There is no single building material for walls that would be universal. When choosing it, many factors are taken into account: these are reliability, soil characteristics, weather conditions, price range and much more. Currently, the choice of building materials is very extensive. In order for the house to be strong and durable, it is necessary to take into account not only the advantages of the raw materials from which the construction is planned, but also its shortcomings.

Building materials for walls

A good house is a strong house. This is how it will be if the building material for its walls is chosen correctly.

The wall is:

• a building structure enclosing or separating some part of the territory;
• side of the building.

The walls in the house can be divided into several groups depending on the load. Among them are bearing, self-supporting, non-bearing, hinged and enclosing. All this is shown in the diagram.

The construction of the walls of the house requires the choice of a certain building material. Each of them has individual properties, has its own strengths and weaknesses. Depending on this, it finds application in the construction of walls. The use of various wall materials can be seen in the video.

The following main wall materials are distinguished:

• brick;
• wood;
• ceramic blocks;
• concrete;
• aerated concrete;
• foam concrete;
• cinder blocks;
• sip panels;
• metal structures.

All these modern materials are widely used in individual construction.

Brick walls

Brick is a traditional building material, which is an artificial stone. It has its positive and negative qualities: heat capacity, has a large bearing capacity, but has a relatively high price.

Types of bricks:

1. Cob - made of clay and straw, instead of which wood shavings, chaff or horse manure are sometimes used. Used in Asian countries. In Russia, it is found in rural areas.
2. Ceramic - made from fired clay. A high-quality brick should make a ringing sound and have a uniform reddish color. Through cracks with a length of more than 4 cm are unacceptable; such a brick should be chosen for strength and frost resistance. The letter "M" denotes the strength grade. The numbers indicate the permissible compressive load in kg/cm2. The frost resistance class is indicated by the English letter F, the numbers indicate freezing cycles.
3. Silicate - made from sand and lime under the influence of steam at a temperature of 170 - 200 0 C. For the construction of walls, you can choose a brick of various colors and thicknesses.
4. Hyperpressed - a building material made under high pressure without the use of firing. Fine limestone rocks, scrap from the production of ceramic bricks, various wastes from the extraction and sawing of facing stone, fine crushed stone, marble and dolomite are added to a small amount of cement with water. The material is as close as possible to natural stone.

Pros and cons of brick construction

Types of brick	Advantages	Flaws
adobe	Low cost	Low moisture and frost resistance
	Good sound insulation and thermal inertia	The walls dry for a long time and gain strength
Ceramic	Resistant to all climatic conditions	High price
	Low moisture absorption	Possibility of efflorescence
Silicate	Good sound insulation	High thermal conductivity
	High strength and frost resistance	High moisture absorption
hyperpressed	Resistant to aggressive environments and climatic influences	High price
	Ideal geometric shape	Requires thorough drying before laying

Walls made of foam blocks

The composition of the foam block includes sand, cement, foaming agent. It is used for the construction of load-bearing walls and interior partitions. Advantages of the foam block as a building material:

• environmentally friendly;
• perfectly retains heat;
• has the ability to "breathe" - to release water vapor to the outside;
• excellent fire resistance - resistance to open fire for 8 hours;
• good moisture and frost resistance;
• excellent sound insulation;
• significantly reduces the overall construction time;

With all their significant advantages, foam blocks have their drawbacks. They are a low strength material: the wall can crack if overloaded. Water that gets inside at low temperatures will destroy the foam block. This can be avoided if the surface is plastered or treated with a special solution. Not all types of finishes are suitable for wall cladding made of foam blocks.

ceramic blocks

Ceramic block or porous ceramic is a material made by firing specially shaped clay blocks. There are 3 main sizes of this raw material:

№	Dimensions	Volume
1	219x250x380 mm	10.7 NF*
2	219x250x440 mm	12.4 NF
3	219x250x510 mm	14.3 NF

*NF - normal form, an indicator of the number of bricks of a given block volume.

The material is environmentally friendly and durable, like any ceramics.

Aerated concrete blocks in the construction of walls

Aerated concrete is a lightweight cellular material obtained from a mixture of:

• lime;
• cement;
• fine-grained quartz sand;
• water;
• gas-forming reagents - aluminum powder is most often used.

Acceleration of the curing process occurs in autoclaves.

Comparison of gas silicate and foam concrete - building materials for walls, favorably emphasizes the advantage of the first.

Aerated concrete is a relatively inexpensive material, it is non-combustible, environmentally friendly and durable. Special blocks are made from it.

Modern building technologies allow you to use different materials for walls at the same time. Gas silicate blocks can be combined with bricks. This will ensure high thermal conductivity of the walls.

If a person does not have enough finances for individual construction, then self-production of wall material would be appropriate.

Brick or gas block

Brick - an artificial stone with dimensions of 250x120x65 mm. It is produced by firing clay. The aerated concrete block is an artificially created stone with dimensions of 600x400x250 mm.

Comparison of brick and gas block

A wall built from a gas block is 3 times lighter than a brick one. This means that the frame will require less reinforcement. Given the ability of the building material for the walls of the house to transfer heat, the thickness of the brickwork should be greater. In terms of frost resistance - the ability of the material to maintain strength, brick is superior: it is more durable.

Aerated concrete blocks are used in the construction of walls of houses with a height of not more than 14 m. It is not recommended to build load-bearing structures from them. A feature of aerated concrete blocks is their high geometric accuracy. This allows for less costly laying on glue. It is faster in comparison with cement.

Walls should be built in dry, clear weather. It is forbidden to build wet rooms from cellular concrete: saunas, baths, laundries. The walls for them are made only of bricks.

Aerated concrete blocks over time after construction may decrease slightly in size, which will lead to cracks in the wall. This is not the case for bricks.

Gas blocks are easier to tool. Cutting and grinding of aerated concrete can be carried out directly on the construction site with standard hand saws. But the reliability of bricks when installing door and window openings is much higher. The fire resistance of a brick and a gas block is approximately the same.

Cellular concrete blocks are the cheapest material. But the construction of walls requires compliance with a special technology. The services of workers for such masonry are higher than those of builders working with bricks. However, brick walls are warmer and stronger.

wooden construction

Several types of wood are used as building material: pine, spruce, larch, cedar, oak, linden. You should choose according to the properties of the tree and financial resources.

The advantage of wooden walls lies, first of all, in environmental friendliness. Wood is a natural conditioner. This house is warm in winter and cool in summer. The air in the room is updated up to 30% during the day, so it is easy to breathe in it.

When heated, cracks do not form in the walls, which cannot be said about a brick house. Wooden structures are the most resistant to earthquakes and do not require additional insulation.

In terms of thermal conductivity, a log with a diameter of 20 cm replaces brickwork 1 m thick. This significantly reduces the financial costs for the house and reduces the weight of the building, which is economical for the depth and width of the foundation. Its price is sometimes 1/3 of the entire value of the house. They build wooden walls very quickly at any time of the year.

The main significant disadvantage of wood as a material for building walls is a high fire hazard. The disadvantages also include susceptibility to decay, damage by fungus and wood bugs. The tree quickly collapses under the influence of the atmosphere: sunlight and moisture.

All these shortcomings are easily eliminated by specially designed chemicals. They are applied to the walls and extend the life of a wooden house.

Glued laminated timber

Glued laminated timber - the leading material in wooden construction

Glued laminated timber is one of the leading materials in wooden construction. It is assembled from separate dried boards of appropriate sizes treated with antiseptic and fire-fighting agents. Then there is gluing with special compounds under high pressure. This is done in order to prevent cracking and torsion of the timber during drying.

The beam contains a special tongue-and-groove system, which allows you to assemble the walls as quickly as possible. Like many building materials for walls, it is environmentally friendly. Glued laminated timber belongs to the group of combustible materials. With protective treatment, it is relatively durable.

Comparison of building materials

Comparison of wall materials by main indicators

	aerated concrete		Wood	Brick
Thermal conductivity	0,12	0,16	0,18	0,56
Strength	25	100	50	150
fire resistance	1200	1500	300	1500
Shrinkage ratio	2	0,01	10	0,01

Thermal conductivity - the ability of a material to pass heat through itself - is 3 times greater for a brick than for a ceramic and aerated concrete block. Based on the estimated cost, it can be concluded that the cheaper material is a ceramic block. To achieve the correct thermal conductivity of the wall, it is enough to insulate the wall with a special material.

The strength of aerated concrete and wood is minimal compared to other types. This suggests that building houses of more than 2 floors from these materials should not be. The strength of the ceramic block and brick allows you to build buildings of almost any height.

The shrinkage factor is expressed as a percentage. The largest one is near the tree. This means that a year after the completion of construction, the height of the wall will be reduced by 10%. Relatively low shrinkage coefficient for aerated concrete. Its low strength can cause cracking. Other materials for this indicator can be ignored.

Aerated concrete is the cheapest building material. It is widely used in individual construction.

The choice in favor of one or another wall material is formed on the basis of individual evaluation conclusions and an analysis of the characteristics of the environment.

Traditional brick or warm ceramics, aerated concrete or wood concrete, timber or frame technology - what material is better to build a house from? Any novice developer, choosing a building material, is faced with conflicting information. Making the best decision is not an easy task. We will try to narrow the scope of the search by selecting the most practical and cost-effective options.

What to consider when choosing a material

The importance of choosing building materials for external walls can hardly be overestimated. To understand what kind of house to build, experts recommend deciding on the following points:

• type of housing - short-term visits or permanent residence;
• requirements for the strength and environmental friendliness of the wall material;
• estimated date of settlement;
• heating method;
• construction budget and labor intensity of the process;
• availability of building materials in the region;
• whether the possibility of further sale of the house is allowed.

There is no universal answer to the question of what material is best for building a private house. It all depends on the project, climate, characteristics of the region of residence and personal preferences of the owner of the site.

Basic requirements for technological properties of materials:

• good thermal protection - heating a house with cold walls will be very expensive;
• fire safety;
• durability;
• soundproofing qualities.

An important selection factor is the final strength of structural elements. The walls must withstand the weight of the roof, floors, wind and snow loads.

Comparison of materials for building a house: a qualitative assessment

To understand in what situation one or another solution would be preferable, we compare the technical and operational qualities of modern materials for the construction of a private house.

Brick - reliability and high cost

Despite the development of innovative technologies, brick houses hold the leading position. The main arguments in favor of traditional material:

• excellent sound insulation performance;
• fire and environmental safety;
• prestige, aesthetics and wide architectural possibilities;
• ensuring a healthy microclimate in the room.

Brick is the most durable material for building a house. The service life of the building reaches up to 100 years.

If everything is so good, then why experiment and develop new technologies? Brick also has disadvantages:

• the need to equip a solid foundation due to the severity of the brick walls;
• high cost and duration of construction;
• high labor intensity and seasonality of construction works.

ceramic brick has a fairly high thermal conductivity. To achieve effective thermal insulation, it is necessary to resort to additional insulation.

The last flaw is deprived ceramic block- porous ceramics. Due to the smallest air pores, the material retains heat well. An additional plus is the increased dimensions and the accelerated masonry process. The disadvantage of warm ceramics is fragility. When chasing a wall, you can split the block.

Characteristics of foam and aerated concrete blocks

One of the options for how to build a warm and economical house is the use of gas and foam concrete. The thermal insulation characteristics of a wall in one layer correspond to the properties of multi-layer brickwork. The thermal efficiency of blocks is three times higher than that of bricks.

Both materials have similar characteristics, their main difference is in the internal structure. Gas blocks are made from a homogeneous sand-cement mixture. When a blowing agent is added, small through channels are formed inside the block.

In foam blocks, on the contrary, closed pores form inside the material. This technology gives foam blocks some advantages over gas blocks:

• improved energy efficiency properties;
• reduced weight;
• resistance to moisture.

Weighty arguments in favor of both building materials: relative availability, fire and bioresistance, lightness, ease of processing.

Disadvantages of block technology:

• the fragility of the walls;
• the need for external decoration;
• presence of chemical elements.

Pros and cons of a wooden house

Adherents of natural materials prefer wood, focusing on the following advantages:

• environmental friendliness - the walls do not emit toxic substances hazardous to health and the environment;
• attractiveness - wooden buildings have a special charm;
• low thermal conductivity of wood;
• creating an optimal microclimate inside the house - wooden walls "breathe" and take on excess moisture;
• strength - breaking through a wall of logs or timber is not easy;
• the possibility of arranging a simple base - suitable.

A relative plus is the cost of construction. In general, the construction of wooden housing will cost less than a brick house due to the lack of the need to finish the walls and strengthen the foundation.

However, wood cannot be called the cheapest material for building a house. The price largely depends on the region. It is more profitable for residents near forest plantations to use a tree, for the rest, the expediency of building is doubtful. Main arguments against tree:

• wall shrinkage duration - about 3 years;
• fire hazard - refractory liquids partially help reduce the flammability of the material, but do not completely solve the problem;
• the likelihood of cracks;
• the need for regular protective treatment of wooden walls from decay and insect attacks.

Many wood critics speak negatively about the thermal efficiency of houses. The presence of cracks negates the thermal conductivity of the tree. The building needs sealing and additional insulation.

Features of the use of wood concrete

The second name of arbolite - wood concrete. The material is made from cement binder and organic fillers - woodworking waste. Such a symbiosis awarded wood concrete blocks with a number of technical advantages:

• low thermal conductivity (up to 0.18 W / m) and good sound suppression properties;
• bending strength - wood concrete does not crack;
• the material is difficult to ignite and slightly combustible, the formation of smoke is low;
• ease of processing - plates can be sawn;
• breathability, resistance to decay;
• light weight - the ratio of the weight of wood concrete and brick is 1: 3, the requirements for the foundation are reduced.

When considering what to choose - wood concrete or other material, one must take into account the climate of the region. The key to the durability of wood concrete is to ensure dryness. The basement of the house needs additional waterproofing.

Under conditions of constant humidity, the arbolite block is able to absorb 40-80% of moisture from the outside, which reduces its thermal insulation properties.

Additional disadvantages of wood concrete: imperfect geometry of the block and the high cost of high-quality material. Due to the ease of manufacture, the market is flooded with privately made products, the quality of which does not always meet the standards.

Monolith and concrete blocks

Concrete is considered stronger and more durable than brick. There are two technologies for building a house:

• one-piece construction made of monolithic concrete;
• prefabricated structure from factory reinforced concrete panels.

cast concrete. A rather complicated technology: the frame of the house is erected from reinforcement and gradually poured with liquid concrete. As the mortar dries, the formwork is removed and moved to another area of ​​the pour.

Advantages of monolithic technology:

• reliability - the strength of the building is due to the absence of seams, a cast house is the best option for seismically active areas;
• durability - service life of more than 150 years;
• fire resistance - the walls of the house are not destroyed in a fire;
• variability of forms - by building formwork, you can give the structure any configuration.

Disadvantages of monolithic buildings: high cost, the need to strengthen the foundation, the difficulty of creating high formwork, demanding on the quality of concrete.

Prefabricated panels. This is an option for those who are looking for a way to like a home. Finished reinforced concrete panels are brought to the site and a structure is formed from them.

The main advantages of the method: construction speed, ideal geometry, affordable cost, fire safety.

In private housing construction, the method is not particularly popular for a number of reasons: slabs are produced in standard sizes - the choice of projects is limited, concrete walls need to be insulated.

Frame technology - cost-effectiveness and speed of construction

For many Europeans and Americans, the question of what material is better to build a house from is not so relevant. Most prefer frame technology.

The base of the building wooden frame, which is subsequently sheathed with heat-insulating plates. The method has a number of significant advantages:

• speed of construction and the ability to perform work all year round - there are no "wet" processes;
• ease of construction - you can build a small house yourself without the involvement of special equipment;
• ease of construction - the frame does not require a powerful foundation;
• ease of laying communications - water pipes, ventilation ducts and electrical cables can be laid in the cavity of walls, ceilings;
• good thermal insulation - subject to the construction norm and the use of high-quality energy-intensive components.

With a standard wall thickness of 30 cm, the frame retains heat, like a brick house with a wall thickness of 50 cm.

An important, and sometimes decisive factor in favor of frame technology is the low construction budget. Prefabricated houses are the most affordable and very economical to operate in winter due to effective thermal insulation of the walls.

Frame houses are demanding on the quality of wood for the construction of the supporting structure. Compared to brick buildings, they have a lower level of sound insulation.

When is the best time to build a frame house? The popularity of carcasses among compatriots is increasing. Previously, the prejudiced attitude has changed - many have seen from personal experience the practicality and heat capacity of housing. Such houses are versatile and cost-effective, their construction is justified in different climatic regions.

Alternative building materials for a private house

In some regions, in addition to the technologies described above, non-standard solutions are used:

1. Adobe. Building material is popular in Central Asia. Saman is made from a mixture of scrap and clay. The material keeps cool in summer and keeps warm in winter, but is not very durable and is afraid of water. Cob houses are suitable only for dry climates; in conditions of prolonged rainy autumn and harsh winters, the material cannot be used.
2. Natural stone. The choice of lovers of antique style and everything natural. Building a stone house is expensive. Such a structure will stand for more than a century.
3. cinder block. A compressed block of filler - slag and binder - cement. Cinder block is a cheap alternative to brick, building material is popular in the construction of outbuildings and country houses. The environmental safety of pressed blocks is doubtful, therefore they are not recommended for the construction of residential buildings.

What kind of house to build: profitability scale

If we compare the cost of building houses from different materials and compare the upcoming maintenance costs, then the rating will look like this:

• 1 place. Frame house. The estimated cost of construction is $180. e./sq. m, the cost of heating and maintenance of the house is minimal.
• 2nd place. Wooden beam without insulation. The approximate price of the building is 200 USD. e./sq. m, but the heat costs are more than doubled, which means that the heating bills increase.
• 3 place. Aerated concrete with insulation. The cost of building a house is 320 USD. e./sq. m. Heating costs compared to a frame house increase by a quarter.
• 4th place. Brick, double brickwork. The asking price is around $400. e./sq. m. The operation of the house in the winter will cost three times more than the maintenance of the frame.

Potential developers often doubt whether it is worth building a frame house or whether it is better to resort to traditional technologies. Many years of foreign experience, profitability indicators and positive feedback from compatriots speak in favor of frame buildings. In many respects, they are ahead of brick, wooden and concrete houses.

Video: comparison of wall materials

Your own home is what each of us would like. In order to have our own home, we are ready to save money for many years, keep savings in the bank and work hard. A home is not only a place where we will live for a while, but also something that we will leave to our generation. After all, we do not build such a structure with the calculation of temporary residence, because we hope that the house will be built with high quality, and several of our generations, children or even grandchildren will live in it. What memory of ourselves we leave depends only on us.

Many factors influence the construction of a house, such as: the amount of funds for construction, the location of the house, the climatic conditions of the region, and much more. And when choosing a building material, your head is spinning, because more and more new materials appear on the market, those that are more expensive and those that are cheaper, those that we know something about, and those that we can see for the first time. However, you must agree that when choosing a building material, you need to take into account not only its advantages, but also all its inherent disadvantages. Let's look at modern building materials for the walls of the house.

Basic materials for building a house

Although no houses are exactly the same, however, almost all of them are built from the same materials, such as stone or wood. However, all these materials are pre-treated, which gives them the necessary properties.

Let's take, for example, a tree: glued or simple beam, log, gun carriage. At first glance, everything seems simple. However, it should be noted that such materials have very different characteristics. For example, a rounded log and a bar are two completely different materials in terms of their characteristics. But this is not even all wooden materials.

If we talk about a stone, then we are not talking about a wild stone, but about an artificially created one. Such a stone was created with all the necessary properties that are needed when building a house. Although there are really a lot of varieties of such a stone, they can still be classified into three types:

1. Brick.
2. Blocks where cement acts as a binding component.
3. Blocks made from clay or lime.

The largest variety of materials exists in the group of building blocks, the binding component of which is cement. Often, lightweight concrete is used in construction, the difference of which is the brand of cement, heat-insulating components and the composition of the filler.

Brick

Brick is one of the most common materials in residential construction. With this material, you can build not only a house from scratch, but also complete additional structures. Why is brick so popular? Because such material is strong enough, not afraid of fungus, frost-resistant. Compared to wood building materials, brick does not rot. Also, it is not afraid of fire, ultraviolet rays and does not give a strong precipitation. Brick is a durable material that meets all environmental standards. The strength of a house built of bricks is explained not only by the quality of the material, but also by the method of laying, since the upper row is knitted onto the lower row of bricks. Thus, you will not see any continuous vertical seams on the wall.

Of course, learning how to do masonry with your own hands is not difficult at all. This is possible even for those who do not have much experience in construction work. However, such work will be easier to perform for a qualified specialist, since he knows many of the subtleties in performing such work. Another disadvantage in building a brick house is that the brick has a high heat dissipation, which leads to a rapid cooling of the room, and it will take several days to warm up the house. In addition, you won't be able to finish all the construction work fast enough, because brick is a heavy material, because of which you will have to wait for the house to completely shrink, that is, several months (although wood shrinks for about a year). Well, perhaps one of the main drawbacks is that the price of a brick is quite high.

I would also like to talk about silicate and ceramic bricks. It is these two types of bricks that are often used in construction work. Therefore, this information will be useful to you.

ceramic brick

Has a red tint. It is made from fired clay, which makes the material quite durable. Since clay is a natural material, the brick does not have harmful toxic substances. It can be hollow and full-bodied, it all depends on the percentage of emptiness inside the material. Such a brick has good thermal insulation properties.

silicate brick

Has a white color. It consists of sand, lime and a small part of the necessary additives. Like the previous version, this brick is also made both solid and with holes inside. The advantage of solid silicate brick is the variety of colors. A brick with cavities inside has better thermal insulation properties. Both options are quite durable.

Cellular foam concrete and aerated concrete blocks

What makes these two materials different? Inside the foam concrete there are cells with air, and inside the aerated concrete there are cells with hydrogen. Both the first and second types of materials have their pros and cons. Let's consider each of them separately.

foam concrete

Laying with such material is not a very laborious process, since the blocks are quite light and slightly larger than bricks. The foam block has good heat-insulating properties. An important advantage of the foam block is that it will not be difficult to give it the necessary shape and size. The thing is that it can be cut with a simple hacksaw or chopped off with an ax. Thanks to this, you can give the block different shapes, make it oval, create bay windows, etc. In addition, the foam block does not burn, and it is quite convenient to transport it.

Among the shortcomings, it can be distinguished that the foam block is a material that has moisture-absorbing properties. Full shrinkage of the walls will be completed in about a year. Only after complete shrinkage, you will be able to proceed with the facade and interior work of your home. As for the foundation, it must be made of stable foundation slabs or monolithic concrete, thanks to which the walls will not crack.

aerated concrete

A fairly cheap material for building a house, which is why it is very popular in the construction industry. The gas block has a small weight, it is even lighter than the foam block, which reduces your labor costs. You can give the material the required size and shape using the same hacksaw. Such material boasts high-quality thermal protection and high strength. According to some experts, aerated concrete combines the strength of stone and the lightness of wood.

A big disadvantage of aerated concrete is that the wall will constantly accumulate moisture. To avoid this unpleasant phenomenon, the surface of the wall must be sealed with a high-quality waterproofing finish. The second disadvantage is that the material is quite brittle, so when the wall is displaced, large cracks can form. To avoid this, you need to build a high-quality strip foundation.

Expanded clay concrete

The composition of such a material includes fairly light components, such as foamed and defatted clay. Although the material is lightweight, it is used both for creating partitions and for load-bearing walls. It has such advantages:

• more moisture resistant in comparison with concrete;
• resistant to aggressive environments;
• has excellent soundproofing properties.

The downside of expanded clay concrete is that when moisture enters the pores, it reduces its frost-resistant properties. The porosity of the material also affects its strength, since you have to constantly calculate whether the lower blocks can withstand the weight of the next row.

