Construction of a wooden house from a log. Building a house from a rounded log - a technology for assembling a log cabin Technology for assembling a house from a rounded log

Logs, as a building material, have been used for a very long time, and have not lost their popularity to this day. In addition to environmental friendliness, log houses attract with their appearance and relatively low cost. In this article, we will analyze in stages how to build a log house yourself.

Many companies are engaged in the construction of turnkey wooden houses today. They are also involved in the procurement and production of logs. The price of a turnkey house depends not only on the size of the house, but also on the diameter of the logs used and the method of their production.

Build a house from a log with your own hands will be much cheaper than ordering turnkey construction. The cost of building materials is comparable to the cost of work. That is, the price of a finished house ordered from a turnkey company is twice the cost of building materials.

Types of logs

Logs are made from coniferous wood, mainly spruce, pine or larch.

According to the method of production (harvesting), a log is:

- debarked

- scraped

- planed

- rounded

Debarked log is one of the most commonly used materials for building houses. Not significant processing helps to preserve all its protective properties of the tree, which significantly increases its service life. For the price of a house made of debarked logs, they are not expensive, but they require additional finishing.

From a debarked log, by removing the bark (bast) with the help of scraping and grinding, a very durable scraped log is obtained. In the process of processing, the logs are adjusted to each other, all irregularities, knots and other flaws are removed. The price of a house made from such a log will already be higher than from a debarked one, since additional processing requires quite a lot of time. A log house made of scraped logs does not require additional finishing work, but on the contrary, due to the uniqueness of each log, it looks very worthy.

The name itself - "planed log" speaks about the technology of its production. With the help of an electric planer, an insignificant upper part is removed from the logs, and all irregularities are eliminated. Thus, fairly even logs are obtained. As in the case of a scraped log, planed logs are adjusted to fit each other. Houses made of planed logs are very warm, durable and do not require additional finishing work. The price of such turnkey houses is much higher than that of the above options.

A rounded log is obtained as a result of processing a log on a rounding machine. Due to this, perfectly flat logs are obtained along the entire length, which do not require adjustment. As a result of processing, a protective layer is removed from the tree, which can subsequently lead to cracking of the log and rapid damage to the log house (decay). Houses from such a log are assembled quite quickly, they look beautiful without additional finishing. The price of houses made of turnkey rounded logs is not great, but it is quite difficult to obtain a high-quality log house from such material.

Project selection

After determining the material from which the house will be built, you can start choosing its project. You can design a small house yourself or find a free project on the Internet. But it is not worth experimenting with the project of a two-story large house. It is better to purchase it from an appropriate organization, which will most likely help with obtaining a permit for its construction.

When self-designing a future house, it is necessary to take into account the maximum possible length of the logs, which is 6 meters. The height of the future house is calculated based on the diameter of the logs, which is different for everyone, with the exception of the use of rounded logs.

The foundation for a log house

The foundation for a house made of solid logs must withstand heavy loads. The most suitable is a shallow strip foundation. The price of this type of turnkey foundation in construction companies is quite high, therefore, this stage of construction is also best done independently.

Before erecting a foundation for a house from a log, it is necessary to mark the site. To do this, pegs are driven in the corners of the future house, and a string is pulled between them, indicating its contours. Next, a trench is dug with a depth of 60-70 cm and a width equal to the width of the foundation, and it depends on the diameter chosen for the construction of the log. It is desirable that from the outside the foundation protrudes 5 cm beyond the wall, and from the inside by 10 cm. The internal ledge is necessary for a more stable and high-quality fit of the genital lags.

A layer of sand (sand cushion) is poured at the bottom of the trench, which is well compacted.

The next stage is the assembly and installation of the formwork. It is made from boards or plywood by assembling panels. Shields are installed on top of the trench opposite each other and are well fastened to each other.

Reinforcement is placed inside the formwork, which is tied together into one single frame. For the foundation for a log house, use reinforcement of at least 12 diameters, in several rows.

After the installation of the formwork and the reinforcing frame, concrete can be poured. When buying concrete from the manufacturer, you must order concrete of the M250 brand. When self-pouring, the proportions are as follows: 1 cement (400): 3 sand: 4.5-5 crushed stone.

Important! Openings must be provided in the foundation for ventilation of the subfloor. The height of the foundation from the ground should be less than 50 cm.

Wall technology

Before laying the first crown of a log house, it is necessary to waterproof the foundation by laying a waterproofing material on it (roofing material, gidrostekloizol).

For the first crown, choose the largest log in diameter and the most resinous.

You can also use larch logs, but its price is quite high. To make the log more stable, part of it is removed, making a flat platform. They are treated with an antiseptic solution and laid on the foundation.

For a high-quality fit to each other in the logs, a longitudinal groove is selected. When ordering a ready-made log house made of rounded logs, this groove is made already in production. In all other cases, the groove is made manually.

Video How to make a longitudinal groove manually:

The logs are stacked groove down on top of each other. For a tight and warm connection, moss or tow is laid between the logs. Logs are interconnected using wooden dowels, which are inserted vertically into pre-drilled holes.

The corner connection can have several options: with and without a remainder.

When joining the logs with the remainder, there will be an overconsumption of material, since part of the log protrudes beyond the wall of the house. This method will increase the cost of construction.

