How to build a garden house from a bar. Construction of a house from a bar: types of construction timber, design features, stages of building a building. Turnkey profiled timber house from DomaTo














For the construction of country cottages, various wall materials are used, each of which has its own characteristics. Many private developers who want to have an environmentally friendly and comfortable housing that does not require large construction costs choose timber. Today it is possible to build a log house using modern advanced materials and technologies, resulting in a beautiful, reliable and durable cottage. What are houses made of profiled timber, a photo and a description of the construction process in our article.

If you are thinking about how to build a house in the forest, then timber is the best option.

What is a bar

This is a building material that is made from wood by hewing. It has a square or rectangular section. The minimum cross-sectional size is 10 by 10 cm, the maximum is 40 by 40. This is a fairly strong and “warm” natural material that allows you to build houses on light, inexpensive foundations. A bar of resinous wood saturates the premises of the cottage with phytoncides (useful bactericidal substances). In addition, it refers to vapor-permeable materials. Thanks to this, a microclimate favorable for humans is formed inside the house.

The correct geometry of the beam facilitates the process of assembling the log house, and allows you to build walls without cracks and gaps. In the manufacture of timber, it is treated with special compounds that protect it from moisture, insects and rodents, while making the wood fire resistant. After completion of all manufacturing stages, the material is dried using special equipment, as a result of which it shrinks by about 10%. There is also a bar of natural moisture, which dries (settles) under normal conditions for several months.

Professional developers use the following types of timber to build a house:

    profiled;

  • insulated.

profiled

This is a wood material with a rectangular cross section, which has recesses designed for the most dense joining of individual bars to each other. The front side of such a bar can be rounded or flat. The inside is usually flat. Profiled material eliminates the possibility of cracks in the wall. Thanks to the recesses, the construction of the log house is very quick and easy.

Glued

Glued laminated timber is made from individual lamellas, which are pre-dried and then glued together with non-toxic glue. Due to the different direction of the fibers in the lamellas, the glued material is very durable. It almost does not shrink. Such a material can have a large length, which increases its versatility in application.

insulated

This version of the beam is distinguished by the presence of a hole between the front and back sides. This hole is filled with cellulose. The result is a material with improved thermal insulation characteristics.

On our website you can get acquainted with the most popular projects from construction companies presented at the exhibition of houses "Low Rise Country".

wood species

Timber for building houses is made from rocks that are less susceptible to rotting and rodent attack than others. Mostly it is larch, spruce or pine. The tree with the most attractive characteristics is larch. It is durable, fireproof, and does not rot even in sea water. The resin secreted by larch acts as a natural antiseptic that protects it from insects. The only disadvantage of this type of wood is the high cost.

Spruce and pine are considered more economical options. Spruce is looser in structure and has many knots. However, with the right approach, high-quality building timber is made from it. Pine is more practical in every way. According to its characteristics, it is second only to larch.

What material to choose

Currently, profiled and glued beams are especially actively used. The choice between these two options is based on their differences. So, glued wood is produced in a wider range of standard sizes. Due to the fact that the lamellas can be “spliced” in length, glued laminated timber can reach 18 linear meters, while profiled material has a length of up to 6 meters.

The thicker the wall elements, the better the walls made of it retain heat. However, solid profiled material with a cross section of more than 200 cm is rarely used, since thick bars are difficult to dry. Glued and here has less restrictions. If desired, you can purchase glued laminated timber with a cross section of 275 mm.

In terms of environmental friendliness, profiled material is considered more attractive, which is made without the use of glue. But in this matter, it should be remembered that responsible manufacturers use adhesives only from the class of safe compounds. In addition, profiled timber also does not remain completely environmentally friendly, since it must be covered with protective substances.

The level of vapor permeability of profiled timber is higher. At the same time, glued material gives minimal shrinkage, has higher strength and is a more fire-resistant type of construction wood. In addition, a house made of glued laminated timber can be prepared for moving in immediately after assembly, and a building made of profiled material should stand for about six months until the shrinkage process is completed. In general, the indicators of glued wood are more acceptable, but profiled wood costs about 30% less, therefore it is in no less demand.

Recently, insulated (or double) timber has been increasingly used. Houses from it are warmer and stronger than from glued, as it is a structure made of wood, insulation and cross joints. Insulated timber weighs less than glued timber, but costs less. However, before building a wooden house from a bar of this type, you need to think carefully about its disadvantages. The main one is the rapid destruction of the insulation, which cannot be replaced in any way.

double beam

Video description

Glued laminated timber and thermal timber differences and the cost of a turnkey house made of thermal timber - see the following video:

Construction stages

The technology of building a house from a bar at home is not particularly different from building a cottage from other building materials. But there are still some nuances.

Project

The engineering basis of a log house should be a high-quality professional project created by specialists who know how to properly build a house from a log. The architectural development takes into account all the characteristics of the material, and uses such solutions that enhance the dignity of wood buildings.

The beam is ideal for building small and medium-sized houses. But if you wish, you can build a large wooden mansion with complex architecture. In any case, the length of the walls is calculated taking into account the standard length of the beam (6 meters). In order for the designed log house to be built quickly, and at the same time a minimum of waste remains, the length of the walls, a multiple of 2 or 3 meters, is included in the project.

Purchase of materials

Materials are purchased in accordance with the architect's calculations. It is very important to purchase all the necessary timber in a single purchase. This is especially true for profiled wood, in which the percentage of moisture content can differ significantly in different batches.

Site preparation

Any construction begins with the preparation of the site. At this stage, old buildings are dismantled, trees and shrubs that may interfere with construction are removed, and the ground is leveled.

Foundation

Timber cottages are built on strip foundations. Such a foundation is equipped in several steps. First, a trench is dug around the perimeter of the future building. Sand and gravel fall asleep at the bottom. All this is well tamped. Next, a wooden formwork is installed and concrete is poured.

Draft floor

The erection of a directly timber building begins with the laying of the lower crowns and the arrangement of the subfloor. At this stage, it is very important to know how to build a house from a bar so that it turns out to be warm and dry. The first step is to ensure effective waterproofing of the foundation. After that, the first crown is laid from carefully processed bars. Next, the floor is installed.

For the subfloor, logs are first laid - usually with a section of 150 by 100. To increase the reliability of the structure, a paddle is also laid from wider beams. Floor boards are laid across the lag. Put waterproofing, insulation and vapor barrier on top. After that, the subfloor is covered with boards 40 mm thick.

Box assembly

The walls of the log house are laid out by layering crowns. All crowns with the help of dowels are pulled together. Internal and external wall structures are erected simultaneously. To fasten the internal partitions on the inside of the front walls, cuts are made through a row, into which the ends of the beams of the partitions are sunk.

Roof

The roof consists of a truss system, lathing for fastening the roofing and the roofing itself. First, the upper crown is pulled together by laying solid beams with a section of 100 by 150. Then they are made of boards and rafter legs are installed. After that, the pediments are laid out.

A crate is constructed for laying the coating. After that, the roof is insulated and the coating is laid.

Windows and doors

Door and window openings are framed with racks. It is very important to provide a competent system of grooves and technological gaps around the openings so that double-glazed windows and doors do not interfere with the natural shrinkage process. Otherwise, wooden elements may deform and crack.

Video description

Installation of plastic windows in a house from a bar

Warming

In the construction of log houses, a practice is often used in which walls are built from a material with a small thickness, and then an insulation system is mounted. You can insulate the house from the outside or from the inside. In order for the wood to last longer, it is better not to cover it with insulation from the outside, but to make internal insulation. In this case, the wooden wall is insulated with hydro and vapor barrier, then a heater is installed, another layer of vapor and waterproofing is installed on top. The warming cake is sewn up with drywall, after which you can decorate the walls with any facing material.

Communications

All communications are brought to the house, according to a pre-prepared project. Particular attention is paid to safety when laying the electrical network and arranging the heating system.

Video description

Communications in a house from a bar

Finishing

Timber walls do not need front finishing. The exception is houses with insulation. Usually, after the construction of an insulating cake, the walls are decorated with natural wood panels so that the facades of the house and its internal walls form a single harmonious composition.

The floor in the house is covered with any floor covering. Usually the floors in timber cottages are quite warm. However, if desired, you can install a "warm floor" system.

The ceiling can be left open or decorated with a stretch fabric. Other ceiling finishes are undesirable due to shrinkage.

Video description

Let's talk about materials, about the entire cycle of the production process, the pros and cons of technology:

On our website you can get acquainted with the most popular projects of houses made of glued laminated timber from construction companies presented at the exhibition of houses Low-Rise Country.

Conclusion

Every year in the Moscow region more and more actively build a house from a bar. Such houses are being built quite quickly. But if you yourself do not know how to properly build a house from a bar, then professional builders can complete all the stages in a couple of months. The main thing is to take into account the features of the materials and provide everything so that it lasts as long as possible.

Wood is a material that is quite often used in the construction of houses. For some buildings, ordinary logs are not suitable, so you need to look for other options. In such cases, glued laminated timber may be suitable. With it, you can build structures entirely of wood. The beam is a durable material, while buildings from it are built quickly and easily.

Timber house projects

Building a house should always start with a project.

You can also design a house from a bar yourself using special software called Archicad.

Figure 1. The project of a house made of glued laminated timber.

This will require some skills and knowledge. If you plan to draw up a project for a house made of timber with your own hands, then you will need to prepare the following documentation:

  1. Foundation plan. In this case, you will need to draw up a drawing of the foundation, indicating its type, depth, materials used, and so on.
  2. Plan of floor beams. You will need a detailed drawing of the beams for the support on which the floor is installed.
  3. Plan of all floors of the house. On the drawing, you will need to indicate the location of windows, partitions and walls, determining the required dimensions. You will also need to indicate the location of the fireplace, stove, various communications.
  4. A drawing of the walls of the manufactured house in a cut along the axes. It will be necessary to specify all the elements of the wall and the places of conjugations of each wall with other elements located nearby. Next, each of the elements is numbered so that the elements can be easily identified in the future. At the end, you need to draw a drawing of all wall elements with dimensions, cutouts and holes.
  5. Specification of building elements with geometric dimensions. In this case, it is quite difficult to do without software.
  6. Roof plan and rafter construction. In this case, you will need to specify the materials for the construction of the rafters with all sizes and fasteners. On a separate drawing, you will need to depict a multilayer pie of the roof and its thermal insulation.
  7. Image of the building.

Figure 2. A variant of a house from a glue bar.

A detailed design can be seen in Fig. 1, fig. 2. The drawing is shown in fig. 3.

During the design process, special attention should be paid to the quality of the timber. It is the main material of construction, therefore, the microclimate in the room will depend on the thickness and breed of the bars.

Today, there are bars on the market with a thickness of 9 cm to 27.5 cm. Manufacturers also produce glued laminated timber with dimensions of 10x15 cm, 10x20 cm, 15x20 cm, 18x20 cm, while their length is up to 12 m. If the project has large spans 18 m or less, then the cross section of the beam can be increased to 21.5x130.5 cm.

