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What material is better to build a house with your own hands? What is the best material to build a permanent home from?

The external walls of a private house must be:

Strong and durable
Warm and energy saving
Quiet
Harmless to humans
Beautiful

Which house walls are stronger?

Loads act on the wall of a house in several directions. Active forces tend to compress, move sideways and rotate the wall.

Compressive loads- these are vertical forces from the weight of the wall and the underlying structures of the house. These forces tend to crush and flatten the wall material.

Low-rise private houses are relatively light in weight. Wall materials, as a rule, have quite large stock compressive strength, which allows them withstand vertical loads of a private house even with.

Horizontal loads and torques act as a result, for example, of lateral wind pressure on a house or soil pressure on a basement wall, due to the ceiling resting on the edge of the wall, due to the deviation of the walls from the vertical and other reasons. These forces tend to move the wall or part of the wall from its position.

The general rule for walls is the thinner the wall, the worse it is it withstands lateral loads and turning moments. If the wall cannot withstand the specified loads, then it bends, cracks or even breaks.

It is the small margin of resistance to displacement that is the weak point in ensuring the strength of the walls of a private house. The magnitude of the compressive strength of most wall materials allows you to do enough for a private home thin wall, but it is necessary to ensure the stability of the walls against displacement, often forces designers to increase the thickness of walls.

The resistance of walls to lateral loads is significantly influenced by the design of the walls and the house as a whole. For example, reinforcement of masonry, installation of a monolithic belt on the walls at the floor level, strong connections of external and interior walls among themselves, as well as with floors and foundations, create the strength frame of a building that holds the walls together and resists the displacement deformations of the walls.

In order to ensure the necessary strength and durability of a private house at reasonable construction costs, it is necessary to choose the right material and design of the walls, as well as the design of the power house frame, It is best to entrust this choice to specialists - designers.

For sale there are projects of private houses with walls made of masonry materials with a masonry thickness of only 180 - 250 mm. . Thickness can be 100 - 200 mm.

The walls of the house are warm and energy-saving - what's the difference?

In order for a person in the house to feel thermal comfort, Three conditions must be met:

The first condition is the air temperature in the room should be about +22 o C. To fulfill this condition, it is enough to install a boiler or stove in the house required power and drown them.

The surface temperature of the external walls in the house is always lower than the air temperature in the room. According to the requirements of sanitary and hygienic rules, temperature difference between air and surface outer wall there should be no more than 4 in the house o C - this is the second condition.

At the specified temperature difference, the surface of the outer wall in the house will be quite warm (+18 o C). There will be no “cold breath” from the wall; condensation or frost will not appear on the surface of the wall.

There will be thermal comfort in the house if the difference in air temperature in the room and on the surface of the outer wall is no more than d t<4 о C. Обе стены на рисунке не соответствуют этим требованиям при температуре наружного воздуха t н =-26 о С и ниже.

To fulfill the second condition, the outer wall of the house must have certain thermal properties. The heat transfer resistance of the outer wall must be higher than the calculated value, m 2 * o C/W. For example, for the Sochi region this value should be more than 0.66, for Moscow - 1.38, and for Yakutsk at least - 2.13.

For example, an external wall made of autoclaved aerated concrete (gas silicate) will be warm and provide thermal comfort in the house, with a thickness in Sochi - 90 mm, in Moscow - 210 mm., and in Yakutsk - 300 mm.

Third condition- the enclosing structures of the house must have. If the “clothes” of the house are blown by the wind, then there will be no heat, no matter how thick the insulation is. Everyone knows this from their own experience.

External walls with the above parameters will be warm and provide thermal comfort in the house, but they will not be energy efficient. Heat losses through the walls will significantly exceed the building standards in force in Russia.

In order to comply with energy conservation regulations, The heat transfer resistance of external walls should be several times higher. For example, for the Sochi region - no less than 1.74 m 2 * o C/W, for Moscow - 3.13 m 2 * o C/W, and for Yakutsk - 5.04 m 2 * o C/W.

Thickness of energy-saving walls from autoclaved aerated concrete (gas silicate) there will also be more: for the Sochi region - 270 mm., for the Moscow region - 510 mm. for Yakutia - 730 mm.

Aerated concrete (gas silicate) is the warmest material for masonry walls. The thickness of energy-saving walls made of more thermally conductive materials (brick, concrete blocks) should be even greater. (The figure above shows the heat transfer resistance of a brick wall with a thickness of 2.5 bricks (640 mm.) = 0.79 and one brick (250 mm) = 0,31 m2* o C/W. Compare with the values given in the examples and evaluate in which regions such walls will provide thermal comfort?)

Wooden walls made of timber or logs also do not meet energy saving requirements.

It should be noted that to comply with the requirements of building regulations for the heat transfer resistance of walls and other enclosing structures of the house not necessary for a private developer.

It is more important for the home owner to reduce overall heating costs.

It can be beneficial to sacrifice the energy-saving properties of walls, but increase the heat-saving parameters of ceilings, windows, and ventilation systems in order to meet the energy consumption standards for heating.

Heat loss through walls accounts for only 20 - 30% of the total heat loss in the house.

We must not forget about one more condition of an energy-saving house. The house must have a minimum- walls, ceilings, windows.

Which is better to make walls - single-layer or two-layer?

From the above data it is clear that wall materials allow you to build strong, thin and fairly cheap walls private house. But such walls will not provide thermal comfort in the house or have the required energy-saving properties.

Technologies for constructing walls of a private house are developing in two main directions:

Relatively thin and durable walls are insulated with highly effective insulation. The wall consists of two layers- a load-bearing layer that absorbs mechanical loads, and an insulation layer.
For the construction of single-layer walls, materials are used that combine a sufficiently high resistance to both mechanical stress and heat transfer. The construction of single-layer walls made of cellular concrete (autoclaved aerated concrete, gas silicate) or porous ceramics is popular.

It should be noted that wall materials for single-layer walls have mediocre both mechanical and thermal properties. We have to improve them with various design tweaks.

A combination of these two technologies is also used when walls made of cellular and porous materials provide additional insulation layer of highly effective insulation. This combination allows make wall masonry and a thin layer of insulation. This can be beneficial for structural reasons, especially when building a house in a cold climate.

Single-layer walls of a private house

Not so long ago, almost all private houses were built with single-layer walls. The thickness of the walls of the house was chosen based on the conditions for ensuring thermal comfort and thought little about energy conservation.

Currently, for the construction of single-layer walls, materials with sufficiently high thermal insulation properties are used, to make the house energy efficient.

What is the best material to make a single-layer wall of a house from?

All materials for single-layer walls have a porous structure and low density 300 - 600 kg/m 3. As the density decreases, the heat-saving properties improve, but the mechanical strength of materials decreases.

There are several types of cellular concrete, which differ in the way they create pores (cells). The best properties for the construction of single-layer external walls of a house have density (grade) 300-500 kg/m3.

Aerated concrete blocks can have precise dimensions, which allows them to be laid on glue with a seam thickness of 2 mm. The ends of the blocks often have a tongue-and-groove profile and are joined without mortar in a vertical seam.

Aerated concrete has an open porous structure and therefore absorbs moisture well, but also dissolves easily.

Porous ceramics It is made from raw materials and in a way that is similar to the production of ordinary ceramic bricks. The difference is that components are added to the clay-based mass, which form pores when fired.

Hollow blocks are made from porous ceramics. The hollowness further enhances the heat-saving properties of block walls.

The thickness of the masonry of single-layer walls made of porous ceramic blocks is 38 - 50 cm. Porous ceramic blocks are laid using a special heat-saving mortar with a seam thickness of 10-15 mm.

As a rule, the exterior decoration of single-layer walls is. Cladding slabs made of natural stone or artificial products can be glued to the walls. Finishing using the ventilated facade method (cladding over lathing) is used very rarely.

Plastering of walls made of porous ceramics or expanded clay concrete from the outside is carried out using a traditional plaster composition with a thickness of about 2 cm. In addition to plastering, it can be done in other ways (see link).

The inside of the walls is plastered or...

It is faster to build a house with single-layer walls. In a new house with single-layer walls you can start living without waiting for the facade to be finished. This work can be left for later.

Walls with insulation - two-layer and three-layer

For installing a wall with insulation Almost any masonry material can be used— ceramic and silicate bricks, blocks made of cellular and lightweight concrete, as well as porous ceramics.

The load-bearing layer of a two-layer wall can also be make from monolithic concrete or wood- timber, logs. The choice of material is much more varied compared to single-layer walls.

For the construction of walls with insulation materials with higher mechanical strength and density are used than for single-layer walls. This circumstance makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the masonry of double-layer walls.

Wall masonry thickness from 180 mm. - depends on the properties of the materials used, on the design of the walls and frame of the house.

Walls are most often laid using ordinary masonry mortar, filling horizontal and vertical joints with mortar. The work is simpler and does not require any special qualifications from masons.

The mechanical strength of the wall material is, as a rule, sufficient for problem-free fastening of various structures to walls.

The thermal insulation properties of a wall depend mainly on the thermal conductivity and thickness of the insulation layer.

A layer of thermal insulation is placed outside ( double layer wall) or inside the wall, closer to the outer surface ( three-layer wall).

As thermal insulation, slabs of mineral wool or polymers - polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam - are most often used. Less commonly used thermal insulation slabs made of cellular concrete and foam glass, although they have a number of advantages.

Mineral wool slabs for wall insulation must have a density of at least 60-80 kg/m3. If used for finishing the facade, then use mineral wool slabs with a density of 125-180 kg/m 3 or slabs of extruded polystyrene foam.

Mineral wool insulation is plastered with a vapor-permeable composition - mineral or silicate plaster.

Insulating a façade with mineral wool usually costs more and it is more difficult to work with. But a layer of wool insulation allows moisture to escape from the wall to the outside.

A continuous layer of thermal insulation on the outside allows block all cold bridges in double-layer walls without the use of special constructive tricks that have to be done in single-layer walls.

General thickness of two-layer walls (with plaster from 35 cm.) usually turns out less than a single-layer wall.

The width of the foundation walls (basement) is also smaller, which allows save on their construction. This advantage does not apply to three-layer walls. The width of three-layer walls and their foundations is usually no less than that of single-layer ones.

Exterior finishing of double-layer walls is carried out thin-layer plaster over insulation. Insulation boards, preferably made of extruded polystyrene foam, are glued to the wall. The thickness of the insulation layer is not recommended to be more than 150 mm. A layer of plaster 5-7 thick is applied to the insulation mm.

