Houses using frame technology: disadvantages. Pros and cons of panel houses

Modern frame houses have their pros and cons. The speed of wall removal is the most important advantage of the design. You can find out about other advantages and some disadvantages later in the article.

Typical frame house design

The roof of a frame building is usually constructed from roof trusses. Having a triangular shape, they combine the functional features of rafters, struts, and beams. Rafter trusses are fixed on top of the load-bearing floors, connected using several cross braces and tie-rods. The roof is covered along the skeleton of the sheathing with rolled thermal insulation, and then with roofing material.

Load-bearing walls are similar to hollow ceilings in a brick house. The wall cavity is load-bearing and is constructed with elements from frame modules. The latter are mounted on support bars on the ground and close to each other at a higher level. The front part of the frame is sheathed with slabs of pressed sawdust for strength.

Afterwards the finishing is covered with vapor-proof construction paper and a layer of waterproofing. On the inside, vapor-proof polyethylene material is laid on the load-bearing walls, and the cavity is filled with a heat insulator. The resulting structure is covered with sheets of plasterboard, and the doors and windows are equipped with wooden lintels. The outside of the wall is covered with brick and fixed to a metal frame, or plastic or wooden cladding is made.
Internal walls are plastic or wooden hollow partitions. From the inside they are filled with mineral wool or other heat insulator. The walls of the lower sector support the entire structure of the house, therefore they are considered load-bearing, while the walls of the upper sector stand on the support of the load-bearing ones and can be installed in any area of the house relative to the walls of the lower support.

Floor in a frame house

It is a concrete slab or “floating” concrete. The composition includes a polystyrene heat insulator and a waterproofing gasket. The ceiling between the first and second floors is a massive slab located on top of the “skeleton” of the first floor. This structure is a support for the frame and interior partitions on the second floor.

Advantages of a frame house:

Economical;
Unpretentiousness to the foundation;
Lightness of the walls;
High thermal insulation;
Vapor tightness;
Easy installation;
Fast construction;
Possibility of construction in winter;
Seismic resistance;
Cheap finishing;
Simple installation of communications.

The main advantage of a frame building is that you do not need to spend a lot of money on construction, which cannot be said about other types of buildings, wooden or brick, for example. Even if expensive materials are used during construction, you can feel a significant difference. Everything is determined by fast and simple technology, the strict observance of which will help make the house high-quality and durable.

If monolithic buildings require the foundation to be maintained for several years, then these are absolutely not fussy about the foundation. There is no need to make a conventional foundation due to the lightweight and tensile walls. For a frame house, inexpensive, simple types of foundation are used. An example is a pile-screw structure.

Thermal conductivity of a frame house

Thanks to the walls, which consist of 80% heat insulator, the thermal conductivity of the frame house increases. Block or brick materials cannot compete with such qualities. Moreover, the frame structure is protected from the outside from bad weather and humidity. If you choose the right heat insulator for the floor cavity, you can not only insulate the building, but also significantly reduce heating costs in winter in the future.

Thanks to the same insulation, a frame building is able to retain cool air on hot days. Without allowing the walls to heat up, it does not transfer heat into the room, which cannot be said about brick and concrete. This property helps to save on electricity in the summer, since there is no need for cooling with air conditioners and fans.

The walls of a frame building are always warm, which is another plus. This is because the material they are made of has low thermal conductivity, thanks to which the inside of the house is always warm. The materials used to build the frame structure do not accumulate heat well, and this is a significant advantage. Having good thermal conductivity, concrete or brick first absorbs heat and then releases it back.

Because of this, the rooms heat up slowly and the room constantly needs to accumulate heat from the central boiler. In a frame house this phenomenon is not observed, and the walls in it perfectly maintain a comfortable temperature.

The main and necessary equipment is a wood cutter.

Flaws

Along with the advantages, there are pitfalls in the construction of a frame structure. There are several significant ones:

Fire hazard
Difficulty in choosing good material.
Relative fragility.
Rapid wear.

The flammability of the material is the main one. Because of this quality, people are afraid to build such a home, since even the most experienced construction team cannot provide reliable guarantees of fire safety.

To reduce the risk of flammability, the following recommendations should be followed:

Before construction, all wood material is treated with a protective solution that prevents fire. Impregnation should be chosen not by price, but by quality, since some options are ordinary colored liquid. Naturally, such a remedy will not give the desired result. To test the impregnation, a piece of wood is treated with a solution from a bottle, which, after drying, is thrown into the fire. With a high quality of impregnation, the wood will first begin to smolder, and only then ignite.
Corrugated wires are selected for wiring installation. So, when heated, the top coating will shrink and stop the supply of oxygen to the fire.
For thermal insulation, you need to choose a non-combustible material. You can find out about this quality from the manufacturer or the seller in the store.
The locations of the heating boiler or stove are protected with fireproof materials.

