Mini house - differences between similar projects and examples of finished buildings. Small houses: beautiful mini-projects in original ideas Small house for wintering

Without the financial resources to attract professional builders, you can, armed with special literature and patience, build a house yourself. In practice, this requires effort, but can save up to half the construction cost.

Many self-builders invite others to view their projects and provide detailed reports, accompanying the process of building a house with detailed photographs.

Features of the house layout

Through the efforts of two men, a cheap house for permanent residence with an attached garage was built. Initially, the project did not include a garage and was added after the house was completed.



In general, the project changed as the discussion progressed on the advice of other builders and the requests of the wife. The original layout of the house included 6 rooms on two floors.



During construction, it was decided to equip two bathrooms, while on the ground floor the toilet and bathtub should be separate. The area of ​​the living room and the location of the stairs have also changed. Compared to the initial project, the living room was too narrow and elongated. The stairs were also planned to be awkward and steep. After the changes, these shortcomings were eliminated.



The cost of building a house with your own hands

In May 2010, the father of a small family planned to build a cheap house with his own hands for the amount of 300 thousand rubles. This amount included costs not only for materials, but also for connecting gas and electricity. According to the estimate, the following expenses were incurred:

  1. Concrete - 20,700.
  2. Edged and unedged timber - 70,000.
  3. Foam plastic - 31,200.
  4. Plywood - 8023.
  5. Metal profile - 16,200.
  6. Siding - 22,052.
  7. Used windows - 4000.
  8. Nails, screws, etc. - 15,000.
  9. Delivery of material and excavator services - 5200.
  10. Septic tank - 10,000.
  11. Plumbing, radiators - 35,660.
  12. GKL and finishing costs - 21280.
  13. Design and installation of a gas pipeline, connection fee - 37,000.
  14. Gas equipment (stove, boiler) - 29,000.
  15. Electrical connection with materials - 3000.
  16. Water supply connection - 2000.

According to the builder himself, the estimate lacks a number of small items. However, this also requires additional costs. It should also be noted that some of the windows were received from friends and did not require financial expenses. In total, 327,315 rubles were spent on the construction of the house without any small details. This amount does not include the attached garage. It was added later according to a separate estimate. Additionally, the construction of the garage required an amount of about 34,000 rubles. Taking into account unspecified expenses, the house cost no more than 400 thousand rubles.

Installation of a shallow strip foundation

The foundation is pre-planned with a width of 35 cm and a height above the ground of 25 cm and 20 cm below the ground. A die-cut section of 2.5x100 mm was chosen as a reinforcing element. The reinforcement of the tape was planned in 2 layers, top and bottom, with three connected sheets of die-cutting in each.

On the advice of experienced builders, vertical elements were added, and the number of sheets to be connected was increased to 5 pieces. Additionally, the height of the foundation above the ground increased and amounted to 45 cm.

reinforcement with die-cutting - you can’t do that!

After the foundation was poured into concrete, 20 anchor bolts were installed to install the lower frame.



Construction of the first floor

Before installing the walls of the first floor, the platform was installed and insulated and pipes for the sewage system were laid. The bottom of the platform is left open, the insulation is fixed by means of fixed cuttings of boards. 3 layers of foam plastic, 15 cm thick, were used as platform insulation. The subfloor is made of 150x50 mm boards.



The walls were installed in a horizontal position. Foam plastic and 8 mm plywood protection are laid between the racks, and windows are also installed. The windows in the project were used second-hand. Installation of the assembled wall into a vertical position was carried out by two men. It was decided to abandon the installation of jibs in the construction of the walls. The builder assumed that the frame would be sufficiently rigid due to the plywood sheathing.




After assembling the walls of the first floor, the installation of internal partitions was carried out. Polystyrene foam was also used as insulation.




The principle of assembling the second floor

After installing the frame, a temporary floor from unedged boards was partially laid and the walls were assembled horizontally and installed vertically. Second-floor windows were also used.




To increase sound insulation in the interfloor ceiling, non-woven cloth was laid on the floor joists under the boards. This allows you to partially dampen vibration from steps.



Installation of rafters and roofing

Upon completion of the assembly of the walls of the attic floor, the rafter system was installed. The rafter overhangs were not extended. An inch board was used as lathing. The roof was covered with corrugated sheets 4 m long.




Exterior decoration of the building

Siding was used for the exterior of the building. It was mounted with a ventilation gap of 25 mm. Also at the stage of exterior finishing, a vestibule was added. The foundation for the vestibule was not installed; the structure was installed on pieces of concrete laid on the ground and sidewalk curbs.



Features of the staircase and its installation

The location of the staircase in the project caused much controversy. Initially, its location suggested excessive emphasis on the attic ceiling. After changing the location and design of the staircase, it was made without a platform with slight turns.

The staircase is made of boards 50x150 mm, the width of the steps is 30 cm. The staircase was installed after the rough finishing of the first floor. Under the upper span there is space left for installing a toilet there. According to personal feelings, the staircase turned out to be comfortable and compact.




Interior decoration of the house

Before the finishing of the premises began, insulation of the interfloor ceiling and flooring of the second floor were completed. To increase the level of sound insulation, felt is nailed between the joists and floor boards. After this, rough finishing of the interior of both floors of the cheap house was completed.

The rough finishing included three points:

  1. Installation of fiberboard as a wind barrier.
  2. GVL installation.
  3. Puttying joints and chips of GVL.

In the finishing process, water-based paint was predominantly used. The living room, kitchen and bedrooms are painted in different colors. The floors in the rooms are covered with linoleum, the ceilings are decorated with expanded polystyrene tiles.



A miniature house is a housing option for city residents who do not have a large plot of land for construction, but want to live in their own home. Additionally, compact cottages are affordable and have many other benefits. Our catalog presents various projects of small houses: cozy country cottages and interesting city houses.

Characteristic features of houses up to 40 sq. meters

Residential buildings with a modest area are usually one-story, less often they have a second floor or attic. All free space inside is used as rationally as possible, therefore in such buildings walls and interior partitions are installed with right angles. Materials used for this type of structure:

  • aerated concrete;
  • tree;
  • a combination of several building materials.

The project of a small house, although it is designed to be miniature, does not lose its coziness. The dining area is grouped in the form of a studio, and the most remote place is allocated for the bedroom:

  • at the end of the hallway;
  • in the attic;
  • on the opposite side of the kitchen.

The compactness of the design also affects the layout - all functional spaces are minimized, and built-in furniture and appliances are used to save space. In bathrooms, instead of a bathtub, a shower is most often installed. As an alternative to conventional cabinets, there are modules and sliding wardrobes hidden in the walls.

The small cottage is designed for two or three residents. This project option is ideal for a young family with a limited budget or an elderly couple who find it difficult to care for a large house. Building a small log house for a summer cottage will cost less than building a brick building. And with a larger budget, you can build a modern small castle made of wood.

The attractiveness of small house projects

A micro-house is economical, lower costs for construction and finishing materials and labor, lower prices for repairs and maintenance. This type of building is beneficial for other reasons:

  • versatility - it is suitable for any size and shape of plots;
  • ease of adaptation to customer requests;
  • speed of design and construction;
  • practicality in operation;
  • low utility costs.

Choosing a small house project allows you to implement the construction of an economy class cottage in a short time. Depending on the purpose of the structure, heating costs can be easily optimized due to a small insulation area or the choice of materials that retain heat. If the developer wishes, the country house project can be supplemented with a small extension with a sauna or an outdoor swimming pool.

Among our selection of original projects of small residential houses with photos, there are layouts for young people with a modern facade design and discreet classic solutions for mature owners. In addition to plastered facades, in the catalog you can find projects of small houses up to 50 square meters. m. with unusual stone cladding or wood panels.























The growing pace of construction of houses for permanent residence in the nearest suburbs shows the desire of urban residents for silence and a favorable environmental environment. True, we have to take into account that everything has its price: the construction of a private house involves the cost of purchasing, as well as preparing a plot of land, creating an architectural project, and paying a team of professional builders. The total costs are quite high, so spacious housing in a quiet suburb is not available to every family.

A suitable option to reduce costs is to build a mini house for year-round use. The modest size of the living space is easily compensated by the competent use of space, compact built-in furniture and laconic design.

Also, several mini-houses are turning into hotel rooms Source cedarhomes.com

Advantages and features of building small houses

The main advantage of choosing a small home is its low cost. For example, the construction of a miniature two-story house made of timber with dimensions of 6 * 6 meters in the basic configuration will cost approximately 400 thousand rubles. Moreover, delivery of building materials to the nearest suburbs is most often free of charge.

Video description

In this video we will look in detail at the cost of each stage of building a small house:

The compact dwelling is being built by a team of specialists within a month, so the owners of the site will be able to begin finishing and furnishing as soon as possible in order to begin using the building this season.

The costs of heating and power supply for a miniature structure are minimal, so suburban housing will not be an additional major expense.

The laconic layout of such buildings makes the most efficient use of usable space, so residential premises are built without architectural frills in the form of empty corridors, spacious halls, and dressing rooms. Projects of small houses assume that everything in them will be located compactly, the necessary things are always at hand.

Video description

An example of the interior of a mini house in the video:

Travel lovers will appreciate the design of mini trailer houses, in which you can comfortably travel long distances, saving on hotel accommodation.


Even outwardly, a mobile home can resemble an ordinary one. Source micasarevista.com

Methods for creating a miniature housing project

The abundance of available information, as well as sample designs of existing houses, allow you to independently create a project for a small, cozy house, taking into account all the needs of customers. For example, for many it is important to have an open veranda or a certain layout of the living space. Typically, custom construction takes longer to complete, and some projects require additional building materials.

Functional, reliable housing requires special knowledge in the field of construction technologies, which is why most specialized companies offer customers ready-made designs for small houses. A clear, detailed cost estimate, as well as the availability of all the necessary premises, makes standard projects the most convenient and in demand among connoisseurs of suburban beauty and silence.


Also, mini houses are suitable for those who appreciate complete privacy. Source pateshestvenik.com

Materials for building a finished structure

The final cost of construction is determined by the area, as well as the selected building materials. Depending on climatic conditions, tastes and budget of customers, one of several options is selected.

Mini houses on a frame basis

The structures are built on a durable wooden or metal base, to which sandwich panels are attached - ready-made elements for future walls. After this, the house is insulated, finishing work is carried out, and clients can begin to use the housing.

The advantages of the technology are the speed of construction, the ability to work in any weather conditions, as well as the stability of the structure. Therefore, frame houses are suitable for silty, marshy soils with unstable soil.

The main disadvantage of this technology is the low noise insulation of the premises. Therefore, it is worth additionally checking that the proposed projects of mini-houses on a frame basis take this feature into account. In addition, timber-framed structures are susceptible to fire.


The frame is made the same - for a small or large house Source giropark.ru

Construction of miniature wooden housing

Environmentally friendly, retaining heat well, a miniature house made of wooden beams is easily heated and provides good air exchange, creating a comfortable microclimate.

The disadvantages of the selected material include fire hazard, as well as the need to care for natural wood to preserve its performance properties. For example, the paint layer should be renewed periodically to ensure the wood maintains its appearance.


Wooden house with jacuzzi Source pinterest.com

Brick domilions

Durable and environmentally friendly brick houses serve their owners for many decades; the material does not require any repairs or maintenance. This type of building retains heat well and has a high level of sound insulation.

The disadvantage of brick structures is their heaviness, which requires the construction of a solid foundation. In addition, the construction process takes considerable time, especially compared to the construction of frame structures.

Even small brick houses are capital construction Source messynessychic.com

Residential structures made of foam blocks

Construction made from this material is reliable, frost-resistant, and external surfaces can be finished with any materials. Small houses are cheap to build from foam blocks; the material is a compromise between expensive brick and affordable frame houses.

The disadvantage of this material is its large mass, due to which it is necessary to create a solid foundation.


A two-story mini house made of foam blocks has a large usable area Source martand.ru

Options for optimal use of space in miniature houses

The owners of inexpensive small houses carefully approach the arrangement of living space in order to create comfortable housing in a modest area.

Free spaces under the stairs, as well as niches in the walls, are occupied by shelves and cabinets for storing things. Decorated with glass or wooden doors, textile curtains or roller blinds, such designs do not attract attention, complementing the interior.

Narrow built-in wardrobes, as well as miniature household appliances, occupy minimal space while maintaining full functionality.

Video description

Examples of interior solutions in the video:

The main method of saving living space is to choose compact multifunctional furniture. Folding chairs and beds, folding tabletops and ottomans with built-in storage baskets will allow you to create a cozy interior that adapts to the needs of the owners.


