Construction of a frame house allows you to quickly solve a housing problem, save on materials and do the work yourself. Assembly takes only 2-3 months, and wood costs are reduced by almost half (compared to timber buildings). You can build a frame frame without serious experience in construction - step-by-step instructions will help you with this.

There are several technologies for building a frame house: Canadian, Finnish, German, using a wooden or metal base. But in any case, the design includes the following elements:

• top and ;
• vertical racks;
• rafter system;
• heat and sound insulating layer;
• internal and external cladding.

Wall thickness depends depending on the region of construction and purpose of the house– for temporary or seasonal residence. The set of materials is standard: wooden beams, boards, OSB panels, moisture-resistant plywood, insulation, fasteners. Specialized tools are not required, but sometimes equipment may be needed to install large elements.

Preparation for construction

The basis of a frame house is wood materials, which excess humidity is harmful. It is important to choose the right site for development - dry, without wetlands, and not flooded during rain. It is necessary to first level the ground, remove debris, and prepare passage for trucks.

The second stage is development. It is better to entrust this task to specialists who will take into account existing building codes and coordinate documents with permitting authorities. If your skills allow, you can take a standard project and adapt it to your own needs. The main thing is not to forget about utilities and take into account the recommended dimensions of the house.

Important! To quickly build a frame house, be sure to draw up an estimate and describe all stages of the work. You can use the following step-by-step instructions as a basis.

Stages of frame construction

Wooden structures are subject to biological destruction and are not resistant to fire. To solve this problem, use flame retardants and bioprotective compounds. It is most convenient to use a complex product that protects against fire, woodworms and rot. Treatment with impregnations is necessary at every stage of construction of a frame house.

Foundation structure

A frame house weighs much less than a timber or brick house, so a lightweight foundation is sufficient for it.

The most popular option is tape. To equip it, they dig a trench along the markings of the future house, install wooden formwork in it, fill it with concrete mortar, and compact the mixture. For compaction, hand tools or special vibrators are used.

In second place is - bored or screw. In the first case, the piles are driven into pre-drilled holes, in the second they are screwed in manually or using special equipment. A grillage in the form of a ribbon is arranged on top of them thickness 200-400 mm and height 200-300 mm. It binds the piles into a single whole, increasing the strength of the structure. When arranging a pile foundation, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the soil and strictly follow the technology. Otherwise, the soil will swell and loosen the piles.

Slab foundation– an excellent option for those who decide to build a frame house with their own hands. A slab poured from concrete compensates for seasonal expansion of the soil. The recommended height is 250-500 mm. Most practical insulated Swedish plate (USP), consisting of several layers:

• compacted sand bedding;
• rigid foam 200 mm thick;
• reinforced concrete mixture;
• heated floor pipes;
• leveling screed.

USHP combines the foundation, monolithic floor and heating system. But such a foundation requires large financial investments.

One of the most affordable foundations - columnar. It consists of small posts installed on the ground or buried in it. A columnar foundation is easy to make with your own hands, but due to its low reliability it is only suitable for domestic buildings.

Subfloor installation

There are two types of wooden subfloor:

• supporting structure is used in combination with strip or pile foundation;
• the lattice structure is used in tandem with a slab or concrete screed.

In the first case, the horizontal level is maintained at the stage of arranging the base or grillage, in the second - at the stage of pouring the base.

Subfloor laying technology resembles a wall construction scheme. First, a load-bearing base is installed - joists and cross members. If necessary, the logs are overlapped. To strengthen the structure, additional spacers are used. At the same stage, engineering structures are laid: water supply, gas pipelines and sewerage.

Construction of the frame

The frames of prefabricated houses can be metal or wood. If you do not have construction experience, it is better to order a ready-to-install factory kit. Otherwise it is necessary to follow assembly technology. There are two options:

• assemble all elements at the installation site;
• gradually assemble the walls on a horizontal surface and install them in place.

The second method is more convenient and productive - especially for metal frames. To assemble the latter, a welding machine is used.

The construction of the frame takes place in several stages:

1. Bottom harness. The size of its cross section depends on the type of foundation. The harness is placed above the ground level, thoroughly treated with antiseptics and waterproofed.
2. Frame each wall. The strut pitch is 60 cm with plank cladding and 62.5 cm with panel cladding. The latter exactly corresponds to the standard dimensions of the OSB board. At the installation stage, temporary braces are often installed. The maximum load falls on the corners, so the most durable materials are used for their production.
3. Top harness. The choice of material depends on the load that the structural element will bear. With high strength, the metal requires a lot of drilling and is expensive. More convenient to use wooden beams, single or double boards. Their thickness depends on the area of ​​the house.
4. Floor beams. When building a frame house, reinforced concrete floors are not used - they weigh too much. Best suited for this purpose boards measuring 50*200 mm or paired boards measuring 50*150 mm. The pitch varies from 40 to 60 cm. Internal partitions. They can be plank (one- or two-layer), frame-sheathing with or without insulation. Dry lumber, plywood, chipboard, plasterboard, and OSB are suitable for the construction of partitions.