The corner joint of the logs must be warm. It can be obtained by connecting in a paw (when connecting without a residue) and by connecting to a bowl (when connecting with a residue).

If the diameter of the logs is large enough, then, most likely, in order to build a house from a log, you will have to resort to the help of equipment: a crane or a manipulator.

It is easier to build a house from a rounded log than from a regular one. The log is even, all the necessary grooves and corner joints have already been made in production, all that remains is to assemble the designer.

Roof erection technology

After assembling the box at home, it must be protected from the effects of precipitation. To do this, you must immediately erect a roof over it.

This will require boards of 150 * 50 mm, from which the rafter system is constructed. A roof slope of 30 degrees is optimal. The rafters are installed at a distance of 60-100 mm from each other and are attached at the bottom to the wall using long nails or metal corners, and at the top to the ridge beam. Roofing waterproofing is laid on top of the rafters, a counter rail is nailed to provide a ventilated gap, and a wooden crate is equipped.

Roofing material is laid on the crate. In the case of flexible bitumen shingles, a solid plywood base is made. The price of a soft roof is higher than a metal one, but in certain cases (complex hip roofs) its use will be preferable and expedient.

A log house with an arranged roof will have a beautiful finished look.

Important nuances

After the construction of the box of the house and the roof, the log house must stand for at least one year. After it has shrunk, you can start finishing (cutting) window and door openings.

As described above, houses made of rounded or planed logs do not require additional finishing, but protection of the wood from moisture and insects is required. For this, wooden houses should be periodically treated with special solutions and paints. The quality of wood processing will depend on how long a log house will last.

To reduce the heat loss of a log house, it must be well drilled.

To build a turnkey log house with your own hands, you need to purchase a suitable project, high-quality and affordable material and follow the technology at all stages of construction.

By choosing or drawing a specific project, and calculating how much building material is needed and how much money is needed for the construction of this particular house, you will understand how much the price of the proposed finished houses in construction companies differs from the cost of building a house with your own hands.

Video. Building a house from a log.

04/19/2016 by
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During the debate that erupted after the publication of the article "Ours in America", a reader contacted the editorial office of the site, wishing to share his personal experience. Vyacheslav has been living with his family in a solid log house for four years now. And according to him, if he knew all the "nuances" at the time of the choice of material, he would build a house from bricks or blocks. Below in the text - his personal "Top reasons why you should not build a house from a log house." To preserve authenticity, we left the text almost unchanged, making only slight stylistic changes.

Why did we want a wooden house?

1. Once we saw with our own eyes a log house - we liked it right away, it looked very beautiful, we wanted the same one for ourselves.

2. For practical reasons: initially it was assumed that we would come on weekends, fire a solid fuel boiler and quickly warm up the house (the concept changed during the construction process).

3. Environmental friendliness: I wanted the house to breathe easily, smell like a pine forest. In general, I liked the traditional concept of living in a private house: a wooden blockhouse, grass near the house, a forest nearby, etc.

summer house

Start of construction

back view

Here I managed to learn a little from other people's mistakes. My friend, in order to save money, bought timber himself. As a result, a timber truck came to him, the cutters took out suitable logs, half of the timber truck went back ... As a result, 120 cubic meters of timber turned into 200 for him. I worked with contractors who sorted wood at their base, and only brought to the site what really went into work.

view from the yard

Initially, I was not worried about the construction process, as I trusted the contractors. In the course of the work, they still "screwed up" in places, but not much (more on that below). The logs were laid on the moss. Chopped and hewed - by hand. After they made the "box" with the roof, the house was defended for a year.

from the entrance

Of the interesting things in the construction process, I can note the discrepancy between the actual sizes of the rooms and their visual perception until the moment the floors are covered. I personally measured the 19-meter kitchen with a tape measure, because visually it seemed that there were 7-8 meters there. And so - with all the rooms.

Finishing

The most interesting thing began at this stage. At first, the house needs to be polished ALL on both sides. This work is dreary and not cheap - you can look for prices for work on the Internet, four years ago it cost us a pretty penny (375 sq. M. At $ 5 per sq. M.). Moreover, when calculating the area of ​​work, the bending of the log is added to the formula "height for length" - the area increases.

top plinth - adjustment to curves

Then - impregnation ($ 0.7 per 1 sq.m.). Then - painting in one layer. Then - in the second (both - $ 1 per 1 sq. M.). Moreover, so that the materials lay down with high quality, you need to paint the house by hand(which stretches the process over time). After all these procedures, the question of the "breathing house" and the "smell of pine" disappeared by itself.
We did not make a basement, so we have a simple foundation: an ASG pillow, insulation, concrete. The builders who poured the floor did not completely cut out the bottom logs in the doorways. As a result, a year later the floor tiles (porcelain stoneware) were "torn" in these places. I had to remove the entire damaged tile, cut out the logs, and fill in the new floor. This turned out to be easier than somehow cutting out the laid tiles - not every tile cutter takes porcelain stoneware.

a crack in the tile remained in the doorway

Regular finishing moss stolen by birds, and sealing joints with a sealant... This work is long, monetary and dreary. Fortunately, there is a sealant manufacturer in Belarus offering products at reasonable prices. If he missed with imported ones, he would be ruined to hell.

