So, the outlines of your house are already visibly outlined by the foundation, arranged under all load-bearing vertical structures (walls, columns, partitions).

New worries and troubles arise. First of all, about the walls of the house. You already know from the project what material, design, and dimensions they are supposed to be. But many things seem unclear.

The choice of materials and wall structures depends on the climatic conditions of the place, on the purpose and temperature and humidity conditions of the enclosed premises, the number of storeys of the building, the availability of local building materials and their technical and economic indicators, taking into account the transportation distance, on the appearance and architectural design of the facades of the house.

These structures can significantly reduce the weight of walls, improve their economic performance, and speed up construction.

Construction of house walls

Let's get acquainted with the basic requirements for load-bearing walls. The selected design of the walls of a residential building must have the same durability as the house as a whole, and perform two main functions: protecting from the adverse effects of the external environment (rain, snow, wind, sun, overheating) and supporting the load (weight) transferred to them. from overlying structures, equipment, furniture.

Depending on the location in the building, walls are of two types: external and internal. The latter also serve as partitions.

The external walls of a private house must have sufficient (according to relevant standards) heat-protective qualities: calculated resistance to heat transfer (frost resistance in winter, protection from overheating by the sun in summer), vapor permeability and air permeability, that is, they must provide the necessary temperature and humidity conditions in the premises at any time of the year.

Depending on the required degree of fire resistance of the house, the walls must have a flammability group and a fire resistance limit not lower than those established by fire safety standards. Both external and interior walls must have sufficient (according to relevant standards) sound insulation properties.

These and some other requirements that you need to pay attention to when choosing a project and coordinating the designs of different elements of the house are sometimes contradictory. It is necessary to select materials and designs that satisfy, if possible, everyone technical requirements and the most economical solutions.

According to the constructive solution, walls can be divided into solid, consisting of a homogeneous material, and solid, consisting of various materials. The former perform both enclosing and load-bearing functions, while the latter perform either load-bearing or enclosing functions.

Let us first consider the constructions stone walls, most often used in cottage construction from brick, concrete, ceramics, as well as sandstone, limestone, and shell rock. In low-rise stone buildings, the dead weight of the walls together with the foundations is 50-70% total weight buildings, and the cost of the walls is up to 30% (with simple architectural details) of the cost of the entire building.

This shows how important it is to skillfully choose the type of walls, especially external ones.

Brick walls of a house

They are laid out from artificial stones nominal size 250x120x65 mm, excluding tolerances of 3-5 mm. The bricks are laid with the long side (25 mm) along the facade (along the wall) and are called spoons, or the short side across the wall and are called pokes. The spaces between bricks filled with mortar are called seams.

The normal thickness of the horizontal seam (between rows) is 10 mm, vertical (between bricks) is 10 mm. Often builders use much thicker seams, which is extremely undesirable, because this reduces the heat-insulating qualities and strength of the wall and violates the modularity of dimensions.

In cottage construction, solid ordinary or red clay bricks are used, fired, with a volumetric weight of 1700-1900 kg/m3 and less expensive silicate or white bricks (volume weight - 1800-200 kg/m3). For ease of use, the weight of one (solid) brick is from 3.2 to 4 kg.

The thickness of homogeneous (solid) brick walls is always a multiple of half the brick. Taking into account the thickness of vertical joints of 10 mm, brick walls have a thickness of 120, 250, 380, 510, 640 mm or more.

It depends on the masonry system. In a two-row, spoon rows alternate with bonded rows, forming on the façade, as it were, two repeating chains of rows. In a multi-row system, three to five spoon rows alternate with one splice row.

The outer and inner parts of the walls are laid from whole bricks by a qualified mason, and the middle of the backfill (backfill) is filled broken brick and filled with liquid solution. This method of laying is simpler than chain laying, so labor productivity is higher, and a larger volume of backfill reduces the cost.

