Beam dimensions. What is the optimal thickness of a beam for a house from a beam What thickness of a beam to choose for building a house

Construction timber of natural moisture

Country houses, baths and not expensive houses for permanent residence it is advantageous to build from freshly sawn timber of natural moisture.

Such lumber is much cheaper than profiled or glued beams. Assembling the walls of a house from a building beam is quite simple and, if certain rules are followed, allows you to build a reliable and durable house.

The figure below shows a variant of an unburied strip foundation, combined with a base, for one-story house with an attic and with walls made of timber.

Two options for arranging a strip foundation for a one-story house made of timber: a - a shallow foundation for bearing wall; b - not buried foundation for the bearing wall; c - a shallow foundation for a self-supporting wall. 1 - foundation tape; 2 - air hole; 3 - sand cushion; 4 - top and bottom layer of crushed stone 5-10 cm; 5 - backfill; 6 - vertical backfilling of the construction site; 7 - vertical backfilling of slopes around an unburied foundation; 8 - bottom and top waterproofing of the basement.

Tape monolithic foundation - the basement shown in the figure is designed for building a house on weak peaty soils of the "former swamp", with high level ground water.

The foundation strip of concrete grade B25 is reinforced at the lower and upper levels with three longitudinal bars of the main reinforcement of class A-III, with a diameter of 12 mm. The value of the protective layer of concrete for reinforcement in foundations - 50 mm.

To increase the bearing capacity of the soil, reduce the degree of its heaving, as well as to drain surface water from the house, soil is dumped within the boundaries of the foundation, plus at least 1.5 meters outside, pos. 6 on the image. Backfilling is carried out with non-heaving sandy soil.

For soils with a higher bearing capacity, the width of the base of the foundation can be reduced to 500 - 350 mm.

sand pillow, pos.3, laid in layers of 100 mm. on a layer of washed crushed stone rammed into natural soil pos.4. Each layer of sand under the sole of the foundation is carefully rammed.

On a sand cushion under the base of the foundation, a layer of rubble is again laid and rammed, pos.4. Compacted crushed stone is shed with heated bitumen, which, after solidification, creates a waterproofing film under the base of the foundation. The bitumen film prevents cement laitance from leaving the sand when pouring the foundation, and subsequently does not let water through the capillaries of the concrete foundation tape.

The side surfaces of the foundation in contact with the ground are smeared twice with heated bituminous mastic. The concrete surface is primed before applying the mastic.

More information about the device various designs for shallow foundations, see the links above.

A house with a grillage on piles with a basement floor is more expensive, more difficult to build and operate than a house on a shallow or not buried foundation with.

Traditionally wooden house they make it with a basement floor and a cold underground - they leave a space between the ground and the floor of the lower floor.

The advent of new thermal insulation materials makes it possible to build a wooden house without a basement with cheaper, warmer and more durable floors on the ground:

To learn how to make such a floor in a house from a bar, click on the picture

The lower strapping of the walls of the timber

bars bottom strapping along the contour of the walls, they are laid on the basement tape through a layer of waterproofing. The surface of the plinth is coated with bituminous mastic, on which a layer of waterproofing is laid.

Outside, the dimensions of the lower trim are recommended to be 50-70 less than the dimensions of the foundation mm. from each side. Sheathing bars are supported on the outer ledge of the foundation, and the joint between and the strapping is covered with a metal sheet - a low tide. In addition, if the walls hang heavily from the foundation, then it looks ugly.

The joint of the lower trim and the base is covered with a metal sheen. The ebb sheets are fixed on the strapping beam with self-tapping screws. Wall cladding is performed over the ebb.

The bars of the lower trim and the wooden parts of the basement are recommended to be planed and treated with a protective antiseptic. The bioprotective composition must be intended for the treatment of raw wood. Planed and impregnated wood does not rot longer.

Do not coat raw wood with oil- or bitumen-based compounds. The depth of impregnation with such compositions will be small, and the waterproof film on the surface of the timber will conserve moisture inside the wood.

