Shrinkage wooden house- an inevitable process, since wood is a porous living material. Wood absorbs and releases moisture, which leads to an increase or decrease in the volume of a log or beam. As the lumber dries, the height of the internal and external walls at home. By the way, the shrinkage of a house made of rounded logs occurs more intensively than a timber structure. We note right away that shrinkage cannot be avoided, but the process can be regulated and the consequences minimized.
The specificity and timing of shrinkage depend not only on the type and degree of moisture content of the material. This factor is influenced by the size of the log or timber, the type of wood, the area of the house, the technology and the season of construction. They also play a small role climatic conditions and the level of humidity of the region where the house is built from a log or timber. In the article, we will consider how many percent the log house shrinks, depending on the type and moisture content of the material. We will find out how long this process will take, and whether shrinkage can be reduced.
Shrinkage time depends on the season of construction and installation of the log house. The “summer” house takes about a year to settle down, and the “winter” house takes 6-8 months. In winter, moisture freezes out more slowly, so wood changes evenly and gradually. The most intense changes occur in the first three months after the installation of the wall kit, then the process gradually decreases, but it will continue for several more years. After 1.5 years from the date of construction, shrinkage is almost imperceptible.
Remember that you can start finishing, installing windows and doors only after the intensive stage of shrinkage has passed! For log house this period is about a year, for a lumber - about six months. The MariSrub company will perform a full range of works on the construction and decoration of a country wooden house.
After the shrinkage of a house made of timber or logs is completed, the following work is performed:
Experts do not recommend using a stove in a wooden house earlier than a year after the completion of the log house. And heating should be turned on after completion of all finishing work. Moreover, the temperature is increased gradually. In no case do not try to accelerate shrinkage by heating the house! Otherwise, lumber, especially timber, will begin to crack.
To reduce the deformation of the structure, special expansion joints are used for a wooden house. First of all, this is the installation of a longitudinal groove for each log. It is a compensation cut to relieve stress and unload wood fibers, which prevents cracking. Such a cut is made with a depth of a quarter of the diameter of the log and a thickness of 8-10 mm. When assembling a log house, the products are laid with the cut up so that moisture does not get into the wood.
Using a jack to adjust and maintain the vertical supports will help prevent damage to the roof. Since poles or columns do not shrink, they can pose a threat over time. wooden structure. The jack is installed in the gap of the upper part of the doorway, which is made using special compensators.
To reduce shrinkage time, use dried materials (both log and timber). Try to keep the humidity in the room at 40-70%. The ends of the logs or timber must be treated with a special compound to prevent the release of moisture, and the interventional seams should be insulated to prevent the ingress of excess moisture. In addition, horizontal and vertical surfaces where snow can accumulate, it is advisable to cover with a film.
Be sure to wait until the end of the intensive period of this process! If you start finishing during the process of minimal shrinkage, you will get a number of problems. This is a strong cracking of a beam or log, a skew of the floor, door and window openings, damage decorative materials. To avoid such troubles, contact the professionals!
Masters of "MariSrub" build wooden houses from timber and logs on a turnkey basis, including finishing, installation and connection engineering networks, roof and foundation installation. We guarantee high quality works and materials, observance of construction technologies! We build according to standard and individual projects.
Despite the shortcomings and inconveniences that shrinkage brings, wood remains valuable and best material for construction country house. Eco-friendly and natural wood will create a unique cozy and comfortable atmosphere in the room, fill the room with a pleasant forest aroma.
Wood retains heat for a long time and is distinguished by exquisite attractive appearance. You can create any design and shape of the building, which will harmoniously fit into the surrounding landscape. A lot of interesting projects country cottages and country houses you will find in the catalog "MariSrub".
Chopped log - the most unpredictable construction material. During the shrinkage of the log house, the crowns can twist so that through cracks appear in the walls, and their appearance will be hopelessly damaged. Insufficiently diligent builders can distort a house, the construction of which went to a bar, gun carriage or rounded log. Repair.Divandi experts tell you what you need to pay attention to in order to get a beautiful, warm and durable wooden cottage (or bath).
