What type of home construction is cheaper. What is the cheapest material for building a house? Construction of log houses

The purpose of this article is to help potential developers figure out which modern building materials are attractive not only in terms of their price, but also in terms of the expediency of their use in the construction of private houses.

The growth of individual construction has led to the emergence of various materials on the market, including those that no one had heard of before. The range of building materials is so large that even specialists are often lost, not knowing which is better to choose.

As a rule, individual developers are guided by the following indicators: the price of materials (including facing); the ability to do all the operations with your own hands to the maximum; the total weight of the structure, since the type of foundation and the cost of its installation largely depend on this; the cost of finishing work; durability; the frequency of current (overhaul) repairs and operating costs (mainly for heating).

First, comprehensive information on each sample is a topic for a separate review. Secondly, there are no perfect materials. Each material has its pros and cons, which will be discussed. Thirdly, many of the shortcomings of materials are very relative, since the manifestation of their defects is mainly caused not by the quality of the products, but by the excessive self-confidence of the developer, elementary violations of the technology of production of construction and installation works and the technical illiteracy of builders on the issues of heat and waterproofing, thermal expansion of building materials , their compatibility, etc., etc.

What kind of house do you need? It is necessary to decide

There are three main types of houses built by private developers.

To the first type a residential building for permanent residence those who live in the countryside, but his labor activity is connected with the city and for those who want to run their farm on their own land.

These are, as a rule, capital buildings with a full range of additional premises, such as a boiler room, workshop, sauna, garage. Such houses are designed for year-round living, so their walls must have thermal insulation properties in accordance with the climate of the region.

The engineering equipment of houses for permanent residence should provide a maximum of communal amenities, surpassing the comfort of a city apartment.

To the second type ranked as a "second home" or the so-called cottage, an employee for temporary residence in the suburban area. Buildings of this type usually take into account the possibility of year-round living, therefore their walls are treated with the same attention as in houses for permanent residence.

To the third type houses include summer cottages and garden houses - houses for seasonal living or short-term visits, where you can come to spend the weekend in the warm season. Most often, such houses are operated at temperatures not lower than -5 degrees, so the thickness of the walls rarely exceeds 25 cm (in one brick), and the engineering support is reduced to a stove, an outdoor toilet and a well, usually for several houses.

All of these famous wall designs have their pros and cons. Therefore, the developer needs at least a little idea not only about the total cost of building a house from this material, but also about the advantages of the material for which he makes his choice in favor of this wall design, and with what disadvantages he, by virtue of this, will have to put up with further during the operation of the house.

Before starting the construction of a cottage, it should be remembered that the box of the house - the foundation, walls and roof - sometimes takes more than 60% of the value of the house. And in these costs, about 50% are enclosing structures or walls.

If you decide to build your own home, the first thing you will have to figure out is the amount of materials you will need to build it. The process of counting all the necessary things is quite capacious, tedious and time-consuming, but it is extremely necessary for a stable and successful construction. Therefore, let's get down to the calculations.

• Decide on the size and volume of the house. Determine the exact footage you need for housing, distribute all premises, rooms in this footage and choose their arrangement.
• Use the services of a specialist. You can study specialized forums or sites that provide statistics on how much each type of building material is needed for a certain size of a building or room.
• If you cannot find the information you need on the network, go to the store and consult with the seller. Ask him which of the available material is most suitable for you, which of the materials have the highest quality indicators, and how much of this or that product you need to fill the entire footage.
• Make the final choice between traditional and modern building materials. You evaluate not only funds, but also the manufacturability of construction and the duration of operation. Modern technologies make it possible to obtain material with higher indicators of "survivability", and at the same time at a very reasonable price. The assembly process can be much easier, and the end result looks neater and cleaner.
• Review your notes again before going to the store. Make adjustments, count the quantity and price of all items. Don't forget to order building materials with at least a five percent surplus for emergencies.

The strategic issue is the type of walls. To begin with, we will consider three options for wall structures that are widely used in private housing construction.

Old and good tree

The traditional material for Russian housing construction is wood. About 33% of our houses have been built from it.

People who are thinking about what is better to build a private house from, often comes to mind this particular material. After all, a wooden house is health and comfort. Its walls not only "breathe", but also make the air healing, trapping harmful substances. Wooden walls create optimal humidity in the room and smell good.

The walls of a house made of wood have good thermal insulation and keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Heating costs for a wooden house can be significantly lower compared to brick walls.

A wooden house can be built from logs (rounded or profiled) and / or from timber (simple or glued).

Manual felling

This method is the oldest, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers used it. This is a hand-made log house. The tree trunk is cut to the desired length, and then locks and grooves are made on it. Next, the logs are connected, laying out the outlines of the house. It is imperative to wait for shrinkage - this is about a year, no less. Then they caulk the cracks and sheathe the windows and doors.

Today, this method of erecting a wooden house is not used. Anyone can build a house from a rounded log. Such a structure is assembled, like a constructor, we will talk about this further.

A house from a bar is easier and faster to build

Neat smooth logs are processed in production conditions and marked. Ready-made parts from which the walls are assembled are supplied to the construction site. The beam can have various sizes and sections (rectangular, square, in the form of the letter D). If it is profiled, then it has protrusions and grooves for connection. The oblique cut helps to drain off excess water. You can build a house from this material with your own hands.

There are several types of timber for building a house.

Sawed timber made of logs with a moisture content of 50 to 70%. As soon as he is cut out, he immediately goes to the construction site. Because of this, the house is prone to shrinkage (up to 10 cm). Cracks sometimes appear on the walls.

Planed timber dried under production conditions. The moisture content of the finished product is from 20 to 25%. After drying on a special machine, the products are rounded off. As a result, the shrinkage of the house, although it exists, is very small.