Kitchen in the interior of a mini house Source pinterest.com

The abundance of windows, mirrors, and glass interior elements visually expands the space, and vaulted ceilings visually increase the size of a modest room.

The visual perception of a small house is improved thanks to light shades in the interior design, an abundance of lighting fixtures, and the use of natural finishing materials.

Popular projects of inexpensive small houses

The popularity of mini houses is once again confirmed by the number of finished projects. Small sizes only spur the owners’ imagination in terms of arranging the interior and appearance of buildings.

Homes on wheels

Mini-houses for summer cottages and traveling on wheels allow you to literally travel without leaving your home.

    The home, equipped in a trailer, has everything necessary for a comfortable life. There are several sleeping places, storage sections and a miniature veranda. At the same time, such a house can easily be moved along with its owners.


Mobile transforming house Source motor1.com

    A full-fledged mobile home based on a wooden frame is equipped with a cozy porch, and can easily be transformed into a car trailer.


A wooden house that you can take with you Source roomble.com

    The two-story design allows you to comfortably accommodate a small family. An abundance of windows and a small attic create personal space for each family member.


Two-story mobile home Source businessinsider.nl

    If necessary, the container house on wheels “folds” so as not to damage the glass on the road. Wooden siding and insulated windows protect the owners of the structure from bad weather.


It won’t take much time to get your house ready for camping Source pinterest.fr

    In a mobile house with an attic, a porch and a small hallway, you can host a group of guests if necessary. The abundance of windows and the glazed entrance door provide a natural level of illumination to the interior spaces.


If you don't notice the wheels, you might think it's an ordinary house. Source br.pinterest.com

Country mini houses

If you are not planning to live permanently at your dacha, then there is no reason to build a full-fledged house. The way out will be small country houses, inexpensive in cost, but capable of providing the necessary level of comfort on vacation.

    A bright miniature house with large windows allows you to comfortably spend warm summer evenings. The modest size accommodates a mini kitchen, a sleeping area and a work desk.


With a thoughtful layout, small sizes are not felt Source 9dach.ru

    The round house, decorated with tiles, is equipped with several windows and one glass wall. The design is ideal for relaxation during seasonal living on a purchased summer cottage.


In such a house you feel like the hero of a science fiction novel Source yurlkink.ru

    A wooden house with a rounded roof is a cozy, durable analogue of a camping tent. A durable floor and roof finishing with metal tiles will protect the owners from weather conditions. If you connect the necessary communications to your home, you can use it during the cold season.


The veranda fits perfectly into the layout of the house Source analytspectr.ru

    The “mailbox” type design combines an original solution and a minimum set of necessary functions. The lack of light in the room is easily compensated for by additional electric lamps.

You can’t blame such a house for being unoriginal Source kld-dom.ru

    The converted construction shed is a functional house with an area of ​​11 meters, equipped with everything necessary for life. The mini kitchen has a traditional window above the sink.


Everyone has their own associations with this design. Source dizainall.com

Complete houses of small sizes

Small full-fledged houses are most often needed in two cases: if you need to save on construction, but do not want to sacrifice quality, or if there is limited space on the site. In any case, you can choose a worthy project that will solve all the tasks.

    A stone two-story house with a balcony and a porch is stylized as a half-timbered construction technology based on wooden beams. Thanks to the spacious layout, the house can permanently accommodate up to three people.


The attic completely replaces the second floor Source: akprefabrikev.com

    The project of a small two-story house with a veranda and a balcony is the best option for living on a summer cottage in the summer.


Modern layout combining living room and kitchen Source picdeer.com

    A miniature copy of a classic mansion with a terrace and columns will accommodate a small family, and the peaked roof will add additional flavor.


The house looks great on the site Source c-m-t.ru

    A mini version of a standard country house with an entrance hall, porch and a common large room is a country housing option for budget-conscious owners. Traditional siding will protect the walls of the house from moisture.

American style house Source pinterest.com

  • The rectangular design of the house with glass walls and a wide canopy will give the owners a good overview of the surrounding area. If necessary, the glass walls are covered with wooden shutters, which replace walkways in good weather.

House project for fans of non-standard solutions Source mckshop.by

  • With an attached garage and two separate rooms, the domilion is a suitable option for year-round living.

Home layout for full use of usable space Source houzz.com

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

Conclusion

Building a small house will not cost much, and will also allow the owners to save time and money. In addition, the variety of materials and ready-made projects will allow you to create a functional and cozy home in a minimal area. Domilions are not only an option for temporary residence during the construction of a permanent house, but also a good way to save on the maintenance of suburban real estate.

Since you are reading this article, holidays outside the city on your own site are attractive to you. A country house is, of course, necessary for this. It is highly desirable to build it simple, cheap and. For the sake of saving not only money and your labor, but also land area. In this publication you will find information on how to build a country house with your own hands as simply, quickly, easily and cheaper as possible. It is also desirable that the ergonomics of the house allow you to wait out long periods of bad weather in it without experiencing discomfort, and that the design of the building makes it possible to use various design solutions for its external and internal design.

Where to start

The first question that needs to be resolved when planning to build a country house is what to build it from? Where is already known, the site cannot be transported anywhere. Based on the material, soil at the construction site and weather conditions, the design of the house is selected, a ready-made project is developed or selected for it, and then - estimates, purchases, and off to work. We will start with the choice of material.

What to build from?

Since we are interested in options that are easy to implement, log houses are also excluded from consideration: building them yourself is very difficult. In addition, such houses are sensitive to seasonal movements of the soil and therefore require a foundation no less reliable than a full-depth strip foundation (from 0.6 m below the standard freezing depth of the NGP, counting along the base of the strip). A fully buried foundation must be able to withstand its own shrinkage from at least the end of summer until the full warmth of spring next year. Insulated slab foundations require the same endurance, for example. Swedish stove. There is, however, a type of foundation for wooden houses that does not require a technological break (see below), but even the timber or log structure itself must be allowed to shrink for a year before it is ready for finishing. That's why a log or log house will be disproportionately expensive (from approx. 12,000 rubles/sq. m) and difficult to build independently.

The same situation arises with brick houses and. Ultimately, the construction of a small country house made of brick, foam block or timber turns out to be advisable only on very small areas, when an extremely compact structure is required. In this case, the house is built with 2 floors; brick and timber technologies allow an untrained, but attentive and careful builder to build a 2-story house. Examples of the layout of a compact 2-story brick and timber house are given in the figure:

Note: It is easier for a novice builder to build a foam block house than a brick, timber or log house. Building a country house from foam/gas blocks makes sense if the country house is visited all year round - no additional insulation is needed and heating costs will be lower.