Before laying, the brick must be wetted, for example by dipping it in a bucket of water. Otherwise, especially on hot days, water from the mortar will be absorbed into the bricks, poorly connecting them to each other, creating conditions for the destruction of the wall.

Some types of bricks, ceramic and lightweight concrete stones, small concrete blocks(solid or with vertical voids) are somewhat larger in size than ordinary bricks. For example, their height can be 88, 140, 188 mm.

When laying a wall of stones with slot-like voids, it is necessary to lay out the stones so that the slots are parallel to the wall, that is, perpendicular to the heat flow. Masonry of walls made of natural stone, which is given a regular shape larger than brick (by sawing or chiseling), is carried out using a chain system, mainly for unheated buildings in areas where this stone is a local building material.

The masonry is carried out using heavy volumetric weight more than 1500 kg/m5), so-called cold (cement-lime, sand) or light (slag), warm mortars. Thickness outer wall cottages, which is assigned according to thermal calculations, is redundant in terms of strength. It is sometimes used only 15-20% of its bearing capacity. Therefore, in cottage houses, lighter, more efficient bricks and heterogeneous (layered or lightweight) systems are used. wall masonry, and also ceramic and lightweight concrete stones.

Masonry of sand-lime bricks, which have a smoother surface than clay ones, is usually carried out without external plaster and with unstitching. The same solution can be recommended for red brick masonry using special facing clay bricks.

Combination of red clay and silicate masonry white brick can provide an interesting artistic solution for facades. However, sand-lime brick should not be used in places exposed to increased moisture, such as cornices and plinths. In rooms with wet processes (bathrooms, swimming pools), the masonry of walls and partitions should be solid, plastic-pressed clay bricks.

A common and economical design of external walls is the so-called well masonry, in which the wall is laid out from two independent walls half a brick thick (external, verst and internal), connected to each other by vertical brick bridges every 0.6-1.2 m, forming closed wells .

When laying wells, they are filled with insulation: slag, expanded clay, lightweight concrete with compaction. To prevent the insulation from sagging over time, the versts are connected by horizontal jumpers through stones made of slag concrete, foam concrete, and foam silicate.

The width of the thermal inserts is 40-50 mm less than the distance between the versts in order to form gaps that are filled with mortar. Masonry made from solid brick, consisting of two walls with closed air gaps 40-70 mm wide.

At the same time, brick consumption is reduced by 10-15%; the outer wall consists of half-brick rows of trays, and the inner wall, depending on the required thermal protection, is 250 or 380 mm.

The walls are connected using the methods indicated above, and the outside is plastered to reduce air infiltration. When filling the air cavities with mineral felt, the thermal efficiency of the wall increases by 30-40%.

To improve the thermal insulation qualities of walls, it is also possible to use thermal insulation boards(plasterboard, foam concrete, wood-shaving), installed on wooden (necessarily antiseptic) bars, mortar beacons and other methods with inside.

For thermal insulation and airtightness, it is recommended to cover the inside of the slabs, facing the masonry, with aluminum foil, kraft paper, etc. In a similar way, the walls are lined from the inside with boards. The insulation can be attached to the wall directly on the mortar. The outer surfaces of walls that are insulated from the inside also need to be plastered.

Important Note. Internal load-bearing walls and load-bearing partitions(on which beams or floor slabs rest) should be laid out from solid clay or silicate bricks, with a minimum sufficient (!) wall thickness of 250 mm (sometimes 120 mm).

The cross-section of the pillars must be at least 380x380 mm. For heavy loads (check locally), load-bearing pillars and partitions should be reinforced with a wire mesh with a diameter of 3 mm through 3-5 rows of masonry in height. The partitions are laid out with a thickness of 120 mm and 65 mm (brick “on edge”).

When the length of such partitions is more than 1.5 m, they should also be reinforced in 3-5 rows. Load-bearing partitions can be constructed (except for rooms with wet processes) from lightweight concrete, gypsum concrete and other slabs usually 80 mm thick, from boards and other suitable for local conditions materials using appropriate finishing.