Several technologies are used to connect wooden elements: joint at an angle of 90°, joint with cutting at 45°, half-wood joint, tongue-and-groove joints.

Roof arrangement

Erection of the roof is one of the most important stages in the construction of a frame house. You should determine in advance its type, type of rafter system, and cladding material. A gable roof is well suited for a frame frame. with a slope of no less than 28 and no more than 50 degrees.

For the rafter system you will need boards section 50*150 or 50*200 mm– dimensions depend on the design load and the insulation used. The standard pitch is 60 cm. Two boards are connected on the ground, the finished structure is lifted onto the roof and mounted on the top frame with an overhang of 35-70 cm. To ensure that the roof is level, the rafters are installed first on the gables, and then in the middle. The final stage is the installation of thinned or continuous sheathing, on top of which the roofing material is attached.

Insulation and frame covering

The finished frame is treated with antiseptics, dried well and sheathed with OSB boards. The resulting cells are filled with insulation - mineral wool or polystyrene foam. The thickness of the layer depends on the purpose of the house - for permanent residence, at least 15-20 cm is required. The wall cake looks like this:

• wind-waterproofing;
• external cladding - slabs;
• insulation;
• vapor barrier;
• internal cladding made of gypsum plasterboard or OSB+gypsum plasterboard.

For exterior decoration use siding, wood or fiber cement panels, plaster, decorative brick.

Interior decoration

This is the finishing frame house. Light walls do not shrink, so you can immediately begin finishing. It takes place in several stages:

• Final arrangement of the floor. First they mount wooden base made of boards with a cross section of 50-150 mm– their ends are laid on support beams or on the foundation. The lower part of the logs is covered with waterproofing, followed by insulation, vapor barrier, boards or OSB. Flooring - linoleum, laminate or parquet.
• Ceiling lining. The sheathing is attached to the support beams and laid in the resulting sections vapor barrier and insulation. The layers are covered with plasterboard or other board material.

If you follow construction technology, a frame house will serve you for many years. The main thing is to choose the right project that meets the climatic conditions of the region and regulatory requirements.

The construction of frame structures has long become extremely popular. There is nothing surprising about this. This construction method is very attractive due to its simple technology, which allows you to carry out all the work on your own, without resorting to the help of hired workers. And the materials required for construction are not too expensive and quite affordable.

However, when deciding on the type of foundation, one should not proceed from the mass of the building alone.

The location on which the building is planned to be erected must also be taken into account. If it is clayey and heavy enough, then it will hardly be possible to do without a solid, monolithic foundation. If the soil has a normal sand content, then or is quite enough.

If a homeowner has doubts about the quality of the soil for construction on his site, he can check its type and composition with a local architectural office. You should not neglect it without first making sure that you can actually do without it. Natural materials of wood origin will be used in the proposed construction. Even for fully processed, high-quality material, it is better to avoid prolonged contact with water.

There are two schemes for building a frame house:

• All activities are completely self-guided. Ready-made blocks are not used: only original building materials;
• construction of a structure from fully finished, complete blocks, which are manufactured industrially.

Let's consider the first, more democratic option

Diagram of frame house components: laying the foundation

The material for the roof is selected according to the preferences and capabilities of the construction owner. It could be roofing material, and much more. Like other installation work, installation of the frame also begins from the corners.

The ends of the roof frame are securely attached to the floor joists. The roof usually has the shape of an isosceles triangle. The distance between the rafters corresponds to the width of the material that is supposed to be used as insulation or coating.

It is convenient to assemble the roof frame on the surface of the ground, and then lift it and install it on the house.

Do-it-yourself cladding of a frame house

Frame wall pie diagram

Covering options may vary. This and more. A durable, waterproof material is laid under the overlapping sheathing, with a margin of 20-30 cm.

The walls are covered with the selected material, then the roof, windows and doors are inserted. The floors are laid last. The boards are hemmed under the laid joists, all the gaps formed between the boards and joists are filled with insulation.

If there is such a possibility, then it is better to make the floor insulation double-layer.

First, a layer of polystyrene foam, followed by mineral wool. When all the insulation is laid out, the floorboards are laid. They are placed perpendicular to the joists. For greater evenness and smoothness of the floor, the top can be finished with OSB boards or sheets. Once the floor is laid, you can begin finishing the interior walls. All existing gaps between horizontal and vertical joists should be filled with insulation. A special film is applied on top. Then sheathing is carried out or.

To make the walls more stable, you will have to install internal jibs for both intermediate and external walls.

