In this book, master A.M. Shepelev, known since Soviet times, talks about construction in a form accessible to the average reader wooden houses and everything you need to live in own home. Just look at the main sections of the site:
to understand that you cannot do without this book if you are the owner of a private house and personal plot or are about to become one.
The author of the book shares secrets with his readers that you will not find in any modern literature, because he worked and wrote back in Soviet times, when there was no need to monetize his knowledge and the master simply shared what he could do, what he had learned during his career long life, practical skills and experience.
After reading the materials in this book, and simply looking through it, you might want to try to do something yourself. Try it, don't be afraid that you won't succeed. After all, as the popular saying goes: “He who does nothing makes no mistakes...”. Even if at the end of the work, your first experience, you realize that you made some mistakes, then you have the opportunity to correct them, since “only a sapper makes a mistake once.” But you will gain invaluable practical experience. And even if next time you invite a professional to do some type of work, you will already understand something about construction work Oh, and you will already look at them from a different angle and evaluate the quality of the work performed with a different approach.
If you do not dare to do any work, but prefer to entrust it to the masters, then the theoretical knowledge that you will gain in this book will provide you with an invaluable service. And although you will not be on the same level as professionals, it will be disproportionately easier for you to control the quality of work performed.
Thoughts on how to build country house, can visit like an ordinary citizen who has country cottage area far outside the city, and business man who wants to enjoy the beauty and privacy of their own country cottage. And if in the latter case everything can be done by turning to a professional developer, then an ordinary city dweller should work hard to build a house on his own. In this regard, a number of questions are logical: how to start work, what is needed for this, what are the stages of work.
From logs or bricks?
Cottage in the forest
One of important points in construction rural house is the choice of material. Recently, they have gained particular popularity log houses. Generally speaking wood construction You can devote a few lines separately, since this is a fairly popular type of rural house construction today.
Log houses look natural in rural areas, environmentally friendly and incredibly comfortable. Moreover, this is the most inexpensive way get a country house.
You can buy logs almost everywhere. In the Russian outback there are no problems with this material, since there are many forests. Build a wooden log house– this is not just a tribute to fashion, but a whole philosophy. This is also quick way construction. Wooden house we cannot imagine without a basement and a high roof, therefore, regardless of the number of floors and design characteristics future home, it must correspond to the main purpose - to be comfortable, cozy, warm, to become home.
Brick, unfortunately, cannot meet the listed characteristics, although it is practical and reliable. Therefore, you will have to decide what to prefer: a log, a brick or something else.
Where to start and where to end?
In order to learn how to build a rural house on your own, you need to highlight the main points in construction:
- Decide on the location of the future home. This could be a purchased plot of land with a vacant lot or old building with a garden. This determines the preparation of the site plan, in accordance with the development rules. Each region has its own. As for the price, you need to consult with specialists, since a plot with a house can be cheaper than an undeveloped area. It is enough just to demolish the old building;
- Be sure to make a layout of the proposed development. The main drawing must include all residential and non-residential buildings. It is important to determine their location and area. If you are renovating an existing house, you need to write down every centimeter for the estimate;
- It is worth deciding in advance on the landscaping plan and functional areas plot.
Selection of materials and calculations
Wooden house
Next comes the selection building materials for construction in accordance with the issue price and architectural solutions. The volume of material is calculated, the price and delivery methods are determined. Typically, the material for building on your own is reduced to the main components: sand, gravel, cement, brick, reinforcement, metal, finishing materials.
Experts recommend not stocking up on materials, but purchasing them as construction progresses. However, the price range as a whole should be determined in advance. When selecting materials, you should not make hasty decisions. You can walk through several centers and visit more than one specialized store. This will allow you to ask the price and finally decide on the look of the house.
After all, when building a rural house with your own hands, it is important to realize the initial grandiose ideas. However, you shouldn’t plunge into eternal repairs. Measurement and prudence are important here so that construction takes place within the available capital. In addition, the final costs will depend on the choice of building materials (whether it be brick, concrete or wood). The choice of material is also influenced by climatic conditions.
When all preliminary work completed, you can proceed directly to construction: masonry, screeds, finishing works. It is important to follow the manufacturing technology of binding elements (mortar, concrete). Building a house with your own hands is a painstaking and responsible task.
The time factor also matters here. If construction is delayed for some reason, you can attract additional labor. The main thing is not to turn the construction of a house into an eternal process of construction work.
When building a house, a complex of tasks is solved, including laying channels for gas and water, and electrical work. The main thing here is safety. Therefore, at this stage of work it is better to use the services of specialists. In addition, when installing gas, you cannot do without professional gas fitters. Don't skimp on safety.
Otherwise, all the work will become meaningless. For example, if the gas outlet is installed incorrectly, a leak may occur. Gas can accumulate in the ground and at one point lead to irreversible consequences.
After the main work, you can start plastering. To do this, it is important that the surface has an almost perfect appearance, without dirt, dust and roughness. The cladding process is a significant stage in finishing a house, so it can take place in several stages. Here it is also important to follow the rules of technology.
Plaster mortar is usually used in three types: lime-sand (or gypsum), cement-lime and simply cement. Plastering work is done first from the ceiling, then moves to the surface of the walls (from top to bottom). The thickness depends on the masonry material of the house.
When constructing the foundation of a rural house, the quality of the masonry of walls and supports and the materials used are taken into account. For the right foundation you need to create a good platform and framework. The main points here are strength and durability. Therefore, when calculating the total cost of work, the foundation accounts for about 20 percent.
The choice of foundation is influenced by almost the same factors as the choice of building the entire house as a whole. Here the focus is on soil problems, groundwater, degrees of frost resistance;
Floors and ceilings in the house depend on the type of building being constructed (log house, brick or cinder block). Here, log walls or timber frame walls play a special role.
Finishing touches - erection of the roof, landscaping of the site
Home arrangement
The final moment in building a house with your own hands is erecting the roof. It is interesting that in addition to its direct functions, this element also has a decorative function. An aesthetic roof can sometimes become the main accent of a new home. According to the shape, the roof can be single-pitched, mansard or hipped. The formation of the roof also depends on the number of storeys of the house, for example, for a two-story building, the construction of the roof must take place simultaneously with the construction stage of the entire house.
For modern man lack of comfort, communication and convenience is akin to disaster. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine new house without satellite dish, internet and TV. You should also pay attention to this point and find out the possibilities of transmitting communications via local channels.
The final touch in the construction of a rural house is the arrangement of the territory. You cannot call a plot of land without a garden or flower bed a home. Landscaping the surrounding land is an integral part of building your own rural home. There's plenty of work here too. Therefore, this business can be done in parallel with the construction of a house. You can start concreting paths, building a fence and a well, make a place for waste, uproot stumps, drain the area if necessary, lay out a front garden or flower bed.
There are no limits to imagination
Information on how to build a rural house can be found in many sources. It is important that in the end you manage to create a cozy corner for yourself and your family with your own land, where you want to hide from the endless bustle and problems of city life.
Advantages country house obvious. This is ecology, absence of stressful situations, beauty and solitude. Sometimes it is so necessary to simply contemplate the beauty of nature, sitting on a sun lounger in your area. Especially when the work of building a rural house is already over and all that remains is to enjoy the result.
In subsequent years, of course, it is necessary to carry out preventive work so that the house made with your own hands retains its original appearance for as long as possible. It also wouldn’t hurt to make some design adjustments over time. And it's not about fashion trends. You don’t have to change anything in general, but add new accents from time to time. This will be an incentive to improve your home.
To take stock and decide for yourself how to properly build a rural house, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. It is enough to follow the chosen construction technology, approach the matter creatively and not drag out the process for long years. To avoid this, it is important to initially decide on the type of building. For example, you can make do with improvised means and not rack your brains over unnecessary costs, having decided to construct a wooden house.