Despite the varied assortment of construction equipment, choosing material for a frame house is quite difficult. Ideally, you should only buy dried material, and the wood on sale is usually raw. If it is not possible to buy dry lumber, wet boards are dried naturally.

Of course, the material used to make a frame house is quite fragile and light compared to brick or block, but only cataclysms and abnormal weather conditions can damage the structure of the house, which is unlikely in Russia.

Conclusion

Before starting, it is important to study all the advantages and disadvantages of rapid building construction technology. Despite the fact that this type of building is not famous for its popularity, it is economical, unpretentious to the foundation and, if the technology is followed correctly, quite reliable.

The method of frame house construction in our country became widespread in the middle of the last century. Then it was better known as frame-panel or frame-slit. On its basis, it was possible to quickly and inexpensively create acceptable living conditions for large groups of people. Such advantages of frame houses made it possible, for example, to quickly build entire workers’ settlements in harsh Siberian conditions for the families of those who came to explore this cold region.

Frame yesterday and today

Nevertheless, frame buildings, adapted to Soviet realities, have earned the reputation of short-lived, sometimes windswept housing. This happened for a number of reasons, in particular, due to some simplifications when copying, as well as the use of low-grade building materials. Therefore, at one time, frame houses could not seriously compete with traditional Russian log houses or more solid brick (stone) structures.

A new round of development of the Western method of construction has been observed in our country for the last 25 years. Taking into account the mistakes of predecessors, using higher quality and new high-tech materials, contemporaries are building houses that freely compete in many respects with stone or solid wood. But still, since nothing is ideal in the world, when choosing a project it is necessary to take into account the pros and cons of frame houses. Let's look at the most typical of them.

Advantages of frame houses that you should know about

Universality of technology

Modern frame construction in Russia can hardly be called canonical. Of course, it has general principles for the construction of multilayer frame-frame or frame-panel structures, prescribed in a number of regulatory documents. For example, in the widely used SP 31-105-2002 “Design and construction of energy-efficient single-family residential buildings with a wooden frame.” However, in practice, frame technology turned out to be so universal that it made it possible to work with a wide range of materials, to create buildings with shapes - from simple to the most unusual, endowed with versatile functionality.

Thus, frames are made from solid or laminated coniferous wood, as well as from metal profiles of various configurations. Polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, ecowool, mineral wool, sawdust, etc. are used as thermal insulation fillers. Even greater variability is observed when choosing facing materials. Almost all known sheet construction products can be used to cover the panels (taking into account the location of their external or external installation): OSB, DSP, chipboard, plywood, plasterboard, glass magnesite, slate, profiled metal, siding, etc. In addition, the outside of a frame house can be lined with brick or stone. In this case, the external sheet cladding of the frame is not always necessary (installing a wind barrier film is sufficient). Sheet covering can also be replaced with lining both outside and inside the building.

Pre-fabricated and all-season construction

These are some of the most significant advantages of frame houses. Largely thanks to them, frame structures have long been recognized in the West and have already appealed to a wide range of domestic developers. For example, the box of a medium-sized one-story private residential building can be assembled on a pre-prepared foundation in just a day! Of course, we are talking about one mounted from factory-assembled panels. But even if the walls and ceilings are completely manufactured on the construction site, the speed of their construction is still quite high. Thus, the construction of an average turnkey frame house from the zero cycle to the start of operation takes time, in the case of assembly:

from ready-made factory panels – 2-3 months;
from materials on the construction site - 4-5 months.

At the same time, installation of enclosing structures can be carried out year-round, since there are no “wet” processes. The only exception is monolithic foundations, but they can often be replaced with screw piles.

Competitive cost

When weighing the pros and cons of turnkey frame housing construction, we should not forget about the attractive price tags for such structures. If we compare them with “classic” brick buildings, the difference in prices will be two or even three times not in favor of the latter. At the same time, it is important to measure the full volume of investments, since there is wide scope for manipulation with the figures characterizing unfinished buildings. For example, it won’t be too expensive to install a bare brick box. However, in order to bring it to modern standards of thermal efficiency, the masonry will have to be insulated, which will also be a considerable expense. On the contrary, the advantage of a frame house is that its enclosing structures initially combine load-bearing and heat-insulating functions.

The same applies to finishing - it is often enough to putty smooth frame walls to prepare, for example, for painting. In turn, even high-quality brickwork (which is no longer cheap) needs an additional starting layer of plaster.

Important! The relatively low labor intensity of constructing frame housing also has a positive effect on its market value. It is much easier to build than houses made of stone.

Application of lightweight foundations

A noticeable saving in the total estimated cost of the structure falls on the foundation. Indeed, due to the low mass of the building, material-intensive foundations are not required for its installation. For example, the most popular frame houses with a skeleton made of 50*150 mm boards are characterized by a specific weight of wall panels of 30-50 kg/m2. For comparison, brickwork reduced to a thickness of 150 mm is 200-250 kg/m2. If we take into account that in reality, external brick walls are rarely less than 380 mm or 510 mm, then the difference in the masses of brick and frame houses is already huge. And this is not even taking into account the excellent loads from heavy hollow-core reinforced concrete floors in brick and wooden beams in a frame structure.

Based on the low requirements for the bearing capacity of the foundation, frames can be installed on any of the known types of foundations. The variability of choice can only be limited by very problematic soils. In all other cases, the type of foundation is selected based on the characteristics of a particular building, local conditions or availability of materials. For example, a one-story frame house can be installed on block posts, screw piles or reinforced concrete strips with a width of only 250 mm.

Disadvantages of frame houses that can be avoided

Like a permanent structure of any type, a frame structure requires compliance with construction technology. However, in his case, the manifestation of crookedness, negligence or unjustified savings can play an overly pronounced negative role. Thanks to the efforts of some “professional” teams or dubious fly-by-night productions, those disadvantages of a frame house appear that theoretically should not exist. This, perhaps, is the main drawback of frame construction - many of its aesthetic and operational properties are too dependent on compliance with installation rules and the quality of the source materials. If everything is done without violations, then the house, even without major repairs, will stand freely for decades, delighting its residents with a high level of comfort and coziness.

With this in mind, the disadvantages of a frame house should be considered in terms of the problems encountered and ways to eliminate or prevent them.

Weak stability and strength of load-bearing structures

Opponents of construction using frame technology will certainly remember the sights of some country or cottage villages in the form of rickety houses, like those shown in the figure below.

However, the problem is not at all in the initial fragility of the structure, but in the fact that it requires careful preliminary calculation or at least an understanding (based on practical experience) of the specifics of the operation of the spatial frame, the loads applied to it and the distribution of loads, the properties of materials and key elements. Reliable facilities are built according to designs developed by engineers using computer modeling tools. Strength deficiencies of a frame house can also be eliminated if it is built according to a standard design by qualified installers. Typically, teams of such people have a significant track record with positive reviews that they have accumulated over the years. Having been engaged in the construction of frame structures for more than one day, practitioners, among other things, must have a clear understanding of regional wind and snow loads and work with trusted suppliers of high-quality building materials.

Insufficient or gradually decreasing thermal efficiency of building envelopes

One of the problems due to which in past years interest in frame-panel houses was somewhat lost. Unfortunately, it still happens today. The reasons are as follows:

the thickness of the wall or floor panels, and therefore the insulation in them, does not meet local climatic conditions. For example, a 100 mm layer of effective thermal insulation (mineral wool, expanded polystyrene) can be considered as a sufficient thermal barrier only in the walls of a garden house, and even then, located in a temperate climate zone;
poorly fitted or loosely tightened building elements, insufficiently sealed joints of frame parts, windproof fabrics or sheathing sheets - these technological violations cause through blows. Similar disadvantages of frame houses can also manifest themselves as a result of intense shrinkage of the building or its deformation, as a consequence of the use of lumber with natural moisture. Shrinkage of wood leads to the opening of joints in structures;
Violation of the integrity of the vapor barrier, incorrect choice of materials for it or its incorrect installation contribute to the rapid dampening of the insulation. Wet thermal insulation not only ceases to fulfill the tasks assigned to it, but also becomes a source of putrefactive processes that destroy load-bearing elements;
subsidence (sliding) of the insulating filler of wall panels, due to which an area with reduced energy efficiency is formed in their upper part. This usually occurs if low density mineral wool is selected but sufficient measures are not taken to fix it;
Damage to the thermal insulation of a frame house by rodents sometimes becomes a really serious problem. To prevent this from occurring, you should try to make it difficult for pests to penetrate inside the panels or discourage them from doing so. For this purpose, for example, ventilated facades are protected from below with metal gratings or meshes. If the cladding is “wet”, then a good solution would be to install a Knauf Aquapanel or a DSP board plastered over a steel mesh. In addition, various chemical impregnations and ultrasonic devices are used to repel rodents. A couple of cats on the property will also help significantly reduce the risk of damage to insulation by mice or rats.

High fire hazard

This disadvantage of frame houses is quite relative. However, in any case, it is no more significant than that of traditional solid wood structures. After all, even if the building envelopes are assembled on a wooden frame with foam core, the outside can be sheathed with sheets of plasterboard or glass-magnesite slabs. This lining reliably blocks open flames from accessing combustible materials. In addition, building codes require that combustible materials be initially flame retardant, either in the factory or on site.

Important! If a frame is installed from a metal profile with a mineral wool filler, then its fire resistance can already be commensurate with a stone structure.

Fire safety issues also affect electrical installations. The PUE regulates the laying of electrical wiring on combustible structures in an open manner or hidden in metal pipes or sleeves.