For external and load-bearing walls, you need to choose beams with a thickness of 18 to 27.5 cm. For internal partitions, timber 9-17 cm thick is best suited. If you want to save some money, partitions can be made frame by sheathing them with wood panels with imitation under the bars.

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How to build a house from a bar with your own hands?

When the building project is ready, you can proceed to the construction of the house. First of all, you need to purchase all the necessary tools and materials. There are no difficulties with the choice and purchase, because all the necessary information is in the project documentation.

A drawing with a specification of building elements can be transferred to the manufacturer of the bars so that all the necessary cuts are made in production.

Figure 3. Drawing of a house from a bar.

Elements that will be needed to make a house from a bar with your own hands:

  • timber;
  • self-tapping screws;
  • pins;
  • building level;
  • pegs;
  • cord;
  • shovel;
  • sand;
  • crushed stone;
  • fittings;
  • moisture resistant plywood;
  • ruberoid;
  • cement;
  • vibrator;
  • water;
  • hairpin;
  • mastic from bitumen;
  • metal staples;
  • metal corners.

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How to make a base for a house from a bar?

When all the necessary tools and materials have been purchased, it will be possible to proceed with the construction of the base. A house made of wood will have a small weight, so it is possible to make bored foundations on piles. Shallow bases on tape or slabs are also suitable. The most popular and simplest option is the tape base. To create this design for a house from a bar, you will need to do the following:

Figure 4. Crowns of a house made of glued laminated timber.

  1. First of all, you need to mark up the foundation pit. To do this, in any corner you need to drive a wooden stake, and then use a triangle to determine the direction of tension of the two threads, which will determine the sides of the base. When the required distance is marked with a thread, you will need to drive in a second peg. Next, you need to return to the first stake, and then pull on another thread that marks the other side of the base. All other sides are marked in the same way. To check the geometry, you need to pull two diagonals and compare the length of the threads. The geometry will be perfect if the threads are equal.
  2. Near each stake on the inside, a square with sides, for example, 50x50 cm, is outlined. Next, you need to drive in one more stake in the corner of this square for each corner of the base and pull a thread between them. Thus, the internal contour of the base will be obtained. This marking method can be used for a base with any number of even corners.
  3. After marking, you will need to remove the earth from the trench. It is necessary to deepen it by about 50 cm around the entire perimeter, and then check the uniformity of the deepening of the pit. If necessary, all differences are compared. It is necessary to strive to get a flat floor base in one plane.
  4. If there are significant elevation differences on the site, then you need to dig a trench, carefully monitoring the bottom level. Digging a trench begins in this case from the lowest point.
  5. At the bottom of the pit, you will need to lay a layer of sand 10-15 cm thick, level it and compact it.
  6. Next, a reinforcing frame is made, which will need to be lowered inside the dug trench. In the corners and in the middle of the trench, brick linings are installed under the frame of reinforcing bars.
  7. After installing the frame, it will be necessary to make shields for the basement of the house from a bar with your own hands. For this purpose, you can use boards 2.5x15 cm or moisture-resistant plywood sheets. In the process of manufacturing the formwork structure for the base, you will need to monitor its stability and secure fixation. It is recommended to tie the shields in some places of the upper and lower parts.
  8. In order for the underground of the building to be dry, it will be necessary to make ventilation ducts in the walls of the base. To do this, you need to take a piece of the bar and install it between the shields, wrapping it with roofing material. After the concrete hardens, the beam will be knocked out, and a vent hole will remain in its place.
  9. After checking the reliability of the connection of the shields, you can start pouring concrete. The base is poured gradually, in layers. In the process of pouring, you need to monitor the safety of the shields. After each laid layer, the concrete must be compacted with a vibrator.
  10. Next, you will need to wait 29-30 days until the concrete mortar receives the necessary strength.

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How to lay the crowns of a house from a bar with your own hands?

After the foundation has been erected, you can proceed to the installation of embedded crowns in a house made of timber. This can be done quite simply, while it is only important to follow the technology and know the existing rules.

Figure 5. Fixing the beam from the corner.

  1. First of all, you will need to waterproof the bottom trim. To do this, several layers of roofing material must be laid over the entire base of the foundation or the base should be coated with bitumen mastic, after which a waterproofing layer should be laid. The beams of the lower harness must be impregnated with means of protection against rot, fungus and mold.
  2. Next, the strapping beams are installed in their places. Beams can be fixed to each other in several ways. On fig. 4, 5, 6, 7 you can see the existing mounting methods.
  3. The first crowns can be connected to the base using metal crutches or studs through wooden corks. To do this, you need to drill at least 2 through recesses in the board with a diameter of 1 cm, and then go deep into the base by 10 cm. Next, the board is dismantled and a cork made of wood is driven into the base hole. After that, you will need to return the boards to their place, insert a hairpin or crutch. A heat-insulating layer of jute or tow is laid on top of the first row, after which a second row of beams is installed.
  4. In order for the beams of the crowns to be securely fixed to each other, you will need to use dowels made of wood. To do this, at the place of fixation, you need to drill holes with a diameter of 3.5-4 cm and a depth of 1.5 beams. The dowel should be 2 mm larger than the hole diameter, while it should have a depth of 5 cm less than the hole. This is necessary so that the dowel easily enters the beam and securely fastens it. At the end, you need to drive the dowel inside and finish it off from above to deepen it. In some cases, metal brackets can be used to further secure the beams.

You should be aware that the internal beams are installed with a gap between the boards and external elements. This is necessary in order to ensure ventilation of the underground.