But there are no limits to imagination. It is important to follow your dream of arranging the site, be patient, and knowledge and skills will tell you everything else.
Thoughts about how to build a rural house can come to both an ordinary city dweller who has a summer cottage far outside the city, and a business person who wants to enjoy the beauty and privacy in his own country cottage. And if in the latter case everything can be done by turning to a professional developer, then an ordinary city dweller should work hard to build a house on his own. In this regard, a number of questions are logical: how to start work, what is needed for this, what are the stages of work.
From logs or bricks?
Cottage in the forest
One of the important points in the construction of a rural house is the choice of material. Recently, log houses have become especially popular. In general, the topic of wooden construction can be given a few lines separately, since this is a fairly popular type of rural house construction today.
Log houses look natural in rural areas, are environmentally friendly and incredibly cozy. In addition, this is the most inexpensive way to acquire a country house.
You can buy logs almost everywhere. In the Russian outback there are no problems with this material, since there are many forests. Building a wooden log house is not just a tribute to fashion, but a whole philosophy. This is also a quick way of construction. A wooden house is unthinkable without a basement and a high roof, therefore, regardless of the number of storeys and design characteristics of the future house, it must correspond to the main purpose - to be comfortable, cozy, warm, to become a home.
Brick, unfortunately, cannot meet the listed characteristics, although it is practical and reliable. Therefore, you will have to decide what to prefer: a log, a brick or something else.
Where to start and where to end?
In order to learn how to build a rural house on your own, you need to highlight the main points in construction:
- Decide on the location of the future home. This could be a purchased plot of land with a vacant lot or an old building with a garden. This determines the preparation of the site plan, in accordance with the development rules. Each region has its own. As for the price, you need to consult with specialists, since a plot with a house can be cheaper than an undeveloped area. It is enough just to demolish the old building;
- Be sure to make a layout of the proposed development. The main drawing must include all residential and non-residential buildings. It is important to determine their location and area. If you are renovating an existing house, you need to write down every centimeter for the estimate;
- It is worth deciding in advance on the landscaping plan and functional areas of the site.
Selection of materials and calculations
Wooden house
Next comes the selection of building materials for construction in accordance with the price of the issue and architectural solutions. The volume of material is calculated, the price and delivery methods are determined. Typically, the material for building on your own is reduced to the main components: sand, gravel, cement, brick, reinforcement, metal, finishing materials.
Experts recommend not stocking up on materials, but purchasing them as construction progresses. However, the price range as a whole should be determined in advance. When selecting materials, you should not make hasty decisions. You can walk through several centers and visit more than one specialized store. This will allow you to ask the price and finally decide on the look of the house.
After all, when building a rural house with your own hands, it is important to realize the initial grandiose ideas. However, you shouldn’t plunge into eternal repairs. Measurement and prudence are important here so that construction takes place within the available capital. In addition, the final costs will depend on the choice of building materials (whether it be brick, concrete or wood). The choice of material is also influenced by climatic conditions.
When all preliminary work is completed, you can begin construction directly: masonry, screeds, finishing work. It is important to follow the manufacturing technology of binding elements (mortar, concrete). Building a house with your own hands is a painstaking and responsible task.
The time factor also matters here. If construction is delayed for some reason, additional labor can be recruited. The main thing is not to turn the construction of a house into an eternal process of construction work.
When building a house, a complex of tasks is solved, including laying channels for gas and water, and electrical work. The main thing here is safety. Therefore, at this stage of work it is better to use the services of specialists. In addition, when installing gas, you cannot do without professional gas fitters. Don't skimp on safety.
Otherwise, all the work will become meaningless. For example, if the gas outlet is installed incorrectly, a leak may occur. Gas can accumulate in the ground and at one point lead to irreversible consequences.
After the main work, you can start plastering. To do this, it is important that the surface has an almost perfect appearance, without dirt, dust and roughness. The cladding process is a significant stage in finishing a house, so it can take place in several stages. Here it is also important to follow the rules of technology.
