Construction frame houses is now becoming increasingly widespread in Russia. This is due to the fact that houses using this technology are quickly built, Construction Materials for them they cost little compared to others. In addition, the frame house has reliable design. You can build such a structure yourself, thereby saving on hiring a team of builders. At the same time, the owner will be sure that everything was done correctly, since he built it himself. Naturally, if you build a frame house yourself, you need to have minimal construction skills and strictly follow the project and recommendations.

However, despite all the advantages, frame houses have a number of disadvantages that should be taken into account when choosing and building such a home.

When designing a frame house, you need to take into account that the technology for constructing this building is more complex than when constructing brick or wooden housing. The frame is calculated according to elasticity, load and other technical properties materials, the house project must be carried out by a qualified specialist.

And when building a frame house, it is necessary to strictly follow the technology when installing all the parts. You also need to pay attention to the quality of building materials.

There are a few more points that need to be taken into account when building a frame house:

• To prevent the walls from blowing through and the filler from subsiding, check the tightness of the frame at the joints.
• All trim must fit well.
• Energy saving in a frame house is achieved through the correct selection of consumables and experience in construction.

Advantages and disadvantages of frame houses

There is an opinion among Russian builders that a frame house is not very suitable for our country. In Russian house-building, construction technologies of this type are new, so there is not yet sufficient experience and, accordingly, practitioners who could, in case of difficulties in self-construction at home to give qualified advice.

Advantages of frame houses:

• Minimum construction period - if special equipment, materials and specialists are available, the house can be commissioned in just a few weeks;
• The lightness of the frame allows you to save on arranging the foundation;
• The cost of building materials and labor is 30-40% lower than that of a brick or monolithic building;
• With proper thermal insulation, the house can be lived in all year round.

There are many opinions, let’s look at the disadvantages of a frame house:

How to fix problems that arise?

There are a few more points that you should pay attention to when deciding whether to build a frame house or not.

Search for materials

If a person decides to build a frame house himself, then he must be prepared for a number of difficulties. With all the variety of building materials on the market, it is quite difficult to find those needed for frame construction. Due to the scarcity of these goods, prices for them are quite high, since there is no competition, and sellers try to sell them at a higher price. As a result, the cost of export materials on our market is several times higher than the real price of the manufacturer. To reduce the cost of construction, you need to search for materials on the Internet, go to suppliers’ websites and monitor all offers. It should be taken into account that in the spring prices for building materials decrease.

Inadmissibility of defects during construction

There is a danger that when building a house, the team, if it does not perform its duties conscientiously, may hide poor-quality work under the cladding. When building a brick or wooden house, this is more difficult to do, since their walls consist of one material and are not prefabricated.
The danger of such defects in work is that shortcomings are not immediately discovered. They can take up to a year to appear, and it can be very difficult to figure out what's wrong. As a result, the owner is forced to hire other builders to detect and correct defects.

Mandatory ventilation

A frame house requires constant ventilation, which is not a prerequisite for brick and wooden buildings. Air flow is the key to the durability of a frame house, so the cladding and insulation must be protected from moisture and constantly ventilated. Designing and installing a ventilation system will be quite expensive, but if you combine air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, you can save money.

Difficulties in laying electrical wiring

Electrical wiring in Russia requires more expense and effort than in other countries. This is due to the standards we have adopted. According to the norm, all wires must be laid in metal tubes with junction boxes, although in Western countries they simply install safe wires running in grooves cut into the frame.

Find professionals

Frame construction has not yet been developed in Russia, so finding professionals in this field is quite difficult. Consumers are not inclined to trust frame houses; they consider them fragile and a fire hazard.

Work on the construction of a frame house must be carried out by qualified specialists, especially at the design stage, where it is important to take into account all the components, develop a clear plan, and calculate everything with millimeter accuracy. Therefore, with the relative cheapness of materials for construction, the cost of the house may increase due to design, and saving on calculations is not recommended, so as not to end up with a lot of problems.

In other countries, frame houses are assembled from calibrated boards. In Russia, the basis of the frame so far is edged board, to which it is difficult to attach other materials. With the adoption of Canadian technology for the construction of frame houses, most of the shortcomings will be corrected and this technology will be firmly established in construction market.
Despite a number of difficulties, the advantages of frame houses in the form of low prices and a quick construction process make the buildings in demand throughout our country.