A minor mistake made by builders during the construction of a wooden house can dramatically worsen thermal characteristics at home or shorten his life. But customers can also make mistakes. Conscientious builders always dissuade a private trader from buying log cabins that have stood at the production site for a year or more. As a rule, they have lower crowns have already begun to rot or are affected by fungus. To give a presentation, the log house can be bleached, but this will also have a bad effect on the durability of the wood.
Alexey Galimov
A similar situation can be if the timber was brought to the construction site, but they did not start cutting it right away, but dumped it on the ground. After some time, the logs begin to turn blue - this starts the process of decay. Blue is removed with chlorine-based chemistry, but as a result, the oil that is used for finishing log house. If under construction big house, then the forest must be brought in as necessary so that it does not lie, but falls on the walls as quickly as possible.
Another problem with old log cabins is that there is a possibility that the cutters who made the box are already working elsewhere, and other people will be assembling the log cabin. A hired team will easily shift the blame for poor-quality assembly onto unknown cutters. Those, they say, made a frank marriage, and it is impossible to collect it qualitatively. The assembly of the log house should be trusted only to those who made it. Otherwise, there will be no one to ask for quality.
By the way, not only chopped logs, but also other materials deteriorate from improper storage.
Alexander Bunkov
Aleksey Markin, director of the AMstroy company, tells about another mistake often made by customers.
Alexey Markin
For example, a person decides to build a house from a gun carriage, rounded log or profiled timber. Log cabins from these materials, as a rule, are made on special equipment. The customer comes to the enterprise with a project prepared for him by a third-party architect, and it turns out that here they cannot make the nodes the way they are in the project. The equipment is designed for other sizes. As a result, one has to either abandon the chosen material, or completely redesign the house for the technologies available at the enterprise. It happens that reworking a project costs as much as the project itself.
Another tip that saves you from mistakes can be considered naive, but in some cases it will come in handy. Builders categorically advise against contacting companies that promise to build a log or log house per month. Construction of a timber building natural humidity or even dry wood is always carried out in two stages - the construction of a log house with a roof, and after about a year's break, windows, ceilings, and floors are put on the shrinkage of the log house. Shrinkage is not needed only at houses made of glued laminated timber. Earlier, the Repair.Divandi portal talked about.
Photo #1- A log house with huge cracks.
As Aleksey Markin notes, the most common mistake in the manufacture of a log cabin from a chopped log is the small areas of the log to the log (small width of the interventional groove). The thermal performance of such a house will be low. The head of the Domostroy-SK enterprise, Oleg Valuev, adds that in some cases the crowns may not be adjacent to each other at all (photo 1). Huge gaps will have to be regularly caulked, which will require considerable additional costs. At the same time, the appearance and thermal characteristics of the house cannot be radically improved.
Photo #2- The log house cannot sit properly due to incorrectly set racks.
It happens that builders build a house in such a way that it simply cannot sit down.
Oleg Valuev
This is a very common mistake. Often the house has open veranda under common roof. It turns out that part truss system rests on the frame, and part - on the racks of the veranda. The log house shrinks - by 10-15 cm per year - and the racks are not shortened. As a result, the upper crown hangs on the rack, the edge of the frame closest to it cannot sit down, gaps appear here. If the material is damp, it can warp the roof.
As Oleg Valuev explains, if it is planned to make a veranda under the roof, then a special shrink jack must be installed between the upper end of the rack and the upper crown (photo 3). It will allow the frame to sit evenly. Instead of a jack, you can put a few boards that will need to be knocked out periodically. By the way, shrinkage jacks are clearly visible in the first illustration (Fig. 1) to ours.
Photo #3- Jack for shrinkage (photo "Domostroy-SK").
Another mistake that prevents the log house from shrinking is an attempt to fasten adjacent crowns with nails. The log lies unevenly on the head of the nail, and an intervention gap appears. Due to the loose fit, the log may begin to “spin” during the drying process.
Alexey Galimov
There are some very difficult cases. One day a man came to us with a request to fix a frame made of profiled timber. We came to the facility, and there the crowns were fastened not even with nails, but with self-tapping screws. If the log can somehow slide down along the nail during shrinkage, then the self-tapping screw holds it tightly. There are huge gaps in the log house, all the jute is outside, the blue has gone at the joints. Here the treatment is only complete disassembly, processing and installation on a new one.
The problem of poor-quality waterproofing of the lower crown of the log house has somewhat lost its relevance. As a rule, the installation team performs this operation with high quality. However, the customer should pay attention to how the foundation is paired and wooden walls. If the foundation is tape or grillage, then the surface of the tape should be leveled, and between the foundation and the lower crown there should be 2-3 layers of roofing material, or a waterproofing layer of a similar efficiency.
However, excess moisture can get into the wood not only through the foundation. If you lay floors in the house and hang ceilings before the log house has sat down and dried, this will impede air circulation and lead to “steaming” of the house - mold or fungus may appear on the inner walls.
Alexander Bunkov
Especially the issue of protecting wood from moisture is relevant for the lower rims of the bath. We recently had a case - they were repairing a bathhouse, in which the lower logs had rotted. It turned out that the builders insulated the floors in the steam room and the washing department with polystyrene foam. The space under the floor was clogged. The water that got under the floor from the sink did not dry up. For six months, the lower crowns rotted. We raised the log house on jacks, changed the crowns and redid the floors. The repair cost a third of the price of the bath ... The floors in the washing department and in the steam room must be done without insulation.
The head of the Domostroy-SK enterprise, Oleg Valuev, notices that in the washroom it is also not necessary to make baseboards on the floor. Moisture collects under them and the process of decay also begins.
Photo #4– Mold on unventilated wooden structures.
Even experienced builders cannot always predict where moisture will go and where it will begin to accumulate.
Alexey Galimov
A very recent case. They polished inside the log house from chopped logs. The days were very hot. The heat presses - moisture goes inside the house. Inner surface The walls turned out to be more wet than expected. The sawdust, formed during grinding, stuck to the walls and underneath it went blue. Well time noticed, cleaned up. So that moisture does not form anywhere inside the log house, the log house must be well ventilated.
Many Yekaterinburg builders consider it a mistake not to use pins (dowels) when assembling log cabins. These are wooden rods installed in vertical holes and uniting two logs adjacent in height. In general, the scheme is as follows: dowels pierce the first and second logs. When the third is placed on top, then holes are drilled in it and in the second log (with an offset relative to the existing ones) for the dowels of the "second portion" and so on along the entire height of the log house.
Alexey Galimov
Main mistake during the installation of log cabins - they do not dodge. And without dowels, the log may begin to spin when it dries. However, different factors must be taken into account. For example, if a profiled timber of natural moisture is laid in winter, then the drying process will not be fast. Such a log house and without dowels can sit down normally. And if you build in the summer, then dowels are required. Otherwise, the log house will lead, it can snatch a cup.
Not all builders agree with this position. Some believe that cutting should be done in such a way that the walls stand firmly and without dowels. However, in recent times supporters of the use of dowels has become much more. After all, additional fastening of logs allows you to make the shrinkage of the log house more predictable, and in some cases, correct the shortcomings of lumber. The presence of pins in the walls with openings for windows and doors is especially important.
Photo #5- Installation of dowels when assembling a log house from profiled timber.
Aleksey Markin, director of AMstroy, emphasizes that when working with a bar, rounded log or gun carriage incorrect installation dowels can lead to hanging crowns. Other experts are reminded of the same.
