Which is better to build a house. What is the best way to build a house: rating of materials Building materials for building a house

Who today does not dream of a big country house? But before you decide to make your dream come true and start building a home ownership, you should think carefully about the purposes for which the future construction is planned. If you need a dacha for a seasonal stay, this is one thing, but building a house for permanent residence is a completely different construction format. And the most exciting question: from what to build a house inexpensively and efficiently. Let's try to understand our article.

The first thing you need to decide when deciding to build your own house for permanent residence is the building material, the choice of which depends on a huge number of related factors:

strength and durability;
microclimate inside residential premises;
thermal conductivity and sound insulation;
frost resistance;
thermal insulation and moisture resistance.

What materials for suburban construction does the modern market offer, and what is the best way to build a house for permanent residence?

Of course, you need to choose the material for individual construction, taking into account all of the above parameters, but The main criterion is considered to be strength, since it is she who forms the structure of the building and affects the load-bearing function of the walls.

When choosing what to build a house for permanent residence from, all materials can be divided into four main groups:

brick and stone;
lightweight concrete materials;
wood;
chipboard panels.

Construction of a house for permanent residence from bricks

Brick buildings are the most massive structures. They perfectly resist the effects of various natural factors and, at the same time, have an attractive appearance. However, in order to build your own house, from the most seemingly popular material - brick, you will have to incur no small financial costs.

The main advantages of a brick house are the high strength of the material. And in terms of its bearing capacity, a wall erected from this type of building materials is almost as good as concrete. Such characteristics are ideal for both low-rise suburban construction and for the construction of multi-storey buildings. In addition, a brick house will not burn, rot or shrink.

Only, in terms of maintaining energy efficiency, walls made of ceramic or silicate bricks lag far behind other building materials. In order to ensure sufficient energy efficiency for a private house, a brick wall must have a minimum thickness of 120 cm. It becomes clear that no one will build a "bunker" with such walls for permanent year-round living, so today more and more often brick is used as facing material.

Another important disadvantage of building a brick house is the high cost of the material, so it is important to correctly calculate your financial capabilities, otherwise the construction may take a very long time.

Summarizing all of the above, we can say that the main The advantages of brick as a building material are:

the possibility of long-term operation of the built house;
high frost resistance;
exact geometry of products;
good combination with any type of masonry mortar;
high strength;
aesthetic appearance.

However, brick has many disadvantages:

Low moisture resistance some types of material. For example, silicate brick strongly absorbs water, this can be clearly seen when it acquires a dark shade during rain. This quality greatly affects the humidity inside the room. In this regard, silicate bricks are not used for laying basements and basements; you should not use silicate bricks when building a house in regions with high air humidity.
High thermal conductivity. To achieve positive characteristics, it is necessary to resort to additional costs for thermal insulation of walls or their thickening.
High product weight. The brick has a large mass, which makes the structure heavier and creates an even greater load on the foundation. To solve such a problem, it is necessary to build a stronger and more solid foundation, and this further increases construction costs.
High material cost.

So, it turns out that brick has significant drawbacks, so before making it the main material in the construction of a private house, you should think carefully.

brick houses

Building a house from concrete blocks

Today, among building materials, brick significantly reduces its position, giving way to modern building blocks.

Affordable price is the main reason for choosing blocks. At the same time, building a house for permanent residence from blocks is not only cheaper, but also much faster, since such a large-sized material can replace from 4 to 14 ordinary bricks in quantity.

Today, the building materials market offers block types:

gas blocks;
foam blocks;
cinder blocks;
expanded clay concrete blocks;
wood concrete;
shell rock blocks.

Let's take a closer look at each type.

Gas and foam blocks

Gas and foam blocks have the same technical characteristics and are great for the construction of low-rise buildings. Their only difference is in the internal structure of the material.

gas blocks are made from a homogeneous mixture of sand, cement and lime with the addition of a special powder - a blowing agent, in order to achieve small through channels inside the block.

foam blocks, on the contrary, they have closed pores inside the material. Such a structure is achieved during production by adding special substances - foaming agents to the concrete solution. It is worth noting that such production allows you to increase the quality of foam blocks, creating additional energy-saving opportunities for the material and significantly reducing its weight. Also, unlike a gas block, the open channels of which conduct moisture well, foam blocks do not need additional protection from moisture.

They produce blocks of various formats and thicknesses, which allows the developer to choose the best material for individual construction without extra costs for additional insulation. Good geometric data make it possible to build houses with a complex structure.

Also, foam blocks and gas blocks do not need complex finishing, this can be done using putty or decorative plaster.

In addition to all these advantages, a weighty argument in choosing this particular material for construction will be its low cost. Average price in the construction market 1 m 3 is about 3 thousand rubles.

Among the disadvantages of foam and gas blocks can be identified the following characteristics of these materials:

fragility;
high water permeability (for gas blocks);
mandatory external and internal decoration of the house;
the presence of chemical elements in the composition.

houses from gas blocks and foam blocks from construction companies represented at the exhibition of houses Low-Rise Country.

Cinder blocks and expanded clay concrete blocks

Cinder blocks are also inexpensive building materials, however, due to the too high thermal conductivity of the erected walls, they require additional insulation. In addition, the cinder block has a lot of weight. It is these shortcomings that can explain the fact that consumers prefer expanded clay concrete blocks.

As positive characteristics of cinder block builders provide:

fire resistance;
low cost;
high thermal insulation;
resistance to fungus and mold damage;
long service life of the built house.

