The veranda can become a real decoration of a summer cottage, which is also functional. This design is an extension to the house, which has walls and a roof and is designed for year-round use.
Project creation
The project of the veranda to the house is made at the stage of construction of the main building. These structures can be classified according to several criteria, among others, the location should be highlighted. Thus, the veranda can adjoin the front, end or corner of the house. It can be made closed or open. In the first case, it is a glazed structure.
Sometimes the installation of this part of the house is accompanied by the installation of sliding doors that allow you to transform the structure into an open area. When designing a veranda for a house, you must also take into account its design features, which determine whether the structure will be built-in or made in the form of an extension. In the first case, the veranda and the house have a common foundation and are built simultaneously. But the extension is carried out as necessary and has its own foundation. The shape of the veranda can be round, rectangular or polygonal. In the latter case, we are talking about an octagon and a hexagon.
More on project drafting
In order to fulfill a beautiful veranda, it is necessary to make it a continuation of the house, then the extension will be a single architectural ensemble. Experts recommend placing the veranda from the western or eastern sides, then most of the time it will be outside the limits of sunlight.
When drawing up a project, it is also necessary to take into account the wind load. In addition, you need to determine the location of the entrance, he can look at the street and leave one of the rooms. At this stage, the location of the door is also determined. It should not be located opposite the entrance door to the house, otherwise drafts will not be avoided.
It is also necessary to determine the size of the veranda. Its length is usually equal to the length of the wall along which it is being erected, but the maximum width can be 7 m. It is important that the dimensions of the veranda are proportional to the dimensions of the house itself.
Design Ideas
If you want to make a beautiful glazed veranda, then you can do without frames. Overlapping will erase the existing line between the surrounding nature and the interior. Frameless glazing is an excellent solution for arranging a conservatory on the veranda. If you want to make the area even more spacious and bright, then the roof can be decorated with glass inserts. This will give the room airiness and lightness.
Beautiful wooden verandas look rather harmoniously as extensions to a country house or dwelling in the city. On the floor you can lay a wooden coating, which emphasizes the texture of the extension. The interior can be supplemented with wooden beams, from this the situation will resemble a country life. Natural wood can be combined with natural stone. But if it is also unprocessed, then going inside, you will feel in a house in the forest.
If you are thinking about how to make a beautiful veranda, then you can use different types of wood for interior decoration, each of which has its own unique shade. This will create a memorable and unique interior.
Installing upholstered furniture in the room with bright upholstery, you emphasize the warm color. By mounting sliding frames on the veranda, you can spend warm summer evenings in it, observing nature. But in the fall it will be possible to warm yourself indoors using a fireplace or a masonry stove. This technique is quite common today.
Construction: preparation of tools and materials
Depending on what material you plan to use for the construction of the extension, you should prepare a certain set of tools. For a wooden veranda you will need:
- screwdriver;
- ax;
- roulette;
- level;
- cord;
- shovel;
- hacksaw;
- hammer;
- sledgehammer;
- plumb line;
- cord.
But for the metal frame, you should additionally prepare a grinder and a welding machine. Before you build a closed veranda attached to the house, you should think about what will be at its core. The budget option will be a metal frame, which is sheathed with plywood, plastic lining or OSB boards. But a more presentable appearance has a brick veranda or one that is built of wood or stone. In this case, it is important to choose the material that will match the material at the base of the house.
For the construction of a wooden veranda should be prepared:
- lumber;
- fasteners;
- protective solutions;
- crushed stone;
- concrete;
- drying oil;
- bitumen;
- roofing material;
- door and window systems;
- covering material for the roof.
For a metal frame, you should take care of the presence of:
- lumber;
- steel profile;
- metal processing solution.
Otherwise, all materials remain the same. Recently, a summer cottage veranda is increasingly being made of polycarbonate, which has proven itself with consumers. If you build walls or a roof with its help, then you can admire the surrounding landscape.
Polycarbonate transmits light, retains heat perfectly and can be used for roofing and walls. The advantage of this material is also the cost, which is very affordable. It is better to use sheets with a thickness of 14 to 18 mm for such work.
Materials are processed before the start of work, after which such work will be quite difficult.
Preparation for construction
If you will be building a summer terrace, then first you need to prepare. To do this, a visor is removed above the entrance, the porch is removed, and the territory is cleared of garbage and green spaces. It is necessary to remove part of the turf, and then think over where construction materials and garbage will be stacked.
Foundation construction
Before you start pouring the base, you need to determine its variety. The most popular was the columnar foundation, since it allows for extension without reference to the main foundation. A heavier design involves filling the tape base.
A rather important step is the analysis of the soil, which allows you to choose a foundation. In this case, the soil features, its ability to absorb moisture, the level of freezing of the soil, the homogeneity and composition of the earth, as well as the stability of the soil and the height of the groundwater, are taken into account. The foundation design of the house itself and the condition of the wall material influence the choice of the basis for the extension. After you decide on the type of foundation, you need to make a marking and designate those places where the supports will be installed, if we are talking about a pile foundation.
The construction of a columnar base
For the columnar base at the first stage, it is necessary to prepare the pits, having deepened by 1 m. At the bottom, a pillow of crushed stone and sand is made, these materials are covered with layers. Then the concrete base is poured, and after that the support posts are made of brick or timber, but asbestos pipes can also be used.
The ground part of the supports is brought to the height of the foundation of the house. The installation sites of the supports are covered with sand to eliminate the gap between the soil and the column. The design of the veranda with an impressive mass provides for the filling of the strip foundation. To do this, dig a trench and install the formwork, only then you can start pouring concrete.
Frame manufacturing
It will turn out a beautiful veranda if you carry out all the work using technology. At the next stage, it provides for the creation of a frame. It is necessary to begin these works from the lower harness, for this a beam is laid on the supports. Angular docking should be done with a dovetail gash. In order to ensure greater reliability of the fasteners, use pins or nails. Now you can install the supports that will form the frame. For this, a beam with a section of 100 x 100 or 120 x 80 mm is used.
The height of the posts should be equal to the height of the veranda. When installing the frame, horizontal bars should be mounted, which will serve as the basis for installing the window sill. The upper harness will complete the installation of the frame. It will serve as the basis for the rafter system and give the frame additional rigidity. In order to exclude the displacement of the upper harness, the supports must be fixed with spacers.
Roof arrangement
The roof of the veranda will consist of a rafter system. Its installation, as well as the installation of the battens, depends on which roofing material you have chosen. When making a pitched roof, you choose the simplest design. In this case, the rafter system is installed at an angle and will go from the wall of the house, which allows rain water or snow to flow down without harming the extension. A pitched roof will be more convenient from the point of view of the organization of the drain.
A beautiful veranda will turn out if you follow the algorithm of the work. At the stage of creating the roof, you need to install a rafter system. To do this, a run-board is mounted on the wall of the house, for this it is necessary to use a beam with a cross section of 100 x 80 mm. Fastening should be carried out with anchor bolts.
The upper parts of the rafter legs are installed on the beam from above. Mauerlat must be placed around the perimeter of the frame. If the extension is small, then the upper strand boards will perform this function. They should install the lower parts of the rafters. The distance between them will depend on the slope of the roof, the weight of the roofing material and the width of the veranda.
When installing the roofing system of a polygonal veranda, it is necessary to additionally mount a run board. A beautiful veranda must have a quality roofing material. It is installed according to the crate system, which should have a step taking into account the covering material. This approach is relevant for slate, ondulin and metal. But for flexible roofing materials it is necessary to install a continuous crate system.
Glazing
Windows for the veranda occupy a significant part of the wall area. For the reason that the described annex is summer, it uses single wooden windows. But in the case of a heated room, you can use aluminum multi-chamber double-glazed windows. The large veranda can be supplemented with dull windows that open. The latter provide ventilation, while the former allow saving.
Alternative window options
The windows for the veranda can be sliding, then you can make the room open. Among the new products, flexible windows can be distinguished. They extend the operational period of the summer extension, and their advantage is expressed in low cost and quick installation. For the winter they can be disassembled. They make the veranda safe for children's games, but the attractiveness of the appearance does not suffer from this. Soft windows are PVC roll systems that allow glazing of the veranda of any configuration. The design can be semicircular, round or even oval.
Conclusion
You can use the veranda that is insulated as a corridor. In such a room you can equip a relaxation room, an entrance hall, a winter garden or a greenhouse. Some owners even place a pool there. However, it should be understood that there are some differences between the veranda and the terrace. They are available at the first walls, but they can also be made practically weightless.