For cladding facades, which is carried out simultaneously with the laying of walls, it is best to use the front ceramic brick, which is slightly more expensive than usual, but appearance, texture, color and permissible deviations in size, is of the highest quality. In this case, there is no need for painting for three to four years.

The laying of external walls should begin from the corners of the building. From the outside mile. To better maintain the straightness of the walls and the evenness and horizontality of the rows of masonry, it is necessary to use a plumb line, a stretched cord-mooring and a vertical strip-order with markings on it for each row of brick and seam in height.

House wall elements

Basement is the lower part of the wall from ground level to floor level, at least 500 mm high, enclosing the underground space of the house. The base is subject to moisture from atmospheric and ground moisture, snow, and mechanical stress, so when constructing it, durable, water- and frost-resistant materials (stone, concrete, red iron ore brick) should be used.

The outer surfaces of the base can have different textures and finishes; smooth and embossed, including from a thick layer cement plaster with cutting into rustications imitating stone masonry, lined with natural stone, hard rock, ceramic tiles on cement mortar, the composition is one part cement to three parts sand.

At a level of about 150 mm above the adjacent blind area, a layer of anti-capillary protection should be installed along the entire perimeter of the base. horizontal waterproofing, consisting of two layers of roofing felt, roofing felt or cement screed.

Zabirka-lightweight plinth

The plinths of layered walls should be made of solid brickwork or other durable, frost- and moisture-resistant materials. A thin wall between the foundation pillars, under the lower part of the veranda wall, insulating the floor space, protecting from moisture, snow, etc. It is made of the same materials as the main wall, for example, one or half brick; is buried into the ground by 300-500 mm.

On clayey, heaving soils, under the fence they arrange sand cushion 150-300 mm thick. The cornice ends the top of the wall and is called crowning. It is designed to protect the wall from slanting rain, excessive heating from the sun, and also to drain water flowing from the roof. In addition, the cornice usually decorates buildings, giving the composition a finished look.

Therefore, its shape, height, reach and color are largely determined by the general architectural solution facade.

The cornices of simple-shaped stone walls can be laid out by gradually overlapping each row by no more than 1/3 of the length of the brick (80 mm). The total offset should not exceed half the wall thickness. If there is a large extension of the eaves of complex configuration, special prefabricated ones should be used with brackets reinforced concrete slabs, beams cantilevered into the wall and secured with anchors.

Cornices are often used on outlets rafter legs or fillies; they are open and hemmed.

Undoubtedly, various architectural details, belts, intermediate and crown cornices introduced into the planar design of the facades can improve the aesthetic appearance of cottages. Lined with brick or other elements, such as concrete, but simple in design.

Smoke and ventilation ducts

for low-rise buildings, they are usually installed in internal walls 380 mm thick, lined with smooth red solid brick. The cross-section of these vertical channels for stoves is taken to be 140x270 mm, and for ventilation channels from kitchens, restrooms, and bathrooms - 140x140 mm.

Ventilation living rooms through the windows. Each stove (or fireplace) must have its own separate smoke channel. Internal surfaces For better traction, the channels should be clean and smooth, rubbed (it is important not to forget about this) with clay (not cement) mortar. Leveling and grouting of the walls is carried out with a clean wet rag when laying channels through five or six rows of bricks.

Smoke ducts from different stoves in the attic are combined into chimneys, which extend above roof level. If a combustible structure is adjacent to the wall at the location of the smoke ducts, for example wooden beams ceiling, then in this place the walls of the chimneys (120 mm) are thickened to the height (thickness) of the ceiling fire regulations up to 380 mm.

Ventilation ducts (each room has its own duct) are also combined into ventilation pipes, which lead above the roof.

Walls of a house made of timber

They are traditional in the construction of low-rise buildings in Russia, have excellent sanitary and hygienic properties, have low fire resistance and fragility, and are susceptible to rotting.

