture, which led to a more rapid gradual destruction of wood.

Half-timbered houses: revival of popularity

Interest in half-timbered houses revived in the mid-70s of the last century, primarily due to the emergence of new, technologically advanced materials. Modern tendencies design allowed to give a new sound and content to the already classical methods decor and construction. And although modern half-timbered houses are quite seriously different from classical designs, they are also popular among lovers of classic European rustic style.

If clay was originally used to fill the space between the beams, then wooden panels, stone or brick, then with the advent of double-glazed windows technology, it became possible to build half-timbered houses with full glazing. Full glass facade looks very impressive and sophisticated, while maintaining the visual dismemberment of the wall - the main architectural feature of the half-timbered buildings.

One of the features of half-timbered architecture is the decorative function of the frame. This is its main difference from ordinary frame houses, which, when finishing load-bearing beams turn out to be hidden. The special arrangement of the frame elements not only visually divides the facade into panels of various shapes, but also creates a bizarre pattern (they are also called "figures"): "man", "St. Andrew's cross", "wild man" and others.

Advice! To make the exterior of the house more decorative and attractive, corner posts decorate carving, and the heads of the beams protruding onto the facade are given curly shapes, for example, a horse's head, races, etc.

At the same time, modern technologists have made it possible to obtain a warm "glass House- installed special, low-emission double-glazed windows let in solar short-wave radiation, but at the same time it acts as an insurmountable obstacle for thermal long-wave radiation. As a result, to calculate the heating power of such a house, the traditional formula for stone and concrete houses is often used - 1 W of power per 10 m 2. At the same time, the glass only looks fragile outwardly - in fact, it is made using technology and can reach a thickness of up to 6 mm. In addition, even if suddenly, which is unlikely in normal conditions, such glass will break, the fragments will not fly apart - they will remain hanging on the elastic polymer film.

As a result, using a half-timbered structure, it is possible to create large glazed areas, turning the entire facade into one large glass wall. Thus, it becomes possible to realize the effect of merging with nature and the surrounding space. The landscapes that surround the house seem to become part of the interior.

Another reason for the increased popularity of half-timbered houses was the use of glued timber instead of the usual wood, which made it possible to recruit a very strong frame. In this case, the elements of the frame (glued laminated timber and metal fasteners connecting the frame elements) additionally act as a decorative part of the exterior and interior of the building. In addition, the sturdy frame allows for any building layout in which spacious open spaces the exterior glass walls are adjacent to the cozy and quiet secluded rooms inside the building. And since the concept “ bearing wall»Is absent in principle, all the load falls on the frame, in such a house you can easily redevelop at any time.

The use of laminated veneer lumber to obtain the frame made it possible to get rid of a number of disadvantages characteristic of natural wood:

• increased fire safety - glued laminated timber ignites when more high temperatures, how ordinary tree... In addition, it does not burn, but smolders, retaining its shape to the last bearing capacity, thereby giving much more time than natural timber for the evacuation of people

• no shrinkage - over time, glued laminated timber practically does not change its linear dimensions, which allows you to start internal and exterior decoration immediately after the installation of the frame

• resistance to moisture, mold and mildew resistance
• high strength - by this indicator, glued laminated timber is 2 times higher than solid wood

Fachwerk, that is, a frame house filled with clay or brick, appeared in the 11th century, but the flowering of this technology fell on the Renaissance, that is, the 15th century. Despite such a venerable age, this technology allows you to build very strong and relatively inexpensive houses, characterized by an unusual appearance. In this article, we will tell you how to build a half-timbered house and avoid the most common mistakes.

Two types of half-timbered houses

Today you can find two types of houses in this style:

• half-timbered buildings;
• finished with half-timbered houses.

In the first case, the house not only looks appropriate, but is also built wireframe, then filled with some kind of filler. The basis of such a house is a frame made of coniferous timber. It is he who has all the advantages that made houses in this style reliable and popular throughout medieval Europe. There are still houses in this style, whose age reaches 500 years. In the second case, the house can be built from anything, then decoratively finished in the half-timbered style. A house like this cannot possess those positive qualities, which are inherent in the original houses, so the only plus of this finish is unusual and stylish appearance.

