House with their own hands, how to build a cottage, useful tips

Residents of large cities have always tried in the warm season to leave their apartments for a while and move away from the city bustle to their summer cottage to have a good rest, to work on the vegetable garden and breathe fresh air. However, the dacha can be used for completely different purposes. It can be just a place to relax, summer weekends with friends, family and relatives. From the way the dacha will be used, the design, layout and planning of the cottage is directly dependent. There are several types of holiday cottages: for visiting in summer, permanent residence and for rest. Planning the construction of the dacha, you need to immediately determine the functions of the house to avoid modifications and inconveniences in the future. If you are going to finally move from the city to the country, then you need to take care of that in your country house there were all the amenities that you are accustomed to living in an apartment. Needless to say, all necessary infrastructure should be nearby: a hospital or a medical center, a school, shops, and more or less normal roads to them. If you use a summer cottage exclusively in the summer, it is best to build it out of wood. In a building made of wood in the summer heat, a comfortable temperature rests, the house "breathes". Also it will be necessary to take care of the adjacent territory, to arrange it properly. But when you consider a dacha just as a temporary shelter, then all requirements can be reduced to a minimum. The main conditions are electricity and drinking water.  

House with their own hands: what to build

Residential building in the country house can be built independently. For a small plot the country cottage 6x4 is the ideal option. The living space of this house allows you to place all the necessary furniture and comfortably accommodate 3-4 people. In addition, you can use the space under the roof as a second floor. Modern building technologies allow you to build a house very quickly and economically, even if you do it yourself. It should be noted that the country house of brick and block confidently go into the past. At present, frame technology is ideally suited for the construction of cottages. Independently the frame house on a country site it is quite possible to construct for a summer, and to enjoy in it holiday with a family for the following year. And if the frame house is properly insulated and brought up all communications, then it can be used as a full-fledged country house.

Design of a frame house

Any more or less serious construction begins with the creation of the project, and even a small cottage is no exception. The project will help to calculate the quantity and range of building material. In the design process, often there are new original ideas - how to better use the living space, decorate the room, where something to add, somewhere to save, etc.

When designing a frame house, be sure to consult with the family, because the frame house must satisfy the requirements of all owners, especially children. Perhaps in the design process it turns out that you need a house larger or smaller. During the construction work, it is also possible to change the dimensions, but this will involve a number of problems. In the process of construction, you will definitely need the following tools:

• A few hammers.
• A small carpenter's hatchet.
• Electro or chainsaw.
• Roulette is at least 5 meters long.
• Plumb bob, level.
• Electric drill, screwdriver.
• Electro-ball.

Foundation for a cottage

Frame houses are usually single-storey. This is due to the materials used in their construction. Construct a full-fledged two-story frame house, of course you can, but then at a price it will be comparable to brick, and the time for its erection will take as much. Therefore, as we already mentioned above, as a second floor in a frame house, an attic space is usually used. Since for the frame house dry and light wood materials are used - timber, OSB, board, slats, there is no need for a strong monolithic foundation. Variants of foundations for a frame house:

• Screw piles.
• Columns.
• Slightly ribbed foundation.

When choosing this or that option, be sure to consider the type and characteristics of the soil on your site. For small frame buildings it is more expedient to use a base made of asbestos cement columns filled with concrete, which can be ordered here.

For the construction of such a foundation we will need:

• Asbestos cement pipe.
• Ingredients for concrete: fine gravel, sand, cement grade 500.
• Manual or gasoline drill.
• Plummet, a device for tamping.
• Concrete mixer and trough for mortar.

Before starting the foundation, mark the construction site. On the marking, make indentations for the posts, keeping the distance from 80 cm to one meter.

Columns should be installed strictly vertically, using a plumb line. The space near the columns is sifted with sand, each layer is gently rammed. It is important not to break the vertical, and constantly check each column with a plumb line. For sand to be tamped better, it is spilled with water.

After that, a solution of concrete is poured into the pillars. The solution for pouring is prepared in the following proportion: 1 part of cement, 4 parts of sand and 5 parts of rubble. Concrete should be of such a consistency that it freely filled all the space inside the column, there should be no emptiness.

From the top on the posts are set steel plates, which are then fixed lags. To the center of the plate, it is necessary to weld a steel pin or reinforcement with a section of at least 20 mm, and concrete it inside the column. After the concrete has completely solidified, you can continue to work.

Erection of the frame

The frame can be made from different materials. But if you are building a cottage house on your own, then it's better to use wood. Build the frame begin with the floor. First, the lower strapping is installed.

Units measuring 150x150 mm are placed on metal plates fixed on posts, previously ruberoid is put on plates in several layers. The inner boards of the strapping are connected with each other by screws 120 mm in length, the middle and lower boards of the binding - with screws 95-100 mm. The field of how all the boards of the lower strapping are fixed, the upper part is carefully aligned with the electric gun, checking the horizontal diagonal and all angles. The lower strapping should be done perfectly, the slightest unevenness will affect the geometry of the whole house.

Next, with a saw or electric jigsaw, we make grooves for vertical racks in the corners and in the strapping for mounting the logs. The width between the lags should match the width of the insulation, which will be used for the floor. If you plan to install a heavy stove or fireplace in the house, lags should be laid with a smaller distance in the place of their installation. The logs are laid in grooves and securely fastened to the harness and pillars of the foundation.

Crossing the log to their lower part is fastened a board or bar section of 40x40 mm for the device of the rough floor.

On the board lay sheets of plywood or OSB of the required size, screwed with screws. On top of the waterproofing layer and insulation. The thermal insulation must be overlapped, without gaps. The entire surface is covered with a vapor barrier film, including a heater and logs. Seams between the canvas of vapor barrier are taped with adhesive tape. The film is attached to the logs with a stapler. On top of the vapor barrier lay a board size 40x10 for the ventilation gap necessary to protect the material from rotting. After that, lay the finishing floor.

As a material, a board or plywood with a thickness of 5 or more centimeters is used. On this basis, you can lay a laminate, parquet or linoleum. All materials used for flooring should be treated with antiseptics. Once the work with the floor is finished, you can start building a framework of walls.

In the previously made in the lower strapping grooves fix vertical racks. The vertical is strictly checked by the level, each rack is unfastened by the jigs, which are nailed to the rack and floor. After the first floor is ready, the kinks are dismantled.

For cross bars, a 40x40 mm beam is used. It is installed in a groove and fastened with nails.

After installing all the jumpers, you can proceed to the skinning of the outer walls with OSB sheets or plywood, leaving only door or window openings. For the upper strapping, the same bar is used as for the bottom. It is also laid in the grooves.

Installation of the roof of the cottage

Once the frame is ready, proceed to erect the roof. On the upper strapping set the ceiling beams, unfastening them with small jigs. The distance between the beams should be about 60 cm. To the underside of the beams, untreated planks are punched across their locations, on which plywood or OSB sheets are fastened. Between the beams stacked insulation. This can be mineral wool, expanded clay or slag from coal. Further on the beams stretch the vapor barrier film, from above attach OSB or plywood.

The rafters are attached to the beams. The lower end of the rafters should protrude beyond the walls by at least 50 cm. The rafters are additionally fastened with short cuts to give the structure additional rigidity. After that, the rafters are stuffed with a crate from an untreated board. As a waterproofing, it is possible to use ruberoid as the simplest and cheapest material. Cloths are lapped and fastened with nails with a wide bonnet. Next, install the roofing material. As such, you can use ondulin, roofing metal, metal. The main condition - the material should be lightweight and it should be carefully attached to the crate.

If the attic space is residential, then it must be insulated. For this, a space is placed between the rafters, a vapor barrier is installed and covered with OSB or plywood. Further, the outer walls are lined with the same OSB or plywood. The sheets are attached to the frame by screws, after which the walls are insulated from the outside. The process of warming the walls is similar to the insulation of the floor with the only difference that the ventilation gap is not made.

Exterior finishing materials for a frame house

The choice of exterior finishing material for a cottage is a matter of personal preference and financial capabilities of the developer. It should be noted that there are no limitations for the frame structure.

block house

One of the most popular trim options, which allows you to create the effect of a log building. Among the advantages: environmental friendliness, simplicity and speed of installation.

plastic siding

Advantages of this material are relatively low cost, simplicity and speed of installation, a large selection of parameters and colors, there is no need for preparatory work. From the shortcomings: the material is flammable, the finished surface looks simple, it is impossible to finish complex designs, which, however, does not matter for a simple country house.

brick or stone

Very laborious option, but also the most effective. Stone or brick lining perfectly protects the wall panels, but such a lining necessarily requires the presence of a ventilation gap. There are many disadvantages: high cost, labor-intensive process, it is difficult to dismantle, a strong foundation is needed. Advantages: very beautiful appearance, excellent protection and strengthening of walls, incombustibility of the material.

plaster

Strangely enough, this method is great not only for brick buildings. Variants of texture and color of plaster for frame houses are many, you can choose the finish for any style. Advantages: incombustibility, good thermal insulation, attractive appearance. Disadvantages: very poor vapor permeability, you need skills in this kind of work.

panels made of expanded polystyrene

Comparatively inexpensive and practical option for a cottage. The panels have a large area, the outer side imitates the brickwork. Advantages: easy and quick installation, low weight. There are no significant drawbacks.

Design of a cottage

sea ​​style

It looks very interesting and unusual. The walls can be painted blue or green, use stripes, like vests - it's quite original. In addition, you need to use the appropriate elements of decor - paintings, fish and sea animals, and so on.

style "eco"

One of the most simple and interesting design options for giving. You can use wicker furniture, decorate the room with a variety of plants in the original pots.

ethno-design

Quite an interesting option, especially if you choose a Japanese or African style of decoration. It's pretty simple, and the effect will be very impressive. As decor elements, you can use statuettes, masks, paintings, etc.

country style

Russian classics for the design of the dacha will do just fine. The interior of the cottage house can be finished with high-quality wood - a wooden vault, simple furniture made of quality rocks - all this will look actual and interesting.

Variants of cottages

Of course, the example given here of the construction of a frame house is far from the only and probably not all suitable option. This is a matter of purely personal preference and financial possibilities. Or maybe you want an original country house, which will stand out among the mass of the same type of dacha buildings? The photographs below show very original and beautiful country houses from around the world: Victorian style

Prefabricated villa-designer

Small wooden house

House of improvised materials

Lodge of recycled materials

House of High Tech

Container House