Holiday homes with wooden structure

This text is part of an extended series of articles on Holiday homes - why and what to build your holiday home from and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the construction systems commonly used in the construction of such buildings.

Timber frame houses are the choice of many people who want to build a vacation home for a number of reasons which we will discuss here. At the same time, wooden structures also have their disadvantages that need to be known from the start.

Wooden structures

The wooden structure is a lightweight structure, used "since the beginning of time", which has multiple ways of solution and implementation. By using traditional techniques for timber frame construction, it is possible to completely dispense with the use of concrete in construction.

Holiday homes are usually smaller in size, which means that the structures commonly used for houses today (brick load-bearing walls with concrete pillars, beams and floor slabs) can easily be replaced by the wooden structure.

Advantages of timber frame houses

1. An important advantage of timber-framed houses is that they can be built on any terrain, in any shape and in any location, unlike modular and container houses which require easy access with large machinery.

2. The enclosing walls of timber-framed houses are much thinner because the thermal insulation is mainly placed between the wooden studs - resulting in a smaller unfolded area, while the room dimensions are up to 15 cm larger.

3. Low construction costs compared to the construction system with load-bearing brick walls and reinforced concrete frames. Given their low utilization, investments are intended to be as low as possible.

4. Timber-framed houses with lightweight enclosures are an environmentally friendly option, especially as wood is a renewable natural resource.

Disadvantages of timber frame houses

1. Susceptibility to pests such as termites, wood decay is a major drawback. However, remedies are now available through various treatments applied regularly to the wood.

2.Sensitivity to environmental factors such as sun, fire or water can bring wooden structures into disrepute in the public eye. For these too, there are treatments that need to be applied periodically to protect the wood.

3. The specific sounds of wooden houses can become a disadvantage, depending on your opinion.

4. Thermal insulation and especially sound insulation are important for wooden houses, so the most suitable systems need to be considered from the outset.

Log houses - a special category of wooden houses

We couldn't do an article on timber frame houses without talking about the most interesting types, namely log houses. In this context, log houses are especially a choice of taste and not only. This type of construction is the most impressive and picturesque in the range of log houses. Specific to the American continent, producers of such houses can also be found in Romania, especially in the Transylvania area, with certain specific solutions.

The advantage of log houses is that the wood undergoes minimal processing, the logs are peeled, possibly processed to the same shape and size and joined together on top of the already laid foundation. They make very strong houses that store heat inside and have lower humidity. Last, but not least, the main advantage is the impressive aesthetics of the logs placed on top of each other.

This type of houses are particularly suitable in mountainous areas, as they have a certain aesthetic that offers a lot of comfort and moments of relaxation, which are much desired characteristics for vacation homes.

If you have any other ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments.