A spacious home that matches your personal ideal down to the last detail is a dream. It is impossible to buy such a house, you can only build it. Practice shows that it does not matter whether the construction of a two-story house is carried out with your own hands or by a construction crew, personal control at each stage of the work cannot be avoided. By the end of construction, all homeowners thoroughly know the technical aspects of construction. But only those who have mastered the theoretical basis in advance receive the Dream House.
Step one - choosing a site
Plots without flaws on which you can build a two-story house are rare; in life you always have to look for a compromise. The location of the site is assessed from the point of view of whether it will be convenient to get there and how long the daily journey will take. The hilly terrain of the site may complicate construction. The construction of retaining walls and pile foundations increases the complexity and cost of the work.
It is preferable to have communications - electricity, gas pipeline, water supply, sewerage. If there is no centralized network, the cost of installation and maintenance of a well, power plant, solid fuel or electric boiler is calculated. The depth and quality of groundwater is taken into account. There is a simple way to get rid of these complex issues: buy a house in a cottage village, for example, http://berezka4s.ru/houses/. In these types of housing, all the amenities of life have already been thought out. The truth is you have to pay for everything.
Step two - paperwork
Before starting construction work, construction documents must be properly completed. They are obtained in the following order:
- Design permit - obtained from the local executive authority;
- Architectural planning assignment - issued by the Department of Architecture;
- Technical conditions of water and gas supply service providers, electrical networks;
- House project - created individually or purchased ready-made http://proekt-sam.ru/;
- Examination and approval of the project;
- Construction permit.
Choosing a two-story project allows you to get a larger house area with an equal building area.
Step three - laying out the foundation
Before starting work, it is necessary to ensure the availability of water and electricity on the site. The external and internal contours of the foundation are marked on the site, carefully maintaining the accuracy of the angles. The optimal type of foundation is determined by the load it will have to withstand and the properties of the soil:
- Tape;
- Monolithic-slab;
- Columnar;
- Pile.
A strip foundation is suitable for building a two-story house from all types of materials. Its use is limited by swampy, unstable soils and shallow groundwater. To arrange the foundation, a trench is dug. The optimal depth of the strip foundation is 0.8 m per floor of the house, and with a two-story building it should be more than 1.6 m. A gravel-sand cushion 30 cm thick of equal layers of compacted sand and crushed stone is installed in the trench. Then formwork of a given width is installed. For ease of creating formwork, the width of the trench should be 50 cm greater than the width of the foundation.
It is advisable to create a belt of cement mortar 10 cm thick. The formwork contains a reinforcing frame made of horizontal and vertical belts, fixed with knitting wire. Before concrete work, mortgages are installed for subsequent laying of communications. The formwork is ready for pouring concrete. Filling must be done in one stage to avoid joining seams that reduce the strength of the structure. Before hardening, the concrete is compacted with a construction vibrator, eliminating air pockets. The formwork can be dismantled after the concrete has gained primary strength, after 5-7 days. The foundation is waterproofed with bitumen mastic, roll materials or sprayed compounds.
A columnar foundation is more economical, but is only suitable for objects made of lightweight materials - wooden or frame houses. Foundation pillars are constructed in places where the load is concentrated - corners of the house, intersections of walls, load-bearing walls. The distance between the pillars is 2-2.5 m. They are made of concrete, wood, brick or rubble-concrete mixture. Wood for poles is treated with antiseptic solutions. Along the contour of the foundation, a brick or concrete frame is made, with a height of ¼ of the span length.
A foundation in the form of a monolithic concrete slab is used for shallow groundwater and the construction of heavy buildings on unstable soils. Rarely used in private buildings.
Pile foundations are suitable for construction in areas with difficult terrain or deformable soil. For such a foundation, piles are screwed or driven into the ground, and a monolithic connecting belt is formed around the perimeter, as when arranging a columnar foundation.
Step three - building walls
The technology for constructing walls depends on the material chosen. The materials used to build a two-story residential building are:
- Wood - chopped or rounded logs, wooden beams - sawn, planed, profiled or glued;
- Brick – ceramic, clinker, silicate, facing;
- Ceramic blocks;
- Lightweight concrete blocks - gas and foam concrete;
- Thermoblocks;
- Limestone-shell rock;
- Frame structures.
When deciding how to build a two-story house with your own hands, you should take into account that it is impossible to build wooden walls alone.
