Do-it-yourself construction of a monolithic house from sawdust concrete. The walls of the house are made of sawdust concrete. Design and calculation of wall materials

Sawdust concrete is an environmentally friendly and promising building material. The construction of houses from sawdust concrete is experiencing a rebirth, because the production of such blocks began a century and a half ago. Some developers believe that wood concrete is unreliable, but this statement is fundamentally wrong: in Western Europe, buildings made of similar material have already celebrated their 300th anniversary, and in the USSR, some houses did not stand for even 50 years. The conclusion suggests itself: if you follow the technology of manufacturing blocks and construction, such a house is not inferior in strength and durability to brick counterparts.

What is sawdust concrete?

The composition of sawdust concrete includes cement, wood waste, sand, water, binder particles. Since the bulk of the block is chips, the product is lightweight and at the same time high strength. According to GOST, wood concrete blocks should not weigh more than 20 kilograms, and their dimensions are 39x19x19 cm. Such dimensions are considered optimal for construction.

Sometimes cement is partially replaced by clay, liquid glass or lime, then the cost of the material is reduced, and shrinkage is also reduced. By changing the ratio of components, the density, porosity and strength of the material change depending on the application. Wood concrete has many advantages, of the disadvantages, only water absorption can be noted. However, if the building material is treated with a special water-repellent composition, this minus is eliminated.

Performance characteristics

  • Environmental friendliness. Since wood concrete contains 70% natural components, it can be argued that such blocks are safe for human health and environmentally friendly;
  • Water absorption. The level of hygroscopicity of sawdust concrete is 8-12%, this figure can be reduced to 3% if the sawdust is treated with special compounds. The lower the water absorption, the greater the resistance of the material to frost. With good waterproofing, frost resistance is 100 cycles.

Comparison table of materials

gas silicate sawdust concrete Foam blocks Expanded clay concrete cinder blocks
Strength (kg / cm 2) 5-20 20-50 10-50 50-150 25-75
Bulk weight (kg / m 3) 200-600 500-900 450-900 700-1500 500-1000
Thermal Conductivity (W/mGrad) 0,15-0,3 0,2-0,3 0,2-0,4 0,15-0,45 0,3-0,5
Frost resistance (cycles) 10 25 25 50 20
Wall cooling time (hours) 50 65 60 75-90 65
Shrinkage (% mm/m) 1,5 0,5-1 0,6-1,2 0 0
Water absorption (%) 100 60-80 95 50 75
  • Incombustibility. Despite the fact that the main component of the blocks are chips, due to the presence of a sand-cement mixture, this material does not burn;
  • Thermal conductivity. Sawdust concrete has a slightly lower thermal conductivity than porous concrete blocks. When compared with brickwork, then 40 cm of wood concrete has the same indicators as 90 cm of brick;
  • Strength. In terms of properties for bending and stretching, blocks will give odds to many materials. Sawdust and additives reinforce the product, prevent it from deforming and give it resistance to impacts. The use of wood concrete is also allowed in areas with increased seismic activity;
  • Ease of handling and installation. Sawdust concrete blocks are quite light in weight, they can be given any size and shape, so this is a significant material savings. Sawdust concrete is well drilled, cut, milled.

Making sawdust concrete with your own hands

For the manufacture of such blocks, you will need: Portland cement M300, sawdust or shavings, alumina sulfate or lime, mineral additives (liquid glass, ammonium nitrate, calcium chloride, sodium sulfate), water. To increase the strength of the blocks, you can add sand.

Approximate proportions:

  • 1200 kg/m3 of cement;
  • 1550 kg/m3 sand;
  • 220 kg/m3 sawdust;
  • 600 kg/m3 of slaked lime.

Water will need 250-350 liters per cubic meter (depending on how wet the original sawdust is). In dry form, cement, sand and lime are mixed, after which sawdust is added, pour water in small portions. It is possible to prepare a solution of a suitable consistency only with the help of a concrete mixer. Squeeze the mixture in your hands: if it does not crumble and water does not run out of it, then it can be poured into a mold or formwork can be made.

