American technology for the construction of private houses. American-style house - excellent house designs with luxurious design (125 photos of new products)

The skyscrapers of New York and the Las Vegas casino are just the outer façade of one of the largest countries in the world. Real America is cozy, a little provincial, “one-story.” Projects of American houses are spacious and substantial cottages “for the whole family”: on the ground floor there is a common living room, a kitchen, access to the garage, and utility rooms. On the second floor there are the parents', children's and guest bedrooms. Attics in this style are not very common, although they are not completely excluded.

Thus, traditionally American-style house designs involve the construction of one-story, more often two-story buildings using frame construction technologies. In warm states there is no need for thick walls, and the low crime rate and friendly relations with neighbors in private sectors make it possible to do without the usual Russian buyers security systems and precautions. The designs of American-style houses presented in our database have been modified and adapted to climatic features our country.

Projects of American houses and cottages in Russian

The main thing that we preserve is the American love for privacy - personal space, expressed in architectural features. The houses are designed in such a way that no one is cramped there, and everyone has their own secluded corner. Also, such house designs imply a backyard, but fences and high barriers are not always provided - US residents prefer to be friends with their neighbors and do not hide their estates from prying eyes.

To adapt to Russian realities, we had to slightly change traditional American cottages: the projects in our database mainly involve aerated concrete rather than a wooden frame “box,” although they can be made using a new energy-efficient frame technology developed specifically for Russia. Also, an architecture connoisseur can find stylistic differences and inconsistencies. This is normal - any project must be “tied” to the place, otherwise the building will be of little functionality. However, we managed to preserve the best and recognizable features of the American style:

• wide porch;
• cozy attics right under the roof;
• bay windows;
• terraces;
• tiled roofs.

The American-style house designs presented in the catalog were developed by professional architects and contain photos, layouts, and detailed descriptions.

We sorted it out in past messages. Now let's look at the layout of American houses.

In American homes you almost never see a hallway or hallway. Instead, all entry doors lead directly to the living room or other living room. You can enter the house not only through the front door. Most often there are at least two or three entrance doors. Front door or front door. Backdoor(usually glass) leads to the back patio. The third door is to the garage. Sometimes the door to the outside can be found in the very unusual place, for example in the toilet. This is explained quite simply - so that you can go to the toilet from the pool without entering the house.

When you ask an American about the size of a house, you will almost always hear three parameters - the number of bedrooms, the number of bathrooms, and total area. For example, 3/2 1600 sq. ft. means that this is a house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a size of about 150 sq. m.

Private rooms

The interior space of American houses is divided into a private zone and a public zone. The private zone primarily includes bedrooms. The bedrooms are divided into a “master bedroom” and all other bedrooms. A separate bedroom is provided to the parent couple and each adult family member. Children of the same sex, up to a certain age (12 years old), can share one bedroom, and then get their own. For example, a family of 4 will almost always live in a house with 3-4 bedrooms. The bedroom must have a window. If a room does not have a window, then it cannot be a bedroom. Also, almost always the bedroom should have a built-in wardrobe or storage room.

The master room is the largest bedroom; it usually has a walk-in closet, or even two dressing rooms s, and almost always has its own separate bathroom with toilet and bath. IN expensive houses, the bathroom in the master room can be very fancy, with a jacuzzi, several washbasins, fancy showers, etc.

The remaining bedrooms usually have wardrobe cabinets smaller sizes. The remaining bedrooms may not have their own toilet and bathroom, and they can combine one toilet/bathroom for 2 bedrooms.

For children's bathrooms, a fairly typical layout is washbasin>toilet>bathtub. Also, very often lower washbasins, toilets, and bathtubs are installed in children's bathrooms.

Here is an example of a typical plan for an inexpensive American house.

Sometimes there is a configuration where the toilet has two doors, and access is possible from two different bedrooms (this is called a Jack and Jill Bathroom).

There is almost never a chandelier on the ceiling of a bedroom. Often instead of a chandelier there is a fan (with or without a lamp). And the main lighting in bedrooms, as a rule, is not very bright, and is arranged using spotlights or floor lamps.

Public rooms

If the house is two-story, then the private zone is located on the second floor, and on the first there will be a public zone - kitchen, living room, hall, dining room. If the house is one-story, then the public area will be in the center. Also, one room can be reserved for an office or library. The basement, if there is one, will be equipped as a library, gym, bar or game room.

The public area is usually not divided into separate rooms; instead, the entire space is open and divided only by arches, partitions, and shelving. The kitchen from the dining room is most often separated only by a bar counter or not separated at all. For example, on this plan, the family room, dining room, living room and kitchen are actually combined into one space. It is worth remembering that in English language, the word room means both a room with 4 walls and just a place/space, so a dining room can be either a dining room or just a place for a table.

In addition, half of the bathroom is often in the public area. What is half a bathroom? This is a toilet with a hand washbasin so that guests do not have to go to the toilet through the bedrooms.

A patio is not only welcome, but considered a must. There you can arrange a children's playground, a small garden, there are often swimming pools, and there will almost always be a place for a barbecue.

Auxiliary or work premises:
For storing things there are ba large number of built-in wardrobes, storage rooms, a basement and attic equipped for storage, and a spacious garage attached to the house. The washing machine is not installed in the bathroom or kitchen, but in a special room for washing. Sometimes they are placed in the garage. Linen can also be dried and ironed here.

You almost never see wallpaper on the walls inside American homes. Internal walls almost always painted. Light and plain walls dominate

Separately, it is worth mentioning the internal doors. In addition to conventional doors with hinges, American homes have a very wide variety of other options:
1. Barn door, moves sideways on a rail.

2. Folding doors are usually used for closets and other utility rooms.

3. Sliding doors

4. Pocket doors that go into the wall are also common.

A few more different plans

In the early 2000s, the widow of a local farmer sold the farm to a local builder, who bulldozed the peach and apple orchards, built a road and communications, divided the area into plots and managed to build several houses. Then the 2008 crisis began, real estate prices collapsed and no one built anything for almost 10 years. The builder went bankrupt because... Most of the plots remained unsold. The bank selected this project and sold it at auction to another builder. IN Lately house prices in our district have almost returned to the level of 2006-2007 and construction has begun again.

In Michigan, like many other northern states, only stick built houses are built and most often with a full size basement.

Another construction project has recently begun in our district. This is what a typical construction site looks like. A plot of land with pre-connected communications was purchased for approximately $50,000. Construction materials and a bulldozer sit alone without any security or fence.

This is what the trusses for the first floor flooring look like. Except for the basement walls, everything will be made of wood.

This foundation was poured about 2 weeks ago and now the process of installing the base beams begins. Waterproofing in the form of thin foam rubber.

Under the concrete floor of the basement, sewer and water pipes have already been laid in advance.

The far room will be a bedroom (there is a full-size window), next to it is a bathroom. Usually when building a new home the basement is left unfinished, but in this case the customer seemed to want the complete package. Also in the basement it will be installed in the utility room central system air heating and cooling.

The average cost to build this type of home is $130-150 per square foot. In this area there is a rule not to build houses smaller than 2,000 square meters. ft. Homes in the neighborhood are currently listed for $395,000 and $499.00.

About two weeks after the basement walls were poured, a framing contractor's trailer showed up. Very often the builder you hire doesn't build much himself. He simply gives the work to qualified contractors (framers, electricians, plumbers, etc.) and usually adds 10-30% on top of their price for his profit. You yourself do not have the right to build a house without a special builder's license.

At a construction site, a local building inspector will visit periodically, or rather in stages, to check the structure's compliance with local building codes. For example, after installing electrical wiring or plumbing, they wait for an inspector before continuing with the installation of drywall on walls and ceilings.

Naturally, the services of inspectors are not free, and before starting a project, the local district council must obtain a building permit. The amount is about 1.5% of the project cost. Those. for this house the cost of permitting and inspections was about $3,000.

And although the process of erecting the frame has just begun, roof trusses, assembled at a local sawmill, have already been delivered. As before, no one bothers to fence off the construction site and hire a watchman with an angry dog. Another interesting point - in this district according to local regulations Long-term construction is prohibited. The house must be completed within one year.

Less than a couple of weeks have passed frame house has already taken its shape. A garage for three cars in a new style, with the letter “L”, you can already see where the bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets will be.