Fastening points during the construction of a frame house

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Construction of a frame house is a long-term undertaking and requires strategic thinking of many things in advance, step by step. It is very important to follow the construction technology that was developed in Canada and Scandinavia. What material to use and what type of flooring and walls should be depends on the technology chosen, but there are clear rules that everyone must follow.

The southern and central regions of Russia are more suitable for Canadian technology, and the northern regions are more suitable for Finnish technology. Using any of the technologies, you can build a durable home for your family, and do it yourself.

My step-by-step instructions for building a frame house are written according to the scheme: what needs to be done at this stage + additional links to how I DID IT and how it SHOULD be done. The structure of a frame house is quite complex, but I will help you understand it, and then you will be able to build such a house yourself or be able to manage a team so that you are not deceived by careless workers.

Project

It’s better not to build a frame without a project. It’s quite possible to do the project yourself (especially with a size of 6x6), but it will take a long time if the house is large and has a complex roof. Even a garden house using this technology may require design.

You can do the project gradually, on days off from construction. We drew the frame - we built it, we drew the floor joists - we implemented it, and so on. True, this may lead to you doing something at some stage that was not foreseen in advance, but if there is no way out, then do it this way.

Solve the issue with the number of storeys. Building two floors with your own labor is very difficult. That's why I chose a one-story building.

Tools and fasteners

If you are planning to build a frame house, it will be difficult without tools. I already have a list of the necessary tools on my website.

It is also better to purchase fasteners in bulk in advance. In a frame house, the following are used: 3.1-3.5×90 smooth nails, as well as 60 mm rough nails (for covering walls with OSB) and 70 mm (for covering floors or roofs with slab materials).
It is better to build a frame frame yourself using a nailer, since the average frame frame requires 10-20 thousand nails. Take care of your hands! You need to purchase a hose, adapters, oil and a compressor for it. Well, don’t forget about special nails, I took 100 kg at once and there were almost no leftovers, and I also chopped 50 kg of ordinary nails by hand. Also buy 5 kg of 120 mm nails, sometimes they come in handy (but I didn’t tell you that).

You may also need self-tapping screws for gypsum plasterboard and gypsum fiber board, and it’s simply useful to have self-tapping screws on hand to temporarily screw on some element, and then nail it properly.

Also needed for frame construction are 6-9 mm staples. They are convenient for nailing hydro- and vapor barrier films.

Surely you will need concrete dowels (for installing windows) or anchor plates (for the same purposes). But it’s better not to use perforated fasteners; they are rarely useful in a frame house and only for special purposes.

Video about tools you will find useful:

DIY frame foundation.

Lately it has been fashionable to make a USP under a frame, but not everyone can do it on their own, although this is also possible. I made TISE for myself and I also recommend pile foundations to people who contact me for advice; they are more versatile and easier to implement on their own.

It’s better to do a bored pile foundation yourself, it’s better to order a screw foundation with installation (just avoid piles welded in a homemade way and painted with something unknown, their service life will be several times less than real screw piles, it’s better to have good piles, but screw them yourself).

On top of the piles, a wooden frame is required (or a concrete grillage, which is more monolithic, but heavier and much longer)

DIY floor beams

Once we have a support (wooden frame), we can nail logs to it (in the case of a concrete grillage, you must first screw a wooden board flat onto it, as in the photo above).

Joists (or floor beams) are usually made from 200x50 (195x45) boards with a pitch of 400-600 mm. Read more at the links below. It is important to nail them both to the intermediate supports and to the joist frame (this is the same joist, only across others along the perimeter of the building)

By the way, ceilings are made using the same technology using the same logs, and then they are hemmed underneath with plasterboard or clapboard.

I have already described the lags in detail in other texts, look for them.


If you are building using the “platform” technology, then you must put a subfloor on the joists in front of the walls - usually plywood (FK 1525x1525 or FSF 2440x1220) or OSB-3 (2500x1250). FC plywood is used only in the case of a non-classical platform, when the subfloor is already under the roof, since it is not very moisture resistant.

Platform technology in a frame house is especially popular and for good reason. It is much more convenient to build on it, since the walls can then be assembled on a flat floor.

Additional subfloor information and instructions:

Stands, frames (walls)

Using the “platform”, the frame walls are assembled on the subfloor and raised ready-made. This allows you to assemble the walls very quickly. Remember - timber is not used in a frame house. Neither in the walls nor in the floor. The beam is a bridge of cold that “twists” very well.

Here in this video a house is being built on a platform:

There is also a “balloon” system, in which we assemble the walls one by one; I did this, in some ways it is even more convenient, but still much slower, I would not recommend this system.

Openings in Canadian and Finnish frames are made differently. And there is also Norwegian, which is something in between. In any case, any of these houses are not panel houses, as they call them.

Nowadays, the Finnish technology of frame house construction is popular, when a crossbar is cut into the wall along its entire length, and the pillars of the openings are not doubled.