Laying of communications in a log house also becomes a problem. Cutting a socket into a round log is another task (and a corresponding "tariff"). You can't hide the pipes inside. Attaching a plinth to an uneven log is also not an easy task, you will have to "think" and work with your hands.

plinth - plank + mastic

Due to the long shrinkage of the house, doors and windows were inserted into a frame made of boards. If you try to bet on a "live log" - the risks of getting "sikos-nakos" significantly increase. As well as risk of damaging a door or window... But even this "trick" did not help us personally: for 4 years of operation, the doors were adjusted twice. And some windows are still "siphoned".

Housekeeping

box for the kitchen (left against the wall)

The house is constantly "breathing". When the heating works, when not, everything moves. To hang the kitchen, it was necessary to build a metal frame, sheathe it with drywall, and only attach the kitchen to it. No other way. It is absolutely impossible to install sliding wardrobes so beloved by our citizens - there is nothing to "attach" to, and the wall and ceiling live their own lives. The ladder, which was "tied" to the wall, was distorted as a result, the railing was torn out.

instead of a wardrobe ...

Any decorative boxes that cover communications turn into a work of art - they need to be somehow combine with a log wall, and this process turns into a jewelry fit with a construction cutter in hand.

The joints covered with sealant were greased twice in 4 years. Does not matter - cracks appear... The wooden floor on the 2nd floor is also drying out, there are also cracks, and this is inevitable.

crack between logs

In the fall mice enter the house, in the gap between the lower log and the foundation. So far it has not been possible to block this road for them, since the conjugation line is very uneven. And if on the main "animal paths" this phenomenon can be reduced "to naught" with the help of poison and mousetraps, then when mice frolic between the logs without visiting "nothing can be done with them." Only curse.

Also between the logs every year wasps make their nests... The issue is solved with the help of "Dichlorvos". But it still has to be solved.

In autumn and early winter, on the second floor, there is a kingdom of flies. First flies clog in the cracks for the winter. Then it gets warm in the house - and they climb inside. Against this fraternity, we have not yet come up with any other remedy other than a vacuum cleaner.

We are also the best friends of Tikkurila paint sellers. There need to tint, here you need to tint: steps, joints, terrace. They did not keep exact records of production, but a lot of paint buckets were bought in 4 years.

In the spring, when the pine (and then the birch) blooms, all house is covered yellow pollen... Moreover - in a thick layer. On an even vertical wall, so much of it would simply not accumulate. This issue is solved by washing the walls with a jet from "Karcher". But again, it needs to be addressed.

Bath

Inside the house dust accumulates on the bend of the logs... There are already no universal remedies - the dust can only be removed manually, in the old fashioned way.

Sometimes inside the house there are spontaneous, inexplicable bursts of life - some bugs, midges, insects appear, but I have not yet installed any system here.

In the bathhouse, near the guest bed, in a log lives some kind of playful creature, crunching a log all night long. Finding and killing her is not possible.

And finally - about the famous "winter" forest. My house was cut down from the February one. Bath - from August. I still haven't noticed the difference.

Issue price

Considering all of the above, such housing cannot be called cheap. House with a total area of ​​240 sq. m. (with a small attic floor) cost me $ 40,000 only at the first stage: foundation, box and roof. Then the project grew, we also built a farm building, a bathhouse made of the same "round timber", refined the territory, the street next to the house. All this (together with materials, finishes, windows, doors and a geothermal boiler) cost us $ 180,000 in total.

roof shrinkage

Conclusion: What we got for this torment is a very beautiful house. And some indescribable pleasure from the feeling of a thick, uneven log, its rough appearance, rich texture ... Friends who began to build across the site from mine, heard about the same text, my complaints and advice to build from blocks. And in the end ... the blockhouse was also cut down. Here, of course, everyone decides for himself. But I honestly warned you.

Interviewed by: Dmitry Malakhov

Our portal is replete with examples of the construction and operation of small, or, as they are now called, mini-houses, but usually these are either frame-modular or frame structures. As it turned out, a log is also a suitable wall material, especially when the concept of construction is environmental friendliness and naturalness. One of our craftsmen, with nickname mike099... Its theme has collected all the stars, which speaks of its relevance, so it makes sense to expand the reach of the audience by considering the construction process in stages:

• Eco-hut.
• Preparation.
• Foundation.
• Box.
• Roof.
• Internal work.

Eco-hut only 30 m²

mike099 FORUMHOUSE user

The dream of building a wooden house - environmentally friendly, practically without paints, mineral wool, polystyrene and other "benefits" of modern industry has long crept in. The task is to build a solid, comfortable house with minimal effort, suitable for winter raids and year-round living, therefore, shingles, boulders, mezzanines, Russian stoves and other delights of the past centuries were not included in the project.

The craftsman immediately decided on the construct:

• Pile foundation.
• A box made of hand-chopped logs.
• Metal roofing.
• As a heater for floors - sawdust and sawdust with lime.

Preparation

The preparation stage included clearing the site, digging a well, installing a purchased wooden change house and toilet, after which the project selection stage began. Initially, the craftsman aimed at a one-and-a-half-story frame 8 × 9 meters with five rooms, but as he understood it, a completely different design emerged. I refused the second floor, although it was an attic one, both because of the unwillingness to engage in stair fitness, and for other reasons. In addition, with the planned stove heating, there will be a large temperature difference between the levels. Plus, it is problematic to insulate the pitched roof with sawdust, with overlap and a cold attic is much easier. Then it was the turn of the quadrature, and the result of the selection of the optimal layout was the project of a log house 6 × 6 meters, with a set of functional rooms.

