How wooden houses were and are made in Romania

Wooden houses have always been made in Romania. Because the wood is 'exposed', we are inclined to think that they are specific only to mountain areas. Not so! Even if it wasn't visible, the wood was the strength structure of the house. The straw thatched houses that were built in the plains, where wood was scarce and very precious (see Moromete's acacia), had wooden pillars, beams, beams, the floor of the house and the roof structure (asteriala). The fact that there is now a real wooden house industry in Romania is a natural consequence. Classic or modern, made of round or square logs or prefabricated walls, wooden houses have reached the furthest corners of Europe, with Romanian builders appreciated in traditional countries such as Norway, Finland, France and Germany.

Wood, clay and stone were the building materials peasants relied on in the past. In the north, north-west or in the center of the country, where there were impressive forests, wood was the basic raw material and houses were built largely of wood. The insulation between the logs was made of clay and the foundations of stone. In other areas, where forests were scarcer, wood was combined with clay and straw for the walls. But they always kept some wood to embellish the house. They added carved pillars, wood embroidery on the eaves, and trusses with carved symbols to enrich the facades.

Traditional peasant houses

The main characteristic of old, traditional houses is functionality. The houses were simple, not large, as much as they needed for everyday life. Each room existed for a specific purpose, not built unnecessarily, keeping a certain harmony of proportions. Each area imprinted certain particularities which were related to the existing building methods and foreign influences. In Bukovina we can see the Austrian influence, just as in Dobrogea we discover Tatar or Turkish influences.

However, there was one element common to all regions of the country - the porch, also called cerdac. It is one of the specific elements of Romanian rural architecture. It can be found in all areas, more or less emphasized, on one, 3 or 4 sides of the house, simple, surrounded only by wooden pillars or in the form of a balcony. Basically, the porch is what greets you when you enter a country house.

The porch was made of clay or clay mixed with stone and always covered with eaves. In the south and the plains it was lower, while in the high hills, mountains and northern areas it was higher. In wooden houses, the porch was sometimes covered with wood.

The way of building in the hills and mountains, where wood was not a problem

The materials used in the past to build houses were wood, clay, straw, reeds, reeds, cobs. The more forested the area, the more wood was used in construction.

In the north and northwest - Bucovina, Maramureș, Trotuș Valley - but also in the other mountain areas, a lot of wood was used for building. Initially round wood was used, as it was cut from the forest, but later houses made of hewn beams, rectangular in cross-section, appeared. The beams were hewn rounded at the ends and placed one on top of the other to make the corner of the house. In Bukovina the joints were called "cheotori".

The house was built on a foundation of river stone on which thick wooden beams were laid. The result was called the "talpa casa", and it was on this that construction began. The roof was also made of wood. Small pieces were hewn and laid on top of each other - shingle or draniță, as the longer ones were called.

There were elements specific to each area - gates in Maramureș or attic houses in the Trotuș Valley are just two examples.

Building houses in wood-poorer areas

Where wood was harder to find, it was only used to make the structure stronger. Vertical posts rose up on the beams that formed the floor of the house, at the corners and in front of doors and windows. The top end of the pillars was attached to another wooden frame, the ceiling. The structure was reinforced with slanted beams. Horizontal slats were beaten on either side to form a hollow wall which was later filled with a mixture of clay and straw.

After being loaded with clay, slats were beaten on the outside of the walls at a 45º angle. The short slats were beaten one row one way, and the next in the opposite direction. All the way up there were several such rows stiffening the house. Thin clay was filled between the slats and then plastered. The roof, also made of a wooden structure, was thatched with thatch or reed.

In lowland areas without forests, slanting beams were replaced by thicker branches and short slats were no longer beaten. Clay predominated, mixed with straw, cobs and other annual plants to make it tougher and stronger.

Types of houses now being built in Romania

Houses made of prefabricated structures. In these houses the walls are made in the factory, of materials put layer upon layer (including insulation), like a sandwish, according to the client's option. Even the exterior finishes can be made in the factory on request. The walls are then transported to the site where the house will be built. There they are jointed and mounted on the foundation made by the owner.

One manufacturer of such houses is Litarh in Valea Moldovei, Suceava. Its portfolio includes houses built in France, Belgium, Austria, Austria, Germany, Italy, Norway and Romania. Romanians have started to appreciate these houses because they can be built quickly and at a lower cost than brick houses. But you need to know that you need a very clear plan of the house you want to build. They don't make houses that they then sell, they make houses according to the client's design. They can also help you with the design, but you need to know exactly what you want.

Passive houses. They are the most modern version of wooden houses. They are built using state-of-the-art technologies for the most economical exploitation. It's the choice for young middle-income people who want sustainable homes in tune with the times. Dimmer from Comănești is already a household name when it comes to such houses. The company was part of the team that built Buhnici House, the house that runs without external energy.

Round wooden houses. In the north of the country there are builders of round log houses made on the Canadian system. The logs are assembled by chinking, without metal fittings. The logs are machined at the ends to fit together perfectly. Natural insulation is placed in the joint area so that the house is perfectly insulated. The logs are cleaned of their bark by hydraulic processing, not by sawing, so that the wood remains perfectly smooth. Such houses are made at Log Home from Vatra Dornei or Poiana Construct House in Poiana Stampei.

Glulam frame constructions. Lamellar beams (glulam) are very strong and elastic. They are made by gluing together several layers of wood, laid along the grain. Glulam structures have a very high load-bearing capacity, making it possible to build large open spaces without strength problems. One manufacturer of such structures is Technical Switzerland. Details about a construction of lamellar beams made by them in Mamaia can be found here here.

Shacks on wheels. They are resinous wood houses built on a chassis to be towed by a machine that can pull up to max. 3.5 t. The houses are 2.54 m wide, 4 m high and between 4 and 7 m long, depending on the model and the client's requirements. The house is basically an open space with only a separate bathroom. They are well insulated and can be lived in both summer and winter. Builders of such houses we have in Oradea - Tiny Wunder House - or Miercurea Ciuc - Eco Tiny House.