Frame filling house. Frame-filling technology

Frame technologies: history and modernity

For more than a century, similar technologies have been actively used in the west for low-rise construction. In our country, they began to gain popularity relatively recently. Of course, similar technologies were known in our country for a very long time, but the domestic methods of frame construction, which were widespread in Soviet times, could hardly be called technological and functional. Such structures are popularly called "filling houses". It's all about the use of slag, sawdust or their mixture as a heater in such frame structures.

Such houses were considered to be temporary, and as a result, the requirements for their functionality were the lowest - the "filling" houses were cold, short-lived, not environmentally friendly and very fire hazardous. Insulation in the form of sawdust or slag poured between the walls weathered over time, compacted and settled, forming voids inside the walls. The use of roofing material or polyethylene as waterproofing walls made it impossible for the house to “breathe”. Dry sawdust and shavings used for insulation could smolder from any accidental spark - be it from a chimney or from a spring fall, and it was very difficult to extinguish the smoldering that began between the walls without disassembling the structure.

However, a couple of decades ago, new thermal insulation materials came to our market - mineral plates, sandwich panels, SIP panels, etc. As a result, frame construction has received a second life. By the way, by that time such technologies had already become dominant in the construction markets of Western Europe and North America. There, houses built using frame construction technology belonged to capital residential buildings. In these countries, a large number of construction standards, patented technologies, consumables and components have been developed that make frame construction akin to assembling a children's designer. At the same time, frame houses have proven themselves well not only in the relatively warm regions of Europe and the United States, but even in the north - in countries such as Canada. Sweden. Norway, Finland, the climate of which is quite comparable to ours.

Pros and cons

However, both developers and customers are still very suspicious of frame technologies, seeing in them something short-lived and unreliable. Perhaps the reason for this is the persistent association of the word “frame house” with those very “backfills” - temporary huts of the Soviet period. And it is possible that the whole point is in our northern mentality - “a reliable house must have thick walls”. But, as they say, there is no smoke without fire. Therefore, we will try to understand in more detail why frame technologies have conquered most of the construction market in Western countries, while in our country they are still “under suspicion”. Let's start with the minuses that are attributed to frame houses by “public opinion”.

Frame technology is a rather broad concept, which includes the very "filling" huts, hastily assembled from slabs and scrap materials, and expensive, high-tech panel structures from Western firms. Therefore, it is unlikely that it will be possible to derive a general minus here. For example, let us take the “Canadian” technology, which is gaining more and more popularity in the Russian market, using SIP panels.

Minuses

The main disadvantages of housing built using the "Canadian" technology include:

Fire hazard... It is believed that in frame houses the chance of a fire is much higher. The fact that the house is made of 90% combustible materials is, in the eyes of opponents of such technologies, a reason for refusing them. At the same time, it should be noted that there is no less risk of fire in log houses, log houses and even brick houses. According to statistics, a fire occurs most often due to faults in the electrical wiring, stove heating, and unplugged electrical appliances. In this case, it is not the walls that ignite, but flammable finishing materials, interior items, furniture, personal belongings of residents. And already from them the fire spreads to the supporting structures. In this case, frame houses built without observing the necessary fire safety rules - insulation of the chimney and electrical wiring from combustible materials, impregnation and facing with non-combustible materials, etc. But these rules are similar for houses built using other technologies.
Fragility... This implies the susceptibility of wooden structures to decay and damage to fungi and mold. However, this problem is eliminated by the construction of ventilation and the observance of vapor barrier technologies. The technology of processing wooden materials with special compounds that prevent the occurrence of fungus is also used.
Low level of noise isolation... This defect most often occurs again when the construction technology is violated. When installing wall panels, special attention should be paid to their tight fit and the absence of gaps between them. In this case, it is possible to provide a fairly good level of sound insulation, comparable to log or brick houses.

As you can see, most of the shortcomings of frame houses do not come from imperfect technologies, but from non-compliance with them. For the majority of domestic developers, modern frame technologies - "Canadian", "Norwegian" - are still a novelty. As a result, there is an insufficient quality of installation, which entails a decrease in the functional qualities of the house and generates a general distrust of the population in such technologies. The houses assembled according to all the rules of the same “Canadian” technology are in no way inferior to timber houses either in terms of heat, or in durability, or in environmental friendliness. And on top of that, they also have a number of undeniable advantages.

pros

The cost... The main plus forcing people to pay attention to these technologies, who are unable to build a brick or log house. When building a frame house, it is possible to save on everything - starting with the disappearing need to dig a foundation pit, and ending with saving on the interior decoration of the house. Lightweight construction does not require a capital foundation, and SIP panels do not need to be plastered.
Speed... Another important factor. The construction time of a frame house is several times, or even an order of magnitude less than a house of the same size made of logs or bricks. A house made of SIP panels does not require waiting for the foundation to "shrink" like a brick building or walls, like a lumber or log frame.
Ease of construction... To assemble such a house, it is not at all necessary to have some kind of construction specialties, such as a bricklayer or a carpenter. The assembly of self-supporting insulated wire panels is very simple, and a team of 2 - 3 people with initial skills in handling construction tools can handle it.
The main feature of SIP panel houses is their warmth.... This distinguishes them favorably from the same brick buildings. For example, a standard SIP plate with a thickness of about 17 cm has the same thermal insulation coefficient as a brick wall 2.5 meters thick!

This is just a small list of the main advantages that distinguish frame houses from the usual houses made of timber or brick, logs or foam blocks. It is not for nothing that today 90% of the inhabitants of North America or Europe, who have their own homes, live in dwellings built using frame technology. The main factor that determines the functionality of a house is the quality of the construction and the materials used. Subject to all technological requirements, such houses are in no way inferior to houses made of other materials.

Currently, frame houses are the most widespread. In them, the supporting base is a wooden frame assembled from racks, straps, beams and crossbars. It takes the weight of walls, floors and roofs.

In terms of the consumption of building materials and labor costs, frame houses are considered one of the most economical. Their other advantage is the ability to build with your own hands. The main work performed (laying a light foundation, cutting boards and beams, cutting sheet materials, installing window and door blocks, installing a roof) do not require special construction qualifications. In frame houses there are no heavy elements that require lifting equipment for installation.

Compared to houses made of logs and beams, frame houses have a number of operational advantages. They are warmer because they lack numerous grooves between the logs that require compaction. Even with careful caulking in log houses, it is not possible to achieve complete windproofness of walls and corners. The frame house does not give precipitation, and this greatly facilitates both construction and further operation. It is much less affected by grinders that settle in a bowl in logs and massive bars. Finally, such a house warms up faster when heated, has less humidity, which is important when homeowners come in only periodically on weekends. This is explained by the fact that it is necessary to heat only the thin inner lining of the premises, separated from the outer surface of the wall by an effective heat-insulating material. All this taken together attracts amateur builders to the construction of frame houses.

Depending on the design of the walls, frame houses are of two types: frame-panel and frame-backfill.

Frame-panel houses

In a frame-panel house, the walls are completely finished and finished panels (small-sized panels), made in advance, and only assembled at the construction site. They are usually collected in autumn and winter somewhere warm and under a roof. Made on a workbench according to a template, with high precision, careful laying of insulation, steam and wind insulation materials, neat outer and inner cladding, they allow you to quickly assemble a house with high quality construction. The dimension of the boards is usually chosen in length equal to the height of the wall, and in width, depending on the size of the available cladding material. It is necessary that the waste during cutting is minimal. Usually the module (width) of the panels is taken as 1.2 m, but some projects are designed for a module of greater or lesser dimension.

Frame-backfill houses

A frame-backfill house has walls that are assembled at the construction site from start to finish. First, the internal cladding is performed along the frame racks with the laying of a vapor barrier layer (glassine, polyethylene film), and then the outer cladding is carried out along the windproof layer (cardboard, construction paper). The space inside the wall is filled with heat-insulating material. Bulk insulation (sawdust, peat, perlite sand) can also be used in backfill walls. As the outer sheathing grows, insulation is laid, moreover, it is loose, in order to avoid voids and precipitation, it is tamped tightly.

The frame design is determined by the type of walls that will be selected for the home. The wall panels assembled on the frame are capable of carrying the load by themselves. A frame-backfill house requires a more durable frame.