Roof trusses were installed and sheathing of external walls and roof slopes with chipboard panels began. Even after 20 years of living in America, it is sometimes difficult to look at such a structure made of matches and believe that it will turn out to be a strong house. However, I myself live in a similar frame structure, although mine is lined with brick.

But if you think about it like that, a framer is like a broom. An individual straw is easy to break, but if you twist everything together, it will bend but not break. Although there are hurricanes in our area a rare event, but sometimes the winds are serious and the roofs of houses are not blown off.

Please note that the chipboard panels are lined like our checkered math notebooks. This is specifically for standard size the location of the vertical beams so that nails can hit the board and not get where they need to go without looking or trying it on.

It seems that the builder himself has not yet appeared at this construction site, only the contractors for digging the pit and pouring the basement walls, as well as the framer - the comrade who assembled this miracle of enemy construction technology. The next stage is most likely the installation of asphalt shingles on the roof, then they will transport and install windows and doors. The situation with the external wall cladding is unclear - either plastic siding or brick.

IN this moment I am following two projects in our district. The second one still only has foundation walls, but this one is confidently moving forward.

Windows and doors have been installed. The walls and roof are covered with a special film. The roof will most likely receive asphalt shingles, but the walls are not yet clear. They can cover it with bricks, decorative stone, plastic siding or in combination.

The pipe is most likely for the gas fireplace on the first floor (more for beauty than heating) and will also be lined with something. Inside this wooden box steel pipe. Propane will most likely be used for heating; for this purpose, they will install big tank with a capacity of about 100 liters near the house. Propane prices are now around $2 per gallon.

An American frame house is one of the types of buildings when the basis of the house is a frame, which is the basis (skeleton) of the building being constructed. Frame elements, rafters, stairs and other large fragments are manufactured in a factory, and then sent to construction site, where their assembly and installation takes place.

Americans are building frame houses for many years, so through trial and error they created their own construction technology, which is based on:

• Reliability of design solutions;
• Optimizing labor costs for building construction;
• Accurate calculation of the amount of materials used, processed in the factory;
• Use of high-quality materials with good thermal parameters.

We can say that a frame using American technology is the standard in all respects for other types of frame house construction. This design is durable and reliable, quickly assembled, functional and relatively less expensive in financial terms.

Distinctive points that characterize the American frame house are:

1. Use only dry lumber.
2. The design does not use timber, but only edged boards.
3. If necessary, reinforcement individual elements(window and door openings, etc.), reinforcement is carried out by installing double or triple racks using edged boards.
4. To strengthen the structure above the openings, the board is laid on edge.
5. The upper frame frame is also made of double boards.
6. The upper and lower rows of the strapping are made with overlap in the main key parts of the frame (corners, junctions of partitions and walls and other fragments of enclosing structures).

The design features of the American frame are also:

• Frame angle.

There are several options for this design element, but the most common of them are:

1. “California corner” - in this case, another board (a strip of OSB board) is nailed from the inside to the outer post of one of the corner walls, resulting in a shelf being formed on the inside of the corner.
2. Closed corner - in this option, an additional rack is mounted, forming a shelf on the inner corner.

• Framing window and door openings.

1. Performing double framing.
2. The presence of a “header” – an element that reinforces the framing above the openings.
3. Double top strap.

This element gives the wall structure strength when exposed to vertical loads (deflection) and its integrity, which is achieved by overlapping rows of strapping.

If we talk about the layout, number of floors and design elements, the designs of American houses are distinguished by a large glass area and a large recreation area that combines a kitchen, dining room and living room. The house has several bathrooms, living rooms are located on the second floor.

Usually, american houses, This two-story houses, equipped with a basement with an attached spacious garage for several cars and a terrace front door.

Building a house using American technology

Distinctive feature This technology is the speed of construction of the building, which is ensured by the production of the main frame elements and building trusses in the factory, as well as installation using special equipment (truck crane, tower, lift).

The frame of the building, with a built-up area of ​​up to 200 m2, is assembled in the USA within a week. In Russia, taking into account the specific climate and mentality of workers, the installation of such a frame will be completed within a month.

Foundation

A frame house is a lightweight structure that does not require the construction of a reinforced foundation. When constructing houses of this type in America, a foundation is made of a strip type or in the form of a slab, laid below the freezing depth of the soil at the construction site. On average, taking into account the construction of the basement and external plinth, the height is 2.0 - 2.4 meters.

In the conditions of our country, and taking into account modern technologies construction, can be applied screw piles or shallowly buried types of foundation construction.

Frame construction

The frame is assembled from factory-calibrated boards 50.0 mm thick, which are mounted on a prepared surface. This surface, the "dirty floor" and interfloor covering, as a rule, is carried out using the “platform” technology, which involves laying joists and insulation with sewing them sheet material(OSB, plywood and others) on a prepared base (foundation, walls of the 1st floor).

When installing the frame, the required geometric dimensions are monitored, as well as the exact spatial location of all elements of the structure being constructed.

In the USA, all utility networks are laid inside the frame elements before it is laid, while the rules governing the laying electrical networks, are less demanding than the domestic Electrical Installation Rules.

The speed of assembly and its quality are greatly influenced by the careful study of a specific project, which should reflect the laying of all engineering networks and communications. The necessary holes and other passage elements are made in the factory during the manufacture of frame blanks, with subsequent marking and designation on the assembly plan of the house being built.

From the outside, the frame is sheathed with OSB boards, after which insulation is laid in its interior. In America, mineral wool is used as insulation, but we currently have many other types of insulation that can be used in construction frame houses(foam plastic, penoizol and others).

Stitching in progress inner surface frame; OSB boards or plywood are also used for this. A vapor barrier is laid between the insulation and the slabs, and the joints of its strips are glued with a special tape or tape.

Exterior and interior decoration

When the frame is assembled, utilities are laid and the surfaces of the enclosing structures are protected, you can begin to finish them.

Options exterior finishing there is a great variety, so it all depends on the imagination of the developer and his financial capabilities, as well as the style in which the house being built will be decorated.

But first of all, glazing elements (windows, stained glass) and doors are installed, and stairs and other large factory-assembled elements are also installed.

In interior decoration You can use lumber (lining, sidehouse, etc.), as well as drywall, followed by wallpapering or other finishing materials.

The roof can be made from any material that is available and matches the style of the house being built (tiles different types, metallic profile, slate, etc.).

Advantages of frame houses using American technology

Construction of houses based on a frame, using American technology, has a number of advantages in comparison with other similar construction methods.

The advantages of this method are:

• Speed ​​of installation work.
• Possibility of execution in different styles decoration and design.
• Environmental safety based on the use of high-quality and environmentally friendly materials.
• Eliminating the need to build a complex foundation makes the work easier and reduces the overall cost of construction.
• The ability to create an individual interior layout allows you to create comfortable conditions for accommodation.
• They are energy efficient buildings that ensure heat conservation during internal space Houses.
• Possibility of use in regions with the most extreme ambient temperatures (from +40 to – 60 *C).
• During construction, there is no need to use heavy equipment and complex mechanisms, which allows you to carry out the installation yourself.
• All work is seasonal, achieved through factory production of components and fast installation times.
• Long service life.
• There is always an option to increase usable space houses, by constructing adjacent areas.
• Affordable cost of house kits made for this assembly technology.

American technology for the construction of frame houses is a common technology for the construction of prefabricated buildings, widespread in many countries around the world, regardless of the location of the house being built.

This construction method has much in common with other frame house-building technologies (Finnish, Canadian, German), but is distinguished by reliability and timing of construction of objects, as well as structural elements, which were described above.

Did you know that in the States even 5-story buildings can be framed? apartment buildings? Below is a small photo sketch of how things are going with low-rise construction in the southern states of the United States.

But before we talk about the construction itself, I would like to first talk about psychology, otherwise the picture will be incomplete or incomprehensible, which often gives rise to a wave of unfounded criticism against our overseas neighbors.

Americans

For the typical modern semi-urban American, home is a temporary home. They can change their houses as often as they change their cars. One of the reasons for a family to move is that the new home is close to a good school where the children will go. Among others, proximity to a new place of work, etc. Compare this attitude with our Russian mentality, where everyone strives to build something that will last for centuries, so that at least it will go to their children and grandchildren. By the way, upon reaching adulthood, American children, as a rule, leave their parents' home (on their own or at the insistence of their parents) and set off on their own. And older Americans can even sell their last home in order to travel a little around the world and then settle down on full board in some good home elderly In such behavior, a Christian motive is remotely visible, when a person feels himself to be only a temporary guest in this world and does not strive to become deeply attached to anything existing here. But, of course, the main motive is only practical considerations and convenience.

Photo: samlib.ru

Americans value space. A private house must have a large living room, often combined with a kitchen separated only by a bar counter. Be sure to have several toilets and bathrooms (for parents, for children, for guests) and a garage for two cars. A central air conditioning system (also heating) and, as a rule, a gas fireplace are also required.

Americans also love fireplaces. And although in theory they prefer natural ones to gas ones, due to the increased cost of insurance and unnecessary hassle with ignition, in practice they use the former. Regular stone fireplaces can be found in older or more expensive homes. Quite often you can see that fireplaces are attached to houses outside. And the fact that in this way they warm the street more does not bother anyone, since the practical meaning here fades into the background. Some Americans enjoy baking potatoes in them when cool winter weather arrives.

Villages

Americans practically do not engage in independent construction of private houses. This is very troublesome and expensive: a lot of approvals and checks, a lot of paperwork, legwork. Americans typically buy homes in townships or developed areas. If the village is just getting ready for development, the buyer can choose in advance one of standard projects, proposed by the developer, and make certain changes to it.

Each district-village has a master plan with all the infrastructure, from communications and road networks to various places social purposes (swimming pools, playgrounds, tennis courts, park areas). The districts are divided into districts, each of which contains about a hundred houses. The entire district-village will use a pre-built infrastructure of shops, banks, kindergartens and other things in accordance with the estimated number of residents.

Typically, each house in the village stands on its own separate territory, has a fenced courtyard of 1.5-3 acres and a front “lawn”.

Sometimes a couple of small ones are planted in the backyard fruit trees. Occasionally small pools or Jacuzzis are placed. But most often there is a continuous lawn on which some kind of a big tree to create shadow.

How houses are built in the USA

In accordance with the general plan, communications and roads are laid in the village, and then the excavation of soil for cushions for the foundations of houses begins. Typically, a surface reinforced concrete slab with elements of shallowly buried strips is poured as a foundation. And although there are no frosts in the southern states, high level groundwater and soil composition cause a lot of trouble. For example, in one of the relatively old villages in the suburbs of Houston, where I happened to live for a week, many houses had very serious problems with their foundations. Somewhere a slab simply broke and the crack went through the entire house, including the tiled floors, walls and ceiling. Some people in their house do not close several external and internal doors etc. Residents and experts blame the shifting water-filled clay soils.

After pouring the slab, the frame is erected. A two-inch board (fifty) is used as load-bearing elements, which in places of high loads (supports, ceilings) is fastened into a “sandwich” of several pieces (up to four or more).

The frame elements are fastened with metal plates.

Nails are mainly used as fasteners, and not self-tapping screws or self-tapping screws, as many might think. They are clogged in one second by pneumatic devices and better withstand transverse shear loads. However, screws, bolts and wood grouse are also in use.

Hurricanes are a different story. They visit the Gulf Coast with enviable frequency. A typical incoming hurricane is a Category 2 out of five on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The wind speed there reaches 40-50 m/s (150-180 km/h). In this case, the local population is evacuated voluntarily. Houses in the above-mentioned village survive such bad weather without any problems. Although locals say that the famous Ike knocked down all the fences in 2008, and hangars for gardening tools were then removed from trees on neighboring plots. However, none of the houses required any special repairs. However, just to the south, this hurricane destroyed the entire town of Galveston, located on the coast itself. Even reinforced concrete buildings there were damaged.

After installing the frame, all necessary communications are laid in it (central air conditioning, water, electricity, internet), then the mineral wool and it is covered with OSB shields.

Interior finishing: plasterboard. And the external one depends on the status of the village or district. In more prestigious places, they are covered with decorative stone or shields with its imitation. At the periphery, ordinary siding is more often used.

If you're thirsty more details, then at this link you can find a fairly detailed photo report from one of the construction sites.

The frame is our everything

If you thought that frame technologies are used only in low-rise construction in the private sector, then you are mistaken. They are used everywhere, right up to apartment buildings five or more floors, as well as large shopping centers.