The main disadvantages of cinder block are:

brittleness of the material;
low moisture resistance;
low sound insulation;
the need for interior and exterior decoration of the house.

Expanded clay block products, at the same cost, are less thermally conductive, more durable and environmentally friendly material.

Expanded clay blocks are a material consisting of expanded clay gravel (the result of special firing of clay) and cement mortar. Such raw materials have high strength indicators and are designed for the construction of individual houses up to 3 floors. At the same time, the construction process does not take much time. In addition, expanded clay concrete is a fairly warm and environmentally friendly building material, as it does not contain synthetic additives.

Good vapor permeability creates an optimal balance of humidity in the living room.

Prices for expanded clay blocks quite acceptable, 1m 3 will cost about 3 thousand rubles.

And also, on our website you can get acquainted with the most popular projects houses from expanded clay blocks from construction companies represented at the exhibition of houses Low-Rise Country.

Arbolit

The constituent components of wood concrete blocks are wood chips and cement mortar with special additives. This composition allows you to get a warm and light block.

In terms of its density, arbolite allows the construction of buildings with a small number of storeys, while its elasticity, it is able to withstand, among other things, floor slabs.

Such material breathes well, is very environmentally friendly, has excellent heat and sound insulation.

The disadvantages of arbolite include:

High rate of moisture absorption. A house made of wood concrete blocks requires additional protection from moisture, which means that you will have to invest in insulating and specialized moisture-repellent finishing materials.
The uneven surface of the block leads to some difficulties in the construction of walls, and also causes a large consumption of concrete mortar.

Also, a significant disadvantage of wood concrete is often considered a large amount of low-quality material in the construction market. In view of the fact that the production of blocks does not require specialized equipment, they are often produced by an artisanal method, using non-certified chemical additives and violations of production technology. All this causes a deterioration in the quality of finished raw materials, so you need to buy wood concrete only from trusted sellers and manufacturers.

Prices for the purchase of wood concrete start from 4 thousand rubles per 1m 3.

You can also see the most popular projects on our website. houses from wood concrete from construction companies represented at the exhibition of houses Low-Rise Country.

Shell rock blocks

This type of material is the most expensive among the blocks and will cost at least 5 thousand rubles per 1 m 3. At the same time, the technique of obtaining raw materials from the marine sedimentary massif additionally makes the shell rock fragile.

Advantages of shell rock blocks:

sound absorption;
good thermal insulation;
durability;
good vapor permeability;
environmental friendliness.

In addition, the shell rock has a number of exceptional properties determined by its nature. So, the material during its formation is impregnated with sea salt and absorbs a large amount of iodine. The presence of these substances in the composition of raw materials endow the house from it with healing properties. Also, it is thanks to iodine that shell rock walls protect very well from radiation.

The cons of the shell rock can be considered:

The need for strengthening in the case of building a house of more than two floors with the help of special armored belts.
The absence of unified forms of blocks (it is practically impossible to find two blocks of shell rock that are identical in shape).
The need for additional protection of the structure from moisture.
The material, due to its fragility, requires care during transportation, as well as unloading or unloading.

Construction of wooden houses for permanent residence

As for wood, there are two options for building materials:

log;
timber;

A house for permanent residence made of wood has a minimal load on the foundation, which allows you to save money already at the very first stage of construction.

An important point when choosing a building material is also considered the fact that it is possible to build wooden houses regardless of the season and in any weather.

Timber house

A modern timber will allow you to build a neat individual house in any style. It has good geometric parameters, rectangular or square section and smooth, very even sides. Houses made of timber give minimal shrinkage, the manufacture of a log house does not require the use of special construction equipment, and the aesthetic data of the material make it possible to do without external and internal decoration, and thus save on finishing work.

The beam has a large number of advantages:

environmental friendliness;
aesthetics;
the efficiency of the construction of the building;
high level of sound insulation and good thermal conductivity;
strength and reliability of the structure;
the possibility of installation at any time of the year;
does not require the construction of a bulky, expensive foundation;
does not require decorative finishing;
positive, healing properties from wood.

However, the beam also has disadvantages:

The need for additional material processing. The main, common disadvantage of wood products is its susceptibility to moisture and insects. In addition, over time, it has the properties of cracking and rotting, thereby losing its original aesthetic appearance, so the tree must be constantly treated with special substances.
High fire hazard of the material. Any wood is highly flammable, and because of this, it requires additional protection by treatment with fire-retardant compounds.
Requires additional costs for heat and waterproofing.
Long term shrinkage. Despite a slight shrinkage, a private house will sag within six months. In this case, cracks may occur in the walls during shrinkage.

On our website you can see the most popular projects houses from double timber, glued laminated timber and profiled timber from construction companies represented at the exhibition of houses Low-Rise Country.

log house

Log buildings are classics of wooden houses. In addition to the traditional Russian hut, modern building technologies allow you to build a log house of any configuration, from a small Finnish house to a cozy Art Nouveau cottage.

Modern building logs are 100% natural and environmentally friendly, which provides excellent natural ventilation of the room.

As in the case of timber, no cost for a massive foundation is required.

Durability, reliability and beautiful appearance are also the main characteristics of a log house.

The advantage is the rapid warming up of a house made of wood, because this significantly saves heating costs.

The availability and lightness of the material make it possible to build a comfortable wooden house as soon as possible.

