How to build a half-timbered house with your own hands. Half-timbered houses (54 photos): style and reliability, proven for centuries. Half-timbered house materials

Travelers, without going into details, dubbed the old houses with protruding pillars "gingerbread houses". In fact, these buildings are built in half-timbered style, which has an interesting and long history. Its beginning was laid in the XIII century. The first buildings appeared in Bavaria, over time, the fashion captured the whole of Germany and flowed to Europe.

With the gradual development of technologies and materials, new possibilities for frame construction began to open up. And the appearance of double-glazed windows of increased thermal insulation made it possible to equip buildings located not only in the middle lane, but also in the north with transparent walls.

half-timbered houses

So, half-timbered houses - what is it? The German word "fachwerk" literally translates as "frame". A half-timbered building is a spatial structure of interconnected vertical posts, horizontal beams and inclined braces made of needles or oak. The areas between the elements were filled with various building materials: bricks, a composition of straw with clay, reinforced mesh of willow or natural stone.

In the Middle Ages, when building a half-timbered house, they did not particularly care about sheltering a wooden frame, rather, for economic reasons. But it was this feature that gave the external and internal appearance of the building individuality and charm. In a short time, it became clear that German technology was affordable and fast, since the construction of a half-timbered house took about a month.

The wealthy Germans also appreciated the new style, since the exterior of the house was attractive, the wooden frame gave the building lightness and solidity. At the beginning of the 16th century, two-story residential buildings with leveled and whitewashed walls began to be built in cities. During operation, the tree darkened, creating a contrast against the snow-white background. This is how the German fachwerk arose.

Gradual changes in technology

In Europe, they also learned what it is - half-timbered houses, and quickly appreciated all the advantages of Bavarian technology:

• unusual appearance;
• the use of cheap and available materials;
• short construction period;
• construction on their own;
• simple foundation of the house;
• warm walls that save the optimal temperature regime inside the housing.

When the technology reached the north, there the distances between the beams began to be laid with stone, and clay was applied on top of it. For insulation, the frame was sewn up with wood. Gradually, each nation made its own adjustments, depending on the available building materials and weather conditions.

Architectural changes

Over time, the wooden frame began to be covered with stain and paint. Thus, it was possible to make it more visible on a white background, as well as protect it from destruction.

Architects also made changes to the traditional half-timbered style, combining it with Art Nouveau, and began to use modern materials:

• Glass was added to the tree. It became possible to perform glazing of half-timbered houses, that is, to insert glass between the beams.
• There were metal beams. With their help, it was possible to open the interior space, remove partitions and unnecessary supports.

Features of the frame structure in the fachwerk style

So what is it - half-timbered houses? You already know the answer to this question. It's time to understand the features of this technology:

• Light and warm frame houses. This includes open frame structures and panel models, when insulation is laid out between the supports and sheathing is performed on both sides. Such houses can be built on any soil, including flooded ones. For reliability, it is enough to fill in a support-columnar or light pile foundation. Filling the strip base is possible only in areas with deep freezing of the earth.
• For modern houses, it is necessary to draw up a project and carry out complex calculations. All this requires a lot of money. But costs can be significantly reduced by resorting to standard design. In this case, to give the facade of the house originality, you will need to turn on the fantasy or invite a designer. Examples of half-timbered houses (photo) can be seen below.
• The main knots of the half-timbered structure are the strapping in the lower part along the perimeter and at the connection of each level. Any layout of the house can be easily changed by rearranging the partition to your own taste, and disguising cables and pipes in the walls.

Features of the architectural style fachwerk

Designs in the German fachwerk style are very diverse. Modern projects use different materials, but the style adheres to all the nuances that were identified back in the 16th century:

• a frame made of wood and painted brown or brown;
• sections intersect diagonally with slats and form a variety of shapes from triangles;
• rectangular shape of the building;
• gable roof with attic;
• railings on balconies made of the same beams as the frame (most often they are made to protect the space above the entrance and windows, imitating a visor);
• the perimeter of the second floor is larger than the first and hangs over it, protecting the wall from raindrops;
• the walls of the house can be made of brick or plastered (in modern projects, half-timbered houses are often glazed, especially on the ground floor, in the living area).

New technologies in half-timbered style

This style can be called the basis of all frame housing construction. The construction technology of half-timbered houses is made of supports, cross beams and slopes, like all modern frame construction. The only thing that has changed over time is the thickness of the beams (they have become much thinner).

In a modern half-timbered house, it is difficult to recognize the old European facades, since they have become much more perfect and received what they lacked so much in the Middle Ages. It is primarily about protection and functionality. Now all structures are sheathed with sheet material and provided with external protection through the use of technological finishes (siding, PVC panels, etc.).

