Most residents of cities and megalopolises have a summer cottage - the calm atmosphere and proximity to nature make it a desirable place to relax during weekends or vacations. However, before you can spend time at your country residence, the site must be landscaped. Without a roof over your head and a minimum of amenities, resting on bare ground will be a rather dubious pleasure.
If you decide to quickly prepare your summer cottage for the holiday season, while spending a minimum of financial and physical resources, then temporary lightweight buildings will be an ideal option for you. This article will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to build a country house and outbuildings in your country house with your own hands.
Construction of a summer house
As stated above, the construction of a country house is best carried out according to a simplified scheme in order to facilitate construction work as much as possible. Below we will look at the main stages of constructing a building with a lightweight structure.
Preparing the base
Do-it-yourself summer cottage buildings are best erected on a shallow ground. The light weight of the structure makes it possible not to go very deep into the ground, thereby significantly reducing concrete consumption.
The work order is as follows:
- First of all, the perimeter is marked. Based on the marks made, trenches are dug at least half a meter deep and up to 40 cm wide. Half of the trench is filled with fine gravel to form a cushion;
- The formwork is installed - its height depends on the dimensions of the future foundation. In most cases, 30 cm for the above-ground part of the foundation is quite enough. The formwork must be propped up with side stops and wedges so that the concrete mass does not squeeze it out;
- A metal frame is laid in the trench, which is welded from four parallel fittings. When assembling and laying reinforcement, it should be taken into account that it should be located exactly in the middle of the future foundation;
- A concrete mixture is prepared from cement, sand and crushed stone in a ratio of 1:2:3. When pouring, you can throw small stones into the formwork, which will reduce the consumption of the mixture.
Walling
After the foundation has completely dried, you can begin building the walls. The construction of a country house with your own hands is most often carried out from lightweight materials - foam concrete, polystyrene concrete or expanded clay concrete blocks, which have a relatively low weight and good thermal insulation properties.
As a mixture for laying blocks, you can use either a special masonry adhesive or a homemade cement composition. In the first case, a thin seam is formed, but the price of this product is not always acceptable. The cement mixture, at a lower cost, creates a thicker seam, since its structure is less plastic.
The laying of blocks is carried out according to the following principle:
- First of all, the masonry mortar is formed. If we are talking about a ready-made dry mixture, then simply add water to it and mix thoroughly. A homemade solution is prepared from sand and cement, which are mixed in a ratio of 1:3. Lime milk is added to it as a liquid, which plays the role of a modifying additive;
Note!
When preparing a homemade mortar for masonry, the sand must be sifted through a fine mesh to remove stones, otherwise building a country house with your own hands can become very complicated.
- Before starting masonry, it is necessary to lay a layer of waterproofing on the foundation so that moisture from the soil does not rise to the wall. Any moisture-resistant material is suitable for this purpose - roofing felt, thick polyethylene, etc.;
- The first row of the block is laid out along the perimeter, then using a plumb line or level, vertically even corners are laid in several rows. A thread is stretched between the corners, along which intermediate blocks are laid out - this way you will get a perfectly even masonry. When laying out the block, do not forget to follow the step and form a bunch between the rows;
Note!
In one day, you can lay out no more than five rows of masonry, since with more there is a risk of collapse.
- To form window or door openings, lintels are installed, which can be made of wood, metal or concrete at your discretion. The main thing is that they can withstand the weight of the masonry and the future roof. It should be taken into account that one of the sides of the building must be several rows higher than the other to create the slope of the future roof.
Roof deck
The formation of the roof begins with the laying of load-bearing beams for the ceiling, which are placed at intervals of one meter. After laying the load-bearing structures, a black ceiling is formed - boards or plywood are filled, onto which insulation is covered or poured. Boards are laid along the entire perimeter of the building, which will serve as fastening for the rafters.
Rafters are installed in increments of no more than one meter. Then the transverse strips are installed, which will serve as the basis for the roof - the gap between them is determined based on the type of material. After this, you can begin laying slate, ondulin, tin, etc. (See also article
After purchasing a country plot for a summer residence, the question of how to build a country house with your own hands becomes urgent. Well, building it yourself is quite possible, unless, of course, you are planning a huge “palace” that requires the involvement of construction equipment and a team of professionals.
Usually compact buildings are chosen for a dacha, but, nevertheless, the house must have everything necessary for rest - rooms, kitchen, veranda. The latter will become a favorite place for an evening pastime all family. It is very important to make the country house cozy and comfortable, so you need to think through all the nuances of its arrangement.
The optimal material for a country house building is wood, and the principle of construction is a frame structure.
Of course, the first thing that will need to be done is to decide on the location and size of the building, draw up a project, and plan further work.
Proe ct of a small country house
The size of the future house largely depends on the area of the summer cottage, the number of family members and the financial capabilities of the owners. If you plan correctly, draw up a successful project and choose inexpensive but high-quality material for construction, you can save space, money and work time.
In any case, the first steps are drawing up a project Most often, a country house has a size of 5.0 × 6.0 or 4.0 × 6.0 m. Larger buildings are erected much less frequently, and mainly in cases where they are planned to be used year-round. But this, most likely, will not be a country house, but a full-fledged country house.
The layout of the house may have to be carried out on the basis of requirements that can be established by the board of the gardening association, therefore, when purchasing, you need to find out about such nuances in advance. The following distances are most often required:
- The house must be installed at a distance of 3 meters from the border of the neighboring plot, and from the fence separating the plot from the general passage (street) - 5 meters.
- In order to ensure fire safety, a stone house is placed at a distance of at least six meters from another stone building, and ten meters from a wooden one. If the house is wooden, then it should be installed at a distance of no closer than 15 meters from another wooden building.
- To prevent the house from blocking neighboring buildings from sunlight, if it is placed on the eastern, southern or western side of the site, it is located at a distance from another residential building at least equal to its height.
Usually, to install a country house, the highest place in the area where Water will not collect when snow melts or from heavy rains. Increased humidity under the house will never benefit any building material, but it will always have a negative impact on the overall strength and durability of the structure.
Most often, the following construction technologies are chosen for the construction of country houses: frame-panel construction, log houses, walls made of blocks or bricks.
For summer cottages, designs of one-story houses with closed or open verandas or terraces are predominantly chosen. Often a building has an attic space used for storing garden tools and other things that seem unnecessary in everyday use, but which can always be useful in the country. However, it also happens that in some projects there are no attic floor beams at all, and then the roof slopes simultaneously serve as a ceiling.
If the family is large, and the area of the plot is not as large as we would like, then you can plan a two-story house that takes up very little space at the base. In this case, the first floor can be used as a living room, terrace and kitchen, and on the second floor you can arrange cozy sleeping areas for the whole family.
Not at all necessary in a dacha building, build a full second floor, since its role can be perfectly fulfilled by an attic superstructure. By decorating it with natural materials, you can create a wonderful, healthy country atmosphere.
Country houses are mainly used in the warm season, starting with the arrival of spring and ending in autumn. Therefore, they do not require enhanced insulation of walls and roofs, but devices for heating the premises must still be provided - in case of cold nights or drops in temperature during unstable weather. Typically, electrical appliances are used as heaters, for example, convectors or infrared film emitters, but sometimes owners even prefer to install fireplaces or cast iron heating and cooking stoves.
By the way, if you plan to build a real fireplace or brick stove, then they must be included in the project being compiled.
There are also ready-made versions of country houses, sold complete in disassembled form, which simply need to be delivered to the site and assembled. Any such set of parts must be accompanied by detailed instructions, which outline the procedure for carrying out the work, basic technological techniques and connection diagrams of individual elements and assemblies.
For the owner of the site, who has basic construction skills, it will not be difficult to assemble such a country house yourself. The main advantage of this option is that the kit often already includes everything necessary for the building’s electrical network, its ventilation system, and even for installing the water supply.
Video: a small, neat country house that lives up to its name
What type of house to choose?
Having decided on the approximate plan of the future house, you need to choose the material for its construction. This choice will determine not only the appearance of the building itself, but also the comfort of staying in it, as well as the costs of its construction.
- The traditional material for a country house is wood, which will create a favorable microclimate in it, filling it with the smells of the forest. A wooden house can be built using a frame method, from timber or logs. The disadvantage of wooden buildings is considered to be the high fire hazard of the material.
However, wooden houses have always been built, and many of them have stood for centuries. Today, there are special fire-retardant impregnations on sale that significantly reduce the risk of fire in wooden buildings. And in general - the most important thing here is not the material, but the human factor - it is people’s neglect of basic fire safety requirements that in the overwhelming majority of cases becomes the cause of fire.
- The construction of a brick structure will cost much more, but it can with good reason be called a full-fledged house, which can be used not only in the summer, but also, if necessary, in the winter, if you install a stove in it. Brick buildings are much less susceptible to fire and, with high-quality masonry, will last a very long time. Their disadvantages include a more complex and lengthy construction process, requiring special skills, and the high price of materials.
- Very often, different materials are used when building a country house. For example, a house is built from wood, but on a foundation made of concrete, brick or blocks.
This option can be called optimal, since a foundation made of moisture-resistant materials will create optimal conditions for the construction of walls made of wood, thus becoming a reliable foundation for the house.
It is this last option that is worth considering, since it is the most popular of all types of country houses.
Stages of construction of a country house
Materials for building a country house
If you don’t want to bother with calculations, then it’s better to purchase a prefabricated ready-made model of a house that has a certain area, for which you only need to prepare a place.
In all other cases, you will need to purchase building materials. Their type, size, volume, total number - all depending on the size of the planned building, which is determined by the project.
Prices for various types of timber
Foundation material
For any type of foundation you will need the following materials:
— sand, crushed stone, cement;
- third-grade board and timber for formwork;
- brick or concrete blocks;
— waterproofing material (roofing felt);
— expanded clay of the middle fraction.
Wall and roof material
Since wood was chosen for the construction of the walls, other materials will be selected based on this:
— bars and boards of different sizes, depending on the design parameters;
- fastening elements - nails, self-tapping screws, bolts, studs;
- corners of different configurations, metal plates - for fastening nodes;
— vapor barrier film;
— insulation — mineral wool, ecowool or expanded clay;
— to cover the roof, it is better to choose a lightweight material — ondulin or corrugated sheeting.
Once the installation location for the future house has been determined and the materials have been purchased, you can proceed to arranging the foundation. True, first you will have to decide on its type.
Country house foundation
Even when erecting such a small and light building as a wooden country house, you cannot do without a foundation. In this case, one of two types is ideal for these purposes - a columnar and strip foundation. Which one to choose depends on the preferences of the builder.