When choosing sawdust, give preference to softwood shavings, up to 0.5 cm in size. Spruce sawdust is best pressed, you can compare the degree of suitability of consumables according to the table.

The hardening time will also depend on the quality of the sawdust mixture. If spruce sawdust hardens in a day, then larch needs more than 5 days. The cheapest way to make sawdust less permeable is to leave it to dry in the sun, but the oxidation takes several months. The second method is the processing of sawdust with liquid glass or calcium chloride (the second is preferable). There should be no foreign impurities in the chips - roots, earth, bark, and so on.

Collapsible forms can also be made independently from the boards. To make it easier to get the frozen mixture, fill the old linoleum on the inner walls. Ordinary champagne bottles are suitable for forming voids. The larger the block, the longer it will dry. After about 24-28 hours, the blocks can be pulled out of the matrices and dried in the shade for another two weeks. In order for the material to dry evenly, it is periodically moistened or covered with a film.

Building a house from sawdust concrete

After making sure that the wood concrete blocks have hardened sufficiently, you can begin construction. In the blocks, you need to make channels for ventilation or a chimney in advance. To protect the structure from moisture, the base is lined with brick or other moisture-resistant material. The cornice should protrude beyond the wall by at least 50 cm.

Since the blocks do not weigh that much, you can make an ordinary tape shallowly buried foundation (60-120 cm). At a height of approximately 0.5-0.7 meters, brickwork is made. With the help of roofing material or bituminous mastic, it is necessary to perform waterproofing, after which the base is sprinkled with a layer of sand (at a distance of up to a meter) and insulated.

For masonry use a special glue or sand-cement mixture. Layer thickness - no more than 8 mm, otherwise the heat-insulating properties of sawdust concrete will be reduced to "no". Masonry technology is no different from brick. After installing the block, be sure to check the level, add or remove excess glue. The rows are made with dressings, after every 3-4 rows a plastic or metal mesh is placed.

Above the door and window openings, we install additional supports - wooden beams or metal channels. With the help of brackets on the last blocks, we strengthen the Mauerlat, after which it is possible to carry out the installation of the roof.

External wall decoration is varied: from ordinary plastering and subsequent painting to laying in one brick or siding. Subject to the norms and technologies, you will receive a strong and durable building that will delight you for many years!

Projects of houses and cottages implemented on the basis of sawdust concrete are quite rare. However, experts say that this is one of the most promising materials for building economical housing with decent performance.

Sawdust concrete, the composition of which is represented by cement, sand, water, wood components, is durable and light in weight. The production technology allows the introduction of additional additives, such as clay, lime, liquid glass. This reduces shrinkage phenomena and reduces the cost of modules.

By adjusting the proportions of individual components, in relation to the total mass, it is possible to achieve a change in the density, porosity and strength of the product. Technical parameters are selected based on the use of lightweight concrete.

Given the characteristics of lightweight concrete, you can understand what the pros and cons of a ready-to-use house made of sawdust concrete will be.

Characteristics

In order for the construction of a sawdust concrete house to be successful, it is necessary to take into account pros and cons of the material:

  • water absorption 60-80%. A high value is corrected by processing sawdust concrete with special compounds, which also increases frost resistance. Practice shows that optimal protection can be achieved through cladding, however, small household buildings can be operated without it;
  • thermal conductivity 0.20-0.30 W/m°C. Wood concrete is slightly inferior to other porous concrete, but it allows you to provide heat. The wall, 40.00 cm thick, corresponds to the brick wall - 90 cm;
  • strength 20.0-50.0 kg/cm². The material is able to withstand deformations and shock loads, which is effectively used in the construction of houses in areas with possible seismic activity;
  • simple processing. Modules are milled, nailed, drilled, processed with a hacksaw and saw, which helps to reduce consumption;
  • shrinkage 0.50 – 1.00% mm/m;
  • frost resistance - 25 cycles;
  • density 300-1200 kg/m³. Material of medium compressive strength 0.40-3.00 MPa, density 300.0-700.0 kg/m³ serves as a heat-insulating material, 700-1200 kg/m³ (10 MPa) - structural and heat-insulating.

