Eco-frame frame house: pros and cons, prices, technology and feedback

Frame houses can solve several problems in the construction and operation of housing. Such facilities are built in a few days, are characterized by high energy-saving function and affordability. It should also be remembered that the technology of prefabricated houses came to Russia from Canada, where the requirements for the naturalness of building materials are quite high. Therefore, an eco-friendly frame house is absolutely harmless to humans. To date, each of these advantages are disputes, especially if we compare with competing construction technologies. However, the desire of companies to move further and develop the ideas of prefabricated eco-houses in these areas is not simply declared, but is also confirmed by a huge number of realized and conceptual projects.

Technology of construction of frame ecohouse

Despite the wide list of fundamental positive characteristics of the frame house, the technology of its construction is not so difficult. If you want to become the owner of such a home, you need to go through several stages. First of all, this is the choice of the project: you can buy one of the existing standard options or order development from scratch. Further, in accordance with the design decision, the manufacturing plant will produce a semi-finished product, from which the workers will assemble a ready-made eco-friendly frame house on the construction site. Eco-construction involves the use of natural raw materials, so the harvesting kits consist mainly of wood materials. Depending on the project, it can be both solid elements, and products of wood-shaving production. At the final stage, when the foundation of the building in the form of a frame is assembled, the finishing work begins. The facing material is also chosen with the expectation of ecological compatibility. As a rule, these are wood panels, lining and natural thermal insulation.

The principles of building frame houses

At first glance, the technological principles practically do not differ from the construction of conventional log buildings. But such a conclusion can be made only by the criterion of environmental friendliness. In the rest, serious differences are assumed, which makes the technology unique. So, the principles by which an eco-friendly frame house is constructed can be represented as follows:

• Maximum use of natural building materials.
• Minimal negative impact on the environment during the operation of the house.
• Minimum requests for energy consumption.
• Healthy microclimate inside.
• Price accessibility for a wide range of customers.

Of course, not all companies manage to follow these principles to the full extent. However, the emergence of new technologies facilitates the implementation of the stated goals in different directions.

Heating and thermal insulation

The main source of energy for the supply of frame houses are power plants. Also, systems of autonomous heating in the form of boilers and fireplaces are common. Although construction companies are trying to minimize heat loss by improving the characteristics of basic materials, these measures are not enough. Accordingly, the question arises as to what to insulate the frame house. Heaters should also be chosen from environmentally friendly materials, but with sufficient thermal conductivity. Actually, this choice is small and involves only two options: stone mats and ecowool. Both insulators provide a favorable microclimate in the house and fully comply with the requirements of environmental friendliness. But there is one nuance. Unlike ecowools, stone slabs require an additional waterproofing device.

As an alternative, you can also offer thermal insulation from the products of the household. It can be an eco-friendly insulation for the frame house in the form of a mixture of clay, straw, sawdust and shavings. Adherents of such decisions are bribed by indisputable naturalness and free material. However, the efficiency of the clay-straw mixture in terms of heat insulation function is low and is unlikely to satisfy the requirements for houses in cold regions.

Concepts for reducing energy costs

Perhaps, this is the most urgent task in construction, which is not only for the technologists of frame houses. One of the key directions is the creation and operation of infrastructure, which will allow the use of wind and solar energy. This approach completely fits into the principles of green building. The fact is that the problem of the ecological compatibility of frame houses is still preserved because of the consumption of gas, coal and oil for their maintenance. On the other hand, electricity from traditional stations is not cheap, and this in itself is contrary to the principle of low house value. Therefore, advanced market participants in this segment of construction are working hard to create new networks that take energy from alternative sources. There are also smaller projects, in the framework of which technologies for energy saving are being developed.