Installation of the frame of the filling house

Bottom strapping

Work begins with laying the lower strapping on the foundation. It can be made of round wood (podovarnik), hewn into 2 edging - with the bottom facing the foundation and the front sides. It is better, of course, to use a bar with a section of 120x120 (150x150) mm, because it is more convenient to work with it. In the absence of logs and beams of the required section, the upper and lower straps (and other frame elements) can be successfully assembled from 40x120 mm boards, knocking them into beams.

The wood of the lower harness, operating in the most unfavorable conditions, must be antiseptic to protect it from decay. In the simplest case, it is impregnated with a 10% aqueous solution of copper or iron sulfate. Such impregnation does not clog pores, the wood can breathe. Often, novice builders make the mistake of treating the lower beams and logs with used machine oil or painting over with oil paint. This leads to decay of wood and the appearance of house fungus, because oil closes pores and prevents moisture from evaporating.

If the lower strapping is laid on a solid strip foundation, then a strong dry board 40-50 mm thick impregnated with hot bitumen is laid between it and the beam. In turn, the board is separated from the foundation by waterproofing from 2 layers of roofing material. With a columnar foundation, a piece of the same board wrapped in 2 layers of roofing material is laid between the beam and the pillar.

At the corners, the beams are interconnected in half a tree. At least at 4 points, the strapping is fastened to the foundation using embedded metal anchors. Right angles in the plan are checked using a wire pulled along the diagonals of the strapping. Horizontal is controlled by level.

Overlap of the first floor

After installing the lower trim on the foundation, they start laying the logs on which the floor will be laid. Lags are made from a board 40-50 mm thick and 100-120 mm wide. With a wall module of 1.2 m, the logs are placed with a step of 0.6 m, installing them on the edge. They are supported by posts made of asbestos-cement (100 mm in diameter) or scrap steel pipes. Wells are drilled under the pipes with a garden drill to a depth of about 1 m. Sections of pipes are lowered into them, which are filled with cement mortar. Then the pipes are slightly raised so that the solution passes to the bottom of the well and forms a support cushion. The height of the posts is controlled by a cord, they are installed at a distance of 1.2 m from each other. Bars wrapped in roofing material are placed under the lags.

If the foundation is strip, then the ends of the lag rest on its inner edge, and the floor is laid flush with the strapping. With a columnar foundation, the logs can also be laid on the strapping, while the floor becomes 10 cm higher.

The use of logs or timber as a log allows you to put retaining posts less often. And flooring made of grooved boards with a thickness of 40 mm makes it possible to increase the distance between the logs up to 1 m. It is recommended to antisept the wood used for making the logs.

Vertical racks

They are placed at a distance of 0.6 m from each other. Then every 3 racks form a 1.2 m module. In practice, the module is often chosen according to the width of the available windows. Based on this indicator, the strapping is broken down. Corner drains are made more powerful: from a hewn log, a bar or two boards 4050 mm thick, connected with nails by an angle or a beam. When installing, the drains are temporarily stitched with jibs to the strapping. Intermediate posts are made of 40-50 mm thick boards. Under and above the window block, above the door block, horizontal crossbars are placed from the same board. The ledger is supported by a short post. All racks are sewn to the harness with nails 120 mm long, and the logs and beams are fastened with staples.

The width of the racks is selected depending on the insulation used. If, for example, mineral wool boards with a thickness of 100 mm are used, then the racks should be taken with a width of 100 mm. There is no point in increasing this size, since air voids will not improve thermal insulation, but an unpleasant prospect of insulation creeping and settling will appear. Loose insulation does not create such restrictions. Therefore, the width of the racks, as well as the strapping, is selected based on the width of the available lumber, but usually no more than 150 mm.

In the event that the outer and inner wall cladding will be made of boards, it is necessary to establish diagonal ties along the racks between the lower and upper straps. They protect the house from skewing under wind loads, uneven foundation settlements. So that the boards of wind ties do not interfere with filling with insulation, they are cut perpendicular to the plane of the racks. If sheet material (plywood, hard chipboard, asbestos-cement sheet) is used as at least one of the claddings, then the installation of wind ties is optional. Sheathing sheets nailed to the frame with nails will give the house the necessary rigidity.

After all the racks are exposed and checked for a plumb line, the upper harness is mounted on them. It is carried out from the same materials and the same techniques as the lower one. It is fastened with racks with nails and staples.

Ceiling beams

The highest requirements are imposed on the strength of these parts of the frame. In the extreme case, the beam overlaps a span of up to 6 m without support. If an attic room is arranged at the top, then the loads become even greater.

For large spans, the beam should have its original curvature. The convex side is turned upwards so that later, bending under load, it takes a horizontal position. Otherwise, the ceilings will look saggy. If there is an intermediate support, the beam, of course, should be placed flat. With a straight workpiece, the desired curvature is obtained by choosing the side facing down a few centimeters.

For spans of 3–4 m, beams made of a board 50 mm thick and 150–200 mm wide, laid with a pitch of 0.6 m, will give sufficient strength. For large spans, the boards are knocked together twice to increase the beam thickness to 100 mm. Corresponding diameters and cross-sections must also be used when using logs or beams. The ends of the beams are sawn off flush with the strapping, fastening is done with nails 120 mm long.

Rafters

Now it remains to install the rafters. Hanging rafters allow you to use the entire space of the attic space. Round wood with a diameter of 120-140 mm, a board with a thickness of 50 mm and a width of 120-150 mm is taken as a material. The rafter can also be made from 2 boards of 30 mm sewn together.

Installation begins with the installation of end rafter pairs. At the junctions with the ceiling beams, cuts are arranged in the rafters. If the beams and rafters are made of boards, then their joints are reinforced with wooden or metal plates. They are nailed or bolted on the side. If it is made of round timber or a bar, then fasten it with staples. At the top, the rafters are connected in half a tree. Then a cord is pulled over the ridge.

The intermediate rafters are exposed in the same way. If a frequent or continuous crate is to be laid under the roof, and the rafter legs are strong enough (round timber, double board), then the rafters can be placed in steps of 1.2 m.

In order for the attic room to be higher, it is advisable to maximize the length of standard lumber, which is usually 6.5 m. For this, the lower end of the rafter leg is only slightly released beyond the wall line. The necessary overhang of the roof, which protects the walls from getting wet, is achieved by nailing to the ends of the stacks filly (pieces of boards to which the cornice is suspended).

Other frame assembly technology

You can also assemble the frame of the house using a different technology. First, the frame of each wall is mounted on a flat area, connecting the parts to each other, and then they are lifted and installed on the foundation. However, the weight of the structure is quite heavy, and several people will be required to install it in place.

Shield walls

The dimensions of the wall panel are selected based on the adopted module, which, in turn, is tied to the width of the window opening. In our case, a 1.2 m module is chosen, that is, a 6 m long wall will be made up of 5 shields, each 1.2 m wide. The height is usually taken equal to the full height of the wall - 2.4–2.5 m. Under the windows and shields of lower height and corresponding width are installed above the doors.

Wall panel frame with diagonal wind bracing

Shields are assembled on a large workbench. 4 slats are nailed to its surface, serving as templates. They ensure that the exact dimensions and angles are observed.

First, a frame of 2 vertical boards and 4 horizontal boards with a thickness of 30 mm and a width of 100-120 mm is hammered into the template on nails. If the outer and inner sheathing of the shield is made of boards, then a wind connection (stiffening brace) is cut diagonally into the frame. Walls strengthened in this way will prevent the house from distorting from the wind pressure (especially with high roofs with mansards), as well as with uneven foundation settlements.

When making at least one of the skins from sheet material, wind ties are not needed.

A layer of vapor barrier material (glassine, plastic wrap) is placed on the frame. The purpose of the layer is to protect the insulation from moisture, water vapor tending from the house to the outside.

Normal air exchange in the room is due to ventilation, as well as through leaks in windows, doors and other structural elements.

Outer cladding with overlapping and quarter boards

On the vapor barrier, boards of the inner lining are nailed - horizontally or vertically, depending on the available material and for interior design reasons. Sometimes the inner lining is made slightly protruding beyond the frame (20 mm on each side) in order to hide the frame post (its thickness is 40 mm) when installing the shield. However, this somewhat complicates the sealing of the joint between the shield and the post.