Since ancient times, various materials have been used for housing construction. The desire to build a cozy home with a good microclimate and at the lowest cost led to the creation of frame houses.

Modern frame houses, the technology of which dates back to the times of mass migration to North America has undergone significant changes: it has become simpler and more economical. Many argue about the advantages and disadvantages of houses built according to frame technology, without going into their design features.

How to build frame houses

The history of the development of frame construction goes back more than two centuries. The first structures were built using the frame-frame type. First, a log base was made, and logs or beams were attached to it. For greater stability, the vertical part was strengthened with braces.

Boards were placed on the finished frame outside and inside, and heat-insulating material was laid between them. This type of structure did not have internal load-bearing partitions, the entire structure was strong thanks to wooden trusses. Houses of this type could consist of two or three floors.

In connection with the improvement, technology has come to the possibility of erecting buildings from ready-made panels, and thus frame- panel houses, built much faster and at lower costs. New technology made it possible to manufacture parts of a house in one place, transport it to the construction site and erect it in the shortest possible time.

The first panel houses, in addition to the positive aspects of quick construction and relative cheapness, also had their drawbacks. The main disadvantage was the lack of high-quality insulation and winter time- It is difficult to keep warm in such a house; good heating was required.

The disadvantage was considered to be the impossibility of redevelopment. It is almost impossible to change the inside of a house built from ready-made panels due to the rigid connection of the elements. And another drawback that can be attributed to all wooden structures is the possibility of damage by wood-boring beetles. There was no talk of fire safety; if fire was handled carelessly, such houses burned quickly and were practically beyond repair.

With the development of the chemical industry, new materials came into construction technologies that make it possible to protect wooden buildings from many dangers. Wood treated with special substances stopped igniting when exposed to open fire. Other materials, antiseptics, made it possible to prevent damage to parts of the building by biological factors.

Technological features of modern frame houses

Today, frame houses are built using several technologies. The differences between some technologies are insignificant; often the Finnish type of house can be called German, according to the construction method used in these countries.

There are three main technological types of building frame-based houses:

• Finnish houses;
• Canadian houses;
• half-timbered houses.

It is the half-timbered houses that are a type of German construction technologies. When building a house, a timber frame is constructed. The main feature is that the frame beam is not covered by the cladding and is visible on the facade of the building. Such houses, despite many advantages - good thermal insulation and resistance to natural factors, are not without drawbacks.

The main disadvantage is the contact of the frame with the external environment. Therefore, if periodic processing or painting with oil paints is not carried out, the frame may become unusable over time, and the building, despite good lining, will be destroyed.

According to Canadian technology, the construction of a frame house is carried out with closing load-bearing structures. In this case, the frame itself is not affected natural factors and if necessary, you can change the casing or part of it. Usually, the lower cladding boards, which were close to the ground and were more often exposed to moisture and biological factors, were subject to replacement.

Using modern antiseptics and preparations that prevent wood from burning, houses built using Canadian technology are less susceptible to damage and are fireproof. Application modern insulation materials steam and moisture insulation materials can provide increased comfort and energy saving in such buildings.

Finnish panel technology allows you to build houses more quickly. For construction, ready-made panel blocks are used, connected using the tenon method. They are mounted on a pre-built frame.

In the production of shields, wood treated with antiseptics and fire-fighting substances is used. Used for insulation modern materials allowing you to make walls with low thermal conductivity. The main advantage of the technology: fast construction, high seismic and wind resistance.

Advantages and disadvantages of panel structures

Modern frame houses built using the latest materials, more profitable, they are easy to build.

The main advantages of a panel house:

• speed of construction;
• low cost of construction;
• fire safety;
• improved thermal insulation
• no solid foundation required;
• Possibility of construction at any time of the year.

Service life more than 70 years.

Disadvantages of a panel house:

• the possibility of poor-quality insulation and waterproofing in finished panels;
• there is no possibility of redevelopment;
• Rodents can settle in some types of insulation;
• buildings cannot be erected with more than 2 floors;
• lack of impact sound insulation.

For temporary residence, country frame houses with minor thermal insulation properties. They are not heated and are suitable only for seasonal living.

Which design is better?