Oleg Valuev
Usually dowels with a diameter of 22 mm are used. The holes for them should be slightly larger in diameter. For example, we use a 25 mm drill. Otherwise, during the drying process, the log may pinch the dowel and this will prevent the shrinkage of the crowns, since the log will not be able to move down and hang on the dowel. I also remind you that to drill holes for dowels, you need to use a very sharp drill. So that he cuts through the jute laid between the crowns, and does not pull it through. Otherwise, the occurrence of cold bridges in this place is possible.
Photo #6- Laying jute in the interventional grooves (photo by Domostroy-SK).
A heater / sealant is laid in the interventional grooves - moss, tow, linen or jute felt (more often they just say “jute”). Last option most popular today. Oleg Valuev draws attention to the fact that in the cup the width of the pairing of logs is almost twice the width of the interventional groove. Therefore, in this place, the builders must not forget to increase the width of the insulation tape (photo 6).
There are other points that a private developer should keep in mind.
Alexander Bunkov
The side of the log that was facing north at the tree has denser wood. This can be seen on the cut - the annual rings on the north side are thinner. The north side should be put logs out. Then there will be fewer cracks. However, the brigades, as a rule, do not pay attention to the annual rings. They put it how they feel comfortable. True, and customers also do not take this moment into account. When we offer for a surcharge - 50 rubles. running meter- laying logs taking into account the rings, customers, as a rule, refuse.
Yaroslav Kulikov, specialist of VIRA Group, reminds that wooden house also makes special demands on the arrangement of the roof. Usually a log house has not only external, but also internal walls. They sit down faster than the outer ones. This can lead to deformation of the rafter system, which relies on both internal and external walls. To prevent this from happening, small backlashes are laid in the attachment points of the rafters, and the rafters are made sliding.
Yaroslav Kulikov
I would also not recommend using tapwood for construction. These are tree trunks from which the resin was collected. They show a characteristic Christmas tree made of cuts. There is no resin in this wood. She is fluffy. The house will not last long. By the way, in order for the house to be durable, we use the following technique in the manufacture of a log house - on the lower surface of the log along the lunar groove, a compensation cut is cut with a depth of 3-5 cm. Then, when the wood dries, the cracks will go inside. Outside large cracks should not appear.
If the house is being built from a chopped log, then the presence of cutting wood in the prepared materials can be calculated from the characteristic Christmas tree from the cuts (“the top” of the Christmas tree is directed to the butt part of the log). If a timber or a rounded log is used, then the absence of a "tap" will have to be taken on faith. However, some assurance is given by the fact that last years(about 15-20 years) in the Ural region, pine tapping is practically not carried out.
Log cabin is considered the simplest design, but one drawback - you need to wait for time for it to shrink. This is due to the loss of natural moisture from the fibrous structure of wood. You can use profiled timber for construction, where the shrinkage of the log house will be insignificant, since the material undergoes preliminary shrinkage in production in special furnaces. But how long it takes for natural shrinkage, it is worth figuring out.
Shrinkage of logs can occur in two ways: natural shrinkage and mechanical shrinkage. The first is considered a more complex process, since many factors affect shrinkage: weather conditions, wood density and the season of its harvest. it is desirable to produce in winter, when the presence of moisture in tree trunks is reduced. Moreover, there will be enough time for shrinkage before the construction season.
Losing moisture, the log becomes not only lighter, but its volume in diameter also decreases. The rate of this process is directly dependent on temperature. environment the higher it is, the faster the moisture will evaporate. It will be possible to erect a log house from the seasoned material, and immediately insert windows, doors, lay the floor and ceiling. For northern latitudes, where the climate is damp, this method will not work; it is better to use the mechanical shrinkage of the log house there.
A log house assembled from raw logs undergoes mechanical shrinkage over time. This is due to the pressure of the upper trunks on the lower ones, as a result of which they are slightly compressed. In addition, one more point is won here - tight pressing interventional insulation which improves thermal insulation. Finished construction must withstand at least six months, only then you can start finishing.