Glued timber made of several layers of lamellas (special boards, dried to 6 or 10% moisture). They are glued together under pressure, while the fibers of adjacent layers are perpendicular to each other. Finished products have a length of up to 12 m, and a thickness of 7.5 to 30 cm. They do not shrink, do not deform and do not crack. Therefore, many people believe that glued laminated timber is the best material for the walls of a wooden house.

The positive aspects of wooden houses are obvious - they are environmental friendliness, frost resistance, speed of construction, seismic and wind resistance. In addition, wood does not need additional cladding, which bodes well for budget savings.

There are also disadvantages, but there are relatively few of them. First, wood is a capricious material. For example, wooden houses often shrink. Shrinkage of a house is a natural process of changing the volume of walls due to the drying out of the material from which they are made. The maximum shrinkage is about 10% and is observed in houses made from freshly cut logs. Such a building must stand without finishing for at least 8 months, and usually a year.

In the process of shrinkage, the house can go with cracks, which are coated with special compounds. The minimum shrinkage is observed in houses made of laminated veneer lumber and ordinary dried lumber. Such materials are almost immediately ready for finishing. However, it will take a lot of money to insulate a house from a bar.

Another disadvantage of wood is flammability, a fire can destroy such a structure in a matter of minutes. Therefore, wooden houses are impregnated with special compounds that increase their fire resistance.

Special formulations are needed to protect against decay and insects. Impregnation is a necessary measure, and the special means themselves are not always environmentally friendly. In addition, a house made of wood requires constant maintenance, especially if it is intended for seasonal living, it must be heated, as damp wood begins to rot.

In general, the durability of wooden houses built by specialists, in compliance with all technological nuances, ranges from 70 to 100 years.

In short - the advantages of wood materials

It is one of the most sustainable materials. Building a wooden house is not as expensive as building a brick one. In terms of thermal conductivity, wood is much superior to brick. A wooden house is usually very pretty. Often, it does not require finishing, either inside or outside. The foundation is required lightweight and inexpensive. For example, columnar. A house made of wood, especially a hand-felled one, serves for a very long time.

In short - the disadvantages of wood materials:

The tree burns, can rot and be "eaten" by the fungus. To prevent this, all parts must be treated with special preparations. The shrinkage of a log house can take from 3 to 5 years. Sliced ​​timber and log cabins can crack.

Brick is a brick

Brick is considered one of the most popular materials on the market. More than 50% of houses in Russia are built of bricks

Ceramic bricks and silicate bricks. What is the difference?

In construction, two types of bricks are used: silicate (white) and ceramic (red) bricks.

Ceramic brick is red. Such material is not afraid of frost and does not allow water to pass through. It can be full-bodied (no more than 13% of voids) and hollow (up to 49% of voids). The shape of the holes in the brick can be round, square, oval, horizontal or vertical. With an increase in their number, the thermal insulation properties improve.

For the construction of external fences, construction teams prefer ceramic bricks. Seven brands of ceramic bricks are produced: from M75 to M300. The higher the numbers, the stronger the brick. You should also pay attention to frost resistance, denoted by the letter F. The lowest quality is F15, the highest is F75.

Silicate brick consists of a mixture of quartz sand, water and air lime. It is strong enough, resistant to frost, and has good sound insulation. Sand-lime brick is white. Its main components are lime, sand and a small proportion of additives.

This type of brick is also produced both solid and with cavities inside. The latter is lighter, and the walls made of it are much warmer (air is an excellent heat insulator). But solid silicate brick can interest the developer with a variety of colors. For the strength of a brick, it does not matter whether it is solid or with cavities inside.

Ordinary and front bricks and their purpose.

Both types of bricks can be used for different purposes. Ordinary brick is also called building brick - it is used for internal masonry of walls. For him, small cracks are not considered a marriage. It doesn't matter if the corners or ribs are slightly beaten off and there are notches in the corners.

The front (facing) brick must have an impeccable appearance, not have notches and flaws.

About brick strength and frost resistance

Strength determines the grade of the brick. There is a special marking for this indicator: the letter M and a number next to it (from 75 to 300). This number is the load supported by this brand per square centimeter. The higher this number, the heavier the brick. For the walls of a two-story or three-story house, the M100 and M125 brands are suitable. The basement or foundation is laid with M150 or M175 bricks.

When choosing which brick to build a house from, one should also take into account frost resistance (the ability to freeze and thaw without being damaged). To designate this indicator, the letter F was chosen, next to which there is a number from 15 to 100. It means the number of freezing and defrosting cycles without damaging the material. In warmer areas, F15 is sufficient for external walls, where it is colder - F25. The cladding is usually made with F50 brick.

The main advantages of bricks are strength, fire resistance, a wide variety and choice on the market, as well as an affordable price. A small brick house can sometimes be cheaper than a wooden cottage. Brick keeps the temperature well and, in this sense, is ideal for houses where year-round living is planned. But at the same time, in terms of heat transfer, brick is seriously inferior to wood.

The brick also has enough disadvantages. To build a brick house, it is sometimes necessary to spend one and a half times more time than building a wooden house. Brick is a heavy material that complicates logistics and storage. A brick building needs a strong and powerful foundation, and this is an additional cost.

A brick house can last for 100 - 150 years. He will perfectly survive rains with hurricanes and hail, and severe frosts, and drying heat. Brick walls have been laid since ancient times, so the technology of their construction has been worked out to the smallest detail. But a good master is not easy to find.

In short - the advantages of bricks: Attractive look. Durability. The ability to bring any complex project to life. Resistant to corrosion, mold and mildew. Non-flammability. Noise protection. Decent heat retention.

In short - the disadvantages of bricks: Great weight. High demands on professionalism in styling. The need for a solid foundation. The need to use a heat insulator

Inexpensive frame house

And from what cheaper build a house? For some, the answer to this question is most important. In this case, take a closer look at wireframe technology. In addition to the cheapness of such a home, the assembly speed is also impressive. Just a few weeks - and you can move into a house that will be warm and comfortable.