Having considered Various types and the technology of constructing frame houses, we can confidently say that there is no ideal model, but only a design for a specific type of use. Therefore, when choosing the best frame houses, you should focus not on technology, but on the purpose of the structure. For temporary residence, a lightweight panel house is suitable; for permanent residence, it is better to build a house according to Finnish technology with high-quality insulation and ready-made communications inside the panels.

Increasingly, having acquired a plot of land, owners plan not a brick house, but a panel house, for permanent housing, despite warnings about the disadvantages of such houses. How reliable is this type of housing?

What is meant by frame construction?

Once upon a time large construction projects, during long-term geological exploration expeditions in specific areas and simply in summer cottages, prefabricated panel houses rapidly grew. With sufficient insulation of the walls, floor and ceiling, one could even spend the winter comfortably in them. It was they who became the harbingers of modern frame construction.

Panel buildings are based on a structure of beams vertically installed on a base frame and connected at the top by strapping, between which thermal insulation is laid, after which the racks are sheathed with OSB or OSB panels on top. Sometimes waterproof materials are used for interior decoration. chipboards. A beam with a cross-section of at least 150x150 millimeters is always placed in the base; it is also used to tie the racks of the lower tier when constructing a two-story building.

As load-bearing elements structures, as a rule, use timber 50x150 millimeters, but in a large building at the corners, as well as at the junction of internal and external walls install racks 150x150. Coniferous wood is usually used for frame construction, but some unscrupulous developers replace it with lumber from hardwood, which are more susceptible to rotting and moisture absorption. Often, everything necessary details for the construction of a house, according to the project, they are produced on an industrial scale in large quantities or, at least, mass-produced in a small well-equipped workshop.

Each kit comes with instructions so that owners can assemble their home themselves, but each frame construction company offers its own home installation services. For the most part, the cost of such a turnkey service exceeds 50% of the cost of the kit, and sometimes even reaches 80-100%. At the same time, the build quality is not always higher than what the home owners could get by self-built.

Are there any disadvantages to frame houses?

Of course, when comparing advantages and disadvantages, negative factors can be found in considerable quantities if you are initially biased. Then every little thing will catch your eye and, in principle, can be eliminated. But brick buildings also have enough disadvantages, not to mention multi-story panel buildings.

However, some really significant disadvantages of frame construction should still be remembered in order to eliminate or reduce them initially during the construction of the cottage. There are two main disadvantages: rodents and sound conductivity of the walls. Opponents of frame houses first of all point out that mice and even rats can live in wall cavities. Yes, they can, since neither the sheathing panels nor the thermal insulation are a significant barrier to rodents. However, they also live in brick houses.

Gloomy prophecies do not take into account modern technologies finishing, in particular exterior Decoration Materials not particularly attractive to rats. And the internal lining most often becomes a serious obstacle to the penetration of illegal living creatures inside the walls. Additionally, rodent infestations are unlikely if building codes are followed. Sometimes it is enough to install the house on columnar foundation or make a high base. Or get a cat.

The second factor why a frame house is really bad is that the spread of any sounds between the rooms of the cottage is practically not restrained by anything, since there are neither massive walls nor monolithic floors. To some extent, you can reduce noise by doing it correctly, laying a thick layer of insulation, which can serve as sound insulation, and using noise-absorbing materials. However, this will not protect much from the booming of the structure, since vibrations from steps and the movement of furniture spread throughout the house, transmitted to the walls and ceilings in the form of vibrations.

Among the troubles awaiting those who decide to build a frame house, the following disadvantages are also listed: easy flammability and complete burnout of the building in a fire, susceptibility to dampness and fungus. Don't forget about woodworms. Also, many with knowledge of the matter assure that from the wind and vibrations caused household appliances, the house becomes loose, and the frame joints lose their rigidity. And, of course, without exception, all opponents of panel houses insist on the fragility of buildings of this type, in comparison with brick or log ones. Let's take a step-by-step look at what is true and what is a myth.

One of the biggest disadvantages of a panel house, which rarely anyone remembers, is the inability to drive a nail into the wall anywhere; this can only be done where the timber is located under the sheathing.

Fire danger of frame cottages

If a fire suddenly breaks out in a brick house, in 90% of cases it remains relatively intact, at least the skeleton of the building is preserved, in which it can be reassembled wooden structures. Well, furniture is a real deal. Adobe house after a fire it only becomes stronger (which is not at all a reason to rejoice at the ignition of housing). A frame cottage always burns down completely, sometimes not even nails with fastening plates and corners remain. But is it worth abandoning a prefabricated and fairly cheap panel structure because of the fire hazard?

First of all, let us remember that the wood used for houses of this type is coniferous, it burns especially hot, that is, it would seem that the disadvantages are increasing. However, we should also not forget about fire retardants produced today in large quantities - impregnations that significantly increase the resistance of wood to fire when in contact with an open flame. In addition, fire safety can be increased by installing an alarm system with temperature and smoke sensors, as well as automatic powder system extinguishing system, which will cope with the flames and will not flood the house with water. And, of course, don’t forget about the fire extinguisher, it’s not bad at fighting a fire.

Frame house like a big mycelium

This is scary to even imagine, but indeed, in regions with a high degree of air humidity and a large amount of precipitation falling per year, there is reason to fear the occurrence of dampness in the house. Moreover, even in the cold season it is difficult to protect yourself from it if the calculation of the “dew point” is poor - the boundary between the external and room temperatures where condensation can occur.

It is under such conditions that inconspicuous pockets of mold appear under the baseboards, behind the wallpaper, although sometimes in plain sight, for example, in the area of ​​the window sill or even in the corner between two external walls. All this is truly possible with complete sealing of the premises. It would seem that it is necessary to exclude even the smallest possibility of a draft, and this is so, but without high-quality ventilation, the panels, which do not breathe like the walls of a log house, prevent moisture from escaping outside.

As a result, dampness accumulates in the premises and settles on any sufficiently cold surfaces, for example, near the window. Also, do not forget about impregnating the wood of the frame with antiseptics against fungi; such treatment should be done no less carefully than with anti-flammation preparations. By the way, impregnations also protect against insects perfectly, with deep penetration There is no need to worry about an antiseptic with biocidal properties against woodworms.

How reliable and durable is the frame?

If we talk about strength, it is immediately worth clarifying that any project of a frame-panel house is carried out in such a way that finished building could withstand a magnitude 7 earthquake. Which, however, largely depends on the quality of the building materials and the build quality of the structure. If we talk about the instability of frame houses, then with a rigid connection with carpenter’s nails (and not screws), as well as with the observance of paneling technology, no vibrations will bring the cottage into an unstable state. A skillfully assembled building will withstand even the strongest hurricane with almost no damage.

Durability is a special conversation; here we immediately need to clarify what we mean by it. For example, if we keep in mind the service life of a building over two generations, then this is quite achievable. Of course, it will not do without minor repairs, but the frame is quite capable of standing for 100 or 150 years. In Germany there are houses of this type that were built 5 or even 6 centuries ago. But, of course, then the quality of the materials was, for the most part, always at the required level, although, by the way, there were no impregnations other than resin and salt. In Canada today, due to the use of the cheapest wood products, cottages often become unusable within 20 years.

What are the advantages?

For objectivity, one should consider not only the disadvantages of frame panel houses, but also their advantages. The latter can include the already mentioned low cost of the assembly kit (with a fairly expensive turnkey construction service from the developer). Also, do not forget about such advantages as lightness of construction, due to which there is no need to build a deep and monolithic foundation, and considerable money is saved.

And, of course, for many, the decisive factor is the ease of building a house, which can be completed by even one person in a maximum of 8 weeks. If we compare the advantages and disadvantages of frame houses, in contrast to the relatively short durability, we can note the lack of shrinkage, which means that as soon as the panels are installed, you can begin Finishing work. Which implies the ability to move in immediately upon completion of construction. In a brick cottage, the masonry cement gains strength in 21 days, only then can you begin finishing, but in a log house you need to wait more than 1 year before you can celebrate a housewarming party.

Remember one more thing. In any building, be it a panel building, a brick estate or the same log house, in order to lay cables and all kinds of communications it is necessary, at a minimum, to ditch or chisel the walls, or install boxes on them. The exception is pre-fabricated lightweight partitions and plasterboard ceilings, whose frames can be wired. During assembly frame cottage you can immediately extend all communications inside the walls or under the floor/ceiling cladding, secretly, using, of course, metal hoses and pipes to avoid fire.