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How to make a floor for a house from a bar with your own hands?

Figure 6. Ways of fastening the timber.

In most cases, a wooden floor on logs is laid in a house made of timber. There are 2 ways how this can be done:

  1. Install additional beams that connect to the crown of the building. After that, logs will need to be laid on these beams.
  2. Equip brick retaining pillars on which beams and logs will need to be laid. This option is the most popular. Using it, you can make a floor in a large room.

To equip the floor, the first step is to remove the soil under the supporting pillars. A hole 50 cm deep is dug, which has sides of 40 or 50 cm. The step between the pillars is approximately 70-80 cm. After that, you need to pour a layer of sand 10 cm, 10 cm of crushed stone and carefully compact it all. Next, a frame is made of reinforcing bars for the base of the column, lowered inward and poured with concrete.

If the plans are to make brick pillars, then the concrete base will need to be raised 5 cm above the ground.

After the concrete mortar has hardened, it will be necessary to lay the brick. Waterproofing is laid on the top of the pillars.

Beams and logs are installed on the pillars for support. These elements are fastened together with self-tapping screws. Inside, between the lags, a run-up of moisture-resistant plywood is laid, which is fixed with metal corners. On top of the roll and lags, you need to lay a layer of waterproofing. The final floor covering is carried out in the process of finishing the building.

For hundreds of years, our ancestors built houses from wood, during this time a lot of new, modern building materials have appeared, but people invariably return to natural materials and wood is rightfully considered the best of them.

Wooden houses:

  • warm,
  • reliable,
  • beautiful,
  • durable.

But they have another important advantage, a wooden house is quite easy to build. Having 3 people who know how to use carpentry, locksmith tools as assistants, in one season you can build a good wooden house, from profiled or glued beams, and with your own hands.

Important: You can lay the foundation in advance while it is warm, and build the house itself when the cold comes.

What is a bar

The most popular are two types. Profiled timber is a wooden product, square or rectangular section.

The beam can be even, geometrically regular shape. Or profiled, having a certain profile, which allows the product to be joined more tightly at the junction points.

Glued laminated timber appeared relatively recently, it can be called a product of new, advanced technologies.

Visually, it looks like a profiled one. But the production technology is more complex. Glued laminated timber consists of several layers of wood, fastened using a special technology. It is stronger, more durable and easier to work with.

Important: Profiled timber can shrink up to 50 mm per 1m, depending on the dryness of the timber. Glued laminated timber shrinks, on average, by 10-15 mm.

The thickness of the timber ranges from 90 mm to 275 mm.

The most popular are the profile section:

  1. 100 mm by 150 mm.
  2. 100 mm by 200 mm.
  3. 150 mm by 200 mm.
  4. 180 mm by 200 mm.

With a maximum, standard length up to 12m.

Wall length

m

Wall width

m

Wall height

m

Bar section

150x150 mm. 180x180 mm. 200x200 mm.

Beam length

5 m 6 m 7 m 8 m 9 m 10 m 11 m 12 m

We are preparing a project

You will not be able to build from a bar without a project.

It is no secret that in the CIS, there are many countries, and the level of bureaucracy is practically the same. We provide a list of the main documents that you will need to prepare.

  • A foundation drawing is required, with a detailed description with a full layout by material, composition, depth, etc. As well as detailed data on the soil, composition, quality, groundwater, etc.
  • The next number, building plan. You prepare it based on the drawing of the foundation, but also with a detailed description.
  • After you need a floor, detailed plan. In it, indicate in detail partitions, stoves, fireplaces, windows, doors, etc.
  • Another, really important document, scatter. Simply put, this is a detailed sectional drawing of the walls of a house. By unloading, you will be able to place an order for the manufacture of timber, it will be made for you and marked as a designer. Then just look at the numbers and collect.
  • Specification of every detail of the house.
  • Detailed drawing of the roof, with a detailed description of all layers.
  • Final view of the house.

Please note: take seriously the description of the timber itself, what kind of wood, what kind of profile, the level of dryness of the timber, etc. This will eliminate misunderstandings when ordering.

The package of documents is solid, of course, you can rest, although the work is painstaking, but you yourself are quite capable. But my advice is don't waste your time. The collection of papers may take longer than the construction itself. Trust the professionals, they will be happy to help you on our website and it will cost you much less than amateur performance.

Foundation laying

To build houses from a bar, a capital, expensive foundation is not required. These structures are relatively light in weight.

For construction

  1. Shallow strip foundation. This type of foundation is laid in a trench and has a maximum depth of up to 50 cm.
  2. Mixed or strip-column foundation. This type is similar to tape. But in all important nodes, it has reinforcement in the form of concrete pillars.
  3. Columnar. This foundation is based on pillars connected by a concrete or metal grillage.
  4. On screw metal piles or piles with screws. A product of modern technology. Metal, corrosion-resistant piles are screwed into the ground and connected with a grillage. The foundation is convenient, also because it is easily repaired.
  5. On wooden piles, at the present time it is rarely used, since the tree, no matter how you process it, still deteriorates in the ground.
  6. On concrete piles. The foundation is excellent, but expensive. To drive a concrete pile, you will need special construction equipment.

In order to build from a bar, the first 4 options are enough. The instructions below, with minor amendments, are suitable for the first 3 types of foundation.

Tape

  • Any foundation starts with markings. For marking, we use ordinary wooden pegs and fishing line. At a distance of 30-40 cm from the projected wall, we drive in the pegs and pull the fishing line.
  • The body of the foundation will be indicated not by driven pegs, but by a fishing line.

Important: after stretching the fishing line, you should measure the diagonals. The distance along the diagonals must be strictly the same. Even the slightest discrepancy speaks of wrong angles, and you will get an asymmetrical foundation.

  • We take out the soil to a depth of 50 cm. Consider the thickness of the formwork. Control the bottom of the trench by level.
  • Next, we make 2 pillows up to 10 cm each. Sand, plus gravel.
  • We proceed to the installation of formwork.
  • We invest in waterproofing, the most budget option, this is roofing material or thick, technical polyethylene.
  • We weld or knit a reinforcing, metal frame.
  • We fill it with concrete, it is better to fill it all at once, in a complex way. Order a mixer, pour the foundation in one go and wait for it to harden.
  • Remove the formwork, and in its place pour a cushion of rubble.

mixed foundation

It differs from the previous tape one by the presence of reinforcing pillars at the corners of the structure and at the most stressed nodes. Therefore, to the above, instructions for pouring the pillars with your own hands are added.

  • We drill a hole under each post, to a depth of 1m.
  • We make a similar mastering of sand and gravel.
  • We turn the pipe from the roofing material into 2-3 layers and fix it with adhesive tape.
  • We insert the pipe into the pit, mount the reinforcing cage, 200 mm high above the general level of the foundation.
  • Before the main pour, make the sole of the pillar. To do this, pour the solution into the pipe and raise the pipe, allowing the solution to spread. When the solution hardens a little, start pouring the entire foundation.

Column type foundation

The pillars in this foundation can be made, as in the previous version, from concrete. So lay out from a brick, in the form of a curbstone.

Just lay out the cabinet with a well, and insert the reinforcing cage inside and fill it with concrete.

Himself, the cabinets are set according to the level and a grillage is mounted on them.

The grillage can be concrete, then formwork is made on the pillars in the form of a bath, waterproofed, reinforcement is installed and concrete is poured. Or welded from metal, which is attached to the reinforcing cage of the pillars.

Making crowns

Crowns, this is the first row of timber. To build a good house from a bar, carefully consider the installation of the crowns.

The video in this article clearly shows the installation of dowels.

Making the floor

At this stage, you should lay the foundation of the floor, a draft version. The final finish will be done along with the interior decoration.

If you are building a relatively small building, sauna or garden house. It will be quite enough for you to lay an additional belt of timber along the perimeter, fasten it with a crown and mount logs on this belt.

But if the house occupies a large area, the approach will be somewhat different.

With a large quadrature, separate pedestals should be laid out to support the floor, something similar to a separate foundation for the floor.

  • Depending on the composition of the soil, we lay the columns to a depth of half a meter.
  • We make them square 40x40 or 50x50. Bookmark step from 50 to 90 cm.
  • In layers up to about 10 cm, we lay and compact sand and gravel.
  • We make a small reinforcing cage, up to 10 cm high, install it and fill it with concrete.
  • Next, we waterproof this base and lay out a cabinet of bricks, to the level of the beams.
  • We lay down the waterproofing again and mount the beams.
  • We grab the logs to the beams with self-tapping screws.
  • Between the lag, with the help of a corner, we mount waterproof plywood.
  • We waterproof and glue all joints with adhesive tape.
  • We lay the insulation on top and cover it with a subfloor.

Building walls

If you did everything right before that, then building walls from a beam with your own hands will not be difficult for you.

  • The profiled beam already has special grooves, they will facilitate the connection.
  • Corner connection do as you like, there are 3 types of corner connection:
  1. Back to back.
  2. Half a tree.
  3. By means of a root spike.

  • Be sure to lay insulation between the timber.
  • Control each laid beam by level and fix it with a dowel.
  • In the window area, leave technological gaps for shrinkage.

Important: when you put a load-bearing wall or supporting columns under the roof in the house, you should not rigidly fasten them to the roof at first. Take self-tapping screws and that's enough. When the house begins to sit down and walk, you will have to adjust the height of the support. When you sit down, fix it completely.

This video will tell you about the intricacies of building walls.

Starting roof installation

The roof is a rather important stage of construction, but you can mount it yourself.

  • First, knock down a template from light boards. On it you will install the rafters.
  • Next, set the beginning and end of the construction according to the template.
  • Between the installed rafters, at control points, according to the level, we stretch the strings from the fishing line.
  • Focusing on the strings, controlling the level and template, we mount the rest of the rafters.
  • We fill the crate on top and fasten it with a stapler under the bottom, overlapping the vapor barrier.
  • Under the vapor barrier, between the rafters, we lay the insulation, close it with another layer of vapor barrier.
  • Next, we finally fix the bottom layer of the crate, it is already possible to attach the lining to it according to your taste and wallet.
  • From above, the most budget option is to cover the roofing material on the upper crate and slate sheets on top of it.


The decision to build a house from a bar is not taken immediately and not suddenly. It's just that this technology, with a simpler assembly of walls, allows you to get excellent characteristics for housing: for the Moscow region, a beam of 195 mm thick is enough. With such a thickness of the outer walls, it will be warm, but to save on heating, it is better to insulate it (outside 10 mm of mineral wool) and make a ventilated facade. Then there will be more savings on heating.

Plasticity in processing is one of the advantages of wood

What wood to choose

Coniferous wood is usually used to build a house. There are several reasons. Firstly, the high content of resins, which are natural preservatives and antiseptics. Due to their presence, the wood is not destroyed for a long time. Secondly, affordable price. You can, of course, build a house from beech or oak timber, but the price will be simply sky-high. Thirdly, the wood is soft and easy to process.

Of all conifers, most often they put a house from a pine beam. With good performance, it is relatively inexpensive. Houses made of larch and cedar are rarely built: they are too expensive. From spruce even less often, but for a different reason: it is destroyed the fastest, and even difficult to process. So, regarding the type of wood, there is, in fact, no choice. 95% is pine. But with the type of timber you need to understand.

According to the processing method, timber happens:

  • Ordinary or solid, unplaned timber. Sawn from a solid log, the section is a quadrilateral (square or rectangle).
  • Profiled bar. It is also sawn from a solid log, but after it is processed: spikes and grooves are formed with milling cutters - profiles with which one beam is joined to another. The side faces are also processed. They come out of the machine already planed. The section is of complex shape. The side faces can be even, rounded, curly - with chamfers, the shape of the "castle" - numerous beards and recesses.
  • Glued beam. Outwardly similar to profiled, but assembled (glued) from several boards.

We will analyze the features of each type of timber, regarding the construction of a house.

House made of ordinary timber

If earlier they said that they decided to build a house from a bar, then they clearly understood the usual rectangular bar. There was simply no other, or it was too expensive: it was brought from abroad. Ordinary timber is the most affordable, if we take the cost per cubic meter. But, as a result of all the required measures, the cost of construction may be higher than from a profiled one. It's all about the characteristics of the material. They lead to significant additional costs even at the construction stage: when building a house from unplaned timber, interventional insulation is necessarily used. Its geometry is not ideal, and if this is not done, it will be very strong to blow through the gaps between the crowns. The second feature is that the surface of the walls turns out to be uneven and one cannot do without finishing inside and outside.

In addition to laying the interventional layer, the delivered log house is caulked, additionally sealing the seams. A caulk is needed not one, but at least two, sometimes more. And all because it is made from wood of natural moisture. In practice, this has the following consequences:

Another feature of a house made of ordinary timber: the walls are uneven. To give them a “decent” look, they are either sheathed with finishing materials or polished. But grinding is a controversial undertaking: the interventional sealant makes it almost impossible. Even if you manage to grind the timber, where to put the seams?

So it turns out that the cost of the house as a result may be more: add interventional insulation, material for caulking and the work itself (and it is not cheap), the cost of exterior and interior decoration to the cost of the timber. Please also note that moldings are brought to your site - bars of the ordered length. The bowls are sawn on the spot. This means that the qualifications of carpenters must be high. How the cut is made determines how warm the corners will be. And in a log house, it is the corners that are the most problematic place.

Features of profiled timber

Considering a profiled beam, the first thing that catches your eye is the almost perfect geometry and smooth surfaces. Anyway, that's how it should be. With good workmanship, finishing is not needed: the wall immediately turns out to be even and smooth, even if it is immediately ready for painting.

The second, also quite obvious feature, is due to the fact that the edges that join two profiled beams have recesses and protrusions (locks) through slots cannot be. Manufacturers of profiled timber say that it is possible to lay walls without interventional insulation: it will be warm anyway. But few people listen to them. They put at least a thin, but a heater. Someone uses a thin substrate for a laminate, someone uses a self-expanding tape for mounting plastic windows, as well as jute tape and similar materials.

In the photo, by the way, the most common profile among developers lately is the “comb”. It can have a “tooth” of different heights and widths, and is loved by everyone because, in theory, it is impossible to “blow through” it. However, even here they insure themselves by laying insulation.

Several typical beam profiles (the two on the far right in the picture are glued beams, but profiled beams are made of exactly the same profile)

In general, there are a lot of profiles. Some of them are in the photo. When choosing a supplier, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the shape of the locks, but also to how they are made. Matching in any pair should be maximum.

Having decided to build a house from a bar with a profile, you need to decide on its moisture content. Profiled timber can be of natural humidity (cheaper), it can be chamber dried with a moisture content of no more than 14-16%. Features of lumber of natural moisture have already been considered, now let's talk about chamber drying. The company installs large drying cabinets, into which the finished profiled timber is loaded. There, at elevated temperatures, it loses excess moisture. At the same time, all the processes that usually accompany the drying of wood take place in the chamber: it bursts, it twists. Accordingly, part goes into marriage, and the rest is sold at a higher price. The reasons seem to be clear.

If you decide to build a house from kiln-dried timber, you can start finishing earlier. The log house should still stand, but it will take 9-12 months. At the same time, new cracks are rarely formed, only existing ones expand. But it should be borne in mind that due to the high cost of drying, most often they only reduce the humidity to operational - 16-18%, while chamber drying is considered wood 8-12%.

Either way, gaps will need to be sealed. Caulking is needed in very limited volumes: first of all, you will have to look through all the corners and cuts, if any (this is the name of the places where the walls are attached). Even a well-made bowl can dry out unevenly, causing a gap to appear. Also, the beam can turn out, which will also lead to the appearance or expansion of the gap. So a periodic revision of the corners is also required during operation. Wood is a living material and will change all the time. Also, after a year of sludge, too large cracks in the timber will have to be repaired (without fanaticism, so that the tow does not open the crack).

The frame is assembled from numbered blanks with a molded bowl (numbers in blue on the ends)

It may be easier with the assembly. If you simply order lumber, you can cut corners from a profiled beam, as from a regular one, on the site. But many enterprises, in the presence of a project, offer to take on part of the work. With the help of a special program, they make a layout on the beam: they make a list of "spare parts" from which the house will be assembled. Then, according to this list, blanks are cut out, and with molded thickets. The blanks are numbered and brought ready to the site, where it remains to fold the house, like a designer: folding the bars according to the numbers marked on the plan.

This is convenient, especially if you are going to cost a house with your own hands without construction experience. It is clear that the service is not free, but you can save on paying for carpenters: it is not required to assemble such a highly qualified designer. Only in this case, whether your house will be warm or not depends on how accurately the bowls are made at the factory. Sometimes there are companies that make very low-quality cuts. You can see a few of these in the photo.

Poorly made bowls - it will blow incredibly, and the caulk will not save you well

In general, there are pluses and minuses, but compared to ordinary timber, profiled timber is more convenient in construction, and at a price it can also come out cheaper, if you count with finishing.

Glued laminated timber

It is clear from the name that it consists of glued parts. First, the lamellas are sawn, they are treated with antiseptics, dried to a certain humidity, then glued. Due to the complex manufacturing process, the price tag of this material is approximately 2.5-3 times higher than that of conventional and 80-90% than profiled.

What are its advantages? Properly made, it does not crack, it does not lead: dry material cannot shrink, and glued beads should have a moisture content of no higher than 12-15%. Therefore, the finishing process, with a beam width sufficient to compensate for heat loss, can only be reduced to painting or varnishing, since protective impregnation is also carried out at the enterprise (should, in any case).

What does glued laminated timber and its profiles look like?

Another consequence of the lack of shrinkage is that after a few weeks the folded log house can be immediately put under the roof, and after a few more weeks you can start finishing. This time is necessary for the shrinkage of the bowls, and the geometric dimensions of the glued beam should not change. That is, a significant time saving is obtained - everything, including finishing work, can be done in one season.

But is glued beads really that good? In terms of build speed, yes. But it has serious shortcomings. First: it is glued. What crosses out one of the main advantages of wood - environmental friendliness. Secondly, its vapor permeability is low. Many people choose wooden houses precisely because of their ability to naturally regulate the humidity in the room. Glued laminated timber is deprived of this due to the presence of layers of glue. Of all the advantages of wood, only an attractive appearance remains, but, finished with a clapboard of the appropriate profile or a block house, it looks exactly the same. Therefore, the use of glued laminated timber for building a house is a very controversial issue.

Stages of building a house from a bar

A log house has several advantages:

  • The walls are light, which is why the load on the foundation is low, which means that the cost of its installation will be lower.
  • Wood is an elastic material and it compensates for small movements in the foundation without compromising the integrity of the building. And this, again, allows you to make shallow foundations on well-draining soils.

The choice of the type of foundation depends largely on the soil, but most often they do it, if there is no need for a basement, you can put a columnar (for small buildings of temporary residence - cottages, baths, etc.) or or without). The choice should preferably be based on the results of geological studies. The process is described in more detail.

While the foundation is “setting”, prepare the wood. All timber and dowels are treated with antiseptics and fire retardants. Use compositions that do not form a film on the surface of the log. They will not interfere with the drying process. After preparing the timber, the actual construction of the house begins:

  • Cut-off waterproofing. So that the wood from the foundation does not draw moisture, it is necessary to lay a layer of hydrophobic material. Previously, two layers of roofing material were laid under the first crown. Today there are more modern materials - coating and rolled. You can use them, and in combination: coat, stick rolled.
  • Laying crown crown. The beam is chosen without signs of blue, with a minimum number of knots. Preferably - from the middle part of the tree - with the maximum density of annual rings. It is additionally treated with impregnations designed for wood in direct contact with the ground. In order to ensure better preservation of the first crown, there is a trick: a wide board impregnated with bituminous mastic with working off is laid on the waterproofing. Another layer of waterproofing is placed on it, and on top - the first crown. All these layers are connected to the foundation with studs, which are poured into the foundation.
  • Draft floor. Floor logs are attached to the first crown - a bar with a section of 150 * 100 mm. They are laid out in increments of at least 70 cm. To make it more convenient to work, the subfloor boards are laid out along the logs without nailing them.
  • Assembly of walls from a bar. If a wall kit with ready-made bowls is not ordered, they are “slaughtered”. Cut out according to the pattern. A template is drawn from a piece of plywood, it is outlined, then it is cut out. They use a chainsaw more often, but a rather high degree of proficiency in the tool is required: how warm the house will be depends on the accuracy of the sawing. The forms of connecting the beam are in the picture.


We have already talked about laying interventional insulation: when using an ordinary beam, it is mandatory, under a profiled one it is desirable in bowls, the rest is optional. Between themselves, the crowns are connected by dowels - long round bars carved from a single piece of wood, dowels - rectangular in shape or studs - metal rods. In any case, a hole is drilled under the connection, into which the connecting element is hammered.

  • The order of work depends on the type of roof chosen. When arranging a simple installation, rafter legs are installed, with a different order. A windproof membrane is rolled out and fixed onto the assembled truss system. In this form, the house is left for a long time to shrink.
  • Door and window openings. For speedy shrinkage and shrinkage, you can cut window and door openings, put a pigtail or fixing strips. Door and window blocks are not installed until the end of the main shrinkage.

After a year or two, you can start finishing work. All the time while the log house is settling, it is necessary to monitor the processes occurring in the wood. It is immediately necessary to inspect the corners and, if necessary, caulk them. Then monitor their condition, as well as the joints of the timber. If the dowels were driven in with great effort, during shrinkage, the timber may hang on them, which causes cracks to form. You can solve the problem by hanging around: they take a huge wooden hammer and knock on the walls, causing faster shrinkage. The same technique is used if the house sits too slowly.

The video shows the main stages of how to build a house from a bar. Despite the lyrical digressions, a lot of valuable information.

How to build a house from a bar: photo report

They built such a house.

We ordered a wall kit according to the project, a strip foundation was poured under it.

They brought blanks with sawed-down bowls. They were carefully unloaded, while examining for flaws. One beam turned out to be problematic - it was in the middle of the bundle and suffocated - it was covered with a fungus. It was postponed for a separate "treatment". The rest were covered with impregnation (Valti Pohjust) and stacked.

So that there are no problems with the fungus, a gasket is laid under each - boards lying across.

Also, rolls of insulation and dowels were purchased. Nagels were sent to bathe in impregnation. Impregnation was poured into the old bath and left for half a day, then taken out and dried.

On the waterproofing laid on the foundation, the first crown was laid out - a half-beam. It has no grooves at the bottom.

It was pulled to the foundation with anchors to studs cast into concrete.

Laid the first crown. The one that was previously fixed on the foundation is often called "zero".

Let's change the diagonals. In order for the cups to fit without problems and there is no skew, they must be equal. The allowable skew is a couple of millimeters.

Having aligned the diagonals, we drill holes for the dowels. So that there were no holes larger / smaller than necessary in length, a limiter tree was planted on the drill.

The walls are gradually growing. In a checkerboard pattern, we fasten them with dowels.

In general, the timber is more or less normal, but there are problems with incorrectly sawn cups. When laying the timber, we get a huge gap. The only way to deal with this is to manually adjust the cups so that everything lies flat.

It takes a lot of time to eliminate these inconsistencies, but gradually all the walls are laid out.

Walls made of profiled timber are driven out

We proceed to the assembly of the truss system. First, as is customary, two extreme farms are installed, then everything else, according to the project.

The finished crate was sheathed with roofing felt. Let's leave the house to dry.

Inside we lay out the boards of the subfloor, nailing every fifth. They will dry with the house.

Related videos


The mistakes that are made when building houses from profiled timber are described in detail and analyzed in this video. Very useful. Look.

All photos from the article

We invite you to consider a step-by-step guide on how to build a house from a bar with one or another type of foundation and a gable roof. It should be said right away that we will not go into the smallest details, since this material is designed for a reader who knows how to hold any instrument in his hands. About all this below in the text, and you will also be shown a thematic video in this article.

Construction stages

Note. Do not forget that the longest timber is only 6m long, and if you are planning, for example, a 7x8m house, then you will have to do docking in rows, which complicates installation.

Types of foundations used for wooden houses

Construction method:

  • the pillar itself is usually a masonry of brick or concrete blocks, 40-50 cm high, which mainly depends on if the slope is on a given site;
  • a hole is made for masonry, 20-25 cm deep and 40-50 cm wide, a sand cushion is poured there, and then a concrete solution is poured. With this pillow, you can adjust the height of the column - simply by adding or removing some amount of concrete mix;
  • the distance between the reference points should be no more than 2m, besides, they should be at every corner and at every junction.

Construction method:

  • for the location of the support points, the instruction here is the same as in the case of a columnar foundation - a distance of at least 2 m, plus supports at each corner and at each connection;
  • for the construction of such a base, they take metal or asbestos-cement pipes at least 20 cm in diameter and dig it into the ground by 40-50 cm, thus obtaining a casing pipe;
  • then the pipe is poured with concrete and reinforced, although this is not a necessary condition for steel elements.

Construction method:

  • if the construction of a timber house with your own hands is done on a pile-screw foundation, then the number of screw piles will be exactly the same as the number of stuffed piles or pillars;
  • such a pile is simply screwed into the ground with a lever to any depth, although you still have to cut off the excess later;
  • such a foundation is very convenient for areas with a large slope - the pipe simply compensates for it.

Construction method:

  • strip foundations can be monolithic, that is, poured into a trench or formwork with a reinforcing cage, or prefabricated - assembled from brick, stone or blocks;
  • the depth of the tape depends on the condition of the soil and the weight of the parent building - they are recessed and shallow;
  • buried bases are used on heaving soils, and it should be 40-50 cm below the freezing point of the soil;
  • such foundations are considered the best for buildings of any type, although this is not always advisable, since cheaper versions can be dispensed with.

A little about the bar

The beam has not only a different cross-section and length, but also according to the type of profile - it can be profiled (have grooves for longitudinal connection). The percentage of subsidence of an architectural structure will depend on humidity - it can be wet and dried.

Such material also differs in the type of manufacture - it is made from solid wood or glued from lamellas (the price varies greatly). Profiles can be made from different types of wood, where Siberian larch is considered the most valuable, followed by Ural spruce.

All these nuances must be taken into account when designing a house. The fact is that docking into a smooth fugue needs a sealing gasket (jute or linen tape) and pins for fixing.

In addition, it is very important to provide channels for communications, such as water supply, sewerage, heating, electrification and communications. It is desirable that all "wet" rooms such as a bathroom, toilet, kitchen are nearby - this will facilitate the insertion of channels.

box construction

It all starts with the installation of the strapping, which is installed on the foundation of any type, after laying the cut-off waterproofing. When we build a house from a bar with our own hands, it is on the lower crown that the greatest load on humidity falls.

That is why a wedding board made of larch 50 mm thick can additionally be placed under it. Either the board or the lower crown must be impregnated with an antiseptic, which increases its operational period by an order of magnitude.

But let's figure out what benefits a wedding board brings? Sooner or later, the bottom will rot and no preparations that treat wood will help with this. But after all, replacing a board is much easier and cheaper than the whole crown!