The basis of such buildings is a frame made of wood or metal. It includes rafters, posts, trusses and other elements. Then a heater is put in, and on top it is all sheathed with dense sheets of chipboard or OSB. The wall of such a house weighs 15 times less than a brick wall.

There is not much expensive wood for the frame - 5 or 10 times less than for a felling. Insulation is the main expense. However, even he, even the best, gives the cost of a wall 1.5 times cheaper than that of a bar, and in comparison with a brick - 2.7 times.

Frame houses can be of two types:

Frame-panel house- assembled from ready-made shields. First, they are connected, then partitions are made between the rooms. The final stage is the construction of the roof.

Frame-frame house- made on the basis of a "frame" - a frame made of beams and logs, resting on the foundation. Next, they put the rafters and make the crate. After the manufacture of the roof, the frame is sheathed with insulation (mineral wool or PPS). At the end, the outer cladding is made.

Since the main material in the construction of a frame house is insulation, when making correct calculations of the required amount, the structure turns out to be warm enough, which will allow you to significantly save on heating.

In short - the advantages of a frame house: Extremely low price and quick installation. Good heat saving (when the heating is turned off in frost at minus 10 ° C, the temperature will decrease by 2 ° C per day). No interior decoration needed, which reduces costs. Communications can be hidden inside the walls, which saves space. No special skills are required to build a frame house cheaply and quickly. With a timber frame, the most incredible designs are possible. A real flight of imagination is possible. A small shallow foundation is enough for a frame house.

In short - the disadvantages of a frame house: a frame house is considered not very environmentally friendly due to the large amount of insulation. Another problem with these houses is various insects and rodents. Like all wooden houses, they are combustible and not resistant to natural disasters. Another problem of frame houses is that it is stuffy in them, therefore, supply and exhaust ventilation is required. A house on a frame will last less than a brick or wooden one

Instead of a conclusion

What you need to know when choosing a material for the walls of the house?

Wall materials and the production of work on the construction of enclosing structures is a third of all costs for building a house. And if you, like the pigs Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nufu, carelessly take this serious choice, you will inevitably incur serious expenses in the future.

Therefore, we will consider the most important criteria and factors that must be taken into account when choosing a material for the construction of walls at home.

A) The question of price. Costs can be reduced by using lightweight material for the walls. Then you don't have to build a powerful and expensive foundation.

B) Thermal insulation. Cold walls are too expensive in winter. Therefore, before choosing a material, you need to do all the calculations, focusing on local climatic conditions. To achieve the desired degree of thermal insulation, you can resort to using heaters. If you take a material with good heat-insulating properties, then the walls do not need to be insulated, but it all depends on the region of development.

C) Labor costs. The cost of time and effort can be reduced by folding the walls from large blocks, rather than from small-piece materials. Such walls are erected 3-4 times faster and easier. The fastest speed is when erecting frame panel walls.

D) Subsequent finishing costs. Modern, smooth and aesthetic materials do not require additional wall decoration - this allows you to save money.

To determine what is better to build the walls of a house from, it is necessary to consider the main types of suitable building materials, determine and compare their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

Comparison of different wall materials

And more advice. Choosing a material for building a house, you should not approach the upcoming construction "on a grand scale". A person, in fact, does not need so much space for complete happiness, especially outside the city. All the savings that you achieve by reducing the cost of materials and construction technologies can be crossed out by unnecessary floors, rooms and spaces.

We wish you success in finding and finding the only correct solution!

Text: Valery Bordyuzhenko -

Any construction is always a cost, and a big one. But even if your budget is small, you should not give up trying to acquire your own home, because you can always build a house inexpensively if you know what and how you can save money. However, it should be understood that any savings should not be at the expense of the strength, comfort, beauty and durability of the home. In our article we will tell you how to quickly build a house with your own hands and at the same time get by with a minimum budget.

Savings methods

To begin with, building a house cheaply is, of course, possible, but since you and your family have to live in it, the quality of the building should not suffer. Moreover, a house made should not be:

• Too small. The usable building area should meet the needs of your family.
• Inconvenient. It is necessary to choose a layout option in which all family members will be comfortable and cozy in such a house. It is equally important to provide for the zoning of the house, separating the sleeping (quiet) area from the living room, kitchen and hallway.
• A well-built home doesn't have to be expensive. To build a cheap home, you can use inexpensive but solid materials, economical construction technologies, and simple installation methods.

To make your home quickly and inexpensively, you can save in the following ways:

1. At the very initial stage, you can save on choosing a project. Moreover, we are talking not only about using a standard project instead of custom-made developments, but also about economical planning solutions, as well as the selection of durable and inexpensive structures.
2. To build a house cheaper, you can save on finishing work. That is, you should use the simplest and most inexpensive finishing materials for walls, floors and ceilings, inexpensive plumbing. This will not diminish the comfort of living in the house, but the savings are obvious.
3. It is better to carry out the purchase and delivery of materials yourself, rather than entrusting them to a contractor. So you can control everything, choose less expensive materials.
4. It is much cheaper to build your own home than to hire a team of workers. But this option can be realized if building houses is at least a little familiar to you.

It is not worth saving on this

If you decide to build the cheapest house, but want it to be warm and economical, then in no case should you save on the following things:

1. If you entrust the construction process to a team of workers, then you should not save on technical supervision. Even with at least some knowledge of the construction process and materials, you still cannot fully control the quality and correctness of all construction work. And the strength and durability of the entire building depends on this.
2. Even if you are buying a typical house project, it is worth ordering its binding to your area and climatic conditions. So you can build an inexpensive house, the design solutions of which will be adapted to your climatic conditions, soil characteristics, and groundwater level. It will also be useful to perform a heat engineering calculation of the thickness of the enclosing structures so that the house is warm in winter, and there is no waste of materials for unnecessarily thick walls and insulation.
3. If you decide to build an inexpensive house, then you should not save on engineering systems and communications, because the comfort of your stay in the house depends on it. Electricity supply, water, sewerage and good heating - all this must be of high quality and work properly for a long time.

