When choosing material for building a house, you should pay close attention to rounded logs (OCB). It is the best option for construction for many reasons. To make sure of this and make the right decision, you need to learn about its disadvantages and evaluate its advantages.
Undoubted advantages
The main advantages of houses made from rounded logs are related to the technology of its production: it is a processed tree trunk from which the bark and upper loose layers have been removed. As a result, the house is assembled from the strongest and densest wood, which allows us to talk about its durability. Modern equipment is used in production, and all locking elements are cut with mathematical precision.
The main advantages of a house made of rounded logs:
Weakness
When analyzing the pros and cons of a house made of rounded logs, pay attention to a number of disadvantages inherent in almost all building materials of wood origin. The rounding is exposed to various threats, and it must be constantly protected from premature destruction. Let's consider the most serious shortcomings cylinder houses:
Many of the disadvantages of houses made of rounded logs are associated with low-quality building materials, which, unfortunately, are not uncommon. Choose manufacturers carefully: it is best to consider offers from large companies that can provide the proper quality of wood processing through the use of high-tech equipment.
Myths and reality
Many of the disadvantages of rounding, which are indicated on construction sites, do not correspond to reality. This is confirmed by both professional research and reviews from residents. The disadvantages of rounded logs are associated with the peculiarities of its structure, but practice shows that this does not reduce its strength and durability.
Let's look at a few persistent stereotypes:
The disadvantage of a rounded log is also its cost, which is higher than that of a regular round log, which requires the creation of connecting elements manually. Although rounded logs are more expensive, it is difficult to classify this as a disadvantage.
Manual cutting takes longer and requires hiring professional builders, and their work also costs a lot. You can easily build walls from rounded cylinders yourself, since the crowns are already carefully adjusted to each other. In addition, you will need minimal caulking. An ordinary log house will have to be constantly insulated, and every year new cracks may appear in the walls.
As a result, we see that a house made of rounded logs, the disadvantages of which can be counted on one hand, is actually warm and durable. You can verify this once again by reading the reviews from residents.
Thus, many myths about OCB are not true, and they should not become an obstacle when choosing material for construction. own home. Today you can order rounding from many companies that guarantee its high quality.
You can use pine, fir, cedar, spruce and other wood species, and choose a variety of finishes. A house made from OCB is a great opportunity to build a comfortable and beautiful home that will serve several generations.
Houses built from logs are always relevant. Beautiful, durable, cozy buildings are not subject to the variability of fashion.
Advantages and disadvantages
Why should you build from natural, pre-prepared wood? Let's evaluate the undeniable advantages and possible disadvantages buildings expelled from one piece logs
The main advantages of houses made of wood are:
Thermal conductivity
Wood generally has a low thermal conductivity. Therefore, houses made from logs are warmer than stone or brick ones.
For example, if a log has a d of 10 cm, then this is similar to a wall built with two bricks with a thickness of 51 cm. By making a house out of thick logs, you can significantly reduce heating costs in the cold season, without insulating the walls with mineral wool or analogues.
Savings during the heating season are complemented by the ability wooden house maintain the internal microclimate. In summer, such a house heats up slowly, and the rooms remain pleasantly cool for a long time. Consequently, you can save on the use of an air conditioning system and on electricity if you build from large-diameter logs.
Ventilation
Wood has the property of allowing air to pass through natural micropores. Therefore, even with closed openings (windows, doors), the house will be “replenished” with fresh, clean air, by 20% - without ventilation!
Humidity
The humidity level in a house made from a round log will always be at the required level. The tree “breathes” - carries out natural moisture exchange.
Fire resistance
Wood is susceptible to burning. When constructing log houses, prepared logs are used, which are impregnated with special, reliably protecting compounds - fire retardants. These products guarantee fire resistance of the material for decades. In addition, fire protection can always be extended using impregnations.
Environmental friendliness
Natural wood is the most environmentally friendly material of those used by builders today. No harmful ones chemical elements, there are no toxins in the logs. You, your family and loved ones will live in a completely safe home.
Aesthetics
We can talk endlessly about the beauty of wood. Natural naturalness can be improved with stylish decor. Exclusive log houses are luxurious, attractive buildings!
You can build a log house in a chalet style, or you can choose a Finnish project.
In addition, houses made from prepared, rounded logs do not require mandatory finishing with special materials. Treatment with antiseptics and paints and varnishes is sufficient.