So, we have looked at the disadvantages of frame panel houses. We also learned their advantages, and, as it turned out, for the most part, all the mentioned disadvantages can be eliminated or are outweighed by the advantages. In many ways, negative factors generally turn out to be myths, in particular, the opinion that it is cold in a panel house in winter and unbearably hot in summer. The reason for this opinion was the assignment of the specified properties of buildings made of plastic panels to frame houses. Meanwhile, the microclimate in them is not at all bad, and the heat consumption for heating 1 m2 of a panel cottage is 2 times lower than for heating a brick building.

Have you decided to build a house using frame technology? Familiarize yourself with the disadvantages of frame houses before you begin construction.

Managers on the advantages of frame and frame-panel houses construction companies arias are sung. They are inexpensive and highly environmentally friendly, and your grandchildren will inherit them. Well, just a fairytale house. Is this really true, or are we being told another fairy tale?

Frame houses or frame-panel ones are known to everyone who has seen old Soviet dachas. Thanks to these dachas, the technology was popularly called “frame-slit”, and we traced the disadvantages of frame houses to the advent of Finnish, Norwegian and Canadian technologies that are so actively advertised now.

Controversial merits

Advertising of frame houses appeals to economy, environmental friendliness, and speed of construction. Let us consider in detail what building a house using frame technology entails and what obvious disadvantages have already appeared during operation.

Noise level- in most of these houses there is very low level soundproofing. Being on the second floor, you will hear a conversation or a working TV on the first floor without making any effort. The fact is that having adopted foreign technology, we did not adopt their pedantry - the wrong arrangement ventilation ducts or installation of partitions in violation of technology - and you live in “noise hell”.

Humidity– wood, especially poorly processed wood, tends to absorb and retain moisture. With poor ventilation and handling construction beams fungus appears, and this is a direct threat to health.

Ignition– in frame houses the risk of fire is much higher. Basically, all due to the same violations of building codes: for example, improper insulation of the roof structure and chimneys. Materials add their contribution - 90% is wood impregnated with flammable agents and adhesives.

Thermos effect– frame houses do not “breathe”; there is poor air exchange in them. It is cold in such houses in winter and hot in summer. In general, this is an exaggeration due to the fact that most people confuse the plastic panels from which shops are built and the panels used to build frame-panel houses.

Fragility- compared to brick houses and houses made of stone, frame houses made of light panels are very short-lived. Manufacturers guarantee us an operational life of up to 100 years, but the reality of domestic construction is such that no one believes the guaranteed terms.

Instability– frame houses are very sensitive to vibration – work washing machine can set the whole house in motion. Instability leads to loss of rigidity of the entire structure.

Low quality- the general quality of materials provided on the market, their improper storage, lack of necessary skills and experience among builders give rise to a low-quality product - a low-quality house, unsuitable for habitation.

Everything is bad?

Despite the above-mentioned disadvantages and shortcomings, the construction of frame houses is slowly, creakingly developing and looking for its market. With all the nuances, this best option for a young family to acquire their own home. Most of the negative aspects arise due to the unprofessionalism of builders, disregard for the process and basic ignorance. If everything were so bad and impractical, this technology would have been abandoned long ago in both Europe and the USA, but they have been building this way for centuries.

We do not urge you to abandon this construction technology. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with all the disadvantages of a frame house to avoid disappointment in the future.

The method of frame house construction in our country became widespread in the middle of the last century. Then it was better known as frame-panel or frame-slit. On its basis, it was possible to quickly and inexpensively create acceptable living conditions for large groups of people. Such advantages of frame houses made it possible, for example, to quickly build entire workers’ settlements in harsh Siberian conditions for the families of those who came to explore this cold region.

Frame yesterday and today

Nevertheless, frame buildings, adapted to Soviet realities, have earned the reputation of short-lived, sometimes windswept housing. This happened for a number of reasons, in particular, due to some simplifications when copying, as well as the use of low-grade building materials. Therefore, at one time, frame houses could not seriously compete with traditional Russian log houses or more solid brick (stone) structures.

A new round of development of the Western method of construction is observed in our country recent years 25. Taking into account the mistakes of their predecessors, using higher quality and new high-tech materials, contemporaries are building houses that freely compete in many respects with stone or solid wood. But still, since nothing is ideal in the world, when choosing a project it is necessary to take into account the pros and cons of frame houses. Let's look at the most typical of them.