Economical housing options

To build a house inexpensively, you need to choose the optimal construction technology. Today, several technologies are known that allow you to build a house quickly and inexpensively:

• frame-panel housing construction;
• frame-panel houses;
• construction of a house from a bar;
• use of aerated concrete blocks.

The construction of prefabricated houses for each of the above technologies has its pros and cons. So that you can choose the best construction option that will allow you to build a house relatively inexpensively and quickly, it is worth examining the advantages and disadvantages of each technology.

Frame house building

The construction speed using this technology is the highest. A house can be built even in a few weeks. The resulting structure will be warm enough, durable and weather-resistant. The service life of a frame house can be up to 75 years.

A house can be built cheaply using one of two frame technologies:

• Frame-panel construction in the first place in terms of the speed of installation. For the construction of a house, ready-made or home-made sandwich panels and a frame from a bar are used. The construction technology is so simple that the structure can be built independently.
• For the construction of a house frame-panel technology it will take a little more time, but the cost of construction will be cheaper than the previous installation method. In this case, at the construction site, the wooden frame of the house is first erected, then it is sheathed with wood sheet material. A heat-insulating material is laid in the gap between the frame posts, then the walls are sewn up from the inside with OSB or moisture-resistant plywood. It is imperative that a wind and hydro barrier is used in the construction of the walls.

The advantages of the technology include the following:

1. Due to the low weight of the building, you can save on the manufacture of the foundation and the amount of earthwork. Moreover, the walls themselves are cheaper at cost than building a house out of brick or concrete.
2. Such a house warms up very quickly and retains heat well. Walls with a thickness of 20 cm protect from the cold in winter no worse than a brick wall with a thickness of 0.5 m.
3. Due to the low thermal conductivity of the material, you can significantly save on heating your house in winter.
4. Such buildings do not shrink, so finishing work and settling in the house can be done immediately after the box is erected.
5. Since there are no wet processes during construction, the house can be installed even in winter.

Cons of frame technology:

1. The high tightness of the frame house is its main disadvantage, because for a comfortable stay in the house you will have to equip high-quality supply and exhaust ventilation.
2. The ecological purity of such a building is questionable, because the OSB contains synthetic resins, and the expanded polystyrene itself, which is used to insulate a house, cannot be called an environmentally friendly material.
3. Increased flammability. Moreover, polystyrene foam emits toxic components during combustion.
4. The durability and safety of such a house is questionable, because if you wish, you can cut a hole in the wall with an ax.

Aerated concrete houses

You can quickly build a house from aerated concrete blocks. Building a house box from this material is much more profitable than brick building for several reasons:

1. If you are looking for how to build a house cheaply and quickly yourself, then aerated concrete is exactly the material that will allow you to achieve what you want three times faster than using traditional bricks.
2. The built house practically does not shrink, so after installing windows and doors, you can immediately start finishing and settling in the dwelling. This is especially important if it is important for you how to get your home as soon as possible.
3. The low thermal conductivity of the material helps to retain heat in the house. As a result, in winter you can save on heating. Moreover, the walls are 1/3 thinner than brick structures, and they retain heat in the house just as well.
4. Due to the small specific weight and significant dimensions of one block, a house can be built with your own hands without the use of construction equipment in the shortest possible time.
5. The porous structure of aerated concrete allows the walls to breathe. Thanks to this, a microclimate favorable for humans is formed in the room.
6. Aerated blocks give a flat, smooth surface that does not need additional leveling before finishing.

Important: when building such a house, it is better to use not an ordinary solution, which will contribute to the formation of "cold bridges", but a special glue that gives a tight and thin seam.

When deciding what is cheaper to build a house from, it is worth considering the disadvantages of aerated concrete:

1. Due to its high porosity, the material is very hygroscopic, therefore it must be carefully protected from moisture with special finishes outside and inside the premises. A damp gas block loses its thermal insulation characteristics.
2. Aerated concrete walls cannot be left without finishing, so you cannot save on finishing materials.
3. To lean on the aerated concrete blocks of the truss structure and floor slabs, it is necessary to equip a monolithic armored belt, and this entails additional costs of money and time.

Timber houses

When choosing what to build a cheaper house from, you should pay attention to profiled and glued beams. Of course, glued laminated timber is not such a cheap material, but profiled products of chamber drying are not worse in terms of performance and at the same time have an affordable price.

Among the advantages of log houses, it is worth noting the following points:

1. High thermal insulation characteristics. A wall of timber 22 cm thick is equivalent in terms of thermal conductivity to a brick wall 0.6 m thick.
2. Walls made of profiled and glued laminated timber look so attractive from the outside and inside that they do not need any finishing.
3. Due to the lightness of the material, a shallow lightweight foundation can be made for the structure.
4. The technology for building from a bar is quite simple, so you can build a house with your own hands.
5. The timber building is notable for its ecological cleanliness and a special favorable microclimate.
6. The speed of construction is another plus in favor of this technology.
7. A house from a bar can be built even in winter.

Among the disadvantages of the technology, it is worth mentioning the following:

1. Wood is susceptible to rot, mildew and damage by insects, so periodically you will have to renew the protective antiseptic impregnation.
2. A house made of wood shrinks, so it will not be possible to move in immediately after the construction of the box.

Attention: it may take 6 to 12 months for a house made of natural moisture wood to shrink. A chamber-dried construction of glued and profiled timber will shrink in 3 months.

1. Wood is a combustible material, so all elements must be treated with fire retardants.
2. It is necessary to strictly observe the construction technology and use a mezhventsovy insulation so that the house is warm and comfortable, and the structure itself has served for a long time.

Hello! Tell me, what material is the best way to build a country house now? I want to build myself a small house in my summer cottage.

- Sergey, Moscow.

Hello! The choice of material for building a house is a key issue. The term of work, cost and durability of the building will depend on this. It is impossible to give an unequivocal answer, much depends on climatic conditions and on financial possibilities. To help you with the choice, we will compare the characteristics of houses made of bricks, foam blocks, wood, SIP panels and determine the advantages and disadvantages of each building material.

Brick as a building material has great architectural potential. A brick house can be of any shape, from a simple rectangular structure to a complex Gothic structure. Therefore, if you want to bring to life the most daring design projects, then a brick will do just fine.

Brick house

Like any other building material, brick has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Pros of a brick house

• Prestige - a house made of good bricks is still considered an indicator of the financial security of the owners.
• Thermal insulation - brick houses retain heat well in harsh climatic zones.
• Service life - with proper observance of the construction technology, a brick house can stand for a long time without major repairs.
• Fire safety - brick is not a highly flammable material, therefore the risk of a serious fire in the house is reduced.

Cons of a brick house

• The weight of the material - brick is a rather heavy building material, therefore, for the construction of walls, it is necessary to make a very solid foundation, which in turn requires significant financial costs.
• Hygroscopicity - brick walls are very prone to moisture absorption. Therefore, when building a brick house, a significant part of the money and time is spent on waterproofing.
• The need for wall decoration - when using inexpensive bricks (or with improper masonry), there is a need for interior and exterior wall decoration.
• Brick price - depending on the type and quality, the cost of this building material can be very high.

The table contains information for buildings made of bricks and foam concrete blocks.

A brick house is a comfortable living and aesthetically consistent structure, which is achieved with a competent approach to construction. High technical characteristics make it possible to live in such a house at any time of the year and under various climatic conditions.

Houses made of wood

Well-to-do owners often make a choice in favor of wooden beams or logs. This is explained by the fact that such houses have a beautiful appearance and have operational advantages in comparison with other types of buildings. To find out the characteristics of a wooden house, let's look at its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of a wooden house

• Construction cost - if you calculate the total estimate of wooden and brick houses, then the construction of a wooden one will be cheaper. This is due to the lack of the need for external and internal finishing. Also, walls made of timber or logs are lighter than brick ones, so there is no need for a reinforced foundation.
• Mobility - the walls of a wooden house can be disassembled and, if necessary, assembled in a new place. Construction speed - the construction of a wooden house is almost twice as fast as a brick one.
• Appearance - of course, everyone has their own preferences, but for most people, wooden houses look prettier than the rest.
• Thermal insulation - depending on the thickness of the walls, wooden houses sometimes surpass brick and frame ones in thermal insulation properties.
• Environmental safety - walls in a wooden house do not emit harmful substances hazardous to human health.

Disadvantages of a wooden house

• Wall shrinkage - the final shrinkage of the structure of a wooden house occurs only after three years.
• Fire safety - although now there are many refractory liquids that are used to process wooden parts of a house, still a wooden house in terms of fire safety is inferior to a brick or stone one.
• Treatment against pests and decay - wood houses require regular treatment against insects and fungi that live on the tree.

* Finishing of a house from logs can be done only 2-3 years after construction.
As you can see, the tree has its pros and cons, which should be considered when choosing a building material for a country house.

Houses from SIP panels

SIP panels are a high-quality and convenient building material for a country house, allowing you to build large structures in a short time.

Sandwich panel construction technology came to Russia from North America, where it is very popular.
SIP-panel is a plate of two sheets of rigid material (fiberboard, OSB, PVC) and a layer of insulation, which is located between them. The panels are fixed to a wooden or metal frame, and the result is a one-piece construction of the house.
The construction of houses from SIP panels has its fans and opponents. To determine which category you categorize yourself into, check out the pros and cons of sandwich panels.

Pros of SIP panels

• Excellent heat and sound insulation - thanks to their construction, sandwich panels perfectly retain heat and isolate noise.
• Lightweight - being lighter than brick, concrete and even wood, SIP walls do not require a strong foundation.
• Short construction time - thanks to frame technology, a house made of sandwich panels is built very quickly.
• Low construction cost - SIP panels have an affordable price and, combined with quick installation, building a house as a whole is not expensive.

Cons of SIP panels

• Short service life - compared to other building materials, sandwich panels have a relatively short service life of 30-50 years.
• Environmental safety - materials capable of emitting harmful substances are used for the manufacture of SIP panels. This factor is especially important if you are planning a permanent residence in the house.
• Low fire safety - sandwich panels burn well and, when burned, emit a lot of harmful substances, therefore, houses built from this building material require additional measures to ensure fire safety.
• Rodents - in the space where the insulation is located, representatives of the rodent family are very fond of arranging their homes. So be sure to regularly check and treat your home for mice, rats and other pests.
• Non-prestigious real estate - houses made of SIP panels are not considered prestigious and durable housing, for this reason you can sell your real estate only at a price that is inferior to the cost of construction.

Despite all the disadvantages, the availability, speed of building a house and its high thermal insulation properties make sandwich panels very popular today.

Monolithic concrete houses

A concrete house is a monolithic structure that creates the shape of the house and carries all the loads. Monolithic houses are popular for their strength and durability. Also, the technology of filling allows you to give the house the most daring and unique design. A house made of reinforced concrete is especially recommended for construction in seismically active areas, as it can withstand a serious earthquake.
According to the technology of erection of a monolithic house, liquid concrete is poured into the formwork in which there is a frame made of reinforcement. After the mortar has dried, the formwork is removed and placed on the next casting area.
Monolithic houses are very popular in multi-storey construction, but in addition to large buildings, reinforced concrete houses can be found in suburban areas. If you want to use concrete pouring technology to build your own home, then first check out the pros and cons of this building material.