Plaster mortar is usually used in three types: lime-sand (or gypsum), cement-lime and simply cement. Plastering work is done first from the ceiling, then moves to the surface of the walls (from top to bottom). The thickness depends on the masonry material of the house.
When constructing the foundation of a rural house, the quality of the masonry of walls and supports and the materials used are taken into account. For a proper foundation, you need to create a good platform and frame. The main points here are strength and durability. Therefore, when calculating the total cost of work, the foundation accounts for about 20 percent.
The choice of foundation is influenced by almost the same factors as the choice of building the entire house as a whole. Here the main attention is paid to the problems of soil, groundwater, degree of frost resistance;
Floors and ceilings in the house depend on the type of building being constructed (log house, brick or cinder block). Here, log walls or timber frame walls play a special role.
Finishing touches - erection of the roof, landscaping of the site
Home arrangement
The final moment in building a house with your own hands is erecting the roof. It is interesting that in addition to its direct functions, this element also has a decorative function. An aesthetic roof can sometimes become the main accent of a new home. According to the shape, the roof can be single-pitched, mansard or hipped. The formation of the roof also depends on the number of storeys of the house, for example, for a two-story building, the construction of the roof must take place simultaneously with the construction stage of the entire house.
For a modern person, the lack of comfort, communication and convenience is akin to a disaster. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine a new home without a satellite dish, Internet and TV. You should also pay attention to this point and find out the possibilities of transmitting communications via local channels.
The final touch in the construction of a rural house is the arrangement of the territory. You cannot call a plot of land without a garden or flower bed a home. Landscaping the surrounding land is an integral part of building your own rural home. There's plenty of work here too. Therefore, this business can be done in parallel with the construction of a house. You can start concreting paths, building a fence and a well, make a place for waste, uproot stumps, drain the area if necessary, lay out a front garden or flower bed.
There are no limits to imagination
Information on how to build a rural house can be found in many sources. It is important that in the end you manage to create a cozy corner for yourself and your family with your own land, where you want to hide from the endless bustle and problems of city life.
The advantages of a country house are obvious. This is ecology, absence of stressful situations, beauty and solitude. Sometimes it is so necessary to simply contemplate the beauty of nature, sitting on a sun lounger in your area. Especially when the work of building a rural house is already over and all that remains is to enjoy the result.
In subsequent years, of course, it is necessary to carry out preventive work so that the house made with your own hands retains its original appearance for as long as possible. It also wouldn’t hurt to make some design adjustments over time. And it's not about fashion trends. You don’t have to change anything in general, but add new accents from time to time. This will be an incentive to improve your home.
To take stock and decide for yourself how to properly build a rural house, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. It is enough to follow the chosen construction technology, approach the matter creatively and not drag out the process for many years. To avoid this, it is important to initially decide on the type of building. For example, you can make do with the means at hand and not rack your brains over unnecessary costs by deciding to build a wooden house.
But there are no limits to imagination. It is important to follow your dream of arranging the site, be patient, and knowledge and skills will tell you everything else.
Alexander Mikhailovich Shepelev - author of more than three dozen books on various types construction work. Their circulation in Russian alone exceeded 8 million copies. Many books have been translated into languages peoples of the USSR, published in English, Bulgarian, Romanian, Spanish and other languages. Among them are textbooks and teaching aids, books for workers.
But probably the greatest fame came from A.M. Shepelev books for individual developers.
As you know, writing a book in simple language accessible to non-specialists is not an easy task. The fact that Alexander Mikhailovich has the “secret” of popularity is evidenced by the fact that his book “Renovating an Apartment on Your Own” was published seven times, “How to Build a Country House” - four times, and at the same time they disappeared from bookstore shelves at lightning speed.
Over 60 years of work in construction, he mastered more than 10 construction professions. Having started his career as a worker, A.M. Shepelev, as a foreman, technician, work manager, construction manager, took part in the construction and reconstruction of such facilities as the Moscow Hotel, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee school in the Kremlin, the library named after. Lenin, Concert Hall. Tchaikovsky, in the restoration of the Manege and the Ostankino Palace Museum, etc.
In our country, much attention is paid to increasing housing construction in rural areas, which is mainly carried out using industrial methods, according to standard projects. However, individual construction is also developing now. The state provides credit for these purposes and, in accordance with the Main Directions of Economic and Social Development of the USSR for 1981-1985 and for the period until 1990, provides assistance to individual housing construction in small cities, towns and rural areas.
Parts made of reinforced concrete and other similar materials are successfully used in rural construction. But such traditional materials as brick, natural stone, tiles, wood, reeds, straw, clay are still used quite widely, especially in individual construction. From time immemorial, villages have been, and are still building, strong, beautiful, warm and durable residential buildings and other buildings from local materials. When constructing a residential building or utility room, rural builders (and especially individual developers) often need not only materials and tools, but also qualified advice.
The fact is that during construction you have to perform a lot of different works - earthworks, stone, concrete, carpentry, carpentry, stoves, roofing, plastering, painting, glass. And only their correct implementation guarantees the long service life of the built house. Revealing the technological “secrets” of various construction works is the goal that the author of this book has set for himself.
In our country, much attention is paid to increasing housing construction in rural areas, which is mainly carried out using industrial methods, according to standard projects. However, individual construction is also developing now. The State provides credit for these purposes and in accordance with the Basic Directions of Economic and social development The USSR for 1981 - 1985 and for the period until 1990 provides assistance to individual housing construction in small towns, urban-type settlements and in rural areas.
Parts made of reinforced concrete and other similar materials are successfully used in rural construction. But such traditional materials as brick, natural stone, tiles, wood, reeds, straw, clay are still used quite widely, especially in individual construction. From time immemorial, villages have been, and are still building, strong, beautiful, warm and durable residential buildings and other buildings from local materials. When constructing a residential building or utility room, rural builders (and especially individual developers) often need not only materials and tools, but also qualified advice.
The fact is that during construction you have to perform a lot of different works - earthworks, stone, concrete, carpentry, carpentry, stoves, roofing, plastering, painting, glass. And only their correct implementation guarantees the long service life of the built house. Revealing the technological “secrets” of various construction works is the goal that the author of this book has set for himself.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT HOUSE STRUCTURES
It is best to build a house according to a project. When creating projects, architects provide maximum convenience for the people living in it, offer the most progressive designs, i.e. strong, cheap, durable and easy to implement. Various house designs can be found in local councils people's deputies, V construction organizations and libraries.
Projects involve building a house from one material, for example, brick, concrete, slag concrete, wood, etc. But it can be built from any other material.
Consider the project of the Central Institute standard projects Gosstroy of the USSR, recommended by the department for architecture under the executive committee of the Moscow Regional Council of People's Deputies for individual construction in the Moscow region.
Three-room house (Fig. 1, 2), made of logs, with a terrace and a storage room, a basement under the kitchen, stove heating and a portable toilet. The building area of the house with a terrace is 71.4 m2; living space- 31.0 m2; useful - 39.2 m2; utility room - 9.5 m2; cubic capacity - 182 m3.
The house has three rooms measuring 8.13; 10.29 and 12.56 m2; kitchen - 5.76 m2; hallway - 2.45 m2; canopy - 4.4 m2; pantry - 4.72 m2 and terrace - 12.54 m2. In the plan, these figures are rounded.
The project includes a house plan, its sections, a foundation plan, sections of walls, ceilings, attic, basement, floor, trim details, design of a terrace, cornice, etc., as well as an option for developing the site.
The development plan indicates the location of the house, utility shed, which can be a garage, restroom, green spaces, etc.
On the main facade of the house and in the sections there are arrows with pluses, minuses and numbers indicating meters or centimeters. The arrow with plus and minus 0.00 stands at floor level and is called the zero mark. The numbers going down from this mark are called negative, and the numbers going up are called positive.