To the minuses of the log, like any wooden material, include:

susceptibility to decay;
strong and prolonged shrinkage;
fire hazard of the material;
additional costs for insulation and waterproofing of the structure.

Today, the construction market offers two types of logs, chopped or rounded.

rounded log- a product of the industrial processing of lumber. It has a lower price, does not require additional finishing and looks quite attractive.

Chopped logs they are more expensive due to their manual processing, but they have greater strength.

Beautiful log house

When deciding which specific construction technology to choose, you should pay attention to two aspects:

When building a house from timber and logs of industrial processing, there is absolutely no need to cut recesses (bowls) for greater stability of the structure.
If you choose to build a house from hand-cut logs, then you have to pay for the very expensive work of a professional cutter (a specialist who cuts bowls - special recesses for connecting logs into a log house).

Building a house from a log can hardly be called quite affordable. So, cost of 1 m3 rounded log ranges from 7 to 10 thousand rubles, and chopped is much higher.

Also, on our website you can get acquainted with the most popular projects houses from hand-cut logs and rounded logs from construction companies represented at the exhibition of houses Low-Rise Country.

Construction of a frame house for permanent residence

Starting the construction of your own home, you want to choose the cheapest material for building a house - in order to maximize savings. But the pursuit of a low price of building materials can result in both expensive maintenance in the future, and an increase in the cost of the entire construction as a whole. How to build a cheap house?

What determines the value of a house?

The final price tag for construction depends on several factors. Materials play an important, but not the only, role here. So, the construction estimate will include:

If you do a monolithic fill, you will need a large amount of wood for the formwork. And working alone on weekends, construction is delayed indefinitely, which is also not always economically profitable.

The cheapest materials for building a house - handmade?

There is an opinion that materials made by one's own hands will be much cheaper than those purchased from the manufacturer. Of course, there are recipes for different brands of concrete, you can fold straw walls yourself or even fill the frame with sawdust.

This is economically justified in the following cases:

the availability of free assistants - it is difficult to interfere, fall asleep and press alone, which can lead to poor-quality work;
no need to go to work five days a week - otherwise construction will often have to be postponed due to weather conditions;
the opportunity to obtain equipment and raw materials for building materials at very low prices - the delivery of sawdust from another region will not be cheap.

So, the cheapest construction options:

Thatched walls with clay plastering. They are distinguished by good thermal insulation, but require repair due to rodents that settle in the thickness of the wall.

Abrolite or sawdust concrete. You can make your own or purchase ready-made blocks. In the first case, you will have to wait a long time for the sawdust concrete to dry, in the second - to build walls as quickly as possible and do the exterior finish, since the wood concrete is hygroscopic.

Clay or cordwood. Dry logs and chocks, peeled from bark, are used. They are laid across the wall on a clay mortar. The ends of the wood must be impregnated with antiseptics or burned, otherwise they strongly absorb moisture.

Backfilling with sawdust or expanded clay. To do this, a non-removable formwork is made from a cut board on the frame, into which the insulation is poured.

The appearance of the house of these materials is rather unsightly. And if it is quite simple to beat straw walls or peeking logs, you will also have to make a screed on top of the wood concrete. Another significant disadvantage of homemade materials is that they are not strong enough. But this is a problem of all frame houses. To hang shelves or install a kitchen set, it is necessary to provide mortgage boards at the construction stage.

Economical building materials - what are they?

If it was decided to abandon self-production by common sense, it is worth taking a closer look at the prices on the market. What is the cheapest building material? Paradoxically, almost any:

tree - can be purchased extremely cheaply in the forest belt, but in the steppe zone it is expensive;
brick - building in the neighborhood of a brick factory, you will be able to buy red brick at manufacturer's prices;
aerated concrete and foam concrete - lightweight and relatively simple material to build, has good thermal insulation;
frame construction is the most budget option, suitable for any climate, but requiring the organization of forced ventilation.

Not every carpenter can assemble a log house with high quality, so you will also have to take into account the cost of the work of builders. The same applies to a brick house - the skew of the masonry will result in a large-scale alignment of the walls.

So when choosing materials, you need to take into account the cost of working with them. For example, aerated concrete is laid on a special glue, due to which the gaps between the blocks are minimal.

This allows you to save on fine finishing, but requires care from builders. Foam concrete does not differ in the quality of geometry - the blocks can be skewed and differ in size. It is unpleasant to work with such material, it is difficult to level the walls.

As a result, the cost of work is higher.

How to globally save on construction?

Not only building materials can reduce the cost of building your own home. To save as much as possible:

Think over the plan of the future building. The simpler the layout, the cheaper it is to equip it. You should not plant bathrooms at different ends of the building - laying pipes will cost a pretty penny. Placing the kitchen next to the bathroom will also save on pipes. The even geometry of the walls, the absence of non-functional niches and differences in floor heights, although they look simple, do not require extra costs. Together, this will give up to 20% savings on the total cost.

Refuse architectural excesses. Balconies, terraces and a tiered roof can increase the value of a home by 10-15%. It is much more rational in the future to build a small gazebo or attach an open terrace.

Use building materials produced in your region, abandoning the popular and advertised ones. This will allow not only to buy them cheaper, but also not to overpay for delivery. So, houses made of shell rock in the Altai Territory are among the most budgetary, but Moscow cannot boast of a low price for this material.

