When building a house made of wood, you will inevitably face the problem of shrinkage. That is why zealous owners, following the traditions, do not start interior decoration for a whole year after the construction of the building, which will “walk” and give, as the professionals say, “draft”.
Instructions
Step 1
Houses built of raw material are most susceptible to shrinkage, especially if logs were not used, but logs.
It must be remembered that the shrinkage of the house occurs within a whole year from the moment the walls are erected, so it is rational to let the house stand empty for all 4 seasons. It is very important in the fall to assess the condition of the walls and bearing crowns, because if an undried tree is caught, it will burst, reducing the bearing capacity of the wall.
Step 2
Shrinkage also occurs due to the fact that even the dried material has a subsidence due to the effect of the gravity of the higher rims of the log house on it. If you built a house from dry material and did not cover it with an antiseptic, then the wood will absorb atmospheric moisture, swelling and drying out accordingly.
Step 3
However, the shrinkage of the building is not a fortune-telling on the coffee grounds, it is quite possible to calculate it. For example, use a standard house with a height of 3 meters. Such a house, made of rounded logs, will give a draft of 7-10 cm per year, from an ordinary log - up to 10 cm, from a glued beam - by 2 cm.
The kiln-dried timber will "walk" in the range from 3 to 5 cm, and the undried profiled timber - up to 6 cm.
Step 4
A wooden blockhouse gives the minimum draft when it is built in winter. This is because under the influence of frost the moisture is evenly frozen out. As a result, the house, which began to be built in November, will completely sit down by the summer, and then it will be possible to proceed with its interior decoration and installation of doors and windows without fear of deformation of the house. In addition, you need to take into account the fact that the price of materials and work in winter is cheaper than in summer.
Step 5
To reduce the settlement of the house after its erection, it is necessary to lay the logs and beams tightly in relation to each other during the construction period, so that there are as little gaps as possible between them. This will reduce both the time and the shrinkage of the home.
Step 6
When installing door and window openings, you need to remember that in order not to jam windows and doors, you need to leave a gap of about 3-5 cm between the wall and the opening.
Step 7
At the beginning of construction, it is better to use screw connections between logs or beams. It is also considered the best option for a log house - a Canadian cup crown. Using this option will allow you to reduce shrinkage at home and increase the efficiency of attaching the crowns.