Bioprotection is effective only during the first few years after application, protecting the wood during its drying period.

To protect the strapping beams from moisture for a long time, it is recommended under the beams, on the basement waterproofing, to lay a gasket along the entire length dry antiseptic board wrapped with roofing material.

Modern advanced builders make such gasket between trim and plinth made of extruded polystyrene foam(penoplex, etc.) 40 thick mm.

The gasket protects the beams from moisture, which can accumulate on the surface of the plinth waterproofing as a result of vapor condensation or soaking. By changing the thickness of the gasket, you can align the strapping bars to the horizon.

The bars of the lower harness are interconnected with construction brackets or galvanized steel linings.

After assembling and checking the diagonals (rectangularity) of the strapping frame, its position on the foundation tape is marked with paint - marks are applied to the timber and waterproofing. This is necessary to control the position of the frame during the installation of walls.

It is not recommended to fasten the strapping bars to the foundation. It should be remembered that during the drying process, the dimensions of the beam decrease, and the dimensions of the foundation remain constant. Temporary fasteners can be installed that fix the position of the piping frame on the foundation only for the period of installation of walls.

Socle ceiling of a wooden house from a bar

For the construction of a traditional basement floor, the structural scheme "beams - logs" is most often used.

Beams from a bar or boards on an edge it is better to lay on the ledge of the base. Such a ceiling design, when the beams are loosely connected to the strapping beams, provides better safety and ease of replacement of wooden parts in the basement of the house. Moisture from the beams is not transferred to the strapping beam, and vice versa. If necessary the floor beam or strapping beam can be replaced relatively easily.

From above, across the beams, bars are fixed - logs. Insulation is laid between the beams and between the lags. Slabs or black floor boards are laid on the logs.

This cover design allows:

• Arrange the logs with a step convenient for laying subfloor slabs.
• Get a rigid structure and a total floor height of at least 200 mm. using cheaper lumber of a smaller section. Such a ceiling height is necessary for laying insulation plates of the required thickness between the beams and lags.

The construction of the basement only on beams, without a log, is used when using thick boards as a subfloor - 40 mm. and more, and beams with a height of 200 mm.

Beams should be laid so that there was a ventilation gap between their ends and the strapping (2 cm) . This is done with the help of gaskets, which are removed after fastening the beams with brackets or steel plates (see Fig., Node B). The end of the beam must rest on the plinth for a length of at least 120 mm.

The technology for installing beams is simple. First, mount the extreme beams and align them in a horizontal plane. After that, a board is placed on the edge between them and intermediate beams are installed on it. The work is usually controlled visually, and if necessary, a level is applied. Temporary technological flooring from boards is laid on the beams.

On the base, the ends of the beams are laid in the same way as the strapping beam, through a layer of waterproofing and leveling pads.

Before installing the basement, the space under the floor is thoroughly cleaned of wood residues and other debris that can rot. The surface of the earth under the floor is covered with sandy soil with a layer thickness of 10 cm . and ram it.

Over sand preparation the soil in the subfield over the entire surface is covered with rolled waterproofing based on bituminous materials with careful gluing of the joints of the panels. Waterproofing is wrapped on the walls of the basement and glued to them.

A modern solution that provides comfort and saves on heating costs is a device.

To learn how to make such a warm floor without concrete screed, click on the picture.

Double strapping of walls from a bar

There is another version of the device for the lower strapping of a log house - double strapping. The double strap design is well shown in the video clip.

The purpose of the double strapping device is to the floor beams rested on the protrusion of the lower beam, without cutting into the upper beam of the strapping.

The time will come, and, as mentioned above, such an independent laying of beams will make it quite easy to replace defective beams and strapping bars. In addition, the durability of wooden strapping parts is increased.

According to building codes the ends of the beams must rest on the lower beam for a length of at least 100 mm. Therefore, the lower beam is recommended to choose a width of at least 200 mm.

Double strapping is beneficial to use in structures, when the width of the basement (grillage) does not allow floor beams to rest on it.