Lighten the truss system as much as possible using lightweight roofing materials. Then, instead of a 10x10 cm beam, it will be possible to use a 5x10 cm board laid on the end, while not reducing the pitch of the rafters.

Get rid of the basement. Filling, waterproofing and roughing out the basement will add another 20% to the estimate.

The choice of building materials

If the building materials market offers several types to choose from, that's great. Indeed, in this case, you can compare all the advantages and disadvantages and purchase materials that combine low price and good quality.

General features to look out for:

durability - if the house is idle for a maximum of 10 years, saving on materials is rather doubtful;
ease and accessibility of installation - the need to use heavy equipment at a construction site can negate all the savings;
environmental friendliness - maintaining natural humidity in the house is achieved through "breathing" materials, otherwise you will have to take care of forced ventilation;
heat capacity and thermal insulation are two parameters responsible for future efficiency, because the house should not only be cheap during construction, but also during operation.

Having considered the most popular of building materials, you can choose the most suitable option for yourself.

Wooden houses

Timber houses are considered the most environmentally friendly and one of the best in maintaining an optimal microclimate. A wooden building has the following advantages:

But such a structure also has disadvantages. So, the quality of literally every log is very important - an undried tree will begin to twist, longitudinal cracks may appear, the ends must be “plugged” with an ax to prevent waterlogging of the tree due to precipitation. If, however, to deviate from the classical processing of logs in favor of the use of modern antiseptic and flame retardant solutions, the house ceases to be environmentally friendly.

Ready-made kits are expensive, but only professionals can assemble an inexpensive log house from round timber. After all, you have to customize every log! In addition, in regions with cold winters, the thickness of the walls of a wooden hut should be at least 50 cm to ensure minimal heat loss during the heating season. Finding logs of this diameter will also cost a pretty penny.

To let the house "breathe", it cannot be insulated with polystyrene foam, only with vapor-permeable mineral wool. And so that the insulation does not get wet, be sure to arrange a ventilated facade. There are also certain limitations for interior decoration - it is better to use modern vapor-permeable membranes if you plan to cover the house with plasterboard or clapboard.

But the log house is beautiful in its original form. To get a cozy and windproof house, you need to regularly check and caulk the cracks in the walls. Particular attention is paid to the system of corner locks - simply cutting into half a tree will not provide the necessary insulation and will lead to the formation of cold spots.

brick houses

Brick has excellent heat capacity. This means that when the heating is started, the house will warm up for a long time, but then cool down just as long. For permanent residence - a great option. But for a country house visited on weekends, this will become an irrational waste of money on heating. After all, while the house warms up, it is already necessary to leave back to the city.

For one-story buildings, walls of 1.5 bricks will be enough. But such a thickness of the walls is completely unsuitable for winters, where the temperature drops to -20 degrees.

In order not to increase the cost of brickwork, the house will have to be insulated from the outside. What is especially nice when building brick buildings - you can use any insulation! So, by choosing foam plastic with a thickness of only 5 cm, you can reduce the heat loss of the house from 125 kWh per square meter to 53 kWh per heating season. In other words, you can halve your heating bills.

The disadvantages of brick houses include:

a large weight of the building - you will need a recessed strip foundation, which will significantly increase the cost of construction;
the duration of the construction - a team of five people can raise a box at home in three weeks, subject to continuous work, but alone, the time increases significantly;
finishing work - if you can live in a log house immediately after construction, a brick house requires a mandatory screed of walls and floors, followed by a fine finish.

Houses from a gas block or foam block

These buildings have all the advantages and disadvantages of brick houses. At the same time, they also have their own characteristics:

At the same time, the price per cubic meter of brick and gas block is almost the same. And given the need for insulation along the facade, the advantages of aerated concrete over ceramic bricks are rather illusory. But due to the large size of the blocks, building a house is quite simple, which determines the low cost of the work.

frame houses

For those who are really on a tight budget, frame construction is a real salvation. A house on a wooden frame with mineral insulation is many times cheaper than all previous options. And that's why:

But, despite the obvious advantages of frame construction, preference is still given to brickwork. All because of no less significant shortcomings:

On the other hand, approaching the construction of a frame house wisely and without saving on building materials, you can get a good and reliable structure that will last for decades. And in the future, the frame is just as easy to disassemble and put in its place a capital brick house.

You can build a small and cozy house in a few months, and this video confirms this:

Let's make a reservation right away that in this article we will not consider exotic building materials, such as adobe bricks, reeds or felt. Let's talk about materials traditionally used in Russia and most other countries for building houses. There are a lot of them (and new ones are constantly appearing), however, all of them are one or another variation on the theme of wood, stone or concrete.

The traditional dispute about which walls are “warm” and which are not, in our opinion, has already lost its relevance: on the one hand, there are now so many effective heat-insulating technologies that any wall can be made “warm”; on the other hand, even the “warmest” wall, made “by a blunder”, instead of heat, will give only drafts. Therefore, we believe that one of the most important qualities that the best material for building a house should have is its weight. The more massive the walls of the house, the stronger they are and the greater the load they can withstand. But the foundations in such a design must also have a large bearing capacity, which significantly increases the cost of construction (the cost of the foundation can reach up to 30% of the cost of the entire house!)

wooden houses

The "lightest" types of houses are frame-panel and panel. Their walls and partitions consist of a wooden frame upholstered with wooden panels, between which there is a layer of heat-insulating material. The difference between them is that the walls of a frame house are erected “on the spot”, while the walls of a panel house are built at the factory in the form of panels. The advantages of such houses are: the speed of construction (professional teams spend about 3 weeks on assembling a frame house, a panel house can be assembled in a few days), the ability to use low-bearing foundations that are easy to install, and, consequently, a serious reduction in the cost of construction. Disadvantages: weak strength and bearing capacity (it is allowed to build up to two floors with an attic), fragility (the warranty life of such houses is about 20-25 years, although in reality a well-built house stands without repair and 50-60 years - there are examples). In addition, in Russia, frame-panel technologies are still somewhat wary, although in Europe and America this is one of the most common houses, so wooden panels may well act as the best material for building a house with the admission of certain structural restrictions.

Wooden log cabins are next in weight, either from a round log (manual or mechanical cylinder), or from a rectangular beam. Their advantages: ease of erection, average cost, the possibility of using inexpensive foundations, increased strength and durability (40-50 years minimum) compared to frame houses. The disadvantages are as follows: log cabins are subject to shrinkage, so it is impossible to build such a house within one season; as a result of shrinkage, cracks are formed, therefore log cabins require mandatory caulking; increased fire hazard of the material, requiring the use of additional protective measures; the most important thing is the direct dependence of the quality of the material on its price. Inexpensive hand-fed log cabins are usually made of low quality wood with many slots, and good quality logs and beams are usually expensive.

Houses made of stone and concrete

Recently, houses made of various kinds of concrete derivatives have become widespread: foam concrete, polystyrene concrete, etc. These materials are quite light (compared to ordinary concrete), non-combustible, have good heat and sound insulation, are easy to install and also claim to be the best material for building a house. Of the minuses, one can note the fragility of the material, which does not allow building above two floors. There are problems with interior decoration - the "softness" of the material forces us to make all sorts of additional "false walls". In addition, buildings made of these materials require the immediate installation of insulated facades, otherwise unprotected walls begin to quickly collapse.

Various materials can be used to make the exterior and interior walls of the house. All of them differ in technical and operational characteristics. Since not only the strength and durability of the home depends on the choice of material for the walls, but also the degree of its sound and heat insulation, the ease of finishing and the cost of maintaining the house, it is very important to know what materials it is better to build a house from. It should be noted right away that there is no universal material for mounting walls, which can definitely be called the best. Each of them has pros and cons, and they are good in certain conditions for buildings of different price ranges and purposes. Our article will help you choose the best building material for your home.

Factors to Consider

Since the cost of arranging the walls of a house takes up ¼ of all construction costs, it is very important to correctly decide what is the best way to build a house. If you choose the wrong material for building a house, then in the future you can get serious expenses. That is why, when deciding which material to choose for construction, it is worth considering the following factors:

Price aspect. Wall installation costs can be reduced by using lightweight building materials. By choosing such products, you reduce the weight of the entire house, so you can build a lightweight foundation.
Thermal insulation properties. Heating a building with cold walls will be too expensive. That is why, having decided to build a country house, it is worth performing the calculation of the wall structure, taking into account local climatic conditions. In some cases, a good thermal insulation effect can be obtained by applying a heater, but this entails additional costs. If you make a country house from a material with good thermal insulation qualities, then you can do without additional insulation.
A house built with small materials for building walls (bricks) will cost more and take longer to build. Masonry of large blocks is faster (3-4 times) and cheaper. The fastest way to build a house using frame-panel technology.
When deciding what it is better to build a house with, it is worth considering the cost of finishing the walls. Modern materials allow you to get a beautiful smooth wall surface that does not need additional finishing. This can save you a lot of money.

Material selection

traditional brick most often used for the home. Moreover, all bricks can be divided into separate types: silicate, ceramic, ordinary and facing.
In Europe, they believe that the best material for building a house is ceramic block. This material also appeared on our market, but they are not built from it so often.
The warmest house made of gas blocks. This modern material is appreciated by private developers.
House built of wood, is popular in our time. In many regions of our country, when deciding how to build a house, the owners opt for wood.

Consider the features, advantages and disadvantages of each material.

Brick

If you ask what material it is better to build a house from, then many people will answer that it is made of brick. This traditional building material is divided into two varieties:

ceramic brick red color is made from red baked clay. This is a very durable environmentally friendly material that is not afraid of frost and moisture. Ceramic brick is divided into hollow and solid. The thermal insulation characteristics of hollow products are higher.
White silicate brick made from a mixture of sand, lime and special additives. It also happens to be hollow and solid. The thermal insulation characteristics of a silicate product are lower than those of its ceramic counterpart, but its soundproofing properties are higher.

For masonry walls, it is cheapest to use ordinary bricks. Outwardly, such products do not look very good, because they may have chips, cracks and small irregularities, but this does not affect the strength of the elements. But the exterior wall decoration is best done from facing bricks. The front products have an impeccable appearance, the correct geometric shape, there are no defects and cracks on the surface. There is a wide choice of coloring and textures of a surface of a front brick.

Specifications

When choosing what material to build a house from, it is worth considering its strength. For a brick, strength is indicated by its brand, which can be in the range of 75-300. The brand characterizes the load that a square centimeter of the product is able to withstand. The greater the brand and strength of the brick, the higher its specific gravity.

Important: to build a two- or three-story residential building, it is better to use brick grade 100 or 125. For laying the base or plinth, it is worth taking more durable products with grade 150 or 175.