Roof and rafters. Is it possible to do it yourself?

Installing the roof of a frame house is a very important undertaking. The rafters (pictured) of the roof can be made both before and after sheathing the wall. I did the sheathing first, but often the rafters are done before the sheathing (especially the Finns, who very quickly install trusses on the roof from the factory)

I delegated this stage, I couldn’t handle it myself, the boards for the rafters are very heavy, you have to drag them to the very top and do everything very precisely.

Wall cladding

Before covering the walls, you need to check their vertical slope. It is better to completely sew up the walls, and then cut openings in the sheathing, this will make it stronger.

Usually the walls are covered with OSB, but I don’t like this board, it doesn’t let off steam.

Selection and installation of roofing covering

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Now is the time to cover the roof. We select the material, then choose the right roofing pie (depending on the material and the room - whether it is warm or not). Do not forget that it is often necessary to design ventilation in advance in order to lay penetrations for ventilation pipes before covering the roof with the same flexible tiles (all this can be done with metal later).

We tighten the walls with a waterproof membrane

Before installing windows, it is better to cover the outside walls with waterproof and windproof film. At the same time, we will protect the OSB from moisture.

It is better to install windows before façade materials and insulation. So that later there will be no problems with the design of slopes and getting the insulation wet. Doors and windows can be purchased with installation (expensive, but they provide a guarantee), or installed yourself (budgetary, but difficult). Large windows from 2 sq.m. It is better to place them on concrete dowels; small ones can be placed on plates. Do not forget about professional foam, special plastic spacers, as well as the use of films (to form a closed loop of vapor and waterproofing.

Frame house facade

The sooner we make the facade, the faster our structures will be protected from moisture, and the film from sunlight (from which it gradually loses its properties).

Almost all facades in a proper wooden house are made with a ventilation gap, so don’t forget to buy dry sheathing (buy 100x25 and cut lengthwise, as well as 50x50 in the case of the option with external insulation up to the ventilation gap).

Communications

Before insulation, it is better to carry out the main communications in the house: sewerage and water supply. You can wait a bit with electricity and heating, since they are done either openly or hidden, but in lathing (after the main insulation and vapor barrier circuit).

The bathrooms of our frame-panel house are a separate issue:

• bathroom floors must be well waterproofed;
• the ceiling must be vapor barrier;
• walls must be vapor-insulated.

Insulation of a wooden house.

Frames are usually insulated with mineral wool, but ecowool is becoming more and more popular. I also insulated my house with ecowool, it has many advantages: price, absence of gaps in the insulation, speed of insulation, environmental friendliness (compared to mineral wool), lack of a clear pitch of structural elements (you can make a log step of at least 300 mm, the same with racks, you can safely install them every 600 mm).

Vapor barrier in frame.

After insulation, but before finishing or additional insulation inside, tighten all walls with a sealed closed loop vapor barrier. 200 micron thick polyethylene film and special butyl rubber tape are best suited for this.

Electrical and heating

Now is the time to connect electricity from the pole to your electrical panel (it is better to design and assemble it in advance, and before that get permission to connect a specific amount of kW).

After the house is insulated, but before the finishing stage, it’s time to also start heating. We start with choosing heating fuel (wood, gas, electric, gasoline), a boiler, and then the material for the heating pipes. Recently, heated floors are increasingly being chosen for frame houses instead of heating radiators.

A Canadian wooden house is very warm; it needs to be well insulated once, and then it can even be heated with electricity. Of course, the cost of electric heating will be 3 times more expensive than gas heating, but still less than what you pay in an apartment.

Interior decoration

The walls and ceiling in a frame house are usually finished with gypsum board (plasterboard), and then it is painted or wallpaper is glued to it. GCR is good because it does not burn well. In Canada, it is generally prohibited to build frames without gypsum boards due to fire safety requirements. And more and more often we have lining or imitation timber nailed onto the ceiling and painted (I like the white color in this place).

After finishing the walls and ceiling, you can pour a concrete screed, finish the floor with tiles or laminate, and then install interior doors. Finnish interior doors are especially good; many people praise them, but their prices are now exorbitant.

Congratulations! Connect the plumbing fixtures, arrange the furniture and you are ready to move in.

Here are the instructions for building a Canadian or Finnish frame house. How do you like it?
Still have questions? You can always ask them in the comments.
If these instructions for constructing a frame house seemed too complicated to you, you can always hire a team of builders. Write to me by email or click on the red box on the right of the screen, I will always help you.

The construction of wooden frame houses has gained popularity in our area relatively recently, only in recent decades. And such a rapid growth in the number of supporters of such buildings is due to the very fast process of their construction and the possibility of using environmentally friendly materials.

The first frame buildings appeared during the development of the territories of America and Canada, then they became widespread in European countries. This type of building is good not only because the house rises quickly, but also because it requires much less cost and physical effort. In addition, if the façade of a house is decorated with one of the modern materials that imitate brick, wood or stone, then its walls will be impossible to distinguish from solid ones.

Interestingly, building with your own hands is quite possible even alone. Of course, the process will take much longer, but you won’t have to pay for the work of an entire team. If you decide to carry out the construction yourself and complete it during the warm and dry summer period, then you still need to start in early spring. In case the house is not completely finished until late autumn, you need to try to bring the construction to at least the rafter structure and the roofing material, since the building cannot be allowed to stand uncovered until next spring.

If we consider in general, then the frame structure of the house consists of a lower and upper frame, which fastens the vertically installed posts that form the frame of the external and internal walls. The base for the floors and attic floor consists of load-bearing beams made of timber. The rafter system is also constructed from beams, and the roofing covering is laid on it. It is desirable that it does not have too much mass.

Insulation is installed and laid between the frame elements. Its thickness is chosen depending on the region and climatic conditions. In any case, the thickness of the frame posts must correspond to this value. Most often, one of the varieties of mineral wool, ecowool, polystyrene foam or polyurethane foam is chosen as thermal insulation materials. Expanded clay is also used to insulate floors and attic floors.

How to insulate a frame house?

When choosing, you need to take into account not only the thermal insulation qualities of the material, but also a number of other factors - hygroscopicity, chemical and biological resistance, density, environmental friendliness, etc. And for a frame house, the flammability of the material and its stability are of great importance .

On the pages of our portal there are many materials that tell in detail.

After installing the insulation, the structure is sheathed with moisture-resistant materials - this can be OSB board, moisture-resistant plywood or cement-bonded particle board (CSP).

Compared to solid wood, block or brick buildings, the frame structure is lightweight and does not require a massive foundation. A columnar or pile-screw foundation is suitable for it, and if you plan to arrange basements in the house, then in this case it is best to choose a strip foundation. The frame structure must be raised high enough above the ground, so the base part must have a height of at least 500 mm. This is necessary so that moisture from soil, from rain water or snowdrifts affected the wooden elements of the frame house as little as possible.

Foundation for a frame structure

Any construction begins with a foundation, and as stated above, you can choose any type of it (except, perhaps, a monolithic “floating” slab - there is no need for it).

Marking of future construction and earthworks

Before you start digging trenches for the foundation or screwing in piles, it is necessary to carefully mark the area. This work should not be considered secondary, since the straightness of future walls, and the overall volume of work, will depend on it. So How Not have to make unnecessary efforts to remake the foundation if its exact coordinates and dimensions are initially determined.

• Marking is carried out using a tape measure, a square, and other simple geodetic instruments. Usually it consists of installing wooden stakes with stretched cords that visually show the size of the building and its location on the ground.

This kind of “drawing” identifies all the load-bearing walls of the building if a strip foundation is selected. If you are planning a columnar or pile-screw version, then you need to mark the exact location of each of the pillars (supports).

• Trenches can be dug manually or, if this process needs to be carried out quickly, special construction equipment can be used, with the help of which this entire operation will be completed in one day.
• To dig holes for a columnar foundation, in addition to shovels, use a regular hand drill or a motor drill, which will allow you to drill holes of the required diameter to the required depth much faster.

These methods are the most affordable, since if you invite large-sized equipment, then it is necessary, firstly, to have additional space on the site and free passage to the place of work, and secondly, the cost of such drilling will be many times more expensive.

• At the stage of digging a pit, sewerage is carried out. To lay pipes, trenches are dug to a depth below the soil freezing level in a given region. Then pipes are laid to the place inside the pit where, according to the plan, a bathroom or a ventilated sewer riser should be located.

If a columnar foundation is being installed, then the section of pipe running from the ground level to the exit in the house must be carefully insulated. It is recommended to build brick walls around it, and fill the space between the pipe and them with insulation.

Of course, this work can be carried out after construction is completed, but in this case it will be inconvenient - you will have to cut holes in the floor or cut through the foundation wall.

Construction of the foundation

In order to specifically focus on one type of foundation, you need to imagine what they are.

Strip foundation

This type of foundation is a concrete monolithic strip with a reinforcement grid in its design. The height of the basement can be different, but if the house construction plan includes a basement, then the foundation walls are raised by 600 ÷ 800 mm, and in this case they will require insulation. When preparing the formwork, we must not forget about the ventilation holes, which will not allow moisture to accumulate under the building.

"Classic" strip foundation

If you immediately take measures to combat rodents, of which there are always a lot outside the city, then it is recommended to make a backfill of fine-grained expanded clay around the foundation and inside it.

Columnar foundation

1 – foundation pillar;

2 – strapping beams;

3 – floor beams;

4 – subfloor joists.