Fragility

It hardly makes sense to say that a frame house, unlike a stone one, will last for centuries. However, as mentioned above, you can count on decades. A building that has received timely care and preventive maintenance of its structures may well serve its children and grandchildren. At the same time, simpler and cheaper repairs, compared to massive structures made of stone or wood, can also be considered an advantage of a frame house.

The key factor in the durability of the frame is the hydrophobization and antiseptic treatment of the structural materials of its walls and ceilings in parts located no higher than 250 mm from the ground. For internal wood elements, processing is carried out at the construction stage of the building, as well as during repairs when opening the panel cladding. Preparation of beams, racks, crossbars, lintels, etc. on construction sites it is performed by painting or dipping them in containers with a working solution. Today, complex-action compounds that are simultaneously water repellents, fire retardants and antiseptics are often used as such solutions. Parts of the frame located above 250 mm from the ground do not require mandatory treatment with antiseptics (SP 31-105-2002).

It will be possible to fully use the advantages of a frame house for many years if you avoid getting moisture in any form inside the panels. For example, water can seep through a damaged roof deck, rise through the capillaries of the foundation through a broken shut-off waterproofing, or migrate with steam flows from the room through poorly taped vapor barrier joints. If this happens, you should remove the sheathing, remove the insulating filler and thoroughly dry the frame. Thermal insulation material is dried separately, but sometimes it is better to renew it altogether.

Before reassembling the panels, the frame elements must undergo mandatory protective and preventive treatment:

parts that have undergone biological damage or corrosion are cleaned, and if they are significantly damaged, they are replaced;
Wood parts are impregnated with complex compounds, steel parts are treated with anticorrosive agents, then galvanized or painted.

Soundproofing problems

Although this disadvantage of a frame house is cited, often when comparing it with a brick building, you should clearly understand what we are talking about. Of course, a thick brick mass, identical in thermal conductivity to a frame wall, better insulates from street noise. However, its intensity in places where frame frames are predominantly located is not so high. After all, they are usually built not in urban centers, but in cottage villages, the private sector or rural areas.

The problem of internal noise remains. And in this matter, again, everything depends on compliance with installation rules and the materials used. For example, to avoid listening to conversations of people on another floor:

floor coverings are installed on the ceilings using the “floating floors” system;
filling of ceilings or partitions should be carried out only with fibrous materials with special acoustic parameters;
Air cavities in ceilings, walls, partitions are not allowed;
interfacing of structures is carried out through elements of acoustic decoupling in the form of elastic gaskets or layers made of latex, cork, porous rubber, etc.

Urgent need for ventilation

The ideal frame house is a thermos with zero heat loss. In practice, by selecting the appropriate building materials and performing high-quality assembly from them, you can come very close to the theoretically possible minimum of heat loss through the building envelope. However, in any case, there will remain one more problem area in the thermal circuit of the building, through which significant amounts of energy will be lost. We are talking about the ventilation system. After all, you can still do without it in a log house or brick building, where the walls are directly involved in steam, gas and heat exchange in the premises. But in a frame structure, where under the inner lining there is a continuous vapor-proof carpet over a layer of insulation, there is no way without ventilation.

And no matter how sorry it may be in winter to blow precious calories out into the street along with air currents, if you do not ensure the required level of gas exchange, then serious problems cannot be avoided. In addition to other negativity caused by the lack of fresh air, accumulating dampness will gradually find a loophole in the vapor barrier. Steam, migrating through the insulation from the room to the street, will cool in the outer layers of the enclosing structures, falling into condensation. The result is a decrease in the effectiveness of thermal insulation, rotting (rusting) of the frame, and the development of harmful mold microflora.

Therefore, the urgent need for ventilation can be considered both a plus and a minus of a frame house. After all, on the one hand, it will no longer be possible to ignore this important issue, which means that there will always be a healthy atmosphere in the premises. On the other hand, you will have to choose one of two options:

Increase energy consumption to compensate for heat loss due to ventilation. This is a rather dubious method, since the high thermal efficiency of enclosing structures is practically negated.
Install a comprehensive climate system, complete with air heating, recovery and air conditioning units. Despite the fact that such devices cost a lot, they gradually pay for themselves and begin to save energy resources. As a last resort, you can at least install a recuperator on the supply and exhaust ventilation system.

conclusions

Taking into account the opinions of experts regarding the pros and cons of frame houses, as well as positive and negative reviews from numerous users of these structures, we can draw general conclusions that:

frame housing, with strict adherence to the technology of its construction and subsequent careful treatment, can provide its owners with many years of comfortable use;
is quite affordable due to its low cost;
Having a number of advantages and disadvantages, it cannot be considered as an absolute replacement for other popular types of buildings, but only as a worthy alternative to them.

Increasingly, having acquired a plot of land, owners plan not a brick house, but a panel house, for permanent housing, despite warnings about the disadvantages of such houses. How reliable is this type of housing?

What is meant by frame construction?

Once upon a time, on large construction projects, on long-term geological exploration expeditions in a specific area, and simply on summer cottages, prefabricated panel houses quickly grew up. With sufficient insulation of the walls, floor and ceiling, one could even spend the winter comfortably in them. It was they who became the harbingers of modern frame construction.

Panel buildings are based on a structure of beams vertically installed on a base frame and connected at the top by strapping, between which thermal insulation is laid, after which the racks are sheathed with OSB or OSB panels on top. Sometimes waterproof chipboards are used for interior decoration. A beam with a cross-section of at least 150x150 millimeters is always placed in the base; it is also used to tie the racks of the lower tier when constructing a two-story building.

As a rule, beams of 50x150 millimeters are used as load-bearing structural elements, but in a large building, 150x150 racks are installed at the corners, as well as at the junction of internal and external walls. Coniferous wood is usually used for frame construction, but some unscrupulous developers replace it with hardwood lumber, which is more susceptible to rotting and moisture absorption. Often, all the necessary parts for building a house, according to the project, are produced on an industrial scale in large quantities or, at least, serially in a small well-equipped workshop.

Each kit comes with instructions so that owners can assemble their home themselves, but each frame construction company offers its own home installation services. For the most part, the cost of such a turnkey service exceeds 50% of the cost of the kit, and sometimes even reaches 80-100%. At the same time, the build quality is not always higher than what home owners could get by building it themselves.

Are there any disadvantages to frame houses?

Of course, when comparing advantages and disadvantages, negative factors can be found in considerable quantities if you are initially biased. Then every little thing will catch your eye and, in principle, can be eliminated. But brick buildings also have enough disadvantages, not to mention multi-story panel buildings.

However, some really significant disadvantages of frame construction should still be remembered in order to eliminate or reduce them initially during the construction of the cottage. There are two main disadvantages: rodents and sound conductivity of the walls. Opponents of frame houses first of all point out that mice and even rats can live in wall cavities. Yes, they can, since neither the sheathing panels nor the thermal insulation are a significant barrier to rodents. However, they also live in brick houses.

The gloomy prophecies do not take into account modern finishing technologies, in particular, external finishing materials are not particularly attractive to rats. And the internal lining most often becomes a serious obstacle to the penetration of illegal living creatures inside the walls. Additionally, rodent infestations are unlikely if building codes are followed. Sometimes it is enough to install a house on a columnar foundation or make a high base. Or get a cat.

The second factor why a frame house is really bad is that the spread of any sounds between the rooms of the cottage is practically not restrained by anything, since there are neither massive walls nor monolithic ceilings. To some extent, you can reduce noise by doing it correctly, laying a thick layer of insulation, which can serve as sound insulation, and using noise-absorbing materials. However, this will not protect much from the booming of the structure, since vibrations from steps and the movement of furniture spread throughout the house, transmitted to the walls and ceilings in the form of vibrations.

Among the troubles awaiting those who decide to build a frame house, the following disadvantages are also listed: easy flammability and complete burnout of the building in a fire, susceptibility to dampness and fungus. Don't forget about woodworms. Also, many knowledgeably claim that wind and vibrations caused by household appliances cause the house to become loose and the frame joints lose their rigidity. And, of course, without exception, all opponents of panel houses insist on the fragility of buildings of this type, in comparison with brick or log ones. Let's take a step-by-step look at what is true and what is a myth.

One of the biggest disadvantages of a panel house, which rarely anyone remembers, is the inability to drive a nail into the wall anywhere; this can only be done where the timber is located under the sheathing.

Fire danger of frame cottages

If a fire suddenly breaks out in a brick house, in 90% of cases it remains relatively intact, at least the skeleton of the building is preserved, in which wooden structures can be re-assembled. Well, furniture is a real deal. After a fire, an adobe house only becomes stronger (which is not at all a reason to rejoice at the ignition of the house). A frame cottage always burns down completely, sometimes not even nails with fastening plates and corners remain. But is it worth abandoning a prefabricated and fairly cheap panel structure because of the fire hazard?

First of all, let us remember that the wood used for houses of this type is coniferous, it burns especially hot, that is, it would seem that the disadvantages are increasing. However, we should also not forget about fire retardants produced today in large quantities - impregnations that significantly increase the resistance of wood to fire when in contact with an open flame. In addition, fire safety can be increased by installing an alarm system with temperature and smoke sensors, as well as an automatic powder extinguishing system, which will cope with the flames and will not flood the house with water. And, of course, don’t forget about the fire extinguisher, it’s not bad at fighting a fire.