It is equally important when choosing a material to take into account its frost resistance. This is the ability of a product to withstand alternating cycles of freezing and thawing without a decrease in strength by more than 20% and visible defects. The frost resistance of a brick is indicated by the letter F and can be in the range of 15-100 cycles. For the construction of houses in warm regions, you can use products with frost resistance 15, for cold regions brick F 25 is suitable. For cladding, it is better to use products with frost resistance 50.

Pros and cons

Thanks to the following advantages, you can make a choice in favor of a brick:

The material has an attractive appearance.
The durability of the structure is an additional plus in its favor.
This material is suitable for the implementation of the most complex architectural projects.
The brick is not subject to damage by mold, fungi, insects. It does not corrode and does not burn.
Brick walls well protect the premises from noise from the street.

The disadvantages of bricks include the following:

The product has a large specific weight, which makes it difficult to transport and install.
Bricklaying is quite slow due to the small size of the bricks and is relatively expensive.
Under the brick walls, you need to equip a capital buried foundation.
Brick retains heat relatively well in the room, but in most cases the walls need to be additionally insulated.

Keramoblock

The choice of material for building a house in Europe often falls on the ceramic block. These products are made from a mixture of clay and sawdust and fired in a kiln. After the combustion of sawdust, isolated voids are formed, which increase the thermal insulation properties of the material. The dimensions of the ceramic block make it possible to accelerate the pace of construction, and a house built from this material will last a century and a half. In addition, multi-storey buildings can be built from blocks. On the side surface of the blocks there are grooves and ridges for hermetic joining of elements without mortar. Inside, each block has voids that reduce its thermal conductivity.

Specifications

The height of the ceramic block is designed so that it can easily join with brickwork, so construction from this material can be carried out according to a standard project designed for bricks. The remaining sizes of ceramic blocks may be different, but in any case, their weight is much less than that of a brick. For example: one block measuring 500x238x248 mm weighs only 25 kg. It is equal to a laying of 15 bricks, each weighing 3.3 kg (15x3.3 = 49.5 kg). In addition, laying one block is faster and easier, and much less mortar is needed for this.

Dimensions of ceramic blocks:

long side with a lock - from 250 to 510 mm;
width is 230 mm, 240 mm, 250 mm.

For masonry of load-bearing walls, a block with a long side of at least 300 mm is used. At the same time, a wall with a thickness of 380 mm or more from a ceramic block does not need to be insulated. The thermal conductivity of the ceramic block can be in the range of 0.14-0.29. Thick blocks with a long side within 380-500 mm have a strength grade of at least 100. If you need to make thinner walls with high strength, then you can take a block with a grade of 150.

Advantages and disadvantages

If you decide what is better to build a house with, then you should pay attention to the ceramic block, which has many advantages:

Since one element has a small weight and sufficiently high strength with significant dimensions, even a multi-storey building can be erected from this material in a short time.
Vertical seams with grooves are joined without mortar, therefore, during masonry, cement mortar is noticeably saved in comparison with traditional brickwork.
A high degree of frost resistance significantly expands the scope of this material.
Good fire resistance - the block is able to resist burning for 4 hours.
The porous structure contributes to the high heat and sound insulation characteristics of the material.
Walls made of ceramic blocks create a comfortable microclimate in the room.
The thermal insulation qualities of the house do not decrease throughout the entire service life, which can reach up to 150 years.

Despite such a large list of advantages, ceramic blocks have their drawbacks:

Since this material is relatively new in our country, it is quite difficult to find a specialist who can perform high-quality masonry.
By themselves, these products are quite fragile, so they must be handled very carefully during storage and transportation.

aerated concrete

If you are looking for materials for the construction of a private house that retain heat well in the house, then aerated concrete is exactly what you need. A wall with a thickness of 30-40 cm from gas blocks does not need to be insulated. In addition, the material resists rot, humidity and temperature fluctuations in the room. It's pretty durable.

The block is easily cut with a hacksaw and mounted without the use of special equipment. Due to the flat surface of the block, the walls do not need to be leveled before finishing. The significant dimensions of the material and its lightness significantly speed up the construction process.

Specifications

The density of aerated concrete is in the range of 350-1200 kg / m³.
The weight of one block of standard sizes (60x25x20 cm) is 18 kg.
For the construction of walls, products of the brand from D 500 to D are suitable

Pros and cons

Advantages of gas blocks:

Laying speed is 9 times faster than brick.
Smooth wall surfaces that do not need leveling.
Good compressive strength.
Low thermal conductivity.
Burn resistant.
High frost resistance and good vapor permeability.

Disadvantages of aerated concrete:

Low bending strength.
The material is prone to cracking.
Products are hygroscopic, so they must be well protected from moisture.

Wood

Since ancient times, people have associated wooden houses with comfort and coziness. And this is not accidental, because a special microclimate that is optimal for people is created in a wooden house. This house is comfortable in summer and winter. You will spend less money on heating a wooden house than on a brick house.

Important: for the construction of a wooden house, you can use glued beams or logs.

Advantages of wood:

Ecological purity of the material.
The cost of a wooden building is lower than that of a brick building.
The thermal conductivity of wood walls is lower than that of bricks.
A house made of timber does not need exterior and interior decoration.
You can equip a lightweight inexpensive foundation.
Impressive service life.

Flaws:

Susceptibility to rot, insect damage and combustibility of the material.
Prolonged shrinkage.
Chance of cracking.