Wooden frame, requiring large quantity First-class forest, after about 30-40 years, as a rule, warps and becomes unusable. The construction of cottages with solid wooden walls is rare in modern practice. However, installing a second floor with wooden walls and a first brick floor gives good results.

Types wooden walls: chopped logs, cobblestones, frame and panel, as well as frame-panel. Frame and panel walls used in simple prefabricated houses and garden houses. The logged outer walls of residential buildings built in the middle climatic zone must be made of logs with a diameter of at least 220 mm, have a careful groove (the width of the longitudinal oval groove of the upper log into which the “hump” of the lower one is inserted is approximately 2/3 of the diameter of the log).

Therefore, an individual developer can buy and build such walls himself.

The thickness of the beams, depending on the climatic region, that is, on the winter design temperature, is taken for external walls to be 150 (t ~30 °C) or 180 mm (t -40 °C), for internal walls - 100 mm, with the height of the bars being the same for external ones and internal walls - 150 or 180 mm.

Between the crowns of the beams, a heat-insulating material, caulking made of tow or felt, is laid. For better drainage of water from the horizontal seam between the beams, a chamfer 20-30 mm wide is removed (planed) from the upper edge of each beam. Felt strips should be cut 20 mm narrower than the width of the beams.

To reduce conductivity between the beams, you can install grooves, ropes, and stuff triangular slats. For fastening crowns (beams) in height in advance drilled holes dowels and dowels are inserted. Connections (intersections) of external walls in corners and with internal walls are designed in a similar way.

Unlike log walls, block walls are assembled into a log house immediately on prepared foundations of the usual type.

To improve the protection of block walls from biological destruction of wood and from atmospheric influences, the walls can be sheathed on the outside with boards (diameter 25-40 mm) or facing bricks(diameter 88.12 mm). This will make the walls warmer, and when brick cladding and more fire resistant.

It is better to make plank cladding horizontal, which makes it easier to install the insulation. Fastening with wooden beams and metal clasps.

Sheathing and cladding of paving stones and log walls should be done after their complete settlement, no earlier than 1-1.5 years after their construction.

Variety of architectural elements and details country houses has always been characteristic of buildings built at the beginning of the 20th century. So, you have now become more familiar with some of the basic provisions for constructive solutions for walls. Now you can professionally conduct conversations with builders, choosing certain wall design options.

Walls

By location - external and internal.

Exterior walls - the most complex building structure. They are exposed to numerous and varied force and non-force influences. Internal walls are divided into:

Inter-apartment;

26. General requirements and classification of walls.

Walls are the vertical structural elements of a building that separate rooms from the external environment and divide the building into separate rooms. They perform enclosing and load-bearing (or only the first) functions. They are classified according to various criteria.

By location - external and internal.

Exterior walls - the most complex building structure. They are exposed to numerous and varied force and non-force influences. The walls bear their own weight, permanent and temporary loads from floors and roofs, exposure to wind, uneven deformations of the base, seismic forces, etc.

From the outside, the external walls are exposed to solar radiation, precipitation, variable temperatures and humidity of the outside air, external noise, and from the inside - the effects of heat flow, water vapor flow, noise. Performing the functions of an external enclosing structure and a composite element of facades, and often a load-bearing structure, the external wall must meet the requirements of strength, durability and fire resistance corresponding to the capital class of the building, protect the premises from adverse external influences, ensure the necessary temperature and humidity conditions of the enclosed premises, and have decorative qualities.

The design of the external wall must meet the requirements economic requirements minimum material consumption and cost, since external walls are the most expensive structure (20-25% of the cost of building structures).