Regardless of the material chosen, compliance with angles, verticals and horizontals is monitored during the construction process. When building walls, voids are formed in the places of door and window openings, over which wooden, metal or reinforced concrete lintels are installed. The lintels are placed 20-25 cm into the wall. Once the required floor height is reached, a reinforced concrete or brick reinforced belt is constructed to take the weight of the floors and protect the wall material from damage.
Step three - interfloor and attic floors
The ceiling is made of wood, monolithic or slab reinforced concrete. The material for creating a wooden floor is beams impregnated with an antiseptic solution. The pitch of the beams is calculated taking into account the upcoming load to avoid surface deformation during operation. The space between the beams is filled with thermal insulation material, which performs the function of sound absorption in the interfloor ceilings. The distance between the beams is made using boards or panels. The reinforced concrete floor is made from a monolithic reinforced concrete slab or prefabricated slabs.
Regardless of the material of the floors, technological openings for ventilation and smoke ducts are installed in them. An opening for stairs is provided in the interfloor ceiling. The staircase is attached to load-bearing walls and is designed as a single-flight or double-flight staircase. If the room is small and does not allow placing a staircase, preference is given to a spiral design. In this case, the location of the staircase opening in the ceiling may not be adjacent to the wall. If the project provides for a balcony, then the interfloor ceiling should extend beyond the external walls in appropriate places.
Step four - installation of the roof
When choosing how to build a two-story house, take into account that complex multi-level roofs increase the visual appeal of the property. Wooden structural elements are treated with an antiseptic before installation, and then with antipyretic impregnations. A wooden frame - a Mauerlat - is attached with anchors to a reinforcing belt made around the perimeter of the walls of the house, to which the rafter system is fixed.
The pitch of the rafters and their cross-section are calculated at the design stage. Depending on the roofing material used, a sheathing made of bars (for slate or metal tiles) or a continuous sheathing made of moisture-resistant plywood (for bitumen shingles) is installed. Roofing material with preliminary waterproofing is mounted on the sheathing, if required by the technology. Snow barriers are installed on metal tiles. A drainage system is installed around the perimeter of the house.
Step five - arrangement of the blind area
To protect the foundation, it is necessary to level the soil with a slight (up to 5 cm) depression. Concrete is poured in a layer of about 8 cm with a slope in the direction from the wall within 3-5ᵒ. At the same time, a drainage system is installed in the blind area.
Five steps to the Dream House have been completed. Even though this is just the beginning of the journey, and the difficulties of interior work lie ahead, but now you know exactly how to make a two-story house. If, of course, the article was read before construction.
A two-story house has its advantages and disadvantages over. Some people choose this option because a two-story house looks more solid and presentable than a one-story house; someone chooses it due to the lack of technical ability to build a one-story house of the same area. In any case, in order for the constructed structure to be convenient to use, careful preliminary planning of a two-story house is needed.
Project, facade and layout of a two-story house 8x8
Only proper distribution of premises and installation of utilities will allow you to feel comfortable in a house with two floors.
Layout of a two-story house 6x6 with dimensions
You can build a two-story house from any modern building materials that are on the market today: from logs, from timber, from piece material - a brick house, foam blocks, gas blocks, etc. The choice is limited only by your financial capabilities and taste preferences. On the technological side, there are no restrictions.
Wooden houses
Traditional material for the construction of a country house. Wood in all its forms remains a warm, reliable and environmentally friendly material. They are light in weight, which allows them to be placed on lightweight foundation options. A finely buried strip foundation, solid slab or pile foundation with strapping is ideal for these purposes.
Wooden houses can be assembled from solid timber, laminated veneer lumber, or logs. And with a small width of the walls it can be very warm.
Project and layout of a two-story cottage 10x10 made of timber
Wooden houses retain heat well and heat up very quickly even after complete cooling, which is important for country houses that are used seasonally or only a few times during the winter.
The interior decoration of a wooden two-story house can be minimal, since the wood itself looks very natural and beautiful. This advantage attracts many homeowners, since finishing repairs account for a significant portion of the entire construction budget.
One of the main disadvantages of two-story houses made of timber and logs is the mandatory conditioning of the assembled box. It must be left for a period of 3 months to a year, and only after that make window and door openings, install double-glazed windows and begin the next stage of work. This is necessary so that houses made of timber or logs finally settle and take on their unchangeable shape.
Houses made of piece material
Houses made of brick, foam blocks or similar materials are reliable and durable if built strictly according to technology.
Layout of a cottage with an attic 6x9
Such structures have an impressive weight, which means that a high-quality foundation must be prepared for them: there will be no savings at this stage of work. Since a poorly made foundation will lead to the fact that a two-story house will walk, cracks will appear on the walls and its further operation can be completely dangerous.
Houses made of foam blocks and other piece materials that require laying with a special mortar are more suitable for permanent residence rather than for summer cottages.
Such a house retains its temperature well, but only if it is not allowed to cool down. Like any stone structure, such houses need to be heated for a very long time to achieve a comfortable temperature. The stone is able to absorb heat for a long time.
The advantage of two-story houses made of brick and other piece materials is freedom in design.
Detailed house plan 6x8
A stone house can be of any shape, with various architectural features: balconies, bay windows, rounded corners, arches and other elements. It is possible to repeat similar things when building a house from timber or logs, but it is extremely difficult.
Houses using frame technologies
In a nutshell, it’s simple, fast and inexpensive. Freedom in construction, as when working with bricks and blocks, and performance qualities are similar to houses made of wood. The main advantages of such a two-story house will include:
- Low cost of the entire structure;
- Light weight, which will save on the foundation;
- Fast construction, building materials do not require curing;
- Simplicity and practicality in operation;
- When using environmentally friendly materials, the house will not be inferior to a wooden one;
- Almost any size and shape of the building.
Optimal dimensions of a two-story house
The optimal minimum building area is considered to be a rectangle of 7x8 meters or a square of 8x8.
Project of a two-story 8x8 cottage with a terrace and balcony
It is these dimensions that allow the rooms to be rationally located, where they will be located comfortably rather than in the attic, and there will also be room not only for the kitchen, living room and master bedrooms upstairs, but also for guests to have a place to stay.
With a smaller base, the structure can also exist, but then the layout of a two-story house will be inconvenient and non-functional. The living room will turn into a walk-through room, most of the usable space will be eaten up by the staircase, and upstairs, provided that not a full floor is built, but an attic one, only one bedroom will fit. 
This option can be considered as a country house for one person or a married couple without children.
The upper limit for the size of a two-story house is limited only by common sense and specific needs. For a family of two with two or three children, a two-story house with a total area of 110-130 square meters will be sufficient. If we consider the total area of the house with a garage, then we can talk about an increase. Houses larger than this area will be very expensive to operate and maintain, and most of the premises, as practice shows, simply will not be used.
First floor layout
The drawings of the first floor of a two-story house must contain all the necessary premises for living. Among the obligatory ones:
- Kitchen;
- Living room;
- Entrance hall, also known as the hall;
- Guest bathroom;
- Boiler room;
- Tambour.
If the area of the first floor allows, then the following may also be present:
- Study;
- Dining room;
- A guest room.
- gable;
- gable broken line;
- pitched roof.
The first two options can be classified as cheaper types in terms of cost, and they are also easier to implement. In these cases, roof slopes will be used for the sides, and pediments will be used for the ends. The latter should be lined with the same material as the first floor. The type of roof and roofing material must be determined at the stage when the project is being prepared.
You should also think in advance about how you will arrange and what you plan to place on the attic floor.
Is it worth making an attic floor in a house?
If you nevertheless decide to start building such a house, but are still thinking about the need for an attic, then it is better to decide for what purposes you are going to use it. For an accurate solution, it is worth considering in detail all the pros and cons of such a structure, but only from the point of view of its attic part.
pros
- Significant savings. Building a two-story house with an attic is considered a more economical option when considering the construction of a three-story house, even though there will be costs for constructing a roof.
- Appearance. With the help of a complex gable roof with a break, as well as slopes at different angles, you can achieve an interesting appearance and attract attention.
- Interior. Using the attic space you can create an original, unique interior. However, to do this you need to correctly play with its shape. That is why, if you are a supporter of originality, then the attic is exactly what you need.
you can make an original attic like this in your home
Minuses
Unfortunately, the attic has its own disadvantages:
- It is necessary to take a more careful approach to the arrangement of not only ventilation, but also thermal insulation. If technology is not followed, problems with freezing and moisture condensation may be identified.
- Problem with natural light. In the event that daylight can enter through typical vertical windows that are installed in a structure called a “birdhouse,” then it will not have a sufficient level of illumination. However, there are special windows that will help solve this problem.
- "Dead zone". The area of the attic part is practically no different from the area of the house, but its useful part is much smaller. This refers to a space near an inclined wall that cannot be approached closely. There is an option to order special furniture for this space, but then the “zest” of the room may disappear.
- You cannot work in this space or place a children's room. This is due to the fact that a person living in a room with sloping walls will feel a constant threat and internal anxiety.
General characteristics of the house
The total area of the entire structure is 185.5 square meters. m. The material used for the walls is a 400 mm aerated concrete block or brick. A monolithic slab will be required for the foundation. The roofing will be carried out using wooden beams. Metal tiles or soft tiles are used as roofing material. Siding of various colors is used for exterior decoration.
Now we can conclude that this scheme and layout of a two-story house with an attic and 3 bedrooms on the second floor is a structure that is not suitable for every family due to its technical features. However, this is an economical option, because the attic will serve as an additional floor.
Layout of a two-story house with a garage and veranda
The layout of the two-story house that will be presented in this project is completely new. It has many features, including living rooms on the ground floor. Such a project is perfect for a large family that values coziness and comfort.
So, you can get into the house through two entrances:
- The first (main) starts from a small porch and leads to the vestibule (3.1 sq. m.) then directly into the hall (7.6 sq. m.), from which you can go to the remaining living rooms.
- The second entrance begins with a small porch, the area of which is 2.3 square meters. m. From the porch you enter the veranda, which can be used as a winter garden.
Combining kitchen and living room
One of the features of this layout is the combination of a kitchen-dining room with a living room. Thus, the total area of the room is 61.2 square meters. m. Such an interior is often recommended by professional designers.
Advantages:
- A real increase in space.
- The boundaries of the room visually expand.
- Communication will become more convenient.
- Receiving guests will be more comfortable.
- While preparing food, the hostess will not be separated from other residents.
Disadvantages of this approach:
- You will have to do general cleaning more often.
- It is possible that aromas from cooking may spread, which are not always pleasant.
However, the biggest disadvantage is that the living room must be coordinated with the kitchen, that is, the design should be similar, but it is necessary to clearly separate the zones. The following techniques can be used for this:
- Using a bar counter.
- Placement of kitchen furniture so that in the center there will be an island-shaped hood.
- Application of lighting.
- Try to use different floor coverings, for example, tiles in the kitchen and laminate in the living room. It is then that you get a dividing line that can be drawn even on the ceiling.
- Unusual color schemes on the surface of the walls, which, by the way, can be duplicated on the floor.
Try to choose the same and similar colors for furniture to show that this is, after all, a single room. However, do not forget about simple accessories; they will help focus attention on what you want.
Surrounding layout
You can exit from the kitchen-living room into the hall, not through ordinary doors, but through arches. They can be decorated beautifully and elegantly, or, conversely, brightly and catchily. It is recommended to insert multi-colored lights into them. You can also go from the hall to the bathroom (3.7 sq. m.) and the garage (22.7 sq. m.). From the street you can get into the boiler room (7.4 sq. m).
Most often, there are utility rooms on the ground floor, but this scheme violates all standards and includes the location of a guest bedroom on the ground floor. Its size is 14.4 sq. m. It is recommended to reserve this bedroom for small children or for elderly family members who find it difficult to go up and down the stairs.
Combined garage
And another “highlight” of the first floor is that. Usually its location depends on the size of the site, and what the territory may be useful for. This layout includes the fact that the site will be completely dedicated to the garden, so to save space there will be a garage combined with the house. It is worth noting that such a solution and construction work on this matter will cost less than the construction of a detached garage.
When setting off a “family ship” on an ocean voyage called individual construction, you should carefully study the “pilot” - the objective factors that influence the cost and comfort of the future cottage.
Dangerous shallows and underwater rocks await beginners along this path. One of the main stumbling blocks is the question of which house is better to build: one-story or two-story.
Not only objective, but also far-fetched arguments are given in favor of each option. Getting to know them, it is difficult for the developer to navigate correctly. Not understanding who to trust, he begins to act at his own peril and risk.
As a result, the budget allocated for creating a family nest suffers, and living conditions turn out to be worse than expected.
The purpose of this article is to analyze the main factors that need to be taken into account: the cost of construction and convenience of living. We have taken individual tastes and preferences, which are “innumerable,” out of the scope of discussion. To begin with, let us remember the first myth, which says that a two-story cottage is more profitable and convenient than a one-story one. Upon closer examination, you will see that this is not entirely true.
To correctly compare the cost of one- and two-story buildings, it is necessary to bring them to a “common denominator”: the same area, common structural elements and construction technologies. Without this, the analysis becomes meaningless, since in different options the price of each stage will be different.
In popular videos on this topic, the authors make one serious mistake. In their tables, they compare not the average cost of building a cottage, but the volume of basic work. As a result, it is concluded that it is more profitable to build a one-story or two-story house. We propose a more accurate estimation methodology based on the total amount of expected expenses.
So, let’s compare the costs of building two cottages of the same area (160 m2): a one-story one measuring 10x16m and a two-story one measuring 10x8m. We use strip monolithic reinforced concrete foundations of the same height (from the base to the top mark of the base 1.6 meters, width 0.5 m).
Walls (height 3 m, thickness 0.43 m) - aerated concrete blocks + facing bricks.
The ceilings of the first and second floors are wooden beams. The roof is a hipped gable metal tile (inclination angle 30 degrees).
To carry out our calculations, average current prices for 2017 are taken. In each specific case the numbers will be different. However, the calculations we have made will clearly show you an objective calculation algorithm and allow you to compare one- and two-story houses with other parameters.
Foundation
- The perimeter of the foundation of a one-story building (10 + 16 m) x 2 = 52 rm;
- For a cottage with a height of 2 floors of the same area, the length of the foundation strip will be less: (10+8 m) x 2 = 36 rm.
The volume of concrete to be poured in the first case is 52 x 0.5 x 1.6 = 41.60 m3. In the second option, we need 36 x 0.5 x 1.6 = 28.80 m3. Concrete savings for a 2-story house will be: 41.60 – 28.80 = 12.80 m3. On pouring the blind area (width 1 meter, thickness 0.1 m) we will save (52-36) x 1.0 x 0.1 = 1.6 m3.
The difference in concrete and reinforcement work, taking into account the price of materials, will be equal to (12.80 + 1.6 = 14.40 m3) x 5,000 rubles. = 72,000 rub. in favor of the “two-story building”. If we add to this amount the insulation of the foundation with foam plastic (RUB 8,000), the result will increase up to 80,000 rub..
Walls
This will be news to some, but the wall area of a one-story building is smaller than that of a two-story building:
- 52 pm x 3m height = 156 m2;
- 36 pm x 6 m height = 216 m2.
The difference is 60 m2. Savings on masonry (face brick + aerated concrete), taking into account work and materials, will be equal to 60 m2 x 3,400 rubles/m2 = 204,000 rubles.
To this amount you need to add the increase in cost due to high-rise work on the 2nd floor (scaffolding + complexity factor). It is at least 15% (204,000 x 1.15 = 234,600 rubles)
As we see, at the laying stage, savings on the foundation are completely “eaten up” by the walls. Therefore, on a two-story building we go into the minus by 154,600 rubles (234,600 – 80,000 rubles).
Ceilings and roof
In single-level and two-level versions of buildings, the floor areas are the same (160 m2 each). Therefore, in a dispute about what is cheaper to build, this point does not cause disagreement.
But the roof of the “one-story” building in question is 91 m2 larger (taking into account the slope of the slopes of 30 degrees). The increase in installation cost taking into account materials will be: 91 m2 x 2,300 rubles/m2 = RUB 209,300.
Ladder
You can’t do without it in a two-level house. The price of a ladder varies over a wide range (on average from 50 to 200 thousand rubles). The costs for it are minus the “two-story building”. For comparative calculations, we will take the average cost - 120 thousand rubles.
Second bathroom, heating and electrical wiring
The need to equip a toilet and shower in a two-story building is beyond doubt. Going up and down from the bedroom to the first floor, especially at night, is a dubious pleasure. Costs for plumbing, finishing materials and work in the budget version are at least 50,000 rubles. In a one-story cottage, a second bathroom is not needed.
The perimeter of the walls of the one-story building we are considering is 52 linear meters. For a two-story building, this figure is 36 x 2 = 72 pm. According to the length of the heating pipes, we get a difference (20 m x 2 = 40 m) plus 8 meters for the heated water supply pipes and the “return” from the boiler to the upper level. The price of installation and materials for this additional section of communications: 48 rm x 400 rubles/rm = 19,200 rubles.
The increase in the cost of electrical networks in a 2-story cottage due to the greater length of the external walls will be at least 15,000 rubles.
In total, in terms of “bathroom, heating and electrical”, the construction of a one-story building is more profitable than a two-story building. The savings will be (50,000 + 19,200 + 15,000 = RUB 84,200.)
Price total
Comparing the cost of structures, equipment and construction work for two-story and one-story cottages in our example, we can draw the following conclusions:
- The foundation and blind area of the two-story building turned out cheaper by 80,000 rubles;
- Its external walls are 154,600 rubles more expensive;
- Savings on the roof amount to RUB 236,600;
- The staircase will increase the cost of construction by 120 thousand rubles;
- The second bathroom, together with heating and electrical networks, increases costs by 79,200 rubles.
As a result we get: 80 000 – 154 600 + 209 300 – 120 000 – 84 200 = 69,500 rubles increase in cost when building a two-story house.
Concluding the money topic, we note that a two-level cottage saves area. In those regions of Russia where land is expensive, the construction of a high-rise building allows you to “win” a very significant amount.
Pros and cons of living
The second part of the questions does not concern your wallet, but their importance is no less than the size of your financial investment. By saving on construction, you may face serious living inconveniences. Therefore, we will consider in more detail what advantages and disadvantages the compared buildings have.
The layout of rooms that are not divided by height into two levels is more convenient for residents. With a well-designed plan for a one-story building, there is no need for corridors that take up a considerable part of the area.
In a two-level house, the main planning problem is the staircase. If you make it comfortable (wide and not steep), then it will take up at least 15 m2. The desire to save on size makes it inconvenient and traumatic for the elderly and children. Partial loss of usable space can be compensated by placing a dressing room or storage room under the stairs.
The second floor is a desirable corner of silence and relaxation for the family. Therefore, bedrooms are usually located here. The noise from utility and living rooms on the first floor practically does not reach here.
If the building will be built in a picturesque area, then the visibility factor must be taken into account. A two-story cottage is unrivaled in this regard. By making an open terrace or loggia at the top, you can enjoy the surrounding landscapes every day. On the ground floor you can only admire the beautiful plot and the fence.
From an architectural point of view, a high facade is more expressive and promising than a low one. There is enough space for external decoration (columns, pilasters, cornices, belts). In addition, supporters and opponents of tall buildings agree on one thing: the appearance of such buildings is more solid and richer than that of low ones.
If we talk about the cost of maintenance, then a one-story house has more advantages. Any work related to the restoration or replacement of finishing or drainage system can be done here from a regular ladder. For repair work on a tall building, you need scaffolding, the self-assembly or rental of which will cost a pretty penny.
When deciding what kind of house to build, do not forget to correlate its area with the size of the plot:
- on 5-6 acres, a residential building with an area of 120 m2 (one- or two-story) for a family of 4 people is optimally located;
- plots of 10-12 acres are best suited for cottages up to 200 m2;
- a house with an area of 350 - 400 m2 requires at least 15 acres of free territory.
From an energy efficiency point of view, a two-story building could be considered the best option. The heat from the premises on the first level does not go into the cold attic, but warms the second floor. However, in a two-story house there is a larger area of external walls and, accordingly, heat loss through them is greater than in a one-story house.
conclusions
Having weighed the pros and cons, we can conclude that in financial terms, building a one-story cottage is more profitable. Practice shows that this advantage remains in most cases, however, such a conclusion, of course, is not an axiom. In terms of living comfort, cost of repairs and maintenance, a “one-story” building also outperforms a two-level building.
As an asset of a two-story house, you can write down the savings in the area of the plot. In addition, its advantages include a more expressive appearance of the facade and good visibility.
Video “FOR” one-story buildings:
Video “FOR” the two-story building:
Brick, concrete, ceramic block, wood... Today there are many materials that can be used to create beautiful, comfortable, durable homes. But it’s like creating your own image. Having a certain body type, facial features, certain clothing styles, makeup, hairstyle will be ideal for you. And for others it will be just a collection of unremarkable items.
There is always a basis and a professional who is able to find the optimal solution to get the best result. It’s the same with building a house. There is a terrain to which engineers, designers, architects and designers adapt, finding the ideal way to build a chic, safe, energy-efficient structure.
Everyone has a dream - a small cozy house with an attic and a beautiful garden, a compact and spacious two-story house for a large family, an amazing three-story cottage... But how to realize it, getting maximum benefits at minimum costs?
What is the best material to build two-story houses from? What to base decisions on?
Stone, concrete, brick? What is suitable for whom?
There are no bad building materials, there are those that suit a particular area. A huge role when choosing material for your country house or cottage is played by soil, the presence of sand impurities, rocky rocks, groundwater nearby, and the depth of soil freezing is also important. In addition, the house must be in harmony with the surroundings, nature and other buildings. Let's look at the options for the best materials for building a two-story house.
What materials should I use to build a two-story house? Maybe a brick?
Brick is still not inferior in its characteristics in the construction of residential buildings. If you want a durable, incredibly durable, strong building, this is the best option. With the right approach, you can build a house that your heirs will admire many years from now.
It is possible to give the structure strength by using solid brick as the main material for the construction of the foundation, columns, plinth, basement walls, and chimneys. Hollow brick, which has through voids in its volume, has higher thermal insulating properties and lighter weight. If you decide to build the outer and inner walls of your new house from hollow bricks, keep in mind that when planning a basement, you should also consider purchasing solid bricks for the construction of its outer walls. In general, hollow material should not be used in a humid environment.
What can be said about brick is that it is an ideal option for constructing a strong and durable building. By using good insulation and properly connecting heating equipment, an excellent microclimate will be created in the house (it will be cozy and warm in winter, cool and fresh in summer). But all calculations of materials should be carried out by professionals who will take into account the terrain and climate. In cold regions, for example, it is worth using at least 1.5-2 bricks for walls along with good insulation. Only in this case will excellent thermal insulation be ensured.
Another point is the need to select a sufficiently strong foundation, because brick houses have a decent weight. Also, in humid climates, the durability of a brick building may be compromised. During the fall, the walls become saturated with moisture and during the winter, as a result, they freeze too much, gradually losing their positive qualities.
And you have to be patient - construction of brick houses takes time. It will be necessary to wait about a year until the building “settles down”, only then it will be possible to begin finishing.
Porous ceramic blocks are also a great option for creating a warm and energy-efficient home. In terms of its low thermal conductivity properties, the material is close to aerated concrete and is absolutely independent of the level of air humidity. In terms of its vertical strength, it is comparable to ceramic bricks, but with horizontal strength you should be careful (especially with regard to transportation and storage). Ceramic block is somewhere between brick in durability and foam concrete in cost. The material has a load-bearing capacity (like M100 brick), and can withstand up to 75 freeze/thaw cycles, while gas and foam concrete only have 25. By choosing ceramic blocks, you are guaranteed to get a durable, solid building with an attractive appearance. For two-story buildings, it is possible to lay a brick support; external walls can also be lined with brick for decorative purposes.
Construction of a house from a ceramic block will justify your investment, especially if you decide to entrust this work to InnovaStroy specialists. We will make sure that in the future you will save on heating costs - for example, when using double ceramic bricks as partitions, you can achieve even greater sound insulation and significantly reduce thermal conductivity.
Focus on lightweight concrete
- Aerated concrete or autoclaved foam concrete is perhaps one of the most popular options for the construction of residential buildings. What dictated this? The material has practically no shortcomings that are often attributed to stone houses. Low thermal conductivity and light weight are the main advantages that allow us to consider choosing material for building a two-story house justified. According to SNiP, aerated concrete is applicable even for a seven-story building. Thanks to the large block size, the workflow is much faster. For example, in 2 weeks it is quite possible to erect a two-story building on a ready-made foundation, for which you do not need to involve a large number of builders. Stable quality and strict geometry are what distinguishes the material produced by a trusted company. If you entrust the design and Turnkey aerated concrete construction InnovaStroy, you can be sure not only of the high quality of the services provided, but also of reliable partners, suppliers of raw materials and specialized equipment. So, a perfectly flat surface allows you to economically use special glue instead of the usual solution. A perfectly even seam is formed, the advantage of which is the absence of cold bridges. You can groove and saw the material without fear of unnecessary costs due to chips and resulting defects.
- The construction of expanded clay concrete blocks is considered relatively inexpensive. Quartz sand, cement, expanded clay are the components of this material. As a result of foaming and firing, the clay forms dry granules in a special shell, which are then mixed with cement. That is why hygroscopicity is significantly inferior to aerated concrete. Expanded clay concrete blocks may differ in porosity, which will affect their weight (varies from 350 to 1200 kg).
- Wood concrete, which is also relatively lightweight, has not gone far from expanded clay concrete and is characterized by excellent resistance to deformation. The main feature of the material is that it differs from others with concrete in its composition - it does not crack under the influence of load, and as soon as it disappears, it returns to its original shape. Arbolite blocks are resistant to mechanical stress, fire, durable, and are guaranteed to provide an optimal microclimate in residential premises due to their excellent heat and sound insulation properties.
What is the best material to build two-story houses from?, if there are restrictions on funds and time? Lightweight concrete is an excellent solution, something between brick and wood. The material is fireproof, does not rot and cannot be affected by microorganisms (unlike wood), but at the same time the walls of foam and aerated concrete “breathe”. What is important, they also have excellent thermal insulation. Walls made of lightweight concrete can be several times thinner than brick walls, but still have the same characteristics.
What is important here is taking into account the fact that concrete tends to absorb moisture, and therefore there may be a tendency to deform the walls. That is why InnovaStroy specialists pay special attention to the choice of foundation for a two-story house. A monolith or concrete slab is suitable.
The ideal choice for building a two-story house is combined technologies
Interesting combinations of two-story buildings are made from stone (concrete or brick) and wood, as well as shell rock and stone with wood. For example, the first floor is built from reliable, stable materials, and the frame, timber or log is built higher in order to reduce the load on the structure itself, the foundation and give an aesthetic appearance to the structure.
For areas with heterogeneous, complex terrain, with nearby groundwater, the following option is suitable: a high concrete base, brick walls, and the load-bearing structures themselves are made of wood.
If you are faced with the question: “What materials should I use to build a two-story house?” you can find original solutions. The main thing is to adhere to the basic rules:
- All main walls must be made of the same material.
- There should not be a distance of more than 4 meters between load-bearing walls. If they are brick with concrete floors, then it is possible to withstand 7 meters.
For competent advice, turn only to professionals who will help you decide what materials to build a two-story house from. Go to the catalog of ready-made projects and choose. Don’t worry that your home won’t be as strong, stable and reliable. Thanks to the fact that specialists are conducting preliminary research, all necessary measures will be taken and adjustments will be made for successful cottage construction, a country house on your plot of land.
With individual developments, all ideas will be implemented “from scratch”, dreams will be successfully fulfilled. An exclusive, warm, strong, safe house is already waiting for you when you decide to build it.
They remain quite popular. Construction time and financial capabilities depend on each specific customer, his wishes and capabilities.
Foam blocks - a modern and practical material
Many residents of the private sector make the choice in their favor. Thanks to the use of the material, even a small area will not become a limitation, and a large building can be erected on it.
Projects of two-story houses made of foam blocks have the following advantages:
- The material itself is lightweight, so it does not require a serious foundation.
- Foam concrete has low thermal conductivity and the ability to “breathe”.
- Natural raw materials, safe for the health of everyone around.
- Limitless possibilities for creating any individual projects.
- The blocks are easy to process and have the correct shape.
- Convenient option for construction. The base has high strength characteristics.
Project development
Design is the first stage in any work. To build a two-story house, you can choose a ready-made option, or you can create your own project from scratch. An important factor is how exactly the building will be located on the site. The sunny and shady sides are determined. If everything is done correctly, heating costs will be reduced several times.
In accordance with financial capabilities, the dimensions of the future building are also calculated. A typical practical solution is a 9 by 9 building design. A convenient layout in the first and second garages is ensured.
When creating a custom project, each can include elements such as a basement, garage and attic. The construction of a two-story house allows you to use the attic as a creative studio, billiard room, library, and so on. Special windows will provide natural light with the necessary characteristics.
Project work
You still can’t do without consultations with professional architects. After all, this is a responsible, complex job, and not everyone will be able to take into account absolutely all the nuances. How durable and practical the construction will be depends on the elaboration of the project.
Design and its main part
- It will be easier to build a two-story house with your own hands if you take into account the depth of groundwater and the characteristics of the soil and soil from the very beginning.
- It is important to correctly calculate the thickness of the walls. The 10 mm thick masonry can easily withstand a weight of up to 10 tons. This determines how much the ceilings and roofing materials will weigh.
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