From these changes, everyone only benefited - solid sheathing gave the building strength, reliability and rigidity, that is, now there is no need to install powerful beams and racks. Exterior finishing completely protects the house from weather effects such as freezing, sunburn and weathering, thereby extending the life of the material.

Glazing

Facades with distinctive fachwerk (framework) elements today are no more than a stylistic decision at home. Of course, no one has been making clay walls for a long time. Now the sinuses are filled with ecological or mineral wool, and not so long ago it has become fashionable to use straw filler.

One of the common solutions is frameless glazing of half-timbered houses. The technology involves the formation of a glass facade, without noticeable components of the supporting frame. From the outside, only translucent panels and strips of sealant are visible. The frameless glazing of half-timbered houses creates the illusion of lightness of the entire structure.

How to build a one-story half-timbered house with your own hands?

Before you start drawing up a plan, you need to consider all the stages of work:

• preparatory impregnation of lumber;
• frame installation;
• "stuffing" of the frame box with heat-insulating elements;
• roof installation;
• exterior and interior finishes.

You already know what it is - half-timbered houses. Now let's find out how to build such a structure on our own. Building a half-timbered building is not so difficult. It's just that professionals will need half the time - two weeks.

Step-by-step instruction

By purchasing a finished project, the customer receives all the components and details of the house in numbered packages. The elements are connected with special pre-prepared seams. The whole process is reminiscent of assembling a wooden constructor, only later you will get the perfect house. The stages of work do not differ much from the usual frame structure, but there are some features:

• Lightweight foundation pouring. Since the technology of half-timbered houses does not imply the use of heavy materials, a shallow strip base is quite enough.
• Covering the strapping with waterproofing. A waterproofing layer must be laid on top of the base. Ideally, this should be a roofing material laid on a bituminous lubricant.
• Fastening the strapping beam with metal anchors. This is very important to do before erecting the frame.
• Connecting vertical and horizontal elements with braces.
• Installation of internal partitions from a bar of small size. They are attached to the floor with frame dowels.
• The connection at the top of the frame frame with the truss system.
• Fixing wall panels. The installation is carried out in such a way that the structural elements remain in sight, that is, they fill the frame from the inside.
• Installation of internal partitions.
• Installation of engineering communications.
• Roof installation.
• Finishing a half-timbered house (photo examples can be seen below).

Fachwerk style decoration

Not everyone has the opportunity to build a house, adhering to precise technologies. But even the simplest frame structure will look like a "gingerbread house" if done right.

To perform exterior decoration in the fachwerk style, you must:

• The use of plate material, for example, DSP, is a practical and durable product that has a long service life. This material is also convenient because you don’t have to suffer with sawing, since the tiles are perfectly cut by a grinder, and are attached to the walls with ordinary screws.
• Wall plastering. This is not an easy job, but it must be done in order to increase the heat-saving properties of the house - a thick layer of plaster perfectly protects against wind and freezing.
• During the construction of half-timbered structures in severe winters, it is recommended to replace double-glazed windows with other materials. For example, you can use a decorative polyurethane panel and a bar with a section of 150 * 150. Get the perfect imitation of half-timbered style. No one will even guess that the technology is broken. The panels are attached to the facade with liquid nails or construction adhesive.

As you can see, it’s not difficult to make a “gingerbread house” out of a standard structure. The advantages of imitation also lie in the fact that a building can be built of brick, stone, sip panels or blocks, and the exterior finish can already be done in the half-timbered style.

Conclusion

Summing up, we can say with full confidence that building a house using German technology is no more difficult than any other. Anyone who intends to build their own housing or cottage can make the dream of many come true - living in a house that at least outwardly will look like a European one. In any case, a half-timbered house will definitely stand out from the others with its originality.

In our country, half-timbered houses are a relatively new trend, which is gaining more and more popularity every day. Such a structure has already gained its overwhelming popularity, and this is quite obvious. For its construction, only pure building materials are used, and the structure is convenient to use.

Why are half-timbered buildings so special?

Building a half-timbered house

Half-timbered houses began to be built several centuries ago, starting from the distant 12th century.

Such structures are classified as low-rise buildings and may include a maximum of four floors. And today it is very popular to build such a structure from one floor using the maximum of modern technologies.

Fachwerk is a cellular structure. The technique of building half-timbered houses has nothing to do with the usual brick or concrete buildings. Such a structure is based on a frame made of wood from load-bearing vertical posts, horizontally installed beams and diagonal braces. The basis of the house is a wooden beam made of durable species, which is treated with special glue.

The technical features that a wooden beam should differ in are shown in the table.

During the construction of buildings, chip and cement slabs are very often used, which are produced by pressing Portland cement, wood chips and various stabilizers. This canvas has:

• high density;
• good heat and sound insulation features;
• not afraid of the vagaries of the weather;
• has an affordable price;
• easy to install.

