How to build a 27 sqm holiday home on pillars

In the landscape of wooden houses, an exotic construction has recently appeared on the Romanian market - the house on wooden pillars. These are holiday homes typical of French, Belgian or Italian tourism, which we have also seen in the past in lakeside areas. They are built by CASArbor In Romania, for the time being, there is very little interest, despite the fact that such a house can be installed much more quickly, without the need for a poured foundation or other costly installations. It can be seen as an alternative for those who have land and want to quickly set up a house that they can use from spring to late autumn, with additional facilities provided by the company, even in winter. The houses are assembled on site by CASArbor teams. In a new episode of the The Road Home You can watch this time, the CASArbor team installing the Cape Town Pillar House. The video is at the end of the article.

A way of building born out of the need for protection

The story of the pillared houses goes back a long way, reaching, according to historians, into the Neolithic and Bronze Age. They were built on the water's edge, and tall wooden pillars protected them when the water level rose sharply and the area flooded. Even Herodotus mentions them in his writings. They were also useful in areas of heavy snow and eternal ice. The heat released could melt the ice or snow in these Arctic areas and houses would sink. But being on pylons, even if they sank a little, the house would still stay above the ice.

Venice is an example of a city built on pillars. It was built as a fortress, a stronghold against barbarian attacks. But being in a lagoon, on marshy land, the architects had to look for alternatives to protect the houses, to make them sustainable. The solution was wooden pillars supporting the houses above sea level. It is said that Basilica Santa Maria della Salute was built on more than a million pillars of chestnut wood and oak.

All over the world there are such houses along the water, in lagoons, marshes or deltas. In campsites in the lake, sea and oceanfront areas of central and southern Europe, such houses are a common sight. Families choose to live like this for the whole summer season. But they can also be built as a regular holiday home on land inherited from grandparents or bought with the idea that, at some point, the house will also be built. The advantage is that they are factory-built and quickly assembled by the company's construction teams.

Houses on pillars in Sfântu Gheorghe

In Sfântu Gheorghe, CASArbor builds several types of holiday homes, both on pillars and regular ground-mounted. Last autumn (2019), the company organised a Open evening, as a test before participating in international trade fairs in Montpellier and La Rochelle in France and Padova in Italy. We then presented all the models we produced, from the simplest, reminiscent of the gold diggers' tents of the early 20th century, to houses large enough to accommodate 6-7 people. Find the video of the presentation of the houses here.

The houses on pillars have an entrance from a terrace which you access by climbing a few steps. They have a living room with open kitchen, bedrooms and bathroom. They are thermally insulated and there is the possibility of installing a heating system. They are clad with wood both inside and outside. The wood on the outside is impregnated with special products in an autoclave to be resistant to humidity and solar radiation. Impregnation is also done by CASArbor in its own autoclave. The impregnation products give the wood a pleasant and long-lasting colour. For better protection the houses have shutters on the windows.

Cape Town HouseThe 27 m² house, whose assembly you can see below, has a covered terrace of 13 m². The house has 2 bedrooms, living room with kitchen, bathroom and separate toilet. The bedrooms are spacious, one with a double bed of 160 x 200 cm and the other with 2 beds of 80 x 200 cm. In each bedroom there are storage spaces and wardrobes. The living room is also spacious, equipped with a sofa bed, and the kitchen is fully equipped. Optionally you can add a hanging bed, so the house can accommodate up to 7 people. Also optional can be put heating system, double glazed windows, extra layer of insulation, dishwasher or outdoor shower. The additional facilities allow the house to be used in winter.

Do you have land and want to live there as quickly and comfortably as possible, with all the facilities at your fingertips? Pillar houses built by CASArbor may be a solution!