Wooden houses, how to choose them, advantages and disadvantages

The timber housing sector has grown significantly over the last decade and this is why many of us are interested in this type of housing with its competitive prices and shortest construction period.

To be more precise are wooden houses around 25-30% cheaper that a concrete house should not think and in terms of construction more than 5 or 6 months.

That is why many people start choosing them for a second place of residence and later as a home for the whole year.

If you want a wooden house you not only have to look at price and make it as beautiful as possible, to this day there are many types and features of the house to be considered “almost perfect” and I say almost perfect because no nothing is perfect in this world.

Similarly, You can make the purchase through 3 methods:

Not to buy the Kit (kit) but to assemble it yourself.
Buying the assembled equipment
Buying a turnkey house, completely finished.

Types of wooden houses

There are three types of wooden house constructions, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

Of logs.

The first is logs.

A house of this type is built or located directly on the plot using logs and thus giving it that distinctive touch.

This type of house has an advantage of wood thickness, with this, I mean thanks to the dimensions of the wood we have its excellent temperature and humidity controller inside the house with quality in winter and cool in summer, and in the end that is what is important.

The problem or disadvantage of this type is the imperfection of the union between one stock and another, although it could be solved by using square logs that fit better than the round ones.

Lightly woven

Standardized panels and parts are used which greatly simplify the assembly, as well as a large number of small elements that aid in the modification, prefabrication and interchangeability.

Fite trom

At first glance, the difference between a light and heavy framework is the size of the beams or pieces of wood used, but this is not the case.

I heavy frame avoids the use of steel-based joints and nails and more are used the assemblies or unions that take advantage of the tension of the structure.

In addition, it allows the construction of multi-storey buildings, which can lose stability from 3 heights with the lightweight framework.

Mobile houses

They can be both wood as in other types of coatings.

They are houses already assembled in the factory and transported in several pieces or even in one, depending on the final size of the house, up to the final place.

This type of wooden house is usually the most popular in central and northern Europe.

In Spain, because it is not yet a standard option, builders are willing to promote them until they find it.

In fact, the Association of Timber House Manufacturers and Builders has the main objectives, on the one hand, of negotiating with insurers to avoid penalties and, conversely, to offer information about the benefits of this type of housing in general. , whether for citizens, architects or the builders themselves.

Where does the wood come from?

As is logical to think, wood is a marketed product so it has several ranges or qualities, ranging from the best and most acceptable.

They are all wooden houses with just the equipment.

High Quality - Made in Finland, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Medium quality: made in Latvia, France, Poland and Spain.
Standard quality: made in Chile, Brazil, Lithuania, Estonia and Romania.

To have this classification introduce the various qualities count some parameters as they are:

The guarantee that the wood is dried. That way avoid deformations, decay among other problems.
Calculation of loads. It refers to the loads the walls and ceilings can withstand.
Technology. The most valuable thing is the control number of each Kit piece.
Measurements and thicknesses of wood sheets. Optimum thickness of 90mm plus the complementary isolation chamber of at least 50mm plus interior lining.
Anti-moisture and protective treatments. Insecticides and fungicides.
Certificates of Responsible Forest Management (FSC and PEFC) and CE certification.
Quality of materials. The most valuable wood comes from high mountains and slow-growing trees.

How to choose the “perfect” log house

I have already said that we cannot choose or have the perfect house but that we may come closer to that state.

The best and even the most used light lattice ones are also known as American houses, Canadian houses or wooden frame (wooden frame).

Such a wooden house has a durability of more than 75 years of light fabric, that is to say, it is more than solid wooden houses and even more than brick or concrete structures.

In addition, these houses achieve a huge balance between thermal, steam and breathable insulation of the walls.

Which means improving living conditions at home.

The basics

The basic elements that make up a light frame house are 4: roof, forged (floor separation), interior and exterior walls.

Exterior wall includes:

45x145mm casing beams
Decorative material (wooden platform for example)
Strut 25x45mm
Waterproof membrane membrane
Chipboard or OSB
150mm insulation
Membrane steam counter
12,5mm plasterboard

Inner wall with:

12,5mm plasterboard
Insulation 100-150mm
Membrane steam counter
OSB or 12,5mm plasterboard
45x145mm casing beams

The separation between floors or masonry must:

Pallet floor
Waterproof membrane membrane
150mm insulation
Membrane steam counter
OSB or 12,5mm plasterboard
45x145mm casing beams

And finally the roof with:

Roof (tégola, tile)
Anti-moisture membrane
Air chamber
Strut 30x100mm
150mm insulation
Membrane steam counter
50x20mm structure beams
12mm plasterboard

The idea of light frame houses is to have a strong solid structure on which you can place walls in their spaces, which are a structure of wooden slats that form frames (which is why they are called a wooden frame) and between them are arranged the interior and exterior finishes, as well as other elements.

also, One of the advantages of this type of wooden houses can give you our favorite finishes according to their same structures, inside or outside (face), be different or equal on both sides.

On the other hand, another advantage of the light fabric is that houses are built cheaper, in theory at least, than the other types of houses since they have less wood from the walls that are made of OSB or other goods.

What is an OSB wall or finish?

OSB is the abbreviation for Oriented Strand Board, translated as oriented chip board and is a type of conglomerate board.

This board is the evolution of plywood boards, and instead of attaching several sheets or wood veneer, several layers formed with wood chips or trimming are fastened, oriented, in the same direction.

The possible finishes we can incorporate.

I already mentioned that you can choose the same or even several finish for the interior of the house or for the exterior but do you know which one it is?

Well here you see 8 types of finishes to choose from:

OSB Boards, previously explained (current trend)

Canaxel, this coating is made of high-density wood chips, which offer the aesthetics and resilience of colored wood without its natural imperfections.

Exposed brick.

Artificial stone, could be placed as a plinth and is the cheapest.

Natural stone, it is usually placed as a specific object because its price has increased.

Wooden tongue and groove, special for exterior.

Monolayer, this finish is just a special mortar that looks like cement. It is quite expensive and already has several copies such as the cement and glue mixture.

Ecological mortar made with natural materials such as lime, clay ...

Advantages and disadvantages of wooden houses:

Advantages or positive points:

Wood, the main building material, is its natural insulator that can protect us from bad weather.

in addition, good wear resistance produced by the Sun, wind or humidity resists so its durability is very high.

With the above (natural insulation) I add that there is nothing better than having your home warm in winter and cool in summer, an advantage of the effect is also energy saving.

In addition, it has great mechanical resistance, which does not prevent it from being a solid material capable of offering protection.

There are new solutions in case of fire and that is, with the new treatments with flame-retardant substances, the combustion is not so fast adding that the wood is already a stable material for the fire, which is what what I have with this is that it is worn slowly.

Not in the case of buildings made of brick, cement and concrete.

Leaving the material itself (wood), it must be said that it is very versatile and can be adapted to any home design and can be fully customized.

For its construction, it should be noted that it is a sustainable, cheap and fast construction.

Sustainable because it is a clean construction, it does not consume much water when the construction is dry and little energy is used to cut and dry the wood.

It can also be considered a renewable resource if the timber comes from responsibly managed forests.

It is cheap and fast because compared to the brick houses, the wooden ones are built around 6 Months at most and are around 20 or 25% cheaper so they are more affordable for many more people..

Disadvantages or negative points:

That being said, wood is a renewable material if its extraction is regulated. It is a double - edged sword. tough that happens without those living things being flooded by deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, adverse effects on Carbon Dioxide (CO2) fixation, etc.

Another point to consider is the responsible care that must be done on wood.

I say this because as a natural material it is attacked by insects, pests and fungi.

We must avoid these attacks at all costs if we want to continue in our home. While this problem today is an easy fix as wood is treated with substances that protect and are waterproof.

However, what should be considered is substances that are used since they are not the same as the use of chemical products that can harm our health or the condition of the wood in the long run natural or respectable products with raw materials and human health.

A negative point to consider is that not all municipalities allow the construction of wooden houses as they “consider” that this type of house “breaks” with the landscape in terms of design, colors and length etc.

also, these houses are not appreciated as it may be a normal building house since the building systems are new in some countries.

Leaving aside the potential inconveniences of these types of houses, personally I think living in a wooden house is a very good option since it is an alternative to traditional houses that are more "ecological" and are responsible for the environment, without that you have a special charm so that.

(Article translated from Spanish)