In detail: do-it-yourself repairs in a house in a village from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
Before you start restoring a house, you need to draw up an estimate, develop a detailed plan for the sequence of work, and determine the amount of repair.
First you need to decide in what condition the foundation is. If the old foundation has lost its strength and its condition is alarming, proceed to restore it. A quick foundation repair in low-rise construction can be done using screw pile technology. The bottom line is to replace any kind of foundation with screw piles.
When reconstructing the foundation under a wooden house, the building should be raised to a certain height using jacks. If the structure shows signs of severe destruction, then it is better to completely dismantle it and install a new one. The foundation with minor modifications can be reinforced with brickwork. If it is a strip structure, install the formwork and pour the concrete mixture over the foundation.
The most common material in low-rise construction is wood. Wooden log cabins can last 100 years, or even longer, but they also deteriorate and require restoration. The restoration of the old log house takes place in several stages. First, remove the old finish, look at the condition of the logs. Then the rotten crowns are replaced. Seal the seams between the logs. Today there are several options for sealing - this is the traditional old-fashioned way - caulking with tow and the modern method that has become popular in recent years - sealing with acrylic rubber sealant. The blockhouse is treated with an antiseptic.
For strengthening, the frame can be overlaid with bricks or revetted with artificial stone. A good option for renovating facades is siding.
Video (click to play).
The restoration work is completed with the repair of the roof. A strong reliable roof is a guarantee of a comfortable warm home. Remember, roof restoration is only done in dry weather.
The covering is removed from the roof, the crate is checked, all rotten boards are replaced with new ones. Sometimes it is necessary to change the rafter bars. If the wooden elements of the roof are affected by a bug, they must be treated with an antiseptic, nitro paint or acetone, they effectively fight parasites.
A waterproofing material is laid on top of the updated lathing, a new coating is laid.
Restoring an old home is a laborious process, but with the effort you can achieve remarkable results.
There are three main types of foundations: columnar, strip, monolithic.
The device of the simplest strip foundation is carried out as follows: first, coarse-grained sand, gravel or crushed stone with a layer of 20 cm is poured into a pre-prepared trench, which is carefully tamped, while sprinkling with water, and after that, the entire space is filled with cement mortar on the ground surface levels and a brick base or rubble stone is laid out. A double layer of roofing material or roofing paper is laid on top of the foundation.
Foundation blocks are installed on a leveled layer of sand up to the design level. The maximum deviation of the leveling layer of sand from this mark should be no more than 15 mm. In this case, the foundation glasses, as well as the supporting surfaces, should not be exposed to external contamination.
The most expensive of all types of foundations. The installation of such a foundation is usually carried out under heavy stone houses. It is poured into a single reinforced monolith to a freezing depth of 1.5 to 1.7 meters.Such a foundation is recommended for use in the construction of brick and block houses, which have a sufficiently strong effect on the foundation, and the distortion of the structure is likely to lead to cracks in the wall and the subsequent threat of destruction of the structure.
New timber housing, hand-built from scratch - what more could you ask for? Unfortunately, many can only dream of such an option. Not everyone has such an opportunity: a high-quality tree has an appropriate cost, and there are no building skills.
Buying an old wooden house or a country house is much easier for many - this is an affordable option.
And people often inherit old huts from relatives, often in a very neglected and even uninhabited state. Before you start using it, such housing must be put in order. It should be noted that often quite suitable wood is found under the old coating - although not new, but quite high quality. They knew how to build before.
First of all, a thorough inspection of the house is required. It is advisable to start with its foundation. If you immediately proceed directly to the restoration of the old village house, and later it turns out that problems with the foundation of the house interfere with its full use, then the work done will be in vain. If, during the examination, serious deficiencies in the foundation are found (partial destruction, filling corners, dampness, mold, deformation, cracks), then they must be eliminated.
This procedure cannot be carried out without jacks. With these devices, with great care, the log house is raised to a comfortable height. The base itself is getting better, insulated or filled in again - this is how the restoration of the foundation is carried out. Such manipulations are considered quite dangerous, so insurers and observers are needed for it.
Then the old log house returns to its place, and a new stage begins - its grinding. This will require a special machine equipped with attachments. With its help, it will be possible to process the most inaccessible areas. Hands and a simple emery cloth will not be enough for this manipulation. Grinding is carried out until a layer with a light color appears.
And the machine is universal: changing the attachment elements will allow you to use it not only for grinding, but also for sealing all kinds of defects, cracks and cracks.
Instead of asbestos, you can take wood glue, or ordinary stucco. But such formulations are suitable for correcting minor flaws. If the defects are too large, and there are many of them, the log house will need cladding. Otherwise, the inevitable dampness in the cracks will cause damage and decay of the tree. The wood must be treated with impregnations and all kinds of protective agents.
Before and after the restoration of houses
The procedure is carried out before the caulking is started. It is advisable to process sealing materials with them. All seams between the logs are freed from the worn, crumbling seal, for which it is convenient to use a regular vacuum cleaner. After all, the old log cabins are conscientiously lawn. Instead of worn-out tow, a new, modern sealing material is selected.
The final stage of all work carried out - the final painting of the building.
Ignorant citizens are sure that this procedure consists in a simple application of a decorative coloring composition to the wood. This seems to be so, but in this case, not quite.
This means the application of different means - tinting, varnish, azure. The listed coatings do not hide the charming texture of natural wood.
It is important to remember that the ends of the logs should not undergo any protective or decorative treatment. There are a kind of capillaries of the tree, with the help of which it "breathes". The processing process will seal them, the normal air circulation will be disrupted, and the log or timber will undergo a decay process.
As you can see, restoration or reconstruction of a wooden house is not an overly complicated process. It’s not that hard work, and it’s clearly creative. Here you can give free rein to imagination and imagination, trying to improve and refine the old home. What would seem risky for the decoration of a new house can be safely used to restore the old one.
Cases of putting in order houses of high architectural value, or being monuments of antiquity, are not uncommon. Sometimes the restoration of private merchant houses and mansions is carried out. In such cases, a particularly careful and careful approach is required.
To complicate matters, such a building cannot be decorated with siding or other modern materials. All work is carried out with care, because any negligence can cause irreversible consequences.
Over-sanding, for example, can thin out a unique wood pattern, or spoil it by warping.
What specific features characterize the measures for the restoration of the old house:
The global restoration of an old house should be measured and consistent. There is no rush here. Construction materials and the necessary tools must be selected with great care;
Individual parts and elements, for example, elaborate columns or lace trims, can be ordered from professional craftsmen;
When restoring a house, it is good to be guided by old photos of the house being renovated. Maybe you can find the pictures you need from the old owners or in the family archives. If you wish, you can reproduce the building in its original appearance.