Advantages of frame houses that you should know about

Universality of technology

Modern frame construction in Russia can hardly be called canonical. Of course it has general principles construction of multilayer frame-frame or frame-panel structures prescribed in a number of regulatory documents. For example, in the widely used SP 31-105-2002 “Design and construction of energy-efficient single-apartment residential buildings with a wooden frame." However, in practice, frame technology turned out to be so universal that it made it possible to work with a wide range of materials, to create buildings with shapes - from simple to the most unusual, endowed with versatile functionality.

Thus, frames are made of solid or laminated wood coniferous species, as well as from metal profiles various configurations. Polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, ecowool, mineral wool, sawdust, etc. are used as thermal insulation fillers. Even greater variability is observed when choosing facing materials. Almost all known sheet construction products can be used to cover the panels (taking into account the location of its external or outdoor installation): OSB, DSP, chipboard, plywood, plasterboard, glass magnesite, slate, profiled metal, siding, etc. In addition, the outside of a frame house can be lined with brick or stone. In this case, the external sheet cladding of the frame is not always necessary (installing a wind barrier film is sufficient). Sheet covering can also be replaced with lining both outside and inside the building.

Pre-fabricated and all-season construction

These are some of the most significant advantages of frame houses. Largely thanks to them, frame structures have long been recognized in the West and have already appealed to a wide range of domestic developers. For example, the box of a medium-sized one-story private residential building can be assembled on a pre-prepared foundation in just a day! Of course, we are talking about one mounted from factory-assembled panels. But even if the walls and ceilings are completely manufactured on the construction site, the speed of their construction is still quite high. Thus, the construction of an average turnkey frame house from the zero cycle to the start of operation takes time, in the case of assembly:

• from ready-made factory panels – 2-3 months;
• from materials on the construction site - 4-5 months.

At the same time, installation of enclosing structures can be carried out year-round, since there are no “wet” processes. The only exceptions are monolithic foundations, but they can often be replaced with screw piles.

Competitive cost

When weighing the pros and cons of turnkey frame housing construction, we should not forget about the attractive price tags for such structures. If we compare them with “classic” brick buildings, the difference in prices will be two or even three times not in favor of the latter. At the same time, it is important to measure the full volume of investments, since there is wide scope for manipulation with the figures characterizing unfinished buildings. For example, it won’t be too expensive to install a bare brick box. However, in order to bring it to modern standards of thermal efficiency, the masonry will have to be insulated, which will also be a considerable expense. On the contrary, the advantage of a frame house is that its enclosing structures initially combine load-bearing and heat-insulating functions.

The same applies to finishing - it is often enough to putty smooth frame walls to prepare, for example, for painting. In turn, even high-quality brickwork(which is no longer cheap) requires an additional starting layer of plaster.

Important! The relatively low labor intensity of constructing frame housing also has a positive effect on its market value. It is much easier to build than houses made of stone.

Application of lightweight foundations

Noticeable savings in total estimated cost the structure rests on the foundation. Indeed, due to the low mass of the building, material-intensive foundations are not required for its installation. For example, the most popular frame houses with a skeleton made of 50*150 mm boards are characterized by a specific weight of wall panels of 30-50 kg/m2. For comparison, brickwork reduced to a thickness of 150 mm is 200-250 kg/m2. If we take into account that in reality, external brick walls are rarely less than 380 mm or 510 mm, then the difference in the masses of brick and frame houses is already huge. And this is not even taking into account the excellent loads from heavy hollow-core reinforced concrete floors in brick and on wooden beams in a frame structure.

Based on low requirements for bearing capacity foundations and frames can be installed on any of the known types of foundations. The variability of choice can only be limited by very problematic soils. In all other cases, the type of foundation is selected based on the characteristics of a particular building, local conditions or availability of materials. For example, a one-story frame house can be installed on block posts, screw piles or reinforced concrete tape with a width of only 250 mm.

Disadvantages of frame houses that can be avoided

Like a permanent structure of any type, a frame structure requires compliance with construction technology. However, in his case, the manifestation of crookedness, negligence or unjustified savings can play an overly pronounced negative role. Thanks to the efforts of some “professional” teams or dubious fly-by-night productions, those disadvantages of a frame house appear that theoretically should not exist. This, perhaps, is the main drawback of frame construction - many of its aesthetic and operational properties are too dependent on compliance with installation rules and quality starting materials. If everything is done without violations, then the house, even without major repairs, will stand freely for decades, delighting its residents high level comfort and coziness.