Today, thanks to technological progress, it has begun to erect half-timbered buildings from heat-saving glass panels. In this way, you can glaze up to 95% of the surfaces in the house.

As a rule, half-timbered buildings are complemented by a two or four-slope roof, which is installed quite low. Thanks to its location on hot days, you can hide under its shade from the scorching sun.

The main distinguishing feature that is unique to half-timbered houses is a wood frame that is not hidden under a layer of finishing material.

Advantages and disadvantages of buildings

How to build a half-timbered house with your own hands?

The building in half-timbered style cannot but amaze with its accuracy and grace. Another plus in their favor is that they can be built very quickly by putting all the necessary parts together, like a designer. Despite the ease of installation, such buildings have a high level of strength and are distinguished by a long service life, as you can see if you look at houses that were built about 3 centuries ago, but retained their original beauty.

It is also worth highlighting the following advantages:

1. due to the fact that an axial structure is being erected in buildings, there is no need to build load-bearing walls inside the building;
2. in half-timbered buildings, the main load falls on vertical racks and wood frames, which reduces the amount of pressure on the foundation;
3. such buildings do not shrink, so they can be erected on any basis, which, in turn, reduces the cost of construction;
4. due to the fact that the house is being built from separate parts (according to the principle of the designer), it can be rebuilt in the shortest possible time, which brick or stone buildings cannot boast of.

There is nothing perfect in our life, and a half-timbered house is no exception. But, thanks to modern technology, many problems were still managed to be overcome.

For example, earlier half-timbered buildings were very inferior to brick houses in terms of their “ability” to keep warm. But, today, thanks to modern building materials with increased heat retention, this has ceased to be a problem.

How to decorate a half-timbered house?

Do-it-yourself half-timbered houses, really?

A half-timbered building is based on a special load-bearing frame, for which glued beams made of steel or reinforced concrete are used.

Previously, it was customary to fill the spaces between the bearing parts with adobe, but today they use for this purpose:

• brickwork;
• a natural stone;
• foam blocks;
• aerated concrete.

As a rule, various heaters are added to such materials.

But, this is not the whole list of materials from which you can see the design of the half-timbered building. Also widely used:

1. board material

For work, such plates can be cut with a grinder or a jigsaw, then pigmented in the desired shade with a water-based or oil paint.

The plates are fastened with screws, which are screwed between the frame parts.

Also, gypsum-fiber sheets with a high level of moisture resistance or lining can be used as a board material.

1. Plaster

This type of finish is most suitable for decorating buildings made of brick or blocks.

As a mixture, it is better to choose waterproof compounds that can cover walls several centimeters thick.

If you live in a region with harsh climatic conditions, building a house with glass walls is not very cost-effective. For this, other options have been developed that allow you to make the house the most favorable for living, thereby not violating its stylistic features.

As you can see, such an imitation of a half-timbered house will be cheap, but its appearance and technical characteristics will not suffer a bit from this.

We build buildings in the style of half-timbered houses with our own hands

half-timbered house

If half-timbered buildings made an indelible impression on you, and you decide to build such a house for yourself with your own hands, get ready that this is absolutely not easy. Despite the fact that experienced builders assure the speed of construction of such a building, they mean the assembly of the structure from already prepared parts, for which all elements were previously carefully designed by computer programs.

Such parts are connected using "thorn-groove" systems, which provide the structure with strength. But, for high-quality work with your own hands, you must have at least some skills in carpentry.

Before you build a half-timbered building with your own hands, you need to consider the following points:

• in order to properly build a building with your own hands, you need to build a lightweight foundation, because a half-timbered structure does not create a large load on the base, but distributes it between the wooden beams of the frame;
• it will be necessary to lay waterproofing on the foundation, then install a strapping from a bar and fix it with metal anchors;
• then install a frame of glued beams;
• as a heater, you can use both basalt wool and cellulose mats;
• if a lot of walls in the house are made of glass, you can install a “warm floor” or an additional heating system near them;
• to cover the roof, you can use ceramic or metal tiles, as well as sheet iron;
• when all the work is completed, you can proceed to the external design.

To give the building completeness, color and half-timbered style, it must be plastered and painted with light colors, preferably in pastel colors.

Frame houses on the half-timbered principle have been known for quite a long time, since they were made of pine and turned out to be very warm and strong. Such houses to this day do not lose popularity among residents of country houses, private cottages and summer cottages, so they can be found in various parts of the world where people care about comfort and want to live in beauty. We invite you to get to know do-it-yourself half-timbered house construction technology.

Structures of half-timbered houses

The half-timbered house combines wood with stone and glass. All this is assembled and forms an overall harmonious composition. The appearance of these houses is recognizable and difficult to confuse with other types of frame buildings. A half-timbered house is built quickly, lasts a long time and is distinguished by warmth and beauty. The presence of large windows allows you to expand the horizon and make your stay in the house comfortable.

The construction of a half-timbered house begins with laying the foundation. It is built according to the type of a monoblock reinforced concrete foundation, or according to the principle of a shallowly recessed one. The depth is calculated taking into account the peculiarities of the local soil, the proximity of the passage of groundwater, the features of the future building.

For the frame construction of a half-timbered house, special pine beams are taken. The frame is made in full accordance with the design, taking into account the slopes and the calculation of the bearing capacity of the building. The walls according to the project of a half-timbered house are not load-bearing. They divide the house space into parts and at the same time turn out to be light and rigid. Their connection is made with the help of spikes, iron staples, plates. The bottom of the frame is connected to the foundation with anchor bolts. Before this, the base of the house is covered with two layers of waterproofing. The lower part of the building is covered with polystyrene foam, as it prevents moisture and cold from entering the room.

This frame structure of a half-timbered house according to the construction technology can be filled with various materials. The walls inside the house are filled with heat and vapor barrier in mats with a layer of isofol or other foil material. Finishing the house can be ordered on a turn-key basis or you can do it yourself using any mixture.

How to build a half-timbered house with your own hands

Before erecting a half-timbered house, you need to create a plan. It should be written in it: technology and sequence of work, amount of material, type of foundation. You can draw up the layout of building a house yourself, or turn to professionals who will help you put all your ideas on paper and tell you how to implement them in life.

1. First, the depth is calculated, the reinforced concrete reinforced foundation of the house is marked and poured.
2. When creating a plan, axial structures and any additional features that make the house look designer can be included.
3. The frame is made from polished or glued pine timber, which is pre-impregnated with protective compounds. After mounting the frame, it must be opened with varnish.

The frame-frame design allows:

• reduce construction by technology to the shortest possible time;
• make your home safe and durable.

In such construction, the amount of wood material is minimized, which allows, in addition to saving time, to save money.

The frame, terraces, walls, roof of the house - all this is connected with wooden spikes and iron brackets. The design is strong yet lightweight at the same time. External cells are filled with mats with heat, sound and moisture protection properties. From above, everything is covered with plywood slabs with antiseptic impregnation or OSB slabs. After that, windows, doors are inserted and can be taken for cladding. The cladding of the frame is made from any material that the future owner of this house chooses according to his taste.

Half-timbered houses according to construction technology always have many windows, and the walls are most often trimmed with wood or stone. These combinations allow you to make the house complete and beautiful. Windows are most often deaf, hinged, panoramic or display windows. They are fixed with silicone sealant and closed with felt-insulated architraves.

Engineering networks and communications are laid under the floor. Various cables for home and street lighting, water supply and sewerage pipes are made hidden. For such a house, a warm water floor is most often used in the form of heating. Pipes for sewerage and water supply inside the house are taken from polypropylene. Wiring to sockets is carried out inside the walls.

When choosing a roof during construction, a gable, non-attic structure is most often used, but you can make any other, most unusual option at your discretion. In any case, there should be large overhangs that will protect the house from bad weather and bright light. Terraces allow you to create the effect of continuing the house, they are also located under a common roof. The ceilings inside the house are hemmed with plasterboard or any wooden material. Full compliance with planning documentation and technology allows you to build a half-timbered house that meets reliability, which will guarantee comfortable living in it for many years.

The half-timbered method is used for private construction, for the construction of hotels, cafes and other public buildings. Knowing the technology, you can build a turnkey half-timbered house with your own hands at minimal cost. Another way is to find out the prices from the developer and buy a ready-made house.

In the era of maximum development of design and construction, many people dream of their own ideal housing, and in order to make this dream come true, it is necessary to take care not only of the internal environment, but also of the external appearance of the building. At the same time, the choice of a stylistic direction depends on many factors, including the surrounding small architectural forms, the landscape, as well as financial and technical capabilities. However, the fundamental criterion for choosing the direction of styling is the taste preferences of the future homeowner. Despite the fact that in this case everything seems obvious, the situation is somewhat complicated by the increased requirements for private real estate. In Russia, more and more often you can find elite suburban villages, cottages in which are made in the same style. An unusual solution, which is gaining more and more popularity, are groups of cottages, the facade of which is made in the half-timbered style, which came to us from Western Europe. The historical quarters of the old towns of Germany, Switzerland and Holland are built up with similar buildings, reminiscent of gingerbread houses from a fairy tale, which fascinate tourists and are attractions in themselves. These buildings are wrapped in the charm of Europe and the spirit of antiquity, which hovers even over modern half-timbered buildings. Thanks to the development of innovative technologies in construction, complemented by the high professionalism of the craftsmen, each developer gets the opportunity to recreate half-timbered houses with their own hands. To make sure that you want to have such a house in private ownership, check out the materials in this article, which discusses the features of building a half-timbered house.