Advantages of a monolithic house

• Integrity of the structure - a monolithic house does not need to fit the elements of the house to each other, as in conventional construction.
• Long-term operation - if high-quality concrete is used when pouring, then a monolithic house is able to stand longer than similar houses made of brick or stone.
• Fire safety - reinforced concrete houses are not subject to destruction during a fire.
• Many shapes - a monolithic house can be given any look, depending on your imagination.
• Seismic safety - a properly built house made of reinforced concrete is able to withstand an earthquake of up to 8-10 points without damaging the structure.

Disadvantages of a monolithic house

• Construction Cost - Building a monolithic house is the most expensive option. Significant financial costs will be required for high-quality formwork, reinforced foundations, reinforcement and delivery or production of concrete.
• The need for wall decoration - if you do not go to have a gloomy bunker instead of a house, then you will have to make an effort for external and internal wall decoration.
• Heating - concrete is concrete, and powerful heating systems will be required to maintain a comfortable temperature in winter.

If there are opportunities for the construction of a monolithic house, then this option is preferable, especially in areas of increased seismic activity.

Alternative building materials for the home

In addition to the popular construction options listed above, there are lesser known, but also used materials for the construction of walls, consider some of them.

• • Saman - adobe houses are popular in the southern regions of Russia and Central Asia. An adobe house keeps you cool in summer and "keeps" warm in winter. Adobe walls are not very strong and are very afraid of water, because adobe is made from a mixture of clay and straw. Therefore, this building material cannot be used in harsh climatic zones. But for dry climates with little rainfall, adobe is quite suitable for building a simple dwelling.

• • A mixture of sawdust, shavings, chemical additives and cement - such blocks are called arbolite. This material is ideal for the construction of walls with a low load, it is used for the construction of the last floors of buildings, one-story houses and household buildings. Arbolit is an inexpensive building material; it is produced in the form of blocks. In some cases, wood concrete, like concrete, is poured directly into the formwork. The main disadvantage of wood concrete is that it has weak strength and cannot be used in the manufacture of foundations and load-bearing walls.

• • Natural stone is a building material for those who love old traditions and have the finances to implement them. It will be very expensive to build a house made of natural stone, but your great-great-grandchildren may get the house. Natural stone used for construction can have both a natural shape and a processed block shape.

• Cinder block - as the name suggests, this is a block compressed from waste slag and cement. Not a very safe material from an environmental point of view, since you do not know the origin of the slag. Cinder block is a cheap alternative to bricks and is used for the construction of houses and outbuildings. The strength of the cinder block largely depends on the conscience of the manufacturer, there are times when the blocks fall apart right during the laying.

We hope that our article helped you decide on the choice of building materials for building a house!

The owners of suburban areas have an excellent opportunity to assemble inexpensive houses with very good performance characteristics. There are several ways to build an economical and reliable building today. In this article, we'll talk about what is cheaper to build houses from.

What factors affect the cost

You can save money when building a country house:

• Having drawn up the project correctly. A compact house with a well-thought-out layout will cost less than a large “chaotic” building and will be no less comfortable at the same time.
• By choosing the right material for walls, roofs, floors and finishes.

It is the last factor in terms of project cost that often plays a decisive role.

Materials for how to choose

When deciding what exactly the walls of the house will be built from, its floors and roof, you need to pay attention to the following factors:

• Climatic conditions. In cold regions, it is better to use, albeit not so durable, but always warm materials. The owners of plots located in the southern regions of the country have a much wider choice. In this case, you can use absolutely any modern inexpensive materials.
• Specific properties of materials. Of course, buildings made of SIP panels or foam concrete are much cheaper than brick or log houses.
• Features of the local market. For example, in wooded regions, wood may be cheaper, and in steppe regions - concrete.

The most economical building materials

So now let's see what is cheaper to build houses from. A very economical and convenient building nowadays can be erected using:

• Beams and modern insulation. This is the cheapest type of building at the moment. At the same time, despite the low cost, panel houses are distinguished by very good operational characteristics. In this case, inexpensive materials are also used as cladding. Most often these are plywood and siding.
• SIP panels. Such a building will cost more than a panel building, but it is also erected faster.
• Foam blocks. Buildings erected from them are also very inexpensive and are considered somewhat more reliable than panel buildings.

All these modern materials for building a house are suitable very well and at the same time are capable of serving for a long time. Next, let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. Perhaps this will help someone make the most successful choice.

Advantages of frame buildings

Houses made of wood of this type, in addition to being cheap, also have such advantages as:

• Ease of construction. You can build a frame-panel house on your own, without the involvement of specialists. When erecting such a building, there is no need to use any expensive equipment. The foundation for a panel house can be filled with the most inexpensive - columnar (of course, only on reliable ground).
• Excellent heat-retaining qualities. Such houses are insulated from the cold using modern inexpensive materials. Usually it is mineral wool or expanded polystyrene. Even not too expensive non-profiled timber in this case is used in minimal quantities - only for the construction of the frame.
• Aesthetic If you use high-quality internal and external cladding, choosing this technology, you can actually get a very beautiful and at the same time comfortable building.
• No shrinkage. Unlike expensive cobbled and log buildings, you can move into a house built using this technology immediately after its construction.

Disadvantages of panel buildings

Beams and modern insulation are just an excellent answer to the question of what is cheaper to build houses from. But of course, like any other technique, this building technology has its drawbacks. The disadvantages of frame-panel houses include, first of all, not a very high degree of environmental safety. The fact is that mineral wool and expanded polystyrene are materials that, in certain situations, are capable of emitting. When building a house, this must be taken into account and the inner lining must be as tight as possible. Mineral wool emits poisonous styrene and polystyrene foam.

The disadvantages of panel structures can also be attributed to a not too high degree of fire resistance. It is best to entrust the wiring in such a house to a specialist. Even though this will entail additional costs. You will also have to spend money on processing the wooden frame with antiseptic and fire-resistant compounds, as well as insect repellents. As you know, only if these funds are used, wooden houses are sufficiently durable.

