I don't have time to build a house from aerated concrete in one season. Can you leave walls without a roof?

Spring 2020 was early and there was an earlier start of work this season. In August, according to plans, the construction of the roof was planned. But the rainy summer and the complexity (duration) of the construction of some nodes have made their own adjustments. I wrote about this in the article: DIY aerated concrete house: floor in three months. I tell you why I build so slowly

At the beginning of September, construction at this stage:

A zero row has been laid between the floors and I am finishing the piping (anchoring and filling of joints) in the slabs. At the end of October we have frosts and sometimes it snows. I don't even have time to build the second floor. Can aerated concrete walls be left without a roof for the winter? This question worried from the moment of choosing the wall material for the house.

Aerated concrete has a frost resistance class of F100, and theoretically leaving the walls not covered from rain and snow for the winter is not critical. There were examples of wall destruction in rollers:

Aerated concrete collapsed in the masonry. My explanation of what happened. But that was foam concrete, and the aerated concrete in the lower rows, after years without a roof, remained intact.

The well-known YouTube self-builder Konstantin (channel Build for ourselves) also did not have time to mount the roof, he hurried and covered OSB with banners for the winter. As a result, the sheets became moldy and had to be replaced. In his video, the opinion was expressed that aerated concrete should not be left in the winter. And he did not explain why.

The strategy of building a house by storeys (due to limited funds) was initially in my head: 1st floor - 2nd floor - roof. Construction in three seasons. But I could not find living examples of those who left the walls of aerated concrete for the winter in our region to consult. How will aerated concrete survive the winter in reality?

And by chance, in a conversation with an acquaintance, I found out that a few years ago he also did not manage to finish the second floor and left his unfinished construction without a roof for the winter. The walls were uncovered. And everything overwintered normally. The blocks did not crumble, the upper edges did not crack. The maximum he did was to cover the remaining pallets with aerated concrete, and in the spring he removed the polyethylene from them. This information greatly reassured me, and I was once again convinced that I made the right choice of wall material.

What about other blocks and materials? Can the walls of them be left without a roof for the winter?

1. FROM foam concrete everything is clear, re-commenting is unnecessary. Polystyrene concrete absorbs moisture least from cellular concrete - it has a high frost resistance (and its minus is large shrinkage values). It hibernates normally, although I have not seen living examples.

2. Warm ceramics - porous brick blocks. Water and snow enter the voids inside the blocks without shelter. Ice inside in winter can break the outer walls of the blocks. And moisture will leave there for a very long time. It is imperative to cover it throughout the construction period.

High-quality brick has a high frost resistance class and can winter without a roof for years. The same applies to concrete blocks.

4. Expanded clay concrete also minimally absorbs moisture and has high values ​​of frost resistance. But it is better to close the masonry. Water penetrates deep inside the expanded clay balls. The same applies to arbolita (to chip concrete). A material porous like a sieve can accumulate moisture deep in the wall. And since inside wood, mold spores are likely.

5. Wooden walls when wet and dry, they bend, the timber turns "with a screw", mold appears in dark, unventilated rooms. Ideally, build from a bar in winter (and from a winter forest) and mount a roof in spring. Although, a log house of my friend stood for three years without a roof. Much also depends on the quality of the wood.

***

Photos of the author (c)

Subscribe to the channel, add it to your browser bookmarks (Ctrl + D). There is a lot of interesting information ahead.