How to make kneading with your own hands, proportions

Self-production of the material requires strict adherence to technological requirements.

  • the simultaneous use of sawdust and shavings increases the thermal insulation properties and strength of the material. The ratio of components is taken as 1:1;
  • fresh raw materials are not used for kneading, - the material must rest for three months or it is treated with lime mortar;
  • raw wood should not contain foreign inclusions - bark, soil residues, dust, etc. Sawdust is sifted through sieves with a mesh size of 10.5 mm;
  • a high-quality mixture is sold using a concrete mixer, manual labor is not welcome;
  • Portland cement is used for mixing, with a binder content of no more than 2-4% by volume. Cement dough is characterized by an alkaline environment in which the organic components of the sawdust are transformed into sugars. They adversely affect the hardening of the material, they must be neutralized. To implement a high-quality cement-wood composition, it is better to use spruce sawdust - the master will receive the shortest setting time;
  • the quality of the mixture after adding water is controlled as follows: the resulting raw material is compressed in the hand. Moisture should not show through the fingers, the lump should not crumble;
  • the mixture is laid in molds (collapsible), which can be made of lumber. Linoleum can be stuffed onto the inner walls of the matrix to simplify the extraction of blocks;
  • compaction is carried out mechanically or manually;
  • blocks are removed after 24 hours and dried in natural conditions for about 14 days. Material that is covered with a film and periodically wetted dries more evenly. Concrete reaches its optimum strength when hardened in moist and warm conditions.

The bulk density of dry sawdust, chips have different sizes, depending on what kind of wood they are obtained from

  • cement - 1200.00;
  • lime - 600.00 - the bulk density of the material is taken into account, dosage adjustment is possible;
  • sand - 1550.00;
  • sawdust - 220.00.

The proportional and weight ratio of the components is considered in the tabular data:

Sawdust concrete, M, purpose Material composition per cube, kg Volume ratio, binder/sand/sawdust
Cement, M Lime Sand wood material
300 400 500
M10, outer walls of buildings on the 1st floor 105.00 150.00 530.00 210.00 0.30-0.70/1.1/3.2

0.25-0.75/1.1/3.2

M15, belts, main walls, outer walls of houses with an attic 210.00 630.00 210.00 1.0/2.3/6.00
M25, livestock buildings, workshops, sheds, garages 30.00 670.00 190.00 1/1.7/3.8

Material calculation

You can determine the average number of blocks that will be required to implement the masonry by considering an example.

Suppose you need to build a house 15x10 m, with a wall height of 3.00 m:

  • perimeter - the sum of the lengths of all sides = 15 + 15 + 10 + 10 = 50 m;
  • area - the product of the perimeter by the height \u003d 50 * 3 \u003d 150 m²;
  • the thickness of the masonry and the number of blocks in 1 m2 are taken into account: 19 cm / 12.5 pcs; 39 cm - 25 pcs; 60 cm - 37.5 pcs;
  • so, for masonry, 39 cm thick, the following volume of blocks will be required 150 * 0.39 = 58.5 m³;
  • the number of blocks is calculated = 150 * 25 = 3750 pieces.

The presented calculation does not take into account the area of ​​the openings, which is not critical, since the sawdust concrete safety factor is automatically taken into account.

Building a house from sawdust concrete with your own hands

How to build a house from sawdust concrete with your own hands? The material is used for the manufacture of wall modules, which become the basis of the outer walls of low-rise buildings and in monolithic construction.

Lime-cement mortar gains strength more slowly than pure cement mortar. It is pointless to introduce lime as a binder into sawdust concrete, only to improve workability

Arrangement of the supporting base

Basic principles:

  • if the nature of the soils is not heaving, you can choose a shallow base;
  • the type of foundation can be tape or pile;
  • tape width is taken as 400.0-600.0 mm;
  • laying depth 600.0-1200.0 mm;
  • the arrangement of a 0.5 m high basement made of red brick will help protect the masonry;
  • roofing felt, bituminous mastic or other material is waterproofing.

Masonry mortar preparation

as the main material Perlite or cement mortar can be used. Both mixtures make it possible to correct defects in the geometry of the modules. The average thickness of the seam is 1 cm. Breaking the seam with wooden planks will help prevent heat loss.

Wall masonry

The main principles are as follows:

  • work starts from the corner with the highest mark;
  • the technology of work corresponds to the laying of foam blocks, gas blocks, bricks. Each block is performed with dressing. Professional masonry does not contain vertical seams;
  • a stretched cord serves as a guide;
  • the solution is applied to the sides and surface of the block;
  • every 3-4 row is reinforced, for which it is permissible to use fiberglass or metal mesh;
  • jumpers are mounted above the openings, using metal channels or timber. The supporting parts protrude 45-50 cm on both sides. In the modules, grooves-channels are made that correspond to the cross section of the jumpers.

The Mauerlat is fixed on the last row, after which the floor beams are laid, the rafter system and the crate for the roof are built.

Monolithic option

When implementing monolithic sawdust concrete it will be necessary to put together formwork panels with a height of 50-100 cm, the thickness of the boards should be 35 mm. If the wood is not covered with a film, it can be moistened with water before the material is laid.

If sawdust concrete is rammed by hand, it is less durable. When using a solid module or monolith, this is not critical. However, when working with hollow blocks, it is risky

The sawdust-concrete mixture is laid out in the formwork in layers of 150 mm, each of which is carefully tamped, for which a mechanical tamper is used. The inconvenience of the work is that the solution cannot be poured, as it has a dense consistency.

Stripping is carried out after 2-4 days, if the average daily t did not fall below + 20 degrees. The deadline depends on the brand of material - the higher it is, the earlier the shields are removed.

The rearrangement of the system is implemented so that the shields overlap the laid layer by 20 cm. Plastering is carried out after the material has completely dried, that is, after about 4-6 months. Before work, the walls are moistened. The plaster mortar can be prepared from Portland cement, sand and lime (1:9:2).

Do-it-yourself monolithic construction of a sawdust house is recommended to be carried out in the spring, so that by autumn the structure has gained the required strength.

Building a house from sawdust concrete (sawdust) with your own hands is shown in the video:

As the ancestors noticed long ago, everything returns to normal. So sawdust concrete is again becoming quite in demand in the construction of private houses, although the last peak in the popularity of this building material was in the middle of the twentieth century. In connection with the constantly growing and sometimes exorbitant prices for building materials, the use of sawdust concrete is becoming very relevant. And its insignificant shortcomings fade against the background of the advantages that it provides in the construction of a private house or cottage. Building your own house from sawdust concrete is a dream of young families who do not have huge family budgets, but who want to acquire their own high-quality housing.

Benefits of sawdust concrete

How to build a house from sawdust concrete? It is enough just to understand some of the nuances of the building material and the technology of building a dwelling. Experts recommend adhering to some restrictions on the height of the living space - no more than three floors, while the thickness of the walls should not exceed 30 centimeters.

The strength of the building is provided by the advantages of the building material:

  • Excellent thermal insulation. Due to the specific structure of the sawdust concrete, the heat in the residential premises is perfectly preserved;
  • Uncomplicated material production. It is not difficult to make sawdust concrete on your own, but the strength of the material, subject to the necessary proportions, is quite large;
  • Profitability when working on the construction of the foundation. This factor is determined by the lower mass of sawdust concrete blocks compared to other building materials, while not inferior in strength and reliability of use;
  • Environmental friendliness of the use of building materials. This block combines cement (for strength), sawdust (for material economy) and a bonding mixture. This specific combination provides high-quality air circulation inside the living space, preventing the formation of mold or fungi, as well as a qualitative ratio of thermal conductivity and humidity.

Technologies for building a house from sawdust concrete

Building a house from sawdust concrete with your own hands is carried out using two proven technologies: blocks or monolithic material. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Do-it-yourself sawdust concrete house:

  • Building a house can be done with high quality, thinking through the details. Construction time does not play a significant role;
  • Using this method, you do not have to build formwork;
  • The material perfectly tolerates long-term storage;
  • A residential building made of sawdust concrete blocks requires a long time to build, since after the completion of each row, it is necessary to wait a certain time so that the seams have time to dry.

Monolith house:

  • The formwork is usually filled in one day. The faster the mixture is prepared, the faster the filling speed;
  • Separately, building materials are difficult to store for a long time: sawdust rots, cement can petrify. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase components immediately before the start of work on building a house;
  • Due to the need to use formwork, it is quite problematic to design a complex house layout;
  • It is required to fill the monolith in one approach, otherwise the resulting seams will not be strong enough.

Advice! Experienced builders advise sticking to the second option for building your own house, explaining that the absence of seams will provide the building with additional strength and thermal insulation.

How to calculate materials correctly

Consider the calculation of materials using the example of a house 9 * 14 and a height of 3 meters. First you need to determine the total length of the walls: 9 + 9 + 14 + 14 = 46 meters. The next step is to calculate the area of ​​these walls: 46 * 3 = 138 square meters. The number of blocks is determined by the thickness of the walls: 23-27 blocks will fit in a wall 35-40 centimeters thick, that is, 138 * 25 (average value) = 3450 blocks. All data is quite approximate, since when calculating the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe walls, it is necessary to subtract the area occupied by doors and windows.

Where to start building?

Construction begins with the fact that it is necessary to provide for all possible nuances. The house should be built with a wall thickness that will meet all your requirements, but first of all it should depend on the average temperature of your region in the summer and winter seasons. Additional strength of the walls is provided by reinforcing the seams, durability is increased by plastering. Before starting the construction of walls, it is required to provide for the presence of communications for the chimney and ventilation.

Foundation

Since the mass of building material is small, it is allowed to install a shallow foundation. In addition, installation is allowed on almost any type of soil (with the exception of heaving soil). A tape base or bored piles will be an excellent solution for filling the foundation of a sawdust-concrete house.

The thickness of the tape will be about half a meter, and the installation depth is a meter. At a height of about half a meter, brickwork is performed. This is the basis for the house and at the same time a barrier to melting snow in the spring. It is also necessary to make waterproofing using any available bituminous building material. The foundation is insulated and covered with sand at a distance of half a meter to a meter, which will ensure the insulation of the basement from contact with the soil.

Solution

During the construction of a residential building from sawdust concrete, as a rule, a cement mixture or special glue is used as a solution. Using a cement mixture, you can correct the volume of blocks. But there are places of cold. Using such a solution, the blocks must be moistened with water. Wall mounting is also carried out with glue.

The chemical composition of this adhesive provides additional heat retention. The maximum allowable joint thickness is indicated on the packaging, usually it is 0.6 mm. The thickness of the seams over 0.8 millimeters will lead to a violation of the thermal insulation. The use of glue is preferred when the blocks are almost perfectly shaped.

Stacking blocks

The construction of a dwelling starts from the corners. The first row should be erected using cement mortar, then the material is laid at other corners. Between the blocks it is customary to pull the thread, which will ensure control of the laying of subsequent rows. The sawdust concrete block is covered with cement mortar from the bottom and sides. If it is necessary to use a sawdust concrete block of a smaller size, the block can be easily divided into the necessary parts.

Level control is carried out after laying each block. Each new row begins with mounting the dressing. It is desirable that the vertical seams fall in the center of the bottom and top of the blocks.

Note. If necessary, reinforcement is performed after 3-4 rows. Muerlat is installed in the extreme row. It is fixed with metal clips. Wooden components that were used during installation should be impregnated with an antiseptic solution.

Finishing a house from sawdust concrete

Due to the specific structure of the product, such a house must be finished from the outside and inside. Since there is no shrinkage of the material, finishing can be started immediately after installation work. Plastering refers to the exterior finish, puttying is done after plastering. You can also perform exterior decoration using siding, metal profiles, bricks, etc. If irregularities are allowed during the masonry process, then first of all, a crate made of wood is performed. Perlite mortar finishing refers to interior decoration. Complement this finish with wall painting or wallpapering.

