We have been living in a frame house for 10 years. Decided to get my wife's opinion
When my wife and I got married, she said that she would never live in a private house. Now, twenty years later, ten of which we live in our house, she says the same thing about the apartment.
The house, or rather an extension to the old house for two owners, I built in 2012 on my own over the summer. The total living area turned out to be 77 m², of which 12 m² is a room in the old house. It turned out three living rooms, a large kitchen-dining room, a combined bathroom and a small corridor in which the boiler is located. We decided that this would be enough for a family of four.
When the question arose of what to build, I settled on a frame. Why a frame house? Firstly, at that time we were very short of money and considered such a construction option that we could do ourselves without involving hired specialists. Secondly, it was the frame house that could be tied to the old log house without any problems.
This year it will be ten years since we live in our house, and since the battles “Frame house - good or bad?” do not subside on the network, I decided to also contribute to this entertainment. But he did not express his opinion, but asked his wife, as a person who has been living in a frame house for ten years, to share her impressions. It seems to me that for people who are considering the option of building a frame, it will be interesting to know the opinion of the consumer.
In addition, she is a responsible lady and loves to cut the truth of the uterus, so she will not hide anything. I give her the floor.
"Hello everyone! As Alexander said, we have been living in a frame house for ten years. Enough impressions!
In our region (Altai Territory), frame builders are not often built. Our heating season lasts seven to nine months, so they mainly use aerated concrete, insulation and exterior finishes in construction.
Our housewarming party took place in September 2012. Thus, we immediately entered the heating season. Heating in the house is water, aluminum radiators are installed, but gas is not supplied. We heat with charcoal. This causes temperature fluctuations. We heat up to 30 heat, and then there is a slow cooling. When the temperature drops to 20-23 degrees, we again flood the boiler.
The thickness of the walls is 18 cm with a heater of 15 cm, each room has a large window. The windows are wooden, double.
Now the actual impressions themselves.
The saying "My home is my castle!" - this is not about a frame house. It is often said that this is a light house, due to the fact that the load on the foundation is not as significant as, for example, when using bricks. But this lightness is also felt according to subjective impressions. Lacks a sense of reliability. Unusually thin walls.
An unpleasant surprise was the lack of soundproofing. Being in the house with the windows closed, one could hear loud voices from the street, the noise of a passing car. And if a truck passed by, then feel the vibration.
Strong winds were also a test for the nervous system. The howls and creaks were alarming. In 2018, unexpectedly for everyone, a hurricane hit the city, uprooting huge trees. At some point, it seemed to me that our house would be picked up and carried away, like in a famous fairy tale, but everything worked out. The house survived.
Therefore, if you are planning to build a frame house, I recommend that you carry out soundproofing work. By the way, we did just that last year during the renovation. And, as they say, felt the difference. You can't hear cars or people from the street. The fact that there is a strong wind outside, you understand only when you look out the window.
What else didn't I like? I don't know how to properly write about it. Perhaps the heat capacity of the walls is low or the heat-cold boundary is shifted inside the room, but when the bed was placed against the street wall, it was very cold in the gaps between the bed and the wall. But now, after we made soundproofing and additional insulation, this is not the case. The temperature in the room does not fluctuate so much and you feel quite comfortable.
We did not carry out separate ventilation in the house. Hope for windows. In summer, the windows are open all season. But after additional insulation, especially in winter, the lack of ventilation is felt.
Perhaps these are my main complaints about the frame house. Be that as it may, I love our house very much!
I would attribute three points to the main advantages of a frame house.
1. Fast erection. During the summer it is really possible to build a turnkey project.
2. Relative cheapness of construction. The key word is relative.
3. Scalability. Build something, rebuild something. For example, instead of a window, make an exit to the terrace without fear of disturbing the supporting structures.
For a long time, the interior decoration of the house was a painted wooden lath. We did a big renovation last year. The walls were additionally insulated and covered with plasterboard, the heating and electrics were redone.
In summary, I would like to say that the choice of building a frame house helped us out in a difficult situation. We were able to build a house to live in quickly and cheaply. In 2012, the construction cost us 400 thousand rubles. These are walls, roof, heating, appliances in the bathroom. Required minimum for living.
If we were building our house now, perhaps I would again stop at frame construction, but I would lay additional costs on wall and ceiling insulation and provide for ventilation.
If you have any questions about this topic, ask in the comments. I'll be happy to answer."
Thank you for reading. I will be glad for your support in the form of a like and a subscription to the channel. And see other posts on the channel.
Alexander.
P.S. I also invite you to your website.