A columnar foundation is a set of concrete, brick or combined pillars located in the correct order, according to the markings. The supports are buried depending on the types and location of soil layers in the area and the massiveness of the future structure.

Are you choosing a columnar foundation?

For a frame house on stable ground this is a very good solution. All installation details can be found in a special article.

Pile-screw foundation

A screw foundation consists of metal piles screwed to the required depth at points, according to the markings carried out in accordance with the project. The upper part of the piles, protruding above the ground surface, is tied with a metal grillage or metal jumpers, and then with a powerful beam. This will become the basis for the lower trim of the frame structure itself.

The good thing about the pile-screw design is that the supports can be screwed in so that they protrude to different heights. This allows you to install the house not only on a flat area, but also on a rough area, with a difference in height - then bringing the piles to one horizontal level will not be difficult. to the same height.

It will not be possible to screw in screw piles on your own - you will have to either invite several assistants, or use the services of a team of craftsmen “armed” with special equipment.

Prices for cement and basic mixtures

Cement and base mixtures

Construction of the frame

Whatever foundation is chosen, it must be on top waterproof– the platform (grillage, mounting plates or the upper edge of the pillars or tape) on which the lower frame beam will be installed is covered with roofing felt, which will create a moisture-proof seal.

The roofing material is spread in several layers, preferably using a “hot” method on tar mastic, and it must be 150 ÷ ​​200 mm larger than the width of the foundation, since it must protrude from both sides.

Bottom harness

The harness is made of timber measuring 150×150 or 200×150 mm. At the corners, the elements are connected “in half a tree”, the bars are securely twisted together and secured to the foundation supports (strip) using pins or anchors, depending on what type of base is chosen and what material it is constructed from.

Additionally, the strapping beams are fastened together with corners or other metal elements, for example, plates. The same parts can be used to attach the strapping to the foundation.

At the end of this work, a rigid strapping belt should be obtained that can support the main structure of the frame. In the case when the timber used does not have the proper cross-sectional size, two, and sometimes three, parts are stacked one on top of the other.

Moreover, the upper frame beam is mounted on the lower beam so that possible butt joints, if any, do not lie one above the other.

If the wooden frame is mounted on a strip foundation, then it may not be too thick, but it is very important that its width coincides with the width of the concrete base.

Basement beams and flooring

Basement beams

The strength qualities of the frame depend to the maximum extent on the quality and cross-section of the frame beams and floor beams. It is clear that they are trying to select first-class material. But the cross-section depends on both the length of the spans and the spacing of the parts. To correctly determine the size, you can use the following table:

Table of cross-sections of floor beams for a frame building:

Cross-section of 1st grade lumber used	Span length (mm)
	3000	3500	4000	4500	5000	5500	6000
Attic floor
Board
160×50	1200	900	650	500	420	-	-
200×50	1850	1350	1050	800	650	550	450
180×80	2400	1750	1350	1050	850	700	600
timber	Distance between adjacent beams (mm)
140×180	-	-	-	1800	1480	1200	1050
150×200	-	-	-	2400	2000	1650	1400
160×220	-	-	-	-	2500	2000	1750
Basement and interfloor ceilings
Board	Distance between adjacent beams (mm)
160×50	800	600	450	-	-	-	-
200×50	1250	900	700	550	450	-	-
180×80	1200	1200	900	700	650	450	-
timber	Distance between adjacent beams (mm)
140×180	-	-	1550	1200	1300	800	700
150×200	-	-	-	1650	1700	1000	900
160×220	-	-	-	2000	1900	1400	1100

• The next step is securing the basement beams. They, as a rule, have the same cross-sectional size as the strapping bars. The connection of the floor beams with the strapping belt is carried out “in half a tree”, for which cuts are made in both elements.

The beams should give the structure of the future floor rigidity and reliability. Therefore, if the building area is large enough, then often the basement beams are laid on the strapping belt for each room separately.

• After the installation of the basement floor beams is completed, flooring will be required for further work. And here many craftsmen prefer and advise beginners to immediately install floors, both rough and “white” (of course, not counting the finishing decorative coating). However, with this option of work, it is necessary to provide that the entire floor area will need to be covered daily with a solid sheet of dense polyethylene film until the entire structure is protected from precipitation by the roof and walls.
• All parts of the lower belt are covered with antiseptic and water-repellent impregnation - this measure will extend the life of the building.

• At the same stage, it is necessary to raise the sewer pipe above the floor surface by 100 ÷ 150 mm. To do this, in each layer of the covering, it is necessary to make holes through which the sewerage pipe will be passed.

Sub flooring

• To lay the subfloor, skull blocks are screwed onto the lower parts of the floor beams, onto which boards or plywood sheets will be fixed.
• Next comes laying and securing the boards. For this, it is not at all necessary to purchase first-class material, but it must be well dried. It is recommended to install the boards close to each other - this will add insulation to the floor, since the structure will be less ventilated.