Fachwerk home materials

As material for supporting frame Larch glued beams are best suited. It is highly durable, resistant to mold and mildew. Instead, you can use pine glued laminated timber, which has less good characteristics... As a filler, you can use traditional adobe, that is, a mixture of clay and straw, however, we recommend making an analogue of SIP panels from two sheets of wood concrete and some kind of insulation. Instead of wood concrete, you can use a thin board, plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). You can use other materials that meet four basic qualities:

• high strength;
• ease of processing;
• low cost;
• low thermal conductivity.

When building the walls of such a house, you can also use recycled products, for example, organic cellulose insulation... It is made from waste paper, so the cost is low, and the level of thermal conductivity is only slightly higher than that of mineral wool... Another very successful filler material is granules or crumbs of expanded polyurethane or foam. These materials are also very inexpensive and have a very low coefficient of thermal conductivity. In addition, they do not have to be cut, because this material is poured into the cavity. To better understand the construction of such a wall, we recommend reading about houses from a double bar.

Foundation

The choice of foundation depends on the materials from which the walls will be made. For walls made of lightweight materials, pile is best suited screw foundation which we talked about in this article. If the walls are heavy, for example, with adobe filler, then a more powerful foundation will be required. In addition, a house built using the half-timbered technology is very sensitive to frost heaving of the soil, so the foundation must be lowered below the freezing depth. Otherwise, frost heaving will first tear the foundation, and then break the integrity of the walls, covering them with cracks and cracks. Walls made of heavy materials - bricks, adobe and others - tolerate frosty swelling worst of all.

Frame and walls

The basis of the frame is vertical posts installed at a distance of 50–70 cm from each other. At the level of floors and windows, vertical beams are tied with horizontal beams, to which the floors are then attached. It is necessary to connect vertical and horizontal beams in half a tree or in a thorn, fixing with a wooden dowel. If possible, use the connection dovetail and also fix it with a dowel. Braces or inclined beams not only increase the rigidity of the structure, but also give it that very unique charm of old European houses.

The braces must be distributed so that they create beautiful drawing, therefore, they can be inserted both into small cells and fit into several cells formed by vertical and horizontal bars. The methods for attaching the braces to the timber are the same as for the junction of the vertical and horizontal timber. Fixing with a pin will make the whole structure more durable and reliable. As a frame reinforcement, use metal corners that are attached to the vertical and horizontal corners. If you find corners of the desired shape, then reinforce the braces with them. When creating the frame, prepare the places for installing windows and doors.

V original houses, built using the half-timbered technology, vertical pillars were dug directly into the ground or placed on large stones. However, it is more practical to do the same as when erecting a regular frame house, that is, attach a flashing (lower) beam to the foundation or grillage, and then attach the vertical beams to it. This mounting method is especially preferred in regions with:

• high groundwater level;
• frequent and heavy rainfall;
• very low winter temperatures;
• strong winds;
• unstable soil.

Before assembling the frame, treat the entire timber with hydrophobic impregnations and an antiseptic, and also think over the way of attaching the filler. For adobe and wood concrete mass, a lattice made of branches or thin slats is well suited. To insert such a lattice, in each timber you need to make a groove in the diameter or width of the branches or rails, then at the same time assemble the frame and insert the rails into the groove. You can also use steel mesh with small cells (up to 5x5 cm).

The walls of a half-timbered house must meet three basic requirements:

• be slightly thinner than a bar;
• have sufficient strength;
• have low thermal conductivity.

Adobe and wood concrete walls are the most correct in terms of style, however, they keep heat worse than a sandwich made of insulation and two facing plates. Therefore, you will have to decide for yourself what is most important for you - reliability or reduced heating costs. After drying, the walls of wood concrete and adobe will need to be caulked, because gaps will appear between them and the timber. In the summer, when the timber dries out as much as possible, these gaps will increase. For half-timbered houses, the same methods of caulking are applicable as for ordinary log cabins. To reduce the amount of frame shrinkage, and hence the size of the gaps, it is necessary to use well-dried glued laminated timber, treated with reliable hydrophobic preparations. In addition, it is necessary to repeat the treatment of all bars of the frame with such preparations every 2-3 years.

Windows, doors and ventilation

Modern plastic windows harmoniously fit into the exterior of a half-timbered house. However, they cannot be fixed in the same way as in concrete or brick houses... To install windows and doors, you need to make a window, which we talked about in the article (Okosyachka in wooden house). If you install windows and doors without a window, then under the influence of seasonal shrinkage and swelling of the beams of the frame, the windows and doors will either jam or appear between them and the frame more gap, which are very difficult to fight. In addition, it is necessary to think over the ventilation system, because a half-timbered house, unlike a wooden one, cannot independently remove excess moisture outside and discharge it into the atmosphere. Therefore, lack of good ventilation leads to mold and rot.