In country log houses on piles or columnar foundations, a separate grillage is often not made. The lower beam of the strapping is laid directly on the pile heads or foundation columns. In this design, the lower beam of the double strapping actually serves as a grillage. Floor beams in this case are often cut into the upper strapping beam. This is a cheaper and less durable option.

Three ways to connect timber in the corners of the walls

When building houses or baths, the following three methods of connecting beams at the corners of walls are most popular:

1. Connection "to the floor of the tree." At the ends of the bars, horizontal cuts are made in half the thickness and the ends are laid on top of each other. The parts in the connection must be fastened with building brackets, galvanized steel linings or dowels. The connection is easy to do, but requires additional fastening of parts and is “cold”, due to easily blown gaps.
2. Connection in a one-sided key groove is an analogue of the connection, which is traditionally used in log cabins from round logs. The connection is “warm”, strong, but difficult to implement in a construction site. Most often, in log cabins, it is used in the manufacture of parts in the factory.
3. In dressing with a root spike - the most common corner connection of the bars. The profile of such a connection is quite easy to mark and cut out. The gaps in the tongue-and-groove lock are sealed by pushing the interventional insulation from above.

The "wood floor" connection is usually used in the corners to fasten the beams of the lower trim of the building.

Connections of partitions from a bar with an external wall

The connection of the beam of the inner wall - partitions with a crown outer wall the type of groove - the spike turns out to be “warm”, since it does not have through joints to the outside. This connection is easy to make.

"Warm" connection of the beams of the partition and the outer wall. 1- main timber; 2 - dobor bar; 3 - partition beam

In every fourth crown of the log house, the partition beam is fastened to the wall beam with building brackets, or galvanized steel overlays.

The figure below shows the connection node in the crown of three bars at once - the outer wall, the bay window and the inner wall - the partition.

The connection of the beam in the crowns of the outer wall, the bay window and the inner wall - partitions

The connection of the bars in this unit is made using rectangular keys that are inserted into the grooves in the parts to be joined.

In one crown, the end of the beam of the outer wall is adjacent to the end of the beam of the bay window, and the end of the beam of the partition is adjacent to the beam of the wall. In the next crown, the ends of the beam of the outer wall and the bay window are adjacent from different sides to the beam of the partition.

Timber for houses, baths in your city

Steel perforated fasteners for timber

The wooden parts of a house made of timber are traditionally connected and fastened together with the help of tie-ins, cuts, spikes, grooves of various configurations, as well as steel building brackets and nails.

AT last years perforated steel fasteners appeared on the construction market, specially designed for connecting wooden parts in construction.

When developing the designs and sizes of connectors, the standard dimensions of wooden parts, which are widely used in construction, as well as the loads that wooden parts usually withstand, were taken into account.

Steel perforated fasteners - support for a wooden beam.

For example, the article above repeatedly emphasized the need to fasten floor beams to strapping beams without cutting, in order to ensure easy replacement of floor beams and not weaken the strapping.

The use of metal supports for attaching the beams to the strapping beams makes it easy to solve this problem and, in some cases, simplify the design of the basement of the house.

The beam support is made of galvanized steel with a thickness of 2.5 mm. with high strength values.

The metal part of the support must cover at least 2/3 of the height of the beam.

The dimensions of the "mouth" of the steel support must correspond to the width of the beam, and the height of the support is chosen at least 2/3 of the height of the beam.

To wooden details the steel support is screwed with self-tapping screws. The load-bearing capacity of a beam connector is equal to the sum of the load-bearing capacities of the screws that fasten the support to the beam.

In order to use the connector's load-bearing capacity to the full, self-tapping screws are screwed into each hole of the steel support. If this is not necessary, then the self-tapping screws must be screwed into the beam into the upper and lower, and then into every second hole. In the strapping beam, self-tapping screws are screwed into each hole of the row located closer to the beam.

The length of the screws is chosen equal to half the width of the beam. The diameter of the screws should be slightly smaller than the size of the holes in the steel support.