After installing the cladding, the frame is turned over (the wind connection is from below) and its internal volume is filled with slab or roll insulation (glass wool, mineral wool, peat slabs, reeds). The insulation is laid tightly, without the slightest cracks, otherwise the walls will freeze in winter.

1 - shield frame; 2 - outer skin; 3 - wind-protective layer; 4 - insulation; 5 - vapor barrier; 6 - inner lining

The next layer is laid on the insulation - windproof. It protects the walls from blowing. Material - thick paper or thin cardboard. Finally, the outer sheathing boards are nailed on top. They are placed horizontally in a quarter or overlapping and must reliably protect the wall from getting wet, even in oblique rain. The materials for the windbreak must be permeable to water vapor. This is necessary so that the insulation, which has gotten water, can dry out.

With a vertical outer sheathing, the boards are released above and below the frame by 10-15 cm so that they cover the upper and lower frame straps.

The above-described assembly scheme for wall panels is classic. One way or the other they are made in the factory for prefabricated houses. In the given version, the outer and inner cladding is made of boards.

It is possible to reduce the cost of manufacturing panels by using fiberboard for the inner lining (under the wallpaper), and for the outer one - a flat asbestos-cement sheet, which is resistant to weathering, has a smooth surface, and is easily painted.

Large-sized asbestos-cement sheets are produced with a length of 1200–3600 mm, a width of 800–1640 mm, and a thickness of 6–10 mm. They are fastened to the shield with a gap of 15–20 mm along a lattice of slats using screws protected from corrosion by galvanizing or staining. If these measures are not taken, the walls will be damaged by rusty streaks.

For cladding with thin sheet material (hardboard, plywood), a frame with a more frequent lattice is required. It can be assembled from 3 vertical boards and 4-6 horizontal boards. In general, both the module of the wall panel and the location of the frame boards must be selected taking into account the size of the materials available, so that cutting and waste is minimal.

1 - wall board; 2 - frame rack; 3 - cover strip; 4 - sealing gaskets; 5 - insulation; 6 - sheathing with asbestos-cement sheet

When installing wall panels, they are fastened to the frame elements on nails. Before installation, the shield frame from the outside around the entire perimeter is upholstered with some kind of soft and thin insulation. After tightening with nails, the gaskets are crumpled and reliably seal the cracks. Additionally, they can be smeared with putty and closed with a cover strip on top.

Backfill walls

1 - frame of a wall panel with a wind connection; 2 - inner lining; 3 - vapor barrier; 4 - insulation; 5 - windproof layer; 6 - outer skin; 7 - cover strip

In the absence of an opportunity to conduct frame-panel construction, fill-type walls are erected. With this technology, all work is performed on the construction site. Backfill walls allow using not only plate and roll insulation, but also cheaper bulk insulation materials. Good results are obtained, for example, by the use of sawdust. Other local organic materials are also used: peat, moss, straw or reed cuttings, sunflower husks, hairs, fire. Before laying them in the walls, it is recommended to antisept them (by impregnation in a 10% solution of iron or copper sulfate) and dry them thoroughly.

For backfilling the walls, inorganic insulation is often used: slag, pumice, expanded perlite sand.

The construction of the wall begins with the inner cladding. It can be made of the same materials as the wall panel. The requirements for the vapor barrier device remain the same. The sheathing is carried out along the frame racks to the very top of the wall.

Then proceed to the outer sheathing with the laying of the windproof layer. As it grows, the internal volume of the wall is filled with insulation. Slab and roll are nailed, and loose is carefully tamped in layers of 200-300 mm. If this is not done, the latter will eventually precipitate, and voids will form in the upper part of the wall. For control and filling, the upper boards are removable. The same applies to the window opening. There is a removable window sill.

The sheathing of the lower part of the wall must be carried out carefully, avoiding the formation of cracks. Rodents can penetrate the walls through them from underground. Roofing material gaskets and a tight fit of the sheathing to the lower frame strapping and to the posts serve as reliable protection against them. The same measures must be taken at the top, in the place where the wall adjoins the ceiling - in this way the mice also penetrate the walls and ceilings. In the case of using organic insulation, antiseptic layers are placed in the lower and upper part of the wall to protect against rodents.

After finishing work on the arrangement of the inner and outer skin, the joints are closed with strips.

Frame house construction technology

The answer to the question about a house made on the basis of a frame can only have the following form: "This is a dwelling built according to the most modern, environmentally friendly, and besides, cheap technology."
From the point of view of building technologies, such a house is a rigid frame resting on a columnar shallow foundation, sheathed with external and internal insulating panels, between which there must be either a panel or bulk insulation.

The use of a columnar base with a small depression is due to the low weight of the bearing walls of the house. Of course, monolithic structures can also be used as a foundation for a frame house, however, from the point of view of budget optimization, the columnar foundation is the most preferable option. And the relatively small deepening of the foundation into the ground makes it possible to erect frame houses even on difficult soils.

The base of the load-bearing walls of the frame house is the so-called "lower strapping", to which the skeleton of the dwelling structure will be attached. The harness is made of a bar with a section of 12 by 12 or 15 by 15 centimeters impregnated with protective emulsions and septic tanks.

In the future, it is to the harness that all other elements of the frame (vertical posts, beams, logs, etc.) will be attached. It is from these details that the frame of the house will be created.

The next stage after the erection of the frame is the external and internal wall cladding and the introduction of an insulating layer into the internal space of the wall. And for a better understanding of the very essence of the process of building such a dwelling as a frame house, we need to focus on two technologies for the construction and insulation of walls:

Frame-panel board;
- frame-bulk.

What is a panel board frame house? In fact, it is just a constructor, consisting of many pre-ground elements supplied to the construction site. As a result, the frame-panel house is assembled in a matter of days. First, a columnar foundation is erected on the site, then a "lower harness" will be placed on the foundation, to which the frame will be attached. After that, the frame will be sheathed outside and insulated with multi-layer panels (shields) placed between the frame elements. Then it will be the turn of the inner cladding and the arrangement of the roof. And all the details that make up this house - the constructor (racks, logs, straps, shields, etc.) will be made and ground to each other before the start of the final assembly.

In addition, frame-panel technology has one more feature - it literally forces the designer of the dwelling to use dimensions that are multiples of 60 centimeters (0.6 meters) when determining the dimensions of the structure. And there is a rather simple explanation for this - the strength characteristics of the building material force the use of vertical posts with a step of exactly 0.6 meters. That is, the distance between the two nearest racks will be exactly 60 centimeters. By the way, insulation panels (shields) have exactly this size. As a result, a frame house erected using panel technology almost always has dimensions that are multiples of 0.6 meters.

What is a frame house with bulk insulation? This is the same version of the panel structure, only assembled not from pre-prepared structural elements, but from the classic building material brought to the construction site. As such, beams, boards and so on can act. At the same time, instead of layered insulating elements (shields), heat-resistant, free-flowing, insulating material is not embedded in the walls, but filled.

That is, a bulk-frame house will be erected on the basis of the same columnar foundation and a skeleton made of beams, boards and beams, only instead of the shield insulation installed in the walls, a loose, heat-resistant material will be placed between the inner and outer cladding.

Both organic and non-organic materials can be used as the latter. Organic backfill includes some agricultural waste, for example, sunflower husk, straw or reed chaff, etc. This category also includes such natural insulation materials as peat and moss. Inorganic, bulk insulation includes pumice, slag and perlite sand. Both the one and the other insulation is poured into the inner space of the walls in layers of 20-30 centimeters, with the obligatory ramming.

The result of using both panel and frame-bulk insulation technology is the creation of walls with a high degree of thermal insulation. In addition, in both cases, only natural, building materials are used. What makes the frame construction project the most environmentally friendly of the proposals existing on the construction market. In addition, the construction of frame housing does not take much time and does not require the purchase of expensive building materials, which is reflected in the overall estimate of such a construction.

When the whole house is built under ground level in whole or in part with an appropriate modern structure. The design of the dwelling center and courtyard can accommodate an underground home and still provide an open feel using modern photovoltaic systems.

Such a house is being built entirely underground on a flat site, with the main living quarters surrounding a central open courtyard. Windows and glass doors that sit on open walls overlooking the center section provide light, warmth, exterior and staircase access from ground level.

The design is visible from ground level and creates a private open space and provides good protection from winter winds. This design is ideal for construction sites in harsh areas.

Passive sunlight is likely to be received through windows as in a conventional residential building, and the amount is thought out by the design.

Advantages and disadvantages

Loose types of insulation in the majority refer to environmentally friendly insulation (if natural materials were used in the production process). For example, perlite or perlite crushed stone is cast from glass of volcanic origin. Vermiculite is also of mineral origin - granules are formed during the heat treatment of certain rocks. Polystyrene (polymer insulation) does not possess such characteristics - its granules during long-term operation begin to emit styrene into the environment.

The operational advantages of mineral insulation:

they let steam through perfectly, not allowing the walls to get damp;
serve for a long time without loss of technical characteristics;
resistant to open fire - withstand temperatures from 1,000 degrees;
not interested in rodents and insects;
do not collapse under the influence of high humidity;
do not lose their shape - granules or crushed stone do not split over time.

The disadvantages include the need to build an additional partition (insulation is filled up between the facing material and the wall). As a result, it requires expansion.

Vermiculite

1. Experimental verification of the physical parameters of building materials

After conducting theoretical studies related to the topic of our work, we formulated the goal of our experimental work: to identify energetic beneficial materials.

Based on the purpose of the work, the tasks of the experiment were formulated:
1. Find out and classify the main building materials used in the construction of residential low-rise buildings.
2. Conduct an experimental study of the physical parameters of the selected materials.
3. Analyze the results.
4. To find out the dependence of the amount of heat spent on heating the house on the physical parameters of building materials.

Hypothesis: based on the analysis of the values \u200b\u200bof thermal conductivity and heat capacity of materials, wood is the most optimal.
Experimental conditions: when conducting experiments, it is necessary to produce maximum thermal insulation of the system to reduce heat loss.
Devices and materials: kettle, water, electronic thermometer, stopwatch, scales, building materials, thermal insulation.

The research took place in several stages.
In study # 1, we examined all of the building materials found. And we came to the conclusion that most often the materials presented in the table are used for the construction of low-rise houses in rural areas. Thermal characteristics were determined for each material.

Table 1. Thermal properties of materials

After analyzing all the materials, we chose those that can be tested at home.
Research No. 2 was devoted to determining the dependence of the thermal conductivity of a material on the type of substance. The experiment used: brick, wood and cinder block and building board. To determine the temperature, materials with holes were immersed in a container with water at a temperature of 90˚C, inside which were placed alcohol and electronic thermometers:

Figure: 1. Measurement of the heating temperature of the material with an alcohol thermometer

Figure: 2. Measurement of material heating temperature with a digital thermometer

After 15 minutes, measurements were made, the results of which are presented in the table.

Table 2. Heating temperature of materials

Diagram 1. Dependence of the heating temperature of a sample from different materials

From the data presented, it is clearly seen that wood has the lowest thermal conductivity, then brick and cinder block are located, but the studied sample of the slab has a higher temperature value, which indicates the highest thermal conductivity among all the samples under study, since the slab contains iron reinforcement ...

In research No. 3, the calculation of the specific amount of heat required to heat the material. In the course of work, the material under study was placed in water to transfer the amount of heat. All samples were heated to temperatures of 50˚С. Then the material was transferred to a thermally insulated system, and the temperature was measured every 15 minutes:

Figure: 3. Measurement of material temperature in a thermally insulated system

The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Dependence of material cooling temperature on time

Diagram 2. Dependence of the cooling temperature of a sample from different materials over time

On the basis of the constructed diagram, we conclude that despite the fact that the thermal conductivity of wood has the minimum value of all the proposed materials, when using a sample of a small volume, and when sawing a bar across the fiber, the cooling of the material occurs faster than others.

Let's calculate the amount of heat required to heat the material to 50˚С:

So, according to the calculations obtained, it can be seen that in order to heat a house made of the materials we have chosen, a greater amount of heat must be spent to heat a building made of reinforced concrete slabs, since with the same dimensions, the slab mass turns out to be the largest. It is also worth noting the high costs of heat for heating a house made of wood.

Analyzing together the data in diagram 2 and calculating the amount of heat, we came to the conclusion that it is effective to make wooden houses from a bar with a diameter exceeding the diameter of a brick at least twice, and should be about 20 cm. Building a house from a bar of 10 * 10 cm is energy not effective.

For ceilings

As well as floors and walls, ceilings require insulation. The insulation materials discussed above may well be used in this case.

A more specific insulation is penoizol. In appearance, it somewhat resembles foam crumbs

This is where the similarity ends, if you do not take into account the characteristics of thermal conductivity.

Penoizol is absolutely non-flammable. Possesses high chemical and biological resistance. Rodents bypass him. For insulation of ceilings, it is good because it has a very low weight. Its density is from 5 to 75 kg / m³. Due to the low thermal conductivity, a layer of insulation of 5 cm or more is sufficient. During work, bulk material is used, in sheets and in liquid form.

Note: penoizol gives a slight shrinkage (0.1 - 5%). It is compensated when the work is done by professional craftsmen using modern equipment. Otherwise, cracking of the insulation is inevitable. (this applies to the use of a liquid fraction).

Considering bulk insulation for the ceiling, one cannot ignore such a widely used material as sawdust. as the cheapest material. As an independent insulation, their use is highly undesirable. The fact is that they are prone to decay due to moisture absorption.

In addition, they are an excellent breeding ground for mice. Even if we do not take into account the fact that they are a fire hazardous material, it is not difficult to conclude that they are unsuitable. "Craftsmen" go to all sorts of tricks in order to somehow reduce these negative factors. For this, sawdust is mixed with expanded clay, lime, even broken glass and other building materials. Such measures somewhat improve the properties of the insulation, but not much.

As a conclusion, it should be noted that when insulating ceilings, the advantage is on the sidefilling heat insulating materials.

Construction of houses using frame-filling technology

Diagram of assembling a frame-panel house with your own hands.

If it is not possible to build a house using frame-panel technology, then fill-type wall partitions are erected. In this case, the construction of an object at the construction site starts from scratch.

As a filler for the inter-wall space in frame houses, both plate and roll heat insulators can be used, as well as cheaper bulk materials: sawdust, peat, sunflower husk, moss, fleece, straw or reed cuttings. Before laying, loose insulation should be treated with an antiseptic: soak a mixture of 10% solution of iron or copper sulfate, and then dry thoroughly. Inorganic insulation materials can also be used: expanded perlite sand, pumice or slag.

The construction of houses using this technology begins from the inside. The cladding is made from the same material that is used in the manufacture of the wall panel. In this case, the same requirements for the vapor barrier layer remain. The installation of the material is carried out along the frame racks and up to the top of the wall.

The next stage in the construction of frame houses will be the installation of the material with the laying of a windproof layer from the outside. In the process of cladding, as it grows, the inter-wall space should be gradually filled with the selected insulation. Insulation of plate or roll type must be nailed, and loose every 200-300 mm tamp well.

Insulation scheme for a frame house.

The lower part of the wall must be carefully sheathed, avoiding cracks. Otherwise, rodents can enter from the underground. To enhance protection against them, a roofing felt gasket is used and a careful adjustment of the material sheathing to the lower strapping of the frame structure. Do not forget about the upper part of the wall, since the places where the walls adjoin to the ceiling are quite vulnerable. In the case of using natural insulation, an antiseptic layer must be laid in the lower and upper parts of the wall. The final chord in the arrangement of bulk walls in frame houses will be the closure of the joints with strips.

In the process of building houses using frame technology, you may need:

Electric jigsaw.
Electric planer.
Drill with drills.
Circular Saw.
Construction pencil.
Plumb line and level.
A hammer.
Nail puller.
Chisel.
Screwdriver.
Nails.

In general, the construction of frame houses is a very real project for any craftsman with experience in carpentry. The only condition for the successful construction and further operation of the building is a thorough study of the properties and technical characteristics of the used wall panels and backfill insulation between the outer and inner surfaces of the walls.

The thickness of the frame walls specificity and composition

What is the structure of the wall of a frame dwelling?

Conventionally, you can imagine it like this:

Racks are vertical;
Horizontal straps;
Insulating material;
Interior and exterior finishing material.

It should be noted that regardless of the specific type of construction, the main structural principle for all walls is the same.

Thanks to him, the structure is reliable and durable, protected from wind and moisture, and has low heat transfer. Even in the harsh conditions of the northern climate, a house built using the aforementioned technology turns out to be warm, cozy and comfortable. At the same time, the thickness of wall insulation in different cases can be very different.

In frame construction, various technologies are expected to be used. Depending on the characteristic features of each, different building and finishing materials are required. They are chosen not only taking into account the external attractiveness and aesthetics, but taking into account their working and operational qualities.

3Creating an Energy Efficient House Model

So, having analyzed all the results obtained during the experiment, we assume that a house made in accordance with the following requirements will be energy efficient:
1. From wood, the average diameter of the log should be at least 30-35 cm.
2. Made of bricks with the condition of using additional mineral wool or expanded polystyrene insulation.
3. It is possible to build houses that are financially less costly - frame-insulated, since the thermal conductivity of the insulation is several times less than even wood, so in such a house you will not freeze even in severe frosts.

However, when building a house, it should be remembered that the outflow of heat is mainly not due to the incorrectly selected material, therefore, during construction, attention should be paid to the insulation of window openings, ceilings and the foundation. ... When choosing building materials, we recommend refraining from using cinder blocks, since the thermal conductivity of such a material is quite high, and the harmful effects of the slag included in the composition are poorly understood and you probably do not know its origin

But foam blocks can be used, however, with additional strengthening of the frame of the house.

When choosing building materials, we recommend refraining from using cinder blocks, since the thermal conductivity of such a material is quite high, and the harmful effects of the slag included in the composition are poorly understood and you probably do not know its origin. But foam blocks can be used, however, with additional strengthening of the frame of the house.

And it is absolutely worth excluding the construction of a house from building reinforced concrete slabs, due to their high thermal conductivity and low moisture resistance. It will also be quite difficult to insulate a house made of such material.

Exterior decoration of the house

Since the walls are mainly designed for the enclosing, and not for the power bearing function, it is important to initially provide a solid foundation for attaching the outdoor decorative material. As a rule, this function is performed by the lathing - a structure made of wooden planks and bars, which is mounted on the main wall cladding panel and serves to perform the subsequent fixation of the cladding

The following materials can be used as decoration:

Wooden plank. It can be wide strips, and lining with locking grooves. Reviews of backfill houses with this design emphasize the advantages of natural texture, environmental friendliness and ease of installation. The board can be mounted on a wooden crate with ordinary nails with putty and the introduction of biological treatment.
Siding. Also easy-to-install material, which is plastic, wood or metal panels. It is more practical to use aluminum sheets, which weigh a little and look quite presentable. The only drawback is that aluminum is easily deformed, but it is quite simple to recover it.
Block house. Imitation of the textured image of a classic log house on a metal base. In essence, a combination of siding and planks - semicircular sheets are fixed to the crate with hardware and interlocked with each other through a joint-groove connection.

Construction of houses using frame-panel technology

Diagram of the structure of the walls of a frame house.

The advantage of building objects using prefabricated wood panels on the face. In addition to the above advantages, the method also allows you to diversify the layout of the interior and facade of the house. The used blocks for the walls include a wooden one, sheathed on both sides with unedged boards or fiberboard. The core of the panel consists of a vapor barrier and insulation.

With the development, many manufacturers have switched to the production of fully finished panel panels (the availability is about 75%), which at the construction site can only be connected to each other. Thanks to this, the terms for the construction of houses were reduced as much as possible, while the excellent operational characteristics of the house and the high quality of work were preserved.

Among themselves, panel boards differ not only in the outer cladding and types of insulation, but also in the method of connecting the wall elements with the frame. So, in the first method, the frame structure of the building is first mounted, on which the panels assembled at the factory are subsequently attached.

In the second case, the construction does not imply the device of a frame structure, since it is already embedded in the body of the panel board. In order to install such elements without their mutual movement, they must be installed on the beams of the lower trim, the power circuit of which contains floor logs.

Back to the table of contents

Backfill vermiculite

Thermal insulating backfill Vermiculite belongs to natural materials, since it is a mineral of the hydromica group that has been fired. Thermal conductivity depends on the size of the fractions. For backfill thermal insulation in civil engineering, expanded vermiculite of a coarse fraction up to 1 cm with a characteristic luster and scaly structure is used for mica. Firing allows to increase the volume of raw materials by 7-10 times, its bulk density is about 90 kg per cubic meter. The heat insulator layer does not cake, it easily gives off the absorbed moisture. It is used for insulation of floors, roofs, inter-wall space, backfilling of foam blocks.

The most positive moment in its environmental friendliness - when heated, Vermiculite does not emit toxins, has no smell. It is bio-resistant, fireproof, air permeability has a beneficial effect on the formation of the microclimate of premises insulated with expanded expanded vermiculite. Vermiculite does not interfere with natural air circulation (not to be confused with drafts and convection). It is used as an additive in cement mortars, in finishing materials. The high cost does not always serve as a positive moment when choosing.

3. Thermal conductivity of the material

If there is a temperature difference inside the body, then the heat energy is transferred from the hotter part to the colder one. This type of heat transfer, due to thermal movements and collisions of molecules, is called thermal conductivity. So, when a steel rod is heated from one end in the flame of a gas burner, thermal energy is transmitted along the rod, and the glow spreads at a certain distance from the heated end (with distance from the heating point, it is less intense). The rate of heat transfer due to thermal conductivity depends on the temperature gradient, i.e. the ratio of the temperature difference at the ends of the rod to the distance between them. It also depends on the cross-sectional area of \u200b\u200bthe bar and the thermal conductivity of the material. The relationship between these quantities was derived by the French mathematician J. Fourier.

For a building in winter conditions, the latter values \u200b\u200bare practically constant, and therefore, in order to maintain the required temperature in the room, it remains to reduce the thermal conductivity of the walls, i.e. improve their thermal insulation.

1. Tree

In Russia, wood has long been used for construction. It is great for all climates. And today this traditional material is often used in the construction of beautiful and warm houses. Its special properties allow achieving a high level of comfort in the premises.

Our ancestors were very careful about the choice and preparation of wood for felling. Timber was usually harvested in winter or early spring, "while the tree sleeps and the excess water has gone into the ground." The wood was taken out of the forest and immediately cleared of bark. It is known that freshly cut wood in winter has a moisture content of 30%. But dried wood (18–20 percent moisture content) is suitable for making a log house. To obtain such wood, it was kept under a canopy. The logs were stacked on pads to ensure through-ventilation. Bark, sawdust and other waste were burned to protect the harvested logs from the wood-eating beetle.

In wooden houses, there is no problem of an overly dry, overly carbonated atmosphere in rooms. In wooden houses, the optimal humidity and composition of the atmosphere in the living quarters are maintained due to the natural air exchange of the tree. Wood has remarkable thermal insulation properties, which are an order of magnitude higher than that of the notorious brick. By and large, wood has only one serious drawback - its comparative fragility. In addition, wood cannot withstand fire, damage from various insects and putrefactive decomposition.

The advantages of wood can be written down: its relatively low weight. How you can save on laying the foundation. The wood is frost-resistant, which makes it possible to carry out construction and repair work in the winter. Wood has a low single background radiation. In wooden houses, it is not even necessary to carry out additional finishing of the inner surface of the walls. You can only limit yourself to varnishing and sanding. Since wood has a low thermal conductivity, the thickness of the walls of the cottage can be made the minimum permissible in these climatic conditions. And, of course, the wooden house has a wonderful appearance. There are many possible architectural options for timber structures.

The disadvantages of wood include: high fire hazard, shrinkage, susceptibility to atmospheric influences, damage by pests, comparative fragility.

Frame wall thickness - characteristics

The construction of private residential cottages on the basis of a frame is an excellent option for acquiring comfortable and at the same time economical housing. Timber frame walls perfectly retain heat inside the room, even with a large temperature difference inside and outside the house. To ensure good thermal insulation, the decisive importance is not so much the thickness of the wall structure, but the quality and reliability of the insulation. In addition, this indicator directly depends on the assembly technology and the features of a particular design.

Thickness of timber frame walls (frame-panel)

Frame-panel houses are one of the most popular types of buildings in this direction. They are economical, easy to install and have excellent performance characteristics. Construction using this technology is actively used not only for summer cottages, but also for permanent residence. In the latter case, the optimal thickness of the walls of a frame house should be approximately 140-150 mm, the main part of the structure being insulation. Modern materials used for insulation make cottages on the basis of a frame, in terms of thermal insulation characteristics, equivalent to brickwork two meters long.

The thickness of the frame walls (frame sheathing)

Frame-sheathing technology involves the use of the frame itself, which is sheathed on both sides with boards of 2.5 cm. From the inside, the structure is filled with non-combustible insulation, and the outside is sheathed. On the inside, drywall is usually used, as it opens up more possibilities for further interior decoration. Outside, the house can be sheathed with different materials: siding, block house, imitation of timber. Thus, the thickness of the walls is formed in the aggregate of several materials: boards, a layer of insulation and decoration.

The thickness of the frame walls (frame-backfill)

The use of frame-filling technology is suitable both for the construction of utility facilities and for residential buildings. The wooden frame is sheathed on both sides with slabs or boards. Bulk materials are used as insulation: slag, expanded clay, sawdust, etc. Since these materials tend to cake over time and form voids, they must be carefully tamped down even at the construction stage. As a result, the wall thickness of the frame house ranges from 150 to 200 mm. The choice of the optimal indicator, first of all, depends on the characteristics of climatic conditions and the quality of the insulation.

Foamglass backfill insulation

Foam glass. As a backfill insulation, it can be of several types and this is due to the different technology of its manufacture. It:

filing of a foam glass plate;
foam glass crushed stone, obtained by foaming the massif and rapid cooling. This leads to destruction, additional mechanical crushing gives crushed stone at the exit without an outer melted layer;
granulated foam glass, which has found wide application in the construction market, as an independent backfill, and as a basis for thermal insulating plasters.

Granulated foam glass is obtained from foamed raw granules. Essentially, it is glass foam with a melted outer surface. The porous structure with a melted surface gives unique properties to inorganic insulation. It is tough, with high compressive strength, waterproof, and is not subject to chemical and bacteriological degradation. Eco-friendly. Virtually no temperature limits during operation (from -200 to + 500 ° C.). Perfect for arranging and insulating inverted roofs, warming basements, foundations, since it is not afraid of external and groundwater. Reusable and multiple use is possible, the thermal conductivity remains unchanged (0.05-0.07 W / (m · ° C)). It can be used as a backfill insulation in ceilings and walls. But this is not a budget option.

Advantages and disadvantages

As with any home design, underground homes have advantages and disadvantages.

On the other hand, a sheltered home is less susceptible to extreme outdoor temperatures than a normal home. Underground homes also require less outside maintenance, and the land surrounding the home provides sound insulation. In addition, the plans of most earthen houses "merge" the building into the landscape more harmoniously than usual. Finally, underground homes can be cheaper to operate because they offer additional protection against high winds, storms and natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes.

The main disadvantages of underground homes are the initial construction costs, which can be up to 20% higher than conventional ones, and the increased level of professionalism required to prevent moisture problems during design and construction.

Requirements for materials for a backfill building

The basis of the frame is formed by wooden supporting structures, which must be made of softwood lumber dried in a dry room. For elements that will be located in the area of \u200b\u200bthe foundation or basement (at a level below the surface of the earth or above it by less than 25 cm), they must also undergo antiseptic treatment. It protects wood from decay and physical destruction.

According to SNiP 2.03.11., Facing, finishing, roofing, insulation, sealing and other building materials for a frame house must also comply with local conditions of use.

Environmental requirements are taken into account separately. This is one of the aspects that distinguish the frame-backfill house from conventional prefabricated panel buildings. It is the rejection of synthetic heat-insulating layers in favor of bulk fillers that leads to a higher environmental friendliness of the structure. Also, the standards approve the rules for the use of board materials made of wood, which should not contain toxic impurities like formaldehyde above 5 mg per 100 g. If they cannot be abandoned, then the material will have to undergo a preliminary detoxifying primer.

Often, asbestos-containing elements are also used in frame housing construction, in particular, for interior decoration of premises. During installation, such materials must either be faced with glazed tiles, or covered with waterproof paints and varnishes. Such processing is required to protect against the effects of disinfectant solutions during household care.

The use of bulk insulation

Thermal insulation of building structures with bulk materials is performed after the installation of steam and waterproofing. Bulk insulation for interfloor ceilings is tamped (except for ecowool), for them it is necessary to provide for the impossibility of spilling through cracks and cracks. To save heat in houses built from different materials, appropriate insulation should be used, therefore, different materials are used for stone and wooden buildings.

The best option for insulating wooden buildings is ecowool, which ensures absolute filling of volumes without the formation of cavities and seams, and also excludes the occurrence of cold bridges and associated losses of internal heat. Its cellulose base is related to wood, so the use of ecowool in squared, log and frame buildings is even more justified.

Abroad, the material is known under the following names: Ecowool, Isofloc, Ecovilla, Termex, Termofloc. In our country, not far from St. Petersburg, a special plant has been built for the production of ecowool from newspaper waste paper.

The Teploservis company effectively performs suburban wooden buildings, taking into account the peculiarities of their construction and various construction projects.

Cellulose insulation ecowool

Ecowool filling is recommended as an excellent insulation and soundproof material for any structures. But having a wood base - recycled cellulose treated with borates, it is ideal for wooden structures, since it has 100% compatibility of characteristics with wood. This avoids many problems of incompatibility of contacting materials. It is widely used in low-rise frame construction as a backfill heat insulator for walls, roofs and ceilings. Environmentally friendly material, does not rot, resists fire. Ecowool is the right insulation for houses with natural ventilation ... no risk of exposure to volatile toxins. Removes the issue of the appearance of rodent populations in the overlap. Along with the advantages, filling ecowool has disadvantages. Manual laying is a very laborious process in which it is difficult to adhere to the recommended density. It is "dusty" because it has a fibrous structure of wood down. It is advisable to include in the cost of house insulation with ecowool the service of installing the layer in a mechanized way (under measured pressure and using a blowing machine). But insulation with ecowool is produced once, it does not reduce its thermal insulation properties under the influence of time and external factors for the entire life of the house.

The Teploservis SPb company provides services for the supply and installation of ecowool in St. Petersburg. Any consultations are possible by phone and in the form of feedback in the section Contacts .

Shield walls

Wall panel frame with diagonal wind bracing

Shields are assembled on a large workbench. 4 slats are nailed to its surface, serving as templates. They ensure that the exact dimensions and angles are observed.

When making at least one of the skins from sheet material, wind ties are not needed.

Normal air exchange in the room is due to ventilation, as well as through leaks in windows, doors and other structural elements.

Outer cladding with overlapping and quarter boards

Wall shield:
1 - shield frame; 2 - outer skin; 3 - wind-protective layer; 4 - insulation; 5 - vapor barrier; 6 - inner lining

With a vertical outer sheathing, the boards are released above and below the frame by 10-15 cm so that they cover the upper and lower frame straps.

Docking of two shields:
1 - wall board; 2 - frame rack; 3 - cover strip; 4 - sealing gaskets; 5 - insulation; 6 - sheathing with asbestos-cement sheet

Features of the device walls

For the walls, a structural strength base is also created in the form of vertical posts and horizontal support auxiliary nodes. Lintels are installed above the openings, and strapping belts are mounted throughout the supporting system from the columns - at least from above and below. The wall cladding of the backfill house is made of rigid sheet or plate material. The panels must be suitable for the loads from the own weight of the floors of the house and from the wind. If rigid sheathing is excluded, then additional reinforcement with diagonal braces or struts will be required.

It is advisable to fill the walls with insulation in a warm season, so that the risks of waterlogging of the material are initially minimized

During the filling process, it is important to exclude voids, openings, gaps and underfilled areas. Such defects affect not only thermal conductivity, but also structural integrity.

Wall niches can be provided with sawdust, arbolite, sand, expanded clay, etc. The cheapest and most practical option would be to build a filling house from sawdust, which can be obtained free of charge and in the required volume at sawmills. Another thing is that preliminary processing of the material is required. Experts recommend drying the sawdust well, compressing it, and also mixing it with cement, which will also eliminate the risks of overmoistening the filler during the operation of the house. If the task is to increase the structural reliability of the walls, then it is better to use an adhesive binder instead of cement. It is advisable to choose compositions with antiseptic and refractory properties.