Floors, ceilings and roof

External and internal finishing

Outside, a half-timbered house is carefully caulked, then the walls are painted light colors, and the bars of the frame are dark. This creates a unique flavor of ancient half-timbered houses. For painting the timber, it is advisable to use vapor-permeable paints, this will reduce the likelihood of rot or mold in the wood. You can use any paint to paint the walls, because neither adobe or arbalite, nor moisture-resistant plywood or OSB are afraid of any paints. From the inside, such a house can be finished in any way, for example, sheathed with plasterboard or a wagon board. You can also plaster the entire interior of the house or keep the original look of the walls.

Output

Half-timbered houses still retain their popularity and medieval surroundings. They are easier and cheaper to manufacture than a full-fledged house from a bar and are comparable in price with inexpensive frame houses... However, you are unlikely to be able to sell such a house quickly and expensively, because most people prefer traditional brick, concrete or wooden houses, but if you build it for yourself and your family, then it will serve you for more than one hundred years.

Fachwerk is one of the types of frame housing construction. The supporting structure of the half-timbered house is a frame made of pillars, beams and struts, connected into a single system. Born in medieval Germany, such houses defined the appearance of European cities for a long time and became a kind of symbol of that era.

Origin and stages of development

This technology has its roots in ancient times, when the Germanic tribes lived in forests, and the main building material they used was a tree. At first, the erection of pillar structures was not something complicated: the supports were simply placed on the ground. But many years of observation, separation of craft from trade and the advanced training of carpenters has contributed to the diffusion and improvement of this technology.

Medieval Germany

Written sources indicate that such houses appeared in Germany in the 10th century, but such buildings became widespread in the 15th century. Make wooden bar then they did not know how, so the frame of the house was made of logs. It was placed on stones dug into the ground to avoid rotting. The space between the beams, braces and posts was filled with clay, straw, small stones and other cheap material... Rich people could afford bricks. Outside, the house was whitewashed, wealthier citizens also used more expensive finishes.

Spread across Europe

The ease of construction has made half-timbered houses a very popular type of urban development in Europe. TO XVI century it spread to England and Poland, then to France, and with German merchants it reached southeastern Europe. In some places this technology became predominant, in other places it coexisted and complemented the local one. So, in a number of cities, the first floor was stone, and the second half-timbered.

In each country, such houses had their own national characteristics, but there is also a number common features... So, the second floors of the buildings hung over the first. Scientists are still arguing about what was the reason. Perhaps the hosts were expanding living space in a crowded city, or maybe in this way they tried to protect the first floor from the rain. Most likely, both factors played a role, because in regions with a large rainfall (for example, in Normandy), this problem led to the expansion of the roof and the appearance of numerous awnings.

The current state of historic buildings

Today half-timbered houses, built in the Middle Ages, still serve as housing. The oldest such building, located in the German city of Quedlinburg, is almost 700 years old. They are still built up in the historical quarters of European cities, what is the best advertisement for such technology.

It cannot be said that the safety of these houses is impeccable: they also require maintenance and repair, and in some provincial cities some of these buildings are in disrepair. Nevertheless, in Germany, the homeland of technology, they are in no hurry to demolish half-timbered houses - after all, they are witnesses of history and a part of national culture.

After the 18th century, half-timbered houses lost their popularity. They returned to it later, when they appreciated the test of time and the environmental friendliness of such houses. Of course, it is not always possible to follow exactly old technology and the modern home will be different from its predecessor.

A significant plus in the construction of such a house is the absence of the need for heavy equipment. You can build a half-timbered house with your own hands, the easiest way to do this is for people with carpentry skills. Such houses do not require massive foundations. even in Russia with its freezing soil. In the absence of groundwater in the area, a shallow tape is quite enough, with high level groundwater can be arranged columnar foundation with a grillage.

Frame design

The peculiarity of the half-timbered house is that the frame does not close. exterior decoration and stays in the open air. Therefore, when choosing a material, pay attention to this feature and the climate in your region. In medieval Germany, the skeleton of a house was made of oak. This wood is expensive now, so the following materials are suitable for the frame:

• dry coniferous timber;
• larch timber;
• glued laminated timber.

Coniferous lumber best quality in Russia are produced in Karelia and the Arkhangelsk region. Larch is a Siberian tree that is very resistant to decay, but with one drawback - it is expensive.