In the external walls there are usually window openings for lighting the premises and doorways for entrance and exit to balconies and loggias. Expansion joints arranged to avoid the formation of cracks and distortions in the walls caused by the concentration of forces from the effects of variable temperatures and shrinkage of the material (masonry, monolithic or prefabricated concrete structures, etc.). They are often called temperature-shrinkable. Temperature-shrinkage joints cut through the structures of only the ground part of the building. The distances between temperature-shrinkable seams are assigned in accordance with climatic conditions and physical and mechanical properties wall materials.Sedimentary seams should be provided in places sharp changes number of storeys of the building (sedimentary joints of the first type), as well as with significant uneven deformations of the base along the length of the building, caused by the specific geological structure of the base (sedimentary joints of the second type). Settlement seams of the first type are prescribed to compensate for differences in vertical deformations of ground structures of the high and low parts of the building, and therefore they are arranged similarly to temperature-shrinkable ones only in ground structures. Sedimentary joints of the second type cut the building to its entire height - from the ridge to the base of the foundation. Antiseismic seams should be provided in buildings erected in areas with seismicity of 7 points or more. The distance between anti-seismic joints should not exceed 60 m. Anti-seismic joints should also be installed in places where the number of floors changes and in buildings complex shape in plan for division into independent symmetrical compartments.

The design of the anti-seismic joint must ensure the independence of the compartments.

Expansion joints in frame-panel buildings they are separated by paired columns.

The minimum length (width) of the temperature compartment of a frame-panel building must be 60 m.

Internal walls are divided into:

Inter-apartment;

Indoor (walls and partitions);

Walls with ventilation ducts(near the kitchen, bathrooms, etc.).

Depending on the adopted structural system and building layout, the external and internal walls of the building are divided into load-bearing, self-supporting and non-load-bearing. Partitions

Bearers

Self-supporting

Non-load bearing

Partitions- These are vertical, usually non-load-bearing fences that divide the internal volume of a building into adjacent rooms.

They are classified according to the following criteria:

By location - interior, inter-apartment, for kitchens and plumbing units;

By function - blind, with openings, incomplete, that is, not reaching

By design - solid, frame, sheathed on the outside with sheet material;

According to the installation method - stationary and transformable.

Partitions must meet the requirements of strength, stability, fire resistance, sound insulation, etc.

Bearers walls, in addition to the vertical load from their own mass, perceive and transmit to the foundations loads from adjacent structures: floors, partitions, roofs, etc. (Table 5.1).

Self-supporting walls take vertical load only from their own mass (including the load from balconies, bay windows, parapets and other wall elements) and transfer it to the foundations directly or through plinth panels, rand beams, grillage or other structures.

Non-load bearing the walls, floor by floor (or across several floors), are supported on adjacent internal structures of the building (floors, walls, frame).

27. Architectural and structural details of walls.

On the outer surface of the walls there are horizontal and vertical divisions architectural and structural details and elements.

Horizontal divisions form a base, cornices, belts, and vertical - braces, risalits, pilasters, niches, columns and half-columns and other elements.

Base called the lower part of the building, located directly above the foundation (Fig. 5.4,a...n).

Structural elements that protect the walls of buildings from rain and melt water are cornices (Fig. 5.4, d, e ).

Cornices there are crowning and intermediate . The cornice as an architectural element of a building can influence the expressiveness of the facade.

Protrusions are installed above window and door openings - sandriki (Fig.5.5, 6). which are also architectural decorations. Around the windows and doorways sometimes they get a job platband and (Fig. 5.5, d). They are often made from special shaped elements. In some cases, the outer wall of the building is raised slightly higher than the covering; this part of the wall is called parapet.

Large elements that have both functional and architectural purposes are balconies, loggias, bay windows .

Balconies are a platform consisting of balcony slab and fences (Fig. 5.6, a ).

Bay window called the enclosed part of the room protruding beyond the outer plane façade wall and usually illuminated by several windows (Fig. 5.6b ). Bay windows enrich not only the overall design of facades, but also their volumetric-spatial structure.

Niche called a local recess in the wall, pilaster – local thickening of the wall, elongated vertically and insignificant in width.

Column – this is a separate support in the form of a pillar, semi-column - a pilaster protruding from the plane of the wall by half its width. Columns and semi-columns, as a rule, perform load-bearing functions

Loggia It is an open room built into the dimensions of the building, protruding (partially or completely) from the plane of the external walls (Fig. 5.6c). Based on their design, there are three types of loggias: recessed, completely placed within the dimensions of the building, partially recessed and external.

