What is the service life of the frame house? How long will it take?

Frame houses are used by domestic owners of suburban areas of constant popularity. The technology of erecting such buildings is extremely simple. At the same time, they are very inexpensive, and it is quite comfortable to live in them. But since the constructions of this variety are assembled from not too durable materials, many private developers have a quite natural question about the service life of the frame house. The answer to it depends on several factors. And first of all, on how accurately the technologies will be observed when building such a building.

How long can the frame house

One of the main criteria for choosing materials for construction (be it brick, brick, log or concrete) is, of course, the service life of the house. Wireframe technology has actually been almost two hundred years. For the first time such houses began to be built in Canada in the XVIII century. For all the time of the existence of this technique of construction, it has, of course, appeared both its adherents and opponents. The latter argue that even the best frame house will not last 30 years. Defenders of this method of erecting buildings cite as an example German fachwerks, which have been in operation for more than a century. Yes, and in the US today you can buy a good frame cottage, built in the early XX century.

Of course, there are official regulations regarding the time of operation of such facilities. So, according to Gosstroy documentation, the life of the frame house in Russia is 75 years. After that, it is subject to demolition. However, owners of private houses exploit their property usually much longer.

Frame houses in the USSR

In the Soviet years, such buildings were called Finnish houses. They were raised mainly by members of horticultural associations. They were not particularly convenient at that time. The fact is that they built them on imperfect technologies and using not very high-quality materials. As a result, such structures were blown by all the winds, and even in autumn, not to mention the winter, it was not very comfortable to be in them. Of course, for a very long time Finnish houses did not last. The service life of the frame house of this species was extremely small. Today such constructions can not be found even in horticultural partnerships .

Modern frame houses: varieties

Nowadays such facilities are built, of course, by carefully designed technologies. Varieties of frame houses there are only two: shield and Canadian. The first type of buildings is constructed using a bar and modern low-cost sheet materials. The second type of frame houses is built from ready-made SIP panels.

The service life of Canadian homes

Both the first and second types of modern structures of this type are distinguished by their durability. But Canadian homes, of course, can stand longer than the shield. SIP panels are a design that is assembled from two thick OSB sheets and the insulated heater laid between them. Traditionally, polystyrene is used as the last one. But since the material is flammable, it is sometimes replaced with mineral wool for safety reasons. The service life of the frame house (Canadian), according to the assurances of manufacturers of SIP panels, can be up to 150 years. But only in the event that under it will be erected a qualitative foundation.

How long can the panel structure last

The service life of a frame-type wooden house of this type directly depends on the materials used for its construction. The frame of such a building should be made only of high-quality, well-dried and processed by means, preventing decay, timber (the same, incidentally, applies to Canadian homes). Sheathing of the panel house is best done from sheets of OSB or plywood with a thickness of at least 12 mm.

The heat insulator after several decades of building operation, if necessary, of course, can be replaced. But it's worth to buy a quality material from the very beginning. It is best if it is cotton wool "Ursa". Styrofoam can also be used. But buying at the same time is recommended only the best, specially processed material. Cheap polystyrene, as well as polystyrene, like to gnaw the mouse. These animals arrange in the thickness of such a heat insulator nests, significantly worsening the performance of the building and shortening its service life.

It is quite durable and considered such a structure as a frame-bulk house. The service life of such buildings is the same as that of any other switchboards. However, a heat insulator in houses of this type (usually expanded clay) has the property of settling over time. Therefore, it has to be refilled.

Of course, to protect the walls of such a building from moisture, it is necessary to use hydro- and vapor-insulating materials. In addition, during assembly, a ventilation gap is mandatory. This also prevents wood damage due to high humidity.

Thus, if high-quality materials are used for the shield house, it can stand for a long time. In any case, 70-100 years such a building will serve necessarily.

The opinion of tenants about frame houses

Modern buildings of this type are characterized by good performance characteristics, so most of their owners do not regret spending money on construction. Since another positive characteristic, which distinguishes frame houses, is the service life, the reviews they deserve are really good. The durability of these buildings, of course, is one of the main reasons for their popularity.

What is a quality beam?

On how correctly this material will be chosen, the life of the frame-panel house, just like the Canadian one, depends directly. Most often, when building such buildings use pine sawn timber. The fact is that softwood not only has strength, but because of the high percentage of resinous substances, it is also less likely to rot. In addition, such a bar is not too expensive.

When choosing sawn timber of this variety, it is first of all necessary to take into account the time of logging. The best quality is considered to be a bar made of winter wood. The fact is that in the cold season in the trees the juice current is greatly slowed down. As a result, sawn timber from such logs is obtained more dry. Admissible moisture parameters for a pine beam, designed for the construction of a frame house, are 18-20%.

Among other things, when choosing a bar, you need to pay attention to the class of its quality. That is, the number of available knots. Appropriate for the assembly of the carcass of the house grades are 0, 1 and 2. The third grade can be used for the construction of only minor, not too long-lived buildings.

And, of course, it is desirable to acquire material that has already been processed by all compounds that extend the life of the product. Thus, many manufacturers are now preparing lumber.

What should be the foundation for the CIP building

So, as we have already found out, the service life of a frame house of this type directly depends on how good its foundation will be. Under the CIP-building, the most commonly used are strip or columnar foundations with grillage. The choice depends primarily on the type of soil on the site. Of course, the buried foundation must be below the freezing level. Buildings from SIP panels have a low weight. Therefore, if the base is not deep enough, during a spring swelling, such a house will simply be pushed out of the ground. Which, in turn, is fraught with jamming of doors, the appearance of cracks in structures, and so on.

In wet areas, a pile foundation is usually arranged for the building of SIP panels. If the soil is not too stable and durable, it is worth pouring under the construction of a solid concrete slab. Compliance with these recommendations significantly extends the service life of frame-panel houses.

Foundation for panel construction

The service life of such buildings, of course, also depends on the reliability of their bases. The rules for erecting a foundation under a panel house are the same as for structures made of CIP panels. That is, on reliable ground, it is possible to fill in the grillage base, on the clayey - tape, on the wet - pile, and on the mobile - slab. The main thing is to use a high-grade concrete mortar for the erection of a foundation. It is better to order an already prepared mixture. But you can make it yourself from sand, gravel and cement in a proportion of 3: 4: 1. To prepare the mortar it is necessary to use a concrete mixer. In this case, the concrete will be much better. Of course, the foundation under the frame-panel house needs to be reinforced using a rod with a thickness of at least 12 mm.

How to extend the life of a finished house

Of course, the durability of the frame building depends not only on the choice of good materials and compliance with construction technology. It is also right to operate such a structure. So, for example, in a building of this type, it is necessary to arrange ventilation. This will significantly extend the life of the frame house. According to the Canadian technology, buildings are, unfortunately, built, mainly from materials that "can not breathe". The same applies to conventional panel houses. Therefore, ventilation will not only make the building more durable, but also improve its performance. Living in a house with constantly updated air, of course, is more comfortable. Of course, in the process of operation, it is necessary to monitor the condition of all the structures of the building and, if necessary, do repairs.