You will have to design the frame in advance. All its parts are connected to each other by various studded mounts (secret spike, dovetail, etc.) and dowels, which cannot be produced by weight. Rigidity is provided by a system of braces that have special names depending on the location of the beams:

• half-man;
• corner man;
• small man;
• wilderman;
• corner wildermann;
• Andrew's cross.

When you have prepared all the details of the frame, you can proceed with its installation. It starts with a strapping, which is laid on a waterproofing layer and anchored to the foundation. Then they put pillars and girders, and after them - braces. After their installation, the structure will be rigid, and you can proceed to the overlap and installation of the second floor.

The roof rafter system is part of the frame and the same fixings are used for its installation.

Despite the fact that in the old days, hardware was not used to connect parts, in especially loaded parts of the frame are better together with a studded one, apply the bracket with a corner.

Wall materials

Previously, the gaps between the frame parts were filled with adobe, a mixture of straw and clay. It is affordable and light material, which served as both a fence and insulation. Now people prefer more modern materials, and the filling uses:

• brick;
• aerated concrete;
• OSB sheathing with cellulose or mineral wool insulation.

In Russian conditions, filling can be combined. For example, use foam glass as the outer layer, and aerated concrete no more than 25 cm wide as the inner layer. Foam glass has very good adhesion to the plaster, and the appearance of such a house will be quite traditional. It is not worth filling with heavy materials, and if you decide to do this in advance, take care of the appropriate foundation.

The interior decoration of such houses can be of any kind. You can leave the frame in plain sight (in our conditions you will have to make it from a thick bar), or you can close it. Fachwerk will allow you to realize all your fantasies internal structure at home.

Current trends and old problems

In the last two decades has increased the tendency to fill the walls with solid glazing. Such houses look very interesting, the rooms in them have excellent insolation and allow you to have a wide view: you are in the house and at the same time you can observe nature.

In the United States, half-timbered technology came along with the first settlers, but now such houses are being built a little differently. Outside, there is no frame, and the fact that the house is a half-timbered house can only be recognized from the inside, that is, the aesthetics of the external facade has been transferred to the inside.

In Germany, old houses - a big problem for restoration and reconstruction. At one time, the walls of such houses were reinforced with internal self-supporting walls to relieve the frame and repair it. This reduced the usable area of ​​the premises, due to which living rooms began to appear in the attic - sometimes not even on one floor. But this did not solve the problem, because rafter system also leaned on the frame, and modern communications(the same bathrooms) weigh much more than the old traditional furnishings.

Despite its long history, half-timbered houses are inherent in flaws, which forced the Europeans to abandon it in the century before last. First of all, it is a fire hazard. When there is only one such house on the whole street, this is not a problem, but when they are whole blocks close to each other, as it was in medieval cities, the fire of one house could lead to tragedy. There was a time when in Nuremberg they even gave subsidies to those who replace half-timbered houses with stone house... In part, this problem can be solved today, but certain rules must be observed when operating such houses.

The second problem of such houses is getting wet. Firstly, it leads to rotting, and secondly, on the south side, thanks to the sun, cracks form from constant overdrying. To reduce the negative impact external environment the frame on the outside has always been painted, and this treatment is required now. Modern impregnations help with this even better, but if you want to preserve the texture of the wood, you should choose transparent options for such impregnations.

Fachwerk as an architectural phenomenon

Fachwerk technology is traditional for wooden architecture in Germany, where each historical region has its own traditions of such housing construction. It has never been typical for Russia. We are more familiar with the aesthetics of such houses, sometimes called gingerbread. If it is inexpedient to build a real German house on the site, facade imitation is often used, which can be either painting in the appropriate style or decorating the facade with polyurethane and composite boards.

But the very principle of the supporting frame had a considerable influence on construction technologies... The continuation of half-timbered houses is frame housing, although outwardly there is no similarity. Even in industrial construction, the frame has become the dominant type of construction. If an engineer who is not familiar with German traditions is asked what a half-timbered house is, a metal brace will come to his mind first. The frame made of rolled metal - channels and I-beams - is made exactly according to this principle, the only difference between such systems from classical ones is the bolted connections of parts of the structure.

Anything that interferes more widespread half-timbered houses in the world - low heat capacity of such houses. it a common problem frame structures, and so far there are no technological solutions capable of eliminating it. This is especially true for Russian conditions.