Frame house like a big mycelium

This is scary to even imagine, but indeed, in regions with a high degree of air humidity and a large amount of precipitation falling per year, there is reason to fear the occurrence of dampness in the house. Moreover, even in the cold season it is difficult to protect yourself from it if the calculation of the “dew point” is poor - the boundary between the external and room temperatures where condensation can occur.

It is under such conditions that inconspicuous pockets of mold appear under the baseboards, behind the wallpaper, although sometimes in plain sight, for example, in the area of the window sill or even in the corner between two external walls. All this is truly possible with complete sealing of the premises. It would seem that it is necessary to exclude even the smallest possibility of a draft, and this is so, but without high-quality ventilation, the panels, which do not breathe like the walls of a log house, prevent moisture from escaping outside.

As a result, dampness accumulates in the premises and settles on any sufficiently cold surfaces, for example, near the window. Also, do not forget about impregnating the wood of the frame with antiseptics against fungi; such treatment should be done no less carefully than with anti-flammation preparations. By the way, impregnations also provide excellent protection against insects; with deep penetration of an antiseptic with biocidal properties, there is no need to worry about wood borers.

How reliable and durable is the frame?

If we talk about strength, it is immediately worth clarifying that any project of a frame-panel house is carried out in such a way that the finished building can withstand an earthquake with a power of 7 points. Which, however, largely depends on the quality of the building materials and the build quality of the structure. If we talk about the instability of frame houses, then with a rigid connection with carpenter’s nails (and not screws), as well as with the observance of paneling technology, no vibrations will bring the cottage into an unstable state. A skillfully assembled building will withstand even the strongest hurricane with almost no damage.

Durability is a special conversation; here we immediately need to clarify what we mean by it. For example, if we keep in mind the service life of a building over two generations, then this is quite achievable. Of course, it will not do without minor repairs, but the frame is quite capable of standing for 100 or 150 years. In Germany there are houses of this type that were built 5 or even 6 centuries ago. But, of course, then the quality of the materials was, for the most part, always at the required level, although, by the way, there were no impregnations other than resin and salt. In Canada today, due to the use of the cheapest wood products, cottages often become unusable within 20 years.

What are the advantages?

For objectivity, one should consider not only the disadvantages of frame panel houses, but also their advantages. The latter can include the already mentioned low cost of the assembly kit (with a fairly expensive turnkey construction service from the developer). Also, do not forget about such advantages as lightness of construction, due to which there is no need to build a deep and monolithic foundation, and considerable money is saved.

And, of course, for many, the decisive factor is the ease of building a house, which can be completed by even one person in a maximum of 8 weeks. If we compare the advantages and disadvantages of frame houses, in contrast to the relatively low durability, we can note the absence of shrinkage, which means that as soon as the panels are installed, finishing work can begin. Which implies the ability to move in immediately upon completion of construction. In a brick cottage, the masonry cement gains strength in 21 days, only then can you begin finishing, but in a log house you need to wait more than 1 year before you can celebrate a housewarming party.

Remember one more thing. In any building, be it a panel building, a brick estate or the same log house, in order to lay cables and all kinds of communications it is necessary, at a minimum, to ditch or chisel the walls, or install boxes on them. The exception is pre-fabricated lightweight partitions and plasterboard ceilings, whose frames can be wired. When assembling a frame cottage, you can immediately extend all communications inside the walls or under the floor/ceiling lining, secretly, using, of course, metal hoses and pipes to avoid fire.

So, we have looked at the disadvantages of frame panel houses. We also learned their advantages, and, as it turned out, for the most part, all the mentioned disadvantages can be eliminated or are outweighed by the advantages. In many ways, negative factors generally turn out to be myths, in particular, the opinion that it is cold in a panel house in winter and unbearably hot in summer. The reason for this opinion was the assignment of the specified properties of buildings made of plastic panels to frame houses. Meanwhile, the microclimate in them is not at all bad, and the heat consumption for heating 1 m2 of a panel cottage is 2 times lower than for heating a brick building.

When purchasing a plot of land for construction, its owners increasingly prefer to build on it not a classic stone structure, but or. Meanwhile, advisers and reviews on websites often warn them about the disadvantages of such buildings for permanent residence. So how reliable is this type of housing? What are the real disadvantages of this technology?

If you look for it specifically, negative properties can be found anywhere, including in brick buildings and in multi-story panel buildings. But it is worth paying attention to individual construction shortcomings in order to reduce or eliminate them as far as possible at the construction level. Let us dwell in more detail on the advantages and disadvantages of frame structures.