External walls are the most complex design buildings. They are subject to numerous and varied force and non-force influences (Fig. 17.1). Load-bearing external walls bear the load from their own mass and temporary loads from floors and roofs supported on the walls, exposure to wind, uneven deformations of the base, seismicity, etc. From the outside, external walls are exposed to solar radiation, precipitation, variable temperatures and humidity of the outside air , street noise, and from the inside - the effects of heat flow and water vapor flow (Fig. 17.1).

Performing the functions of an external fence, the main structural and compositional element of facades, and often a load-bearing structure, the external wall must meet the requirements of strength, durability and fire resistance corresponding to the capital class of the building, provide a favorable temperature and humidity regime of the enclosed premises, have decorative qualities, protect the premises from adverse external influences. At the same time, the design of the outer wall must satisfy the general technical requirements of industry and minimum material consumption, as well as economic requirements. At the same time, it is necessary to both save one-time costs during construction, since external walls are the most expensive structure (up to 25% of the cost of building structures), and reduce operating costs for heating the building, since the main heat losses occur through the external walls and their elements.

External walls usually have openings side lighting premises and openings into open summer rooms of balconies and loggias, therefore, the complex of wall structures includes folding translucent filling of openings and structures of open rooms. All these elements and their connections with the walls must also meet the requirements listed above. In walls made of prefabricated elements, this complex also includes joints of external wall elements with each other and with internal structures. Static functions of walls and their insulating properties ensures interaction with internal structures, therefore the design of external walls includes the development of their connections with internal walls, ceilings, and frames.

External walls (as well as all other building structures), depending on the natural-climatic, engineering-geological conditions of construction and the specifics of the building solution, are cut with vertical expansion joints various types- temperature-shrinkage, sedimentary, anti-seismic, etc. (Fig. 17.2).

Temperature shrinkage seams arranged to avoid the formation of cracks and distortions in the walls caused by the concentration of forces from the effects of variable air temperatures and shrinkage of materials (masonry, concrete). Such seams are cut only ground part buildings.

The distances between the seams (the length of the building's temperature compartment) are determined by calculation in accordance with the climatic conditions of construction and the physical and technical parameters of the materials of the external walls. The lengths of the compartments range from 40 to 100 m for brick ones and from 75-150 m for panel walls. At the same time smallest sizes temperature compartments belong to the most severe climatic conditions.

Sedimentary seams are provided in places where there are sharp differences in the number of storeys of the building (type I sedimentary joints), as well as in cases of significant uneven deformation of the base along the length of the building, caused by the specific geological structure of the base (type II sedimentary joints). Type I sedimentary joints are installed to compensate for the difference in vertical deformations of the high and low parts of the building. For this purpose, the support of the floors of the low part on the supporting structure of the high part of the building designed with a hinge and the design of the settlement seam is carried out similarly to the temperature-shrinkable one.

In case of rigid junctions of the high and low parts of the building, as well as in cases of large uneven deformations, the base of the building is cut into rigid sections with vertical seams along the entire height - right up to the base of the foundation.

In special engineering-geological conditions, for example, seismic conditions, cutting with expansion joints divides the building into elementary rectangular sections and is carried out along the entire height of the building from the roof to the base of the foundation. The length of the compartments is assigned by calculation in accordance with the estimated seismicity of the construction area and the physical and technical properties of the materials load-bearing structures.

External wall structures are classified according to the following criteria:

• the static function of the wall, determined by its role in the structural system of the building;
• material and technology for constructing the wall, determined by the building’s construction system;
• constructive solution - in the form of a single-layer or layered enclosing structure.

According to the static function, load-bearing, self-supporting and non-load-bearing external walls are distinguished (see Fig. 3.3).

