After a week on site, the team Litarh had completely raised the interior and exterior walls of the Lake House. The foundation had been laid by the owners themselves a few months earlier. It wasn't easy because digging up the site revealed more surprises than expected. Find hereThe problems encountered, described in detail.
After the foundation, it was the Litarh team's turn to spring into action. The first level of the house, including the floor, was assembled in 4 days. On the first day the floor slab and exterior walls were assembled, and on the second day, all the partition walls on the ground floor were assembled so that the ground floor was complete by the end of the day. On the following days the floor, exterior and interior walls of the attic were installed. We captured the house raising in episodes 2 and 3 which you can read about here.
In the episode that you can watch at the end of the article, design engineer Constantin Tudosă tells us more about how to combine and insulate walls, floors and foundations to create a solid, sturdy and highly energy-efficient house (passive house).
Foundation again
The way the house is connected to the foundation is very important to keep water out. It is the footing that makes this connection. A bituminous sheet is installed before it is laid to ensure waterproofing. Also for waterproofing, a bituminous solution is applied to the entire footing.
As a general rule, wooden structural elements are never in direct contact with the ground. Between the wooden structure of the house and the ground is a foundation of concrete, reinforced concrete or stone or brick masonry. The foundation ensures a height of at least 20 cm above ground level.
The width of the wooden beams that make up the bottom of the house must be at least as wide as the wall structure. Before assembly, note the axes of the walls on the foundation, check the dimensions and make sure that they conform to the plans in the structural plan. Under the joists, strips of waterproofing foil are placed which must be 10-15 cm wider than the base.
How to think about home design
One of the questions asked by those who want a timber frame house is whether it will withstand strong winds, earthquakes or massive snowfalls. The answer is yes, it will. A house is designed to withstand an earthquake or wind, whether it is made of wood, brick or concrete. The calculations determine how thick the walls need to be, what type of corners and other fasteners need to be used to result in a solid house. How strong the house is depends on the design calculations based on the material used in the construction.
The house belt is a very important element that is part of the strength structure. Its role is very important because it tightens the walls, strengthens them, making them function as a whole. At the House by the Lake the belt was installed at each level, strengthening the structure and making it very wind resistant. A sound-absorbing foil was also fitted at the junction between the levels, preventing noise from spreading from the ground floor to the attic and vice versa.
Another element established in the design is the energy compliance, which gives the thickness of wall, floor and roof insulation. At a passive houseThe annual energy consumption is max. 15 kWh/m²/year. To achieve this requires very good thermal insulation, as few thermal bridges as possible, high-performance windows, airtight envelope and heat recovery from ventilated air. Thermal insulation allows the inside of the house to be independent of the outside temperature, easily maintaining constant thermal comfort.
Watch the video below to see how all these design requirements were met for the Josephs' Lakeside House.
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