Filling mineral wool

A number of rocks, metallurgy slags, quartz (fiberglass) are used as raw materials for mineral wool. Slag mineral wool is inferior in quality and characteristics to a heat insulator made from molten rocks. Since mineral wool fibers affect the mucous membranes and respiratory tract, the production process does not always stop at the receipt of the fibers and their deposition. Cotton wool is either glued with glue based on polymer resins (plates, roll insulation) or mechanically granulated. Filled mineral wool includes both fibers and granules. Loose rock wool is not always suitable for insulation, as compaction breaks the fiber structure and there is a risk of shrinkage. And it is difficult to work with it, protective measures are needed for the skin and respiratory tract. Granular mineral wool is recommended as an effective insulation of technological equipment, chimneys, it is resistant to high temperatures (stability threshold 1090 ° C), is non-flammable and has less weight in volume (250kg / 1m3) than loose. The pellet size is usually 10-15mm. Minerals are not characterized by biodegradation, therefore, mineral wool does not rot, it has good vapor permeability, but when it gets wet, its thermal insulation properties decrease. Mineral wool is difficult to dry.

Technology advantages

As a type of frame construction, a house with free-flowing wall filler gives a lot of advantages in terms of organizing construction. They are expressed in the optimization of work processes, cheaper materials, increased construction speed, etc. Even compared to traditional wooden houses, this method will have significant organizational advantages. Against the background of other frame structures, the pros and cons of a backfill house will also be very noticeable. Loose filler, unlike mineral wool, expanded polystyrene and other synthetic insulators, allows you to provide an environmentally friendly and cheap thermal barrier.

Insulation of walls and ceilings

To keep the house warm and comfortable, it is necessary to insulate the outer walls. For this purpose, foam glass can be used, a granular eco-friendly material obtained from raw fractions by foaming. Such insulation for walls is chemically resistant and can be the basis of insulating plaster. Foam glass is ideal for warming basement walls and foundations, as it is not afraid of groundwater.

Foamed polymer granule is the basis of polystyrene foam, lightweight and moisture-resistant thermal insulation material. Such a heat insulator does not have a very wide operating temperature range, therefore it is not recommended to use it for. Frame walls can be easily filled with Penoplex. In this case, the granules fill the smallest voids.

Mineral walls can be used not only in the form of usual slabs or rolls, but also in the form of granules larger than 10 mm. Such bulk insulation is vapor-permeable and fire-resistant, not afraid of high temperatures. Apart from thermal insulation properties, granular mineral wool has good sound insulation properties. When laying mineral wool, it is necessary to provide protection for the skin and respiratory tract.

Mineral wool for wall insulation can be used not only in the form of usual plates or rolls, but also in the form of granules larger than 10 mm.

To preserve heat in the premises, the ceiling is often insulated. Recently, penoizol has gained popularity, outwardly resembling foam crumbs. This lightweight, low-density material is highly bio-resistant. Rodents and mold will not start in such an insulating layer.

When choosing heat-insulating bulk materials, one should pay attention to such characteristics as thermal conductivity, density, moisture absorption, weight and size of the fraction. Most of the bulk insulation can be delivered and installed independently, which will significantly reduce the cost of insulation work, which is especially important for owners of summer cottages and small country houses

Bulk

Bulk houses can be built partly below ground level to cover more of the building walls. The construction involves covering the sides and sometimes a roof with earth to protect and insulate the bulk house.

The open front of the house, usually facing south, allows the sun to illuminate and heat the interior. The floor plan is designed so that common areas and bedrooms share light and warmth with a southern exposure.

This may be the least expensive and easiest way to build an earth sheltered structure. Strategically located skylights can provide adequate ventilation and daylight in the northern parts of an earthen house.

In a penetrating bulk design, the earth covers the entire home except where there are windows and doors. Bulk houses are usually built at ground level, around and on top of it. This design allows cross ventilation access to natural light from more than one side of the house. will give the desired amount of heat and other resources in general.

Perhaps in the future, people will live in underground cities.

If we recall the science fiction novel "The First Men on the Moon" by the famous English writer Herbert Wells, then the local inhabitants of the Selenites, who lived in the "sublunary caves", created a whole highly organized civilization with a complex society and division of labor. At the same time, they did not understand what war and violence were, but earthly people seemed to them enjoying war and alien moral values. Perhaps people will soon live underground, creating a society of the future.

What to consider when building an underground house

About the most specific factors for the design of an earth-protected house.

Before deciding to design and build a secure, energy efficient underground home, you will need to consider the climate, topography, soil and water table.

Climate

Research shows that sheltered homes are more cost effective in climates that have significant temperature fluctuations and low humidity, such as rocky areas and black earth plains.

The temperature of the earth changes more slowly than the air temperature in our areas, and can absorb extreme heat in hot weather or insulate an underground house to keep warm in cold weather.

Relief and microclimate

The topography and microclimate of a site determines how easily a building can be surrounded by land. A modest slope requires more excavation than a steep one, and a flat site is the most demanding, requiring extensive excavation. The south-facing slope in the region with mild to long winters is ideal for a sheltered building.

South-facing windows can let in sunlight for direct heating, while the rest of the house returns to the slope. In regions with mild winters and hot summers, a north slope may be ideal. Careful planning by the designer will reveal the full benefit of the conditions in a given location.

The soil

Another critical point is the type of soil on the site. Grainy soils such as sand and gravel are best suited for building these houses. These soils are compact, well cultivated with construction materials and permeable enough to allow water to drain quickly. The poorest soils are knocked down like clay, which can expand when wet and have poor permeability.

Professional soil tests can determine the bearing capacity of the soil on the site. Soil radon levels are another factor to consider when building an underground home, because high radon concentrations can be dangerous. However, there are methods to reduce the accumulation of radon in both conventional and earth-sheltered dwellings.

Radon is a chemically inert natural radioactive gas, odorless, colorless and tasteless. Radon is formed by the natural decay of uranium from rocks and soil.

Ground water level

The groundwater level at the construction site is also important. Natural drainage away from the building is the best way to avoid water pressure against underground walls. An installed wastewater collection system is required, which must be designed when laying the structure of the future building.

Rules for ensuring the mechanical strength of the house

According to experts, the mechanical strength of properly erected frame houses allows them to serve for more than 50 years. Structural reliability is also maintained in various ways. As noted, a lot will depend on the rack support system. These are vertical and horizontal elements that form power belts in the form of lower and upper harnesses. Also, jumpers are introduced into this system over the openings. The uprights should rest on the slab of each floor, distributing the load over the entire area.

They also reinforce the structure by incorporating materials that are stronger than wood. For example, there is the technology of a combined brick-backfill house, which uses one or more brickwork. Actually, the masonry acts as a supporting belt of the harness, which increases the load capacity of the base

But it is important to take into account that a brick with a monolithic structure will not allow adequate thermal insulation - moreover, cold bridges can form at the joints. An alternative option would be to use blocks of expanded polystyrene

These are modular hollow wall segments that can be filled with any bulk insulation material.

Frame walls the importance of calculations

Summer house

It is important to know exactly for what specific purposes the structure is being built. ... Maybe this is a neat country house exclusively for summer living.

Then the requirements for it will be peculiar, its walls may well be lightweight.

Maybe this is a neat country house exclusively for summer living. Then the requirements for it will be peculiar, its walls may well be lightweight.

If it is a solid structure, then the size and thickness of the walls are calculated in accordance with the bearing load of the frame.

If a solid building is planned for year-round living, or a two-story cottage, or a house with an attic, then in addition to strength qualities, it is necessary to take into account the mandatory need for insulation. In this case, the thickness of the walls will depend on the massiveness and size of the timber, and on the thickness of the insulation used.

How to correctly determine the thickness of the walls of the future structure? The calculations necessarily take into account such an indicator as the coefficient of thermal conductivity of the materials used.

There is another interesting option for the design of a frame house - using Canadian technology. Its meaning lies in the fact that for the construction of such buildings, industrially manufactured sip panels are used. When using this technology, the thickness of the bearing walls will be determined by the size of the finished panels themselves.

Each frame structure is based on a well-thought-out engineering calculation, on the basis of which a specific device is determined, and the material from which it will be made.

