For the construction of suburban private houses can be used in different materials. Very often residential low-rise buildings are erected, for example, from timber or foam blocks. Both of these types of materials allow you to build quite durable and reliable houses. Technical characteristics in terms of weight, ability to "breathe" and retain heat, timber and foam blocks are similar. Therefore, with their use often built including combined houses. From foam blocks and wood on projects developed independently, or, for example, found on the Internet, you can actually build a very comfortable and durable building.
Expediency of construction
The construction of houses from foam blocks - the procedure is quite simple and quick. However, this material cannot, of course, be attributed to natural materials. In any case, in terms of microclimate comfort, foam houses are certainly inferior to wooden houses.
In a cobblestone house it’s much more convenient to live than in a built of almost any other material. However, the technology of construction of such buildings is somewhat laborious and complex. In addition, there is a beam, and especially in the steppe regions, unfortunately, it is very expensive.
The use of both wood and foam blocks, thus, allows you to reduce the cost of construction and at the same time erect a building, some rooms in which will be very comfortable for living, thanks to a good, healthy microclimate.
Design: main option
The combined concrete-wooden houses are built in the vast majority of cases in the architectural style of a mountain chalet. In this direction, since ancient times, for the construction of the first floors, solid stone was used, and the second - wood. Chalet buildings look very stylish and, like many other buildings of "folk" architecture, are considered very comfortable for living.
How, in our time, are projects for combined houses made of wood and foam blocks drawn up? Modern buildings of this type are also in most cases built on two floors. At the same time, their lower box is assembled from foam blocks. The second floor of such a cottage is being built from timber. That is, the construction technology today is used very similar to that used in antiquity.
Such an architectural solution allows you to reduce the cost and simplify the construction process, as well as make the building as comfortable as possible for living. In houses of this design, a kitchen, a bathtub, a boiler room, and all kinds of utility and technical rooms are located on the ground floor. On the second floor, bedrooms, study rooms, and children's rooms are arranged. In some cases, a living room is also equipped here.
The two-story combined cottage, among other things, has another important advantage. Subsequently, such a building will last much longer fully paved. Naturally, the first floors of houses usually suffer the most from natural moisture. Foam blocks, unlike wood, are not susceptible to decay and the formation of fungus.
Design features of two-story cottages
The second floor in such a house can be full-fledged or can be an ordinary spacious attic. The owners of country houses, while the most popular is the second version of the construction.
Residential combined buildings with a full second floor, of course, are more comfortable. However, it costs the construction of such houses because of the need to use a large amount of timber quite expensive. Therefore, such combined cottages are built in our country not too often. A feature of such houses is, among other things, that they are usually covered with a flat roof. Such an architectural solution allows to give the building the most modern and stylish appearance.
How else can be built: the second common option
What else could be a project of a combined house of wood and foam blocks in our time? Using the style of the chalet, of course, allows you to build very beautiful residential buildings. However, unfortunately, far from all people like two-story houses. According to many owners of suburban areas, in such buildings you usually have to walk too many stairs. Such owners of plots should choose, of course, a slightly different option for building a combined house. In this case, the walls of the residential building itself are assembled from timber. Next, next to it, an extension is laid out from foam blocks for technical rooms.
Such buildings also turn out to be quite comfortable for living. However, it is necessary to erect combined buildings of this variety with the exact observance of certain technologies. Otherwise, the house, unfortunately, will turn out to be short-lived. The construction of single-story combined buildings has some of its nuances.
How to make a project
Before proceeding with the construction of a house of foam blocks and wood, like any other, of course, you need:
- draw a diagram of the building indicating the dimensions of all the elements;
- choose the type of foundation for the house;
- determine the amount of necessary timber and foam blocks, etc.
Weight and foam blocks, and timber are small. Therefore, too powerful foundations for such combined buildings are usually not built. However, the bearing capacity of the base of the house of this species should still be quite large. Both timber and foam blocks do not differ in too high tensile strength. Therefore, spring heaving with insufficient bearing capacity of the foundation will necessarily lead to the appearance of cracks in the walls of the combined house.
Selection of blocks for construction
Foam blocks for the construction of buildings of this variety are used standard. This material is sold today by many companies. But to choose for the construction of a suburban residential building, of course, you need products of this variety only from trusted manufacturers with a good reputation. Most often, foam blocks of 200x300x600 mm are used for the construction of combined houses. In any case, in this case, you need to choose a sufficiently strong and even material intended for laying facades.
For the construction of a combined building, in addition to the foam blocks themselves, glue will also need to be purchased. Such material is quite expensive today. Glue consumption for foam blocks, however, is usually small. On 1 m 3 of masonry, the boxes of the lower floor of the combined house most often leave no more than 1.5-1.6 kg of such a dry mixture.
What kind of timber is needed
Lumber for a combined house, as for any other, should be chosen very carefully and carefully. The bar for the construction of residential buildings is suitable exclusively for the highest quality.
For the construction of the second floor of a combined house, it is best to purchase lumber made from logs cut in winter. There is no movement of juice in the wood at this time of the year. Therefore, such lumber is considered the most suitable for construction. In any case, the humidity of the timber purchased for the construction of the combined house should not exceed 12-18%. In addition, before starting construction, it is advisable to dry purchased lumber in a place protected from the sun for several months.
Of course, to choose for the construction of the second floor of the combined house you need a beam without a large number of knots, with precise geometry. With regard to the type of wood in this case, no restrictions are provided. It is allowed to build walls of residential buildings from a bar of almost any hardwood or softwood lumber.