The owners of remote suburban areas often refuse to erect such buildings due to the not too high mechanical strength of the walls. To enter such a house without security, thieves may not even need to break the lock.

Advantages of buildings from SIP panels

This type of building is structurally very similar to the previous one. In fact, this is just a kind of panel house. The only difference is that building elements of this type are assembled from panels supplied ready-made. Of course, when using such a material, the building is more reliable and durable. Houses made of SIP panels are not too expensive. However, their cost, as already mentioned, is slightly higher than that of conventional panel boards.

SIP panels consist of two OSB boards, between which expanded polystyrene is fixed. Despite the apparent fragility, due to the integrity of the structure, they are able to withstand enormous loads and, in fact, are just perfect for buildings. You can also build a building from this material yourself. It is not required to pour under SIP walls and too strong foundation. The advantages of this material include a very low degree of thermal conductivity.

As in the case of a frame-panel house, the construction of such a building does not require the use of expensive equipment. The panels are processed in an elementary way - using a conventional hacksaw. Therefore, houses made of SIP panels can have any layout and architecture.

Cons of SIP buildings

The disadvantages of such houses are about the same as those of ordinary frame-panel houses. That is, they do not differ in fire safety and environmental friendliness. In addition to expanded polystyrene, in this case, OSB panels are also used, the harmlessness of which raises great doubts. Some of the disadvantages of SIP panels include the fact that houses of only limited heights can be built from them (maximum 2 floors). Engineering communications in buildings of this type are quite difficult and costly to carry out. This can also be attributed to the disadvantages of such buildings.

Advantages of foam block houses

This material costs a little more than SIP panels. However, the cost of the foam block is still low, and the difference in price in this case is not critical. In addition, in comparison with SIP-buildings and panel buildings, houses made of this material have a lot of advantages. These include:

• The ability of walls to "breathe". In this regard, buildings made of foam blocks are comparable to such, for example, comfortable structures as log houses. The microclimate in buildings erected from this material is created practically the same.
• Fire resistance of walls. Concrete, as everyone knows, does not burn.
• Durability. By definition, such a building can last much longer than a wooden structure. The concrete will not rot or be damaged by insects.

Disadvantages of foam concrete houses

The disadvantages of such buildings include, first of all, the need for thorough waterproofing of the foundation and the use of materials that prevent moisture penetration into the walls. Inexpensive foam block houses should be protected as carefully as possible. The fact is that this porous material absorbs moisture very well. At the same time, its heat-preserving qualities are lost. Moreover, wet blocks of this type crumble easily, which can even lead to cracks in the walls.

Despite the fact that foam concrete is lightweight, the foundation for it should be used sufficiently strong and reliable. It's all about the fragility of this material. Foam concrete can crack even with small movements.

The disadvantages of this material, in comparison with SIP panels, include some complexity in the construction of houses when using them. To build, you need to fasten the foam blocks with special glue. In this case, the seams, unlike concrete ones, are very thin and do not let the cold through. However, masonry using this method assumes the use of blocks of ideal geometry. But despite the existing standards, material with various kinds of defects is often sold on the domestic market.

From all of the above, a simple conclusion can be drawn. You should buy foam blocks only from large manufacturers who value their reputation and supply to the market a sufficiently strong material with ideal geometry.

Cost of materials

For the construction of building walls, structural and thermal insulation foam blocks are usually used. The price for them depends on the size, manufacturer and supplier. For block D500-D600, for example, you can pay from 47 to 185 rubles. The cost of a foam block of the most convenient in laying dimensions of 20x30x60 mm is usually 135-150 rubles.

The price for SIP panels of different sizes can be found in the table below.

Thus, the price of a house made of self-supporting insulated wire (or rather, only its walls) measuring 5x5 m with a ceiling height of 250 cm and a wall thickness of 12 mm will be 47,200 rubles, not counting the cost of consumables. Of course, it's not too expensive. Foam blocks of the same size will cost about 55,000-60,000 rubles, which is also quite cheap.

What to make ceilings and roofs

The use of SIP panels and foam blocks significantly reduces the cost of building houses. From various materials of a modern type, such as metal tiles, ondulin or profiled sheet, it is possible to assemble a very inexpensive roof for a country building. The floor and ceiling in a budget house is usually sheathed with a simple edged board.

As for the frame of the floors and the roof, then the choice, of course, is not too large. Logs, beams and rafter systems are usually made of timber. And they use material that is thick enough. After all, such structures are load-bearing and must withstand serious loads. Therefore, of course, it is not worth saving on them. However, the price for ordinary non-profiled timber is not too high.

Thus, using the materials described above for building a house, you can save a lot and at the same time get reliable and environmentally friendly designs.

How to choose an edged board

When choosing this material, you should pay attention to two factors:

• The presence of knots. There should be as few of them as possible. Especially the dark ones. Such knots will surely fall out over time, and ugly holes will form in the floor or ceiling.
• Material geometry. All selected boards must have the same thickness and differ in evenness in all planes.

Advantages and disadvantages of metal tiles

In addition to the low price, the advantages of this material used to assemble inexpensive roofing most often include:

• light weight,
• strength and durability,
• aesthetic appearance,
• ease of styling.

The disadvantages of metal tiles are:

• noisy in the rain,
• the ability to rust and click in the sun if improperly laid.

As you can see, the answer to the question of what is cheaper to build houses from is not too difficult. It is very easy to choose inexpensive materials for the construction of walls, floors and roofs of a building these days. Of course, when drawing up a project, everything should be carefully calculated and thought out. In this case, the house will turn out to be economical, reliable and comfortable.

Quite often, when designing a private house, the future owner thinks about the optimal choice of materials for its construction. What is it cheap to build a house from, so that it does not affect the quality, thermal insulation, visual appeal and durability of the building. The correct selection of materials will help not only build the desired house with your own hands, but also save a lot of money.

Construction stages

From the very beginning, you should determine the order that you need to adhere to when conducting construction with your own hands:

1. The very first construction of the foundation begins.
2. They begin to build walls after checking the readiness of the base.
3. The next in order will be communications (heating, water supply, sewerage, electrification, gas supply) and floor filling.
4. The next step will be laying the floor.
5. The last thing to do is to build a roof. This type of construction work is carried out in spring or autumn.

The following factors affect the level of costs:

• effective layout of the building;
• the depth of the foundation, materials for its construction and the equipment used in its construction;
• the use of inexpensive and high-quality materials for the walls;
• heat-saving and waterproofing materials;
• type of heating system;
• installation of door and window blocks;
• use of heat-saving and waterproofing agents.

Any construction should begin with drawing up a project. This approach makes it possible at the initial stage to avoid unnecessary expenses and optimize the project area. You should also decide what material the house will be built from.

Project creation

To reduce the cost of construction and materials, you can calculate the area of ​​the house in such a way as to comfortably place all the necessary premises in the smallest possible area and decide which material will become the basis for the walls.

To reduce heat loss, you can abandon pillars, bay windows, as well as all kinds of decorative partitions, as well as insulate basements, roofs and walls. The fewer walls a building has, the easier it is to heat it.

An excellent solution would be the construction of verandas and balconies, which will protect the building and serve as a resting place in the summer. It is also recommended to combine the hall with the dining room and kitchen, in this case the total area will reduce heat loss, and minimal zoning will help create a cozy and original interior of a small room.

You can resist the cooling of the rooms from the roof side by arranging the attic.

It is recommended to use reliable tile materials or shingles as roofing materials. You should not save on roofing material, since the service life of the structure and the possibility of rational use of the attic floor directly depend on it. In addition, these materials look very decorative, improve the overall appearance of the structure and are very durable, which more than pays for their high cost.

Wall materials

Since inexpensive construction is designed not only to create beautiful and comfortable housing, but also to do it in a short time with your own hands with reasonable savings, you should, if possible, use modern materials for interior decoration.

For the construction of a strong frame, concrete, metal, brick or wood are used. One of the options for economical construction is the installation of a frame made of wood, which is then sheathed with soft insulation. This allows you to significantly lighten the structure and save on the construction of the foundation, as well as significantly reduce energy consumption for heating.

Another advantageous option for the construction of walls is the construction of aerated concrete. A house from such material is very quick and easy to build, while you can reduce the cost of mortar and labor. The material is lightweight and dimensional, and after finishing work it will take on any desired appearance, and will not differ in any way from brick structures.

Wood is a favorite raw material for construction, but it is hardly possible to save on it. The material itself is not so expensive, but since it is constantly subject to deformation, shrinkage, the appearance of cracks and gaps from the effects of weather conditions, and also needs careful insulation, its costs increase significantly.

Only the typesetting system is an economical material for a house made of wood. It is assembled in production conditions by specialists from solid structural elements.

In addition, such a house periodically requires sealing of cracks as a result of building subsidence, as well as other expensive maintenance and control.

Foundation type

It is possible to reduce the cost of building a foundation by using highly efficient structures that can reduce the weight of the walls of the house and allow you to use a lightweight version of the foundation.

The ability to build a low-depth foundation is determined by the condition of the soil and the proximity of the groundwater.

Under what conditions can a low-depth foundation be built:

1. Such a foundation is used only on non-porous soils. Coarse sand is an ideal base for a low buried foundation.
2. Provided the drainage system is installed. This will prevent the rise of groundwater and protect the basement of the building from excess moisture.
3. It is also advisable to use waterproofing.

If the architect decides in favor of building a low buried foundation and decides in favor of using lightweight materials, then the savings will be quite significant.

In order to determine the appropriate type of foundation with your own hands, you should dig a hole about one meter deep. If there is no water in the pit, and the composition of the soil is represented by sand, clay and stones, then we can definitely say that it is possible to build an unburied foundation (60-80 cm). If water appears in the pit, then the bedding of the base should be at a depth of more than one meter.

The mortar should be thick enough and consist of cement, sand and gravel. Before pouring, formwork is constructed from boards. The width of the base should be 20 cm wider than the width of the walls. The use of reinforcing mesh is mandatory.

To ensure waterproofing, roofing material is laid in two layers in the foundation at ground level and then built to the required height.

After the completion of construction work, the foundation should be given several months to mature, and only after that the walls should be built.

Window systems

When choosing and installing window systems with your own hands, you should pay attention not only to the quality of the window block itself, but equally to the state of seals and fittings. They must provide a snug fit, high-quality heat and sound insulation.

Poor-quality double-glazed windows will contribute to the cooling of the room and the formation of drafts.

The number of windows required for optimal lighting is calculated by the formula: floor area divided by 8. For example, a room with an area of ​​40 meters requires 5 windows.

Heating system

The finished building needs installation of a gas or electric heating system. Measures to insulate the walls, floors and basement of the building significantly reduce heat loss, but they are not able to provide a comfortable temperature at home in the cold season.

The underfloor heating system is one of the most effective ways to heat a room. There are two types of such a floor: electric and water. This system is quite cheap and provides pleasant warmth and comfort in the room. The purchase and installation of such a system with your own hands will allow, without causing a significant increase in the cost of the project, to provide savings and organically fit into the interior of the house.

The spread of warm air from the bottom up, comfortable for heating of this type, is the most correct in comparison with other types. Whereas heating from radiators can be minimized by drafts walking inside the room.

Knowing what is cheaper to build a house from, you can save a good amount and make your dream home project come true with your own hands. Tips for arranging an inexpensive home will help you build a comfortable, beautiful and ergonomic structure with your own hands, in which you can pay maximum attention to the interior decoration of the room with the remaining funds.