ᐅ Log Cabin Construction: Solid Timber vs. Frame Building – Experiences?
Created on: 4 Feb 2019 21:58
L
Lucrezia
A year ago, it was clear: log house, nothing else (we had an experienced company, but unfortunately no general contractor). Since we got in touch with a general contractor specializing in timber frame construction who convinced us, I have been going around in circles. Since I have already received many helpful ideas and tips in this forum, I would like to invite you to share your thoughts on this. I’ll start with the advantages and disadvantages we have noticed:
Log house:
+ Only untreated wood, so "minimalist" and with very low chemical exposure
+ Short waiting and construction time
- Trades must be contracted separately (we would not take on any work ourselves, except possibly flooring)
- Prices can fluctuate more significantly
- Warranty is "only" 15 years on structural components (5 years on the rest)
Timber frame construction:
+ General contractor, so "worry-free"
+ Accurate price quote (fixed price)
+ 30-year warranty on structural components – waiting and construction time somewhat longer
-/+ Wood only in the “frame”; (eco-friendly) materials can be freely chosen
Log house:
+ Only untreated wood, so "minimalist" and with very low chemical exposure
+ Short waiting and construction time
- Trades must be contracted separately (we would not take on any work ourselves, except possibly flooring)
- Prices can fluctuate more significantly
- Warranty is "only" 15 years on structural components (5 years on the rest)
Timber frame construction:
+ General contractor, so "worry-free"
+ Accurate price quote (fixed price)
+ 30-year warranty on structural components – waiting and construction time somewhat longer
-/+ Wood only in the “frame”; (eco-friendly) materials can be freely chosen
haydee schrieb:
Then solid wood is missing from the list Not only that, because...
wurmwichtel schrieb:
Advantage of timber frame construction:
- short assembly time thanks to prefabricated component groups ... this would also apply to other panel construction methods (including brick, expanded clay, concrete, etc.).
haydee schrieb:
I’m satisfied with my solid wood house without exposed beams I don’t count you among the Blue-Green farming-target audience anyway
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
wurmwichtel schrieb:
Cheap response from a seller worried about their arguments!
A 10% higher construction cost for 50% lower heating costs means spending more than €25,000 (around $27,000) extra to save €30 (about $32) per month.
Don’t tell me about spending and saving! I’ve done the calculations and I’m not going to fall for sales talk! Based on your argument, I’m wondering how you calculated that...
You don’t even have proper arguments – I’d like to see that calculation. €25,000 (around $27,000) extra cost? For what? Improving a timber frame wall’s U-value from 0.5 to 0.2 (that was the first point I made that you reacted to) probably costs around €3,000 to €4,000 (about $3,200 to $4,300) at most. You almost get that back just from a smaller heating system...
haydee schrieb:
Lucrezia, do you really want to always see wooden walls, wooden floors, and wooden ceilings?I wonder the same, but inside, walls can be designed in many ways (I’m thinking, for example, of mixing materials like Fermacell and clay boards). For the exterior, you can use linseed oil-based paints.Regarding U-values: like in many things in life, it’s relative. Wood gives the house a cozy warmth. It may be perceived subjectively and not easily measured.
Regarding “fancy stuff”: Oh really? The log cabin owners I’ve met are down-to-earth people who have worked hands-on (some even built their houses themselves). Nothing like moonlit naked dances in the middle of their yard chickens.
On the other hand, prejudices are equally widespread in the general population.
Mottenhausen schrieb:
I just meant that with TE it sounded like they wanted to set up a completely untreated house. That’s not possible.If you look at the websites of pure log house suppliers (I would like to name names but prefer not to get banned), you’ll find that the wood is dried at high temperatures (which is obviously not very eco-friendly). This process denatures the proteins, making the wood resistant to parasites and moisture without needing further treatments.@Wall of a log house: it can be made from round logs (which I wouldn’t choose, as I don’t like the look and I imagine dirt collecting in the gaps) or, as mentioned here before, from two layers of timber with cork/jute/wood fiber insulation in the middle. In my case: 14 cm (5.5 inches) of wood plus about 15 cm (6 inches) of cork insulation, with a U-value of 0.20 W/m²K.
I need to look up the exact numbers.
Our shell construction as a passive house cost five figures more (10,000–25,000, I can’t remember exactly) than the same house built to KfW 55 standard. This was balanced out by the elimination of underfloor heating, which in a passive house is more of a luxury. Of course, the costs for the windows and the second blower door test are additional, but manageable.
Lucrezia, the plasterers who worked on our house said, "It’s a pity there won’t be a follow-up job here anytime soon, no visible timber." So far, they have cladded exposed timber on every house they worked on within a few years. I find wooden furniture, wooden floors, wooden ceilings, and wooden walls too much. Make sure to consider this carefully.
Our shell construction as a passive house cost five figures more (10,000–25,000, I can’t remember exactly) than the same house built to KfW 55 standard. This was balanced out by the elimination of underfloor heating, which in a passive house is more of a luxury. Of course, the costs for the windows and the second blower door test are additional, but manageable.
Lucrezia, the plasterers who worked on our house said, "It’s a pity there won’t be a follow-up job here anytime soon, no visible timber." So far, they have cladded exposed timber on every house they worked on within a few years. I find wooden furniture, wooden floors, wooden ceilings, and wooden walls too much. Make sure to consider this carefully.
haydee schrieb:
So far, with every house, they have covered the structural timber again after a few years. For me, wooden furniture, wooden floors, wooden ceilings, and wooden walls would be too much. Think it over carefully.You mean inside, right? – I would leave only the exterior walls as exposed structural timber and then treat them with white lime to keep them light. The rest would be colorful or white. Especially in the medical practice rooms, white should dominate. Are you allowed to say here who you built with, or would that be via private message? Or have you reported about it somewhere?