What is cheaper to build houses from? Materials for building a house

With the advent of new modern building materials on the market, the owners of suburban areas have an excellent opportunity to build inexpensive houses with very good performance characteristics. There are several ways to build an economical and reliable building these days. In this article, we’ll talk about what makes building houses cheaper.

What factors affect the cost

You can save when building a country house:

• Having drawn up the project correctly. A compact house with a well-planned layout will cost less than a large "chaotic" building and at the same time it will be no less comfortable.
• Choosing the right material for walls, roofs, ceilings and finishes.

It is the latter factor in terms of project cost that often plays a decisive role.

Materials for building a house: how to choose

When deciding what exactly the walls of the house will be built, its floors and roof, you need to pay attention to the following factors:

• Climatic conditions. In cold regions, it is better to use, if not so durable, but always warm materials. Owners of sites located in the southern regions of the country have a much wider choice. In this case, you can use absolutely any modern inexpensive materials.
• The specific properties of the materials. Of course, buildings made of SIP panels or foam concrete are much cheaper than brick houses or log houses.
• Features of the local market. For example, in wooded regions, wood may be cheaper, and in steppe - concrete.

The most economical building materials

So, now let's see what it is cheaper to build houses from. A very economical and convenient building in our time can be built using:

• Timber and modern insulation. This is the most inexpensive type of building at the moment. At the same time, despite the cheapness, panel houses differ in very good operational characteristics. In this case, inexpensive materials are also used as casing. Most often it is plywood and siding.
• SIP panels. Such a building will cost more than a shield building, but it is also being built faster.
• Foam blocks. Buildings erected from them are also very inexpensive and are considered somewhat more reliable than switchboards.

All these modern materials for building a house are very suitable and at the same time they can last a long time. Next, let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. Perhaps this will help someone to make the most successful choice.

The advantages of frame buildings

In addition to cheapness, houses made of wood of this type also have such advantages as:

• Simplicity in construction. You can build a frame-panel house on your own, without the involvement of specialists. In the construction of such a building there is no need to use any expensive equipment. The foundation for a panel house can be filled with the most inexpensive - columnar (of course, only on reliable soil).
• Excellent heat-preserving qualities. Such houses are isolated from the cold using modern, inexpensive materials. Usually it is mineral wool or polystyrene foam. In this case, even not too expensive non-profiled timber is used in minimal quantities - only for the construction of the frame.
• Aesthetic appearance. Subject to the use of high-quality internal and external cladding, by choosing this technology, you can actually get a very beautiful and at the same time comfortable building.
• No shrinkage. Unlike expensive cobblestone and log buildings, you can settle in a house built using this technology immediately after its construction.

Disadvantages of panel buildings

A beam and a modern insulation - just a great answer to the question of what it is cheaper to build houses from. But of course, like any other technique, this building technology has its drawbacks. The disadvantages of frame-panel houses can be attributed, first of all, not too high a degree of environmental safety. The fact is that mineral wool and polystyrene foam are materials that in certain situations are capable of releasing harmful substances. When building a house, this must be taken into account and the inner skin should be made as airtight as possible. Mineral wool releases phenol-formaldehyde resins, and expanded polystyrene - toxic styrene.

The disadvantages of panel structures can also include a not too high degree of fire resistance. Wiring in such a house is best entrusted to a specialist. Even though this will entail additional costs. You will have to spend money on treating a wooden frame with antiseptic and fire-resistant compounds, as well as insect repellents. As you know, only when these funds are used, houses made of wood turn out to be quite durable.

Owners of remote summer cottages often refuse to erect such buildings because of the not very high mechanical strength of the walls. To break into such a house in the absence of security, thieves may not even need to break into the castle.

Advantages of SIP-panel buildings

This type of building is structurally very similar to the previous one. In fact, this is just a kind of shield house. The only difference is that the elements of this type of building are assembled from panels that are delivered ready-made. Of course, when using such material, the construction is more reliable and durable. Cost of houses from SIP panels is not too expensive. However, their cost, as already mentioned, is slightly higher than that of conventional switchboards.

SIP panels consist of two OSB boards, between which expanded polystyrene is fixed. Despite the apparent fragility, due to the integrity of the structure, they are able to withstand huge loads and in fact are simply ideal for the construction of low-rise buildings. You can also build a building from this material yourself. It is not necessary to fill in under the SIP walls and too powerful a foundation. The advantages of this material include a very low degree of thermal conductivity.

As in the case of a frame-panel house, the construction of such a building does not require the use of expensive equipment. The panels are processed elementarily - using a conventional hacksaw. Therefore, houses from SIP panels can have any layout and architecture.