While the frame is shrinking, its deformation must be monitored. Each tree, even if it is of the same variety, can have a different density, and, hence, the level of humidity. For this reason, the wood will dry unevenly, which can lead to cracks, twisting and cracking of the logs. Therefore, many experts advise building log cabins in winter period when moisture freezes out slowly, and shrinkage occurs evenly. By the summer, such structures are already ready for further finishing.
Particular attention should be paid window openings, for the first time it is better to install a pigtail - a movable assembly of the box, which, when the walls shrink, will move evenly along the guide grooves. An expansion gap of 3-4 cm should also be left above each opening so that the cross beam does not crush the structure. Even if a small gap remains, it is closed later by cashing.
Vertical posts are made a little shorter, taking into account the shrinkage of the log house up to 10%. In order for the deformation of the transverse beams to be uniform on all sides, a screw jack is installed between the pillars and floor beams and fastened to self-tapping screws. As pressure increases, the height of the device is reduced by lowering the nut down.
The method of connecting logs at the corners also affects the shrinkage of the structure. A successful connection is considered a crown " canadian bowl", which has the shape of a wedge. Due to this, the logs do not form cracks during shrinkage. A solid log shrinks less than a round log. This is due to the fact that the second is removed upper layer, which is considered the densest.
From the above, it is possible to determine the time for shrinkage of the structure, although it is very difficult to determine the exact period. The most basic process takes place during the first year, and the structure takes its final form after only 6 months, although the structure continues to shrink imperceptibly over the next few years.
In the old days, when building a log house, craftsmen had to carefully adjust the logs to the size and quality of the wood used, so the construction of a house was often delayed for quite a long period. Modern buildings are erected from rounded logs that are completely ready for assembly, having an ideal shape and the same diameter along the entire length. Good tower has smooth walls and clear outlines, and the process of building a box lasts only 2-3 weeks. But the tree has one significant drawback - this is its natural moisture, which leads to the fact that over time, the house from the rounded log begins to shrink, as a result of which gaps, cracks and crevices appear on the walls, and the structure itself can significantly change its geometry.
The process in which the dimensions of timber change in the direction of reduction in an already finished building is called house shrinkage, which leads to a change in the shape of the building and violates the integrity of the structure. This term also applies to concrete and ceramic products. Shrinkage occurs due to changes in the moisture level of the material, its compaction, as well as hardening, as a result of which the shape and dimensions of the structure change, cracks appear. Speaking of timber, it should be noted that logs and products made from sapwood or freshly cut wood are most susceptible to shrinkage, and glued laminated timber, due to its manufacturing technology, is practically not prone to shrinkage.
A feature of the structure of wood is the peculiar arrangement of its fibers, which are closer to the surface of the bark. They are placed in a spiral, twisting around the trunk. As the rounded log dries, it is everted, therefore, improper fastening of the frame elements with uneven shrinkage leads to deformation of the walls:
To avoid large deformations and troubles during shrinkage, not only pins, but also casing bars (swarms) mounted in openings help to some extent. They prevent the logs from twisting.
A sufficient number of pins in the logs should be installed. You should not save on them, otherwise this will lead to the appearance of mold, which will negatively affect the reliability and service life of the house, since mold is very dangerous for wood.
The appearance of gaps between the finishing floor of the second floor and the plinths indicates that the outer walls have arched. In this case, even separation may occur. roof structure from the ridge beam, if you do not provide for a sliding connection in advance using a flexible wire tie between the rafters and the walls, which will help them move a little when the house shrinks. There are too many similar examples. All of them are individual and are solved in each case in its own way.
There is a shrinkage of the house from rounded logs according to its own laws. Almost no one can avoid the problems associated with it, but they can be reduced. To do this, it is necessary to strictly observe the technology for building a house from a log house and give it time to shrink, and not listen to the advice of an "omniscient" friend.
According to the norms of SNiP, it is allowed to use rounded logs for the construction of houses, which have a natural moisture content of up to 25 percent, but in practice it reaches 30 or even 40 percent. Shrinkage of log cabins appears for two reasons:
Based on simple calculations, the total value reaches 6-10 percent, which, with a wall height of three meters, its top can drop 18-30 cm.
The maximum shrinkage of the structure occurs during the first year, and it can drag on for a long 7-8 years. Its timing depends on:
Traditionally, a built log box is allowed to settle for a year, after which it is produced Finishing work and installation of engineering networks. The owners begin to intensively heat the house, naively believing that the wood will dry out sooner in this way. But this does not correspond to reality.
Walls with inside they really begin to dry faster, but outside this effect does not occur, especially on the north side. As a result, the process leads to uneven shrinkage of the building. inner wall will settle faster than the outside. She will pull ridge beam associated with rafter legs, which, in turn, will affect the outer walls, causing them to bulge outward. In the worst case scenario, the walls will simply collapse.
The conclusion suggests itself - to shrink log house need to provide larger gap time, and it should be started gradually.
Of course, a house made of round logs shrinks less than a house made of planed or barked logs, due to the fact that the logs have correct form, and fit close to each other without significant gaps and gaps. But the humidity of the wood and the load, especially on the lower crowns, make themselves felt. And this fact should not be ignored!
Is the shrinkage of a house made of timber as terrible as it is painted?
A large and spacious house in the Moscow region made of eco-friendly, beautiful and high-quality timber is the blue dream of almost any family. When the first steps towards the cherished goal have been taken - a plot has been bought, documents have been agreed upon, the main stage of construction is coming to an end - the desire to immediately call in and start decorating the rooms becomes almost irresistible. And then a great and terrible shrinkage of the house stands in the way of the new settlers, threatening to postpone the celebration for a couple of years. But is it really all that scary? Let's figure it out.
Increasingly, future owners of houses, cottages, baths and country houses when choosing suitable material prefer profiled timber. It attracts with its strength, naturalness, excellent appearance and thermal insulation properties, relatively low cost and ease of construction. But at the same time, the more popular the buildings, the more “experts” appear, the victims of these very “experts” and unfair myths about houses made of timber.
On the Internet, you can find a lot of horror stories that a wooden house will certainly sag by 10 or even 20% of the total height (and because of inexperience, some believe in an unrealistic shrinkage of a house with a total height of 5 meters), the walls will dry unevenly and become covered with cracks, windows and doors will stop closing. As a result, people begin to think about finding other material and even give up their dreams. And absolutely in vain. Most of these stories are exaggerations, inventions, or the consequences of choosing the wrong contractor, and by no means the material.
The Venga company has been professionally engaged in the construction of houses from profiled timber for more than 15 years. We declare responsibly: shrinkage can and should be taken into account, monitored, controlled and minimized. By choosing the right specialists, you will not notice its consequences at all.
What is shrinkage?
Shrinkage is a completely natural, natural and common process wooden buildings. First of all, it is connected with the very specificity of the material. In nature, a tree takes water from the soil through its roots and transfers it to foliage, i.e. it has moisture in it. After processing, it can be dried (chamber drying timber) or not dried (natural moisture timber). In any case, after the construction of the building, being in the open air and under pressure, the wood will get rid of moisture residues and dry out. Dried - just a couple of centimeters, natural humidity - about 4 centimeters.
The second reason for shrinkage is mechanical. The lower bars are under the weight of the whole house, over time they enter deeper into the grooves. In fact, such shrinkage is even useful, since the logs adhere more strongly to each other, the wind does not blow them, and it becomes warmer in the house. To reduce the time of mechanical shrinkage at home, the specialists of our company carry out forced shrinkage. With the help of special tools, even at the construction stage, the docking gap is minimized, the bars begin to fit closer to each other.
Even our distant ancestors, who built wooden huts for centuries, were able to predict and take into account shrinkage. Now it is described in detail in GOST 6782.1-75 “Softwood lumber. The amount of shrinkage. Accordingly, there is nothing wrong with this process. Of course, if they design and build a house, taking into account all the conditions, real professionals.
How long does house shrinkage last?
When we are talking about the shrinkage of a house made of timber, you can often hear two directly opposite opinions - you can live in a house right away and you will have to wait 2-3 seasons. The first sin is unscrupulous companies in a hurry to quickly hand over an object or a turnkey house, the second is people who are not very well versed in the intricacies of work.
In fact, intensive shrinkage occurs during the first 3 months from the moment the building was erected. During this time, wood loses about 70% of the total volume that it can lose. Further, the process slows down and becomes little noticeable and significant. However, it is impossible to name absolutely exact shrinkage dates, because no one has yet learned to completely control nature. It all depends on the chosen material, dimensions and assembly time of the house.
The easiest way is with a dried timber with grooves and spikes of the "comb" type, if the house was built from it in the winter. The dried timber dries out by only 2-2.5 centimeters, the tight connection of the grooves minimizes mechanical shrinkage, drying in summer time happens more intensely. As a result, the next stage of finishing can be started in six months.
If the house was built in the summer from wood of natural moisture, the shrinkage period increases to 1 year. In winter, timber cannot dry as effectively as in summer, so it will have to stand all seasons, gradually getting used to climatic conditions.
So, after building a house, you should wait from six months to a year, and only then proceed with laying communications and finishing work.
What can and cannot be done while the house is shrinking?
The time of drying wood and shrinking at home can be regarded by many as an unpleasant brake, forcing all work to be completely curtailed and fall into a kind of “hibernation”. Indeed, there is a list of actions that should not be performed. Namely, you can't:
However, waiting for the completion of shrinkage does not mean at all that work must be completely stopped. In the first months of intensive drying, it is not only possible, but even necessary to cover the timber with antiseptics, fire retardants and other compounds. They will extend the life of the house, prevent the appearance of mold, fungus and other troubles. If work is carried out at the shrinkage stage, while the house is empty, it will be possible to completely avoid the negative impact on health. It is important to pay attention that the selected compositions are breathable and do not interfere with the drying process of the wood.
In addition, contrary to popular misconception, windows and doors can be installed in the house, as well as a roof can be mounted. But this must be done in a special way - with compensation gaps and movable joints. When shrinking, the gaps are reduced, windows and doors are not blocked. Instead of the usual polyurethane foam special compressible materials are used.
Also, if you are impatient to complete the construction as soon as possible, already a couple of months after the construction of the building, it is not forbidden to lay a rough floor, carry out preparatory work to laying communications. In general, shrinkage does not threaten to completely stop work, but only limit and slow it down.
How to minimize the terms and consequences of shrinkage of a house from a bar?
We have already said above that shrinkage can and should be controlled and minimized. This is done at the design stage. Necessary calculations taking into account the selected material, the height of the house, weather conditions, geographical location are made by experienced engineers and designers of the Venga company.
There are several ways:
Give preference to dried timber. It gives less shrinkage, which is completed faster. True, the material costs a little more than a bar of natural moisture;
Build a house in the winter so that it dries in the summer;
To make forced shrinkage of the walls, hammering the bars deeper into the grooves with the help of a special mallet;
Choose a high-quality insulation that is less prone to compressing;
Use shrink compensators, e.g. screw jacks to make shrinkage more uniform. This method is especially relevant if one side of the house is constantly in the sun and dries faster than the rest. Compensators allow you to avoid distortions;
Turn to real professionals who have vast experience in building log houses, who are able to draw up and implement a plan for building your ideal home, thought out to the smallest detail.
So, shrinkage is complex, but completely natural process. It will not necessarily be large and even simply noticeable to the naked eye, it will not force you to postpone the housewarming for many years or freeze the construction site. With a professional approach, shrinkage is not only not terrible, but even useful, because after it the house becomes even stronger, warmer and more reliable.
