Wind resistance of 150 km/h tested by owners in their house on wooden structure

Wooden houses have become a regular feature in the magazine. Interest in timber construction is high and many questions arise about the construction method, durability, energy efficiency or behavior in difficult or even extreme conditions. There is a fear that a timber frame house is less resistant than a brick or concrete one. This is a misperception and to convince you, we have chosen a house built by Dimmer in Corsica. Being an island, air currents are continually present, with winds reaching very high speeds. The house was built in 2016 and the owners have had enough time to realize the qualities of the house. They are pleased that at wind speeds of over 150 km/h, nothing can be heard or felt in the house. They were so pleased that they recommended the builder to other homeowners in the area. As you can see, the story of the three little piglets is no longer relevant. 😉

A house with terrace ideal for vacations with family and friends

The construction represents the family vacation home. The design is in keeping with the architecture of the area, with a single storey built on a high foundation. On the same foundation is the terrace, very similar to the porches of Romanian village houses. A lot of natural wood was used, in its natural color, which gives the house a pleasant and discreet look.

The house is not big, but it has everything you need for a vacation home. Of the 123 m² of the interior, a large part is the living area which has access to the 23 m² terrace from two sides through two glazed sliding glass doors. The rest of the space is divided between the two bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom.

Being a high ground floor, access is via either of the two wooden staircases leading to the terrace. The staircases are simple, like the terrace, with a central spandrel and handrails also made of wood. The pillars, balustrades, the arched railings and the terrace ceiling are made of molid and the wooden floor of larch. One part of the terrace is not covered, letting light into the house.

OSB - important role in making your home wind and earthquake resistant

The strength of the house is its very high wind resistance and stability in a climate with wind gusts frequently reaching 150 km/h. Properietarii say that no matter how hard the wind blows, you can't feel it inside. This strength is due to the very sturdy wooden structure, made of 60×200 mm posts and beams and the OSB that enclose the walls and "hold" the house against lateral loads from wind and earthquakes.

I think it's a good time to dwell on these OSB panels and talk about their role in the construction of timber frame houses. There is a common perception that they are woodchip boards with no strength and that it is cold in houses built with OSB. These are totally wrong. OSB is a very strong and stable building material that plays a role in the strength structure of the house. Unlike other building materials, it is much lighter, providing the same stability and strength to the house at a much lower foundation load. This results in lower material consumption and therefore lower foundation costs.

The OSB boards are mounted on at least one side of the wooden wall structure (depending on the strength calculation), creating spaces inside the wall for generous layers of insulation. In this way the house is very well insulated thermally, but also soundproofed, with the thick layer being difficult for sound waves to penetrate, both from the outside in and vice versa. Well-built timber-framed houses are energy efficient, safe and well insulated.

A construction site that lasted just over a month

But back to the house in Corsica. The design and strength calculations were carried out by the beneficiary's design team, and the construction was carried out by Dimmer in two stages, in the factory and on site. In the Comănești factory assemble the walls wooden structure and OSB panels. Inside, 200 mm thick basaltic wool insulation was laid. The beams and other roof elements were also obtained by nailing. All wood was treated 4functions, against fungi, mold, insects and fire.

All these factory operations took about 2 weeks. It should be mentioned, however, that this time is for smaller constructions, i.e. 100-150 square meters. For larger houses the factory time can be up to a month.

The building elements obtained in the factory were packed, loaded onto a TIR truck and transported to Corsica, where the second stage of construction began. Here, the walls, anti-condensation foils, metal profiles and roof elements were assembled on the foundation already erected by the client. 300 mm thick basalt wool was used to insulate the roof.

After "assembling" the house, another layer of 60 mm basaltic wool insulation was installed on the exterior, which was then plastered. The interior was clad with plasterboard. All these on-site operations took a total of 30 days. Short working time on site is one of the great benefits of a timber frame house. As much of the work is done in the factory, it eliminates the waiting times that are mandatory when building with other materials, and the site is much cleaner with very little waste.

A well-built house is the best advertisement

The owner of this house was the first customer in Corsica. Since then Dimmer has built four more houses there, two of the contracts coming on the recommendation of the first customer. The client is so delighted with the house's thermal and sound insulation and its resilience that he always talks about how he never feels the strong gusts of wind that other islanders complain about in his house.

Doing things right so that the customer has nothing but praise for you is the best and safest advertising. Good luck, Dimmer!