Building walls with wood

Log cabin handmade

Our grandfathers used this method of building walls in the house. How did everything happen? First, the size of the tree trunk was determined, after which grooves and locks were cut out on the tree. After that, the logs were connected, while laying out the outlines of the house. Further, it was necessary to wait for the complete shrinkage of the house, which would occur during the year. Only after that they began to seal the cracks and trim the doors and windows. However, this method is no longer used, since it is a rather complicated and time-consuming work. A new method has come to replace it, we will talk about it further.

Until now, there is no unequivocal answer to the question of what material is better to make the walls of a residential building. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Builders and designers cannot agree on the choice of the most optimal product for making walls. The thing is that in each case, the best material must be selected based on the purpose of the building, its configuration, the climatic conditions of the area and the financial capabilities of the owner. In our article, we will consider the most common wall materials, describe their properties, pros and cons, and you yourself will be able to choose the best one based on the construction conditions.

Factors affecting the choice

A quarter of all construction costs go to building walls. Since the wrong material for building walls in the future can lead to even more expenses, the following factors should be taken into account when choosing it:

1. If you want to save on arranging the foundation by making a shallow lightweight option, then choose a light material for the walls. Additional savings in the case of using light elements for the walls of the house will be during transportation and installation, because it can be done by hand without the use of expensive lifting equipment.
2. Choose building materialsthat have good thermal insulation characteristics. Otherwise, cold walls in winter will cost you dearly due to heating costs.

Tip: it is best to perform a heat engineering calculation taking into account the climatic conditions of the construction region. This is the only way to be sure that you have chosen the right material and wall design. So, in the northern regions of our country, even walls made of materials with high thermal insulation properties need to be insulated.

1. If piece materials, for example, bricks, are used to build the walls of the house, then a significant proportion of the costs will be the cost of paying masons. Even if you do all the work yourself, then consider the time and physical costs. It is much more profitable and faster to build from large-sized elements. The highest speed of wall construction is for houses built using frame-panel and frame-panel technology.
2. When choosing building materials for walls, it is worth considering how easy they are to finish and whether they need it at all. For example, the walls of an OSB frame house can not be finished at all, but simply painted, and a log house needs a thorough finish outside and inside.

To understand what to build your house from, you need to understand the characteristics of building materials, so further we will describe the properties of each of them, list the advantages and disadvantages.

Brick

A house built of brick can stand for a century, or even a century and a half. There are many varieties of bricks that differ in important operational and technical characteristics.

So, for the construction of walls, silicate and ceramic types of bricks are used. Consider their features:

• ceramic brick made from fired red clay. It is durable, moisture resistant, environmentally friendly material. On sale there is a corpulent and hollow brick. The more voids in a brick, the higher its thermal insulation performance.
• silicate brick is made on the basis of lime, sand and some additives. It also happens to be full-bodied and hollow. The latter option is characterized by lightness and improved thermal insulation qualities. Silicate full-bodied products are distinguished by good sound-proofing properties, but high thermal conductivity.

Also, this wall material is divided into front and ordinary:

• It is better to build the walls of the house from ordinary brick. Products may have small defects in the form of cracks and chips, but due to this, their price is more acceptable. In addition, for the internal masonry of walls, the appearance of the product is not as important as for the front masonry.
• Facing brick (front)- this is the wall material with which the facade is made out. All products must have the correct geometric shape, smooth or embossed surface, be free of flaws and defects. The price of a front brick is higher than that of its ordinary counterpart.

The strength of this wall material is directly related to its brand, which can be from M 75 to M 300. The number indicates the load that one square centimeter of the product can withstand. The higher the brand, the greater the specific gravity of the product. To build a 2 or 3-storey house, brick grade 100-125 is enough. To perform the foundation and base, products with the brand 150-175 are used.

Also, when choosing a brick, it is important to take into account its frost resistance, that is, the number of freeze and thaw cycles that the product can withstand without damage and a decrease in strength by no more than 20%. This indicator is marked with the letter F and a number from 15 and above. For warm regions, you can use products with a frost resistance grade of 15; in colder latitudes, bricks of the F25 grade are used. For facing work, a brick with a frost resistance of at least 50 is suitable.

Advantages and disadvantages of brick

Among the advantages of this wall material, it is worth listing the following:

• Impressive service life.
• aesthetic appeal.
• Unlimited possibilities in terms of design and implementation of the most complex projects.
• The material is not susceptible to corrosion, damage by fungi and microorganisms.
• The product does not burn.
• High sound and heat insulation characteristics.

The disadvantages include the following:

• Due to the small size and large specific gravity, laying brick walls takes a long time and costs a lot.
• Under brick walls, it is necessary to equip a solid buried foundation, and this entails increased costs for materials and earthworks.
• In most cases, brick walls need to be additionally insulated.

ceramic blocks

A ceramic block is a material made from a mixture of clay and sawdust, after which the element is fired in a kiln. This is a fairly durable product that allows you to quickly build the walls of the house. The strength of the ceramic block is so high that a multi-storey building can be made from it. Inside the material has a porous structure, and the outer surface is corrugated. For a tight connection, the ends of the material have grooves and ridges.

The height of the ceramic block is a multiple of the rows of brickwork, and the other dimensions may be different. Thus, it is possible to build from a ceramic block according to projects that are designed for bricks. But the speed of construction is much higher, since one ceramic block measuring 238x248x500 mm, which weighs 25 kg, is equal to 15 bricks, each of which weighs 3.3 kg. In addition to increasing the speed of construction, the cost of mortar is reduced, because it will be needed less.

Important: the width of the ceramic block can be 230, 240 and 250 mm, and the length is in the range of 250-510 mm. On the long side of the product there is a comb-groove lock.

Walls with a thickness of 380 mm or more made of this material do not need to be insulated, since the thermal conductivity of the product is only 0.14-0.29 W / m² x ° C. Marking wide blocks M 100. If you need to make thin but strong walls, then you can take elements marked 150. Frost resistance of ceramic blocks is at least 50 cycles.

Pros and cons of ceramic blocks

The advantages include:

• The low specific weight and high strength significantly expand the scope of this material.
• Installation of large-sized products is carried out quickly and without unnecessary labor.
• Saving mortar due to the size of the elements and the absence of the need to make vertical seams.
• The frost resistance of an ordinary ceramic block is higher than that of an ordinary brick.
• Good fire resistance. The product is able to resist burning for 4 hours.
• An optimal microclimate is created in the room from ceramic blocks, since the walls can "breathe" and regulate the humidity of the air.
• The house can last a century and a half and at the same time will not lose its thermal insulation characteristics.

This material also has disadvantages, among which it is worth mentioning the following:

• The price of ceramic blocks is quite high.
• Since these products are relatively new in our market, it is difficult to find a good mason to perform masonry.
• This fragile material needs to be stored and transported very carefully.

gas blocks

This material has excellent thermal insulation properties. In terms of thermal conductivity, a gas-block wall with a width of 300-400 mm is not inferior to a multi-layer brick structure. Walls of gas blocks maintain optimal temperature and humidity conditions indoors. The material is not subject to rot and has an impressive service life. The thermal insulation qualities of a gas block are 3 times greater than those of a brick wall.

Aerated concrete is quite light, so it is easy to transport and stack. It is easily cut with a regular hacksaw to the desired size. The laying of elements is carried out on a mortar or special glue, which requires little. The smooth, even surface of the gas blocks is easy to finish. Aerated concrete is considered environmentally friendly and non-combustible. It has a fairly high frost resistance.

Attention: for aerated concrete, the density characteristic is important. This indicator can be in the range of 350-1200 kg / m³. For an ordinary residential building, it is enough to take elements marked 500-900.

Advantages and disadvantages of gas blocks

The advantages of this wall product are many:

• The laying of walls from gas blocks is carried out 9 times faster than the laying of bricks.
• The low thermal conductivity of the product is a big plus in its favor.
• Aerated concrete has a high fire resistance, it does not emit harmful substances even during combustion.
• The porous structure of the material contributes to high frost resistance.
• In terms of vapor permeability, aerated concrete is comparable only to wood.

Cons of aerated concrete:

• Low bending strength.
• The material is prone to cracking.
• Hygroscopicity. After absorbing moisture, the thermal insulation performance of aerated concrete decreases, so the facade needs a protective finish.
• It is impossible to lay floor slabs and beams directly on gas blocks, therefore, before laying them, you will have to make a monolithic armored belt. This entails additional costs and time.

Wood

Many people who decide to build a house make a choice in favor of wood. This natural material is environmentally friendly. It creates a favorable microclimate in the house, maintains optimal humidity and saturates the air with healing phytoncides. In a wooden house it is warm in winter and not hot in summer, because wood has good thermal insulation characteristics.

A wooden house can be built from the following products:

1. The log can be of natural shape or rounded. In the latter case, the material has a regular shape and a smooth surface, but needs additional protective treatment, since the natural protective resin layer, which is under the bark, is removed during the cylindering process.
2. You can use glued (profiled) and sawn or planed timber. Higher-quality houses are obtained from glued laminated timber, which has special grooves and ridges for a snug fit of the elements. Sawn timber is more often used to make frame houses.
3. Frame-panel houses are made of OSB, chipboard, moisture-resistant plywood, which are attached to the frame. Insulation is laid inside the wall.

The main advantages of wooden houses are their environmental friendliness, comfort and reasonable price. Under such a house, you can make a lightweight foundation. Disadvantages - fire hazard, shrinkage.

Who does not dream of their own cozy house outside the city. Many people move from desires to actions, and begin to plan construction. What's stopping others from doing it? First of all, the high cost of building a house scares. After all, I want to build a capital building that will serve without problems for many years, and will still remain for my grandchildren.

Capital construction is also required by the peculiarities of the climate in our country. And if we also take into account the cost of the land plot, the supply of all communications, then our hands simply give up. But there is a way out!

You can build a house cheaply. At the same time, it will look very presentable and modern. In reality, it is enough to spend no more than half a million rubles to get a spacious turnkey house.

It is only necessary to take into account what factors affect the cost of construction:

1. House layout. You can save up to 20 percent on a project.
2. The choice of house design and materials. The right choice of materials will cut costs by up to 40 percent.
3. House building work. Some jobs can be easily done on your own. That will also allow you to save a lot on the services of specialists.

The choice in favor of modern materials allows you to reduce construction costs because they are easier to work with. Many manipulations can be done by hand. In addition, they have high quality characteristics.

Construction time can also be reduced by using the latest developments in building materials. As a result, the construction will take up to 3 months.

Material for the walls of the house - what to build a residential building from?

There are a number of building materials that meet the requirements for the quality of the building and can satisfy almost any customer request.

The most commonly used materials for the construction of private houses are as follows:

• Profiled and sawn timber;
• Rounded log;
• gas silicate blocks;
• Brick.

First of all, you need to decide how the house will be operated:

1. Seasonal operation. Such buildings are designed for living in them in the summer season. A frame house made of a thin beam or a rounded log with a small diameter is enough.
2. permanent residence. These houses must be heated in winter, the walls can withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees. Walls should be made of logs or stone.

Basic building materials and their cost

A house made of wood is preferred by people for whom the environmental component is important. Wood, as a natural material, allows you to relax, promotes good rest. It maintains a comfortable atmosphere in the house at any time of the year.

1. Choosing a stone house is more practical. The main reasons for this choice are:

• Low operating costs;
• Small heat losses;
• Long service life.

2. You can stay at a combined house when two types of materials are used. It combines the practicality of stone and the comfort of wood. As a rule, the first floor is built of stone, and the second is made of wood.

3. The cost of building a wooden house can be reduced by choosing a lighter foundation. In addition, there is an opportunity in a log house not to carry out interior decoration, which will also reduce costs. This is despite the fact that this material is quite expensive.

The cost of erecting wooden houses depends on the choice of wall material, on the intended use, the size of the building and varies. from 300,000 to 1,000,000 rubles.

4. The cost of houses made of warm ceramics is very high.. These are complex structures with large walls - up to 50 centimeters. This material has very high quality characteristics, but it is possible to build a house from warm ceramics only in the warm season.

5. A monolithic house in fixed formwork will cost less. Construction time is short, a heavy foundation is not needed for it, wall materials are inexpensive, but with good thermal conductivity.

6. Styrofoam monolithic walls are durable and reliable, resistant to destruction. But they require expensive interior and exterior decoration. You can build a monolithic private house of the middle price category.

7. A house made of gas silicate blocks has good frost resistance, vapor permeability, and lasts a long time. The cost of the material is low, but the work is expensive. It requires the construction of a complex foundation. In addition, work can only be carried out during warm weather.

How to choose wall material: brick house?

It should be noted that the cost of building a brick house compared to wooden buildings. In addition, it makes no sense to build such a house for temporary residence. This is due to the fact that it needs to be constantly heated.

The cost of building a brick house increases due to the fact that a capital foundation is needed. The right choice of brick cottage design should be made so that it looks appropriate and aesthetically pleasing.

The brick house has a number of attractive features.

1. Durability and strength of the building. This is a great option for a country house in which permanent residence is planned.
2. High fire resistance. At the same time, reliable communications and engineering networks should be created, as well as properly operated.
3. Extensive range of architectural solutions. It is possible to build a house in any style, from avant-garde to classic Gothic.
4. Many options for both interior and exterior finishes. By the way, the exterior finish can not be done at all.

Foam block walls: pros and cons

According to consumer reviews, there are much more positive characteristics of houses made of foam blocks.

The advantages of this material include the following:

• The blocks are pretty light., maximum weight - up to 25 kilograms. The construction will be easy, which allows you not to make an expensive foundation.
• Installation is simple. You can make it yourself very quickly.
• Environmental friendliness. Impurities in foam blocks are contained in minimal quantities. Thermal insulation indicators are high.

The disadvantages of foam blocks include:

• Unattractive appearance. The house does not look very beautiful, but you can choose different types of finishes to ennoble it.
• Blocks are fragile may be damaged in transit.
• During the period of shrinkage of the house, cracks may appear in the walls.. It depends on the quality of production.
• The service life of a foam block house reaches 80 years with proper operation. This may seem like a short time to some.

Everyone chooses the material himself. In order to make a choice, you can ask around friends who have houses made of materials of interest. There is an opportunity to read the reviews on the construction forums.

Are claydite concrete walls used in private construction

Expanded clay is a durable material that holds heat better than its counterparts. For example, cinder-block walls will need to be made thicker.

Do you have any questions? Ask a lawyer!