- A column foundation will be a less expensive option, as it will allow you to seriously save on building materials. In addition, such a foundation can be completed independently, without outside help, which will also save some money.
You can find out in detail how to build it correctly by following this link to the corresponding page of our portal.
- To create a strip foundation, you will need not only a larger amount of materials, but also a fairly long period of time. This is not surprising - a trench will need to be dug along the entire perimeter of the future house, waterproof it, install a reinforcement structure, build formwork and fill the foundation pit with concrete. And after that, whether you like it or not, it will take another month until the filled tape completely hardens and gains brand strength.
However, strip foundations are still very popular among individual developers. This option is convenient because it allows you to make a basement under the house, however, to do this, the foundation walls will have to be raised above the soil surface by 700 ÷ 800 mm. is described in detail in the article, which can be found on our portal by following the link provided.
If a columnar foundation is selected, then it is recommended to remove the top layer of soil by 150 ÷ 200 mm from the site, which will be located under the house and around it by 500 ÷ 600 mm. Then pour a 30 ÷ 40 mm layer of sand into the resulting pit, which should be compacted. A layer is laid on top of the sand cushion mid-fraction crushed stone and is also compacted, and the remaining space must be filled with expanded clay of the middle fraction. All these procedures are done to ensure that small rodents cannot get close to the house. They cannot stand expanded clay (especially small clay), as it contains a large amount of dust and has a loose surface.
Fine expanded clay is an excellent rodent repellent To protect the house from the penetration of large rodents or other uninvited guests from the animal world, it is advisable to cover the space under the house with a metal mesh with cells no larger than 10 mm.
Construction of a frame structure
For a country house, the best choice is a frame structure A frame house can be placed on either a columnar or strip foundation. Construction always starts from the foundation, which must be reliably waterproofed two or three layers of laid roofing material.
- If the project includes a veranda, you must immediately separate its zone, over which a roof will be erected, but there will be no solid walls. To support the roof over the veranda, you can use the racks of the general wall frame. Another option - veranda will be attached to the house separately.
- Without exception, all wooden workpieces must be treated with antiseptic compounds and fire retardants. These impregnations will increase the resistance of wood to fire, to decay, will prevent the appearance of insect nests or colonies of microflora representatives - mold or fungus.
- After the workpieces have received proper preparation and are completely dry, during construction, a lower frame (crown) is first made, which will be laid on the foundation and will subsequently be used to install the floor.
In order for the floor to be reliable, it is necessary to use high-quality timber of the required cross-section for the frame. If funds allow, then it is better to choose wooden elements not according to the “lower limit” of dimensions, but by placing a certain margin in their cross-section.
The table shows the optimal dimensions of timber for a frame house:
- The frame support beams are mounted on crown bars located along the perimeter of the foundation, at a distance of 600 ÷ 700 mm from each other. They are secured using corners or by inserting. If the elements are large in cross-section, they can additionally be fastened with metal brackets.
- When the lower frame with support beams is ready, the wall frames are made. They can be assembled separately, and then, when finished, lifted and secured to the framing bars.
Another option is to lift the frame directly into place. For example, if a house is being erected independently, without helpers, then it will be very difficult to lift the finished frame from the tent alone to the height of the frame, install it evenly and temporarily fix it until it is finally secured. This means that each of the bars will have to be placed separately.
- The size of the bars for the wall frame posts must be at least 100x100 mm, but it can also be mounted from boards with a cross-section of at least 50x150 mm.
The bars are secured to the lower frame using powerful corners that can hold them in a vertical position. It is best to use self-tapping screws rather than nails for fastening - the difference in price is not so significant, but the quality and reliability of the assembly is incomparably higher.
- When installing vertical racks, you need to immediately mark the location of the openings for windows and doors. It is best to leave the area where they are to be installed free in the frame, and install the part of the wall with the window opening separately.
Then, when the upper strapping block is installed and secured to all other vertical posts, the area with the window opening is secured to the space left for it.
- All four walls are assembled in the same way. At the corners, the side posts are fastened together with corners, or instead of two separate ones, one common corner post is mounted. It is recommended to support it with diagonal struts on both sides - they will add rigidity to the entire wall structure.
- The doorway is installed in the frame immediately. It is reinforced with an additional rack, since a door suspended on hinges has a certain weight, which must be calmly supported by both the reinforced opening and the entire wall frame.
- If you plan to sheathe the frame from the outside with clapboard, then this is the next step. The sheathing will give the structure additional rigidity, which will allow the installation of the attic floor to continue and
Installation of the floor can be carried out immediately after the outer wall cladding, but only if the roof will be covered on the same day. It is highly undesirable for your freshly laid flooring to get wet if it rains unexpectedly at night. Therefore, it is better to first resolve the issue with the roof, and then calmly deal with all other construction activities inside the house.
Roof construction and roofing
Types of rafter systems
A few words need to be said about the types of rafter systems, since, moving on to the construction of the roof, it is necessary to have a general idea about this, to know which design is better to choose.
There are two types of rafter systems - hanging and layered.
Hanging system
The hanging rafter system is distinguished by the fact that it is installed only on external load-bearing walls and has no other supports. It is perfect for erecting over a small country house building. In order to lighten the load on the wooden walls and on the foundation, hanging rafters are fastened with ties.
The hanging structure itself consists of a transverse beam, which also performs an overlapping function, and can simultaneously serve as a frame for lining the ceiling, as well as rafter legs that form the roof slopes.