Half-timbered houses: a brief historical background

The name of the half-timbered style, which comes from the German fach - panel, werk - structure, and in general translates as "frame construction", came to us from Germany, where this architectural solution has been popular since the ΧV century. First of all, it is necessary to understand that a fachwerk is a building structure of a special type, the basis of which is a rigid frame made of timber and formed by a system of elements of vertical, horizontal and diagonal elements, such as posts, beams and braces. In this case, the gaps between the supporting elements are filled with various materials. If earlier it was stone, clay or adobe, then the development of today's construction industry allows us to diversify this list with modern insulation and sandwich panels. Despite the fact that such wooden frame structures are common throughout the entire European state, they are consistently associated with gingerbread houses from German fairy tales. Historically, the half-timbered style was used in the construction of not only residential areas, but also warehouses, industrial buildings, warehouses and even small churches. It is important that frame structures in the half-timbered style play not only a functional, but also a decorative role, which is due to their distinctive feature - the visible frame of the structure, which emphasizes the shape of one-story and two-story buildings with its cellular structure.

At the moment, frame construction methods are used in the construction of luxury houses. A characteristic feature of the style is the absence of any restrictions on the designer's imagination, and a large glass area creates a unique feeling of unity with nature. The modern manifestation of fachwerk was a stylistic trend that originated in the 70s of the ΧΧ century. The main trend of that time was a radical restructuring of old forms into something new, previously unknown and not always successful. It was at this time that fachwerk experienced its second birth, followed by an interesting development. To date, there is a distinction between the construction of half-timbered houses and the decoration of houses in this style.

Half-timbered houses photo

German fachwerk: design features of the building

The German half-timbered building is considered the most ancient building style, the main architectural and stylistic concept of which is borrowed by modern half-timbered buildings. But, despite the unity of the stylistic concept, modern half-timbered houses show only an external resemblance to their progenitor - the German half-timbered house and a distant similarity of architectural forms. A modern house in the German half-timbered style is a reliable high-strength frame structure, which is designed in the spirit of past years and demonstrates respectability, nobility, as well as clarity of lines and perfection of forms. The basis of the German-style half-timbered house is a frame, which is made of solid or glued coniferous timber. The know-how of modern construction is the erection of a house frame, in which polypropylene or mineral wool slabs are placed, equipped with two membrane layers: windproof, which prevents the fibers of the heat-insulating material from blowing out, and moisture-proof, protecting the material from moisture penetration.

For the manufacture of the building, pre-prepared sandwich panels can be used, pressed on both sides with cement-bonded, mineral wool or polypropylene boards, attached to the wooden frame of the building. For the manufacture of the frame of the building, only modern equipment is used, which allows to carry out work with high accuracy. Also at the production stage, it is treated with antiseptic compounds that prevent the development of mold and fungus. In addition, the building frame can be glazed, filled with slabs or sandwich panels, without deviating from the architectural design. At the final stage of construction and when performing external finishing, wooden structures must be treated with natural oil-based protective compounds that protect the frame structure from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, fire and biological damaging objects.

Reasons for the popularity of half-timbered houses

• The sophistication of appearance is not the only advantage of half-timbered houses. Modern houses made in this style are distinguished by a large area of ​​glazing, which creates the impression that the boundaries of the house are dissolving, ensuring the unity of man and the surrounding nature. However, this is also the reason for the popular misconception that such structures cannot be used as residential buildings in regions with a harsh climate, and even more so in harsh Russian winters. To dissuade you from this, we note that half-timbered houses are one of the most economical structures in terms of energy saving and can compete directly with buildings made of brick, concrete, stone and logs.

Important! The large savings in heat energy, characteristic of half-timbered houses, are due to the use of special energy-saving glazing. Unlike conventional glass, it reduces heat loss through openings. In addition, in the manufacture of modern half-timbered structures, sandwich panels are used, the structure of which includes heat-insulating materials that reduce heat loss. And, finally, such buildings are equipped with a "warm floor" system that regulates heat transfer in the building.

• The optimal rigidity of the frame guarantees the absence of shrinkage and deformation, which is another indisputable advantage of half-timbered structures.
• In the process of individual construction of houses in difficult conditions, such frame structures are often used, which is due to their lightness and, unlike brick houses, less pressure on the soil. Due to the fact that frame structures of this type do not need to install a reinforced foundation, being limited to a shallow system, you get the opportunity to save on construction.

Half-timbered house projects

Design is the main stage of any construction. High-quality projects of half-timbered houses, developed by competent specialists, are the key to successful construction. In the case of a competent approach to the construction of half-timbered houses, the building will last for decades, while retaining its original characteristics. To be sure that the house will be characterized by a comfortable layout, you need to think about developing an individual project. If you are planning to build a house characterized by a complex non-traditional design, in any case, you cannot do without an individual project.

Even an inexperienced craftsman understands that the construction of half-timbered houses is not the easiest option for building houses in our climate. Due to the fact that half-timbered houses are not similar to one another, and can differ not only in the way of finishing and size, but also in layout, experts do not recommend neglecting the drafting of projects, during the development of which you can determine the number of storeys of buildings, the number of entrances , glazing option and the nuances of the internal layout.

A distinctive feature of the frame structure in the half-timbered style is the storey ledges, the question of the presence or absence of which is decided at the stage of developing a house project. Initially, they were intended to protect the front wall from precipitation. Currently, the arrangement of a half-timbered house “by all the rules” implies the presence of storey protrusions, which contribute to a slight increase in usable area. Also, at the stage of designing a one-story half-timbered house, the issue of the presence and location of balconies and terraces, which are an integral part of modern half-timbered houses, is being decided. The design phase allows you to play with glazing variations, frame colors and structural elements, you get the opportunity to recreate a unique half-timbered house that will be associated with old gingerbread houses from German fairy tales or modern modern villas.

Building a half-timbered house: fundamental points

The simplest option for creating a half-timbered house is its initial construction using the fundamental points of this technology. In order to deal with the construction technology in the future, we will designate the main stages of the construction of a half-timbered house:

• Treatment of wooden materials with specialized antiseptic compounds, which prevents the development of mold, fungus, and also reduces the absorbency of wood;
• Fachwerkhouse frame installation;
• Filling the frame with sound and heat insulating materials;
• Roof installation;
• Implementation of interior and exterior wall decoration;

Important! From the moment the construction of half-timbered houses began, it was believed that they were intended only for regions with a mild climate, but technology does not stand still, and today, in the process of building half-timbered structures, it is supposed to use:

• Sandwich heaters;
• Systems "warm floor";
• Energy saving glazing.

Site preparation for construction

• Before proceeding with construction, it is necessary to prepare the site on which the building will be erected and examine the soil. As the basis of a half-timbered house, you can use any foundation suitable for the construction of wooden houses. This is due to the ease inherent in any wooden frame building, thanks to which. Bearing structures will not create pressure on the foundation.
• If the site chosen for construction is characterized by the presence of heaving soils, it is necessary to build a more reliable foundation that will prevent it from being squeezed out in winter with the help of groundwater. The choice of the type of foundation must be carried out, focusing on the characteristics of the soil, which will determine the type of foundation - it will be tape, columnar or pile.

How to mount the frame?

• To ensure the insulation of the structure from moisture, a layer of waterproofing materials is laid on top of the foundation, after which a strapping crown is mounted from a bar with a cross section of 50x200 mm. Before mounting the frame, the timber is treated with antiseptic compounds. After the strapping crown is ready, the lower part of the frame is attached to it. To ensure the reliability and rigidity of the frame structure, various types of parts are used, such as dovetail, countersunk tenon, as well as the use of wooden dowels in the process of fastening parts.
• Half-timbered houses are characterized by the presence of a rigid frame consisting of vertical and horizontal beams, as well as diagonal elements - braces, which are a distinctive feature of the half-timbered structure and give it stability. To make the fasteners invisible, as well as to hide the visible details of the skin, use the connection in the groove and spike.

Important! The most popular material for the construction of half-timbered houses is planed polished glued laminated timber from coniferous wood, pre-treated with specialized protective compounds. Often, metal beams are used to mount the frame, the use of which makes the structure even more durable.

• The installation of load-bearing racks is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the project, which takes into account the width of window and door openings. The distance between the support posts depends on the width of the window and door openings, but it should not exceed 3-4 meters.
• As a material for installing floor beams, an edged board with a section of 50x200 mm, treated with fire-retardant compounds, is used. The installation of the frame elements hidden by the sheathing and not being visible parts of the fachwerk-style structure is carried out from an edged board with a section of 45x145 mm, also treated with fire-retardant compounds. After the installation of the walls is completed, a truss roof system is made. At the same time, the installation of a half-timbered house structure at this stage is not much different from the installation of a traditional frame structure.

Features of mounting wall sheathing elements: popular materials

The development of modern technologies makes it possible to replace traditional clay, adobe and reeds, previously used to fill the space between the supporting beams, with more modern heat-insulating materials. Currently, modern materials are increasingly being used for these purposes, for example, basalt wool, polyurethane panels or cement-bonded particle board. The same materials are used to decorate a half-timbered house.

Important! A distinctive feature of a half-timbered building is that the horizontal and vertical beams and braces located in the outer plane always remain open.

The final stage of construction is filling the empty space of the frame with the subsequent installation of windows and doors. Recently, large glasses have been increasingly used for these purposes, which ultimately led to the development and popularization of half-timbered glass. The appearance of the half-timbered structure combines classical styles: European and Japanese.

Important! To ensure the preservation of heat in a house where the voids in the frame are filled with glass, experts recommend using specially designed energy-saving double-glazed windows made of low-emissivity glass, characterized by argon filling. Despite the fact that such a house is filled with natural light, its external fragility is very deceptive.

Another material used for this purpose is cement particle board (CSP) , which is a rectangular sheet, which is made from Portland cement and wood shavings. In addition to these components, the DSP includes special chemical components that provide the antiseptic properties of the material. DSP belongs to the materials of low price category, and despite the fact that it is characterized by low bending strength, it perfectly withstands longitudinal loads.

How to decorate a half-timbered house?

Finishing the facade of a half-timbered house is an easier way to create a half-timbered house. To carry out the decoration of a half-timbered house with your own hands, they take as a basis a building made of any material and characterized by any constructive and stylistic variations. Polyurethane is the main material for finishing half-timbered facades, from which beams and beams are made, visually indistinguishable from wooden beams even at close range. However, unlike wood, they are resistant to high humidity, temperature changes and the harmful effects of insects. In addition, using polyurethane for the manufacture of beams, you can not worry about the appearance of deformations and cracks. To carry out the installation of polyurethane beams, you will need "liquid nails" glue.

Important! When purchasing an adhesive for mounting polyurethane beams, read the instructions to make sure that it is suitable for outdoor use, as well as resistant to temperature and humidity changes.

An important stage in the installation of polyurethane beams is the cutting of parts and the fitting of joints, which will require end and circular saws.

A few words about the design of the half-timbered house

The simplicity of a half-timbered house, which seems at first glance, becomes deceptive upon closer examination, because, attracting the views of others, half-timbered houses create a unique luxury and recreate ancient German motifs in reality. Despite the fact that in the process of building and finishing a half-timbered house, experts adhere to the same principles, the variety of appearance of half-timbered houses is so great that it is difficult to find two identical buildings. Due to the variety of textures and colors, half-timbered houses are considered one of the most unique buildings.

The fundamental principles of the design of half-timbered houses:

• The facade of a half-timbered house can be complemented by any style: it can be classic minimalism, an American ranch, a German version of country style, and even a combination of several national styles;

• The color scheme of the half-timbered house is also characterized by diversity. The main principle of the color scheme is the contrasting selection of wooden beams that stand out against the main background of the wall. The most popular is the combination of light pastel shades and dark brown beams;
• Despite the fact that the combination of light walls and contrasting dark beams is most often used, the reverse combination is also acceptable and often more advantageous;

• The interior of a half-timbered house must match its exterior. The interior of the building can be decorated in the German country style, which will allow you to create a complete picture;
• The German version of the country style involves the use of a large amount of wood. Textiles within the framework of this stylistic decision require a careful approach: it is best to lay a rough carpet on the floor, decorate the windows with thick curtains, and cover the furniture with thick bedspreads, matching the color and texture of the curtains. The highlight of the style will be pre-aged wooden beams.

Fachwerk, that is, a frame house filled with clay or brick, appeared in the 11th century, but this technology flourished in the Renaissance, that is, the 15th century. Despite such a venerable age, this technology makes it possible to build very durable and relatively inexpensive houses with an unusual appearance. In this article, we will tell you how to build a half-timbered house and avoid the most common mistakes.

Two types of half-timbered houses

Today you can find two types of houses in this style:

• built using fachwerk technology;
• fachwerk finished.

In the first case, the house not only looks appropriate, but is also built in a frame way, then filled with some kind of filler. The basis of such a house is a frame made of coniferous timber. It is he who has all the advantages that made houses in this style reliable and popular throughout medieval Europe. Until now, there are houses in this style, whose age reaches 500 years. In the second case, the house can be built from anything, then decoratively finished in half-timbered style. Such a house cannot have the positive qualities that are inherent in the original houses, so the only plus of such a finish is an unusual and stylish appearance.

Half-timbered house materials

As a material for the supporting frame, glued larch timber is best suited. It has high strength, resistant to fungus and mold. Instead, you can use glued pine lumber, which has less good characteristics. As a filler, you can use traditional adobe, that is, a mixture of clay and straw, however, we recommend making an analogue of SIP panels from two sheets of wood concrete and some kind of insulation. Instead of wood concrete, you can use a thin board, plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). You can use other materials that meet four basic qualities:

• high strength;
• ease of processing;
• low cost;
• low thermal conductivity.

When building the walls of such a house, you can also use recycled products, for example, organic cellulose insulation. It is made from waste paper, so the cost is low, and the level of thermal conductivity is only slightly higher than that of mineral wool. Another very successful filler material is granules or crumbs of polyurethane foam or foam. These materials are also very inexpensive and have very low thermal conductivity. In addition, they do not have to be cut, because this material is poured into the cavity. To better understand the design of such a wall, we recommend reading about double-beam houses.

Foundation

The choice of foundation depends on the materials from which the walls will be made. For walls made of light materials, the pile screw foundation, which we talked about in this article, is best suited. If the walls are heavy, for example, with adobe filler, then a more powerful foundation will be required. In addition, a house built using half-timbered technology is very sensitive to frost heaving of the soil, so the foundation must be lowered below the freezing depth. Otherwise, frost heaving will first tear the foundation, and then violate the integrity of the walls, covering them with cracks and crevices. Worst of all, they tolerate frosty heaving of walls made of heavy materials - brick, adobe and others.

Frame and walls

The basis of the frame is vertical poles installed at a distance of 50–70 cm from each other. At the level of ceilings and windows, the vertical beams are tied with horizontal ones, to which the floors are then attached. It is necessary to connect vertical and horizontal bars half a tree or into a spike, fixing with a wooden dowel. If possible, use a dovetail connection and also fix with a dowel. Braces or inclined beams not only increase the rigidity of the structure, but also give it that very unique charm of the houses of old Europe.

Braces must be distributed so that they create a beautiful pattern, so they can be inserted both into small cells and fit into several cells formed by vertical and horizontal bars. The methods of fastening the braces to the beam are the same as for the junction of the vertical and horizontal beams. Fixing with a dowel will make the entire structure more durable and reliable. As a frame reinforcement, use metal corners that are attached to vertical and horizontal corners. If you find the corners of the desired shape, then reinforce them with braces. While creating the frame, prepare places for installing windows and doors.

In the original half-timbered houses, vertical poles were dug directly into the ground or placed on large stones. However, it is more practical to do the same as in the construction of a conventional frame house, that is, attach a salary (lower) beam to the foundation or grillage, and then attach vertical beams to it. This mounting method is especially preferred in regions with:

• high groundwater level;
• frequent and heavy rainfall;
• very low winter temperatures;
• strong winds;
• unstable ground.

Before assembling the frame, treat the entire beam with hydrophobic impregnations and an antiseptic, and also think over the method of attaching the filler. For adobe and arbolite mass, a lattice of branches or thin slats is well suited. To insert such a lattice, in each beam you need to make a groove along the diameter or width of the branches or slats, then assemble the frame at the same time and insert the slats into the groove. You can also use a steel mesh with small cells (up to 5x5 cm) in size.

The walls of a half-timbered house must meet three basic requirements:

• be slightly thinner than a beam;
• have sufficient strength;
• have low thermal conductivity.

Cob and wood concrete walls are the most correct in terms of style, but they hold heat worse than a sandwich of insulation and two facing slabs. Therefore, you will have to decide for yourself what is more important for you - reliability or lower heating costs. After drying, the walls of wood concrete and adobe will need to be caulked, because gaps will appear between them and the timber. In the summer, when the beam dries out as much as possible, these gaps will increase. For half-timbered houses, the same caulking methods are applicable as for ordinary log cabins. To reduce the shrinkage of the frame, and hence the size of the cracks, it is necessary to use well-dried glued laminated timber treated with reliable hydrophobic preparations. In addition, it is necessary to repeat the treatment of all frame bars with such preparations every 2-3 years.

Windows, doors and ventilation

Modern plastic windows harmoniously fit into the exterior of the half-timbered house. However, they cannot be fixed in the same way as in concrete or brick houses. To install windows and doors, you need to make a pigtail, which we talked about in the article (Pigtail in a wooden house). If you install windows and doors without a pigtail, then under the influence of seasonal shrinkage and swelling of the frame bars, the windows and doors will either jam, or more gaps will appear between them and the frame, which is very difficult to deal with. In addition, it is necessary to think over the ventilation system, because a half-timbered house, unlike a wooden one, cannot independently remove excess moisture to the outside and dump them into the atmosphere. Therefore, the lack of good ventilation leads to the appearance of mold and rot.

Floors, ceilings and roof

Exterior and interior decoration

Outside, the half-timbered house is carefully caulked, then the walls are painted with light colors, and the beams of the frame are dark. This creates a unique flavor of ancient half-timbered houses. To paint the timber, it is desirable to use vapor-permeable paints, this will reduce the likelihood of rot or mold in the wood. You can use any paint to paint the walls, because neither adobe or arbalit, nor moisture-resistant plywood or OSB are afraid of any paints. From the inside, such a house can be finished in any way, for example, sheathed with plasterboard or wagon board. You can also plaster the entire interior surface of the house or keep the original appearance of the walls.

Conclusion

Half-timbered houses still retain their popularity and medieval surroundings. They are easier and cheaper to manufacture than a full-fledged log house and are comparable in price to inexpensive frame houses. However, you are unlikely to be able to sell such a house quickly and expensively, because most people prefer traditional brick, concrete or wooden houses, but if you build it for yourself and your family, then it will serve you for hundreds of years.