A beautiful warm home is the dream of any family. The main selection criteria for any architectural project are convenience and affordable price. Every year the number of those who use a calibrated log in the construction of a summer house, bathhouse or country house is increasing. Old-styled houses look "rich", and most importantly - elegantly.
What it is?
In the old days, all houses were built of wooden logs. To make the wall perfectly smooth, and most importantly, to keep the house warm, craftsmen cleared all branches and bark from the trunks. Each barrel used was a continuation of the previous one, the joiners knew their work so well.
In the modern world, those who can cut a house with one ax are almost gone. Technologies have come to replace that allow tree trunks of different sizes and diameters to be adjusted to the required standards.
A calibrated log is a log that has been mechanically cleaned and has the same diameter along its entire length. Such logs are also called rounded.
Sizes of the calibrated log
Rounded logs of a standard size, most developers adjust to this length. Most often, logs are 4 m, 6 m, 7 m, 13 m long.
Their diameter also varies from 180 to 240 mm. When choosing logs, it is worth specifying the length and width, since all these parameters significantly affect the cost of construction, as well as its aesthetic side.
Features
Masters who constantly mount wooden structures note that a calibrated log is a good material that preserves its pristine properties. This is primarily due to the fact that after cleaning the harvested trunks from the bark and branches they can be dried in special chambers.
When installing houses from calibrated logs, projects always take into account the possible drying out or swelling of the wood. In order to prevent cracks in the walls, the logs are laid one on top of the other, making a “bowl” in each of them at the corner junction for a snug fit.
Modern wooden buildings look like a huge puzzle. Parts of such a “toy” are brought to the installation site in numbered packages. If the wood is not processed, it is impregnated with a solution of pests, and then with an antipyretic.
Only after preparatory work, they begin laying.
Use in construction
Any construction from calibrated logs (baths, houses, summer cottages) requires the use of a foundation. It will serve as an additional protection of wood from moisture, fungi and decay, as well as protect the structure in various natural disasters.
On stable soils, the owners can use the usual cement strip foundation, but it should be borne in mind that after pouring it is necessary to wait for drying and shrinkage. In rocky areas, developers offer the use of piles.
The base of piles will not only reliably fix the initial layers of logs, but also significantly reduce the installation time of walls. An additional advantage of such a foundation is a rod welded to the pile head in the places where the corners are formed.
Through holes are made at the junction of the rod with the logs, and the processed trunks are simply put on them. In this way, one to three levels of calibrated logs can be fixed.
In order for the tree not to spoil and not damp in the places of contact between the foundation and the laid logs, it is necessary to separate the base with a substrate in the form of a hydro-barrier, roofing material or, as usual, moss.
Window openings are cut down as the frame of the house is assembled. Marks are made in the right places, and the craftsmen use the tools to cut a hole of the required size.
Standard and non-standard projects
So that the customer does not hesitate for a long time how his house will look, the developer can offer a choice of several standard house designs from calibrated logs. If you decide on the proposed option, then not only save, but also you can be sure of the warmth and comfort of the new building.
Typical designs are calculated based on the standard length of a calibrated log. Often this can be a house 6 * 6 m, 7 * 13 m or 4 * 4 m. The heat in such houses provides a minimized number of joints connecting the logs to each other.
For large houses, the project proposed by the architect 6 * 6 m or 7 * 13 m is perfect, but the second option will go already as a special order. To implement it, you will have to order a non-standard length of the log, which will entail additional costs for processing and delivery.
The log cabin designs that are familiar to us look like a quadrangle or a rectangular box. At the request of the customer, the masters can offer more interesting options - with protruding outbuildings and extensions.
The specificity of such houses from calibrated logs is the increased heat transfer at the joints of the logs. In order for the house to be warm and less energy-consuming in winter, all joints will have to be additionally insulated.
The construction of houses, baths from calibrated logs also requires careful selection of the width of the logs. After all, if this is a residential building, then it is preferable for him to round log with a maximum diameter. The rooms will not only look great, but will also be a great place to spend winter evenings, preserving their pristine qualities.
For baths or outbuildings, you can use logs with a small diameter. The buildings will be strong, while heating the interior will also retain heat, but will look less massive against the background of the main house.
If the customer requires a large house, but does not want to increase the area due to additional meters of wood, the developer can always offer combined construction as an option: wood - stone.
Such a dwelling can have a stone base (foundation, basement or first floor) and a wooden attic. In addition, architects often propose two-story log cabin designs. Thus, the new owners not only save their time on construction, but also get a solid building, insulated due to the least number of joints and joints of the connection.
How to make such a house?
People who decide to build a house from a tree are definitely ready for its design. Indeed, most often, choosing this particular material, they leave the walls of the finished house in its original form.
Beautiful peeled logs smell of wood for a long time. The smell of resin brings warmth and comfort to the atmosphere of the house. In order to spoil the fibers less, knowledgeable people suggest periodically opening calibrated logs with varnish.
Thus, the tree retains its presentation for a long time, in addition, even drying out, does not leave gaps or cracks. At the request of the owners can align the walls with plasterboard sheets and already glue on them wallpaper or apply plaster.
Things are a bit more complicated with the design of baths from calibrated logs. Yes, a warm steam room is undoubtedly a plus! But the project used for construction must take into account all the nuances (high humidity, good thermal insulation, the presence of the required number of rooms), as well as the presence of a stove for heating the room.
Dignity
Why are projects from calibrated logs so fond of? First of all, the speed of their construction captivates. In the skilled hands of the installers and with the correct selection of the foundation (foundation), as well as the type of wood, construction can be completed six months after it begins.
Basically, the speed of construction depends on the quality of the preparatory work performed, as well as the size of the building. The smaller the size, the faster the construction will end.
The second plus is excellent thermal insulation, which saves on heating in the winter. In addition, in the houses made of wood, the summer heat is much easier to tolerate.
After initial cleaning from bark and knots, as well as after drying, the wood is covered with special solutions that increase the life of the material. This treatment avoids not only rotting, but also the occurrence of mold, fungi and wood damage by pests.
The environmental friendliness of the materials used is also considered a valuable factor. Wood not only maintains the optimal microclimate of the structure, but when heated it releases natural substances that are not harmful to health.
But the biggest plus is still the optimal price. In addition, the rounded logs have an excellent appearance, which significantly reduces the cost of interior decoration.
disadvantages
The only drawback of wooden buildings, experts consider the care of an already finished building. This is due to the fact that during the initial processing the barrel loses the protective layer. The inner layers are more susceptible to external factors (wind, temperature changes, moisture).
It is for longer operation that treatment with special solutions is necessary, and preferably several times. In addition, experts advise several such treatments in the first six months after the construction of the house.
In order for the logs to last as long as possible, such processing must be carried out annually.
Price
Thinking about building a house from calibrated logs, it is worth considering that the cost of such a project directly depends on the type of wood, as well as its size.
The most affordable for customers will be houses with a house size of 6 * 6 m, with a diameter of logs up to 240 mm. The more individual the architectural idea will be, the more expensive the material and its transportation will cost.
On average, the price of a calibrated log per square meter of area is from 25 thousand rubles.
The desire to have their own home sooner or later appears in every person. But how it will look and what material it will be built of depends only on your financial capabilities and aesthetic taste.