Were taken into account both the meters vital for a comfortable existence, and the savings in operation due to the reduction of heating costs, and the country specificity - a house for "drinking and sleeping tea". However, this adjustment to the scale led to the abandonment of the planned felling of logs into a bowl. A six-meter log just fits into the plan, and a seven-meter one is much more expensive, and only a few work with it. Yes, visually cutting into a cup wins, but the “dovetail” with the intersection is quite functional, and the ends can be closed with platbands.

Foundation

The preference was given to screw piles because of the desire to try the "ultra-modern solution" and save money, as well as due to the speed and relative ease of installation. In total, nine piles were screwed in - three points of support for each supporting beam, pile diameter 108 mm, thickness - 4 mm. Despite some problems during the installation of piles and the flimsy of the coating, positioned as a durable protective layer, and in fact without efforts being peeled off with a fingernail, the craftsman is satisfied with the choice. Moreover, it is possible that the bathhouse will also be placed on piles, although it admits that the tape or plate will be "more reliable."

Box

The log house was collected on moss, ordered in advance from another area, before installation, the moss was poured out to dry, since during the delivery it was still fresh and did not dry out especially in two weeks spent waiting in the wings. Making log partitions turned out to be problematic due to the small dimensions of the four-wall, and the cost of the box in this case would have jumped by almost half. Therefore, in one day, the hired team brought and assembled just a box in one more day, and although the moss after assembly hung picturesquely on all the walls, it took much less than planned, as practice has shown - they clearly did not report.

To dry the log house, ventilation holes of 30 × 30 cm were cut out, with a grate. To everyone who is just in the process mike099 advises making more of them. He was already doing the twisting (primary caulking of the log house with moss) on his own, driving the hanging moss into the voids, cutting off the excess with a clerical knife.

Roof

The craftsman refused from the now popular soft tile for several reasons.

mike099

I dismissed the soft roof immediately, due to the lower environmental friendliness and the higher price. Bonding, the basis of soft tiles are far from natural materials. Installation is more expensive, and you need a flat OSB or plywood flooring.

Therefore, I preferred metal tiles that imitate the ceramic source. A wide, semicircular ridge, instead of the rafter elements, there is a central support ridge beam. Waterproofing, counter-lattice along the rafters (50 × 50 mm), lathing with a step for the profile of the covering (35 cm). As planned - eaves overhangs of 70 cm, in the future there will be a metal drainage system.

After assembling the blockhouse "under the roof", he protected the ventilation windows with awnings, and installed temporary ebbs from waterproofing at the ends, slots of the ebb and at the junction of the box and the piping. No matter how much I wanted to avoid the use of chemistry, I had to treat the gables from the imitation of the timber with a protective impregnation.

Internal work

The ceiling was made at the stage of assembling the timber, I wanted to comply with the style, but processing a log now is not a cheap pleasure, like the log itself. The craftsman replaced the log with a board, 50 mm thick, with overlapping slots with an unedged board 25 mm thick, all lumber was debarked and sanded before installation. To avoid problems when insulating with a mixture of sawdust and clay, two support logs go through the ceiling.

I made the opening of the openings myself, since the specialized companies raised the price tag to unattainable heights.

mike099

The okosyachka was made simple, rough T-shaped: the grooves in the log were outlined with a saw, the main selection was made with a milling cutter. I laid a block of 50x50 mm dry, with a linen tape (insulation) and shot a box from a 200x50 mm board to it with self-tapping screws.

Another indulgence in favor of modern materials is a metal door and two plastic windows; wooden euro windows were installed in the future living quarters. Again, in order to save money, he painted the windows on his own, which he regrets - the quality turned out to be lower than the factory one, and taking into account the cost of consumables, the difference in money is minimal with high labor costs.

To increase the heat capacity of the house, I chose a combined brick stove with a cast-iron stove, as a compromise between an iron stove and a Russian stove. The foundation under the furnace is 1.7 m deep, reinforcing cage, two m³ of concrete.

The rough floor, as it dries, "pleased" with the cracks, I had to cover them with cover strips, before filling the sawdust I laid the remaining dry moss as a natural antiseptic.

Before laying the sawdust, he sprinkled it with lime and carefully tamped it. Before starting the installation of a finishing floorboard, the craftsman brought out communications.

An unpleasant surprise was the strong warping of the floor after shrinking for just one day and the loss of knots. The result is the opening of the coating and re-installation, and the reason is the purchase of materials in a hurry, on the market.

The craftsman decided to leave in the first winter with an insulated underground - a metal frame around the perimeter of the basement, XPS to it, 50 mm thick, and horizontally, on the ground, with a slope from the house, also sheets of insulation. The horizontal layer was simply covered back with earth, the lawn was on the site under the frame itself, and the basement was subsequently revetted with basement siding for brickwork.

Grinding logs mike099 started on his own, first with the help of an eccentric sander. It turned out to be rather weak, so they replaced it with a grinder, first I used a circle with 80 grain, the second pass - with 120-150 grain. Only the vacuum cleaner accumulated 200 liters of waste, but it was worth it.

Asking the question in which house I would like to live, for some reason, the towers from children's fairy tales come to mind. Why not? The wooden house has a wonderful internal climate: warm in winter and cool in summer, always dry, even in very humid areas, the wonderful rich aroma of wood creates not only comfort, but also a wonderful atmosphere for life and creativity. In search of the ideal home, you inevitably come to the realization that no one has come up with anything better than log houses. They are beautiful, practical, do not require finishing, perfectly retain heat and are absolutely environmentally friendly, if not even curative. The construction of a log house is a very responsible and laborious business, although our ancestors for the most part built such houses on their own, everyone knew the technology that was passed down from generation to generation, but today the thread of knowledge has been interrupted. There were very few good architects left, but industrial methods of building wooden houses appeared. Of course, you can choose turnkey log houses, but within the framework of this article, we will consider options for how you can build a log house with your own hands.

Rounded or planed (chopped) logs - which is better?

In total, two types of buildings are called log houses: the first is made of chopped logs, i.e. cut by hand, it is also called "wild felling", the second - from a log, rounded on a special machine. Let's see which option is better.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, all log houses were exclusively "Wild felling"... What does this mean? Everything logs were handled, the top layer, the bark, was carefully removed from the newly cut tree, while trying to keep the bast layer intact, which protects the deeper layers of wood from moisture from the outside. This provided outstanding resistance to mold and mildew. Obviously, the sawn log tapers from the lower end, which is closer to the root, to the upper end, which is closest to the top. Even after processing, this difference in diameters remains, the closer to the top, the thinner the log. A sufficiently tall tree can be cut into 3 logs: the thickest one, the end of which is located near the rhizome, is called a butt, the middle one is a friend, and the top one is a third or top. For construction, it was always the butt that was used, as the strongest, thickest and with a smaller change in diameter. To compensate for the difference in thickness, the butt and the top always alternated during the construction of the log house. In one crown - the butt “looks” in one direction, and in the next - in the opposite direction. The selection of hand-chopped logs is not an easy task, because it is necessary to create an even solid structure from logs of different diameters.

To this day, the technology of building log houses has reached almost unchanged. Everyone also builds houses from different-sized logs, trying to fit them as perfectly as possible. Moreover, such houses are considered elite housing, and the services for their construction are much more expensive than houses made of timber or even rounded logs. This is dictated by the complexity, duration and labor intensity of the work. After the construction of a log house made of chopped logs, it must necessarily stand at least 1 - 1.5 years, during which time the wood will settle by about 5 - 7%. Only after that you can decorate the house: insert doors, windows, carry out communications, etc. In general, in addition to the colossal work of preparing and customizing the logs, it will take a lot of time to wait.

Thanks to modern technology, all the inconveniences of using planed logs can be avoided. On special machines in industrial conditions, logs are processed to a perfectly cylindrical shape, and a groove is also cut out in them for further fastening to crowns. All dimensions are verified to the millimeter. This greatly facilitates the work during the construction of a log house, they simply resemble the assembly of a designer according to instructions and a drawing.

It is a very light and convenient material for construction, but it has lost all the advantages of a planed log in production. The fact is that during the production process, not only the bark is removed from the log, but all the upper layers, including the sapwood, only mature and hearty wood remains, which is not protected by anything from external factors. Therefore, when using a rounded log, it is treated with special antiseptics and other antifungal and anti-rotting impregnations, as well as means that prevent insect damage. The result is: comfortable, beautiful, very smooth and less durable and environmentally friendly. In addition, the maximum diameter of such a log is less than 300 mm, while the chopped log can be of any diameter.

For ready-made log houses, the price depends on which log was used: chopped or rounded. Log houses are more expensive. And although many say that they look less aesthetically pleasing, in fact they are not: from a hand-planed log, you can create a personalized masterpiece that will not look like any house in the world. At the same time, the walls look primitive and unusual. It is much easier to build a house from a rounded log, especially on your own, since the human factor is almost completely excluded.

Log houses: projects, technologies, cost

Any construction begins with the creation of a project, and the construction of a log house is no exception. You can take a ready-made project, or you can make an individual one by ordering it in a special bureau. You should not first fill in the foundation, and then think about what kind of house you would like to build, because it will be quite difficult to fit it to the dimensions of the finished foundation.

The cost of a log house depends on its number of storeys, material and structural complexity. Houses can have one floor, or two or three. The walls can adjoin each other at almost any angle, since a bowl of any shape can be cut into the logs. Those. a polygon wall is quite normal for a log house.

Today, log houses are built in two ways: they prepare logs directly at the construction site from chopped wood, or assemble a house according to a drawing from rounded logs made in advance and fitted at the factory.

In the first case, the forest is always of natural moisture, i.e. after the construction of the blockhouse, they caulk and leave it for a year and a half for shrinkage, and only then continue the work. Installation of windows and doors is carried out using two technologies: the first is to immediately cut the logs to the required length, leaving room for a window or door opening, the second is based on first letting the wood dry evenly, shrink and only then, on the next year, cut openings. The second option is preferable, since it provides the strength and durability of the frame, due to uniform shrinkage. But this is a waste of time. And the first option is faster, therefore it is used more often, albeit to the detriment of the log house itself.

Rounded logs are sold both with natural moisture and dried in production. The designer always assumes that all the logs already have the final length, it remains only to assemble it. Companies engaged in the construction of houses from rounded logs very rarely agree to build from raw logs, almost always fitting and complete assembly of the house is performed at the factory, then the log house is marked, disassembled and transported to the site where it is reassembled.

How much a log house costs depends not only on the type of log, but also on its diameter, as well as on the accompanying work that the customer asks to perform. For example, the construction of only a log house from a rounded log will cost about 280 - 350 USD. per 1 m2, from chopped logs - at 350 - 450 USD for 1 m2. If you order in a construction company the arrangement of the foundation, carrying out communications, finishing the house, in general, everything, then count on 1000 USD. for 1 m2.

How to choose the right wood for your log house

Most often, the construction of log houses is carried out from coniferous wood: pine, spruce, larch, cedar, but aspen, oak, ash and other deciduous trees can also be used. Pine and spruce are the most affordable materials, so they prevail. It is imperative to buy logs felled in winter, such wood has ideal moisture resistance.

If there is an opportunity to choose, it is better to opt for northern coniferous wood, it is more resistant to negative influences. A good option is pine from the Baltic coast and Canadian spruce. But wood harvested in the middle lane is also not bad if all the conditions for storage, drying and transportation are met.

Important! Please note when choosing wood that the forest grown in different climatic zones will have completely different characteristics and density levels, despite the same processing conditions.

It is better to buy wood from a trusted and reliable logger. The strength of the whole house depends on this. Wrong with wood - money down the drain. The diameter of the logs is selected depending on the project of the house and on the severity of the winter cold. For example, if the temperature in winter does not drop below -20 ° C, 200 mm of log is sufficient, if down to -30 ° C, then 220 mm of log, and if down to -40 ° C, then 240 - 260 mm. Of course, these calculations are purely advisory in nature. You can safely choose logs of greater thickness, up to 500 - 600 mm in diameter, or use 250 mm logs in a fairly warm climate, the tree compensates for temperature changes.

When you come to a sawmill or a timber warehouse, pay attention to the following features:

• The surface of the logs should be yellow or dark yellow.
• The cut should be firm and even, without blue spots.
• The pith should occupy ¾ of the cut and have an even dark shade.
• No resin pockets.
• Better if there are no branches. But even if they are available, they should sit without gaps. If you see such a picture, it means that the core is rotten.
• When the ax hits the end of the log, there should be a ringing sound.
• The maximum allowable crack depth in the log should be 1/3 of the cut.
• The logs should not be twisted; in the construction of a house, they can be used only for floorboards and rafters, having previously been dismissed into bars.

Feel free to discard logs with the above disadvantages. If you buy a project house made of rounded logs, be sure to include in the contract a clause obliging to replace the substandard log at the expense of the company at the first request of the customer. Pay attention to the conditions in which the forest was stored, whether all the requirements were met, or maybe mold will appear on the logs after a couple of months.

Diy log house

The easiest option for self-construction is a round log house. We will consider it further, since a log house will still require not only the ability to hold a tool in hand, but also a decent experience in working with wood.

First of all, we order a project or a house according to an already finished project in a special company. After we have discussed all the issues, the factory produces a complete set of logs for our house, as well as floor beams, joists and rafters. In the same place, the house is being assembled for the first time to make sure that all the logs are cut correctly. Then the house is dismantled.

Our participation begins with an inspection of a set of timber. Then we have to prepare a place on the building plot for storing wood by equipping it with a canopy so that the tree does not get wet in the rain.

Foundation for a log house

Before building a log house, it is necessary to equip the foundation on which it will stand. Since a wooden house is a relatively light structure, the foundation can also be made shallow. Most often, they use a pile-strip foundation, pile, slab and, less often, a buried strip foundation.

Consider a strip pile foundation.

• We mark the site, then remove the top fertile layer and set it aside for landscape needs.
• For the width of the strip foundation, we excavate the soil to a depth of 30 cm.
• Along the perimeter of the structure with a step of about 2 m, we drill wells with a diameter of up to 180 mm, to the depth of soil freezing, i.e. 150 cm.
• We fill the wells with a layer of sand and crushed stone.
• We weld the reinforcement frame and lower it into the well.
• Fill the well with concrete, then ram it with a vibrator.
• We install wooden formwork for the strip foundation. It should protrude at least 50-60 cm above the ground level.
• We weld the frame for the strip foundation and connect it with the fittings sticking out of the wells.
• We fill the strip foundation with concrete, compact and wait until it hardens.

After the foundation has completely dried, you can proceed to waterproofing it. This is especially important, since our house is wooden. We put roofing material on the foundation in 3 - 4 layers and additionally coat it with mastic.

Build a log house from rounded logs: erecting walls

Please note, this is extremely important, the first crown - the mortgage - cannot be installed directly on the foundation. Although you can find such a performance, but be aware that it threatens that the mortgage crown will quickly become unusable.

So, to begin with, we lay on the foundation the so-called "lining" linden board. It can be a beam with a thickness of about 50 - 100 mm, and a width of at least 150 mm. Then we begin to assemble the blockhouse:

Important! The bottom crown must have an end cut of at least 150 mm from the bottom. This is necessary so that the house rests firmly on the plane of the end. If you suddenly notice that the crown logs have the same groove as all the others, contact the manufacturer and ask for a replacement.

• The first two logs of the crown are laid on opposite walls of the foundation, parallel to each other, on a backing board. We carefully check their even location.

Important! All logs in the set already have a groove for longitudinal connection made at the factory and a lock corner connection. Most often it is a lunar groove and a "bowl" connection.

• We put insulation on the logs that we will lay on the remaining two sides. Fill the entire groove and recess of the bowl with caulking material. It can be moss, tow, hemp or jute. Most often, jute or linen tape insulation with a width corresponding to the width of the groove in the log is used for caulking rounded logs. We spread the insulation so that at the edges it hangs 5 ​​- 6 cm on each side. We fix it with a construction stapler.

Important! The recess must be completely filled with insulation. When the jute tape is spread, it covers the entire longitudinal groove, but only passes in the middle in the bowl. Therefore, in the area of ​​\ u200b \ u200bthe bowl, it is necessary to insulate with two segments.

• We install two logs on the transverse sides of the foundation, resting them on the crown. The bowls should fit neatly. We check that the required angle is between the logs, for example, 90 °. We control the level of their horizontality. The insulation should hang from the log.

• We install all other crowns according to the same scheme, assembling as a designer.
• For greater strength, some technologies involve fastening the crowns to each other not only with the help of grooves and bowls, but also with dowels. These are wooden slats made of denser wood. A hole is drilled in the logs to a depth of more than one log and a dowel is inserted into the hole.

• The last two crowns are not fixed. This is necessary for proper shrinkage.

Important! All logs must be treated with antiseptics, otherwise they will rot in the very first winter.

Do not forget to constantly check the correctness of the installation. The horizontality of the logs and the strict verticality of the frame are required. A set of houses made of rounded logs have holes for window and door frames. We carefully lay short logs and fix them carefully.

Installation of the roof of a log house

Log walls cannot be left without a roof, therefore, immediately after the walls are erected, we cover the log house. Rafters and floor joists are included. The rafters can be installed directly on the logs of the upper crown, or you can first lay the Mauerlat (rafter bar).

If the project provides for a veranda, then we insert special shrinkage compensators since horizontally laid logs will dry out and shrink, but vertical ones will not. To prevent the house from distorting, all vertical logs must be equipped with expansion joints.

We connect ridge logs with metal pins. We install the rafters in increments of 600 mm. We use timber 50x200 mm for this. We fasten the rafters to the last crown on sliding supports. We lay a waterproofing film on top of the rafters. Then we fasten the lathing, the step of which depends on the selected roofing material. Last but not least, we lay the roofing material.

After the walls of the log house are ready and the roof is mounted, all the insulation that sticks out of the logs should be carefully caulked. To do this, using a caulk (tool), we wrap these 5 - 6 cm of insulation down, push inside the gap between the crowns. Then we make a pushing motion at the top of the gap and in the middle.

In this state: with the roof and the walls that were bored for the first time, we leave the house for a year to shrink.

A year later, we repeat the caulking, sealing up all the newly formed cracks and gaps with tow, hemp or jute.

Important! Sometimes it is advised to make another caulk after the house has been in operation for a whole year with the heating turned on in winter.

Installation of doors, windows, installation of ceilings and floors

All windows, doors and partitions are installed only after the maximum shrinkage of the frame, i.e. a year after construction.

Neither doors nor windows are placed directly in the openings. To begin with, wooden casing boxes with expansion joints and already in them windows and doors. This precaution is due to the fact that wood is a ductile material. It expands from moisture and shrinks from its lack, moreover, the shrinkage of a wooden house lasts 5-6 years. And although a rounded log is less susceptible to shrinkage, casing is still necessary.

The floor lags of the first floor are cut into the mortgage ring or into the next one. They must be firmly attached. Since the mortgage crown must be well ventilated so as not to rot for longer, it is recommended to mount the floor on the logs with the crown above.

At this stage, it is already possible to install the heating system and other communications, install internal doors, slopes, baseboards, plumbing and other finishes.

On this log house is ready, you can move in. In conclusion, I would like to note that logs of insufficient length can be joined, but it is important to make a connecting groove, and there should not be many such connections in one wall. Air vents should be provided in the foundation for free ventilation of the underground. And do not forget, you cannot leave the log house not covered with a roof or at least a film, and also not treat it with an antiseptic. Rounded logs can deteriorate even in one season.

Often, people who live in an area with a commercially available round timber, the idea arises to build a house on their own: especially since almost all peasants owned this wisdom until quite recently, not knowing a single letter, not owning the technology of construction. Building a log house with your own hands is not a great science, but it still requires a deep understanding of the process and the ability to adapt old carpentry technologies to new conditions.

Materials and tools for the construction of a log house

We are in a hurry to dissuade people who want to install a log house using modern power tools to save time. Unfortunately, the use of chainsaws and electric planers is not recommended, they can only be used for heavy work. Wood treated with power tools is more susceptible to mold and decay processes. For the construction of log cabins, a special carpentry kit is used.
To work, in addition to axes, you will need a standard plane (as well as a sherhebel plane for finishing work) and a scraper (for removing bark), there is also a number of additional carpentry tools for cutting into a cup. An adze is used to cut a longitudinal groove - an ax with a rounded blade and an inverted ax. When processing wood with hand tools, the wood pores are naturally clogged, as a result, a hand-chopped house will stand much longer.

Carpenter's ax and its features: where to order and how to make

A house made of round timber is cut by several types of axes, professional cutters order axes for felling houses on order from high-quality hardened steel. In the simplest version, we recommend stocking up with an ax for rough cutting, which, without the weight of the ax, should lead about 1.6 kg, have a sharpening angle of 25 degrees, for convenience, use the length of the ax 60 cm. And the second ax is used for fine cutting with higher accuracy, such the model will have a sharpening angle of 20 degrees, a mass of 0.9 kg and an ax up to 50 cm long.

Many artels in their work use a restoration-carpenter's ax, which was restored and made on the basis of ancient samples by A.V. Popov. There are many modifications made by Popov himself. Up to about 90% of felling joinery can be done with this tool. Popov's ax has a wedge-shaped shape, in fact, this ax is a half moon, since its tasks include not only cutting, but also removing chips during operation. This requirement is achieved with a specially shaped tool.

High-quality axes for felling log cabins are produced by a number of Russian forges. One of the most curious is ToporSib. In this artel, you can purchase all the necessary tools for felling a log house in the form of ready-made sets.

Selection and preparation of logs for the construction of a log house

For the construction of a log house, round timber is required. The thickness of the log house is selected based on the availability of materials. Usually, a round house is cut with its own hands from affordable and inexpensive materials. In Russian conditions, we are talking about pine round timber. There are 4 varieties of round timber available for sale, experts recommend the 2nd grade:

• 1st grade: butt part, no knots, used for high-quality woodwork;
• 2nd grade: assortment from the middle and butt part of the pine trunk, there are a small number of knots and cracks;
• 3rd grade: round timber with a large number of knots;
• Grade 4: wood with any defects other than rot.

Pine for the construction of a log house is chosen for budgetary reasons, in addition, this wood is soft and pliable in processing, has a small number of knots, does not require additional processing, the trunk runout (difference in diameter) does not usually exceed 1 cm.Pine does not crack as much as spruce in processing, but has softness, therefore, for the lower logs that are closer to the ground, larch or oak is recommended. In this case, the cap can be made of pine, but its diameter should be 5-7 cm larger than the main log. In some cases, a high foundation can save from ground moisture.
For felling, only fresh wood is used, ideally, the felling is cut in the forest, where you can pick up the material, and then transported to the installation site. Fresh material should be stored for no more than 2 weeks; for storage on a construction site, rounds are stacked in stacks. For the northern regions with temperatures reaching -40C in winter, logs with a diameter of 21-24 cm are used, for the middle strip 15-18 cm is enough.

Project

When building a house, it is better to start with small forms of buildings, for example, to build a gazebo or a log-bath with a relaxation room and a bedroom. You can live in such a house until the construction of the main house, and then use it as a guest house. Usually, a timber of the maximum length is ordered, while it is possible to make accurate calculations based on the availability of windows, doors, walls and select the logs at the sawmill according to the required size.
In order to successfully and quickly build a house for yourself, it is better to hire an artel that is engaged in wooden construction, at least for the summer. This will help you to understand the main points of manual felling of log cabins.

Foundation works: in the old days and now

The foundation for a wooden frame is made using tape technology or from stone. The higher the foundation, the better the timber will be protected from soil moisture. A round log house can be installed on a columnar and pile foundation. In the old days, the first rows of logs, the so-called uterine crown, were installed on stone ramparts, they were called ryazem. This solution made it possible to raise the house above the ground and secure it firmly.

We chop the log house with our own hands

Prepare accessories before starting work. First of all, the supports for holding the logs, the fixation of the round timber is ensured by the cut wedges. Next, you need to prepare the logs to size:

• when cutting a log house "in the paw", the logs are prepared according to the design dimensions of the house;
• when cutting "into the bowl" by 60 cm more.

Then, with the help of a scraper, the bark is removed from the trees, the log can be brought to a smooth state with a plane, but since the top layer of wood will be removed, it is necessary to treat the log with an antiseptic solution or tar oil.

At the next stage, the cutting of the oblique crown is carried out using the cutting of the log. On the one hand, you should get a perfectly flat surface that will be in contact with the foundation. Further, a strapping is constructed, a felling is done without much difficulty with your own hands in a bowl, other technologies require skill.
Here is how a do-it-yourself frame is made video:

The algorithm for cutting a longitudinal groove can be different; professional craftsmen make it by hand. Beginners will be helped by a small graphical instruction.

The felling of a log house can be carried out in a bowl, as well as using a number of other methods, which are illustrated in the figure.

Please note that there is Russian and Canadian felling technology. The Canadian method of felling log cabins is better designed for the shrinkage of the log and guarantees better thermal insulation.

Conclusion

Do-it-yourself felling is a very real goal, as a result of which you will become the owner of a beautiful and warm home. Construction of a wooden house will cost you relatively inexpensively, since labor-intensive processes will be carried out independently. The house will delight with its appearance, as well as create a healthy atmosphere inside due to the aroma of pine resins. The key advantage of this construction technology is the fact that you can cut a wooden house at any time of the year. When using high-quality old wood, such a house will last at least 100 years.