Frame houses confidently occupied a niche in private housing construction. Traditionally, the frame for them was made of wood, but modern technologies now allow you to quickly assemble frame houses made of metal profiles. Before you start construction with your own hands, you need to familiarize yourself with this method of construction in more detail.
Is it worth it to choose?
During the construction of your own home, many questions always arise. For myself, I want to build the best, warm and reliable house, so the main question: is there any experience with this technology, is it trustworthy?
Metal-frame houses are simplified miniature versions of skyscrapers and large large-span structures. The difference lies in the fact that in the construction of large buildings they use massive steel products (channels and I-beams), and houses made of metal profiles provide for the use of light thin-walled elements (LSTK). The raw materials are the same - steel. But the thickness, dimensions and bearing capacity of the products are different.
Do-it-yourself application for the construction of large metal rolling is economically disadvantageous because:
- at times the cost of the elements of walls and floors;
- a large mass of parts leads to an increase in the load on the foundation and an increase in the cost of the structure;
- the loads during the construction of private residential buildings are negligible compared to the loads in large industrial and commercial buildings, so it makes no sense to use powerful beams and racks.
Therefore, we can say with confidence that the technology is time-tested. The advantages of a metal frame include:
- high strength material;
- light weight allows you to save on foundations;
- resistance to decay and damage by fungus and mold;
- high accuracy of installation;
- cheaper transportation;
- lack of rubbish and waste at the construction site4
- the possibility of building houses with large spans and a free layout.
The disadvantages include:
- susceptibility to corrosion (rust);
- high thermal conductivity (transmits heat);
- reduction of the time of evacuation from the building in case of fire (loss of stiffness at high temperatures);
- the difficulty of fixing the hinged elements of the interior and furniture;
- the need for equalization of potentials due to high electrical conductivity;
- limited area of construction (not suitable for massive elements).
For all the shortcomings, one must take into account that the speed of construction is quite high, and the simplicity of the work allows you to do the construction yourself.
Construction technology
When doing the work yourself, it is important to act in stages. Begin consideration of the issue with the development of project documentation.
Design stage
All frame designs are made in one factory according to pre-ordered sizes. Even if you plan to do the construction work with your own hands, the design will require the help of a specialist. Here, the future owner has three options that differ in cost:
- choose from ready-made projects and order at the factory all the elements necessary for assembly (the cheapest);
- select a finished project and make small changes to it (optimal);
- order the development of an individual project (the most expensive).
Typically, a project includes the following composition:
- floor plans, roofs;
- building facades;
- 3-D model of the house (not always);
- necessary drawings and units for frame elements.
You can do without the help of specialists and develop a project yourself based on typical elements of a metal frame, but this is a difficult task.
Foundation construction
In the construction of any facility, work begins with the foundations. The choice of the type of supports is made based on the geological data of the site. In most cases, for a light frame house, the best choice for do-it-yourself construction will be: a shallow tape foundation, a pile-grill foundation.
The first type allows you to put 1-2 storey houses made of light materials on foundations with good soil characteristics. The second option is suitable for heaving soils with not very good strength characteristics.
Frame assembly
From the factory, the frame parts from LSTK come numbered and separately packed. This greatly simplifies the DIY assembly process. Included are:
- vertical and horizontal frame profiles with the necessary holes for utilities;
- set of fasteners.
Details come in the required length, nothing needs to be cut or customized. Do-it-yourself assembly process resembles a children's designer. You just need to use the manufacturer’s instructions, install the profiles in the design position and fix with the proposed connecting elements. At this stage, difficulties should not arise if you follow the instructions and carefully check the labeling of the elements.
Important! For the manufacture of the frame, it is recommended to choose a profile of a Z-shaped section, in which grooves or perforations are provided. Such an element, although made of "cold" material, allows you to retain heat. The second name of such an element is thermal profile. This is the most desirable option for private residential housing construction.
Warming and building envelopes
The final step in the assembly of the box of the building will be the skin of the frame. The work here is carried out using the same technology as for timber frame houses. Sheathing options:
- DIY assembly. The outer side of the metal frame is sheathed with a profiled sheet or glass-magnesium sheet, a heater is laid between the racks. As thermal insulation, you can use mineral wool or extruded polystyrene foam. With a limited budget, you can consider a cheaper option - polystyrene. When using polystyrene foam or mineral wool, you will need to install vapor barrier on the inside and waterproofing on the outside. From the inside, the lining can be made with drywall. Exterior finish is fixed to the profiled sheet.
- Sandwich panels. They are made at the factory, there they can be painted in the desired color. Simplify and speed up the assembly process. The advantages include: resistance to aggressive environmental influences, to high temperatures and fire, high thermal insulation characteristics, environmental friendliness and safety for humans. Another plus will be that the panels simultaneously perform the role of insulation and exterior decoration, reducing the cost of work.
- Heat blocks. Modern material, which is a “brick”, including a layer of porous expanded clay concrete, a layer of expanded polystyrene (polystyrene) grade 25 and a facing layer of expanded clay concrete. The cladding is made of high density material and is ready for painting. A plus of technology is the simultaneous creation of thermal protection and building envelope. Masonry joints are accepted no more than 5 mm. Conventional masonry mortar for bricks cannot meet this requirement, therefore, special mortars or glue is used. Every 4 rows of blocks requires reinforcement to increase strength.
Reinforcement is performed in horizontal seams with wire reinforcement nets. The diameter of the wire is 3mm.
Attentive attitude to work at each stage will allow you to build a reliable home that will last for many years.