Layered system
A layered system is installed if the house, in addition to external walls, has internal permanent partitions that will become additional support points. This scheme can also be used when constructing the roof of a country house, if it has a large area and its rooms are separated by walls built on the foundation.
When installing this system, the load on the load-bearing side walls becomes weaker, so it will be possible to use fewer retaining elements. It is perfect for attic structures that will be used as living quarters.
Floor beams
An important structural element is the floor beams The beams are laid exactly above the vertical posts of the wall frame. In order for them to fit tightly on the upper strapping belt, grooves are cut out at their edges. The size of the grooves can be calculated based on the formula shown in the figure.
The beams are secured to the frame structure of the walls using nails or self-tapping screws, and in addition they are sometimes fixed on both sides with metal corners.
Having completed the installation of the ceiling beams, you can proceed to building the roof truss system. For safety reasons, temporary plank flooring is laid on the floor beams to ensure comfortable movement along the attic plane during installation of the rafters.
Installation of the rafter system
The roof truss system can be mounted using different sequences of fastening its elements:
- First option. It is necessary to fasten the outer pairs of rafter legs on the ground, then lift them onto the harness and install them ready-made on the gable walls of the house. And then connect them with a ridge beam, and mount the remaining pairs of rafters on it.
- Second option. To begin, install the middle posts along the gables, then fasten them with a ridge beam or board, onto which the rafters are then attached.
- Third option. In this case, pairs of rafter legs in their upper part are attached to each other with a ridge plate, and their lower side is fixed to the wall frame, which in this embodiment will act as a mauerlat.
The cross-section of beams or logs used for rafter legs must be strictly maintained - depending on the rafter length between two support points, and depending on the step between adjacent pairs of rafters
| Maximum permissible rafter leg length (in mm) | Rafter spacing (in mm) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100 | 1400 | 1750 | 2100 | |||||
| Section of the rafter leg (in mm) | ||||||||
| bars with cross-section | logs Ø | bars with cross-section | logs Ø | bars with cross-section | logs Ø | bars with cross-section | logs Ø | |
| up to 3000 | 80×100 | 100 | 80×100 | 130 | 90×100 | 150 | 90×160 | 160 |
| up to 3600 | 80×130 | 130 | 80×160 | 160 | 80×180 | 180 | 90×180 | 180 |
| up to 4300 | 80×160 | 160 | 80×180 | 180 | 90×180 | 180 | 100×200 | 200 |
| up to 5000 | 80×180 | 180 | 80×200 | 200 | 100×200 | 200 | - | - |
| up to 5800 | 80×200 | 200 | 100×200 | 200 | - | - | - | - |
| up to 6500 | 100×200 | 200 | 120×220 | 240 | - | - | - | - |
It should be noted that the attachment point for the rafters in its lower part will depend on the angle at which they are fastened to the ridge and how long they are.
If the rafter is long enough and protrudes beyond the load-bearing walls, then a notch is cut out on it, with which it will be installed on the strapping beam (). An example of such a notch is shown in the picture:
If the rafter ends at the edge of the load-bearing wall, then its lower edge is cut at a right angle to the Mauerlat, and the leg itself can be fixed to it using a special fastening plate, a sliding support, an angle, a bracket, nails or long screws.
If the house is very small, then after securing the rafters to the frame, tying them with ridge beams or boards, you most likely will not have to install additional supporting elements.
Detailed information about the exact details can be obtained from a special publication on our portal by following the recommended link:
For installation of additional reinforcing elements of the rafter system, the material can be selected in accordance with the recommendations indicated in the table:
Prices for various types of fasteners for rafters
Rafter fasteners
Roofing system
After the rafters and additional elements form the roof slopes, you can proceed to the installation of the subsystem for the roof deck.
- The first thing that needs to be done on the outside of the roof, after installing the rafters, is to lay a vapor barrier film, securing it first with staples and then with counter-lattice strips on the rafters.
The film is laid perpendicular to the rafters, starting from the lower eaves of the roof. The overlap between two adjacent strips must be at least 200 mm.
- The main batten is mounted perpendicular to the counter-lattice, onto which the roofing material will be attached. The installation step of the guides depends on the type and size of the sheets of roofing material.
If a soft roof is chosen to cover the roof, then instead of sheathing slats, the slopes are covered completely - with plywood, and then with waterproofing sheets of roofing felt, which are overlapped by 150 ÷ 200 mm and glued together with bitumen mastic. Another option is to use soft bitumen decorative tiles, which are laid using a similar technology.
- The following roofing materials are most often used for wooden houses (depending on the steepness of the roof slope).
- The selected roofing material is laid and secured onto the prepared base. The work starts from the cornice, and if the first row is laid from right to left, then all other rows are installed according to the same pattern.
Some types of roofing materials have a strictly specified installation pattern in direction, which cannot be changed. This must be indicated in the instructions supplied with them.
Also, for any type of sheet roofing material, the amount of overlap in the direction of the slope (usually 150 ÷ 200 mm) and the number of waves (relief protrusions) in the horizontal direction along the roof are determined.
- Almost all roofing materials are secured to the sheathing using special nails or self-tapping screws with waterproofing gaskets.
- It is very important to correctly select and secure the ridge elements of the roof, otherwise it will leak at the first rain. Typically, the ridge element is selected from the same material as the covering of the roof slopes.
- Next, the eaves of the roof are finished - this can be done with wooden or plastic lining. Sometimes special plastic elements - soffits - are used for these purposes.
- Then elements of the roof drainage system are installed on the wind board - funnels, gutters on brackets, pipes, etc.
- Next, the gable sides of the rafter system are sheathed. Most often, wooden or plastic lining or even planed boards are used for this.
For the lining, a special profile is fixed around the perimeter of the pediment triangle, into which the prepared panels, cut at the desired angle, will be installed. Installation is usually done symmetrically - from the middle post to one side and then the other - then the cladding will be smooth and neat.
By the way, install the lining, Besides, you can do it horizontally, in a herringbone pattern, or come up with a more complex pattern.
Detailed information about the technology can be found in the article posted on our website by clicking on link.
Now, having finished the external finishing of the roof and being confident that rain will no longer get inside the country house, you can move on to installing windows and doors, insulation, flooring and wall cladding.
Installation of windows and doors
- Window frames are mounted in the frame openings left for them and leveled. For preliminary fixation when placing the frame, spacers made of wooden blocks or slats are installed between it and the opening bars.
Then, after checking the correct installation, the frames are attached to the wall frame with metal strips. The remaining gaps between the frame and frame bars are filled with polyurethane foam. After it dries, the excess is cut off, and platbands are installed around the windows on the outside of the wall, which will close the unsightly appearance of the gaps and give neatness to the overall appearance of the house.
- It is best to install the door together with the door frame, if it has sufficient rigidity. This will make it much easier to align the entire structure with the level in the wall doorway.
It is best to install the door as a block - together with the frame and leaf When exposing the door frame, if necessary, to achieve a clear vertical position, place wedges (inserts) made of wooden slats. The door frame is secured to the frame in the same way as window frames, using metal strips, and the gap is filled with polyurethane foam.
Having installed all the windows and doors, you can proceed to installing the floor.
Installation and insulation of floors
To begin with, the temporary flooring from the boards (if there was one) is removed from the lower frame, and then you need to install the subfloor.
- To do this, cranial bars are nailed or screwed onto the frame supporting beams. They are necessary for laying transverse subfloor boards on them.
- Next, boards cut to exact size or plywood 8 ÷ 10 mm thick are laid on the skull blocks - this flooring will serve as a subfloor.
- The subfloor laid on top is closed hydro- paro— insulating film, which should cover both the load-bearing beams and the entire floor plane. Individual sheets of material are laid overlapping (by 150 ÷ 200 mm) and taped at the joints with waterproof tape.
- Next, insulation material is laid or poured onto the vapor barrier film. If you don’t want to have neighbors who like to live under the floor, then it is better to use expanded clay of medium or fine fraction, or ecowool, to insulate the floor - these toothy pests simply do not live in such materials.
- Another layer of film membrane is laid on top of the insulation, which is nailed to the supporting beams with staples. The installation principle is exactly the same as on a subfloor.
The floor is finished! - The entire structure is then covered with thick plywood or wooden floorboards.
Prices for thermal insulation materials
Thermal insulation materials
Measures for additional thermal insulation
When the floor is completely ready, the walls of the house are insulated and sheathed from the inside. If the building will be used only in the warm season, then the insulation will still not hurt - it will work as an insulator of the premises from heating in extreme heat. Therefore, it is recommended to lay a thermal insulation layer not only in the walls, but also in the ceiling, and if it is missing, place insulation along the internal slopes of the roof.
- First, a vapor barrier material is attached to all walls and ceiling beams. Then the ceiling is covered with clapboard, plywood or plasterboard.
- After covering the ceiling, the walls are insulated. Insulation mats are laid between the frame posts. It is necessary to ensure that the mats fit as tightly as possible against the bars of the wall frame, so that there are no gaps left.
That is why mineral wool is most often used as insulation - after being tightly laid between the racks, it will straighten out, completely filling the entire space. The material is usually selected so that the thickness of the mats and the thickness of the frame posts are the same.
- After this, all walls are again covered with vapor barrier film.
- The next step is covering the walls with wooden paneling, plywood or. The latter, during subsequent decorative finishing of the walls, can be painted with water-based paint or covered with wallpaper.
- Next, the attic floor is insulated, where the insulation is placed between the floor beams.
If the ceiling is sheathed on the side of the house with plasterboard or clapboard, then we must not forget that you cannot step on it, since the sheathing will not support the weight of a person. You must move carefully along the floor beams.
- If the attic is planned to be used for storing various garden supplies, then a flooring made of boards or plywood with a thickness of at least 10 mm should be secured on top of the insulation on the floor beams.
- The finishing touches of the interior decoration will be the installation of platbands on windows and doors, ceiling and floor skirting boards and closing the corners with fittings.
Extensions to the house
The last stages of arranging a country house are installation work on the veranda and porch.
If a place is left in advance for the veranda on the frame lying on the foundation, then a board is laid on this space to cover the floor (material for open areas is used), a fence is installed and a canopy is mounted.
If the foundation is raised high enough above the ground, then a porch is also attached to it.
Building a country house with your own hands is a completely doable task, but it will be quite difficult to do without helpers. Therefore, it is best to seek help from a knowledgeable craftsman who has experience in such work, will always give useful advice and show how to correctly install certain components in the structure of the house. You can “mobilize” your relatives and friends - it is possible that a knowledgeable person will be among them.
Video: building a country house using frame technology
Country houses are designed to make the life of summer residents as comfortable as possible. These include country toilets, sheds, greenhouses, and even if you have a vehicle.
It’s not enough to have a small house on the property where you can spend the night. Without other buildings, life at the dacha will become uncomfortable, and the time spent on dacha work will not bear fruit.
Each summer resident himself determines what set of buildings he needs in his country house. Here everything depends not only on personal desire, but also on needs. For example, if the purpose of your stay at the dacha is to grow vegetables, then you cannot do without a shed for gardening tools, a greenhouse, and a vegetable storage facility.
If your dacha is not equipped and does not have water supply and sewerage, then you need an outdoor toilet and an outdoor shower. In this case, it’s also a good idea to get a bathhouse.
It is also possible that you want to not only grow vegetables in your dacha, but also keep pets. In this case, for chickens you need a properly equipped chicken coop, for larger animals - stables and a fenced area for walking.
Buildings on a summer cottage such as a swimming pool, a greenhouse, a summer kitchen and a terrace are not vital, but they will add aesthetic beauty to your area and surprise guests.
One way or another, here is just a partial list of buildings that you may need:
- sauna and summer shower;
- sheds for storing garden tools;
- chicken coop and other stables;
- outdoor toilet;
- garage;
- greenhouses and conservatories;
- summer kitchen and veranda.
All of the listed country houses can be built with your own hands, using detailed instructions and advice from experienced craftsmen.
Do-it-yourself buildings on a summer cottage
It is necessary to set priorities and start construction with those objects that are needed first. Decorating and entertaining can always be done later.
Essential buildings include a toilet and a place where you can wash yourself after a hot summer day.
A toilet for a summer house can be the most ordinary - wooden. If you do not plan to be on the site during the cold season, such a building does not even have to be insulated.
To build a toilet, you must first dig a cesspool. Here you can use the services of heavy equipment so as not to waste time on manual digging. A hole of sufficient depth can be dug using an excavator in just an hour.
After this, the pit is strengthened so that the walls do not collapse and a wooden structure is placed on top of it. You can line the toilet with insulation to feel more comfortable.
In the fall, a septic tank is filled into the toilet cesspool, and it is better to close the toilet itself until the next summer season.
You can build one so as not to store gardening and gardening equipment in a country house. A simple wooden frame is also sufficient here. However, in the case of a shed, it is important to plan the roof construction well.
This is important, since in winter the roof may not withstand the pressure of snow and fail. In the fall, water should not get inside the building, so as not to spoil the equipment and supplies.
Organizing a summer shower is a rather creative process. Here the fantasy of summer residents knows no bounds. Some summer residents, not wanting to bother with the water heating system, do it simply.
A metal barrel is installed on the roof of the extension, into which water is poured. A hose with a distributor, which serves as a shower, is stretched from the barrel.
The water in the barrel installed on top is heated by the sun to a comfortable temperature for washing. It is enough to add fresh water to the barrel from time to time to replace the used one.
This shower has a significant disadvantage: in bad weather, when it rains, the water in the barrel will not heat up, remaining cold. Then you can wash only if the sun comes out from behind the clouds. 
Therefore, if you want to have a constant opportunity to wash yourself, it is better to supply hot water to the barrel or build a bathhouse.
A bathhouse at the dacha is not only a place where you can wash yourself, but also a wonderful relaxing place for the whole family and your guests. It is better to abandon the idea of building a basic bathhouse “in black style”.
Such technology is not even the last century, but the century before last. Washing here will not give you any pleasure. If you are going to build a bathhouse, it should have a full-fledged steam room and a place to relax.
Even if such a bath will cost you more, it will bring incomparably more pleasure.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the buildings that serve the main dacha business - gardening. You need it if you want to harvest a large harvest.
A material such as polycarbonate will make the greenhouse light, but quite warm and light. In general, when choosing materials for the construction of country houses, you should pay attention to modern materials, and not to what is cheaper.
You can find out everything about country houses on the website http://stroy-aqua.com/
As soon as you acquire a suburban plot, the question of what kind of country houses you can create with your own hands will become relevant for you. This should include not only a house, which can be used for temporary or permanent residence, but also a toilet, as well as a carport. For a dacha, it is best to choose compact buildings, because the house should have everything you need for relaxation, but also not take up a large amount of space.
For reference
The optimal material for construction will be wood, while frame technology can be the principle. The size of the building will depend on the area of the site, material capabilities and the number of family members. If you plan the building correctly, the project will be inexpensive, and the use of high-quality materials will make the house cozy and environmentally friendly.
Construction of the foundation
Any home craftsman can easily build them with his own hands from scrap materials. In order to avoid heat losses, a strip foundation should be installed. If there is a terrace, then there is no need to build a foundation underneath it; support pillars will be located there. The walls can be made of laminated veneer lumber, then they will not have much weight.
Because you will visit the house several times during the winter, it is not at all necessary to deepen the foundation to the level of soil freezing. The minimum permissible depth is 60 cm. But in order to prevent freezing inside the foundation contour, insulation should be made of expanded clay there; its height should not be more than 20 cm. The base at this stage is also poured for the stove, its dimensions will be 100x100x80 cm.