Load-bearing walls in addition to the vertical load from their own mass, they absorb loads from all structures resting on the walls (roofs, ceilings, balconies, bay windows, parapets, etc.) and transmit it through the foundations to the base.

Self-supporting walls perceive the load only from their own mass, including the load from balconies, bay windows, parapets and other elements of the wall itself, and transfer it to the foundations directly or through plinth panels, rand beams, grillage or other structures.

Non-structural structures The walls, floor by floor (or across several floors), are supported by adjacent internal structures of the building (ceilings, internal walls, frame).

In buildings with non-load-bearing external walls made of sheet materials, they are sometimes used mounted structures with special hanging elements on the internal structures of buildings.

Load-bearing walls, along with vertical loads, also absorb horizontal impacts, being vertical elements of rigidity of structures. In buildings with non-load-bearing external walls, the functions of vertical stiffeners are performed by the frame, internal walls, diaphragms or stiffening trunks.

Load-bearing and non-load-bearing external walls can be used in buildings of any number of floors. Height self-supporting walls are limited in order to prevent operationally unfavorable mutual displacements of self-supporting and internal load-bearing structures, accompanied by local damage to the finishing of the premises and the appearance of cracks. IN panel houses, for example, it is permissible to use self-supporting walls for a building height of no more than 5 floors. The stability of self-supporting walls is ensured by flexible connections with internal structures.

Maximum number of floors load-bearing wall depends on the load-bearing capacity and deformability of its material, design, the nature of the relationship with internal structures, as well as on economic considerations. So, for example, the use of layered load-bearing panel walls is advisable in buildings up to 17 floors high, load-bearing brick walls in mid-rise buildings, and load-bearing steel shell structures in 70-100 storey buildings.

Main characteristic constructive solution The outer wall is its layering.

Traditional for the walls of any building system is a single-layer construction: from brick (or blocks of natural stone) - solid masonry, from wood - a chopped wall made of logs or beams, in concrete housing construction - a single-layer wall from lightweight or cellular concrete autoclave hardening.

Until the mid-1990s, single-layer construction in Russia was the main one for all building construction systems, accounting for over 80% of the total construction volume.

Layered structures, for example in the form of lightweight brick walls, were used mainly to save one-time costs. Due to their reduced load-bearing capacity, they were used as load-bearing structures mainly in buildings up to 5 floors or for the upper floors of multi-story buildings.

The policy of saving energy resources for heating buildings at the state level was reflected in a radical increase in the requirements for heat transfer resistance of all enclosing external structures, reflected in SNiP 11-3-79*, put into effect by the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation in March 1998.

New standards (even for regions of the Russian Federation with temperate climate) required an increase of 2.8-3.5 times in the heat transfer resistance of external walls compared to the previous design standards that had been in force for 70 years and all historical construction experience.

In practice, this meant increasing the thickness of a single-layer solid masonry brick wall from 51 cm to 155 cm, a lightweight concrete panel wall from 30-38 cm to 90-105 cm, a wall made of cellular autoclaved concrete from 25 to 75 cm, and walls wooden log house up to 60 cm. Due to the obvious uneconomical nature of such structures, a radical transition is taking place from single-layer structures to layered ones with effective insulation.

Accordingly, this is accompanied by a restructuring of the building materials and industrial products industry for external walls.

Due to the fact that for most structures the transition from single-layer walls to layered structures leads to a decrease in their load-bearing capacity, the choice of structural systems buildings. For load-bearing layered structures of external walls, the main area of ​​application remains low and medium-rise buildings, both with longitudinal and transverse internal walls. In multi-storey buildings, the main structural systems are transverse and cross-wall or frame with non-load-bearing external walls.

The area of ​​rational use of single-layer external walls is sharply limited to areas with a hot climate, as well as individual low-rise construction.

Along with radical revisions in the design of external walls and structural systems of buildings, there is a sharp expansion in the types of building construction systems. Along with the traditional frameless system houses with brick walls and the most industrial panel, prefabricated monolithic and monolithic systems of various modifications are widely introduced, affecting the design curtain walls new generation, urgently introduced into the construction of multi-storey capital buildings with industrial construction technology.

An individual developer is necessarily faced with the question of choice optimal material for the construction of a residential building. The choice of building materials for walls takes into account climatic features, relief nuances, financial capabilities, etc. There is no single formula for this. All materials for construction have different strengths, require the use of unique construction technology, and do not have the same levels of thermal conductivity.

What determines the choice of material for a home?

The construction of walls accounts for a quarter of all costs of building a house. A careless attitude to the choice of material will entail additional subsequent expenses. Therefore, it is worth considering and considering everything important criteria and factors when choosing best material for the construction of house walls:

Labor costs. For example, the cost of time and effort is reduced if you build a house from panel blocks, rather than from bricks and other small elements. Modern panel houses can be done several times faster, especially if it frame structures.

Thermal insulating properties of the material. When choosing a deliberately cold material for walls, the developer will pay a high price in winter for such a reckless step. The owner will also have to deal with insulating the outside walls of the house. When calculating this indicator, current climatic conditions are taken into account.

Price issue. If you give preference to a durable and lightweight version of the material for the walls, then you can save on the construction of a powerful foundation, which is expensive to build.

Taking into account also the subsequent costs of finishing work. Today there are smooth materials for modern walls that do not require finishing.

A log house is one of the options for walls that do not require finishing

Types of wall materials

The building materials market offers a wide selection various options to build the walls of your home. There are several types of bricks alone: ​​silicate, clinker, ceramic, fireclay. And wood has been one of the most popular and sought-after building materials for many years. The cost of such raw materials depends on the type of wood (pine, oak, birch, cedar) and the type of material (logs, boards, beams). A very popular and more economical option are various types blocks: foam blocks, ceramic blocks, thermoblocks, lightweight concrete blocks, etc. In Europe, for example, houses are most often built using the frame method, which is very fast and inexpensive. About 70% of the private housing stock in Europe is occupied by frame technology construction of buildings. Builders also note the cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency of SIP panels.

Let's consider the main types of materials:

Log houses and log houses

A log house is an object made from cut trunks of a solid tree. Work such as cutting corners, adjusting joints and grooves is always done manually.

Such houses look presentable, well built and have many advantages:

Architectural version of a log house

The disadvantages of log buildings include:

House made of timber

Glued or profiled timber is cheaper building material for the walls of the house, which is in great demand today.

Advantages of timber:

In addition, such material is relatively inexpensive.

However, timber:

They say that such a structure can be built alone, with certain knowledge and skills. But its construction scheme is more complex and ornate than, for example, a brick one.

Frame house under construction

All the advantages of frame houses:

To the disadvantages frame structures worth mentioning:

Resonance of walls and ceilings;

The need to have a competent construction project, which will contain all the drawings and diagrams of fasteners and components.

The disadvantages of such houses can also be attributed to the conservative mentality of our citizens, who look at frame structures with caution, considering them unreliable.

SIP panels

Canada and America have been actively using frame-panel technologies in construction for more than half a century. In our country this method is not yet so popular. SIP panel is a three-layer building material, which is made from two layers of OSB and internal insulation expanded polystyrene.

This is what a SIP panel looks like

Advantages of SIP panels:

In addition, SIP panels are an environmentally friendly building material.

This is what a house built from SIP panels without façade finishing looks like

Its disadvantages include the following aspects (of which, by the way, there are many):

Brick walls

Brick is the most familiar and most available material for building the walls of a house outside. It is usually made from clay and is enhanced with various impurities. All the advantages of brick:

The disadvantages of building materials include:

Expanded clay blocks

Ceramic blocks are made from red clay, just like bricks. But blocks are more different from them overall dimensions. This option for constructing walls from ceramic blocks is very similar to the technology for constructing brick houses.

Pros of ceramic blocks:

The disadvantages of ceramic blocks include: