Wooden houses are becoming more and more popular in Poland and around the world. People choose them for many different reasons. For many, their price turns out to be decisive, others value them for strength and durability, and still others pay attention to the climate that inevitably accompanies them. Wood for a house really allows for a lot, and using it as the main structural element can do us a lot of good. In this comprehensive guide, we will describe everything that matters when building houses from wood, and what we should know before we decide to do it.

Where to start investing in wooden houses?

The basic thing is to understand what an investment in a wooden house is, how it differs from its brick counterpart and what we can expect after making it. It is worth knowing that houses made of glued timber :

  • they are as durable as their brick counterparts – they are able to survive at least several generations, which is perfectly evidenced by the houses that have been standing on the spot for centuries and nothing happens to them. It is true that wood for a house degrades over time – but if we choose it properly and take care of it, one house is able to last for many years;
  • require the selection of the right material – wood for a house cannot be “just any” – after all, the durability of the entire building depends on it, but it also contributes to its trouble-free operation. The wood must not only be of the right type (most often pine is chosen here, which shows by far the best parameters in terms of construction), but also properly processed, dried (at a temperature close to sixty degrees Celsius – it gets rid of fungi, mold and other types of not quite desirable things) and planing (fourfold, increasing its resistance to fire);
  • they can be erected very quickly – one of the types of wooden houses can be erected in … just a few days! Regardless of the choice, when deciding on a wooden house, we can be sure that we will complete it in just one season and we will be able to move into it in a time incomparable to that needed to complete a classic brick house;
  • they can be energy-saving, but they are also adapted to be passive – so if we want to obtain energy from renewable sources, we can integrate them with them;
  • they are cheap – wooden houses are built with a small amount of money, the amount of which depends primarily on the type we finally choose. In total, there are three basic types, each of which we try to present in the next chapter of our guide.

Types of wooden houses

Although all glulam modular houses seem the same to the layman, there are actually three different types, each of which differs not only in the final appearance (even if the wood for the house is the same for each of them), but also in the way construction, durability, price and construction time. The types of houses we are talking about include:

  • frame – this type of houses are by far the most popular nowadays. It results primarily from their low price, but also from the short (only a few weeks) time of production. The basis of these houses is a wooden frame, which is created and then filled with insulation, most often from mineral or wood wool. The insulation that makes up the walls is then covered with a facade – from the outside it can be boards or plaster, from the inside – usually a plasterboard. Frame houses are also called “Canadians”;
  • made of logs – houses of this type are made of properly prepared logs arranged in layers (interwoven with insulation). This is not a new way to build them – in fact, it is the oldest and in its case we can be sure of the greatest longevity (after all, the houses that are still standing are several centuries old!). This type of house is built the longest (up to several months), but its cost is not too high;
  • prefabricated – houses of this type are built in a factory, in whole or in part. They are brought to the construction site and then assembled (not built), thanks to which the time of their creation can be incomparably shorter than that of “competitors”. We are talking here about only 2-3 days! Prefabricated houses are created under the supervision of computers, which makes them perfectly matched, tight and well insulated, and thus also long-lived. Unfortunately, their disadvantage and something insurmountable seems to be the price.

Summary

Building a wooden house is not as easy as it might seem at first. The very choice of wood for a house can cause us a lot of wrinkles on the forehead, and you should also add to it betting on the right type of wooden house, hiring the right contractor and work related to interior design and all official matters. Despite everything, however, nowadays it is a great option, because it is really solid, trustworthy and long-lived.

 

 

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