We publish not only good reviews about frame houses from those who live there, but also negative ones. After all, like any technology, frame construction has its pros and cons. This is with regard to the construction of the residential building itself.
It also has its positive and negative sides for the residents who live in it.
Pros and cons of frame construction
If we touch on the construction process itself, then the undoubted advantages of this technology include:
- Construction speed.
- The relative cheapness of all processes - from the arrangement of the foundation to the insulation.
- The possibility of erecting a building without a strict project.
The disadvantages that appear during the construction process include constantly rising facade and heat-insulating materials, as well as not the highest quality of work performed by contractors.
As in any matter, you yourself have to monitor how your contractors work and what materials and how they put into the wall and floor pie in your house.
Feedback from residents living in frame houses
If we consider reviews of frame houses from those who live there for quite a long time, then we can also divide the answers into positive and negative.
The advantages of living in a frame house usually include low operating costs for maintaining the house, as well as the ability to control the condition of virtually all of its structural components - from walls to ceilings.
It is possible, after 2-3 years, to safely dismantle part of the sheathing or floor and check the condition of the insulation or the membranes used. Doing the same with a brick or block house would be completely unrealistic without destroying the structure.
Negative reviews about frame houses from those who live there mainly arise when the technology for erecting a frame structure was violated at some stage.
Here are some of the reviews:
Roman Senyavin, Vologda: We have been living in a frame house for 3 years. Bought ready-made from the company in a small area. House on a wooden frame with wool insulation.
The house is constantly humid. In spring and autumn, you can say dripping from the ceiling - such humidity in the house. They called for an examination, they say it is necessary to do normal ventilation. And this means that you have to break everything, and do everything anew.
Here is another review from a person living in a frame house:
Andrey Skryabin, Chelyabinsk: Friends suggested that we move to their village. We bought a plot next to them and hired a team to build a house.
Friends have a foam block house, and we wanted to build the same one. But we were convinced that now we need to build a frame, it is cheaper and the cost of it is less.
We fell for these conversations. They built us a house that we moved into 2 years ago. To say that we were deceived means to say nothing.
The frame house is shaking! When a strong wind blows, the walls move directly noticeably. All decoration, plaster, wallpaper, everything is cracking! And this is in a new house. And what will happen in 5 years? Will it fall apart completely? We will sell and move into an apartment.
Conclusions on negative reviews
If you have been studying the issues of private construction for more than a day, then you should already understand what technological violations were committed.
In the first case, supply and exhaust ventilation was not calculated and correctly executed.
In the second case, it is not entirely clear from the recall which frame the house is on. But if you mean a wooden frame, then 3 options are possible:
- The cladding material is not suitable for this house or is not installed correctly.
- If the boarding is made, then it is not made at 45 degrees.
- The jibs in the frame were exposed in violation of the technology.
And, as a result, there is no rigid frame, which should provide strength to the entire structure.
There are a lot of myths about screw piles that scare away private developers. But there are also real problems associated with the unstable position of the house - its subsidence or loosening. Most often, troubles arise due to incorrect calculation of the bearing capacity, non-compliance with the technology for installing pile pillars, or the lack of a real hydrogeological study of soils. But builders or designers are not always guilty of the fact that a house on screw piles suddenly starts to stagger. Often the piles themselves become the cause.
Why is the house rocking
Several factors can contribute to this:
- high location of piles above ground level;
- incorrect strapping device;
- insufficient screwing depth;
- small diameter or thin wall metal pipes;
- poor-quality blades;
- making too deep a pit;
- installation of an insufficient number of supports under load-bearing walls;
- exclusion from calculations of corrections for weak characteristics of soil layers;
- lack of heads;
- performance of work in winter;
- insufficient spatial rigidity of the frame structure of the ground part of the building.
Each of the reasons causes different consequences, which ultimately affect the fact that the house on stilts begins to sway. For example, due to an incorrect determination of the bearing capacity of the soil or an external load, the structure begins to sag. And the result of a small deepening of the blades, when they fall into the freezing zone, may be the bulging of screw piles through the action of frost heaving forces on them. In this case, the house or its individual corners will rise above the ground in winter, and fall in spring.
To avoid problems associated with insufficient screwing in of piles, the procedure for the trial installation of 2-3 supports on the site to be built up will help, although it is believed that only the presence of stones in the soil is determined in this way.
If a house staggers high above the ground (more than 40 cm), then the diagonal piping of screw piles will help to correct the situation. As a rule, it is made of a metal profile, which is placed obliquely between pipes protruding above ground level. In this case, the rigidity property of the triangle figure is used. All piles are subject to strengthening, regardless of what walls they are under.
The dimensions of the pipes affect the bearing capacity of the supports, which must be taken into account at the stage of calculating the number of piles for the foundation. Their number and diameter are inversely related to each other. An imbalance leads either to an overrun of material resources or to a weakening of the supporting structure of the building. In the latter case, subsidence and subsequent rocking of the structure occur due to the loss of the design position of the screw piles.
The reason that the house on screw piles begins to stagger is often the absence or inadequate strength of the horizontal piping (grillage), as well as its partial destruction. This design must be carried out in accordance with the project. Violation of integrity can occur due to non-compliance with the technology of the strapping device or in the case of using low-quality, cheap materials. It should be remembered that savings are not allowed here.
The issue of excessive thrift also applies to the acquisition of screw piles. Preference should be given to well-known brands. The house is not recommended to be installed on supports made independently or at handicraft enterprises, only because the low cost of products suits. Factors affecting the rocking of the structure can be:
- fallen blades;
- thin walls of a metal pipe;
- lack of a high-quality protective layer, which contributes to the appearance and development of corrosion processes.
The device of buried pits when installing screw piles under the house deprives the pipes of a significant part of the vertical supporting surface. No matter how carefully the ramming of the backfill is carried out, the density of the compacted soil cannot be achieved. Over time, the supports will begin to loosen, which will lead to the rocking of the house. Installing spacers or wedges will help correct the situation.
Photo taken from http://inf-remont.ru/
A similar situation often arises in the case of screwing piles into frozen ground, which loses its strength during thawing. When installing foundation supports in winter, experts do not recommend immediately loading them with a box at home. You should wait for a thaw and correct the position of the pipes. This advice does not apply to regions with permafrost soils.
The reason for the instability of the position of the house on piles may be the lack of proper fastening of the frame of the ground part. Often the installation of diagonal supports between the posts or additional fasteners eliminates the defects that cause swaying. In this case, problems with the foundation are not connected.
The choice of an acceptable option for strengthening loose piles should be left to specialists capable of conducting professional expertise.
Mounting errors
It should be noted that the house on piles will stand for a long time and will not create problems only in the case of a competent foundation. Self-screwing of screw supports is best left for the construction of non-responsible outbuildings and fences. The implementation of the foundations of capital, especially residential, facilities is recommended to be trusted by experienced construction teams. Collaboration with civilian covens who offer their services for a small fee should be avoided.
One of the mistakes of negligent workers is the rocking of screw supports during screwing. Pipes in a similar way, supposedly, enter the ground more easily. But this is a gross violation of the technological process. Such a house on stilts will begin to sway, if not in the same year, then in a couple of years - for sure.
Another significant deviation from the rules is the digging of deep pits with subsequent scrolling of the piles to the height of the blades. There are times when "experts" dig holes up to two meters deep, which is unacceptable! The sinuses covered with soil will sag after the first rain, which will lead to the rocking of the house on stilts.
Properly executed pits have a depth of 20-25cm.
Another violation relates to the wall thickness of metal pipes. For residential buildings, products larger than 4mm should be selected. An equally important point is the mandatory filling of the internal cavity of the pile with cement mortar, which greatly enhances the strength of the structure. Filling is done after screwing the supports. There are times when it is abandoned purposefully or out of ignorance, which leads to the rapid appearance of rust on the inner surfaces of the pipes.
As much as possible to protect the house on stilts from rocking will help:
- thorough hydrogeological study of soils;
- concreting of the basement, performed immediately after the completion of the installation of piles and trimming of the heads;
- step-by-step quality control of the work performed with fixing the process on a camera or video camera;
- the desirable presence of a responsible person during the installation of piles;
- compliance with the "exposure" of the foundation during the winter period.
It must be remembered that the capital and long service life of the house depends on the correct observance of the technology of erecting an underground structure, therefore, work should be approached seriously and without total savings. The problem of loosening a house on stilts should not deter potential developers. Such troubles happen quite rarely and in most cases are successfully resolved.
Among the builders there are disputes about the need to perform a trial screwing of piles. Some argue that the results of geological research are quite enough. Others assure the owners that it is necessary to confirm the actual soil conditions on the site with samples, and without them, high-quality installation of support pillars is simply impossible. It should be noted that doing both types of work does not make sense, and preference should be given to qualitative research, despite the fact that they will cost much more.
Trial screwing does not provide correct information about the thickness of the solid soil layer and its bearing capacity, in contrast to laboratory conclusions.
Common myths
Myth - the process of installing piles is quite simple. In fact, they are screwed in quickly, but preparation for work takes a long period. In particular, this applies to a real assessment of geological conditions. Difficulties in screwing occur when:
- a strong layer lies below seven meters;
- there are large stones in the soil - piles can “leave” the vertical axis, which subsequently affects the rocking of the structure.
Myth - the metal shell rusts within 10 years. This can happen if the section of the pile located above the ground is not treated with anti-corrosion compounds. In the earth, however, there is no oxygen supply sufficient for the oxidation process, so rust appears too slowly. Sufficient wall thickness will not allow the metal pipe to collapse within 10 years.
Myth - piles will serve 300-400 years. There is no such data, since screw supports appeared about 200 years ago. Manufacturers give a warranty period of 50 years.
Myth - when screwing in, the blades break off. This disadvantage can only be attributed to low-quality products. When buying piles, you should make sure that the weld is uniform, does not have shells or sagging. There are also cast tips on the market, from which the blades cannot come off under any circumstances. The quality of piles is judged by their uniform color and the absence of rust on the inner surface.
Myth - installation can be done in one day. This statement applies only to open areas on which plastic soils occur. The presence of trees, nearby buildings and hard layers of soil increases the time of screwing in piles.
Myth - products made by different manufacturers are the same. This idea of piles is incorrect, despite their standardized dimensions. The differences are in steel grade, wall thickness, types of outer coating, blade arrangement, etc. All this is reflected in the cost of products.
Myth - pits can not be done. In this case, the start of the screwing process will be difficult. A pit is needed, but shallow.
Myth - to perform the strapping, a channel or an I-beam is required. This is not true. Metal can be completely replaced with a wooden beam, which will be cheaper. But it is not recommended to use it with a high location of the house on stilts or in the case of massive walls. A reasonable approach to materials is required.
Myth - if the pile sways, you just need to deepen it. Such a solution does not always eliminate problems.
Myth - thin piles can be installed under a light house. In fact, they are intended for fences, arbors, greenhouses, etc. Having installed a small house on piles with a diameter of 57 or 76 mm, one should expect it to sway from gusts of wind. For houses built on soft ground, even piles with a diameter of 89 mm are not suitable. Thin supports can be used for porches or attached terraces.
Myth - when reconstructing the foundation, piles can be screwed in at an angle and then aligned vertically. This option will definitely deprive the pipe of stability on the one hand, loosen the soil at the base under the tip and can deform the blades. In this case, staggering at home is unlikely to be avoided.
In our country, screw piles in private construction began to be used recently, but in the West the technology has been known for more than one century. Many owners of houses on screw piles are quite happy with their choice. They indicate that they are not familiar with distortions, cracks and swaying. But their dwellings were built with strict observance of technological processes!
A frame house is a building that can be not only a country house: warm, reliable cottages, summer cottages, houses for permanent residence are being built using frame technology. Moreover, frame houses show themselves perfectly even in those regions of Belarus where winters are very cold and snowy. However, there are also cases when a frame house cannot withstand not only winter blizzards, but a strong hurricane wind. This happens due to the inexperience or dishonesty of the builders: the destruction of frame houses is due to the mistakes they make.
Framed house after a hurricane
In particular, a story happened in the Moscow region, after which the family was left without three houses at once, which were built by the same construction company.
During the hurricane, a wind speed of 20-27 meters per second was recorded. With such a wind, many dry trees were knocked down, but besides them, there were also three houses that belonged to the same family. One of them collapsed completely, formed like a card, another two had their walls and roof covering torn off. All three houses were built by the same people who refused to admit that the houses had become unusable through their fault - the builders refer to the hurricane and the fact that the houses were not designed for such a wind. However, their customers recall that before construction they were assured that the frame houses would serve perfectly - both in summer and in winter. Construction took place less than a year before the hurricane.
The frame house will really serve, but only if it is built in compliance with all the rules and technologies. In the same case, several fatal mistakes were made during construction.
Why did the frame house collapse from the wind?
The first gross mistake of the builders - they did not provide sufficient rigidity of the frame, which is required by regulatory documents. To ensure rigidity, it is required to use OSB boards for sheathing or to embed jibs. The jibs are cut from bottom to top so that they combine several racks. The jibs are placed diagonally and, as it were, bind the house, thanks to which the geometry of the frame is kept.
This problem had its symptoms even before the house collapsed. Residents said they felt like the house was swaying when someone climbed the stairs. They reported this to the builders, but calmed down when they were assured that this was just a consequence of the shrinkage of the house. But the fact is that frame construction involves the use of dry boards, and a correctly built frame house does not shrink.
Nevertheless, a jib was found in one of the walls, but it was not installed diagonally, it went only along one section, therefore it simply served as an additional stand and did not play a bearing role.
Builder mistakes
There are other mistakes due to which these houses would not have stood for longer than 10-15 years.
How not to become a victim of unscrupulous builders?
You need to take care of the safety of your homes yourself. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous builders who do not comply with all technologies and use low-quality cheap materials in construction. Usually they lure clients with cheap houses.
The state does not control low-rise private construction and does not issue any licenses. Therefore, there will be nowhere to complain if something happens.
Starting construction, you must either independently study the nuances of frame technology, or hire a third-party technical specialist who would supervise.
In general, I am another "victim" of fundex screw pilesWith strong gusts of wind (~ 10m / s and above), mine even shudders on the 1st floor. tired - no strength!
piles go about 4-5mm (judging by the cracks in the sand near the piles).The piles were twisted by gastrachi-Asians, inserted into the pits ~ 70 cm deep, then covered them with earth.
height from the ground to the strapping 50-60cm.
with an average kick, the piles swayed slightly. I did not attach any importance to this, I thought that after tying it would not affect.
in total 28 piles + 3 asbestos-cement piles 150mm I then installed myself, for the boiler room. where he put it himself - there the piles did not swing.
a house made of timber 150 * 150, the width along the most windy side is 9m, the height along the log house is 5m, along the ridge 9m. windage is good.
piles are tied with timber 200x200mm, then in a cross 150x150mm. heads are welded on. the harness is attached to the heads with capercaillie 10mm DIN571
after shrinkage and a year of firebox, she sheathed the house with a frame and DSP.
Well, I think that's all, the swings will disappear. a new season of winds has come and (nutvauZhmaaat!) again the water in the decanter is shaking, I wake up from the shuddering of the bed.
with steps and jumps, the house does not sway (be healthy at home, why should he sway).Given the low reputation of fundex, I feel that there may be jambs with welded screws and after some time I am afraid of the destruction of piles in the welding area. cooked, too, tanned obscurantists, probably. then it can be more specific. because the tape and piles cannot be monolithic in one piece (he lifts the tape, the piles - no) and it will be necessary to partially add, cut the piles, add to the piles ...
it may seem like paranoia, but judging by the masterpieces of the fundex, paranoia has some chance of becoming a reality.One comrade on this forum suggested welding 40x40 thick plates to the piles perpendicular to the wind. says that this will remove the wind vibrations of the foundation. but I am afraid that during the St. Petersburg March heaving of the soil 10-15 cm for the same pieces of iron, the pile will be pulled up.
Who can give some good advice?
I know how to cook, can the jib pieces be welded at 45 °? like this: I\I/I\I/IAlso the coverage is bad. they write about "the coating with which ICEBREAKERS are painted." after 1 year, in places where the soil was rising, all this pontoon pseudo-icebreaking paint peeled off. I tinted it with bituminous mastic, it was torn off by frost and mechanical heaving. painted with paint "hammer 3 in 1, primer on rust", it is normal.
if I could go back 3 years, I would send this fundex to hell and fill it with a tape, and a stove on it. the aircraft has a short lifespan, and they stagger, and you can sew a horseradish plinth normally (or it will tear, or cats will climb), and peel off, etc.
on the claim, the fundex answered brilliantly - "we are not the fundex that you set."By the way, what are piles? 108?
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