The simplest and fastest ways to build a small house is to assemble it from a ready-made panel house kit or structural insulated panels (SIP). A prefabricated panel house 20x20 feet (6x6 m) is erected within a week by a pair of chimpanzees of average mental abilities trained according to the instructions for the kit. It’s no joke, there were such experiences. But, alas, the cost of construction. At current prices, somewhere from 18,000 rubles/sq. m. Without foundation.

A house made of SIP will cost less, approx. from 15,000 rub./sq. m with a foundation on geoscrews (see below). However, SIP structures are held together with locks between the panels. For a SIP house to be completely reliable, it must have quite a lot of internal partitions made from the same SIPs with locks. Since there are few or no partitions in a compact house, we also do not touch SIP as a material for it.

So, we come to the conclusion: to build a country house quickly, simply and inexpensively from wood. With one small but very significant exception, see below.

Project

It is better to build an inexpensive garden and/or compact country house according to a standard design; For significant construction details, see below. A ready-made free project for a country house is quite easy to find using any search engine. Or for a fee - a detailed standard design of a garden house for 300 rubles. can actually be found on the relevant sites.

How to choose easier and cheaper

However, when going through projects, you need to take into account some significant circumstances, namely the cost, duration and complexity of the zero cycle, i.e. excavation and foundation laying. The problem is frost heaving of the soil. During seasonal movements, the ground under the house does not shake and does not roll in waves. Dacha plots are cut on a variety of soils, but with one common property - sufficient self-connectivity, otherwise no one needs such a dacha. Therefore, within a certain space on the surface, frost heaving of the soil is reduced mainly to the raising/reverse subsidence of its surface with a slight tilt.

On the other hand, a small country house has excessive rigidity and elasticity. The square-cube law, well known in technology (and stubbornly unnoticed by amateurs), applies here. It’s easy to test it experimentally: glue together cubes with sides of 2 and 10 cm from ordinary writing paper and try to crumple both. The third factor is the soil’s own cohesion is inextricably linked with its mechanical properties.

Without going into further details, we will immediately report the conclusion: if a small wooden country house fits into a circle of a certain diameter in the plan, then on ordinary garden soils it can be built on a shallow foundation, which is much faster, simpler and cheaper. In which circle should the design of a wooden house fit into the plan, so that it can be built on a shallow foundation on soils up to and including medium heaving, is shown in Fig. Here everything depends, as we see, on the proportions of the structure: the more “square” the house is, the better it copes with seasonal ground movements. Therefore, it is better to build “tram” houses for narrow areas, without looking closely, on a foundation of normal depth. But if the ratio of the “sticks” of a T-shaped house lies within 1

Note: the veranda/terrace is included in the projection of the house if it is rigidly connected to its structure. Verandas that do not have a mechanical connection with the house or an articulated connection with it are excluded from the house plan projection.

Foundation

We will assume that we have decided on the foundation. Let us only remind you that under a brick, timber or log house on all soils except non-heaving soils, you need to lay a normally buried TISE strip or foundation. A slab foundation with insulation “settles” on the ground for 2-3 years; this is enough for a timber or log house to begin to crack. Under a house made of timber or foam blocks on slightly heaving soil, you can lay a foundation using geoscrews (see below) with a steel grillage.

Non-buried

The easiest and cheapest way to assemble a non-buried foundation for a compact country house is a columnar one from ready-made concrete blocks 200x200x400. The blocks are laid out on cement-sand mortar from M150, two in a row; the top ones cross the bottom ones. Thus, the column is 400x400 mm in plan.

The pits for the posts are dug to a depth of 0.5 m; of which 15+15 cm is made up of an anti-heavy sand and crushed stone cushion. There is no point in deepening the pillars of blocks by more than 20 cm: the ligation of the seams is weak, and the horizontal components of the forces of frost heaving will tear the pillars. The number of rows of blocks in a column is made more than 2, if the house needs to be raised above the ground by more than 20 cm. The maintenance break after installing a columnar foundation made of blocks is required to be minimal, for hardening of the masonry mortar, this is approx. week.

Recessed

The buried foundation of a compact house is often made, following the example of large buildings, on bored piles in soft roofing felt formwork. If the house is on a slope, asbestos-cement pipes are placed on the shell of the piles, which makes it possible to compensate for the difference in height along the slope of up to 1.7 m or more. With regard to fast, small-scale construction, the disadvantage of these foundations is the same as that of the tape - they must stand and settle at least from autumn to spring.

Note: There is no point in laying a TISE foundation for a light compact house - the “caps” of TISE piles work normally in the ground only under sufficient weight load from the building. Of small-sized houses, only a 2-story brick or concrete one can create one.

Geoscrews

The best option for a buried foundation for a compact house is with geoscrews. Geoscrews are a type of shortened screw piles specifically for light buildings. Unlike conventional ones, geoscrews are not designed for muddy, loose and floating soils. A foundation with geoscrews for a large house will cost significantly more than a homemade strip foundation, because... Geoscrews themselves are not cheap, but for a small house this is not so bad, since few screws are required.

A geoscrew for low- and medium-density soils, by the principle of holding it in the ground, is somewhat similar to a confirmed furniture screw and also looks like it in appearance, see fig.:

The smooth head of geoscrews for dense soils is uniformly cylindrical. Both geoscrews can be used on soils up to excessive heaving. You can either lay the wooden bottom frame of a building on the heads of geoscrews or mount a steel grillage. For information on how a wooden house is built on screw piles, see, for example. track. video:

Video: installing a frame house


The advantages of geoscrews for quick construction on a small site in cramped conditions are enormous:

  • No preliminary geological surveys are required.
  • Geoscrews can be wrapped in fairly heavily clogged soil: a cobblestone or piece of concrete the size of a child’s head will push the screw to the side.
  • There is no need for special equipment or access roads for it: 2 people use a crowbar or a homemade collar from a piece of pipe to wrap up to 10 or more geoscrews in a day.
  • No preparatory excavation work is required: the screw is simply placed with the end into the hole on the bayonet of the shovel and twisted. It is leveled vertically when the pointed tip enters the ground by a third to half.
  • Screwed geoscrews can be turned/unscrewed to align the heads to the horizon.
  • There is no need for a technical break to settle the foundation - construction can continue as soon as the last screw is screwed in.
  • An incorrectly screwed screw can be unscrewed and screwed back in close to the previous hole.

