Building a house from a gun carriage: advantages and disadvantages

Wooden buildings are traditional for our country. But the use of a carriage as a building material is still exotic. However, firms that produce houses from carriages compete with manufacturers of buildings from logs or timber.

What is a carriage

An oval-shaped log, hewn from two mutually opposite sides, is called a gun carriage. This profile provides maximum strength of the building, high thermal insulation properties of the walls.

Another name for this material is a gable or two-edged beam. Sometimes this is called a bed (a sawn and non-skinned log), which is used as a supporting structure (for example, as a floor log). The carriage is also called the types of profiled timber, which have a similar corner lock (bowl). A carriage house is similar to a log house, but looks more harmonious due to the high crowns.

The history of its appearance

This technology came to us from the Scandinavian countries. It was no coincidence that such a building material appeared, but for the purpose of saving. After all, the larger the log, the stronger and warmer the walls of the house. But it costs a lot. Therefore, the pine was cut off from two sides. The slab obtained in this way was used to cover the floor or roof. Thus, the entire array went into work, without a trace. Thanks to the unique fastening of the crowns (a special lock and wooden pins), the corners of the walls of the Scandinavian houses were windproof in harsh climates, and the dwelling itself was extremely durable and stable.

The fastening of logs with the help of wooden dowels - spikes was also used in Russia. And on the stacked logs for insulation, sapwood (a layer under the bark) was left.

Production

The production process is as follows: first, the side parts of the logs are cut off, then the bark is removed from the remaining sides. Next, a groove is selected manually (sometimes automatically) on the semicircular part, a corner bowl is cut out, a hole for the dowel is drilled. Previously, axes were used for this, today they have been replaced by a chainsaw.

The most popular is a carriage with a thickness (on flat sides) of 25 centimeters and a height (on semicircular parts) of 35-40 centimeters. This is the most rational ratio for the construction of a log house, because the smaller the number of crowns (and hence the corner joints), the more durable and warmer the building. For internal partitions, a carriage 15 centimeters thick is used.

Most often, the carriage is made from logs of natural moisture, which reduces its price. Therefore, cracks appear on their cuts after shrinkage. We will talk about them below. There is a decorative carriage that does not crack. Its cost is higher than usual, as it is dried to a moisture content of 12-14%.

Carriage connection

The method of connecting the carriage is one of the key points, which is determined at the design stage of the house. There are two such ways: the “Norwegian” (or tricky) castle or the “Canadian cup”. These are completely different types of corner joints. But in both cases, the natural structure of wood and its natural properties are preserved. Manual cutting does not harm the outer layer of the tree, which makes the carriage immune to aggressive environmental influences.

1. "Norwegian" castle. In this case, the logs are connected by the "thorn-opening" method. The ends of the carriage protrude beyond the perimeter of the frame. Such ledges protect the corners from the wind, which makes them warmer. This method of connecting logs is considered the best of all existing ones. When the house shrinks, such a lock is self-locking and the logs fit snugly together. At the same time, they do not deform from internal pressure, due to the natural moisture content of wood.
2. Canadian cup (cutting). Its difference from the previous method is the cuts at the cuts. The trapezoidal shape of the cup provides a tighter wedging of the connection. Therefore, shrinkage phenomena only strengthen the house. However, it is worth remembering that it is possible to start the interior decoration of the building 8-12 months after its construction. The ready-to-assemble elements of the house are delivered to the construction site numbered, since the connections are individual in each case.

house price

The cost of building a wooden house is summed up from the cost:

• project implementation;
• manufacturing;
• delivery to the construction site;
• installation.

The cutting of locks, if it is carried out directly on the site, is very expensive. It is much cheaper to make a house kit in workshop conditions. Therefore, the cost of making locks depends on where they will be cut.

The cost of delivery to the construction site of the gun carriage does not differ from the price of importing logs or timber of natural moisture.

The installation price also depends on where the carriage cups are cut. The assembly of the finished kit does not require highly qualified builders. Building such a house is much cheaper. Otherwise, the cost of work can increase significantly.

Advantages of carriage houses

The main advantages of a carriage house are:

• Environmental friendliness - only natural building materials are used in their production.
• Good natural thermal insulation of the building.
• Natural ventilation of premises due to "breathing" walls.
• High construction speed (from 3 to 8 weeks) depending on the project.
• Durability of the building.
• Large living area compared to a similar round log house.
• Smooth walls have an aesthetic appearance and do not need finishing. Simplified laying of internal communications and wiring.
• Shrinkage at home only strengthens it.
• A small number of crowns reduces the number of corner joints, which has a positive effect on the thermal insulation properties of the walls.
• The building, due to its light weight, does not require a strong foundation.

Flaws

However, a carriage house, along with undoubted advantages, has certain disadvantages:

• When combing the sides of the log, the natural protection of the log is violated. Therefore, in order for the carriage not to rot, it must be treated with antiseptics. Often such processing is carried out already during its production.
• As with any wooden structures, impregnation of the walls with flame retardants is required.
• The cracks on the gun carriage that appeared as a result of shrinkage of the house do not worsen the properties of the wood, but only slightly spoil the appearance of the house. Although some owners find some charm in this.
• Building a house from a gun carriage is a rather laborious process that requires the use of lifting equipment, and hence the availability of access roads and places for storing material.

Important! To prevent cracks, relief vertical cuts are made, which are made in the semicircular parts of the carriage. This measure does not prevent the occurrence of cracks, but limits their size. Cracks do not appear on a pre-dried (decorative) carriage.