So you've decided to buy wooden house in the secondary market instead of building from scratch. It seems to you that a ready-made wooden house is cheaper than a new one, you will not need to spend time on designing, building, shrinking. Bought - and you can enter.
We will not argue that this is not so, but you must understand: at the same time cheap and high quality does not happen. We know many cases when, having saved at the time of purchase, people spent many times more in an attempt to bring the house into proper shape.
In this article, we will look at the main points that you will need to pay attention to before purchasing.
First of all, ask the owner about the reason for the sale. Better yet, talk to your neighbors. Find out how long it took to build the house. If this is a long-term construction, and an uncovered box of the house, unprotected from the effects of precipitation, has stood for at least a season (or even several years), then the wood is most likely already affected by a fungus and is slowly being destroyed. We do not recommend purchasing such a house. If suddenly you still decide, be sure to re-examine with an independent specialist in the field of wooden housing construction.
Another option: the seller built the house immediately for sale (which he hardly admits). On the good quality buildings in this case also should not be hoped for: by the time of the sale, the goods have been hastily brought into proper form, and the seller does not care what will happen to the house in a couple of years.
If the owner built for himself, for a long time lived in the house, then he invested a lot of effort, time and money in it - not only at the time of construction, but also later, in caring for the house. This property will not be cheap. If the price seems attractively low to you, think about what could be the reasons.
Most importantly, never rely solely on the attractive appearance of the house. you choose not beautiful picture, and own housing, which should serve long time rather than rot in a few years.
Be sure to ask the seller for all the documents for the house. Check his right to real estate: whether he can make purchase and sale transactions. Find out who else is registered in the house so that after a while you do not find an unpleasant surprise in the form of relatives and heirs. All documents must be checked by a notary.
Check with your local government about the development plan of the area: perhaps the house is being sold only because it is scheduled to be demolished in 5 years.
Ask the seller for project documentation - an album with all the drawings, estimate tables and explanatory notes with seals and signatures of designers. This is a guarantee that the house was built according to the project, calculations were made for it, and all building codes were taken into account. Buying a house without documentation, you run the risk of getting a pig in a poke: an unscrupulous developer could deviate from the norms and make changes to the project that will subsequently lead (or have already led) to the destruction of the house. In the absence of documentation, all responsibility will fall on your shoulders.
Be sure to spend a few hours inspecting each option at home, and bring clothes that you don't mind getting dirty while checking hard-to-reach areas. Remember: the seller wants to show you the advantages of the house, your task is to find all the possible disadvantages.
Let's start looking at the bottom.
Foundation
A good foundation is the key to the reliability of the building: it depends on how long and well the house will stand. Visually assess the presence of cracks, delaminations, the presence and performance of drainage systems and/or blind areas. To check the drainage, you can pour a bucket of water into it and see where it comes out. To assess the depth of the foundation, it is necessary to dig, but not every home owner will agree to this. The foundation should not be skewed to one corner or side: you can use the building level to determine this.
plinth
Recommended plinth height for wooden houses- 60 cm. There must be a layer of waterproofing between the foundation and the backing beam. Look at the presence, dimensions and location of the vents in the base - special holes that provide natural ventilation space under the floor (only with certain types of foundations).
Basement (underground)
The basement is a part of the foundation with increased requirements for waterproofing and ventilation. There should not be a musty smell here, the boundary of the water level: its presence is evidenced by the difference in the shade of the walls.
If the floor boards have an unusual bluish or reddish tint, the wood is affected by fungi. Here you can use a knife: if the inserted knife sits firmly and is difficult to remove, then the boards are in good condition. Swipe your palm at the junction of the floor with the walls: cold air should not be pulled from there. You can use a thermal imager and find all the places that are weak in terms of blowing and freezing.
Walls
Tap the entire first ring (the first few logs from the bottom) or poke with a screwdriver: rotten logs may look normal, so simple visual inspection won't help here. A loud and clear sound indicates the reliability of the log. Inspect the logs for mold, insect damage, examine the condition concrete screed: it should be dry and not crumble.
Inspect the walls, log joints, corners of the house inside and out, if necessary - with a flashlight. There should be no specific blue, traces of decay and mold, cracks. Go around the outside of the house and see if there are any large gaps between the logs or uneven caulked joints. Pay attention to the small black dots - these are the nests of carpenter beetles. They indicate that the wood was not processed on time. special formulations. Do not buy such a house, no matter how tempting its cost may seem: it is a slow death of the house, which is almost impossible to overcome.
Do not spare the money and conduct a survey of the house with a thermal imager. This is a special device that will show weak spots in the thermal insulation of the house in the infrared range. Inside the room, the ventilated corners will look like dark blue, and outside - like yellow-orange spots. Most carefully, it is necessary to check the foundation piping, intervention gaps, corners, slopes and attic floor- i.e. all places bordering the street.
An important condition: such an examination can be carried out only in the cold season (the temperature difference between the street and indoors should reach at least 10 degrees) in a heated room. Therefore, if you are going to buy a house in the summer or spring, you run the risk of finding out about problems with the thermal insulation of the house already during the onset of cold weather.
The house should be checked by an expert who can evaluate the result and offer solutions. For example, in the event of a marriage of an interventional sealant, repeated caulking will help, and with a “background” roof, you will have to disassemble the interior trim and renew the insulation. Therefore, be sure to think about how much money you will have to spend on alterations (corrections) and how justified such a purchase will be.
pay attention to interior partitions: when pressed, they should not sag under load.
Check the walls for soundproofing.
wall material
A profiled timber is outwardly almost indistinguishable from a four-edged one, and round log- from rounded, which is often used by unscrupulous developers. However, everything ends with the external similarity: a 4-edged beam and a round log do not have technological features CCB and profile. For example, a four-edged beam does not have interventional grooves - this leads to the appearance of large gaps, and subsequently to the ventilation of the walls; there is a high probability of the appearance of through cracks in the crowns of the log house. More about various types You can read the material in our infographics and detailed descriptions.
The question is whether you can independently distinguish one material from another, or take the seller's word for it and buy a Zhiguli at the cost of a Mercedes. To prevent this from happening, it is better to conduct an inspection of the house with an independent expert.
Windows and doors
If the walls near the windows are colder than in other places, then this indicates violations in the window installation technology. All windows and doors should open freely, without any jamming. We recommend that you remove the architraves on windows and doors from the inside and outside and personally verify the quality of installation, tightness and the quality of the insulation.
Ceiling
Visually evaluate the ceiling: it should be even, without obvious deflections, all corners should be the same color. If the color / shade is different, then this indicates the freezing of the building. Inspect the house for cracks between the walls and ceilings: they could appear due to improper shrinkage of the house.
Attic (attic)
Check for strength truss system, pay attention to the insulation of the attic, the quality of roofing materials, the integrity of the chimney - there should not be an adjoining tree. If the air in the attic is stale and the ceiling is damp, then this indicates problems with the ventilation of the under-roof space. If the roof is leaking, then you will see traces of water leakage.
Roof
Look at the roof from the outside, you can use binoculars for this. roofing material should lie flat, there should be no grooves, dips, bends or other deviations. Pay attention to the edges of the roof: they must be hemmed, otherwise all possible precipitation will fall there, and the birds will begin to build nests there. Another important point- chimney: there should be no traces of burning around it, the color of the wood inside and the roof outside at the point of contact with the chimney should not differ. Take a closer look at the evenness of the roof ridge: it should not sag at the points of support on the gables.
As you can see, the desire to buy a good wooden house is not enough: there are too many nuances that it will be difficult for a non-professional to notice. Therefore, we advise you to inspect all options for wooden houses before buying with an independent professional expert. In our practice, there was a case when the client did not know how to build new house or buy ready-made. Together with an expert, she examined 7 houses she liked - and simply estimating the amount of costs for revision and alteration, she returned to us to build a new wooden house.
If, nevertheless, you decide to buy a finished wooden house, and not build a house from scratch, pay attention to the material of the walls: in our special. In this issue, we carefully studied this issue and honestly told both the advantages and disadvantages of this or that material.
They show you old wooden houses and decide to buy one of them, but wondered why you don't know how to check the condition of the house? Then our helpful tips For you.
Old wooden houses - choose the right one
So, the roof: you need to check both the rafters and the roof covering. It is necessary to check the material of the roof covering, make sure that there are no gaps.
You also need to make sure that water from the roof does not get on the walls and does not seep on them through the cracks in the roof covering. The fact that this fact took place may be evidenced by spots and streaks on the facade.
Next, you need to check the walls - here, first of all, you need to check the condition of the lining or other facing material(if any). It is best if the cladding of the house was carried out directly during the construction process. Unfortunately, it is often very difficult or even impossible to check this.
If the house was sheathed with clapboard during operation, then this may indicate that the need for cladding arose due to the fact that the beams were “spread out”. As a result, the timber may not be in good enough condition.
Turnkey timber houses or already old wooden houses are checked as follows: it is necessary to tear off a piece of lining in several places: at the corners, under windows and in those places where there are structural poles (where the material most often wears out).
If on wooden walls rather large defects are visible and there are traces of repair, then this may be a sign that the tree is most likely in poor condition. This is a wake-up call for the new owner, after which it is necessary to increase vigilance in the subsequent inspection of the house, because repairs can become prohibitively expensive, if not impossible.
With the utmost care, it is necessary to inspect the corners of the house. If they show signs of wear and tear (usually from excessive moisture), then subsequent repairs are inevitable. A bad sign can be the presence of efflorescence, spots on the tree. Cracks in the beam, on the contrary, should not bother the buyer.
Subfloor - you need to look at the structural units, check the condition of the foundation. With very low foundations, the subfloor can often be washed away with water and is in a waterlogged state, which means it is in poor condition.
It is also important to check what kind of soil the building stands on. If the soil is clayey, the house may be subject to constant moisture.
The type of wood from which old wooden houses were built: most often wooden houses are built from pine, less often from hardwood. best material for construction there would be oak (very rare, since oak is quite an expensive wood).
The beam must be “poked” with an awl or screwdriver. The tool simply will not enter more than 0.5 centimeters into healthy wood. You need to make sure that there are no holes made by insects - if there are few or none at all, the wood is healthy. If the wood has efflorescence, efflorescence or wet spots, this indicates that it is constantly exposed to moisture.
The purpose of a professional home inspection is to check the foundation, framing, finishes and mechanical systems for defects, breakage or deterioration of materials, as well as any damage from adverse weather conditions, such as decay. Regular home inspections will help you determine what needs to be fixed to prevent major problems in the future.
A home inspection consists of monitoring plumbing, security, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. For example, the main task of ensuring safety on the site is to divert drains away from the building. The next step is to inspect the paths, you need to make sure that they are not cracked and that you can walk on them without the risk of injury.
Foundation check
If you decide to buy a ready-built house, the first thing you need to pay attention to is an inspection of its foundation. Practice shows that this is the most important structural element on which the longevity of the house depends. Most of"sores" in the future, such as the appearance of cracks, increased humidity and water ingress, increased wear of the structure and finish, are manifested precisely because of a poorly built foundation.
To begin with, inspect the semi-through channels and basements for water penetration into the foundation cracks under the walls. If water is seeping through the walls below the ground, then this indicates problems with drainage outside the house. Check the foundation and retaining walls level 1.2 m long. If you find bends or roll from overpressure, then it is better to refuse to buy such a cottage, since these deformations can lead to a collapse of the walls.
Presence of cracks
Microcracks in concrete can be cosmetic (caused by subsidence of the foundation), but they should still be checked. V-shaped cracks (tapering downwards) or cracks running the length of the wall are most likely caused by uneven subsidence and will only get worse over time. If the floors in the floor are cracked or risen, then this indicates a rise in the level ground water. In this case, you need to replace the drainage pipes to prevent the consequences.
Drainage and water waste system
If a pump is running in the house to pump out groundwater, then you may encounter a drainage problem. Check the foundation around the perimeter for potholes and exposed areas of erosion, indicating that the flow of water to the site exceeds that which the soil can absorb. At high humidity soils will require the installation of a drainage system.
The drain must be diverted at least three meters from the foundation of the building. To do this, lengthen the pipes drainage system using drainage blocks or drainage pipes. The system must be diverted away from the house, expect 15cm of water discharge for every 1.8m. Poor drainage can cause hydrostatic pressure to build up near the walls, which can cause basement walls to bulge or water erosion and weaken the home's foundation.
wood decay
Using a screwdriver or an awl, inspect the section of the frame of the house for rotting and decomposition. Rotting can be caused by fungi or termite pests. Check the area around for termite infestation. Termites leave specific traces on the ground - small funnels of dirt. Termites also lose their legs easily, so a bunch of legs nearby will be another clue for you.
Exterior walls
Examine exterior walls for structural integrity, secure fastenings, and signs of rot and moisture ingress. See functional drainage holes in brick and brick cladding. Check for cracks in the plaster, this will help you determine if the plywood sheathing behind it has bulged. Remember that cracks in plaster of any size will allow moisture to enter. When checking outer insulation use a moisture meter to determine if there is moisture behind it.
Facade check
The look of your home can tell you a lot of potential problems that you will face.
plant propagation
Perhaps the tree casts a large shadow on the house, as a result of which mold and rot cannot be ruled out on the walls. Trees and shrubs that have grown near the cottage can lead to an invasion of pests, so it is advisable to remove them.
Wall problems
Any signs of swelling or sloping of the outer walls indicate a problem with the fasteners. They can become deformed if water has penetrated the wall and reacted with the wood.
Tightness of connections
Take a pick or an awl and gently peel back the door and window trims. See if the paint has peeled off, check the condition soft rocks tree. Make sure drains are installed at the top and around windows to drain water.
Check the doors for normal wear and tear and rotting wood. All houses with wood trim are susceptible to rotting, examine for warping, delamination, peeling paint, and lack of insulation. As a rule, the problem is solved by replacing the old insulation with a new high-quality sealant.
Roof check
Be sure to check all the main elements of the roof.
Surface
To inspect the surface of the roof, you will need a ladder and binoculars. This way you can find missing or damaged tiles, as well as clogged drains. Inspect the insulation of all openings on the roof for wear. Check the roof for warped, bulging, or wavy spots, as these are indicative of framing problems.
Chimney
Check for cracks in the chimney, see if smoke is coming through the seams. A warped or faded rain canopy, creosote flakes on the roof and ground, damaged roofing are all indications of dangerous amounts of creosote in the chimney.
drains
Check gutters and pipes for leaks or cracks. Make sure there are no leaves or other debris blocking drainage. Covers on the gutters protect them from clogging with debris - and completely free of charge.
Exterior walls
Check the exterior siding for integrity, security, and signs of rot or water intrusion. Are the drain holes in the veneer clogged and brickwork? Look for cracks in the plaster - moisture can penetrate through the expansion of the wood. Walk the exterior insulation system with a moisture meter to check for invisible areas behind the wall surface.
Checking the interior of the house
water damage
Check the surfaces of all doors and windows for any problems caused by water. Explore the basement, fireplace and attic. Jamming interior doors- a possible sign of movement of the foundation caused by water pressure. If the walls or ceiling have been exposed to water, they may become deformed.
Water can also break the structure plaster walls. If the walls in your home are wood paneled, check for kinks or warping, as this likely indicates moisture behind the wall.
The attic must be provided with the necessary ventilation. Humidity coming from the bathroom and drains from the roofs settles in the attic, in which case it is necessary to immediately find and eliminate its source. In the bathroom, check for moisture buildup on the ceiling behind the shower panel. Check the tiles with a moisture meter.
Design issues
Sticking nails can cause problems with wall framing. Check the basement frame for bent, warped, or rotted fasteners that could be causing the floor to sag. The floor can also sag due to an unstable or rotten support beam.
Inspect the ceiling for protruding nails, cracks, or sagging. This indicates serious problems in the design. Keep in mind that sagging ceilings can also cause adjacent walls to sag.
electrical safety
Check all smoke detectors, Use a 3-pin electrical tester to diagnose outlets. All sockets must operate in the 220 volt range. Wiring problems can cause electric shock.
Faulty wiring can spark, catch fire, or cause a power outage or loss of power. Causes of low electrical power: a short length of electrical wiring for a given load, an excessively long electrical circuit, or increased resistance of conductors at high temperatures.
Checking pipes and channels
Check everything water pipes for corrosion and insulation integrity. If you are buying old house, then, perhaps, there are lead pipes in it, which is dangerous to health. Attach a magnet to metal pipe if magnetization occurs, then the pipe is made of galvanized steel, if not, then most likely from lead.
To check the pressure, simply open all the taps in the house. A jet of water should come out of each tap, if this does not happen, then the pipe diameter may be too narrow.
Gas service specialists often inspect pipes and stop valves for gas leaks with a special device, which you can also purchase at a hardware store.
Heating and ventilation systems do not need to be tested for safety and water content. However, you should track how effectively they work. In older systems, an inspector would most likely open the oven and inspect the flame and other parts of the oven.
However, new heating systems cannot be tested this way, they are able to run on electricity, gas or gasoline. They can heat air, water, generate steam, or simply act as heat reflectors. If you are not very well versed in the design of your heating system, then it is best to call a specialist to inspect it.
How to find heat leaks from home?
If through the wall, wooden panels, floor coverings or ventilation and heating systems are leaking air, it is tantamount to throwing your money out the window. In cold weather warm air goes up to the attic. This air, ending up in the attic, leaves the living space, and you pay for heating this air.
Cold air also enters through cracks and crevices in the house around doors and windows, from the basement. Thoroughly inspect your home for any leaks. However, get ready for the fact that it will not be so easy to find them behind the isolation.
The most problematic areas are: roof doors, piping valves, wire holes, hanging chandeliers and ceilings.
Light a candle
If you want to check if you have air leaks, then the easiest way is to light a candle. On a cool, windy day, close all doors and windows and turn off the heating. Turn on long ventilation to induce a leak. Light a candle and run it around the perimeter of doors and windows. Observe the movement of the flame for leakage.
Check temperature
If in various parts room temperature differs by one or two degrees, it is likely that the house is not sufficiently insulated. If the difference persists, then the building may have an airflow problem in the ventilation systems.
Some places in the cottages are the least protected. Observe the temperature around the flame tube or vent ducts. Next, you should check ventilation grates, radiator screens, slots under skirting boards and thresholds.
Outdoors, check the bottom edges of the siding at the base for leaks, as well as garage floors and wall joints, then inspect openings through which power enters the house. electrical cable, gas is supplied and air conditioning is connected.
Be sure to check the basement, all doors and windows.
Invest and get an infrared thermometer for self-diagnosis at home. For a few thousand rubles, you can get a device that can detect heat losses around doors and windows, holes in insulation, ventilation systems, and other areas.
First of all, you should look at the project documentation, namely, the presence of the necessary seals and signatures. Then you need to check the house for the quality of the log, for this you can use old way- by annual rings. Dense rings speak about the quality of the tree.
Inspection of the cottage should begin with outer side at home. Go around it from all sides, make sure that there are no large gaps, disguised uneven joints, rotting. Then look at the roof of the house. To do this, you need to move away from the building, and take a closer look at whether the roof is sagging. Particular attention should be paid to the quality of the outer walls.
The basis of the house is the foundation. Firstly, between one log belt laid along the outer perimeter of the house and the basement, there must be another layer of waterproofing. The plinth must be at least 50 cm high.
Correct Assembly wooden cottage This is the guarantee of longevity of the house. The quality of the assembly can be checked with a needle, for this the needle must be inserted between the logs, if the needle does not enter, then the logs are connected poorly. Carefully inspect the corners of the house for leaks. In winter, dampness may appear in the corners, and mold may appear in the warm period. With the help of a metal ball, it is possible to check if the house is skewed, if the ball rolls slowly, then it's okay. It is also necessary to test windows and doors, all their parts should fit snugly.
Any Vacation home must have a subfloor. Don't hesitate to take a look there. In the floor of the first floor, open the technical hatch and look under the floor and basement space in which you can move at least crouching. Remember, this gap will come in handy in the future for periodic processing of a wooden floor. Looking into the hatch, check for mold and rot on the logs.
It is often said about wooden houses that they are alive, and so such an organism must breathe properly. Condensation is a dangerous sign of errors in ventilation and insulation of the house and the main cause of biological destruction. wooden structures. If condensation forms in the house, then sooner or later mushrooms will appear there. Traces of condensation can be found on unprotected, covering paints, wooden surfaces even after drying. Look for them mainly at the joints, corners, under the ceiling, in the attic.
08.05.2013 23:45
How to check a wooden house when buying
The basic rule in construction is something like this: the simpler the structural scheme of the house, the less problems there will be with it during operation. The main impact on a wooden house is exerted by the so-called shrinkage of a wooden house .
Designers are always designing wooden houses under shrinkage. That is, they lay a percentage on shrinkage wooden house. It ranges from 3 to 6%, depending on what time of the year the wood was harvested for the construction of a wooden house. If the forest is harvested from the first half of winter to mid-spring, it is called - winter forest, and if in the period from late spring to early winter - summer forest. Building a house from the winter forest most economical and quality option construction. Unfortunately, many, when selling a wooden house, deceive the buyer by claiming that it was built from a winter forest, at a time when the forest was cut down in summer-autumn period. Such a house is subject to the greatest draft, and, accordingly, distortions and all kinds of jamming of windows and doors. Most The best way check a wooden house before buying - it is to conduct a visual inspection inside and out, and the house must be built and stand for two years.
Inspection of a wooden house
Before entering a wooden house, go around it and check for large gaps between the logs, as well as caulked uneven joints. In addition to the joints between the logs, it is necessary to inspect the logs for the presence of blue and decay. Why does the log turn blue , can be found on the company's website. ASK Aegis . Also pay Special attention on the upper gable logs, whether they have moved away from the rest of the logs. Then move away from the house at a distance of up to 20 meters and look at the evenness of the roof ridge, whether it sags in places where it rests on the gables of the building. These are the main places outside the building, which can be used to judge the quality of the assembly of a wooden house and the time of wood harvesting.
Having entered the wooden house, also inspect the density of contact between the rows of logs and the presence of decay. Carefully inspect the corners of the wooden house, whether they are tight enough and whether the wind is blowing through them. AT winter period in such corners it is always damp, and mold appears in autumn. Climbing up to the second floor wooden stairs, try to feel with your feet if there are any irregularities and distortions of the steps or some inconvenience of the upper steps of the stairs. These are signs of settlement on the second floor of a wooden house. When exiting to the second floor, pay attention to the main carrier wooden beam whether it lies flat. Also look at the floor planes for visual curvature. You can check the curvature using a metal or glass ball brought in advance. Putting it on the floor, it should not roll anywhere on its own. If the ball rolls very slowly, then this is not a problem, since the curvature is minimal, and if it is fast, this indicates a serious distortion of the house. Such a bias can be caused not only by uneven shrinkage of the log of a wooden house, but also by serious deformations of the foundation caused by frost heaving of soils . And this is already serious problem, at which it can crack the foundation of the house .
These are the minimum things that you need to pay attention to when buying a wooden house. Ideal Solution is to build your dream home by yourself. We will give an example of such construction in pictures with detailed description which was kindly provided to us by one of our customers. How I built my house, photo report . Read it and then, perhaps, you will decide to build your house according to a pre-planned project.
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