How to properly preserve unfinished buildings for the winter Part 3: wooden houses

IN the first and second part we talked about the conservation for the winter period of shallow and deep foundations, basements and unfinished stone. Now let's figure out how to prepare an unfinished wooden house for winter.

What is it for

Although a wooden house is considered pre-fabricated, it often happens that it is not possible to complete the construction by winter. There are several reasons: insufficient budget, started late, or like this year - the pandemic ruined all plans. But in any development of events, wooden structures cannot be thrown as they are - they must be prepared for the cold weather. This will take a little time and money.

If the unfinished wooden building is not preserved for the winter, problems will begin in the spring. And solving some of these problems will require significant investment.

If the object is not protected from rain, snow, melt water, the structure and lumber will undergo active decay much earlier than expected. In frosty weather, water poses another type of danger - ice. When water freezes, it tends to increase in volume, and this can deform or destroy something in a wooden structure.

What tasks does conservation solve?

The main task in preparing a wooden unfinished building for winter is to maximally protect the structure from moisture in any form.

Task 2: foundation

An equally important task is to protect the foundation. If there is no blind area around the house, the soil may get wet and start moving when it freezes (frost heaving). And since the foundation is not yet loaded with the full weight laid down in the design, it cannot resist frost heaving. In this case, the integrity of the foundation may be compromised, which will also damage the frame of the house itself. Therefore, you need to properly protect the base of the house from snow, rain and melt water.

Task 3: walls

Another important task of preparing wooden buildings (refers to log cabins and houses from a bar) is the isolation of cracks and gaps between the crowns. Many people avoid this procedure until shrinkage occurs. But this is a big mistake - water will surely get into the cracks and gaps, which, if frozen, will damage the structure.

Task 4: openings

And it is also necessary to protect door and window openings from moisture. Many people prefer to nail them up with boards or seal them with foil. This is a fatal mistake - it is absolutely impossible to do this.

How to preserve a wooden unfinished: general preparation

Anything that will come into contact with moisture should be treated with an antiseptic. This will not be superfluous, since antiseptic impregnation for wood is a good prevention against mold, as well as a powerful resistance to bacteria that cause rotting. It is possible to antisept both the entire structure as a whole, and individual lumber stored outside.

Temporary roof

If the box is still without a roof, you need to make a temporary overlap. This is done simply - with the help of rafters, rafter boards and roofing material. It can also block the first floor if, according to the project, the house is two-story, and construction was interrupted and the second floor was not completed.

The temporary roof should be pitched. For example, if you need to equip a roof on finished walls, you first need to lay a beam or an unplaned board on an edge on one of the extreme walls along the upper rim. This is necessary to raise the level of one side of the roof and obtain a slope.

Next, you need to lay the beams along the walls and assemble a simple rafter frame. The frame is sheathed with a building board in increments of no more than 250 mm. Roofing material is laid and attached to the finished crate. The temporary roof is ready! Despite its simplicity, it will reliably protect the structure from precipitation.

Foundation preparation

Preparing the foundation of a wooden house for wintering is easy and inexpensive. To do this, you just need to make a temporary blind area of ​​cellophane film. The width of the hut is 1.5 meters. It is imperative to overlap the foundation with a height of at least 300 mm.

When erecting a temporary blind area, you need to observe the slope so that the water leaves the house. It is best to remove some soil, lay the film at a slight incline and press down with something heavy or sprinkle it with earth. This must be done so that the temporary blind area is not blown away by the wind.

Window and doorways

In unfinished wooden openings, it is absolutely impossible to close them. The building must be dry and well ventilated. However, in winter, snow can pile through the openings, which in warm weather turns into puddles. This is where mosquito nets, shading nets or paint nets come to the rescue. These materials allow air to pass through well, but retain snow.

Mezhventsovye gaps

Gaps before winter need to be thoroughly drilled, especially from the outside. If in some places the seal has come out, it should be refilled. Remember, as long as the walls are not crushed by the weight of a full roof, there is a danger of cracks in them. If water gets into the cracks and freezes, the structure may be damaged. This is especially dangerous in timber walls.

How do you prepare a wooden unfinished for winter? Write in the comments!

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