Read the article to the end and you will find out: what materials are best used today to build the walls of a house, what are their advantages and disadvantages. And also: at the end of the article - interesting reader poll regarding this issue.

Let's see what houses are built from today. More specifically, what materials are used to build the walls. We will present the information “without water” and structured. First, consider the most popular building materials, and then - those that are used less frequently.

Of course, each material has its pros and cons. Therefore, we will also talk about this. So…

Popular materials for building walls at home

There are many. Let's start with the most proven and reliable option.

Ceramic brick (red)

Made from clay - an environmentally friendly material. Firing gives it a red color, and also improves strength properties.

Previously, houses were built mainly of brick. And they performed well. We can say briefly about this material: this is a classic ... Time-tested.

Pros of red brick:

high strength;
reliability;
the ability to withstand heavy loads for a long time.

Cons of brick:

high cost of the material;
complex and expensive masonry (highly skilled workers are required);
relatively large construction time.

Red brick houses are always in price. They are reliable, durable, warm enough (with a wall thickness of 60 cm or more). Such a house after construction and after 25 years can be sold at a good price. Because brick houses serve for 100 years.

Ceramic blocks (porous ceramics)

Modern material for the walls of the house. In fact, the same red brick, only with numerous voids. It is made by firing the same clay. However, this creates voids in the material, which significantly improve its thermal insulation properties. In addition, sawdust is added to the raw material during production. When fired, they burn out, due to which microscopic pores are formed.

Advantages of porous ceramics:

excellent thermal insulation properties;
ecological cleanliness;
large-format blocks (laying is done quite quickly);
less weight (and therefore less load on the foundation).

Flaws:

high price;
reduced bearing capacity and strength (compared to solid ceramic bricks);
increased fragility (especially noticeable during transportation, loading / unloading);
easily absorbs moisture.

By the way, one point should be noted regarding the strength characteristics ... Manufacturers often claim that porous ceramic blocks (used for the construction of load-bearing walls) correspond in strength to M100 concrete. For example, you can often hear that "the strength is the same as that of a regular solid red brick." However… in practice this does not always work out. Different manufacturers have different strength of porous ceramics. Therefore, when buying, you need to be vigilant.

Despite the shortcomings, now this material is very popular. It is used for the construction of luxury houses.

aerated concrete

The material is a kind of cellular concrete. Produced from quartz sand, cement, special blowing agents. In addition, lime, gypsum, as well as slag and other industrial waste are used. The output is a material with an open porous structure (pore diameter is approximately equal to 1...3 mm).

Advantages of aerated concrete:

small mass;
low thermal conductivity;
ease of machining;
good strength;
relatively low price.

Disadvantages of aerated concrete:

strongly absorbs moisture (due to the open porous structure);
increased fragility (a reliable foundation is required to exclude even small subsidence).

Now the popularity of aerated concrete is at its height. Indeed, for a relatively small price, you can get a warm and quite durable house. Due to the low thermal conductivity, it is possible to build walls of much thinner thickness than, for example, in the case of red brick. This further reduces the cost of masonry material. In addition, the labor cost of workers is noticeably lower. Aerated concrete houses are built relatively easily and quickly.

foam concrete

Also a type of cellular concrete. Unlike aerated concrete, this material has a closed porous structure. It is made from sand, cement, foaming agent and water.

The production technology of foam concrete is quite simple. The production does not require expensive equipment. And I must say that this fact gives not only a plus, but also adds an important minus: there is a lot of foam concrete on the market made by dubious private firms (handicraft production). Accordingly, the quality of such material cannot be high.

Advantages of foam concrete:

light weight;
good thermal insulation properties;
ease of processing (easy to drill, saw);
due to the closed porous structure (the pores are closed), foam concrete does not absorb moisture as much as aerated concrete.

Disadvantages of foam concrete:

poor vapor permeability (walls "do not breathe", a good ventilation system is required);
almost does not work on bending;
over time, it shrinks significantly (which means cracking is possible).

Despite significant disadvantages, foam concrete is used for the construction of residential buildings. Also, this material is used for sound and heat insulation - walls, roofs, floors, etc.

Wood

Natural material, time-tested. Wood houses have been built since ancient times. This material has not lost its popularity even today.

Moreover, there are different technologies for the construction of wooden houses. So, they can be built from a log house (the old method) - when the trunks are cut to the required length, locks and grooves are made in them, and then they are laid, creating walls.

There is also a method of construction from rounded beams. In this case, the logs in production are processed to a smooth surface, marked. In this case, the bars can be planed, sawn, glued.

Advantages of wood:

relatively affordable price (compared to other expensive materials);
ecological cleanliness;
excellent thermal insulation characteristics;
aesthetic and attractive appearance;
no need to build a strong foundation;
a sufficiently long service life (with proper construction and care) - naturally, different types of wood have different wear resistance;
ease of machining.

Disadvantages of wood:

Despite the shortcomings, houses built of wood have been and will always be in price. It is pleasant to be in a wooden house, it is easy to breathe. It is cozy and comfortable. In a word, wood.

shell rock

This is an absolutely environmentally friendly material, completely natural origin. The rock of this stone is porous, carbonate. It consists of pressed shells. Hence the name - "shell rock" (also called "shell rock", "limestone").

The stone is different in density, shape, type and number of shells that form its basis. Accordingly, the strength, aesthetic and other characteristics of different shells can vary greatly.

However, in general, the following can be said about the pros and cons of this stone.