Disadvantages of frame houses

. Wooden materials are indeed quite flammable, and such a danger exists. However, the industry today produces a wide variety of fire retardants. These are special ones that extremely increase the fire-resistant properties of wood even in direct contact with fire.
Fragility. It is considered one of the main disadvantages of a frame structure. Yes, there actually is such a problem - the chance that a home will last hundreds of years is quite small. What could stop him, other than physical impact such as a meteorite falling on him? In buildings of this type, time has the greatest effect on those located in the outer walls. But this factor can be fought. About once every 30 years it is simply replaced. To do this, remove the sheathing, carefully remove all unusable insulation, replace it with a new one, return the vapor barrier to its original place, etc. And your home will become cozy and warm again.
Rotting frame house
Nothing ideal exists, and it is even more difficult to imagine a completely ideal home. American citizens are extremely easy-going and often change their place of residence.

Residents of Europe are more conservative, treating the house as a family nest, often serving as a home for several generations. But both choose a similar type of development. In Europe, America and Scandinavia, the number of private and public buildings built using frame technology is growing. If the disadvantages of such a method were really so significant, it is unlikely that this method would have gained such popularity. What are the advantages of structures built using frame technology?

Advantages of frame houses
- Significant savings on foundation construction. The frame structure is light and durable, so it does not need. Such a building is quite stable, and not too sensitive to possible seasonal movements of the foundation that arise due to.
- Impressive construction speed- an undoubted advantage of a frame house. It is quite possible to erect a building from scratch to the roof in one decade - three months. Compared to a building of similar size, the difference can be up to six months. A frame house along with its foundation can be built in eight weeks, and a brick structure in the same number of months.
- When erecting a frame structure, there is no need to wait for shrinkage to occur. And the structure is made of bricks, logs or needs it. Its duration can be up to one year, only after a certain time you can begin leveling the load-bearing walls and subsequent work. That is, at least two years may pass before you can enjoy your new home. You can safely move into a frame house after finishing the finishing touches.
- Saving on equipment– another advantage of frame construction. All components used in construction are quite compact and relatively lightweight. Therefore, there is no need to use special equipment to move and lift individual parts.
- Good earthquake resistance. The frame building is quite stable due to the absence of major rigid connections between the elements. In addition, the tree has sufficient flexibility to withstand without destruction.
- Due to the low thermal conductivity of wood, a frame house saves heat better than a house made of
- Redevelopment. It will not be difficult to carry out redevelopment in a finished home. It will not be accompanied by large expenses and labor-intensive processes.
- Variability. Availability of a variety of projects, the ability to choose the right one or implement your own project. Each completed project is accompanied by a detailed implementation plan to help guide construction.
Risk of disappointment in building a frame house

The risk of disappointment is present in everything, and this can happen with a built house. This can be facilitated by poor-quality materials, not very conscientious or unskilled workers, violation of the sequence of activities, and damage to materials from improper storage. However, if you follow technology, adhere to the necessary standards, and choose high-quality materials, then the built house will faithfully serve your family for many years.

Increasingly, among buildings you can see a frame house, the pros and cons of which should be studied before starting construction work and purchasing materials. Frame construction is gaining increasing popularity. But is it worth building your own house using this technology? Here everyone must independently weigh the pros and cons.

Advantages

The advantages of frame houses attract people to this technology all over the world. The option is relevant not only in our country, but also abroad. The method of such construction came to us from Europe and confidently took a leading position. The advantages of frame houses, first of all, lie in their efficiency. They allow you to save your budget not only at the construction stage, but also during operation. More often than not, there are more pros than cons.

Frame construction technology has gained popularity due to its high efficiency

The advantages of frame houses are represented by the following characteristics and features:

absence of wet processes during construction;
the ability to perform work at any time of the year, independence from temperature conditions;
there is no need for powerful foundations;
you can perform installation work alone and with minimal labor costs;
good thermal insulation, saving on heating;
comfortable microclimate when choosing insulation with good vapor permeability;
high installation speed;
ease of finishing and repair of the building;
resistance of the structure to minor deformations during soil heaving and shrinkage;
possibility of changing the internal layout.

We will find out all the pros and cons of a frame house, which will give you the opportunity to decide whether this technology is suitable for your own construction. It is important to note that the owners of such buildings note that the costs at the construction stage were approximately 30% less than what would have been the case when building a structure made of brick or concrete.

Frame construction can be carried out at any time of the year

At the same time, heating costs during operation are very low. But this is only relevant if the thickness of the insulation is chosen correctly.. It must meet the standards for a specific climatic region.

Peculiarities

To avoid problems at all stages, it is worth considering that a frame house requires more attention to itself at the design stage. When assembling, it is important to follow all stages of technology. Here the accuracy of manufacturing and joining of frame parts is of great importance. A lot will depend on the quality of the materials, so at the preparatory stage you will have to find reliable suppliers.

The panels must be assembled with absolute precision

Considering the advantages and disadvantages of frame houses, one cannot help but mention their important features:

in order to prevent the walls from blowing in or the insulation from sagging, at the construction stage you need to carefully monitor the quality of the joints;
all parts of the sheathing must be perfectly adjusted; installation of panel elements can take a lot of time and effort, but attention must be paid to this;
If all the details fit perfectly, the building will be very efficient in terms of energy savings, but this is not so easy to achieve in practice.