Installation of insulating floor pie

• The next step is to cover the subfloor and floor beams with a waterproofing membrane, which uses dense polyethylene. It is usually secured using staples.
• Next, mats are laid on the waterproofing or expanded clay is poured, which is no less effective than other materials. If you plan to make several layers of insulation, then the first of them is recommended to use fine-grained expanded clay.

• A layer of vapor barrier film is laid on top of the insulation, and then either a floorboard or sheet material is fixed to the beams. For this, plywood or OSB is often used.

Recently, instead of plywood, cement-bonded particle boards are often used, which can be used not only for floor coverings, but also for walls and ceilings. The material has good technical and operational characteristics, is not inferior, and in some ways even surpasses its “competitors”.

The table below shows comparative estimates indicators of some sheet materials that They will give you a rough idea of ​​them and help you make a choice.

Characteristics	Rating the material using a 5-point system
Average score	2.9	3	3.3	3.6	4.1
	MDF	Chipboard	Plywood	OSB	DSP
Strength	2	3	4	4	4
Resistance to external aggressive influences	1	2	3	5	5
Dimensional stability	2	3	3	3	4
Weight	2	2	3	3	2
Manufacturability of machining	3	4	4	5	5
Manufacturability of painting	5	3	3	2	4
Defects: knots, delamination, delamination, etc.	5	4	3	5	5

Sheets of floor covering material are screwed with self-tapping screws to the floor beams. If insulation is provided in two layers, then logs are nailed on top of the beams, between which the second layer of insulation is laid. Then everything is the same - a vapor barrier is laid, and plywood or other covering is fixed to the joists.

It should be noted that instead of the last vapor barrier layer, roofing felt sheets are often laid with an overlap of 150 ÷ ​​200 mm, which are fastened together with mastic using a “hot” method.

Construction of the wall frame, top trim

Once the bottom chord is finished, you can proceed to the construction of the wall frame. First of all, it is necessary to install corner posts, which usually have a larger cross-section than intermediate ones.

• The racks should be fixed according to pre-made markings, at a distance of 600 mm from each other - this is the standard width of insulation mats, but if necessary, they can be placed with a different pitch, for example, 400 mm. You can attach intermediate posts, just like corner posts, in different ways:
• The racks can first be secured using metal corners, and then jumpers can be installed between them, which will create rigidity of the structure.

• Another option would be to install the racks on the strapping belt at the time when the floor is already installed, or before its installation.

— If fastening is carried out after the floor has been laid, then grooves are cut out near the floor beams. Racks are installed in them and secured to the beam and frame using self-tapping screws.

— If the racks are attached before installing the floor, this can be done using an additional part - a piece of timber, which is screwed with self-tapping screws to the inside of the rack and the trim beam.

— The third option is to install racks with diagonal supports (mitters), which are installed on both sides and screwed with self-tapping screws or nailed.

— The fourth method of attaching racks can be complete or incomplete cutting of the rack into a frame or into an additional reinforcing beam nailed perpendicular to the floor beams.

• When installing racks, you cannot forget about window and door openings. They are designated by transverse bars, which for rigidity are supported from above and below by additional reinforcing posts. Spacer bars will give the structure additional rigidity.

• Each of the racks is aligned with the greatest care vertically in two planes using a building level. Then they are all fastened together with temporary jumper slats, which will fix them in the correct position.

• When the racks stand rigidly enough, they must be united with an upper trim, which is nailed to the ends of the racks, and then additionally secured using corners or spacer slopes, secured diagonally.

• The top frame beams should have the same width as the vertical posts. Special attention is paid to their reliable fastening, since they will become the basis for the attic floor beams and, therefore, the entire rafter system as a whole.
• To ensure that the structure of the wall frame is strong, after installing the top frame, it is recommended to immediately sheath the outside with plywood or other selected sheet material. The sheets are mounted on self-tapping screws to the vertical posts.

Prices for various types of timber

Video - The biggest mistakes when building a frame house

Attic beams and roof structure

Once the strength and stability of the wall frame is no longer a concern, the attic floor beams can be installed.

• They are fixed exactly above the studs of the wall frame. If boards are prepared as the material for this, then they are installed on the end, having previously made cuts in them to 1/3 of the width of the board, and the depth of the cut should be equal to the width of the beam or board of the top trim.

Fastening is done using a metal corner, which is screwed on one side to the frame and the other to the beam. Fasteners are installed on both sides of the beam.

• Next, you can proceed to the installation of the rafter system. True, it is advisable to immediately install at least a temporary flooring on the attic floor beams, on which you can move during the work process.

