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
@wurmwichtel Thanks for your summary!
I’ll take it and add some points:
Advantages of solid timber walls:
- Regulates humidity
- Appearance (for those who appreciate this construction style)
- Emits a (subjective) sense of warmth
Disadvantages:
- Expensive
- Plumbing and electrical installations must be fully planned and finalized during the design phase
- Settling (in log houses)
Advantages of timber frame construction:
- Short assembly time thanks to prefabricated components
- All costs are fixed and clear from the start
Disadvantages:
- Plumbing and electrical installations must be fully planned and finalized during the design phase
- Material composition is not always fully transparent
I’ll take it and add some points:
Advantages of solid timber walls:
- Regulates humidity
- Appearance (for those who appreciate this construction style)
- Emits a (subjective) sense of warmth
Disadvantages:
- Expensive
- Plumbing and electrical installations must be fully planned and finalized during the design phase
- Settling (in log houses)
Advantages of timber frame construction:
- Short assembly time thanks to prefabricated components
- All costs are fixed and clear from the start
Disadvantages:
- Plumbing and electrical installations must be fully planned and finalized during the design phase
- Material composition is not always fully transparent
Only interior walls are possible. Exterior walls are normally plastered or clad with wood.
In practice, I would have chosen wood alongside white. It should not look like a tavern in the Alps from 1890.
We built with Wir Leben Haus. However, they use laminated timber/glulam. I was satisfied with the company. Currently, Anitra is building with them. The house might already be erected. Nemo2008 has a blog with photos from the construction phase.
In practice, I would have chosen wood alongside white. It should not look like a tavern in the Alps from 1890.
We built with Wir Leben Haus. However, they use laminated timber/glulam. I was satisfied with the company. Currently, Anitra is building with them. The house might already be erected. Nemo2008 has a blog with photos from the construction phase.
W
wurmwichtel15 Feb 2019 12:16haydee schrieb:
...Our shell construction as a passive house cost five figures more (10-25k, I don’t remember exactly) than the same house built to KfW 55 standard. This was balanced out by the elimination of the underfloor heating... How much higher were the additional costs compared to a building constructed to KfW 70 standard (Energy Saving Ordinance 2016)?
Lucrezia schrieb:
@Schickimicki: Oh really? The log house owners I have met are down-to-earth people who have taken action themselves, some even built their homes on their own. I wasn’t referring to prejudices against log house owners, but rather to providers of all sorts of products that eco-fashion enthusiasts have recently identified as their market. The high-society in my province can realistically be compared to that of Munich (as portrayed in the tabloid press) and picks up their spelt bread rolls with their M-Class.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
No idea
The general contractor does not build houses according to the energy saving regulation (EnEV / energy performance standards).
KfW 55 standard houses are already rare here.
We did not receive a single comparable offer based on the energy saving regulation.
I can tell you our average prices, but we have a steep hillside location, which affects costs everywhere.
Ready for occupancy from the top edge of the foundation slab at roughly 2,000 euros/sqm (about $220/sq ft) in 2017.
As a non-standard build, it includes:
- thicker ceiling due to hillside structural requirements
- solid oak parquet flooring
- tiles partially priced at 45 euros/sqm (about $5/sq ft)
- electric roller shutters on all windows
- oak staircase
- walk-in showers at floor level
- one overhead rain shower with concealed installation
- large bathtub for two
- secondary entrance door
- lowered threshold for sliding lift-and-slide door
- mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, as there is no alternative
- insulated attic with empty conduits installed for future expansion
130 power outlets, 4 LAN ports, motion detectors, 4 satellite connections
5 outdoor water taps
Separate residual current devices (RCDs) for garage and outdoor sockets
Possibly not standard:
- no underfloor heating (pure luxury in a passive house)
- white uPVC windows
Cost-saving measures:
- experimental system for ground-source heat pump
- self-installed stair railings
Price includes foundation slab, hillside retaining wall constructed as a waterproof “white tank” with extensive reinforcement, space between the old and new retaining walls filled with gravel, insulation on retaining wall facing the hillside and under the foundation slab at 2,300 euros/sqm (about $253/sq ft).
Not cheap, but not an unusually high price per square meter. On a flat plot, prices would be between 2,000 and 2,100 euros/sqm (about $220 to $231/sq ft).
The general contractor does not build houses according to the energy saving regulation (EnEV / energy performance standards).
KfW 55 standard houses are already rare here.
We did not receive a single comparable offer based on the energy saving regulation.
I can tell you our average prices, but we have a steep hillside location, which affects costs everywhere.
Ready for occupancy from the top edge of the foundation slab at roughly 2,000 euros/sqm (about $220/sq ft) in 2017.
As a non-standard build, it includes:
- thicker ceiling due to hillside structural requirements
- solid oak parquet flooring
- tiles partially priced at 45 euros/sqm (about $5/sq ft)
- electric roller shutters on all windows
- oak staircase
- walk-in showers at floor level
- one overhead rain shower with concealed installation
- large bathtub for two
- secondary entrance door
- lowered threshold for sliding lift-and-slide door
- mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, as there is no alternative
- insulated attic with empty conduits installed for future expansion
130 power outlets, 4 LAN ports, motion detectors, 4 satellite connections
5 outdoor water taps
Separate residual current devices (RCDs) for garage and outdoor sockets
Possibly not standard:
- no underfloor heating (pure luxury in a passive house)
- white uPVC windows
Cost-saving measures:
- experimental system for ground-source heat pump
- self-installed stair railings
Price includes foundation slab, hillside retaining wall constructed as a waterproof “white tank” with extensive reinforcement, space between the old and new retaining walls filled with gravel, insulation on retaining wall facing the hillside and under the foundation slab at 2,300 euros/sqm (about $253/sq ft).
Not cheap, but not an unusually high price per square meter. On a flat plot, prices would be between 2,000 and 2,100 euros/sqm (about $220 to $231/sq ft).
11ant, you are right, if you really want to be eco-friendly, you have to look very closely, as people often get misled. What is better: a house made of Siberian larch, which requires thousands of kilometers of transport, partly on Russian freighters running on heavy fuel oil instead of diesel, or one made from locally produced aerated concrete? But lucrezia is specifically asking about low-emission or pollutant-free materials. That is her point, not necessarily general eco-friendliness. And in that regard, log houses can definitely score points.
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