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

Right from the start, when I saw in the company's portfolio Litarh houses made in Romania, I was particularly interested in a house built in Arad. Maybe also because it was very close to the house of my dreams: on one level with attic, 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 one from Romania. That's what it was all about, but we waited until the holidays were over 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 meeting of people who are passionate about wood. The owner, Robert Bălan, is the representative in Romania of Sonae Arauco, the manufacturer of Agepan system wall insulation using wood fibre boards. He 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 any subject and decided to entrust him with the construction of her own house. All that was needed was a good project. And this came from the Arhland firm of the Timisoara architect Octavian Radu Topai, a friend of Robert's, with whom he shared a passion for the mountains and photography.

Having so much in common, it was easy for both the architect and the builder to understand the owner's wish: a wooden house as "healthy" as possible, well insulated to reduce energy costs as much as possible, 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 a free hand. The result was 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 life of the family should take place on the ground floor. In the attic was to be the office and a space that could later be converted into a bedroom. The ground floor was conceived in two areas, a living room and kitchen and a night area, representing the central bedroom and the two children's bedrooms. The areas were separated by interior walkways lined with plants. The introduction of plants was done not only to increase the indoor air quality, but also to create a special image. To give a warm and natural touch, the interior walkways were to be made of wood, naturally continuing with those outside.

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

From the very beginning 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 provide year-round domestic water heating.

Construction

When the project was ready it was Vlad's turn to enter the scene. At that time - the project was done in 2011 - there were not all the facilities now available in the Valea Moldovei factory. So the structure, beams, posts and wooden frames were made in the factory, followed by insulation, cladding with OSBfor construction (without formaldehyde emissions), the fixing of the plasterboard and the finishing of the walls should be done on site.

Beams have started to be installed on the foundation made by the owners. The walls have been erected according to plan, wood fibre insulation has been installed both inside and outside, without a membrane so that the walls can exchange moisture naturally and condensation does not form. This resulted in a low thermal coefficient which subsequently also led to reduced energy costs.

Inside, the plasterboard has been finished with natural paints that let the walls breathe and create a healthy environment. Generous windows made of laminated wood, facing south to get as much light and warmth as possible.

With all the interior drywall the wood feels everywhere. Exposed beams, posts, laminate wood flooring, wooden walkways, panelled ceilings, solid wood interior doors, everything blending in perfectly and just the right amount.

On the outside the insulated walls were plastered and painted directly over the insulation, the tiles allowing this. The attic was clad on the street side with exterior panelling.

The project wasn't easy and Vlad turned out to be the right builder. His experience in working with wood, his openness to modern ideas and materials, and the seriousness with which he approaches each new challenge led to a very good collaboration with the owner and the architect. And out of this collaboration came 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 the kitchen, the master bedroom and the 2 children's bedrooms, the living room, 3 bathrooms, hallway and garage on the ground floor, office, hallway and a room in the attic.