Monolithic private house

The best choice of foundation for houses of this type is tape. Before installing the formwork, it is necessary to prepare reinforcing bars. The distance between the vertical reinforcement bars should be 25-35 centimeters. After the vertical rods are installed, you can proceed with the installation of the horizontal rods. A metal mesh is formed from their intersection. Then proceed to the formwork. Wooden boards are installed along the perimeter of the frame made of metal rods and fixed with wooden racks for stability. After the installation of the formwork is completed, the walls are erected.

Preparing a solution for pouring at home is the easiest job. Mixing is done manually or using a special construction mixer. At this stage, the most important thing is to avoid the formation of voids, so the solution must be compacted with great care. If it is not possible to fill the entire volume at once, then when the work is completed, there should not be a vertical joint. After the work on pouring the walls is completed, it is necessary to wait for the mortar to dry completely and only then proceed with the installation of the roof.

Afterword

Building a house from sawdust concrete is not an easy task, but with the necessary knowledge and proper skill and skills, it is quite doable. Given the current rate of growth in prices for building materials, it is likely that the popularity of sawdust concrete will increase continuously for a long period of time.

After all, a house built using this technology is in an absolutely advantageous position: it has strength and thermal insulation properties that are in no way inferior to other modern building materials, having a lower and budget price. More detailed information on the construction of a house from sawdust concrete is presented in the video.

In this publication, we will talk about building a house from such an interesting material as sawdust concrete. The owner built it with his own hands, based on the ideas set forth in one of the books on this topic. Features of building a house are shown in three videos. In the last video, the owner gives his feedback on the technology and the results of its implementation after three years of operation at home.

The idea to make a capital house from sawdust concrete came to the Denisov family not by chance. In one of the books there was a description of the whole technology. The types of this material are described. Looked, compared chose what you need. Checked for strength and began to build with the help of hired workers. In the process of work, I realized that sawdust concrete is a pretty good material. And warm, and strong, and no insulation is needed.

When the old house was demolished and it was necessary to build a new one, they did not choose for a long time. Firstly, a cheaper house is obtained from sawdust concrete. For those who doubt the strength of the material, there are convincing arguments. In principle, sawdust concrete is similar in its qualities to wood. For example, a dent remains from a blow with a sledgehammer, but cracks do not form.

With the foundation, we decided not to be smart. The strip foundation suited the owner completely. The soil is clay with sand, so laying a slab here did not make sense. In addition, the foundation remained from the old house. A ribbon has been added to it. Before pouring sawdust concrete, they made a reliable frame. The frame was made entirely of pipes, fittings. Vertical racks, bottom strapping and top.
Perhaps for reinsurance, it was done with a margin, since it was not possible to calculate the required amount of reinforcement. Technology - cast monolith. Formwork was made around the entire perimeter of the house in order to immediately fill the whole belt. Vertical insulation was made underground and horizontal, so that the cold did not go under the house.

The composition for pouring walls is prepared simply. In a mixture of sawdust, cement, sand. Proportion 1 cement, 2 sand, 6 sawdust. To be strong enough and at the same time not to freeze, to keep warm.

With the thickness of the walls, we decided to play it safe. In this house, 36 cm was laid.

Part two. About the details of building a house, as well as about the problems associated with the construction of such a house.

Feedback on the house after 3 years

Three years ago, Forumhouse already visited this house made of monolithic sawdust concrete, which its owner Roman Denisov built with his own hands. The technology is rare and therefore ForumHouse users have had many questions during this time, to which the owner will give answers, having already personal experience of living in it.
When insulating the freezing floors, he noticed that the workers did not make the solution very well, it turned out unevenly. In order not to take risks, the owner decided to finish using PPS and plaster.

Answers on questions

As time went on, there was an opportunity to answer questions. The mixture was used without any additives. Cement, sawdust, sand. Some are embarrassed that the iron will collect condensate inside. But there is no dampness in any of the rooms, the walls do not get wet at all. After 3 years there is no condensation. How was the cover made? Pipes lie along the perimeter, along the axes 1 × 1.20. A lattice made of reinforcement with a step of 20 centimeters.

Outbuildings are always needed. How small is the plot - 6 acres, so in this case the utility rooms are made by a hill. Pipes, fittings, sawdust concrete, waterproofing, earth and grass. At first, it was planned to make a green zone on the roof, plant grass. But it was decided to change plans. They planted grass along the edge so that there was a view, and inside there were onions and garlic, that is, like in a garden.

As you can see, the roof is reliable, withstands loads well. The earth is poured. Sawdust concrete withstands three meters.

During operation, cracks began to appear in the ceiling of the hall, but the reasons for this are not yet clear.

About additives in sawdust concrete. No additives, except for cement, sand and sawdust, were added, although clay and lime are sometimes added, looking for proportions.

Living in a private house is a great happiness. The house is located near the city limits where the work is located. This is very good. There is a parking space, a warm house, a swimming pool, where you can make a barbecue. What could be better?

About how to put blinds on the window in the publication.

So, in this article we are building a house from sawdust concrete - the features of this material will be considered in sufficient detail and the installation instructions will be covered in detail.

Let's start with an overview of key issues.

What is sawdust concrete and is it worth making a house out of it

In fact, sawdust concrete (aka wood concrete) is not a new material - it was invented during the Soviet Union, but has not yet been used very widely.

Basically, this concrete is made up of cement, sand, lime and sawdust. It happens in the form of ready-made blocks and in the form of a mixture.

The more sawdust in the composition of such concrete, the better its thermal insulation qualities. However, if there is a lot of sawdust and little sand, then the overall strength of the material decreases - this should always be remembered.

This material is used for the following purposes:

  • for the construction of load-bearing walls and partitions in low-rise construction;

Please note that due to not very high compressive strength, it is not recommended to use sawdust concrete for the construction of buildings whose height exceeds one floor.
But if you are building a cottage, and you really want to use the material, then it’s better to “cheat” a little - build the first floor from strong stone, and already the second from sawdust concrete.

  • for erecting fences and gazebos;
  • for ;
  • for insulation of foundations and floors.

As for the specific properties of sawdust concrete, there is definitely something to think about.

Advantages: Disadvantages:
1. Relatively low price of the material. 1. Not very high. And if it is increased by reducing the amount of sawdust and increasing the proportion of sand, then the thermal insulation advantages are lost.
2. High thermal insulation qualities. In terms of its heat-shielding characteristics, a sawdust concrete wall is equal to a one-meter-thick wall made of brick. 2. The fragility of the blocks. The material is unlikely to withstand strong mechanical shocks - it will simply crack.
3. The material is easy to work with due to its light weight. And the finished blocks can be sawn with an ordinary hacksaw for wood. 3. High level of moisture absorption. But this is easy to fix - just do not leave sawdust concrete without an additional protective layer of plaster or putty.
4. Raw materials for self-preparation of concrete are easy to get - sawdust is not a scarce or expensive commodity, you see. 4. It is difficult to make a mixture with the correct proportion of all components on your own. That is, in order to achieve optimal strength of sawdust concrete and normal thermal insulation qualities, you need to know exactly how much to add to the solution.
5. High sanitary and hygienic qualities, due to the presence of lime and sawdust in the solution.
6. Fire resistance. The wood inside the cement-sand mortar does not ignite.
7. Sawdust concrete has a relatively low weight, which makes it possible to make an economical version of the foundation.
8. The material has excellent vapor permeability. That is, simply put, the walls of such a house will “breathe”, and thanks to this, there will always be a comfortable microclimate in the room.

As you can see, the advantages are much greater than the disadvantages. So the conclusion here is very simple - it is quite possible to build small houses from the material. By the way, a sawdust-concrete bath is also quite possible - it’s cheap to build it with your own hands from such a mixture, and the heat inside will be perfectly preserved.

Now let's look at another popular question.

Which is better to use: blocks or monolith

Of course, each technology has its own distinctive features, which are as follows:

Block house: Monolithic:
1. The good thing is that you can build gradually, slowly - so to speak, when there is time. 1. It is better to pour the monolith as quickly as possible so that the joints of the mixture poured at different times do not turn out to be fragile.
2. Any wall configuration is possible. It does not require any formwork. 2. It is quite difficult to create a complex configuration of the wall line - you have to tinker with the formwork. But on the other hand, the formwork for an ordinary rectangular perimeter is mounted in a matter of hours.
3. Blocks can be stored for a long time. 3. If it is far from the start of construction, then it is better not to buy components for the concrete mix in advance. Cement can, under the influence of moisture, turn into strong large blocks, and sawdust can rot.
4. Building walls from blocks is not a very fast task. Because it’s impossible to lay a lot of stone at once - you must definitely wait until the mortar dries in the seams of the previous rows. 4. Pouring the mixture into the formwork can be done literally in one day. Everything here, in fact, depends only on the speed of preparation of the solution.

In principle, it turns out that each method is good in its own way. However, experienced craftsmen recommend (if possible, of course) still use the option of pouring walls. At least because there will be no seams between the masonry, which will significantly increase the thermal insulation qualities of the house.

Please note that, in general, it is possible to use blocks without heat loss as a result. Only then such walls will then have to be additionally insulated.
Moreover, it is very desirable to do this with mineral wool - if you use expanded polystyrene, then one of the main advantages of sawdust concrete is lost - vapor permeability.

So, as a good example, we are building a monolithic house from sawdust concrete.

House made of monolithic sawdust concrete

It is worth noting that we will consider the shortest and simplest scheme of work, but it is not universal! Specifically, in your situation, there may be a lot of nuances, because of which you will have to do something completely differently than in the instructions published below.

Remember this.

We will not describe the foundation device, because there are many types of this design and which one to use for you is a topic for a separate discussion.

Suppose that in our case this is the most common option - a strip base and we will only analyze how to fill the walls with sawdust concrete.

Installation of formwork and installation of a frame of reinforcement

Walls, in fact, are made very simply - in the same way as from any other concrete.

A reinforcement frame is mounted, formwork panels are installed on both sides of it, and all free space is poured with concrete.

Important!
Try to foresee where in the walls there should be holes for pipes, niches for windows, etc.
If this is not done, then later you will have to get acquainted with such work as cutting reinforced concrete with diamond wheels.

Everything is done in approximately the following order (let's look at the example of assembling one wall):

  1. Reinforcement bars of the required length are cut.
  2. If the metal was not released vertically from the foundation in advance, then it is necessary to drill holes in the concrete and hammer the reinforcement bars into them vertically (to the height of the future wall). The distance between them should be about half a meter. If the foundation is very strong and it is impossible to make holes, then pay attention to such a service as diamond drilling of holes in concrete - in theory, everything can be drilled with a professional tool.
  3. If the reinforcement is installed vertically, then it is necessary to attach transverse horizontal rods to it. So that you get a kind of grid with a cell size of about 50 by 50 cm.

If everything is done, then you can start assembling the formwork. This is done very simply.

On both sides of the previously mounted vertical reinforcement frame, wooden sheets, plywood, for example, must be installed (on edge). In order for the formwork to hold vertically and not fall, it is usually supported with triangular timber racks.

After that, they proceed directly to concrete work.

Filling sawdust concrete

This is just the easiest step.

The mixture is being prepared (or brought on a mixer) and the whole mass is poured into the space between the sheets.

It is very important to prevent the formation of voids. Therefore, you need to try to compact the entire filled mixture very carefully - you can even do this with an ordinary chopper.

In addition, if the pouring does not take place “at a time”, then remember one rule: it is impossible for the “docking” of the frozen concrete and the fresh one to pass vertically. It is better to lay the mixture in horizontal rows - so the walls will be more durable.

In principle, if the walls are filled, then after the mortar has dried and the formwork has been removed, you can proceed with the installation of the roof. It is done in the same way as in any other house.

That's all. Let's summarize.

Conclusion

We briefly figured out how a monolithic sawdust concrete house is built and what this material is. We hope that the general principle of technology is now clear to you and you will be able to apply the knowledge gained in practice. Well, if you want to get acquainted with additional information on this topic, then be sure to watch the video in this article.