Note: If you are building according to a ready-made project, which indicates the type and characteristics of the foundation, then you need to follow the recommendations of the designers, or consult with them on whether such and such a foundation is suitable on such and such soil.

What kind of house should I build?

Let's get to the point: what kind of simple country house will be cheaper and more likely to be built? In order of increasing cost, complexity and construction time, as well as potential aesthetic qualities (suitability for design and decoration), the options are arranged as follows. way:

  1. House from a military kung;
  2. Hut house;
  3. Bungalow house;
  4. Frame house.

When there is no time for excesses

KUNG is an abbreviation for Unified Body of Normal (Zero) Dimensions. In the USSR, unified closed bodies for cars appeared after the Second World War, and thanks to their convenience, the name kung soon became a household name. A country house made of kung, most importantly, is very cheap: a decommissioned kung cabin from ZIL-131 can be found for 30,000 rubles. And the construction comes down to bringing it and placing it on posts, concrete supports for grape trellises, etc., laid on a crushed stone bed (so that weeds do not sprout and annoying living creatures do not appear). A foundation for a kung is not needed on any ground in any climate - the kung is designed for off-road driving and overturning of the carrier vehicle.

The kung as a country house has only one drawback: its utilitarian appearance, which any design efforts only stick out. But there are a lot of advantages:

  • Excellent insulation - a stove the size of a desktop computer system unit heats the kung from the most severe frost.
  • The price is more than an order of magnitude less than that of a construction shed, a residential container or a section of a modular country house.
  • High resistance to external influences - warehouses, change houses and utility rooms made of kungs have stood practically without maintenance for more than 50 years, and they are not in sight of demolition.
  • Fire safety is built into the design.
  • Built-in electrical wiring or channels for it, electrical input panel (ISB) and terminals for grounding connections.
  • Wide possibilities for redevelopment, internal equipment and finishing (see below).
  • No legislation or installation permission is required. Bought - brought - installed - live.

It is better to look for a kung for a country house from a ZIL-131 or GAZ-66 car (see figure): they have a flat floor and it is easier to place them on posts due to the small or absence of recesses for the wheel arches. You need 6 columns (you can dry-folded brick ones): in the corners in the middle of the long sides. Among other things, kungs from ZIL-131 and GAZ-66 are cheaper and can be converted into housing easier than Ural and KAMAZ ones.

Note: Don’t take non-standardized “booths” from ancient ZiSs and GAZ-51-53, their frames are highly susceptible to corrosion and the insulation is no good.

The width of the kung is standard according to zero vehicle dimensions (2.4 m), and the length can be in the range of 3.5-8.5 m. If your site is long and narrow, then a “tram” house made from a kung on it is practically the only way to do without laying a buried foundation.

For a country house, it is preferable to look for a two-compartment kung (double-compartment), on the left in Fig. But any other empty one turns out to be surprisingly spacious, in the center. The kung cabin (top left and right in the figure) already provides normal habitability for 3-4 people, but it would be even better to look for a kung cabin from old communication hardware. There are also sleeping places for a crew of 3-4 people, and after some effort, such a kung turns out not to be a house, but a piece of candy, below right in the figure. It is better to remove the right (looking from the entrance) compartment for the autonomous power supply unit (BEA): in its place is a mini-toilet with a shower. By removing half of the shelves above the left compartment of the BEA, we get space for a gas stove with 1-2 burners and a small cutting table. The BEA compartment itself is purposely designed for gardening tools, planting material, etc., with access also from the outside, through a wide hatch. In addition, communication equipment shelters have side windows, which cannot be said about all military shelters.

Chalet

Chalet means hut, but what changes the meaning of this word has undergone with the development of architecture is another matter. The country hut house is almost as durable as a kung, because... its load-bearing trusses are triangular. A small hut house (up to approximately 4x6 m) can be placed on a shallow foundation on any soil except excessively heaving soil. A hut house requires 1.5-2 times less materials than a bungalow or frame house, and it is easier to build it without experience and with a minimal set of tools. The hut house has one more advantage, inherited from its ancestors: it fits perfectly with almost any decoration into any landscape, see fig.:

There are few disadvantages to the chalet house. The hut house retains all its advantages up to a size of approx. 6x9 m, then it becomes more complex and material-intensive than traditional ones. Even in a small hut house, one of the sleeping places has to be equipped in the attic, where you have to climb a vertical ladder, that’s all.

In America and Canada, single-occupancy hut houses are quite widespread - shelters for hunters, fishermen, beekeepers, seasonal tenants and sharecroppers (this is the same as the Soviet hectare owner, who remembers), left and center in the figure:

Construction of a single house hut - shelter and a 3-bed country house

But the hut house, only 3x3 m in plan, can also be a country house for 2-3 people, on the right. In both cases, heating costs are low, because... the relative heat loss area of ​​the hut house is smaller and it warms up faster due to more active air circulation. If your dacha is commercially inhabited from the first warmth of spring until the winter cold, then a hut house is optimal for you. After the kung, if you manage to buy it, who knows, they know the real price of the kung.

How to build a chalet

The construction of a hut house measuring up to 6x4 m in plan is carried out step by step. in this way (this is the so-called airship technology developed by the Germans to build their zeppelins):

  1. Lay a columnar or pile screw (on geoscrews) foundation;
  2. The load-bearing A-shaped frames of the frame are assembled from boards (130...150)x40 lying on the plaza - any sufficiently hard, flat surface;
  3. The assembled frames are stacked in order to check for distortion and size; for a hut house this is extremely important;
  4. The calibrated frames are transferred one by one to the foundation and laid flat with the sole in place;
  5. Each frame transferred to the foundation is lifted with a rope, aligned vertically and fixed with temporary jibs;
  6. When all the frames are in place as they should be, fix the frame in the corners - at the bottom with cornice boards (see below), at the top with a ridge purlin, also made of a pair of boards;
  7. When building a house more than 3x4 m, the frame is reinforced with additional longitudinal ties;
  8. At the level of the tie (transverse tie of the A-frame) the ceiling is assembled, without it the house will not be strong;
  9. The floor of the house is assembled using the usual technology for wooden houses;
  10. The wings of the frame are sheathed with 40 mm boards lengthwise, preferably tongue-and-groove;
  11. Assemble window and door frames;
  12. Facades are sheathed;
  13. Carry out the remaining required construction work.