Backfilling process and its features

Thickness table for temperature conditions:

For backfill, there are the following recommendations. Firstly, bulk material settles over time, so it must be well compacted. It is advisable to use boiler slag and expanded clay in regions where temperatures do not drop below -20 ° C in winter. The insulation of pitched roofs with expanded clay and similar compounds is carried out outside, after laying the vapor barrier. Along the slope between the rafters, transverse stops are installed - they evenly distribute the insulation.

After laying on the floor or in the basement, it is well tamped to prevent shrinkage and deformation of the finish. The only problem is moisture ingress, bulk insulation is quite hygroscopic. In baths and saunas, and, incidentally, everywhere, the insulation layer must have high-quality hydro and vapor barrier. It is necessary to ensure that there are no cracks in the decoration, and bulk material does not wake up through them. It is also worth remembering that expanded clay is quite heavy. It is necessary to ensure that with its mass it does not expand too weak partitions or walls.

The main advantage of timber frame walls over log walls is that they require less wood to produce. Frame houses are always warm, with good sound insulation, and most importantly, they are easy to build.

Basic elements of frame walls

The frame includes:

top harness;
bottom harness;
walls;
braces (struts) stiffness;
additional components such as intermediate ledgers and struts.

Door and window openings are constructed between the racks.

When building two-story houses, two main types of frames can be used:

With floor counters (when one house seems to be standing on top of another). This type of frame is easier to build as it allows the use of small material.
With through racks on two floors. This type of framework is more stable. Long material is used for it.

The supporting pillars of the frame are mounted in the interval of 0.5-1.5 m, focusing on the desired size of doors and windows. Ordinary frame racks are made from boards measuring 5x10 cm or 6x12 cm. Corner frame racks are made of composite boards or beams.

The bottom rail serves as the base of the frame. It is made up of logs, boards or beams. The corners of the lower harness are made using the "half-tree straight lock" technique. If floor beams are cut into the harness, then it is made of two crowns. If the floor beams simply rest on the pillars, then the strapping is made from one crown. Usually the frame elements are fixed with nails, sometimes spikes are used.

To make the frame more stable, plank struts are attached on both sides between the posts. They are cut flush using a frying pan or semi-frying pan strapping. From above, on the racks, the upper strapping is fixed and the ceiling beams are cut into it. The top harness is best attached to straight studs. Next, rafters are placed on the beams. Sometimes log (cobbled) beams are replaced with boards (slats) with a section of 5x18 cm or 5x20 cm and placed on the edge. Outside, the assembled frame is sealed with wooden slats and nailed to the racks with nails measuring 7-7.5 cm. The thickness of the boards is 2-2.5 cm. They can be replaced with asbestos-cement slabs or any other durable and resistant to atmospheric precipitation materials.

Insulation of frame walls with backfills

Very often, to insulate a building, frame walls are constructed from boards. It is desirable that the walls are made of two planks. The gap between the walls is filled with various slab, bulk or roll materials. Roll and board materials are fixed to the frame with nails. The seams are hidden with gypsum solution or sealed with tow. If the slabs are laid in two layers, then make sure that the seams between the slabs of the first and second layers overlap. When stacked in one layer, the reed slabs must be placed vertically. When laying in two layers, the boards can be laid horizontally and vertically. To protect the slabs from rotting and corroding by rodents, straw slabs should be soaked for 2 hours in a 10% solution of ferrous sulfate and dried well. To make the slabs less blown out, cardboard or thick construction paper is placed between them.

When the cold season comes, the air from the room can humidify the backfill, which is undesirable. Therefore, to protect the backfill, an insulating layer of roofing roofing, roofing felt, glassine, or other insulating material is placed under the cladding on the inside of the wall. Before falling asleep, the materials are mixed with fluff lime. For the mixture, take 10% of the volume of the mixture for backfill or more (for example, 90% sawdust and 10% fluff lime) and alter everything well until a homogeneous consistency. Fluffy lime is used so that rodents do not breed in the backfill. These materials are used dry.

All materials are poured in layers on a dry surface or wooden board and mixed with a shovel to evenly mix organic materials with fluff lime. The finished backfill is filled in the empty space, pouring layers of 20-30 cm and ramming well.

Used as backfill:

pumice;
slag;
peat;
sawdust;
fire;
sunflower husk;
chopped reed;
feathering;
straw.

The weight of a material will determine its thermal conductivity. The lighter it is, the worse it conducts heat. Here are the mass of some bulk solids:

dry moss - 135 kg per 1 m 3;
granulated blast-furnace slag - 700 kg per 1 m 3;
wood shavings - 300 kg per 1 m 3;
tripoli - 600 kg per 1 m 3;
straw chopping (cutting) - 120 kg per 1 m 3;
pumice - 500 kg per 1 m 3;
wood sawdust - 250 kg per 1 m 3;
boiler slag - 1000 kg per 1 m 3;
dry peat - 150 kg per 1 m 3.

Usually organic materials such as peat, sawdust, moss, straw chaff, fires are dried and disinfected.

Draft dry backfill

The main disadvantage of dry backfills is that they settle and form voids. Therefore, if they are used, then the walls are erected 20-30 cm above the level of the ceiling beams, completely filling with backfill. As it settles, the backfill will fill the empty space. It is better to replace the filling under the windows with fibrous or tiled materials. If there are none, retractable window sills are mounted in order to fill up the backfill through them.

In order for the insulating backfill to become less free-flowing, materials should be mixed in to it, which will turn it into a solid filler. For example, take 85% sawdust and mix it with 10% fluff lime and 5% gypsum. In this case, the sawdust will harden and turn into the so-called thermolite. For such a mixture, use wet, not specially dried, organic materials or sawdust. Sawdust is mixed with fluff, then this mixture is added to the gypsum and immediately laid out in place, leveling and compacting well. The moisture present in the filler will slightly moisten the gypsum and it will set. The aggregate will turn into a loose mass, thicken, and due to this it will not settle.

Wet backfills and slabs

Wet backfills are often used in construction. The main thing is to correctly observe the proportions of the materials used. Materials are taken by volumetric parts or by weight:

for 1 part of organic aggregate, take 0.4 parts of gypsum and 2 parts of water;
for 1 part of organic aggregate, take 0.3 parts of fluff lime or quicklime and 2 parts of water.

Fluff lime can be replaced with ground lime or lime dough. In this case, you need to take it 2 times more and reduce the amount of water.

Method for preparation of moistened backfills

In the gap, layers of binder and organic fillers are covered. Then everything is mixed well and water is added. After 3-5 weeks, the backfill in the structures dries out with light compaction and sediment. Drying time varies with air temperature. Such backfills should not be used in timber frame buildings together with vapor barrier materials (roofing felt, roofing felt, glassine, etc.). They dry out for a long time, and sometimes they cause the formation of fungus. As you know, the fungus is very harmful to wood.

Plates made from organic materials are considered to be of higher quality insulation. Their size should be 50x50 or 70x70 cm, and their thickness should be from 5 to 10 cm.The ratio of the components for their preparation:

1.5 parts of quicklime + 0.3 parts of cement + 2-2.5 parts of water;
or for 1 weight part of organic aggregate, take 4 parts of clay dough + 0.3 parts of cement + 2-2.5 parts of water;
or 1-2 parts of trefoil clay + at least 0.7 parts of quicklime (fluff is possible) + 2-3 parts of water;
or 1.5-2 parts of gypsum + 2-2.5 parts of water.

If lime dough is used, then its amount is doubled, and the amount of water is reduced.

First, dry materials are mixed, then moistened with water and mixed again until smooth. After that, the mixture is put into molds, leveled, the molds are removed and dried under a canopy or indoors. The drying time will depend on the temperature conditions and the binder used. Plates of plaster, lime, tripoli dry 2-3 weeks, clay products - on average about 4-5 weeks.

Frame, frame-panel board, panel board and those walls that are assembled from elements manufactured at the factory are considered more economical.

A wooden frame is a kind of structure consisting of lower straps that are laid along the foundation. Elements of such a frame are connected with nails, bolts. If the frame is cobbled, then staples are used. The frame racks are sheathed with boards. The distance between the outer and inner lining is filled with a special insulating backfill, straw or reed mats, or other slab insulation. In factory-made frame buildings, the outside of the plank sheathing is often covered with asbestos-cement sheathing.