Where do I begin? Every month I deal with hundreds
of people, including clients, distribution companies, their clients and people
simply interested in learning more about wooden housing.
Where do I begin? Every month I deal with hundreds
of people, including clients, distribution companies, their clients and people
simply interested in learning more about wooden housing.
Where do I begin? Every month I deal with hundreds
of people, including clients, distribution companies, their clients and people
simply interested in learning more about wooden housing.
In particular, if you live in an extremely hot
area, a wall greater than 44 mm is not advisable, at least on an aesthetic
level. Nordic wood greater than this thickness is selected from the heart of
the tree, as it is stronger. Precisely for this reason, it will also present a
greater number of fissures, since these arise from the heart.
Wood roof
The main factor to consider is snow. Rain will not
adversely affect the structure. The snow, in return, remains on the roof for a
while, until it melts, assuming additional weight.
This is the reason why homes in the Nordic
countries often have a very steep roof slope. Although in United Kingdom it is
not necessary to imitate this style, we must be cautious, and have a wooden
house prepared for the possible circumstance of snow, even if this is very
unlikely.
In case of having a certain risk of snow, no matter
how minimal, the solution is to design a greater slope, which will minimize
this effect, and to use higher rafters (support for the roof board) that
support the weight of snow. The height of the rafter is always more important
than its width.
It will also be important to inform us if the
wooden house is uncovered, that is, without trees and buildings around.
Recommendations
in finishes
The main objective of this section is to teach you
to choose the best finishes, depending on the climatic characteristics of your
locality. In the first place, the general recommendation is to choose natural
materials, which have proven greater resistance and durability over time.
Today we will focus on the three minimum necessary
finishes, which will leave the wooden structure completely protected from the
start: painting, covering and insulation.
Painting
Paint is an indisputable and non-negotiable element;
therefore the concept is included in the prices of all our homes. This type of
paint is called "open pore" because it penetrates into the material,
and nourishes it. Unlike other cheaper solutions, which are limited to leaving
a superficial layer on the wood.
Dark stain
paint
The stain will allow the natural behavior of the
wood and at the same time, it will protect it from the attacks of woodworm and
other insects. If you live in the south, with warm temperatures and lots of
sun, and contrary to what you might initially think, we recommend opting for
dark colors.
Painting the interior of the house is not
mandatory, although it is recommended, at least in the rooms that receive more
sun.
Cover
Turning to the roof, by default we include tile in
all estimates, unless expressly requested by the client.
In this case, there are a multitude of options in
materials, and the choice is made based more on the budget, and the client's
own taste for the aesthetic finish.
Personally, I like ceramic tile for 3 reasons:
It
is made from a natural material, clay.
- The
wooden roof does not need an excessive reinforcement for its support, being
enough to slightly increase the slope, and add some transverse slats, on which
the tile will fit. We will always include a vapor sheet, to prevent the
moisture from the rain from penetrating the interior of the house.
- Especially
for its beautiful visual appearance. The ceramic tile is ours, our country is
the main producer. The wooden house was born in northern Europe, where the material
grows stronger due to the cold conditions. In United Kingdom we have the
opportunity to unite the two materials at a reasonable cost, generating a home
like the one in the fables, at the same time resistant and sustainable.
Isolation
I would like to emphasize that this point is not
strictly necessary, especially if you live in the southern half of United
Kingdom. The general recommendation is to live a time inside the wooden house,
before insulating the walls and the ceiling, since most of the people are
usually surprised by the pleasant interior thermal sensation, throughout the
year.
The main routes of escape and entry of cold, heat
and sound are the doors, windows and roof. In this sense, the matter is
resolved on our part, all the doors and windows will be prepared in laminated
wood (much stronger, reducing practically zero the risk of subsequent movement
and cracks). They will have a double thermal glass, with argon gas inside.
If you finally choose to install insulation, rock
wool is the best known and most recommended option on the market, as it is a
natural material and above all, flexible, allowing it to be adapted to the
chamber prepared by different manufacturers. There are also other natural
materials, such as wood fiber.
Ceiling installation is simple. However, we do
recommend deciding it in advance of construction, and before installing the
final roofing material. If you anticipate cold at night, insulate the ceiling
from the first moment.
Regarding the insulation of walls, I recommend
discarding the usual practice of screwing a clad board that, if not done
correctly, does not allow the natural movement of the wood. However, there are
some companies that prepare a sliding double clad wall, which I do consider a
completely valid option.
Advice
In any case, my recommendation is to install, for
two reasons:
- The
outer wall is double. Let's put 44 + camera + 44. This supposes a strong
external wall of 88 millimeters to which, when adding the thickness of the
camera, we will obtain a wall that will always comply with the regulations. The
interior wall will be thinner, so that interior living space will not be
wasted.
- This
double exterior wall, instead of being screwed, remains embedded (or embedded),
allowing the structure to behave as a whole, its movement will be uniform.
Conclusion
This text is an introduction to the most important
points to take into account when planning your timber
frame mobile homes in UK. I recommend you continue researching and
learning. I take this opportunity to share, author of Cambium Design,
architect, and a true expert in wood construction. In it, he delves into the
aspects covered, and many others, in addition to clarifying certain
controversial issues, about which not all companies tend to warn their clients: