Do you dream of building your own home in 4 months with an area of 150 square meters, and starting interior finishing work right away? What you need is a frame house. Today, specialists from “Modul-Prefab” will explain frame construction technology: what it is, where it is used, and what advantages it offers.

What is a frame house?

Frame housing is a house type that is a lighter and easier-to-build alternative to brick housing. The basis of the structure is a frame made of wood or metal profile. Frame houses are built on a shallow foundation and do not require heavy machinery at all stages of construction.

Frame housing came to us from Canada. Today, it is one of the most promising technologies for suburban construction.

Building houses using frame technology is still a relatively new direction in Ukraine. However, demand for this type of housing is growing, at least because such a house is not inferior in reliability to traditional options, while being built much faster and at a lower cost.

Frame Construction Technologies

There are two ways to build frame houses: panel-frame and frame-panel.

Panel-frame technology involves installing factory-made panels on a pre-prepared foundation. These panels are, in essence, the frame of the house. The panels do not include internal or external insulation: this is completed by the construction team after the frame is assembled.

At the same time, all engineering networks are laid. The next stage is to sheath everything with drywall, and the house is handed over to the client. You can start interior finishing immediately.

With this technology, the house frame can be assembled in any season, but completion of different works depends on temperature and weather conditions.

In turn, the key feature of frame-panel technology is that all structural elements are manufactured directly in the workshop. Fully finished frame panels (walls, interstory floor slab, and even the roof) are delivered to the construction site. Depending on the area, the entire construction process takes no more than two weeks.

The difference between frame-panel and panel-frame technology is that this type of house can be built at any time, regardless not only of the season, but also of weather conditions.

Advantages of Frame Houses

When buying their own home, some people are afraid to move away from traditional options. Brick houses seem so familiar and reliable. However, frame houses are not inferior to them in any way. In addition, they have several important advantages, which we will describe now.

Frame houses are:

  • Fast — the entire construction cycle takes, on average, 4 months. This type of housing does not require a massive foundation.
  • Economical — the cost of building such a house is lower compared to constructing traditional housing from brick, foam blocks, or aerated concrete blocks.
  • Energy-efficient — frame houses warm up in about 2 hours and retain heat for a long time. Thanks to this, heating costs are reduced.
  • Reliable — frame housing is not inferior in this regard to traditional housing due to the use of quality materials and modern construction technologies.

A frame house can be built even in winter: this does not affect its quality. And interior finishing can begin immediately after construction. Since this type of housing does not shrink, you do not have to worry about walls cracking.

Main Stages of Frame Construction

Building a frame house takes place in 4 stages.

Stage No. 1: Foundation

For a frame house foundation, a dry elevated location is best. Avoid plots with old trees and sites with a high groundwater level.

Foundations for such houses are shallow (strip, column, or concrete block). The reliability of a strip foundation is ensured by reinforcement, a column foundation by a monolithic grillage, and a block foundation by reinforced concrete tie beams.

Stage No. 2: Frame

Frame assembly is one of the most important procedures during construction. The frame can be wooden or metal. Wooden frames are made from kiln-dried boards (usually Carpathian spruce). Board widths range from 95 mm to 200 mm, and thickness is 45 mm.

Stage No. 3: Walls

Internal and external insulation is carried out. Expanded polystyrene or mineral facade wool is used for external insulation. For internal insulation, mineral wool or PIR (Icynene) is used. Summer cottages intended for seasonal use are insulated with a thinner material layer.

The exterior of the house can be clad with different materials, for example, clapboard or siding. The material is chosen not only for appearance, but also for performance characteristics. It is important that it withstands any weather well and is also moisture-resistant.

Stage No. 4: Roof

The final stage is roof construction. Most often, a gable roof is chosen for frame buildings, and its rafter system is installed using standard technology. Roofing materials can be different. For example:

  • metal tile;
  • metal corrugated sheet;
  • soft roofing.

Clay roof tiles are used least often because they are quite heavy. And that is it: the frame house is built. It is ready for interior finishing and move-in!