Bioclimatic wooden house in Arad with rainwater collection system and solar panels

From the very beginning, when I saw in the firm's portfolio Litarh houses made in Romania, a house built in Arad particularly caught my attention. Maybe also because it was very close to my dream house: on one level with a loft, bright, spacious without being very big, generous windows, terrace, garden, lots of "green", both inside and outside. I promised, when I presented house built by Litarh in Paristhat the next wooden house will be in Romania. That's what it was all about, but we waited until after the holidays to talk to the owner and find out more about what the experience meant to him. The story is about the house, but also about people in love with nature, wood and healthy living.

Meeting

The house is the result of a happy encounter between people passionate about wood. The owner, Robert Bălan, is the representative in Romania of Sonae Arauco, the manufacturer Agepan system of insulating walls with wood fiber board. She met Vlad Liteanu looking for customers for this type of insulation, as it is very suitable for timber frame houses. She liked his way of working, the Bukovinian seriousness with which he approached every subject and decided to entrust him with the construction of her own house. All it needed was a good project. And this came from the Arhland firm of architect Octavian Radu Topai, a friend of Robert's, with whom he shared a passion for mountains and photography.

With so much in common, it was simple for both architect and builder to understand the owner's wishes: a wooden house as "healthy" as possible, well insulated to minimize energy costs, decent and discreet, but sufficient for a family with three children and many friends. Robert asked for a certain division of the house and positioning of the rooms, then gave the architect free rein. The result is a house with a 'western' feel, with lots of light, open spaces and plants integrated into the interior design.

Project

The project was based on the idea that the whole family's life would be on the ground floor. The attic would be the office and a space that could later be converted into a bedroom. The ground floor was designed in two areas, a living area - the living room and kitchen - and a night area, the central bedroom and the two children's bedrooms. The zones were separated by interior alleys lined with plants. The introduction of plants was done not only to increase the indoor air quality, but also to create a special look. To give a warm and natural touch, the interior walkways were to be made of wood, continuing naturally with the outside.

The kitchen was positioned in the middle, separating the two areas of the ground floor. The project envisaged an enclosed kitchen communicating directly with the living room through a small window and with an exit to the back garden. An exit to the garden was provided for both the living room and the master bedroom.

From the outset it was conceived and designed as a green house and one of the ideas was to collect rainwater and store it in underground tanks. From here the filtered water is taken by the automatic irrigation system and transferred to the green areas inside. Another idea was to install solar panels on the roof, calculated to heat domestic water all year round.

Construction

When the project was ready, it was Vlad's turn to step in. At that time - the project was done in 2011 - there weren't all the facilities that now exist in the Valea Moldovei factory. So the wooden structure, beams, posts and frames were made in the factory, followed by the insulation, cladding with OSB for construction (without formaldehyde emissions), fixing the plaster and finishing the walls should be done on site.

The installation of the beams on the owners' foundation has started. The walls were erected according to the project, wood fiber insulation was installed both inside and outside, without a membrane so that the walls can naturally exchange moisture and prevent condensation. The result was a low thermal coefficient which subsequently also led to reduced energy costs.

Inside, the plaster was finished with natural paints that let the walls breathe and create a healthy environment. Generously sized laminated woodsouth-facing to get as much light and warmth as possible.

With all the drywall on the inside the wood feels everywhere. exposed beams, posts, laminate wood flooringWooden walkways, wooden alleyways, veneered ceilings, solid wood interior doors, everything blends in perfectly and is just the right amount of everything.

On the exterior, the insulated walls were plastered and painted directly over the insulation, the boards allowing this. The attic was clad on the street-facing portion with exterior wainscoting.

The project was not simple and Vlad proved to be the right builder. His experience in working with wood, his openness to modern ideas and materials, the seriousness with which he approaches each new challenge led to a very good collaboration with the owner and the architect. And this collaboration resulted in the "home" that Robert and his family wanted.

Home

Two years after the first discussions with the architect, Robert moved into the new house. The approximately 315 m² were divided between kitchen, master bedroom and 2 children's bedrooms, living room, 3 bathrooms, hall and garage on the ground floor, office, hall and a room in the attic.