Every happy owner of a piece of land dreams of building an ideal house on it - pre-fabricated, warm and beautiful. It is these qualities that are inherent in frame houses built with strict adherence to the technology developed by the Finns.
Advantages and disadvantages
Designed for a harsh climate, Finnish frame houses are practical, with outward simplicity - a detailed study of every little thing. In addition, the advantages of buildings of this type include:
- high environmental friendliness, use of high quality materials;
- durability;
- the buildings are warm and have excellent sound insulation;
- frame houses do not shrink, interior finishing work can be started immediately after the frame is assembled;
- simple construction technology, assembled as a designer according to drawings;
- high speed of construction due to the use of ready-made elements;
- no restrictions in the choice of design and layout.
Finnish-style buildings also have disadvantages:
- frame construction technique makes high demands on the quality of building materials;
- the need for strict adherence to technology;
- the sensitivity of the frame structure to vibration;
- the need for regular checks of the condition of the wooden frame.
Most of the complaints about the quality of frame structures are due to the fact that the technology used by Russian builders has little in common with the technology of building houses practiced in Finland.
The main task of the future owner of a cottage is to find a reliable and proven construction company that strictly monitors compliance with construction rules.
House projects
The beauty of the "frame houses", built using Finnish technology, is that they are designed for year-round living. In fact, this is a large thermos with perfect insulation, so ventilation is necessarily arranged in it. Let's take a look at typical Finnish buildings.
One-story
This is one of the most affordable options for a country cottage for a small family of retirees who have decided to live in the bosom of nature - a frame house measuring 13.8 m by 6.0 m with a pitched roof, which significantly reduces the cost of construction. There is a sauna under one roof with access to an open terrace, and an exit from the living area leads to it.
The layout of the house includes an almost 25-meter dining-living room, two small bedrooms and a bathroom. Wooden panoramic windows give a lot of light to the living room, filling the space with natural light. The undoubted advantage of a one-story building is the possibility of economical heating.
Two-story
The owners of modern country houses are forced to constantly use the car. The Finnish house project with a garage is a convenient solution to the problem. The advantages of this option:
- uniform architectural style, regardless of whether the garage is under the same roof with the house or attached to it;
- entrance to the garage from the living area, which is very convenient in bad weather and winter;
- buildings are built on one foundation;
- a separate ventilation system is being set up in the garage;
- the opportunity to organize a warm home workshop.
The available option is a 2-storey "frame" measuring 8x12.5 m, with an area of 161 m2. On the ground floor plan there are: built-in garage with boiler room, living room - 24 m2, dining room - 9.3 m2, kitchen - 9.7 m2, bathroom and hall with access to the covered porch. On the second floor there are three bedrooms, a dressing room, a hall and a spacious bathroom. An interesting multi-pitched tiled roof, typically Finnish design, wide living room windows - Scandinavian flavor on Russian soil.
Full-fledged two-story cottages built using frame technology are not so popular. Practical and tight-fisted Finns prefer one-story buildings or a superstructure in the form of an attic.
Design options
Construction using frame technology resembles the assembly of a designer and allows you to embody any design solutions both in the interior of the house and in the exterior.
The main directions in the architecture of such buildings are:
- American - a simple, functional dwelling, one or two storey, with a garage, a feature - a spacious kitchen and a separate dining room;
- European - differs in the simplicity of external decoration, it includes the Scandinavian style, in which the emphasis is on keeping warm inside the building;
- german - mountain chalet, a style that has become extremely popular in the construction of suburban real estate;
- english - Victorian style is characterized by a combination of contrasting colors, use of wood, leather, has a strict appearance, the interior space is clearly divided into zones.
Frame houses made in the Scandinavian style, harmoniously inscribed in the surrounding natural environment, look the most organically. In the design of such buildings, natural materials are necessarily used - a combination of stone and wood.
The surrounding landscape is formed using the same materials, coniferous large-sized trees are planted on the site, boulders or blocks of natural stone are laid out
A must-have accessory for a Scandinavian-style house is a stone outdoor grill, located on the terrace or attached to the house. This place is the center of attraction for families and guests.
The minimalism and functionalism of the Scandinavian style is that the available space is rationally used: an open terrace is being built on a flat roof, an additional room or storage space under a pitched roof, instead of a full-fledged second floor - an attic.
The use of panoramic glazing allows the scarce, in the conditions of the north, sunlight to freely penetrate into the house and opens a view of the surrounding landscape, which becomes part of the interior.
The interior decoration of the Finnish house also includes wood and stone. Their texture is not hidden under the paint, but stands out with special impregnations and glazes. The peculiarity of the Scandinavian lifestyle is the love for wood-burning stoves, which can be found in any room - in the office, in the dining room, in the kitchen.
Construction features
Finnish frame construction is characterized by the construction of houses from sets of prefabricated wall blocks, that is, all or part of the wall structure is assembled at the enterprise and delivered to the construction site in finished form. Even the owner can build a house, but it is better if the construction is carried out by professionals. House kits have different options.
- High degree of readiness - a set of external walls, already equipped with insulation, vapor barrier, finished facade, doors. After the installation of the kit, the rest of the structural elements are installed on site: partitions, ceilings, the roof is assembled from pre-made blanks of a certain size.
- With base panels - wall modules in the form of a frame with external cladding. Blanks for internal partitions, roof elements are numbered and carefully adjusted. Insulation, installation of door panels and window structures is carried out according to the developed scheme at the construction site. This option has become the most common in Russian conditions.
- Modular house - compiled from room modules. Installed on a ready-made foundation with utilities supplied. Then the roof is erected, the interior finishing is carried out.
The undoubted advantages of the Finnish technology are the accuracy of manufacturing units and blanks, the quality of assembly and its high speed. The disadvantages include problematic delivery and the need to use special equipment, especially for modular houses.
To assemble the frame, a dry and prepared board or glued beam is used. The use of wooden structures with a thermal break for the frame racks (I-beam profile blanks) excludes the appearance of cold bridges. When assembling the frame, a crossbar is used - a board with a length equal to the length of the entire wall, connected to each rack at the top of the wall. The crossbar is designed so that, without reinforcing all the vertical posts, evenly distribute the weight of the roof, rafter system and snow between them.
The structure of the wall of a Finnish frame house resembles a cake, the layers of which are:
- outer skin of the frame: OSB boards, fiberboard, 25 mm thick, plywood with a function of increased moisture resistance from 10 mm thick, FSF, facade gypsum fiber board;
- insulation materials - mineral wool, ecowool on a basalt base with a layer of 250 mm;
- vapor barrier - protects the insulation layer from condensation, is attached from the inside of the wall;
- the wind and water protection of the insulation is a diffuse membrane designed for the unhindered release of moisture to the outside. The material is mounted outside the insulation layer;
- the inner lining of the frame is made of drywall, prepared for painting or wallpapering, or for lining with natural clapboard.
For the facade cladding of buildings, mainly natural materials are used: wooden clapboard, block house or planken. A ventilation gap is arranged under the facade cladding; for it, 25-30 mm thick slats are attached to the frame elements on top of the windproof membrane to the frame elements. Facade elements are painted in three layers: the first is a primer (often applied at the factory), the second and third are paint. Before painting, the surface of the wood is roughened with an abrasive.
Structures are lighter in comparison with buildings made of a block, brick or log; for them, it is possible to use lightweight foundation options. This reduces the cost of building a Finnish cottage.
In comparison with brick or block houses, the option of building a "frame" can be 15-20% cheaper.
Beautiful examples
Traditional Finnish home blends seamlessly with the natural environment, becoming a part of it, this is facilitated by the use of natural materials in decoration. Often the exterior of even a geometrically simple house is complicated by attached open terraces. In a laconic interior, preference is given to functionality, there is no excess of furniture and accessories, everything is thought out. Coziness is achieved by the presence of wood in the interior decoration, the use of a large number of textiles, the arrangement of hearths and wood-burning stoves, an amazing panorama behind the large windows. Hunting trophies - skins, horns, antiques, passed down from generation to generation, connected with the history of the family can serve as a decoration of the house
An interesting project of a house with an attic floor, an area of 115 m2. Thanks to the presence of an attic, it is possible to obtain an area comparable to a two-story house, significantly saving on construction costs. In the attic it is proposed to place an additional bedroom with a large dressing room. The master bedrooms are on the ground floor, with doors opening onto a spacious living room with kitchenette through a wide opening. At the request of the customer, you can narrow the opening and install a door, or combine the living room with the kitchen. Bathroom and toilet are located at an equal distance from all rooms. The living room is spacious and bright thanks to the use of a second light. An open terrace with an exit from the kitchen is a place for family meals and relaxation during the warm season
Another typically Scandinavian version of the house is a one-story house under a pitched roof with panoramic windows in the living room. The total area of the house is 120 m2, which implies its placement on a vast plot of land. The house is not for a large family, as there are few living rooms, but they are spacious, isolated from each other, which is suitable for people working remotely, and provides each family member with personal space. There are two bathrooms, a large number of utility rooms and a separate dressing room. The kitchen is combined with the dining room, between it and the living room there is an exit to the terrace. A beautiful and functional Finnish home for modern people
Scandinavian houses are great for creating rural styles: country, rustic. With the right choice of the structure of the building and materials for finishing, it is easy to give the building both a classic and ultra-modern look.