With this in mind, the disadvantages of a frame house should be considered in terms of the problems encountered and ways to eliminate or prevent them.

Weak stability and strength of load-bearing structures

Opponents of construction using frame technology will definitely remember the sights of some country or cottage villages in the form of rickety houses, like those shown in the figure below.

However, the problem is not at all in the initial flimsiness of the structure, but in the fact that it requires careful preliminary calculation or at least understanding (based on practical experience) the specifics of the operation of the spatial frame, the loads applied to it and the distribution of loads, the properties of materials and nodal elements. Reliable facilities are built according to designs developed by engineers using computer modeling tools. Strength deficiencies of a frame house can also be eliminated if it is built according to standard scheme qualified installers. Typically, teams of such people have a significant track record with positive reviews that they have accumulated over the years. Engaged in the construction of frame structures for more than one day, practitioners, among other things, must have a clear understanding of regional wind and snow loads, work with proven suppliers of quality building materials.

Insufficient or gradually decreasing thermal efficiency of building envelopes

One of the problems due to which in past years there was a slight loss of interest in frame-panel houses. Unfortunately, it still happens today. The reasons are as follows:

• the thickness of the wall or floor panels, and therefore the insulation in them, does not meet local climatic conditions. For example, a 100 mm layer of effective thermal insulation (mineral wool, expanded polystyrene) can be considered as a sufficient thermal barrier only in the walls of a garden house, and even then, located in a temperate climate zone;
• poorly fitted or loosely tightened building elements, insufficiently sealed joints of frame parts, windproof fabrics or sheathing sheets - these technological violations cause through blows. Similar disadvantages of frame houses can also appear as a result of intense shrinkage of buildings or its deformations, as a consequence of the use of lumber natural humidity. Shrinkage of wood leads to the opening of joints in structures;
• Violation of the integrity of the vapor barrier, incorrect choice of materials for it or its incorrect installation contribute to the rapid dampening of the insulation. Wet thermal insulation not only ceases to fulfill the tasks assigned to it, but also becomes a source of putrefactive processes that destroy load-bearing elements;
• subsidence (sliding) of the insulating filler of wall panels, due to which an area with reduced energy efficiency is formed in their upper part. This usually happens if you select mineral wool low density, but sufficient measures are not taken to fix it;
• Damage to the thermal insulation of a frame house by rodents sometimes becomes a really serious problem. To prevent this from occurring, you should try to make it difficult for pests to penetrate inside the panels or discourage them from doing so. For this purpose, for example, ventilated facades are protected from below with metal gratings or meshes. If the cladding is “wet”, then a good solution would be to install Knauf Aquapanel or DSP slabs plastered over steel mesh. In addition, various chemical impregnations and ultrasonic devices are used to repel rodents. A couple of cats on the property will also help significantly reduce the risk of damage to insulation by mice or rats.

High fire hazard

This disadvantage of frame houses is quite relative. However, in any case, it is no more significant than that of traditional solid wood structures. After all, even if the building envelopes are assembled on wooden frame with foam filler, then the outside can be sheathed with sheets of plasterboard or glass-magnesite boards. This lining reliably blocks open flames from accessing combustible materials. Besides, building codes require that combustible materials initially undergo fire retardant treatment in the factory or on site.

Important! If a frame is installed from a metal profile with a mineral wool filler, then its fire resistance can already be commensurate with a stone structure.

Questions fire safety This also applies to electrical installations. The PUE regulates the laying of electrical wiring on combustible structures in an open manner or hidden in metal pipes or sleeves.

Fragility

It hardly makes sense to say that a frame house, unlike a stone one, will last for centuries. However, as mentioned above, you can count on decades. A building that has received timely care and preventive maintenance of its structures may well serve its children and grandchildren. At the same time, simpler and cheap repairs, in comparison with massive structures made of stone or wood, can also be considered an advantage of a frame house.