Prices for different types of tiles

Roof tiles

Video - 11 important rules for the rigidity of a frame house

Insulation and finishing works

After that To Once the roof has been erected over the house, external windows and doors should be installed. This process is carried out before insulation work so that all cracks and gaps that may form during the installation of window and door units can be simultaneously closed. After this, you can move on to insulating the walls, attic floor and roof.

Walls can be insulated both inside and outside. For this, thermal insulation materials are used, which have already been mentioned in our publication.

• If the walls are sheathed on the outside with plywood, then a wall is installed from the inside between the racks, which then must be covered on top with a vapor barrier film.

• For additional insulation, thermal insulation materials are also installed on the outside of the walls. To do this, a sheathing is screwed to them, between the bars of which the selected insulation is laid or applied.

A windproof, vapor barrier film is fixed on top of the insulation.

• Insulation of the attic floor is carried out in approximately the same way as the basement:

— cranial bars are screwed onto the floor beams;

- a subfloor is laid on them;

— the floor is covered with waterproofing;

— then comes the insulation material (expanded clay, mineral wool, sawdust, ecowool, expanded polystyrene, etc.);

— the insulation is covered with waterproofing on top;

- boards or plywood of the “white” attic floor are mounted on top of it.

• It is also better to insulate the roof slopes, since most of the heat escapes through the ceilings and the roof. To do this, insulation is laid between the rafters, which is covered with a vapor barrier on the attic side, and then all layers are sheathed with clapboard, plywood, cement-bonded particle boards or moisture-resistant plasterboard.

The sheathing can be secured to the rafters or to an additionally screwed horizontal batten.

• Having completed the insulation work, you can move on to the external cladding of the house with decorative material. It can be chosen to suit every taste - it can be vinyl or metal siding, wooden lining, “block house” or other modern materials.

Siding with insulation is a solution to several problems at once!

The facade of the building acquires reliable thermal insulation, protection from weather conditions, and the house itself acquires completeness, neatness and individuality.

How – read in a special publication on our portal.

• Internal lining can also be done in different ways:

- plasterboard, making perfectly smooth walls for painting or wallpapering;

- wooden lining, which makes the house cozy and brings natural freshness to it;

- plywood, which can also be prepared for painting or wallpaper.

Interior decoration of a frame house - at the request of the owners

To complete the finishing work, decorative panels - slopes and trims - are installed around windows and doors.

If a veranda or terrace was not planned in the project, then they can be added after all the work is completed, but it is better, of course, to build it together with the walls.

Electrics can be installed both inside the walls, even at the stage of installing the frame, and after finishing the cladding with decorative material. The latter installation method has recently been used more and more often, since it is safer and allows, if necessary, to carry out repair work without opening the decorative finish. However, modern technologies allow the use of other options.

Electrical wiring in a wooden house - special attention!

Whatever you say, the fire hazard of a wooden house is always higher than that of a stone one. Any “liberties” in electrical installation are simply unacceptable!

How to install it correctly is described in detail in a special article on the portal.

If you decide to start building a frame house, you need to remember that this will require a lot of free time, although incomparably less than with other buildings. The work will certainly go more fun and faster if there is a reliable and knowledgeable assistant nearby, or better yet, several. In this situation, it is quite possible to build a house in one summer season.

The main thing is to act in accordance with the technological instructions during the construction process when performing all types of work, to carry them out carefully, harmoniously and consistently.

And finally, to complete the overall picture, here is a video lecture on the main advantages and disadvantages of frame houses.

Prices for thermal insulation materials

Thermal insulation materials

Video: frame house - “pros” and “cons”

Bottom trim and floor joists

When we are finished with the foundation, we begin to install the lower frame on it. The bottom frame must be strong enough to support the weight of the entire house. In this case, timber was used for strapping 150x150mm. Floor joists are made of boards 50x200mm.

Important points to note:

1. Before laying the timber on the foundation, be sure to place roofing felt under it so that the wood does not come into contact with the metal.

2. Don’t forget to treat the wood well with antiseptic compounds that protect it from rot and wood-boring beetles.

3. Before fixing the timber, check the diagonals and level.

4. We file down the logs along the edges, leaving them on top 50 mm, from below 150x150mm, we remove.

5. We lay pieces of board between the joists on the timber. 50x150mm, the walls of the house will rest on this place, and the logs protruding above the beam will interfere with us. Having calculated the distance between the logs in advance, we cut identical pieces of board in the required quantity. This will speed up the installation of the logs (you will not need to use a tape measure when installing each log).

6. Between the floor joists in the center we install exactly the same spacer bars; they will not allow the joists to bend when they dry. These bars will fix the logs at the same distance from each other.

7. The first and last logs are installed close to the trim beam; they will help in the future to correctly install the floor.

8. We will install the insulation in the floor later, but for now we will temporarily lay a board on the joists that we will walk on when building the walls. The boards are fixed for our safety. In the future, we will use these boards for sheathing the roof and floor.