Advantages of frame ecological houses

The advantages of such houses are much greater than the number of mentioned positive qualities. In general, the following advantages are noted:

• Favorable atmosphere inside, which can only provide a breathing ecological frame house, assembled from natural building materials.
• The minimum load on the foundation, which expands the range of choice of technology to form the basis.
• Speed of erection. A week is the average time for which companies complete the construction of a house. The rest depends on the owner, who is engaged in external and external decoration.
• Low cost. This advantage in the construction market is perceived by many with suspicion. Even if the cost of implementing a project is really minimal, will the result really be of high quality? Just at this moment it is worth addressing the shortcomings of such houses.

Disadvantages of frame ecological houses

Positive characteristics at low cost quite naturally caused the drawbacks of the frame house. Environmental compatibility, for example, does not allow the use of high-strength synthetic building materials, and the concept of reducing energy costs limits the possibility of using a user-friendly heating equipment. In addition, there are other disadvantages:

• Exposure to destructive biological processes. Again, the naturalness of materials makes itself felt - wood is rotted, damaged by rodents and insects. However, the use of protective means allows to minimize this shortcoming.
• Exposure to combustion. Frame houses can provide for the use of wood impregnated with resins that enhance the intensity of combustion. Therefore, separate measures for fire safety should be provided at the design and construction stages.
• The layout of the walls predetermines the other disadvantages of frame houses. Wireframe technology involves a dense sheathing panels with good sealing. As a result, almost every house requires the installation of special ventilation.

How is the ecological value of houses assessed?

In Russia, the concept of eco-friendliness at home usually implies that only natural materials were used in the construction process. However, in the world practice, the ecohouse is primarily an energy-saving one. That is, it has minimal impact on the environment and at the same time requires the use of a small amount of energy resources. How ecological the frame house meets these requirements, expert checks show. In particular, construction materials, finishing elements, the project itself, construction methods and energy consumption are subject to a special survey.

How economical is the skeleton ecohouse?

On average, frame eco houses are 25% more economical in content than other similar facilities. Today, the minimization of energy costs is facilitated not only by the materials and structural features of such houses. Companies offer a comprehensive approach to this problem. In particular, an eco-friendly frame house can be supplied with solar collectors and heat recuperators, which reduces energy consumption. At the same time, elements of "smart" houses are being introduced. These are systems that allow you to minimize costs by optimizing the operating modes of electrical appliances.

How much is the frame ecological house?

The technology of building frame houses in Russia has been practiced for many years, but there is as yet no clear understanding of approaches and calculations in the implementation of such projects. Therefore, the rates are "floating" and much depends on the supplier of the material and the team that will collect the eco-friendly frame house. The price for construction work is about 300-400 thousand rubles. Approximately the same amount costs the material itself. For 1 m ² workers usually ask for 1-1,5 thousand rubles. But it is important to understand that specialists in frame houses, especially in the province, are few, and professional services can cost much more.

Reviews

It is generally believed that unrealizable and fantastic, at first glance, ideas suggest deception and fraud. Eco-friendliness, low energy costs, unpretentiousness in maintenance and comfort in operation are the qualities that an environmentally friendly frame house should have. The price of 1 million rubles at the same time seems too attractive and questionable. However, in practice, the owners of such houses leave a lot of positive feedback. This applies to the quality of assembly, since the material is usually used by the factory, that is, devoid of defects, and to thermal insulation. Negative feedback, by the way, mainly refers to the need for additional finishing works. Having received the "box", it must be decorated from the inside, facing, warming, ventilating, etc. All this also affects the cost, it takes time and effort. However, the same can be said about other technologies for the construction of private houses.

Conclusion

The frame house in something can be compared to traditional wooden constructions. Their feature is the speed of assembly and a generally lightweight approach to construction. The naturalness of the materials at the same time corresponds to the same logs. However, the quality and reliability of the prefabricated structure will lose to the technique of laying timber. In addition, Russian wooden houses often do not require finishing, and work on thermal insulation is incomparable in scale, as in the case of wireframe analogs. Despite this, prefabricated buildings have one significant advantage - they were originally designed for high energy-saving. This idea is subject to every element of construction. Accordingly, for operational costs, such houses are really profitable and fully justify themselves.