The key factor in the durability of the frame is the hydrophobization and antiseptic treatment of the structural materials of its walls and ceilings in parts located no higher than 250 mm from the ground. For internal wood elements, processing is carried out at the construction stage of the building, as well as during repairs when opening the panel cladding. Preparation of beams, racks, crossbars, lintels, etc. on construction sites it is performed by painting or dipping them in containers with a working solution. Today, complex-action compounds that are simultaneously water repellents, fire retardants and antiseptics are often used as such solutions. Parts of the frame located above 250 mm from the ground do not require mandatory treatment with antiseptics (SP 31-105-2002).

It will be possible to fully use the advantages of a frame house for many years if you avoid getting moisture in any form inside the panels. For example, water can seep through a damaged roof deck, rise through the capillaries of the foundation through a damaged cut-off waterproofing or migrate with steam flows from the room through poorly glued vapor barrier joints. If this happens, you should remove the sheathing, remove the insulating filler and thoroughly dry the frame. Thermal insulation material It is dried separately, but sometimes it is better to renew it altogether.

Before reassembling the panels, the frame elements must undergo mandatory protective and preventive treatment:

• parts that have undergone biological damage or corrosion are cleaned, and if they are significantly damaged, they are replaced;
• Wood parts are impregnated with complex compounds, steel parts are treated with anticorrosive agents, then galvanized or painted.

Soundproofing problems

Although this disadvantage of a frame house is cited, often when comparing it with a brick building, you should clearly understand what we are talking about. Of course, a thick brick mass, identical in thermal conductivity to a frame wall, better insulates from street noise. However, its intensity in places where frame frames are predominantly located is not so high. After all, they are usually built not in urban centers, but in cottage villages, the private sector or rural areas.

The problem of internal noise remains. And in this matter, again, everything depends on compliance with installation rules and the materials used. For example, to avoid listening to conversations of people on another floor:

• are arranged on the floors floor coverings using the “floating floor” system;
• filling of ceilings or partitions should be carried out only with fibrous materials with special acoustic parameters;
• Air cavities in ceilings, walls, partitions are not allowed;
• interfacing of structures is carried out through elements of acoustic decoupling in the form of elastic gaskets or layers made of latex, cork, porous rubber, etc.

Urgent need for ventilation

The ideal frame house is a thermos with zero heat loss. In practice, by selecting the appropriate building materials and performing high-quality assembly from them, you can come very close to the theoretically possible minimum of heat loss through the building envelope. However, in any case, there will remain one more problem area in the thermal circuit of the building, through which significant amounts of energy will be lost. We are talking about the ventilation system. After all, you can still do without it in a log house or brick building, where the walls are directly involved in steam, gas and heat exchange in the premises. But in the frame, where under internal lining There is a continuous vapor-proof carpet over a layer of insulation, without any ventilation.

And no matter how sorry it may be to blow it out in winter air currents precious calories outside; if you do not ensure the required level of gas exchange, then serious problems cannot be avoided. In addition to other negativity caused by the lack of fresh air, accumulating dampness will gradually find a loophole in the vapor barrier. Steam, migrating through the insulation from the room to the street, will cool in the outer layers of the enclosing structures, falling into condensation. The result is a decrease in the effectiveness of thermal insulation, rotting (rusting) of the frame, and the development of harmful mold microflora.

Therefore, the urgent need for ventilation can be considered both a plus and a minus of a frame house. After all, on the one hand, ignore this important question will no longer work, which means there will always be a healthy atmosphere in the premises. On the other hand, you will have to choose one of two options:

1. Increase energy consumption to compensate for heat loss due to ventilation. This is a rather dubious method, since the high thermal efficiency of enclosing structures is practically negated.
2. Install a comprehensive climate system, complete with blocks air heating, recovery and conditioning. Despite the fact that such devices cost a lot, they gradually pay for themselves and begin to save energy resources. As a last resort, you can at least install a recuperator on the supply and exhaust ventilation system.

conclusions

Taking into account the opinions of experts regarding the pros and cons of frame houses, as well as positive and negative reviews from numerous users of these structures, we can draw general conclusions that:

• frame housing, with strict adherence to the technology of its construction and subsequent careful treatment, can provide its owners with many years of comfortable use;
• is quite affordable due to its low cost;
• having a number of advantages and disadvantages, cannot be considered as an absolute replacement for other popular types of buildings, but only as worthy alternative them.