The construction may involve the use of a log house, for this you can use glued material, the cross-section of which will be 150x150 mm. Therefore, a sufficient width for the foundation will be 25 cm. Four pillars can be placed under the terrace, deepening them by 60 cm. They should have the same height as the rest of the foundation. The columns should be square, their side will be 25 cm. At the bottom of the trench prepared for the foundation, a sand and crushed stone bedding is installed, the thickness of which should be 20 cm. This part will be a quarter of the volume. A sand cushion will require 1 m 3 of material, while concrete will require 3.5 m 3.
About the quantity of material
When ready-made concrete is ordered, no additional calculations are required. If you mix the solution yourself, then the amount of cement is taken according to the intended brand of concrete. For example, if M-300 grade cement is used, then 1050 kg of cement or 21 bags will be needed. With this quantity, 5 tons of crushed stone and 3 tons of sand will be required. As soon as the foundation is dry, expanded clay is poured inside, but first the surface must be cleared of debris, grass and soil. Thus, insulation should be used in a volume of 4.8 m3.
Laying the log house
Building a country house with your own hands may involve the use of timber, which is laid on a pre-insulated foundation. The log house is pulled together at the corners; for this it is necessary to use the “bowl” technology. The first row is laid taking into account that the logs should extend onto the columnar foundation of the terrace. Floor beams are laid at a distance of 40 cm; they must be made of square timber with a side of 150 mm.
The beams for the walls are strengthened together with wooden dowels. For each wall you will need 20 beams, a total of 80 pieces. The timber must be ordered taking into account not to cut it on the site. The distance between them should be 1 m. The top row and corners are protected with a moisture-proof film.
Roof arrangement
Buildings can easily be erected with your own hands. This applies not only to the shed and toilet, but also to the house itself. At the next stage, you can do it along the logs. The elements are mounted in the penultimate row of the log house. The logs are hemmed from below with boards onto which sheets of plywood are fixed. Vapor and waterproofing is installed on top. Polystyrene foam or mineral wool can be used as insulation.
It is best to make the roof gable; for this, rafters are installed, one end of which is located on racks located on the middle beam. The second end should be on the top rows of the log house. The pediment is sewn up with boards, which are cut along the line so that the end result is a triangle. A sheathing is installed along the axes, onto which a vapor barrier membrane is fixed, and roofing material is laid on top. In this case it is metal tiles. We should not forget that the roof must be decorated with wind boards and ridge elements.
Construction of a country toilet
DIY construction begins with digging a hole. It can have a round or square shape. If you plan to install a two-chamber septic tank, then the pit must have an outlet pipe, which is located in the toilet stall. A toilet seat will be installed on it.
The neck of the second chamber must remain outside the room; it is required for pumping out accumulated fecal matter. The size of the pit should be 30 cm larger than the existing capacity, since soil will need to be compacted around the structure. If you will line the walls of the pit with brick or concrete, the pit can be made square or round. As soon as the digging of the hole has been completed, drainage from crushed stone, fragments of bricks and stones is installed at its bottom. The walls are covered with a metal mesh, which is fixed with steel wire brackets. Concrete mortar is poured onto the walls and left until dry. The total thickness of such a layer should be between 50 and 80 mm. The walls are plastered after drying, but why are they left until completely dry?
The pit is covered with a reinforced concrete slab, which will serve as the foundation for the toilet. If you decide to create country houses with your own hands, it is recommended to consider the photo in advance. From them you can understand that boards that extend beyond the limits by 750 mm should be laid on the pit. They are sunk to the same level as the ground. The boards are treated with an antiseptic; this wooden backing can be replaced with concrete pillars.
There should be two holes on the surface for a toilet seat and a cesspool, which is then covered with a lid. A polyethylene film is spread over the area of the future foundation, and a reinforcement grid is placed on top, which is enclosed in the formwork. At the next stage, you can mix the solution by pouring it onto the site and leveling it, and then leaving it to dry completely. A toilet booth is installed on such a platform. A hatch must be installed on the hole that is intended for pumping.
Construction of a canopy
More and more often, recently, home craftsmen prefer to create country houses for cars with their own hands. You too can follow their example by creating a place to park your car. Why is the foundation being laid? Ditches are being dug along the perimeter of the site, which will serve as drainage holes after construction is completed. To impart strength to the structure, supports should be installed, the lower part of which is antiseptic.
The next step is to build a frame; this can be done using vertical posts. To ensure a uniform slope of the supports along the entire length, longitudinal beams should be installed, the location of which is checked on the first two racks. The angle of inclination of the longitudinal beams, which fit into the grooves of the upper ends of the supports, should not be more than 3%. Such country houses are equipped with your own hands using a certain technology. It involves laying a rafter system, which is located on supports. The rafters are fixed on longitudinal beams, and the distance between them should be 70 cm.
Roof installation
The frame is covered with lathing, on which the roofing covering is laid. Among the most popular are wood, polycarbonate or corrugated sheets. Such do-it-yourself country houses are most often built using polycarbonate, since it has a low cost, exhibits excellent performance characteristics and is easy to install. You can give the sheet the required size using a hacksaw or power tool.
Dacha construction in our country began on Soviet 6-acre plots, minimizing buildings and preserving most of the land for agricultural work. In those days, gardeners made do with sheds for storing agricultural equipment, spare clothes and shoes. Now, the majority of owners of suburban areas go there for recreation, sometimes completely passive. Let's see what kind of garden buildings for a summer residence are in favor with modern summer residents.
Arrangement of a summer cottage
This article will not talk about the construction of the main country house, but about what buildings can be organically integrated into the design of the site. Without some of them it is literally impossible to imagine a comfortable, complete rest from the bustle of the city.
Fencing
Let's start with the simplest but necessary object on the site - the fence. It would seem that it could be simpler, build yourself a fence, whatever you want and from what you want. Not at all, there are instructions - a set of rules for the location of buildings on summer cottages.
Regarding fences, they are as follows:
- It is permissible to install mesh or lattice fences at the boundaries of plots with a height of no more than 1.5 m, in order to avoid shading of neighboring plots.
- It is allowed to erect blind fences in that part of the site that faces streets or driveways.
Attention!
A decision on this issue must be made at a general meeting of members of the gardening partnership.
Requirements for the location of buildings
Since we have already touched on this topic, we will outline the basic requirements of SNiP 30-02-97* “Planning and development of territories of gardening (dacha) associations of citizens, buildings and structures”:
- Are common. The distance from the main house to the “red line” of the street is from 5 m, from the “red line” of the driveway from 3 m. Commercial buildings are at a distance of 5 m from both borders.
- Fireproof.
According to fire safety rules, the distances between buildings of adjacent areas must be:- For concrete and stone buildings at least 6 m.
- For structures with wooden floors from 8 m.
- For wooden and frame buildings from 10 m.
- Sanitary regulations regulate the distances from buildings to the border of the neighboring plot:
- House - 3 m.
- Structures for keeping small animals and poultry – 4 m.
- Other buildings from 1 m, provided that the roof slope is directed towards its site.
Within your site you can place buildings at your discretion, but not in violation of sanitary standards:
- The distance from the latrine or place where livestock is kept to the residential building and basement must be at least 12 m.
- From a bathhouse or summer shower from 8m.
- From the latrine or compost pit to the well at least 8 m.
For your information!
SNiP dictates these norms for distances between summer cottages for plots of 6-8 acres.
They will not cause any difficulties for owners of large lands.
Gazebos
Perhaps the most desirable and popular DIY garden buildings are gazebos, which allow you to give free rein to your creative imagination and imagination. In such simple objects you can realize your desire to build something on the hacienda with your own hands.
A wide variety of gazebos are built in the country:
- Stone.
- Brick.
- Wooden.
- Metal.
- Mixed type.
- Made from exotic materials.
It all depends on your personal preferences, abilities and financial capabilities.
Interesting!
Now you can purchase ready-made prefabricated or one-piece (depending on dimensions) structures.
These are real works of art, very beautiful, openwork, airy, despite the fact that they are made of metal.
The price for such products is certainly impressive.
Very often, gazebos are built with built-in barbecues for preparing barbecues and other delicacies in the fresh air.
Some even manage to arrange a summer open or semi-open summer gazebo on wood, combined with city amenities:
- With supplied water.
- Sewerage.
- Electricity supply.
Bath
The next most popular building on a summer cottage is, of course, a bathhouse.
It is inferior in popularity to gazebos only because it requires large financial investments.
- The colorful log frame of the bathhouse will fit perfectly into the ensemble with the same house.
- A brick building for a steam room will look no less aesthetically pleasing.
Without the opportunity, for some reason, to build a bathhouse on your site, do not deny yourself the pleasure of having a summer shower. Its design can be collapsible and, if necessary, easily relocated to another location.
Children's playgrounds and swimming pools
Owners of large plots of land can allocate a small area for arranging a children's playground with slides, swings, and a sandbox.
Also, without being constrained by the size of the plot, you can arrange a swimming pool:
- Stationary.
- Collapsible frame.
- Inflatable.
Outbuildings
Of course, not a single country residence can do without buildings for utility purposes:
- Basements or cellars are needed to store products grown in the garden and in the garden, as well as preparations for future use in the form of jam, compotes, pickles and marinades.
- Sheds and wood sheds will serve for storing garden tools, leftover building materials, a supply of firewood and other “needs” that are always present on the farm.
Advice!
If you live outside the city all year round, and this does not go against your beliefs, it will be useful to have at least chickens on your farm.
Buildings for keeping poultry are within the capabilities of any lazy person and do not require special material investments, but it’s nice to receive eggs for the family every day.
Greenhouses
Another type of building often found in summer cottages is greenhouses. Even those who do not want to maintain a large garden or spend a lot of time and effort on growing vegetables will not refuse a small greenhouse with early greens, cucumbers and strawberries.
Registration of country buildings
And a few more words about which structures require registration of a building on a garden plot. In principle, today there is no need to register garden houses and auxiliary buildings on the site, except in cases of personal interest.
It is advisable for the owner to consider the issue of registering ownership of garden and country houses provided that:
- The total area of the house without light, semi-open, open and unheated structures ranges from 50-70 square meters.
- The presence of a permanent structure with a service life of about 20-25 years, suitable for living all year round.
That is, we are talking about structures that require a construction permit in accordance with the town planning code.
In other cases, the rights of ownership and disposal of dacha property seem natural if there is an agreement with a gardening and dacha society (association). You can dispose of dacha property at your own discretion in relation to donation, inheritance, sale, etc.
Conclusion
I would like to summarize - you can build garden buildings with your own hands, depending on whether you have a free plot of land and whether there is a need for it. The main thing is to give preference to high-quality materials, from which the structure will be reliable and durable.
In the video presented in this article you will find additional information on this topic.
