Which timber is best for building a house? What types of timber are there for building a house?

Various timber

Building a house from timber raises a lot of questions among readers. Most often they ask how to choose material for construction. There are more varieties of timber every year, which one is better to use and how to distinguish quality material. We will tell those readers who do not want to throw money away and want to purchase high-quality material how to choose timber for building a house. Which timber to choose - profiled, glued, plain, section and grade of timber in one article.

To build a house, timber is chosen from three main types: simple, profiled or glued. It is superior to brick in its heat-saving and sound-insulating qualities. The only thing it is inferior to is fire resistance. But using special processing compounds, you can reduce the rate significantly. It is environmentally friendly and outperforms brick and rounded logs in price. And with the onset of a difficult economic situation in the country, the material generally took first place in the choice of buyers. Each type has its pros and cons for construction.

Simple trim material

Rectangular beams of various sections. Produced by chamber drying and natural humidity. In terms of price category, timber with natural humidity is the cheapest. When choosing natural humidity for building your home, you need to understand that additional costs will be required for external and interior decoration, for example siding or clapboard. The fact is that when the material dries, it will crack and lose its aesthetically attractive appearance. Some of the heat-saving qualities will be lost when cracking, so you will have to insulate the walls with mineral wool or any other material. When choosing chamber-drying timber, you can count on minimal shrinkage of the house. But the walls will still not be attractive, since between the links they lay tape insulation. We recommend choosing a simple chamber drying for the construction of a small country house, this way you can save on material, and the structure will turn out to be environmentally friendly, and you can assemble it with your own hands. For frame construction For a residential structure, it is more profitable to purchase a simple edged look, since the walls will still have to be covered. If you still choose natural humidity for building a house, then you need to prepare for additional expenses.

Profiled view

Profiled timber is considered second in quality. It also comes in natural humidity and chamber drying. It has two technical sides with a locking connection - tongue and groove. With the help of a lock it is easy to fit and connect to each other. Houses made from it are warmer, since the walls will not be blown through. How warm the walls will be depends on the quality and type of locking connection. The warmest is considered to be the “comb”, where there are more than two thorns. A simple lock is less resistant to winds, especially in the corners of the masonry of the house. By choosing natural humidity, wall cracking cannot be avoided and can be used over the years finishing material you still have to. It will not be possible to caulk the walls a second time, since the locking connection will not allow the work to be completed efficiently. After assembling the walls, profiled chamber drying can be simply sanded and coated with antiseptic and protective compounds. No other finishing is necessary. Suitable for construction residential buildings any size, so the shrinkage will not be large, only 3-4%. The main disadvantage is the high price of chamber drying.

Glued look

Glued laminated timber is considered the most suitable for the construction of a residential building. It consists of dried lamellas that are glued together under a press. The strength of the material is higher than that of profiled or plain material, since the lamellas are connected in the opposite direction of the fibers. The more lamellas, the stronger material. The internal lamellas can be spliced ​​or solid; the second option is more expensive and better in quality. Among the main advantages of the glued type are its high thermal insulation characteristics. Thus, a cross-section of 150x150 mm is equal in thermal conductivity to edged timber 250x250 mm. It is easier to build a house from such material, since the weight of each beam is less. How to choose timber for building a glued-laminated house can be seen in the video:

Among the disadvantages, one can highlight the material’s not entirely environmentally friendly. The fact is that the adhesive composition used for gluing the lamellas is different. The safest one is expensive and domestic producers it is not used. The second and no less important drawback is the high price of the material.

Unusual timber

One of the newer types on the market is the D-shaped type. Building a D-frame house is exactly the same as building a profile house. Its difference is in the rounded front side. There is material with two rounded sides - front and inner. Externally, the house resembles a log house, but its thermal characteristics are the same as those made from laminated veneer lumber. There is no need to finish the walls and facade. The new kind materials - warm timber.

Building a house from it is called Maxhouse. Inside, the timber is filled with a layer of cellulose or urethane foam insulation. The heat-saving properties of the material are higher, but environmental friendliness decreases significantly. The main advantages - low price. External and inner side warm look may be made of expensive wood, such as larch or aspen. And the price is 3-4 times lower than for a full-fledged type.

Grade of construction lumber

When choosing construction lumber, you need to pay attention to its grade. Moreover, certain rules There is no way to determine one grade from another, so in different manufacturing companies you can find timber of the same quality, but of different grades. To build your house, we recommend using grades A or Extra, AB and B. Other lower quality grades may have unevenness, damage from bugs, and blue discoloration. You can distinguish one variety from another by knowing some character traits timber. Readers can find out more about them in the table:

Not worth it in building a house for permanent residence use timber BC and C. For garden house or frame construction, in order to save money, you can buy cheaper varieties. But first you need to look at the material from several companies at once.

Types of timber sections

Thickness construction timber they take from 100 mm, but traditionally for the construction of a residential building they use a section of 200x200 mm. To build your house, choose a timber section of 150x150 mm. If the house is being built as a country house in southern region, then you can buy a smaller one 100 mm. For a permanent residence in middle lane In Russia, you can choose glued or warm material with a cross-section of 150x150 mm or 100x150 mm, where the working side will be large. Simple and profiled are selected with a cross-section from 150x150 to 200x200 mm.

You can use a rectangular section of 150x200 mm, where big side working. If you use simple edged timber natural humidity and in the future the walls will be insulated, then a section of 100x150 mm can be used. Choosing the right thickness of the timber is important, because if you build a house from profiled drying chambers and do not take into account thermal conductivity, then in winter the house will be cold. As a result, the walls will have to be insulated and there is no point in purchasing profiled chamber drying. The price of the material will depend on the choice of cross-section. Let's consider the price for different sections of timber in the form of a table:

To choose the right material for building your house, it is not the cheapest, good quality, thickness from 200 mm.

Basic rules for choosing timber for building a house

From all of the above, we can conclude how to choose timber for building a house. Let's list the basic rules:

1. For the construction of a house, timber with a thickness of 200 mm is chosen.
2. For construction country house you can take simple natural moisture, for a residential building glued or profiled chamber drying.
3. When choosing chamber drying, you can not be afraid of large shrinkage and cracking of the walls; taking natural humidity, you need to plan the costs of finishing the facade and interior.
4. The shape of the material must be correct; curvature and uneven color are unacceptable. Buy grades A and AB, B.
5. A D-shaped profile can be chosen instead of a rounded log.
6. Warm timber is less expensive, but in appearance it is hardly distinguishable from laminated timber.

When choosing a material, you must purchase it only from trusted manufacturing companies. You should not take suspiciously cheap material, especially if we're talking about about the glued form. This is the only way to build a house using high-quality and correct timber.

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

Types and types of timber

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

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

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

• Raw edged/sawn;
• Planed;
• Polished;
• Profiled.

According to the manufacturing method, lumber is divided into:

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

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

Edged timber

Considered a classic material, it is an element obtained by cutting the body of a tree. During processing, the whole log is freed from edges, the result is construction material in the form of a beam of square cross-section, having smooth, unprocessed rough planes on all four sides.

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

Affordable price, high quality and the practicality of the material are advantages, but among the disadvantages it is necessary to note the mandatory use sealing material. It is mounted between the crowns so that precipitation does not get into the cracks, leading to the destruction of the building. In addition, there is a possibility that the lamellas will lose their shape when the natural drying process begins.

Planed, polished timber

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

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

Profiled wood building material

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

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

Glued laminated timber

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

Advice! The material labeled LVL is also laminated veneer lumber, but has regular veneer as components. This causes it to be hard on the outside but soft at the core. It is considered the most expensive and quality material made of wood. Due to increased strength, elasticity and moisture-repellent properties, the timber is not subject to corrosion and does not rot; the product range has a different set of lengths, which makes it possible to call the piece goods universal for building a house.

Finnish timber

Elite wood with the following characteristic features:

1. the annual rings in the lamellas have a unique direction opposite to each other, that is, they “look” at the center of the section.
2. Strength and flexibility are also due to vertical splicing components every 4-6 meters.
3. For getting finished product thick elements are fused, so the question is: which beam thickness to choose is of utmost importance. Standard technology recommends impregnating the elements adhesive composition no less than 2 cm, due to which the material is not completely impregnated, but only in the upper layers.

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

Composite timber materials

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

The differences are:

1. The package material is internally filled with insulation, which has a base made of mineral wool or foam glass.
2. Hollow timber has no filling.

The main feature is increased energy-saving characteristics, which allows you to build a house with high energy efficiency indicators. Due to their technological features, composite beams are extremely affordable, but they are superior in quality to foam blocks, and experts say: a piece of composite timber product retains heat 2 times better than masonry made from brick, gas blocks and other standard materials.

Advice! Suitable for areas with high temperature fluctuations latest development– thermal beam. It is also a composite material consisting of hollow timber filled with polyurethane foam. Price category finished house comparable to the cost of a house made of laminated solid timber, however, when deciding what thickness of timber to take, choosing a glued timber, you will have to make a wall of 390 mm, an alternative thermal timber can be taken of 160 mm. This means that with equal cost and energy saving indicators, wall panels made of composite thermal timber will be thinner.

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

Choosing the thickness of timber for building a house

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

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

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

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

But, nevertheless, when choosing what thickness of lumber to buy, it is worth remembering that building from thick timber has many other advantages, in particular, the structure will have less ability to warp when drying, greater strength and heat capacity.

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

Types of beam connections

The technology for constructing timber walls is different, but it is important to know the types of timber connections. Today developers offer the following typical connections:

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

• tenon with key;
• half a tree;
• root thorn.

1. T-shaped connection. Used when it is necessary to fasten external and interior wall. The options are as follows:

• by creating a trapezoidal symmetrical tenon in the log house;
• creating a triangular tenon in a log house;
• a locking groove on an insert tenon;
• straight groove on the main tenon.

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

• the beam is rounded with outside to minimize the threat of water accumulation in the grooves;
• the place where the logs touch must be smooth and carefully polished.

It is a good idea to give the elements additional tightness by coating the joints with a composition of resin and sand.

Determining the moisture content of wood, choosing timber for building a house

Wooden buildings have come back into fashion due to the fact that they are made from natural materials and even good for health. Houses, cottages, bathhouses and gazebos are built from timber. Every builder who has experience working with wood knows how important it is to use timber of a certain moisture content. Thanks to wood species such as pine or spruce, cheap houses made of profiled timber with natural moisture. Profiled timber allows you to build houses with smooth walls. It has grooves or a profile that makes it easy construction works and makes the structure stronger. The amount of moisture in the timber will affect many indicators; let’s consider the main ones.

• If wood is too wet, harmful bacteria and mold grow, and rotting processes begin.
• Wooden structure high humidity Over time, it shrinks, so its main structural elements can become deformed.
• Rapid drying of wood in the heat and sun leads to cracks, which can further increase in size in the future.

It cannot be said that to build a house you need completely dry wood, because it will still absorb moisture from environment. Optimal and most inexpensive option timber can be considered to have a natural moisture content of about 25 percent. In order to achieve suitable humidity levels, winter timber is folded in a special way until May. Yes, he is exposed natural drying, but the edges must be lubricated with drying oil so that the process is gradual. Supplementing the material, we would like to note that you can order a log house on the website http://srubstroy53.ru/, look at what the experts offer and how much their solutions cost.

Types of wood depending on moisture content:

• wet and freshly cut wood can contain up to 80% moisture;
• wood with natural humidity - 18-25%;
• dry - 10-12%.

Wood cut in winter has a moisture content of about 20-30 percent, and wood harvested in summer has a moisture content of about 70-80. To make the wood dry, a special chamber drying is used. According to GOST requirements, wood with a moisture content of no more than 20-22 percent can be supplied to trade. During operation, cheap houses made of timber can gradually gain up to 30 percent benefit when it rains, or lose it in the summer during drought. In particularly humid areas, it is recommended to use additional means of protecting wood from moisture and mold.

Moisture meter

A moisture meter is used to measure the moisture content of wood. It determines the amount of moisture per mass of dry wood. A moisture meter will not only help with purchasing wood of the required moisture content, it will also be useful in the process of building with wood. It can be contact or non-contact. A contact moisture meter has needles that are stuck into the wood for analysis. The device should be able to set the type of wood and other parameters for analysis.

Which timber is better to build a house from?

The choice depends on the amount of finance, the professionalism of the builders and the amount of available time. If a house is built from timber with natural moisture, then experts advise waiting up to a year until the timber goes through a drying period. In addition, there is glued or profiled timber, which can also have different humidity levels.

A house made of profiled timber does not need to be caulked; it absorbs less moisture, but the wood drying period is the same as for conventional timber. Many are building country houses made from laminated veneer lumber, such wood is much stronger, thanks to several layers glued together. Glued laminated timber is more expensive than regular timber; most often it is also profiled. It is best to buy wood that is cut in the northern regions and harvested in winter.

When planning to build any house from timber, the owner will have to decide the issue of choosing and purchasing building materials. The choice today is quite wide: this is a simple timber with natural moisture, and dried, profiled timber special form or glued material. But in all cases, you will need to first decide on the size: the thermal insulation of the walls and the cost of materials depend on this. What size of timber for building a house will be optimal?

Size options and their use

The dimensions of the timber are very important parameter, which must be taken into account during design. On sale are the most different variants: minimum section is 100x100 mm, maximum – 200x200 mm. Which option to choose for this or that construction:

• The thinnest timber with a cross section of 100x100 mm or 100x150 cm is used for the construction outbuildings, in addition, it can be used in the construction of a bathhouse. This is the most cheap material, but it is only suitable for buildings not intended for permanent residence.
• For summer cottage, as a rule, is chosen golden mean: the beam can have a cross-section of 120x120 mm or 150x150 mm. In the warm season, such a house will be very comfortable and convenient; in addition, this option is quite convenient for calculations and installation. If you plan to use the building for year-round residence, it will be possible to provide it with an additional layer of external insulation.
• The size of timber for a winter house should be maximum, especially in regions with cold climates. In construction, options from 150x150 mm to 200x200 mm are used. The thickest timber is expensive, but due to the greater height of each crown, less material is required, which partially offsets the increased costs.

Thus, each future owner chooses independently what size timber to build a house from. However, you need to remember that saving when choosing wall material will ultimately lead to increased costs for heating and insulating the building, otherwise it will always be cold in it. The size of the timber for a house also determines its soundproofing qualities: through walls that are too thin, all street noises will be heard, which will significantly reduce the comfort of living.

If you choose dried profiled timber, this will allow you to partially save on insulation: since the crowns will fit tightly together, the thermal insulation properties of the walls will be much higher.

Many builders believe that purchasing 200x200 timber for construction is unprofitable: it is almost always made to order, so it is very expensive, and the difference in wall thickness will ultimately be only 5 cm, compared to conventional timber with a section of 150x150 mm. This difference can be compensated by additional external insulation, which will still end up being cheaper.

How to choose material for building a frame house

A log house has many advantages, but it also has disadvantages: first of all, the high cost of materials and the need to wait a very long time for shrinkage to complete. Because of this, more and more people are paying attention to modern frame technologies, which also require correct selection building materials. Beam size for frame house depends on its intended use and size, since it is the timber frame that will have to withstand the highest loads.

Typically, the following timber sizes are selected for lining a frame house: 150x150 mm, 150x200 mm, 200x200 mm. The large thickness ensures the strength of the frame, which can withstand any natural disasters.

For wall cladding frame building are used chipboards or OSB, and insulation is placed between them. The thicker the frame, the larger the layer insulation material and the higher the energy efficiency of the building, however, its cost increases proportionally.

A frame building is assembled faster, which also reduces its cost. However, when designing, you need to consider the purchase of timber not only for the wall frame, but also for the construction of internal partitions, interfloor ceilings, floor joists, rafter system etc.

In addition, it is difficult to assemble the frame yourself; it is recommended to hire specialists to connect the corners correctly. Any person can assemble a log house from a ready-made house kit thanks to the ready-made processed connections.

Construction from ready-made timber house kits

What is more profitable to purchase: timber from a lumber warehouse or a ready-made house kit from a specialized company? Both options have their advantages: a simple beam will cost much less, but assembling a house kit will take much less time. This kit can be produced upon special order:

1. The client contacts a specialized company, and a individual project home, which takes into account all wishes related to the thickness of the walls, the location of windows, doors and partitions, etc.
2. Upon request, a set of parts is manufactured and delivered to the construction site in numbered form.
3. The kit is assembled like a construction set in the most short time, and very soon the house is ready for decoration and occupancy. This kit will allow you to immediately ensure strong connections between wall elements: they will not have to be adjusted directly on the construction site, all connections will be immediately cut according to exact dimensions using special equipment.

The thickness of the timber used for the manufacture of house kits can also be different. Standard option: 150x150 mm, at the request of the customer, thicker timber can be used. This will achieve high thermal efficiency of the building.

First and a budget option- sawn wooden beam. The dimensions of such timber are standard six meters, since the timber is delivered to the sawmills on timber trucks standard size. Sections of sawn timber are 100x100 mm and above. Unplaned timber does not undergo additional drying, so the appearance of cracks cannot be avoided. Also, buildings made of sawn timber require shrinkage, and to prevent the appearance of “cold bridges”, caulking of joints will be required, and additional insulation houses made of timber inside with subsequent finishing of the walls. Prices for sawn timber from 6,000 rubles/m3.

Profiled timber is a good material for implementing a timber house project. It is planed using precision equipment, which makes it possible to maintain the geometry of the walls being built. The tongue and groove connection prevents the appearance of “cold bridges” and after shrinkage, it will not require caulking of walls, internal and exterior finishing. Due to the tight fit of the profiled timber to each other, the material has a low heat loss coefficient. Planed timber, when shrinking, produces a smaller web of cracks, thanks to rational cuts in the grooves. The length of the profiled timber is standard six meters. A beam with a cross section of 190x140 mm corresponds to a log with a diameter of 32 centimeters, while it has a smaller cubic capacity, and, as a result, a lower cost than round wood or rounded log. Prices for profiled timber from 7500 rub/m3.

Dry profiled timber - made from chamber-dried wood. After drying, the moisture content of the raw materials is 12-18%. The material is processed on a machine. The walls give minimal shrinkage, 3 percent, which means you can immediately build a turnkey house, which was definitely an advantage. Dry planed timber practically does not crack, because the moisture has left it in the factory. Price for dry profiled timber from 13,000 rub/m3

Glued laminated timber appeared on the wooden house-building market relatively recently. Manufacturing requires the use of high-precision equipment. The selected material is dried in drying chambers, and then spliced ​​together along the length and treated with special glue. Under pressure, the glue saturates the wood. The material is then passed through a machine where the profile is cut. In size, such a beam reaches a length of up to 14 meters and a cross-section of up to 26 centimeters. Glued laminated timber does not shrink and almost does not crack, so it does not require wall finishing; turnkey work can be done immediately.