Instead of self-tapping screws, you can use "ruffed" nails. Ordinary nails with a smooth surface cannot be used.

The gap between the end of the beam and the strapping beam is allowed no more than 3 mm.

You can use perforated steel fasteners in other structures of a log house. For example, It is convenient to replace building brackets with mounting plates or corners.

A wide variety of perforated steel fasteners are available for a wide variety of timber structures.

Admire the art of our ancestors, who built without single nail, Of course you can. But taking an example from them and trying to repeat it now hardly makes sense.

Modern technologies allow a lot of things to be done faster, stronger, and cheaper. For example, it is convenient to connect a beam, a beam along the length using such a gerbera connector.

A typical application of a gerbera beam connector is connection and splicing of beams, purlins, rafters not on a support, but in a span, in the absence of bending and torque moments in the articulation unit.

Connectors should be located from the support at a distance of 1/7 of the span length L. Calculations show that at this distance from the support to the beam, girder or rafter, the minimum bending and torsional moments will act.

Always use a pair of connectors for each connection. The height of the connector must be equal to the height of the beam. Gerber connectors are made of galvanized steel with a thickness of 2 mm.

More articles on this topic:

When choosing wood for building a house, the question of which timber is best for construction is of interest to any user. The number of buildings made of lumber is increasing, and, consequently, the demand for materials is growing, which allows manufacturers to offer more and more new products with a wide variety of quality and practical characteristics. As a result, the owner of the construction site is given a good choice, which needs to be carefully sorted out so as not to make a mistake with the purchase of materials.

Types and types of timber

Assuming to build a log house for permanent residence, it is worth remembering that lumber looks like a long beam with a rectangular cross section length 6 meters, thickness 100-300 mm. This is a standard size, considered the most optimal for the construction of buildings.

Advice! If this length of the beam is not enough, you should pay attention to the elite Finnish wood: manufacturers offer elements up to 12 meters in length.

Materials differ according to various indicators, for example, according to the degree of processing, there are the following types of timber:

• Raw edged/sawn;
• planed;
• Sanded;
• profiled.

According to the method of manufacture, lumber is distinguished into:

1. whole;
2. glued;
3. empty, padded thermal insulation materials as a filler.

Now a little more about the types of timber for building a house, modifications and characteristic features.

Edged timber

Considered a classic of the material, it is an element obtained in the process of sawing the body of a tree. During processing, the whole log is freed from edges, the result is construction material in the form of a beam of square section, having even, untreated, rough planes on all four sides.

The product has a natural humidity, so it is possible to inspect the material for distortions that occur during the process. improper storage. Section sizes: 250*250; 150*200; 150*150; 100*150; 100*100 mm. A large range of sizes allows you to choose the optimal batch of lumber to build yourself.

Affordable price, high quality and practicality of the material are advantages, but among the disadvantages it should be noted the mandatory use of sealing material. It is mounted between the crowns so that precipitation does not fall into the cracks, leading to the destruction of the building. In addition, there is a possibility of losing the shape of the lamellas when the process of natural drying starts.

Planed, polished timber

This is an edged product made from wood, which undergoes a grinding process during processing. The result is lumber with smooth planes (on one, two or all sides), sometimes with a corner chamfer removed, which gives an aesthetic appearance and facilitate the construction process.

Advice! Dishonest manufacturers often pass off planed timber as polished, so you need to be especially careful: the price of polished timber is higher than that of planed timber. The differences are obvious: the planed material does not have enough smoothness of the sanded material.

Profiled timber building material

It is considered the most progressive and practical for building a house. Each element is equipped with a locking connection, and, therefore, the crowns adjoin with maximum density. In addition, the smoothness of both sides, the presence of fasteners make it possible to build a warm and strong structure, so the increased price of the product does not frighten consumers.

Advice! There are two profile options on the market: tongue-and-groove (German) and bowl (Finnish). The choice depends on the construction technology and the preferences of the developer.

Glued laminated timber

The material consists of several separate lamellae, obtained by sawing the body of a tree, glued together. Due to pre-drying and gluing, taking into account the direction of the fibers, the product is considered one of the most reliable and high-quality for building a house. High-tech glued laminated timber does not shrink, does not require additional processing of wall panels and has high energy saving rates. Developers consider the lack of deformation and resistance to moisture to be one of the main advantages of the material. The high cost of the material is due to its practicality and quality.

Advice! The material labeled LVL is also glued laminated timber, but having ordinary veneer as its components. This causes hardness on the outside, but softness in the core. It is considered the most expensive and high-quality wood material. Due to the increased strength, elasticity and water-repellent properties, the timber is not subject to corrosion, does not rot, the product range has a different set of lengths, which makes it possible to call piece goods universal for building a house.

Finnish timber

Elite wood with the following characteristics:

1. the annual rings in the lamellas have a unique direction opposite from each other, that is, they "look" at the center of the section.
2. Strength and flexibility also due to vertical splicing constituent parts every 4-6 meters.
3. To receive finished product thick elements are spliced, so the question is: which timber thickness pick is essential. The standard technology recommends impregnating the elements with an adhesive for at least 2 cm, due to which the material is not completely impregnated, but only in the upper layers.

Important! Glued Finnish timber has a price 2-2.5 times higher than the Russian counterpart.

Composite timber materials

The package and hollow types of timber that have appeared on the market are also suitable for the construction of houses and buildings for various purposes. Representing a wooden block hollow inside, the structure consists of a pair of boards equipped with end elements and lintels.

The differences are:

1. The package material has an internal filling with a heater having a base of mineral wool or foam glass.
2. Hollow timber has no filling.

The main feature is an increased energy-saving characteristic, which allows you to build a house with high energy-efficient performance. Due to its technological feature, composite beams are extremely affordable, but they are superior in quality to foam blocks, and experts say: a piece composite product from a beam retains heat 2 times better than masonry made of bricks, gas blocks and other standard materials.

Advice! Suitable for areas with high temperature fluctuations latest development- thermobar. It is also a composite material consisting of a hollow beam with polyurethane foam filling. The price category of a finished house is comparable to the cost of a house made of glued full-bodied timber, however, when deciding what thickness to take a timber, choosing a glued one, you will have to make a wall of 390 mm, an alternative thermal beam can be taken at 160 mm. And this means that at equal cost and energy saving indicators, wall panels made of composite thermal beams will be thinner.

Calculating the disadvantages and advantages of lumber, you should pay attention to optimal humidity. This indicator should be approximately 15-20%. The quality is achieved by drying in special chambers. The process should be carried out immediately after cutting the log body, and only then, the dried lamellas are processed, polished, and so on.

The choice of timber thickness for building a house

Everything is quite simple here: a standard timber for construction is of square or rectangular section with side dimensions of 100, 150, 200 mm. Some manufacturers offer 250 mm sides to order, but here you will need to focus on the price of lumber. It turns out that the wall panel, given by the dimensions of the beam, can be 100-250 mm thick. And a parameter is selected depending on the needs of the owner: the thicker the beam, the higher the stiffness index of the structure. In addition, the wall must provide protection from the cold.

Important! The strength of wall structures is based not only on the thickness of the timber. When building a house, the presence and number of openings, the configuration of the walls and other indicators are taken into account, and the assembly, or rather, its quality, should also be taken into account.

Experienced developers advise choosing a beam with a thickness of 100-150 mm for a one-story building, but parameters of 150-200 mm are better for building a house from 2 or more floors. It is also important to understand that when building an all-weather heated building, it is necessary to insulate the walls from the outside, without this element everything modern houses will not match accepted norms energy saving.

If we compare wall structures made of timber of different thicknesses, then a weak dependence of the resistance to thermal action, determined by the thickness of the elements, is noticeable. For example, an insulated wall made of 150 mm timber is only 12-15% “warmer” than a wall 100 mm thick. Conclusion: with high-quality insulation and thorough waterproofing, it is enough to choose good beam and also a heater. The calculation is approximately the following: for walls made of timber of 100 mm (100 * 150-200 mm), purchase a heater on a mineral wool base of the same thickness (100-150 mm). This will be enough to maintain the high energy efficiency of the building.

But, nevertheless, when choosing what thickness of lumber to buy, it is worth remembering that the construction of a thick beam has a lot of other advantages, in particular, the structure will have less ability to warp when dried, greater strength and heat capacity.

Advice! Houses for seasonal living, bathhouses and outbuildings do not need to be sheathed with heat-insulating material, but it all depends on what size of timber is chosen. Experts recommend not to get cheap, but to build a bathhouse or a cottage from lumber with a thickness of 150 mm or more. The accumulation of heat is higher, which means that when warming up optimum temperature will last longer.

Types of timber connection

The technology for building walls from a bar is different, but it is important to know the types of joining a bar. Today, developers offer the following typical connections:

1. Angular. It happens with the remainder (in the bowl) and without the remainder (in the paw). With the remainder - a type that represents the protruding ends of the log house at a distance of about 0.5 meters. Expensive, but heat losses are reduced and the strength of the building is increased. Without residue - a type when the end of the frame ends at the level of the wall. The connection takes place by means of staples or studded plates with nails.
2. Longitudinal connection is used when the length of the beam is insufficient. The increase in size occurs by connecting two elements. There are several ways:

• spike with a key;
• in half a tree;
• root spike.

1. Connection T-shaped. It is used when it is necessary to fasten the outer and inner walls. The options are:

• by creating a trapezoidal symmetrical spike in the log house;
• creating a triangular spike in the log house;
• locking groove on the plug-in spike;
• straight groove on the root spike.

Despite the variety of connection types, there are some general recommendations:

• the timber is rounded from the outside in order to minimize the threat of water accumulation in the grooves;
• the place where log cabins adjoin, has to be equal and carefully polished.

It is not bad to give the elements additional tightness by smearing the joints with a composition of resin and sand.

And so you are planning to build a house, and now you have a question from which timber to build a house. First of all, you must decide on the dimensions of the beam. This is very important, because if you choose a thinner timber than you need, your house will be cold in winter, in addition, you will have to additionally sheathe the house from a timber for insulation, or insulate the house from the inside. All this will not only entail unnecessary waste, but also add a lot of trouble. Therefore, first, the most important thing is to determine the thickness of the timber. Then you need to decide on the type of wood and the type of timber.

For your information, cedar timber is considered the most environmentally friendly and useful, by clicking on the link you will find out its properties, main application and what experts say about this timber.

What timber to build a house from - types of timber and its thickness.

If the house is planned only for summer living, and you will not live in winter, then it is better to choose a thinner timber to save money. 100x150mm is quite suitable for these purposes. For a full-fledged stay in the winter in the house, the timber must be chosen thicker. Here you also need to focus on your winters, if it goes smoothly, then a bar measuring 150x150 may well be enough, for colder winters, take 200x200mm. It would also not be bad to consult with the owners of similar houses in your region, they will certainly tell you about the thickness of their timber and the comfort of living in the house in winter.

Now let's decide on the types of timber from which you can build a house. Most cheap option this is a normal solid beam. Of course, you can build a house out of it, but the only advantage of this material is only the price. A house built from ordinary timber is subject to strong shrinkage, in order to minimize this it must be well dried, it is advisable to buy chamber drying timber. Further, such a beam should be very even - so that there are no gaps, and this is rare.

There are always gaps between the beams, therefore, choosing such a material, get ready to systematically caulk it, and annually treat it with various impregnations to increase its service life. Therefore, it can be used if in the future you plan to sheathe the house both inside and outside.

Profiled timber is a more suitable material, due to the grooves on the material, slot formation is significantly reduced. In addition, such timber is sold in a more dried form, which reduces the shrinkage of the building. But still, over time, shrinkage will occur, and this is the most the main problem timber houses. For longer operation, such a bar also needs protective impregnations. You will also have to close the gaps with tow or other suitable material.

The most suitable material for building a house is glued laminated timber. Its quality, of course, largely depends on the manufacturers. Indeed, not only its durability, but also the size of the shrinkage of the house, slit formation, and more depend on what kind of glue was used, how dry the timber is. The price of glued laminated timber is not small, so not everyone can pull such a building material. Manufacturers of glued laminated timber say that a house built from it does not shrink, but this should be treated with caution. And in the future, if you want to do internal or exterior finish it is better for you to wait a couple of years after the construction of the building until it completely shrinks. You can read about the disadvantages of glued beams by clicking on the link.

From what timber to build a house, you already know the answer - the desired thickness is 20x20 cm, the timber should be profiled and even better glued. Instructions for building a small wooden house — .

Building a house from a bar - video

Selection of wood for building a house.

Now let's decide on the type of wood, which type of wood is better to use.

If you are more or less okay with money, you can use Siberian cedar, this is one of the best materials for the construction of a residential building or a bathhouse. It is an excellent antiseptic, therefore, living in such a house made of cedar, people get sick less, it is also a natural aphrodisiac, it has a purple-red tint. A house built of cedar will emit a pleasant tonic smell. You can read more about this wood.

Further, a larch beam would be a good option for building a house, the positive aspects are a beautiful texture, the tree is stronger than oak, it is very durable. Having a high density material resistant to moisture. The tree has medicinal properties, a house filled with the smell of larch will have a positive effect on your health. For your confidence in choosing this material, I would also like to add that in Siberia there are houses built from this tree that are more than 300 years old. True, in order for the beam to be of high quality, it must be made of wood that is at least a hundred years old.

Pine timber is the most common material. Its main advantage over other breeds is its low price. Also, the not bad quality of this material contributed to its popularity. Of course, it is not perfect, but it also has healing properties, and resistant to moisture, and the structure of the tree looks good.

Oak timber can also be used in the construction of a house. Its main advantage is resistance to moisture and durability of the material. There are also minor drawbacks - high price, high weight and due to the high density it is difficult to handle. Some use it only for the lower crown where there is a high probability of moisture ingress.

Now you know what kind of timber to build a house from, you have the opportunity to choose both by the type of timber and by the type of tree. If you build a house sparing no money, then your choice should fall on a glued laminated timber from larch or cedar.

Many of those who live in stuffy apartments, and when they go out into the street fall into gray smog and deaf from the noise of cars, want to change their environment. Live in a wooden house, breathe clean air and enjoy the silence. And those who decide to do this often ask themselves the question - how to choose a beam in order to build a beautiful and secure home for your family.

Today, the construction market presents the most different types timber, differing in geometric parameters, profile, grade, method of production. Choosing the best one is not an easy task, especially if the financial possibilities of the buyer are not unlimited.

From this article you will learn about all types of this material, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as how to save money on a purchase without sacrificing quality.

Which beam is better

If you are not faced with the question of what to choose - a beam or a frame, if you have already decided that you will build a wooden house, then the first thing you need to do is to study the range of local construction markets and hypermarkets. As a rule, they offer three main types of timber: planed, profiled and glued.

Consider each type separately with all its disadvantages and advantages.

Planed timber

The material is obtained by cutting a log, during which a product is obtained that has a rectangular or square section. The main competitive advantage of planed timber over glued and profiled timber is its low price. Compared to a log, it is easier to assemble into a log house, and compared to a brick, it requires less effort and cost for the device.

However, in addition to tangible advantages, this type of timber also has serious disadvantages that you need to know about and which you need to reckon with if your goal is a strong, durable and warm house.

Planed timber is made from wood of natural moisture.

It gradually decreases as the tree dries, and this can lead to the following unpleasant consequences:

• Deformation. You can buy perfectly flat, beautiful bar, but after a while, amazing metamorphoses will begin to happen to him: he can bend or even turn out like a “helicopter”;
• Cracks. This is the most common defect that worsens not only the appearance of the material, but also its performance properties;

• Rot, blue, mold. If raw timber is stored in improper conditions - in poorly ventilated rooms or in stacks close to each other, such manifestations are inevitable;
• Shrinkage. When building a house with your own hands, it is important to remember that over time the timber will dry out and its geometric dimensions will decrease. As a result, the entire structure will shrink, which depends on the initial moisture content of the material and the surrounding conditions.

Note. If it were only about the loss of a few centimeters in height, this trouble could not be paid attention to.
But as a result of shrinkage, window and door openings can be deformed, the outer and interior decoration walls.
Therefore, the log house should be allowed to settle for several months, preferably under a roof, before continuing with construction.

• Slits. Ordinary planed timber often suffers from inaccurate dimensions, so when building walls, it is difficult to avoid gaps between the crowns. They also increase as the wood dries. They must be sealed: lay sealing materials between the crowns, caulk the walls to prevent the penetration of cold and moisture.

The planed timber itself does not differ in the ideal shape and surface, and when the described defects are superimposed, it loses outwardly profiled and glued at all. Therefore, it needs additional external finishing.

Profiled timber

You can avoid the appearance of some of these problems if you purchase a profiled beam. It differs from planed by the shape of the section: front sides he has smooth, and in the workers a selection of the type of tenon-groove or comb was made.

Which lumber profile to choose depends not so much on personal preferences as on the moisture content of the material.

• The thorn-groove connection involves the use of a heater laid between the crowns in the grooves. Even if the timber, when dried, shrinks with the formation of gaps, it will prevent blowing.

• The protrusions of the "comb" profile fit very precisely to each other and do not require the use of insulation. But when the moisture content of the wood changes, the parameters of the comb may change. Therefore, when choosing such a profile, you need to be sure that the beam is dry and will not give much shrinkage.

For reference. The advantage is that the wood is dried until it reaches a moisture content of no more than 22%, otherwise the quality of processing will be low.
Therefore, it shrinks less than planed.

Many woodworking enterprises produce profiled timber according to the customer’s project, immediately cutting “cups” in it for joints and corner connections. You no longer have to think about how to choose a groove in a beam - the log house is assembled according to the type of children's designer.

But this material, nevertheless, is not without such shortcomings as the appearance of cracks and shrinkage, which requires a technological break in construction.

Glued laminated timber

This type of timber has the best performance characteristics, but also the highest cost. Its main advantage is low humidity and, accordingly, the absence of all those negative aspects that arise during the shrinkage of the material and the shrinkage of the finished log house. You can build a house out of it in one season, without waiting for natural shrinkage.

You will learn about how glued laminated timber is made from other articles in this resource. We note that the technology of its manufacture makes it possible to obtain a high-quality product at the output, practically devoid of the shortcomings of raw wood, but possessing all its useful properties. natural qualities. In addition, it has an impregnation against rotting and fire, and does not need additional finishing.

As in the case of profiled timber, glued timber can be made to order in accordance with the selected house project. And some manufacturers offer ready-made kits that come with assembly instructions.

Note. Not so long ago, a novelty appeared on the market - a D-shaped glued beam, the convex front surface of which imitates a rounded log.

How to save on timber construction

The budget deficit for building a house does not always allow you to choose expensive and quality materials. But, if you know how to choose the right timber - ordinary, not subjected to special processing, and how to prepare it for work, you can save a lot and get a solid and beautiful structure. Our tips will help you with this.

So, what to look for when buying?

• Beam evenness. Determined visually and practically. The product must be placed on a flat surface alternately with all faces and make sure that it is not bent or twisted by a “propeller”.
• The distances between the annual rings, visible at the end of the timber, must be the same. If they narrow or expand on one side, this indicates that over time the beam will “lead” and it will bend.
• The surface of the wood must be of a uniform, uniform color everywhere. A visually noticeable color contrast at the ends or side faces indicates the presence of layers with different internal stresses, which will also lead to deformation.

It is much more difficult to determine the moisture content of the material. But even if you see that the timber is completely fresh, but good quality, you can independently bring it to the desired condition. True, this will take time.