Wall surface with thin layer plaster more sensitive to point mechanical influences than a single-layer wall with traditional plaster.

For double-layer walls often use ventilated cladding on the frame. In a ventilated façade, mineral wool insulation slabs are placed between the frame posts. The frame is covered with cladding made of vinyl or plinth siding, wooden materials, or various slabs.

Attaching insulation to the walls, installing a ventilated facade - all this work consists of many stages and operations and requires skill, accuracy and responsibility from the performers. A variety of materials are used for work.

When constructing double-layer walls in There is a great risk that employees will do something wrong.

In three-layer walls a layer of highly effective insulation is placed inside the masonry or wall monolith. Three-layer walls also include walls with an insulation layer facing with brick or other masonry materials.

For the construction of three-layer walls, single-row masonry made of (insulated walls, silica granite, polyblock) is also used. Thermal blocks have three layers of concrete-insulation-concrete bonded together.

Mineral insulation - low-density cellular concrete

Continued on next page 2:

The correct choice of material for building a house affects not only its strength and durability, but also the cost of the work. Today's construction market provides a huge range of different materials, ideal not only for prefabricated buildings, but also for solid structures.

First you need to decide for what purpose the future building is intended. If the house is intended for permanent residence, then the main qualities when choosing a building material should be durability, strength, resistance to moisture, as well as high-quality heat and noise insulation.

Houses made of foam concrete, brick, frame and wood have all the above advantages.

Pros and cons of building a country house from timber

A building in the construction of which timber was used will be reliable and beautiful. Material made from logs cut in winter is excellent for construction, as such timber shrinks much faster. There are certain advantages and disadvantages that can influence the choice of this material.

Wooden house made of laminated veneer lumber

For example, the advantages include the smaller depth of the foundation required when building a house. In addition, walls made of timber have lower thermal conductivity compared to walls made of brick, so you don’t have to think about the external or internal decoration of the walls. An important point is that the house can be built at any time, be it in winter or in summer.

Despite the large number of advantages, timber has a number of disadvantages. This material is susceptible to rotting, so it is short-lived, like any other wood material. Also, after the construction of housing, drying should be carried out for some time. In addition, the fire safety of the material is also not at the highest level.

Coniferous trees are used to make profiled timber. The outer side can be flat and may look like a log, but the inner side most often has a flat surface and is processed by planing. The remaining two sides are equipped with special tenons and grooves, which improves the fit with each other. The grooves are filled with jute insulation.

Profiled timber is a high-tech material that allows you to build a house in the shortest possible time.

Profiled timber

Glued laminated timber does not have significant flaws and defects because it undergoes special processing during production. The material is protected by a special impregnation of fire retardant and antiseptic, which gives the wood a high level of resistance to rotting and fire resistance. , can serve you faithfully for several decades.

Glued laminated timber

In addition, they are erected quite quickly, which provides comfortable conditions not only for construction, but also for further living. Currently, many different companies can help with the construction of houses made of timber, however, if you wish, you can do the construction of a house made of timber yourself, since there are no particular difficulties in this matter.

A wooden house is always very cozy and does not require unnecessary interior decoration

Here you can watch a video in which the issues of building a house are discussed, but it is worth considering that it was recorded at the Forest Fair, and, naturally, the author is promoting the topic of building wooden houses. But at the same time, the video contains very useful tips.

Foam concrete houses: pros and cons

The choice of building material is largely determined by such qualities as ease of installation, environmental friendliness, heat and sound insulation. Foam concrete has all of the above qualities, which is why it is gaining increasing popularity among builders. Today, mass housing developments are carried out using this material.

Private country house made of foam concrete

An important quality for many consumers is that this material has a high level of environmental safety. To make foam concrete, only natural materials are used, such as cement, water, sand. Of course, it is also possible to add dyes with plasticizers, but their quantity is usually very small. Walls made of this material allow air to pass through perfectly, which ensures a favorable microclimate in the room.

House wall made of foam concrete

Foam concrete has a fairly low price compared to other materials. In addition, it is very light, which undoubtedly affects the speed of installation. You can build a house in two to three months. In addition, building a house from foam concrete does not require the construction of a powerful foundation.

One of the main qualities of foam concrete is the presence of good heat and noise insulation, which leads to a reduction in the cost of heat energy and insulating materials. This material is completely fireproof and easily withstands high temperatures. In addition, interior walls can be finished using almost any materials.

But, like any building material, foam concrete has its drawbacks. One of them is insufficient strength, so the blocks may be damaged during transportation and construction. There is a possibility that cracks may appear on the walls after installing the building frame, which appear during the shrinkage process or under the influence of temperature changes. In order to avoid adverse consequences, you need to spend money on high-quality reinforcement of the structure.

Reinforced structure

Once it’s built, don’t try to immediately finish finishing the interior walls; it’s better to wait for a while. The reason is that there is a possibility of carbonation shrinkage, which can occur as a result of the formation of chalk inside the material. Such changes can occur due to a chemical reaction between the cement and the carbon dioxide that penetrates it.

Pros and cons of brick houses

Brick houses are among the most popular in the construction industry because they are durable, strong and comfortable. If such a house is built competently and thoroughly, then it can easily stand for more than 100 years, delighting residents with a cozy layout and the warmth of its walls.

Beautiful brick country house

Brick is the most suitable material for exterior finishing work. Brick cladding will require less money than a full-fledged building made from the same material. Such cladding both decorates the building and protects it from the harmful effects of the environment. The best option when building a reliable and warm house is to combine foam concrete with brick.

Brick is ideal for building a house because it is completely natural.

Construction of a brick house

A brick house will not burn down. Of course, the fire will destroy everything that was inside, but the frame of the house will remain standing, which contributes to the beginning of a new life.

If necessary, you can build on it and add additional rooms. A house with only one floor can become a comfortable cottage or a house with several floors.

Brick walls can support roller shutters or an additional attic. You can also line the walls with wood, wild stone or decorative brick.

Modern materials for building a house make it possible to simplify the technology as much as possible and reduce the time required to construct the frame of the future building. But nevertheless, when planning the development of a site, you should devote time to choosing wall material. A lot depends on what materials are chosen for building a house. This is not only the estimated cost, but also the performance characteristics. Typically, the material for building the walls of a house is selected based on many parameters, such as: personal preferences, available amount of money, availability of stone or wood in a particular region. What material is preferable to choose for building a house is discussed in this material, which provides comparative characteristics of the most common types (brick, blocks, wood, etc.).

When planning the construction of a country house, one of the first problems is the choice of materials for building a house in accordance with the given estimate and parameters of the future building. The next question that has to be resolved is what size should the building be? These two issues directly affect the budget for construction work, and the larger the building and the better the quality of the material for its construction, the larger the budget. Therefore, compromises often have to be made.

Look at the materials for building a house in the photo, which shows various types of blocks and lumber:

However, the desire for large-scale construction is not so common now. Now the question of which material is better for building a house is decided primarily by calculating its thermal conductivity. After the arrival of new bills for heating, electricity and other pleasures of everyday life, many willy-nilly think that maintaining a palace today is only possible for very rich people. Therefore, the construction of houses with a reasonable layout, comfortable, but not large, environmentally friendly and not requiring large expenses has become fashionable.

When deciding which material to choose for building a house, be guided by the data given in the table “Basic physical and technical indicators of building materials.” The main physical and technical indicators of standard building materials are posted there. It is worth noting that when choosing a particular material, many are based on local climatic conditions. However, no matter where you live, the warmth in the house will depend not so much on the material of the walls, but on its design, construction technology and finishing. So it is much more important to calculate how much you can spend and take into account how often you will live in a holiday home. But still, when making a choice, you should keep in mind the following factors.

Comparative table of properties of building materials

Indicators	Dimension	Ceramic brick	Ceramic brick	Hollow-core brick	Aerated concrete	Foam concrete	Expanded clay concrete	Polystyrene concrete	Wood (pine)
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Density	kg/m 3	1700	1800	800- 1400	500-600	200-1600	500-1200	150- 400	500
Wall thickness at R t = 3.15	m	1,3- 2,5	1,4- 2,7	0,55- 1,35	0,5-0,6	0,5- 0,6	0,72- 1,64	0,16- 0,32	0,45
Weight 1 m 2 walls	kg	1190	1250	450- 900	200- 460	200-460	360- 970	85-360	220
Thermal conductivity	W/(m x °C)	0,81	0,87	0,18- 0,43	0,16- 0,29	0,08- 0,51	0,23- 0,52	0,08- 0,18	0,14- 0,18
Heat loss	W/m2	54	58	28	17,5	17,5	26,7	13,3	33,3
Compressive strength	MPa	2,5- 25	5-30	7-30	2,5-15	2,5- 7,5	3,5-7,5	0,73- 3,6	3,3/ 39
Vapor permeability coefficient	mg/M X H X P a	0,15	0,15	0,14- 0,17	0,11	0,1- 0,26	0,09	0,05	0,06/ 0,32
Water absorption	%	<16	<16	9-14	<16	<14	18	12	>100
Operating humidity	%	6-8	6-8	6-8	4-5	12	5-7	4-8	4-8
Frost resistance	cycles	15-20	15-20	15- 20	50-100	25-50	50	25-50	25

This comparative table of building materials shows the most important physical and technical parameters that have a significant impact on the future operation of the building. The table of construction materials can be used to control the work of estimating and contracting organizations. All properties of building materials in the table are given taking into account performance characteristics in harsh climates.

Brick is the best material for building a private house

The best material for building a house has existed and been invented for a long time. This is a brick. Brick houses are quite expensive, but reliable, comfortable, warm in winter and cool in summer. The noise level is minimal, the level of environmental safety is high. However, a brick house, although considered durable, quickly falls into disrepair without residents, as it requires constant heating in winter. Otherwise, dampness accumulates in the brick, which gradually leads to its destruction. If the rules are followed, brick housing can last up to 150 years, if, of course, the material is of sufficient quality. To determine whether there is a defect in a brick, knock on it - the sound should be clear.

You can also break it down and look at the color: it should be darker and richer on the inside than on the sides.

Despite good heat-saving performance, houses made of bricks still lose heat through cement joints, so in such houses it is necessary to insulate the walls with mineral wool or polystyrene.

In addition, one should take into account the difficulty of laying communications in the walls and the long construction period. Last but not least, the duration of the work is due to the fact that a heavy brick building requires a serious foundation, which, in turn, requires significant financial costs. When choosing the best material for building a private house, all these factors should be taken into account.

Concrete materials for the construction of a country house: foam blocks

Cellular concrete as materials for the construction of a country house has become quite popular in individual construction in recent years. They come in two main types. Blocks made by autoclave production are called gas silicate blocks, and non-autoclave blocks are called foam concrete blocks.

Foam blocks as materials for building a house are an ordinary cement mortar (water, sand and cement), into which foaming additives (synthetic or organic origin) are introduced under excess pressure, as a result of which air bubbles evenly distributed in the solution, when cured, create closed cells and material becomes porous. The resulting foam concrete is poured into special molds with partitions, where, when hardened, ready-made blocks are obtained. To harden, concrete materials are exposed to air.

Gas silicate blocks - materials for building houses

Gas silicate consists of quartz sand, cement, lime and water. Foaming and hardening of gas silicate, unlike foam concrete, occurs in an autoclave oven. There, the material is hardened with water vapor at a pressure of 8-12 atmospheres and a temperature of 2000 °C. This technology makes it possible to obtain blocks of the same quality at any point of the finished product, in contrast to foam concrete, the hardening process of which cannot be regulated. At the same time, gas silicate has a number of advantages compared to foam concrete - it is lighter, stronger and “warmer”, provides better sound insulation, and is easier to plaster.

In many respects, gas silicate blocks as materials for building houses are superior to brick in their consumer properties. Thus, one block of gas silicate weighing 15 kg replaces eight bricks, the total weight of which reaches 35 kg. Due to the fact that such blocks are large in size (600 x 200 x 300 mm), their laying is faster and easier than brick laying, and more masonry mixture is saved. Additional advantages include high fire resistance of the material, good sound and heat insulation, and low thermal conductivity. Due to the fact that aerated concrete blocks are easy to machine (they can be drilled, cut and sawed with a regular hacksaw), they are easy to work with and lay communications, you can implement any architectural delights. But these same properties make this material fragile, and even a slight bend can lead to serious damage to the structure. The construction period for a “box” made of gas silicate is only 2-3 months, but interior work and finishing can only be done after a year, since such houses shrink significantly.

The warmest material for building a permanent home

Wood is the warmest material for building a house, environmentally friendly and relatively inexpensive. A wooden house is warm and cozy, it “breathes”, retains heat well, and does not require special interior decoration. Previously, the disadvantage of wooden houses was considered to be an increased fire hazard and a high probability of damage by insects. Nowadays these problems are easily eliminated with the help of special treatment. In addition, this material is lightweight and does not require a serious foundation.

According to construction technology, it is faster, but significantly more expensive, to build houses from laminated veneer lumber; it is more difficult, but cheaper, to build by hand cutting. However, when building a log home, you will face strict restrictions on architectural style and interior decoration. In addition, it is believed that this material for the construction of a house for permanent residence does not require insulation of the building; this is fundamentally wrong. This is only permissible in relation to seasonal housing.

If the building is intended for permanent residence in the middle zone, then it will still need additional external insulation.

One of the important disadvantages should be noted that a house made of timber will cost you more than any other of the same size. After all, you will not be able to cut a sufficient number of timber trees anywhere except in the remote taiga, so you will have to buy not at all cheap rounded logs or laminated veneer lumber. In addition, no matter how quickly the log house is assembled, all work will only be completed within 1.5-2 years due to shrinkage caused by drying of the logs.

Eco-friendly and durable material for building a house

Frame houses are record holders in terms of construction time and low cost. Frame-panel systems are quite suitable for the construction of one- and two-story houses. Such systems are based on the sandwich principle: between two OSB or pine boards there is a durable material for building a house, such as polystyrene foam or mineral wool. Additionally, steam and windproof membranes can be used. As a result, heating costs for panel housing compared to a brick house are several times lower. Significant savings are also achieved due to the lightweight foundation and minimal internal civil works. After assembling the house, which takes no more than 3-4 months (along with the construction of the foundation), you can almost immediately live in it - carry out interior decoration and move in, since it does not shrink. Eco-friendly materials for building a house using frame technology make it safe and economical.

The service life of frame houses is up to 50 years. Despite the fact that they are considered economy-class housing, about 80% of all private housing built in the world is just such buildings. An undoubted advantage of such structures is also the ease of individual planning and the possibility of using the most modern building materials and technologies.

Who doesn't dream of their own cozy home outside the city? Many people move from desires to actions and begin planning construction. What prevents others from doing this? First of all, the high cost of building a house is frightening. After all, you want to build a permanent building that will serve without problems for many years, and will still be left to your grandchildren.

Capital construction is also required by the climate in our country. And if you also take into account the cost of the land plot and the installation of all communications, then you simply give up. But there is a way out!

You can build a house cheaply. At the same time, it will look very presentable and modern. In reality, it is enough to spend no more than half a million rubles to get a spacious turnkey house.

You just need to consider what factors influence the cost of construction:

House layout. You can save up to 20 percent on the project.
Choosing a house design and materials. The right choice of materials will reduce costs by up to 40 percent.
House construction work. Some work can be easily done independently. This will also allow you to save a lot on the services of specialists.

Choosing modern materials allows you to reduce construction costs, because they are easier to work with. Many manipulations can be done with your own hands. In addition, they have high quality characteristics.

The time to build a house can also be reduced by using the latest developments in the field of building materials. As a result, construction will take up to 3 months.

Material for house walls - what to build a residential building from?

There are a number of building materials that meet the requirements for building quality and can satisfy almost any customer needs.

The most commonly used materials for the construction of private houses are the following:

Profiled and sawn timber;
Rounded log;
Gas silicate blocks;
Brick.

First of all, you need to decide how the house will be used:

Seasonal operation. Such buildings are designed for living in them during the summer season. A frame house made of thin timber or rounded logs with a small diameter is sufficient.
Permanent residence. These houses must be heated in winter; the walls can withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees. The walls must be made of logs or stone.

Basic building materials and their costs

A house made of wood is preferred by people for whom the environmental component is important. Wood, as a natural material, allows you to relax and promotes good rest. It maintains a comfortable atmosphere in the house at any time of the year.

1. Choosing a stone house is more practical. The main reasons for this choice are as follows:

Low operating costs;
Small heat loss;
Long service life.

2. You can choose a combined house when two types of materials are used. It combines the practicality of stone and the comfort of wood. As a rule, the first floor is built of stone, and the second is made of wood.

3. Costs of constructing a wooden house can be reduced by choosing a lighter foundation. In addition, there is an opportunity to not carry out interior decoration in a log house, which will also reduce costs. This is despite the fact that this material is quite expensive.

The cost of constructing wooden houses depends on the choice of wall material, the planned use, the size of the building and varies from 300,000 to 1,000,000 rubles.

4. The cost of houses made of warm ceramics is very high. These are complex buildings with large wall thicknesses - up to 50 centimeters. This material has very high quality characteristics, but it is possible to build a house from warm ceramics only in the warm season.

5. A monolithic house with permanent formwork will cost less. Construction time is short, a heavy foundation is not needed, wall materials are inexpensive, but have good thermal conductivity.

6. Monolithic walls made of polystyrene foam are durable and reliable, resistant to destruction. But they require expensive interior and exterior finishing. You can build a monolithic private house in the middle price category.

7. A house made of gas silicate blocks has good frost resistance, vapor permeability, and lasts a long time. The cost of the material is low, but the work is expensive. It requires the construction of a complex foundation. In addition, work can only be carried out in warm weather.

How to choose wall material: brick house?

It should be noted that the cost of building a brick house is compared to wooden buildings. In addition, there is no point in building such a house for temporary residence. This is due to the fact that it needs to be constantly heated.

The costs of building a brick house increase due to the fact that a capital foundation is required. You should make the right choice of design for a brick cottage so that it looks appropriate and aesthetically pleasing.

The brick house has a number of attractive features.

Durability and strength of the building. This is an excellent option for a country house where you plan to live permanently.
High fire resistance. In this case, it is necessary to create reliable communications and utility networks, as well as to operate them correctly.
Extensive selection of architectural solutions. It is possible to build a house in any style, from avant-garde to classic Gothic.
Many options for both interior and exterior decoration. By the way, exterior finishing may not be done at all.

Foam block walls: pros and cons

According to consumer reviews, there are much more positive characteristics of houses made of foam blocks.

The advantages of this material include the following:

The blocks are quite light, maximum weight – up to 25 kilograms. The construction will be easy, which allows you to avoid making an expensive foundation.
Easy installation. You can make it yourself very quickly.
Environmental friendliness. Impurities in foam blocks are contained in minimal quantities. Thermal insulation rates are high.

The disadvantages of foam blocks include:

Unattractive appearance. The house doesn't look very nice, but you can choose different types of finishes to elevate it.
The blocks are fragile, may be damaged during transportation.
During the period of shrinkage of the house, cracks may appear in the walls. It depends on the quality of production.
The service life of a foam block house reaches 80 years with proper use. This may seem like a short time to some.

Everyone makes their own choice of material. In order to make a choice, you can ask friends who have houses made of the materials of interest. It is possible to read reviews on construction forums.

Are expanded clay concrete walls used in private construction?

Expanded clay is a durable material that holds heat better than its analogues. For example, cinder concrete walls will need to be made thicker.

Its positive aspects also include:

Frost resistance.
Low water absorption.
Durability.
No shrinkage.

Expanded clay concrete is expensive, the weight of the blocks is large. But they are also actively used in private construction. As a rule, external walls are built from them, but sometimes expanded clay concrete blocks are also used for internal partitions, creating ceilings, and screeding floors.

Wooden walls and a cheaper alternative

A few words should be said separately about wooden housing construction. Wood is relatively inexpensive; it is only important to choose the right type of wood from which the house will be built. For a long time, preference was given to coniferous species - pine, larch, spruce. Pine and spruce are the most commonly used materials in house construction.

The main advantages of wooden houses are:

Low cost.
Environmental friendliness of the material.
Low thermal conductivity.
Light weight.
Lets air through (“breathes”).

The main reason why people refuse to use this material is high fire hazard. You can secure your wooden house if you correctly install all electrical appliances and comply with all operating requirements. It should be noted that the cost of restoring a brick house after a fire is equivalent to building a wooden house.

Also repulsive is the fact that wood susceptible to destruction for various reasons: shrinkage of the house, rotting, the appearance of fungi, mold, exposure to negative natural factors. But this can and must be fought. There are a lot of products that are used to protect wooden surfaces.

The cost of building a wooden house is definitely higher than a building made from cheaper foam block or expanded clay concrete. But the positive features are obvious. Only with the help of eco-friendly and natural wood can a person feel like a part of nature. A wooden house is a cozy refuge for the whole family.

Foam walls: advantages and disadvantages

Walls can be erected from foam blocks, which are also called polystyrene foam. They have cavities inside. A house built from this material is considered a thermal house. Expanded polystyrene has its own characteristics.

The advantages include:

Moisture resistance. They can withstand even prolonged exposure to moisture.
Excellent noise insulation characteristics.
The double layer of blocks provides excellent thermal insulation.
Good air permeability.
Light weight of the blocks, which ensures simplicity and ease of installation and processing.

But this material also has negative sides:

Foam walls are afraid of high temperatures.
It is necessary to create special fire safety conditions. In case of fire, the material releases very harmful substances that cause irreparable harm to human health.
The blocks are not environmentally friendly.
The material is easily damaged. Additional wall finishing is required.

The cost of blocks is quite high. But if we compare the construction of brick walls and polystyrene foam walls, the second option is more profitable. For the reason that brick walls need to be insulated and finished at least from the inside.

This material is used for the construction of houses up to 5 floors high.

Frame wall construction

Frame construction is actively used in the private sector for the construction of country houses. At the base of the house is a frame, which is sheathed on both sides with various materials. The walls are multi-layered.

This type of construction allows you to build modern houses quickly and efficiently.

Their advantages include the following facts:

The wall structures allow you to install all the necessary communications inside.
The technology does not require time to shrink the house and dry the walls.
Any finishing materials for frame walls can be used.
The design is light, the foundation can be created more economically.
You can live in a frame house all year round.
Much less wood is used for construction than for the construction of a house made of timber.
Convenient finishing. The walls come out perfectly smooth with correct angles.
Frame houses do not require constant heating. They can survive the winter well, maintaining their positive qualities.

Finishing a frame house

A frame house makes it possible to use a variety of materials for cladding.

The main options that are used most often are:

Brick. It can be used in different ways: to create a monochromatic surface or to create a pattern using bricks of different colors. Brick cladding allows you to protect and strengthen the structure, improve sound insulation and reduce heat loss.
Decorative stone or ceramics. They give the building a serious, respectable appearance; the house will look like a family estate that was built in past times. This type of finish goes well with wood and plastered surfaces.
Decoration with wooden clapboard or block house. You can create the look of a log house. It is easy to install the lining; it has different textures, which allows you to create original wall surfaces. It also does not put a lot of stress on the walls.
Decorative plaster. It can be applied over a layer of insulation.
Siding finishing. The popularity of this facing material has increased greatly in recent years. Its service life is long, and a huge selection of textures allows you to create an original exterior of the facade.
Thermal panels. They allow you to solve two problems at once: insulate the walls and decorate the facade. Their installation is simple; they are mounted on pre-prepared profiles.

Wooden houses

The materials that can be used to build a wooden house are the following:

Rounded log;
Chopped log;
Beam.

These materials are, of course, natural and safe. But they are not suitable for cheap construction. Primarily because the construction process will take a long time. After all, a log frame made of wood shrinks. This will require additional investments to eliminate the consequences - cracks, holes.

Do not forget that any wood requires antiseptic treatment of the walls. This allows you to keep them in their original condition for a long time, protecting them from the negative effects of the environment, rotting and the appearance of beetles.

Laminated timber: beautiful, but expensive

Glued laminated timber is of high quality and visual appeal. But its cost is very high. Even the fact that a structure made of timber does not shrink and will not require additional investments in finishing does not guarantee that significant savings can be made on this.

Rounded log: a house in the traditions of Russian architecture

Construction from this material requires virtually no manual work. The house is assembled like a construction set. The log has a convenient shape; all cups and landing channels are created in production. The logs are connected as tightly as possible. There is no need to finish the walls.

Not only houses, but also bathhouses are built from cylinders.

The advantages of this material include the following:

Reducing construction costs and reducing construction time.
Noble appearance.
Achieving tightness of all connections thanks to the technological precision of the log arrangement.
The building looks attractive and aesthetically pleasing.

Dmitry Balandin

Every good owner sooner or later faces some type of construction. Some are building a garage, some are building a bathhouse, and some are planning to build a large mansion on their own. This is where the question arises about what is the best material to choose for building a house.

The main stages of construction include pouring the foundation and erecting walls. For any owner, it is important that the aesthetic appearance of the building is of a high level, the walls are warm, strong, and in general the costs of building materials are not very high.

The most popular materials for building a house

The modern construction market is rich and diverse. Let's take a closer look at the top five most popular building materials for building a house.

Solid profiled timber.
Rounded log.
Brick.
Foam blocks.
Thermal panels.

What to give preference to? Each owner makes this decision independently, but for this it is worth studying all the pros and cons of each of the materials.

Tree

Wooden building materials for building a house have become very popular these days. Wood walls have low thermal conductivity, but stable heat capacity. Even if the house has not been heated for some time, with the furnace running, the resulting condensation will be absorbed into the wood. After this, the already heated air draws out moisture, and a special, favorable microclimate is created in the room. Coniferous species (pine, spruce, fir, larch, cedar) are often used in construction. In addition to the popular solid profiled timber, rounded logs, laminated veneer lumber, regular timber, and carriages are used.

Solid profiled timber

Material that has undergone special processing. The content of wood resin in profiled timber is very high, thanks to which buildings made from it are durable and are not exposed to aggressive environmental influences.

