What should a permanent home be like? from Mila's blog

Probably, almost everyone has dreamed of moving out of town at least once. Owning a house with a plot of land seems like an attractive prospect to many, but such a decision often requires careful preparation. Particular attention must be paid to the choice of construction and remodeling services, the operational characteristics of the building: it is necessary to select suitable materials for construction, take into account the climatic conditions of the region and soil characteristics.

Let's figure out which houses are best to build for permanent residence and why sometimes high costs are not a guarantee of a good choice.

For construction, you will need to take into account a number of important criteria:

• - If you are planning a building for permanent residence, then you need to carefully select the material taking into account climatic conditions. It is important to take into account average winter temperatures, air humidity and a number of other parameters. All this must be compared with the thermal insulation properties of materials and floors.

• - It is important to understand that during construction you will not be able to make major changes to the project. Therefore, it is recommended to carefully approach the development of the project and the preparation of the necessary documentation.

• - The durability and reliability of the structure will depend both on the construction material and on compliance with the work technology. Therefore, it is important not only to choose high-quality building materials, but also to find professional performers.

• - Be sure to take into account the energy-saving characteristics of your future home. For many, it is important that a comfortable temperature is maintained inside both winter and summer. If the wall material is characterized by good energy efficiency, you will be able to save on heating.

• - Another important factor is noise insulation performance. This is especially important if the site is located near a busy highway or railroad tracks. If the wall material does not have good sound absorption, then additional sound protection will be required.

• - The appearance of the building is another important factor, so at the design stage it is worth deciding on the finishing option. Often it will depend on the material of the walls, since the same brick will not require additional finishing, but aerated concrete cannot do without it.

• - An important parameter is the final cost of construction work. This often depends on the region of construction, since taking into account the availability of materials, the price will vary significantly. For example, in some regions, timber and logs are the most accessible, while in others, natural wood must be supplied from neighboring regions, which increases the cost of raw materials by 1.5–2 times.

• - If you are planning to build a house yourself, then the difficulty of working with the selected building material may also influence your choice.

For a country house for permanent residence, both traditional materials used for centuries and solutions developed in the last 15–20 years can be chosen. There are a lot of options, so when searching it is worth taking into account the positive and negative characteristics, features of the building’s construction and performance qualities.

Let's talk about the most popular building materials that are used in the construction of small-story cottages:

• - Brick. A relatively expensive solution, but it allows you to build a structure with a long service life. Typically, silicate or ceramic bricks with a hollow or solid structure are used for a private house. Solid brick is highly durable, making it ideal for two- and three-story houses. But it also has a drawback - it has high thermal conductivity, as a result of which the walls require additional insulation. Hollow material retains heat much better, so it can be used for external wall cladding. Brick houses are considered one of the most beautiful and respectable; in addition, their service life often exceeds the time limits set during the design. In the production of bricks, environmentally friendly components are used, so the material is safe. For example, the basis for ceramic bricks is clay, for silicate bricks it is sand and lime. Brickwork is characterized by good frost resistance indicators - this criterion shows how long the material is able to maintain its original characteristics after freezing and thawing cycles. That is, frost resistance actually determines the service life of a building material. It is also worth noting another important advantage of brick - its high fire safety. The material is resistant to open fire, does not ignite and does not support combustion. But what you need to be prepared for is high construction costs. The cost of bricks is quite high; even a one-story structure will require a large amount of raw materials. Another important parameter is the need to organize a solid foundation.

• - Foam blocks and aerated concrete blocks. These materials are often grouped together because they have similar characteristics. They are a good choice for private homes for permanent residence, as they have good performance qualities and are more affordable than brick. In the production of aerated concrete, cement, lime, sand, water and aluminum powder are used. Previously, concrete stone blocks were dried naturally, but today autoclaves are used to harden them. The result is a material with a porous structure with open cells. Cement, sand and water are used to make foam concrete. The special structure of the building material is obtained by adding a foaming agent. The cell itself turns out to be closed. Both materials are easy to process, so they can be given any shape during construction work. In addition, they are characterized by good compressive strength. Another advantage of foam blocks and aerated concrete is their low thermal conductivity. Thanks to this, the walls do not need additional insulation, and a comfortable temperature is always maintained inside the house. You can also note the relatively low cost of the material. If we talk about disadvantages, they include the fragility of the blocks. They are easily damaged during transportation or work. Careless handling of the material can lead to cracks or complete splitting of the block. Also, both types of slabs require mandatory external finishing, which means additional construction costs.

• - Natural wood. This category includes logs and beams. Wood has been and remains one of the most popular materials for construction. For suburban properties, coniferous species (for example, pine, cedar, spruce), as well as deciduous species (alder, aspen, oak, birch) can be used. Many people choose wood for its excellent external characteristics and environmental friendliness. With the help of such building materials you can create the most comfortable home that will last for decades. It is worth noting that logs and timber have low thermal conductivity, so they do not require serious insulation. It is also possible not to perform external and internal wall decoration. If we talk about disadvantages, these include the tendency of materials to rot and instability to high humidity. To eliminate these shortcomings, special protective compounds are applied to the surface.

• - Frame houses. Frame buildings are a separate category of houses for permanent residence; their main feature is the combination of several materials for the construction of walls. For construction, panel, half-timbered or frame-frame technology is used. The finished structures are quite reliable and durable, have good thermal and sound insulation, and have an attractive appearance. As for the cost of construction, it can be quite high: the final price largely depends on the methodology and materials used.

The choice of materials for walls is not the only problem that will need to be solved when building your own home. The following points must also be taken into account:

• - Foundation. Often, the service life of the entire structure depends on the foundation. Therefore, it is important to correctly calculate the expected loads and choose a foundation with optimal strength indicators.

• - Features of interior decoration and roof installation. These parameters can be considered together, as they are interrelated with each other.

• - Heating. It should be thought through at the design stage. For example, if you use a boiler, it is important to make sure that it can provide heat to the entire area of ​​the house.

• - Communications. Their location is also important to consider at the planning stage, so as to ultimately hide all the pipes from prying eyes. But it is important that the systems are easily accessible for periodic maintenance.

• - Presence of a fence. Don't forget to think about the design of the area and take care of the fence. Choose functional solutions that will help protect the territory from uninvited guests and at the same time become a decorative decoration of the territory.

We hope that now you can decide what kind of house to build for permanent residence. Remember that the most important thing is that the potential building is suitable for you and matches your idea of ​​a dream cottage.