The hut house will be strong enough and durable only if the work on its construction is carried out in the specified sequence. This is probably the reason that few people build hut houses - it’s easier to work on the principle of “take more, throw further.”

Drawings of a hut house 3x3 m for two or three are given in the figure:

The inset at the top left shows the design of facade frames for a house up to 4x6 m. The material, like the intermediate frames, is 150x75 timber. Firstly, on facade frames, 2 ties are added to the tie (intermediate frames without them). Secondly, instead of a ridge girder, a ridge beam of the same cross-section is used. Thirdly, the frames, except at the corners, are fastened with middle and top straps (longitudinal stiffening braces) from the same timber. Longitudinal and transverse connections are connected by a half-tree insert. Those. Using the example of a 4x6 m house, you can already see how the complexity of construction and the material consumption of a hut house increase with its size.

Note: On the bottom screed, 2 more ends of the 100x75 timber are visible on the sides of the window. The internal partitions rest on them. The door frame on the other façade extends up to the tightening and is made of 75x150 timber; The lower screed of this facade is split. If the house does not have a base, the window frame is made in a similar way.

Bungalows and... bungalows

In the general concept, a bungalow is an unheated one-room country house with an extensive covered veranda, which is structurally integral to it. For a weekend summer cottage in fairly warm regions, the “generally accepted” bungalow house is optimal, because... spacious, well ventilated, not overheated by the Sun, and in construction no more complicated than a frame house, but less material-intensive.

However, little is known to construction specialists outside the tropics these days that bungalows are also a type of construction technology. The bungalow huts built on it (another name is hakale) can still be found in the forest wilds of Russia, the northern United States and all of Canada. Some of them are over 200 years old, but most of them are still suitable for habitation. The house, built using bungalow technology, is easily recognizable by its 2-layer cladding made of vertical boards; the outer row is intermittent, see fig. right.

The bungalow as a wooden construction technology combines elements of half-timbered and frame structures with working cladding. Compared to both, bungalow technology has a trace. advantages:

  • In wooded areas with developed logging, it is cheaper, despite the increased consumption of material for cladding, because unseasoned low-quality materials are suitable for it (cladding), including unedged boards and waste in the form of slabs.
  • The bungalow house is quite simple and can be built on a shallow foundation on soils up to and including highly heaving.
  • In damp places, houses built using bungalow technology are very durable due to the fact that the paths of penetration of atmospheric moisture into the skin are minimized: the upper ends of the boards are covered with roof overhangs.

The disadvantages of construction using bungalow technology are, firstly, increased requirements for the experience and accuracy of the worker (see below). Secondly, there is some complexity in the design of the openings: the outer cladding boards need to be cut in place to fit the platbands, otherwise pockets will form - moisture traps.

Bungalow like a bungalow

Bungalows as shelter houses are generally more popular than hut houses due to their better habitability. In a bungalow, you don’t have to climb up to sleep and stick out to eat lunch.

The structure of a bungalow-type shelter house is shown in the figure:

Drawings of a mini bungalow house - shelter

The foundation, of course, is not necessarily a strip foundation (in this case, a non-buried strip foundation, NZLF), but any one suitable for local conditions. If it is columnar or pile, then you need 12 supports: 3 on the sides along the veranda and 4 (under each vertical post) on the others. This house can be extended up to 3-3.5 m in length. Then, if you do not extend it accordingly. veranda, you can fence off the toilet, and the attic in any case remains free for property and supplies.

A “real” bungalow for outdoor recreation measuring 4x5.875 m in plan is, of course, more complex (see next figure), just like a frame house (see below). There is no attic (this is a characteristic feature of “real” recreational bungalows). The requirements for the foundation are the same, but for soils up to and including medium heaving; prev This option also works well on heavily heaving soils.

Bungalow as technology

The main features of the bungalow as a construction technology are indicated above. In addition: the power frame is assembled from timber from 150x150 without jibs. Yes, yes! The rigidity of the structure is provided by cladding made of vertical boards. Plywood and OSB are of little use because... Under each joint of the sheets, backing posts and lengths are needed.

Bungalow construction diagrams are shown in the figure:

The rafter floor structures are not shown, they are ordinary. Please note, on the left in the figure: the triple corners of the frame are assembled by cutting into half a tree and into a tenon, and the tenons of the racks are located on the inside of the corners. This is an indispensable condition for the strength of the structure: the elements of the load-bearing frame must cling to each other at the corners without steel fasteners. Although it is necessary, see the corner reinforcement diagram in the center of Fig. The use of steel corners, overlays and other innovations in this case is unacceptable! You have to pay for the Old Testament “stupidity” with labor.

The sheathing boards need to be oriented with “humps” (convexities of the annual layers) as shown on the right in the figure: internal inward, external outward. The outer boards should be slightly narrower than the inner ones, then in the process of warping the wood, the sheathing will compact and compress the frame. With any other arrangement of the “humps” it will split and the whole house will weaken.

All boards are attached to the frame along the short (end) edges with triplets (not pairs!) of nails or self-tapping screws. The edge boards are also attached along the long edges to the corner posts with the same fasteners in a row or in a snake (zigzag) with a pitch of 100-120 mm. The outer boards are attached to the inner boards along the short edges with pairs of fasteners; along the long ones - in a row with the same step.

Assembling the bungalow's load-bearing frame is a very important stage of work. And labor-intensive, because You can’t hammer in staples with a carpenter’s hammer, and you can’t tighten 12x300 self-tapping screws with a screwdriver. In old designs, instead of self-tapping screws, oak dowels were installed using wedging. The frame of the house is assembled using bungalow technology. order:

  1. Assemble the lower frame on the foundation;
  2. The racks are installed, aligned vertically and fixed with temporary braces;
  3. Assemble the upper frame on the racks;
  4. Drill pioneer holes for the staples (marking with the staples themselves at an angle of 45 degrees). The depth of the pioneer holes is 2/3 of the length of the staple bar, the diameter is 3/4 of the diameter of the bar;
  5. Choose grooves for the shelves of brackets, because staples must be recessed into the wood;
  6. The staples are fastened with a hammer;
  7. Once again check the verticality of the racks and install the upper steel fasteners;
  8. They hammer in the staples with a sledgehammer;
  9. Produce wall cladding;
  10. Remove the temporary braces and carry out the rest of the work.

Frames

A frame mini-house does not have any special features compared to a large residential one; a diagram of its device is shown in Fig.:

The construction procedure is described in detail and with illustrations in many sources. You can also watch a video about the construction of a “classic” frame house 6x4 m:

Video: 4x6 country house using frame technology

The complexity and cost of building a frame house is higher than all those described above. The attention, knowledge and accuracy required to build a hut and bungalow do not count: they do not require costs and do not take time. But the frame mini-house also has an undeniable advantage: its simple shape with vertical walls and smooth cladding make it suitable for a wide variety of design delights, see fig.

Also, the design of a frame house is very flexible. On the one hand, it forgives the rather serious mistakes of novice builders. On the other hand, it gives creative amateurs some scope for experimentation. See, for example, a video about building a small frame shelter house:

Video: DIY mini frame house

To this story we only need to add that the viewers’ comments about insulation are fair. Since it is impossible to “drive” the dew point out once and for all, and there are no massive walls where it could “walk”, insulating materials in such structures must be used that do not allow condensation to form in the insulation layer and further inside: EPS or cellulose insulation (ecowool) .

In conclusion about the roof

The roof beam (all as it is, its supporting structure) of a small house also has a peculiarity. It is determined by its small size, and, as a consequence, by the excessive rigidity of the structure, as well as the lack of a load-bearing partition (internal capital wall) in it (excuse the bureaucracy). To support the latter, a fully connected foundation is required; at a minimum - a tape of normal depth.

Rafter structures (in this case, this is the same roof crossbar) are, as is known, hanging (pos. 1a in the figure) and layered (pos. 1b):

In the first, the truss rack rests on a transverse beam-screed, and in the layered version on a load-bearing partition; split screed. It is technically possible to make a load-bearing partition in a small house, but it is not justified in any sense, including ergonomic - habitability. Therefore, the trusses of small houses are made only hanging. As for the methods of assembling the truss structure of a small house, they can be any of the known poses. 3 and 4. Choose whatever you like based on your skill, availability of materials and desire. The minimum standard size of boards for a house up to 6x6 m is 40x130, ridge beams - 100x75 and mauerlat - from 150x75. In a bungalow house and a frame mauerlat, the timber of the top frame can serve directly.

A frame house is an excellent solution for a country house. This structure can be erected in a short period of time and does not require special construction skills. Today we will talk about how to build a frame house on a site, we will talk about the main stages of construction and mistakes made that are easy to avoid. The design really exists, it was made by hand.

Frame house project

Preparing a frame house project is the initial and most important stage of construction. allows the construction of buildings of different heights and purposes on the site. We decided to build a 6 by 4 light frame house on the site, consisting of one single room, with four windows and a hip roof. Insulation of the house was not provided, since it is planned to be used exclusively in the summer.

You can find it online, or you can draw the project yourself. To develop a project, special programs are mainly used, but if the house does not have complex architectural solutions, you can draw it by hand on a regular sheet of paper.

Project of a frame house on a piece of paper.

The drawing must indicate all the functional parts of the house, such as door and window openings, the roof structure, the thickness of the walls, floors, you can indicate what materials will be used in the work and calculate the approximate cost of construction in order to build a frame house inexpensively.

It is the design drawing that allows you to determine what economic costs will be needed for construction.

Frame house foundation

Once the decision has been made to build a frame house for a summer residence and a rough plan for it has been drawn up, you can begin to select a suitable site for construction. The surface should preferably be flat, then there will be no problems with installing the foundation and installing the floor.


The logs were treated with protective impregnation.

We decided to do without a foundation and started building the floor directly on the ground, which was leveled with gravel. This is the first and main mistake when we started building an inexpensive frame house.

Installation of floor joists on crushed stone.

We built the floor frame from nine 150x50 mm six-meter-long boards, which allowed us to install transverse floor joists without joints along the entire length of the house. In addition, we used two more four-meter boards, which were placed on the end of the log. The distance between the floor joists was 500 mm, which is quite enough for the given thickness of the board and the thickness of the plywood for the floor.

Before thoroughly nailing the floor joists together, you need to make sure that the diagonals of this base are equal to each other. You also need to check the location of the frame house relative to the neighboring fence and. It is important to check the horizontal level of the floor joists that are located on the crushed stone, and if necessary, add it easily.

Despite the fact that a turnkey frame house is considered a fairly lightweight structure and can be built directly on the ground, the foundation of a frame house performs certain functions:

  1. Evenly distributes loads from the entire structure.
  2. Ensures the durability of the structure, protecting it from freezing and groundwater.
  3. Prevents warping and shrinkage during soil movement.

Strip foundation

Before building, it is better to choose a strip foundation for that type of construction. You will spend more time and effort on construction, but you will make the entire structure durable. Strip foundations will be especially in demand if construction is carried out on stable soils.

Strip foundation on crushed stone.

When constructing a strip foundation, you can organize additional rooms in the basement. If a basement is not planned, then soil remains inside the foundation contour. Please note that the width of the strip foundation should be greater than the thickness of the walls of your frame house.

After completing the construction of the foundation, the lower frame of the floor is installed, it is done using a beam or board placed on the end. The board is installed around the perimeter of the foundation, or along the perimeter of the future house directly on the ground (as in our case). The joints are connected using nails; the structure can be further strengthened using special metal staples. To enhance the load-bearing capacity of the floor structure, transverse joists are installed.

Note

The floorboard must be treated with an antiseptic.

When building our house, we immediately started installing the frame, but after framing it is advisable to start installing the subfloor. If the house is planned to be used not only in the summer, insulation material is laid between the joists, then a vapor barrier film, and the last layer is plywood sheets.

Frame of a frame house

A do-it-yourself frame country house has a lightweight structure and a lightweight frame. The frame of the frame house is attached to the floor frame.


Installation of frame house walls.

Initially, corner posts are installed; metal brackets can be used for reliable fastening, but we did without using them. The U-shaped frame of the wall is knocked together at the bottom and must be fastened with corner jibs, and only after that it is raised and fixed on temporary supports.


Power frame of the walls of a summer house.

To ensure greater reliability of the structure, we attached each corner post with additional jibs at the top and bottom, so they protect the frame house in the photo from loosening. We nailed two corner posts of the frame in each corner together with 100 mm nails.

After installing the main corner posts, you can begin to secure the remaining ones, one each on a four-meter wall and two posts on a six-meter wall. The boards of the top trim along the long wall are fastened together by two beams.

Hip roof

As soon as the main supporting frame of the frame garden house has been erected, you can begin to build the roof truss system.


Hip roof ridge with central rafters.

We decided on the type of roof and its slope at the stage of drawing up the design of the future house. A small frame house will have a hip roof, with a minimum slope for that type of roof of 20 degrees. In a hip roof, two slopes have a trapezoidal shape, the other two have a triangular shape.

The frame summer house has a hip roof, which provides additional protection for the entire structure due to the fact that all slopes are inclined.

At the first stage of the construction of the rafter system, the installation of the mauerlat is carried out - a special wooden beam or board, which is installed along the entire perimeter of the frame walls. In this case, we did without muerlat, and distributed the load over the top strapping, which has good rigidity due to the fact that it stands on the end of the board.


Hip roof power frame.

At the next stage, the ridge girder is installed, the size of which must be calculated correctly, since it is this component of the roof that bears the main load. The ridge girder, two meters long, and the central rafters were assembled on the ground, and only then they were lifted up and mounted.

After fixing the ridge girder, they install diagonal rafters, which, like the ridge itself, are made of 150 by 50 mm boards. Diagonal rafters rest with one edge on the ridge, and the other edge on the corner where the top frame of the house meets. All fastenings are made using ordinary metal nails, which does not in any way affect the strength of the structure.

When the power frame of the hip roof is ready, you can continue to build the roof further. The intermediate rafters and outer rafters are attached, which we made from two inch pieces nailed together.


Hip roof rafter system.

After installing the rafter system, it is necessary to install the hip roof sheathing. We made it from an inch and began nailing it from the eaves overhang towards the ridge, with the same distance between the sheathing boards.


Sheathing of the roof truss system.

A one-story frame house can be covered with a roofing covering and a regular metal profile can be used. This roofing material is easy to work with; it is coated with special substances that protect against corrosion and premature destruction. Other advantages of this roofing material include light weight, affordable cost and a huge range of colors.

Before installing the material, you need to worry about additional protection of the structure. For these purposes, you can use a waterproofing material that is attached directly to the rafter system with metal brackets. But we did not use it for the reason that the frame house will not be insulated.


Roof made of metal profiles.

Installation of the metal profile begins from the end of the roof. The main thing is to install the first sheet correctly; the location of all subsequent ones depends on it. The first sheet of metal profile is attached to the ridge girder using self-tapping screws, all subsequent sheets are overlapped with the previous sheets and connected with self-tapping screws.

External cladding of the house

After completing the roof construction, you can begin cladding the frame. In our case, the frame of the frame house was sheathed on the outside with OSB sheets. At the same time, only two far walls were sheathed with OSB, one of them was directed towards the fence, and the other to the side. Before the OSB sheets were screwed onto the self-tapping screws, we installed additional 100 mm inch posts.


Covering external walls with OSB sheets.

For the summer frame house, we decided to make four large square windows of 1500 mm each, because we wanted more light. We also made the frame for the windows from an inch board; it turned out to be light, because the entire load is carried by the power frame of the garden house made from a 150 by 50 mm board.


Frame for four windows.

The two front sides of the frame country house were covered with block house to give individuality to the structure. Due to the fact that the house was built only on weekends, the block house was immediately treated with a special wood impregnation to imitate mahogany.


Covering the front wall with a block house.

In the place where the door is mounted in the house, two racks made of 150 by 50 boards were installed to more securely fasten the door.


Door trim and installation.

If you plan to live in a house not only in hot weather, then it is important to insulate the internal walls with mineral wool and waterproof the internal walls after working with the block house. The waterproofing film is attached around the entire perimeter of the interior; it simply covers the opening. After attaching, the film is carefully trimmed and secured inside the window and door opening using a construction stapler.


Frame house without inserted windows.

After this, you can begin to decorate the frame house with your own hands.

Internal lining of the house

The interior cladding of the house is done using lining. Since the frame garden house was originally planned to be used only in the summer, the walls were not insulated; the frame was simply sheathed with OSB sheets and blockhouse.


Finishing of internal walls with clapboard.

To improve the performance characteristics of the structure, insulation is performed. At the previous stage, we already wrote about how to properly lay waterproofing film after installing insulation. Most often, such structures use either mineral wool or ordinary polystyrene foam.

They can be built on a summer cottage; they are made from special panels, the design of which already includes both insulation and waterproofing. The lining is attached on top of the insulation.

Windows and doors

When fixing windows, be sure to leave openings that will be filled with polyurethane foam. If the profile does not have a protective transport film, it is better to paste it around the perimeter with mounting tape; this procedure will protect the structure from expansion of the mounting foam.


Installation of single-leaf windows.

Our inexpensive frame house used windows that open to the sides like on a balcony. If you encounter difficulties during installation, it is better to involve specialists in the work. The protection of the room from cold and moisture will depend on the correct installation of window and door profiles.

Note

The polyurethane foam is carefully trimmed only after it has completely hardened; at the same stage, all protective films are removed.

Laminate flooring

You can begin installing the finished floor only after completing the installation of windows and doors, otherwise air from the street entering the room can cause damage to the floor covering.


Laminate flooring in the house.

In our frame garden house, we decided to use high-quality laminate. Laying is carried out on a subfloor made of plywood, on top of which a special sealing material is laid.

Roof insulation with foam plastic

After completing the flooring work, we started thinking about insulating the roof and further increasing sound insulation during rain. This is another serious mistake - it is advisable to complete all the finishing work, including the roof, and only then begin installing the floor covering, otherwise there is a high risk of simply ruining the floor.


Roof insulation with foam plastic.

We decided to insulate the frame country house with our own hands using polystyrene foam. The foam panels are attached to the rafter system from the inside of the house tightly to each other; if gaps remain, cold air will easily penetrate into the room. It is not necessary to attach a waterproofing film between the roof sheathing and the foam.


Roof sheathing with OSB panels.

The foam is covered with OSB panels on top, after which you can begin finishing the roof or leave everything as is.


Almost finished finishing.

Today we talked about how to build a frame garden house with your own hands, based on personal experience. Some mistakes were made during the construction process, but they had virtually no effect on the overall functionality of the structure.

The frame house took several years to build, because most of the time was on weekends and only on our own. With such DIY construction, you can count on low prices for frame houses. In our example, you saw that anyone can build a frame house, even without deep construction skills.