Efficiency
You can remove a house box measuring 10x12 or 10x10 in 2-3 weeks. Houses measuring 6x8, 6x7 can be built in 1.5-2 weeks.
The buildings are conveniently assembled, like a construction set, without the use of cement mortar.
On to the cons log houses relate:
Shrinkage
The shrinkage process is inevitable. Even if a prepared log was used during construction, you will need to wait until the shrinkage of the structure is completed.
Shrinkage periods vary from 6 months to 2 years. You can shorten the shrinkage process by purchasing rounded, workshop-dried logs.
Non-rounded logs will require additional labor for cleaning, leveling, surface grinding, and drying. Therefore, such material will slow down construction, subsequently requiring more time for shrinkage.
IMPORTANT! Door and window openings, interior and exterior finishing of log houses should be inserted only after completion of the shrinkage process! After shrinkage, the structure can sink up to 7cm.
House made of calibrated logs
Building a house from prepared, calibrated logs is convenient and profitable. Here's how to prepare the material:
- logs of popular, resistant coniferous species are harvested: larch, spruce, pine, cedar;
- logs with d identical along the entire length are selected;
- in a workshop, logs are cleaned with a “scrape”;
- longitudinal grooves are applied along the surface of the logs;
- The surface is polished and leveled. They work exclusively with the soft layer – sapwood, keeping the internal structure protected;
- Sanded logs are coated with a primer to prevent darkening of the surface. When specially ordered, logs are treated with antiseptics and fire retardants;
- calibrated logs are marked.
Advantages of building from calibrated logs
Visual appeal
The appearance of such a building is striking in its natural beauty. Internal, external finishing log house can be excluded.
No large gaps
Manual processing of calibrated logs allows you to save on inter-crown insulation (laid between the logs) because the appearance of large gaps during joining is eliminated.
Hand-cut log house
For home manual cutting A quality log is required.
Selection of logs
Here are the main parameters of logs that are taken into account:
- winter preparation. The best option harvesting logs - winter, when the movement of tree sap is suspended. “Winter Forest” with a denser structure;
- drying. Drying of logs can be carried out naturally - under a canopy, in equipped warehouses. You can dry the wood in special installations;
- external features. Do not use logs that have cracks, rotten or empty cores, resin pockets, traces of damage from woodworms, mold, fungal diseases;
- thickness. Select logs with uniform d. A deviation of 1 cm per 1 mp is allowed. Consider the climatic features of the region when choosing the thickness of logs for your home.
IMPORTANT! If your budget allows, it is recommended to use “deadwood” - wood that has dried naturally.
Log processing technologies
There are 2 current manual processing technologies:
- rooted log;
- planed log.
rooted log
A “under-processed” log is considered to be rooted. Minimal bark peeling preserves the sapwood. A layer of natural resin is left, the wood’s ability to “breathe” is preserved, and the durability of the material increases.
Planed log
Processed with an electric planer. What remains is the runaway of the log – the difference between the butts and the top.
Houses built from hand-cut logs are shown in the photo.
Log house video
The video shows amazing interiors that can be used for your new “natural” home.
Log houses prices
The cost of houses made from log timber consists of the following elements:
- project cost;
- Cost of materials;
- construction work;
- delivery, unloading.
The complexity of the project determines the price. Important point– choice of wood type. The scale of construction and quality of finishing are also taken into account.
For example, the price of a house whose size is 10x10m2 and will be built from logs with a diameter of 180mm is from $14,000. Finishing work will increase the cost by 50%.
During the debate that flared up after the publication of the article “Ours in America,” a reader contacted the site’s editor who wanted to talk about his personal experience. Vyacheslav has been living with his family in a house made of solid logs for four years. And according to him, if he knew all the “nuances” at the time of choosing the material, he would build a house from bricks or blocks. Below in the text is his personal “Top reasons why you should not build a log house.” To maintain authenticity, we left the text almost unchanged, making only light stylistic changes.
Why did we want a wooden house?
1. Once we saw with our own eyes a house made of logs - we immediately liked it, it looked very beautiful, we wanted one for ourselves.
2. For practical reasons: initially it was assumed that we would come on weekends, heat the solid fuel boiler and quickly warm up the house (the concept changed during the construction process).
3. Environmental friendliness: I wanted the house to breathe easily and smell pine forest. In general, I liked the traditional concept of living in a private house: wooden frame, grass near the house, forest nearby, etc.
house in summer
Start of construction
back view
Here we managed to learn a little from the mistakes of others. A friend of mine, in order to save money, purchased the timber himself. As a result, a timber truck came to him, the cutters selected suitable logs, half of the timber truck went back... As a result, 120 cubic meters of wood turned into 200. I worked with contractors who sorted the wood at their base, and only brought to the site what was needed. that actually went to work.
view from the yard
Initially, I was not worried about the construction process, since I trusted the contractors. During the work, they still made some mistakes in some places, but not much (more on that below). The logs were laid on moss. They chopped and hewed - by hand. After they made the “box” with the roof, the house stood for a year.
from the entrance
One of the interesting things about the construction process is that I can note the discrepancy between the actual sizes of the rooms and their visual perception until the moment of covering the floors. I personally measured the 19-meter kitchen with a tape measure, because visually it seemed that there were 7-8 meters there. And so - with all the rooms.
Finishing
The most interesting thing began at this stage. Firstly, the house needs to be sanded ENTIRELY on both sides. This work is tedious and expensive - prices for work can be looked up on the Internet, four years ago it cost us a pretty penny (375 sq. m. at $5 per 1 sq. m.). Moreover, when estimating the area of work, the bend of the log is added to the formula “height by length” - the area increases.
upper plinth - adjustable to curves
Then - impregnation ($0.7 per 1 sq.m.). Then - painting in one layer. Then - to the second (both - $1 per 1 sq.m.). Moreover, so that the materials fit well, the house must be painted by hand(which stretches the process over time). After all these procedures, the question of a “breathing house” and “the smell of pine” disappeared by itself.
We didn’t make a basement, so our foundation is simple: PGS pad, insulation, concrete. The builders who poured the floor did not completely cut out the lower logs in doorways. As a result, a year later the floor tiles (porcelain tiles) “broke” in these places. I had to remove the entire damaged tile, cut out more logs, and pour a new floor. This turned out to be easier than somehow cutting out the laid tiles - not every tile cutter takes porcelain tiles.
a crack in the tile remains in the doorway
Added to the “pleasant” aspects of finishing are regular finishing off moss, stolen by birds, and sealing seams with sealant. This work is long, expensive and dreary. Fortunately, in the Republic of Belarus there is a sealant manufacturer that offers products at reasonable prices. If he missed the mark with imported ones, he would go to hell.
Laying communications in a log house it also becomes a problem. Plug the socket into round log- that’s another task (and a corresponding “tariff”). You can't hide the pipes inside. Attaching a plinth to an uneven log is also not an easy task, you will have to “think about it” and work with your hands.
plinth - strip + mastic
Due to the long-term shrinkage of the house, doors and windows were inserted into a frame made of boards. If you try to bet on a “live log”, the risk of getting it “sideways” increases significantly. Like risk of damaging the door or window. But even this “trick” did not help us personally: in 4 years of operation, the doors were adjusted twice. And some windows still siphon.
Home maintenance
box for the kitchen (on the left against the wall)
The house is constantly “breathing”. When the heating works, when it doesn’t, everything moves. To hang the kitchen, it was necessary to build a metal frame, cover it with plasterboard, and only attach the kitchen to it. No other way. So beloved by our citizens sliding wardrobes it is absolutely impossible to establish - there is nothing to “attach” to, and the wall and ceiling live their own lives. The staircase, which was “tied” to the wall, eventually became warped and the railing was torn out.
instead of a wardrobe...
Any decorative boxes, covering communications, turn into a work of art - they need to be somehow combine with a log wall, and this process turns into jewelry fitting with a construction cutter in hand.
The joints sealed with sealant were sealed twice in 4 years. Doesn't matter - cracks appear. The wooden floor on the 2nd floor is also drying out, there are also cracks, and this is inevitable.
crack between logs
In autumn mice get into the house, in the gap between bottom log and foundation. It is not yet possible to block this road for them, since the interface line is very uneven. And if on the main “animal trails” this phenomenon can be reduced to “nothing” with the help of poison and mousetraps, then when mice frolic between the logs without “visiting”, nothing can be done with them. Just curse it.
Also between logs every year wasps make their nests. The issue is resolved with the help of Dichlorvos. But it still has to be decided.
In autumn and early winter, the second floor is a kingdom of flies. First flies get stuck in the cracks for the winter. Then the house becomes warm - and they climb inside. We have not yet come up with any other means against this brethren except a vacuum cleaner.
And we also - best friends sellers of Tikkurila paint. There needs touching up, here you need to tint: steps, joints, terrace. They didn’t keep accurate records of production, but a lot of buckets of paint were purchased over 4 years.
In the spring, when the pine tree (and then the birch tree) blooms, the whole the house is covered yellow pollen. Moreover, in a thick layer. On a flat vertical wall, so much of it simply would not accumulate. This issue is resolved by washing the walls with a jet from a Karcher. But again it needs to be resolved.
Bath
Inside the house dust accumulates on the bend of the logs. Here already universal remedies no - dust can only be removed manually, the old fashioned way.
Sometimes spontaneous, inexplicable bursts of life happen inside the house - some bugs, midges, insects appear, but I have not installed any system here yet.
In the bathhouse, near the guest bed, some kind of perky creature lives in a log, crunching the log all night. It is not possible to find and kill her.
And finally - about the famous “winter” forest. My house was cut down from February. The bathhouse is from August. I still haven't noticed any difference.
Price issue
Considering all of the above, such housing cannot be called cheap. House with a total area of 240 sq. m. (with a small attic floor) cost me $40,000 only for the first stage: foundation, frame and roof. Then the project grew, we also built an outbuilding, a bathhouse from the same “round timber,” and landscaped the area and the street next to the house. All this (including materials, finishing, windows, doors and geothermal boiler) cost us a total of $180,000.
shrinkage to the roof
Conclusion: What we got for this torment is very beautiful house. And some kind of indescribable pleasure from the feeling of a thick, uneven log, its rough appearance, rich texture... Friends who began to build across the site from mine listened to approximately the same text, my complaints and advice to build from blocks. And in the end... the log house was also cut down. Here, of course, everyone decides for themselves. But I gave you fair warning.
Interviewed by: Dmitry Malakhov
Any house construction requires the owner to understand the problems associated with it. Wood is not a very capricious material, and it is also beautiful, which allows it to be popular among many customers. The owner of the site, having looked at the many options offered by the network, gets excited about the idea of building his own house, but first he needs to sort out all the pros and cons, and then make a choice. Details below.Advantages and disadvantages of a log house
Such a structure can be called a collection finished house, chopped according to all the rules and made from solid trunks. Cutting corners, grooves and locking joints is always done by hand. Quality primarily depends on the skill of the hewer. This should be taken into account when self-construction, and if you don’t have the skills, you can’t get down to business, otherwise the owner will receive complete disadvantages of log houses.Thus, you can not only lose money along with damaged material, but also get a lot of shortcomings already finished building. So, what awaits the owner of the site who decides to build a house from such material:
Advantages:
- As has already been said, the ecology of such a house will not raise any doubts.
- External and internal view always makes an impression. Such houses look like fortresses or fairy-tale castles.
- There is no need for insulation - the array itself is sufficient for this. However, it is worth considering that this will happen if the diameter of the log exceeds 25 cm. This is also important in the matter of sound insulation.
- The microclimate inside the house is excellent for people with any diseases. Coniferous healing was practiced even before people understood the value of tree houses.
- A natural log house does not require protection from mold and rot. Wood, especially coniferous contains large quantities resin, which is an antiseptic.
- Material savings and integrity large areas, due to the length of the whips.
- Durability. A hundred years is not a long time for a log house.
Well, fly in the ointment, in such a sweet barrel - disadvantages:
- Price. A quantity that slows down any construction. A quality log house cannot be built from cheap material. Therefore, the owner must calculate in advance his own strengths in economic terms - the construction of a house, the pros and cons.
Because all the nuances, and they arise as the stages progress, are resolved with the help of a wallet, if the owner himself does not shine with knowledge and skills wood construction. Considering that a lot of material will be required, depending on the architecture, it won’t cost hundreds of thousands of rubles. But they don’t make small boxes from whips.
- To the cons log house The labor intensity of the process is also included. You can’t even think about making such a house yourself. The participation of construction equipment, qualified hewers, and, in the end, a team of strong men will be required.
Any hired force requires expenses. If the owner is not ready to incur such expenses, then construction should be postponed.
Having caught fire with the idea of building your own, you need to think through all the pros and cons of a log house, so as not to be left with an empty wallet and frayed nerves in case of failure. But, even if, despite the difficulties, the desire does not subside, you should take advantage of the free advice from this article - collect the entire required amount and purchase a ready-made log house on a turnkey basis. It also has problems, however, they are solved during operation.
For construction wooden houses Currently, rounded logs, which have excellent aesthetic and performance properties, are increasingly being used.
Working with rounded logs is much easier than with other materials. This is due to the fact that the logs are standardized on special machines.
This building material is well suited for the construction of residential and country houses, bath complexes. However, in order to give your preference to the specified building material, you should find out all the pros and cons of rounded logs.
General concept of rounded logs, technology of its production
Such a modern building material as a rounded log is a tree trunk, freed from branches, specially processed on a complex of woodworking machines, having a smooth and even cylindrical shape, the same along its entire length.
To obtain the specified building material, larch and almost all conifers trees. The diameter of the logs can be different and range from 160 mm to 320 mm.
All stages of rounded log production can be divided into the following:
- sorting;
- cylindrical;
- slicing;
- cup;
- final.
The sorting stage of production includes the distribution of incoming wood by diameter, removal of branches, trimming of the butt, and treatment of the surface of the trunks.
The rounding stage of production consists of the actual rounding, i.e. giving the tree trunk, cleared of the top layer, a perfectly even and smooth appearance. The entire production process is completely mechanized. The source material is fed by a telpher into the processing zone, where it is securely clamped by durable mechanisms and processed on special machines, which can be through-type or positional type. It should be noted that on through-type machines the processing process is much faster, but the log is obtained with a slight curvature. Positional woodworking machines give the log an ideal shape, but this process will take much more time.
The cutting stage of log processing includes cutting blanks of special sizes on a cross-cutting machine in accordance with the required house design.
At the cup stage of production, connecting elements logs - bowls. Here, laser marking is used for greater accuracy. Bowls can have Russian and Finnish profiles, each of which has its own adherents. If you use high-quality insulation and with proper installation, any profile will be good.
And finally, the final stage of work includes treating rounded logs that are ready for building a house with fire retardant and antiseptic compounds and fungicides, which significantly increases their service life.
Complete sets of wooden houses are packed in transport packages and sent to the assembly site.
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Requirements for the quality of rounded logs
When rounding wood, different manufacturers may produce different results. You should understand what to look for when choosing a rounded log, explore all the pros and cons. Basic requirements for the quality of the specified building material, the following:
- all blanks for one house building must be of the same species;
- Wormholes, rot, and various mechanical damage are not allowed on logs;
- To ensure their natural moisture, logs should not be prepared from dead wood;
- diameter, longitudinal dimensions, curvature, etc. must be within the acceptable values specified in the specification;
- at the end of each product there must be a marking corresponding to the specification;
- storage, warehousing, transportation, and unloading of logs must exclude any contamination and mechanical damage to the surface.
Knowing the basic requirements when choosing high-quality rounded wood, you need to take into account its pros and cons.
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Disadvantages of rounded logs
The main disadvantages of rounded logs include a small number of shortcomings identified during its use. These include:
- log cracking;
- twisting it;
- arching;
- increased humidity in the house;
- fire hazard;
- exposure to natural phenomena.
During the first years of operation of a structure made of rounded logs, as a result of shrinkage, cracking may occur, leading to a lack of protection of the wood from natural phenomena: rain, wind, sun, etc., and loss of the aesthetic appearance of the house. This occurs due to violations in production technology.
Many people know that as a tree grows, as a result of the action of winds, the tree trunk twists like a spiral. After felling, the tree trunk may unwind reverse side, forming large gaps that adversely affect the entire building as a whole. The cut tree is kept from unwinding by its protective layer.
If the log rounding technology is violated, they may subsequently be bent out of general structure, which will negatively affect the thermal insulation of the room and the aesthetic appearance of the house. Therefore, when purchasing such building material, you should carefully select its manufacturers.
Undried rounded logs before installation due to the lack of a protective layer during the first years of use will actively release moisture as a result of natural drying. Such a house will be damp and uncomfortable.
To smooth out some of the shortcomings identified during the operation of such a building, a number of measures can be taken:
- Drying logs for up to 5 years before rounding will avoid increased moisture release and cracking;
- When assembling a log house from rounded logs, metal pins are installed ( Finnish technology) or staggered dowels, which will help reduce bowing and twisting of logs.
To avoid a fire hazard, a house made of rounded material should be treated with special fire-prevention impregnations, the installation of electrical wiring should be entrusted to professionals, and electrical appliances should be used carefully.
To natural phenomena- sun, rain, wind, etc. - did not destroy the logs, it is necessary to take timely care of the walls of the house: cladding, painting or varnishing.