Disadvantages of technology

Many professionals believe that a frame building is not very suitable for use in our conditions. In this area, we do not have much experience, a developed regulatory framework or sufficient knowledge. This phenomenon is unusual, so it can be frightening, like the unknown. But among non-professional craftsmen, the frame is gaining more and more popularity. Is this technology worth trusting?

One of the main disadvantages of a frame house is its relative fragility

Some of the disadvantages of frame houses have no real basis. They can be compared to myths. But there are also serious problems that cannot be ignored.

Typical problems include:

Fragility. The building is unlikely to last more than a hundred years. But here everything depends on the regularity of repairs and the quality of care. If you carry out repairs every 25 years, you can significantly improve the situation. But it is important to understand that frame construction is not intended for a family to live in a house for generations. But for one or two generations the resource is quite enough.
Fire hazard. There is practically nothing in the wood frame building that could prevent a fire. In addition, such a light structure can literally burn out like a match. But the problem can be solved by selecting insulation. Nowadays mineral basalt wool is popular on the market. It resists fire well. Also, for protection, all wooden elements can be treated with fire retardants, which will increase the level of safety.
Prone to rot. Wood is easily damaged by high humidity. This is true not only for frame buildings, but also for wooden ones. But if you take care of the house and periodically treat it with an antiseptic, no problems will arise.
Low noise insulation. The weight of the structure affects sound absorption. In a frame house it is small, so problems with noise levels may arise. It is worth remembering this when building near roads or railway tracks. The problem can be solved at an early stage by selecting high-quality insulating materials.
Low environmental friendliness. It all depends on the choice of materials. It is important to pay attention to the type of sheathing and insulation. This point is quite controversial, since it is now extremely difficult to find an eco-friendly home. Chemical impregnations, artificial materials, etc. are used everywhere.
Great place for pests to live. In our climatic conditions, such a problem occurs extremely rarely. It is more relevant for other countries. But we may have another problem - mice. The problem is relevant when choosing foam plastic as insulation. Rodents are indifferent to mineral wool.

What problems arise

Considering frame houses, the pros and cons that builders know, one cannot help but talk about probable problems and ways to solve them. Otherwise the information will not be complete. In some cases, it will be wise to involve a professional: a builder or engineer.

Purchasing materials

Building a building using a frame is a new phenomenon. For this reason, you may find that certain components are not available at every hardware store. Due to the lack of competition, manufacturers and sellers can increase prices significantly.

Material for construction must be purchased from trusted suppliers

To avoid unnecessary expenses, you should constantly monitor manufacturers’ websites, compare offers and choose the best. The cost is also affected by the season. At the end of winter, materials may cost significantly less compared to summer. This is due to the fact that the greatest demand is usually observed during the warm period, and in winter there is a lull in the construction market.

Ventilation

There will be no problems when using vapor-permeable insulation and finishing materials. But if one of the layers of the wall is made of impermeable material, you will have to think about forced ventilation of the premises. The question is relevant, for example, when installing polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam (penoplex). In order not to carry out unnecessary measures, it is recommended to carefully consider such characteristics of materials as vapor permeability. It shouldn't be too low.

If foam plastic or penoplex is chosen as insulation, it is necessary to arrange forced ventilation

Another issue is façade ventilation. When using mineral wool, you need to make a gap between the insulation and the sheathing 3-5 cm thick. At the bottom of the façade there are openings for air intake. The exit is in the area of the roof eaves. This technology allows you to protect the insulation from condensation droplets.

There must be a ventilation gap between the mineral wool and the sheathing

Insufficient ventilation in both cases will lead to disruption of the microclimate and increased humidity. High humidity leads to mold, mildew and other microorganisms that can greatly ruin the life of the residents of the house. To avoid complex repairs involving replacement of cladding, insulation and supporting structures, you need to think about ventilation in advance. The same rule applies to the roof of a building.

Wiring

According to regulations, wires must be laid in metal pipes. The use of plastic on combustible substrates is unacceptable. But this is only relevant for mass construction, where upon delivery you need to pass an inspection. In a private building there is no urgent need to use Russian standards. But here it is important to understand where you can deviate from the recommendations.

It is prohibited to use plastic pipes for electrical wiring.

In terms of wiring, it is wise to take advantage of global experience. Most often, safe wires with good insulation are used. Such elements can be laid directly in the frame, having previously provided cuts. This will save time, effort and nerves.

Performer qualifications

This problem may become the biggest stumbling block. When constructing it yourself, you need to carefully study the technology. It’s even worth purchasing a couple of textbooks, because this is building your own house, on which there is no point in saving.

The frame requires high precision connections, so this option is recommended for those who already have some construction experience. A beginner may not perform the knots well enough, which will lead to certain troubles during operation.