Rice. 1. The main facade and plan of a residential building (dimensions in cm and m) with 1, 6, 7 rooms; 2 - kitchen; 3 - corridor; 4 - pantry; 5 - terrace
Rice. 2. Yard and side facades, foundation and site plans (dimensions in cm)
The minus 0.60 mark shows the distance from ground level to the top of the floor or foundation; minus 1.30 indicates that at this level, counting from the floor, the pillars are laid under the foundation; minus 2.40 shows the laying of the basement walls.
The plus 0.80 mark determines the level of the window sill, which is 80 cm above the floor. The level of the upper part of the window opening is indicated by the plus 2.20 mark. If we subtract plus 80 cm from this mark, we get the height of the window opening equal to 1.40 m.
The ceiling level is indicated by plus 3.15, and the upper part dormer window- plus 3.75. The roof ridge level is at 5.35 m, and the top chimneys- at the level of 6.05 m.
Other marks are also given in the sections. For example, the height of the terrace is 2.40; ceiling height from floor 2.90 m, etc.
Sections of the house are shown in Figure 3. For the house, the rafters are made with a section of 18X6 cm, floor beams - 18X8 cm, etc.
Let's look at individual parts of the house.
Rice. 3. Sections of the house (dimensions in cm and m)
The foundation for the external walls is made of rubble stone in the form of pillars measuring 60X60 cm with a laying depth of 70 cm (if the groundwater is high, the laying depth can reach 120 cm). Internal pillars can be buried by 50 cm. Rubble pillars do not reach the ground level by 10 cm. Above this mark, a base is laid - brick pillars of 2X1.5 bricks and between them - a wall of one brick, called a fence. To ventilate the underground, two holes measuring 14X14 cm, but more often 25X25 cm, are provided in the intake on two opposite sides. In the spring they are opened, and in the fall they are closed and insulated. WITH inside the base is insulated with slag, sand, earth, but not clay.
The top of the plinth is leveled cement mortar, insulated with two or three layers of roofing felt or roofing felt (preferably with mastic). The waterproofing is covered with heat-insulating antiseptic material (tow or felt), then two layers of roofing felt or roofing felt and on top of all this an antiseptic lining (antiseptic or bitumen mastic) dry board 5 - 6 cm thick and 20 cm wide. The lining protects the lower logs of the log house from rotting, and it can be replaced if destroyed.
The walls (Fig. 4) are chopped wooden, made of logs with a cut diameter of 22 cm and hewn to one edge. Insulated from the foundation by a lining, a layer of tow, felt, etc. (2 cm), the lower (flashing) crown is made of thicker logs with two edges (the width of the lower edge is at least 15 cm). On the inside, a thermal beam is attached to the backing board; the space between him and lower crown filled with tow. On the first crown is placed thermal insulation material, on it - the second crown, etc. After laying the five crowns, the assembly of the piers is provided, on which subsequent crowns are then placed. Window and door openings must have a settlement gap and be higher (greater) than the height of the window or door frames by 1/20 of their height, i.e. by 7 - 8 cm. If this gap is not there, then the crowns above the windows and doors will sag over time due to settlement (wood shrinkage, thermal insulation compaction), forming large gaps above the walls. The gaps are filled with tow or felt, and only after complete settlement can a timber be inserted into the gap. In Figure 4, the settlement gap is 7 cm.
Rice. 4. Wall section (dimensions in cm):
1 - sedimentary gap 7 cm; 2 - antiseptic lining board 5 cm thick; 3 - thermal beam; 4 - floor, boards 4 cm thick and joists 16/2 cm; 5 - antiseptic lining board 4-5 cm thick on roofing felt in two layers; brick column 25X25 cm; 6 - crushed stone, spilled lime mortar 12 cm thick on compacted soil; 7 - brick base, 8 - compacted crushed stone for clay preparation; 9 - rubble pillar; 10 - felt or tow accepted; 11 - thermal beam