Even in the last century, when choosing finishing and building materials, rarely did anyone choose profiled timber. When erecting the walls, manual adjustment was required. Now, thanks to modern technologies, beams are processed on machines in such a way that they simply fit together perfectly, the gaps between them are minimal.

This environmentally friendly material is not too expensive. The walls retain heat inside for a long time; they can be erected in a matter of days. Smooth, machine-processed beams allow you to assemble a house like a puzzle.

Rounded log

When studying building materials for building a house, pay attention to rounded logs. Like timber, this building material is made from coniferous trees. Unlike the first, rounded logs allow the construction of more durable structures, all thanks to the shape of the material. Construction from rounded logs is also carried out in a short time.

Brick

The most popular building material for building walls is brick. Brick buildings are quite acceptable in appearance, very strong in strength, durable, and also environmentally friendly.

Sand-lime brick. This building material is very common. Buildings made from such bricks can last for decades.

Clay brick. It has always been considered a symbol of something stable, indestructible. This brick has increased strength, frost resistance, and immunity to aggressive atmospheric influences. However, the thermal characteristics of such building materials do not always meet expectations.

To build reliable buildings, high-quality building materials are required. Brick factories offer a wide range of their products, which can be divided into three categories:

Solid bricks, these include the following types: conditionally effective, ordinary, effective.
Hollow bricks, the proportion of voids in them reaches 40%. Cladding products also fall into this category.
as well as large-format stone-bricks. The high thermal conductivity of this category is ensured thanks to the honeycomb-shaped structural material.

Disadvantages and advantages of brick

During transportation, especially over long distances, a small percentage of products lose their presentation, and brick materials for building the walls of a house crumble. Their cost is quite high.

The ability of brick to retain heat is much less than that of wood. Walls built from conditionally efficient or solid brick always require additional insulation. This problem is solved by three options: a ventilated facade - installation of a suspended insulation system, a heat-insulating plaster system, as well as three-layer walls with a thermal layer.

The brick house is comfortable to live in. This design “breathes”, provides air exchange, and at the same time has active thermal inertia. Once heated, brick walls retain heat for a long time and gradually release it into the room.

Foam blocks

If you need high-quality and at the same time inexpensive building materials to build a house, then pay attention to foam blocks.

Foam blocks have such qualities as heat resistance, high strength, and low weight. Sudden temperature changes do not affect walls built from foam blocks in any way. They do not crack or expand. There are many air bubbles inside the block, which increase the thermal insulation effect. For comparison: foam concrete walls have a thermal conductivity eight times higher than conventional concrete walls. The material is good not only for the construction of main walls, but also for internal floors. Thanks to this, the entire structure retains heat perfectly. Foam concrete structures do not require additional insulation. Heating costs are significantly reduced, by approximately 30%.

Advantages of foam concrete structures

Due to the low weight, the pressure on the foundation is reduced.
Savings in finishing. Regular wall putty is sufficient; plaster is not necessary.
Reduced labor intensity. One 15 kg foam block replaces 20 bricks, the total weight of which is 80 kg.
Cellular foam concrete blocks have excellent sound insulation properties.
Brick factories produce such building materials in sufficient quantities. The popularity of foam blocks is growing every day.
In terms of environmental friendliness, this material resembles wood. The room maintains optimal humidity and the walls breathe. Unlike wood, blocks do not rot, do not burn, and do not rust like metal.
Foam concrete is often used as a heat insulator; it can withstand high temperatures (up to +400 degrees).
The blocks are very easy to process using ordinary hand tools.

Disadvantages of foam concrete

When we choose materials for the walls of a house, we try to study not only the advantages, but also their inherent disadvantages; foam concrete also has some. These include:

Fragility of the material.
Every three rows of walls must be reinforced.
Foam concrete quickly absorbs moisture, which somewhat reduces thermal conductivity.
To avoid dampness, you need to create waterproofing, moisture-resistant protection between the foundation and the walls.
Vapor permeability of foam concrete. Vapor barrier is required.

Frame thermal panels

If you need inexpensive building materials to build a house, then you should pay attention to frame thermal panels. The advantages of this material include low thermal conductivity, relative strength and quick assembly. The downside is the lack of naturalness.

Thermal panels today are very often used for finishing frame-panel houses. Their design consists of extruded polystyrene foam (as a thermal insulation substrate) and high performance properties allow the use of thermal panels in the construction of houses using Canadian technologies. The most important characteristics of this façade material, which have ensured wide demand, certainly include the absence of moisture absorption, low thermal conductivity, high compressive and impact strength, resistance to fire and any biological effects. The material is easy to install and further use.

The finishing and construction walls of the house must meet all modern requirements, then the structure will delight the owners for many years. Frame thermal panels provide an attractive, aesthetic, solid appearance to the building. It is for this reason that this material is very often used for the construction of cottages. built using Canadian technology, finished with clinker panels, it looks like smooth, flawless brickwork.

If a building is lined with thermal panels, heat loss is immediately reduced by 30%, all thanks to the substrate, which consists of extruded polystyrene foam. The clinker tiles are connected to the insulation under high pressure with heavy-duty adhesive. The finest cutting of expanded polystyrene sheets allows for high-quality tight joints. In order for the facade to acquire a finished look, in addition to the main panels, you can purchase various additional elements to neatly decorate the corners.

We presented the most common building materials on the modern market. How and what material to choose for building a house, whether to give preference to price, naturalness, aesthetic qualities or technical characteristics, is up to you to decide.