Shell rock benefits:

complete ecological cleanliness (surpasses even wood, as it requires impregnation with special protective substances);
does not accumulate radiation (usually it is below the sensitivity level of measuring instruments);
relatively low price (except for delivery);
high construction speed (for example, it can be sawn into blocks 490 × 240x188 mm in size);
dense stone has a fairly high strength (suitable for the construction of load-bearing walls).

Disadvantages of shell rock:

increased ability to absorb moisture (especially for porous and low-strength stone) - higher than that of ceramic bricks;
the dimensions of the blocks are inaccurate, significant deviations are often observed (due to the fact that the blocks are not stamped, but cut out);
in terms of thermal conductivity, it is inferior to brick, aerated concrete, wood and some other materials;
often there is heterogeneity in density and strength (the material is completely natural origin).

The attitude of people to this stone is ambiguous. In some regions, most of the houses are built from this stone. In others, they practically do not build because of the existing significant shortcomings and give preference to other building materials for building walls. Of course, this is also due to the fact that the delivery of stone to some regions can be expensive and unprofitable.

Other building materials for building walls

Now let's list what is used less often. And there are advantages here too.

Expanded clay concrete

It is made by pressing from a mixture of water, sand, cement and expanded clay (which is made from clay). Additionally, voids of various volumes and shapes (for example, rectangular, cylindrical) can be made in blocks.

Masonry is usually performed using a reinforcing mesh (after 3-4 rows).

Advantages of expanded clay concrete:

low thermal conductivity;
good strength (higher than, for example, aerated concrete);
relatively low price;
environmental cleanliness (in fact, the basis is clay);
small mass (due to the presence of a porous and lightweight material - expanded clay);
manufacturing technology is quite simple (you can make it yourself);
durability (tested by time);
good vapor permeability (walls "breathe").

Cons of expanded clay concrete:

Increased water absorption (need waterproofing, protection from external atmospheric influences);
Requires a solid foundation;
The presence of cold bridges (it is problematic to make thin seams due to significant deviations in the size of the blocks);
There is a material of "handicraft" production with low quality (due to the simplicity of manufacturing technology).

It should also be noted that expanded clay concrete is quite versatile. Suitable for both the construction of load-bearing walls in low-rise construction, and for the construction of partitions, floors, ceilings. This material is often used simply as a heater.

Arbolit

Refers to lightweight concrete. Another name is also used - wood concrete blocks. Cement, water, organic aggregates, chemical additives are used for manufacturing. Moreover, different materials can be used as fillers (80-90% of the total volume) - wood chips (often), flax or hemp fire, cotton stalks, etc.

Chemical additives are used to eliminate the negative impact of organic matter on the cement hardening process. It can be: liquid glass, calcium chloride, aluminum sulfate, etc.

Arbolite advantages:

environmental friendliness;
low thermal conductivity (you can do without a heater);
good fire resistance (does not support combustion, and when exposed to fire it only chars);
the speed of building walls (blocks of sufficiently large sizes);
high bending strength (has the ability to restore shape after exposure to loads - due to the presence of wood particles);
a powerful foundation is not required (as, for example, for aerated concrete);
you can easily screw screws into the walls, hammer in nails (they hold securely).

Disadvantages of wood concrete:

protection from moisture is required (due to the presence of organic substances in the composition);
in some regions the material is difficult to find;
the price can be clearly overstated by the manufacturer (therefore, making wood concrete with your own hands is popular).

In general, we can say that this is a pretty good building material for building walls. Moreover, if you wish, you can make it yourself.

It is used for low-rise buildings (usually up to 3 floors). It can be both residential buildings and commercial buildings.

cinder block

This stone is produced by vibrocompression or natural shrinkage of cinder concrete mortar is used. The binder is cement, the filler is slag from metallurgical production.

However, it must be emphasized right away that at present it is customary to consider all stones that are made by vibrocompression from concrete mortar as cinder blocks. As a filler, in addition to slag, granite screenings, broken bricks, hardened cement, cullet, etc. can also be used.

In this case, the resulting blocks can be both full-bodied and with voids (which, in turn, can be of different shapes and sizes).

Advantages of cinder block:

does not burn;
not afraid of temperature changes;
long service life (about 100 years);
affordable price;
good sound insulation;
retains heat well (due to the porous structure), although it is inferior in this regard to some other materials (for example, aerated concrete);
high strength;
building walls is easier than, for example, laying bricks (the block sizes are much larger).

Cons of cinder block:

Hygroscopic (capable of absorbing moisture by 75%) - waterproofing is needed;
The walls still need to be insulated;
The composition may contain substances of dubious origin that can have a toxic effect on the human body (production waste makes itself felt);
the environmental friendliness of the blocks depends on the integrity of the manufacturer;
the high strength of the material makes it difficult to lay cables and pipes in it;
the walls have an unpresentable appearance (therefore, finishing is required).

In general, we can say that cinder block is a good material for building walls. It is also used for laying the foundation, building partitions.

However, many are stopped by the question of harmfulness. Therefore, for residential buildings, they often prefer to use other options - brick, aerated concrete, etc. A cinder block - for outbuildings, garages, fences.

Building materials for the walls of the house: draw conclusions

As you can see, today the market offers many options for solving this issue. The house can be built the way you want - not only in appearance, but also in terms of thermal insulation, strength and other characteristics.

Therefore, choose the best material for building the walls of the house and ... for work.

And now, as promised, a survey among our readers.