Cons of SIP buildings

The disadvantages of such houses are approximately the same as that of conventional frame-panel. That is, they do not differ in fire safety and environmental friendliness. In addition to expanded polystyrene, in this case, OSB panels are also used, the safety of which causes great doubt. Some disadvantages of SIP panels include the fact that you can build from them only at a limited height (maximum 2 floors). Engineering communications in buildings of this type is quite difficult and expensive to carry out. This can also be attributed to the minuses of such buildings.

Advantages of houses from foam blocks

This material is a bit more expensive than SIP panels. However, the cost of the foam block is still low, and the price difference in this case is not critical. In addition, in comparison with SIP-buildings and panel buildings, houses made of this material have a lot of advantages. These include:

• The ability of the walls to breathe. In this regard, the construction of foam blocks are comparable with, for example, comfortable structures, such as log houses. The microclimate in buildings erected from this material is created almost the same.
• Fireproof walls. Concrete, as everyone knows, does not burn.
• Durability. By definition, such a building can serve much longer than a wooden building. Concrete does not rot and is not damaged by insects.

Disadvantages of foam concrete houses

The disadvantages of such buildings include, first of all, the need for thorough waterproofing of the foundation and in the use of materials that prevent the penetration of moisture into the walls. Low-cost houses made of foam blocks should be protected as carefully as possible. The fact is that this porous material absorbs moisture very well. At the same time, its heat-preserving qualities are lost. Moreover, wet blocks of this type crumble easily, which can even lead to cracks in the walls.

Despite the fact that foam concrete is lightweight, the foundation for it should be used quite powerful and reliable. It's all about the fragility of this material. Foam can give cracks even with small movements.

The disadvantages of this material, in comparison with SIP panels, include some complexity of building houses when using them. To build warm walls, fasten the foam blocks with special glue. In this case, the seams, unlike concrete, are very thin and do not allow the cold to pass through. However, masonry using this method involves the use of blocks of ideal geometry. But despite the existing standards, on the domestic market often sells material with various kinds of defects.

From the foregoing, a simple conclusion can be drawn. Foam blocks should be bought only from large manufacturers, who value their reputation and supply fairly strong material with perfect geometry to the market.

Cost of materials

To erect the walls of a building, structurally-insulating foam blocks are usually used. The price of them depends on the size, manufacturer and supplier. For the block D500 – D600, for example, you can give from 47 to 185 rubles. The cost of the foam block of the most convenient in laying dimensions of 20x30x60 mm is usually 135-150 rubles.

The price of SIP panels of different sizes can be found in the table below.

Thus, the price of a house made of self-supporting insulated wires (or rather, only its walls) measuring 5x5 m with a ceiling height of 250 cm and a wall thickness of 12 mm will amount to 47,200 rubles, not including the cost of consumables. Of course, this is not too expensive. Foam walls in a house of the same size will cost about 55,000-60000 rubles, which is also quite cheap.

What to make floors and roof

The use of SIP panels and foam blocks significantly reduces the cost of building houses. From various materials of a modern type, such as metal tiles, ondulin or professional sheets, it is possible to assemble a very inexpensive roof for a suburban building. The floor and ceiling in a budget house are usually sheathed with a simple edged board.

As for the skeleton of the floors and the roof, then the choice, of course, is not too big. Logs, beams and the rafter system are usually made of timber. And they use the material quite thick. After all, such designs belong to the bearing and must withstand serious loads. Therefore, saving on them, of course, is not worth it. However, the price of a regular non-profiled timber is not too high.

Thus, using the materials described above for building a house, you can save a lot of money and at the same time get reliable and environmentally friendly designs.

How to choose a trim board

When choosing this material, you should pay attention to two factors:

• The presence of knots. There should be as few as possible. Especially the dark ones. Such knots will eventually fall out, and ugly holes form in the floor or ceiling.
• Geometry of the material. All selected boards should have the same thickness and be even in all planes.

Advantages and disadvantages of metal tiles

In addition to the low price, the advantages of this material used to assemble an inexpensive roof most often include:

• light weight
• strength and durability
• aesthetic appearance
• simplicity in laying.

The disadvantages of metal are:

• noise during rain
• the ability to rust and snap in the sun when improperly laid.

As you can see, the answer to the question of what is cheaper to build houses from is not too complicated. To choose inexpensive materials for the construction of walls, floors and roofs of the building these days is very simple. Of course, when designing a project, everything should be carefully calculated and thought out. In this case, the house will turn out economical, reliable and comfortable.