Layout Examples
The sizes of combined wooden-concrete buildings can be very different. It will be quite comfortable for living as a house 10 by 10 and from foam blocks and a beam, 9x9, 10x17, 15x6 m, etc. Below is an example of a plan of such a building in a 10x11 m chalet style with an artificial stone trimmed ground floor, porch and two balconies. Downstairs in this house are a living room, a bathroom, a hall and technical facilities. On the attic floor, built of timber, while equipped with bedrooms, a library, office and additional bathrooms.
The photo below also shows the project of a combined house of foam blocks and wood with a direct roof. Such buildings, of course, can also be very convenient for living. On the ground floor of this house there is a living room, a hall and a kitchen. The second one is equipped with bedrooms and a bath. One of the rooms in this building has no floor. Also in the house of this layout is equipped with another living room on the ground floor.
What foundation to lay
Most often, combined concrete-wooden houses are erected on a slab-and-strip foundation, which subsequently makes it possible to equip the basement. But of course, it is allowed to build such residential buildings on simpler and cheaper grounds.
In the project of a two-story cottage made of wood and foam blocks, or one-story, you can provide, for example, an ordinary strip foundation. Such bases are distinguished by high bearing capacity. Their construction at the same time is relatively inexpensive. Under one-story combined houses (and sometimes under two-story houses) on fairly strong soils, columnar foundations with a grillage can also be poured.
Of course, you can build buildings of this architecture on stilts. The foundation of this type will be an excellent solution if the building of foam blocks and timber is erected on soft soil with a strong substrate located at a certain depth.
Stages of construction of a two-story cottage
As already mentioned, it is precisely such projects of combined houses from timber and foam blocks that are most popular among owners of country houses. The construction of a residential building of this design may include the following steps:
- Pouring the foundation or basement.
- The construction of the box of foam blocks.
- Armopoyas fill.
- Installation of floor beams.
- Floor assembly.
- The construction of the attic or second floor of wood.
- Roof assembly.
The foundation for such a building is poured according to standard technology in formwork with reinforcement. Of course, such houses with a wooden roof are being built most often. In this case, the rafter system of the combined building is attached to the beam of the second floor through special movable elements - “skids”. This is necessary in order to subsequently avoid distortions and cracking during shrinkage of lumber.
Masonry
When erecting a ground floor box from foam blocks on a waterproofed foundation, the first row is first laid out using cement mortar. All subsequent rows are laid on a thin layer of special glue. This construction technology allows to prevent the formation of cold bridges in the walls of the first floor and, as a consequence, the deterioration of the microclimate in the entire combined house.
A feature of the beam is, among other things, that it has a small weight. However, the second floor of this material will still have a significant load on the box of the first. Therefore, the laying of foam blocks, with their own hands, including, should be performed with mandatory reinforcement. Metal rods need to be strengthened every 4 rows of the wall. It is supposed to lay such reinforcement in the strobes previously made in the upper plane of the blocks.
In the process of erecting the box, you should also monitor the seams. Their thickness should be uniform over the entire area of the facades. This will make the masonry not only neat, but also very durable. In any case, the consumption of glue for foam blocks during the construction of the facades of the first floor of the combined building should be approximately equal to the required 1.5-1.6 kg per 1 m 3 .
After the box is erected, it is necessary to fill in the armor belt from cement mortar along its top in the formwork. Such a reinforcing structure will also have to be insulated by inserting polystyrene strips on the edge of the formwork assembled under it from the side of the room.
Second floor assembly
When erecting the attic of a combined building, walls and pediments are also laid out according to standard technology. In the corners, a beam in such houses can connect:
- on dowels;
- in the "dovetail";
- in a thorn, etc.
Partitions in the attic when using such material can be erected after the assembly of the box. Timber gables are usually collected using a template knocked out of planks.
Before the construction of the second floor on the foam block, it is necessary to mount the ceiling. It is subsequently most convenient for him to collect the pediments of the future attic. Once these elements are ready, they should simply be lifted and mounted vertically. You can, of course, collect the gables and not on the ceiling, but directly on the spot, between the extreme rafters.
Features of the construction of single-story combined houses
Buildings of this architecture can also have different sizes. However, the annexes in them at the same time usually, of course, have a smaller area than the main residential part. Near houses 10 by 10 m, for example, boxes of foam blocks with an area of 10x5, 5x5, 4x5 m, etc. are often erected.
Such buildings are being erected, as in the first case, using standard technologies. It concerns the laying of both types of materials. However, the construction of combined houses from foam blocks and single-story wood still has some of its own characteristics.
Foam blocks, as an artificial material, are able to maintain their size and geometry throughout the life of the building. The beam, even well-dried, gives a strong shrinkage over time. Therefore, when erecting a one-story combined building, it is best to immediately build only a wooden box. Then it is worth waiting about six months for it to completely dry, and only after that proceed with the construction of the foam block extension for technical rooms.
It is impossible to rigidly fix block and foam block boxes to each other. These building materials have different weights. Accordingly, the shrinkage of the structures constructed from them will give unequal. With a hard mount in the walls of the building due to this, cracks can subsequently form.
Foundations for cobblestone and foam block parts of buildings for the same reason should be erected individual. The gap between the boxes is best closed with a tarred board. The same element for insulation and cushioning is usually mounted between the foundations of parts of a combined building.