Construction costs of a sustainable private house using timber trusses
How much does it cost to build a private house? The vast majority of builders traditionally allege that the price is not possible to determine and consider such information as confidential. To some extent, we can agree, but it does not say anything to a customer who is ready to implement his or her ideas and have his or her private house built and wants to have an estimate.
The customer could start with a thorough market research and address those manufacturers and builders who are not afraid to name at least the price range, defining exactly what the customer could get for the specific amount of money. By making an effort and arming with patience, it is possible to meet those construction specialists and manufacturers of building structures whose price is understandable and competitive.
In the construction of private houses, the general procedures for the creation of construction sites should not be underestimated – first a design order developed by the customer is needed. It is necessary to have one as it enables to see the entire project at once. Then comes design, construction according to the project and construction supervision by the customer himself or by a technical supervisor hired by the customer.
Costs of a private house with prefabricated roof timber trusses from 1000 eur/m2
In order to give you an insight into the construction costs of a private house, let’s have look at a family house project with architecturally expressive and harmonious proportions. We will talk about a one-storey wooden frame building with a gable roof, the basic construction of which is prefabricated wooden trusses with the walls and ceiling insulated with wood fibre, rational planning and wide glazing, wooden windows, as well as the desired microclimate equipment. The costs of such a building approximately start from 1000 euros / m2 depending on the desired equipping, the manufacturer and builder you have chosen. Additional costs may include geology, soil research, topography, connection of the construction project to the land plot and engineering network design, harmonization and construction.
Wooden trusses for a single-family house with a relatively simple roof configuration and the average area about 120 m2 (with installation) cost about EUR 6,000. However, it should be noted that the price of wooden trusses depends on many factors and can be clarified with manufacturers when they get familiar with the building design.
Wooden trusses in roof construction ensure impeccable industrial quality, and this, in turn, is one of the building elements to save financial and time resources. If we look at the application of Freimans Timber Constructions products in private houses of different styles, we will have to admit that the wooden truss solution is individually applicable to the image of the building that was intended by the architects. The construction of a private house is a time of excitement, so every building element is of great importance so that its purchase, installation and operation arise no doubt, and its price is reasonable. There is no question of a high or low price, but of the basis as to why the price is just as it is.
Operating costs for low energy consumption wood frame family homes
In Latvia, there are many low-energy wooden frame private houses. It must be noted that the families who live in such houses are happy and appreciate the comfort and quality, as well as the extremely low maintenance costs, which start from 0.25 euros / m2. The costs also depend on the choice of the type of the heating used in the houses in question. The professionals who build such houses, many of whom are customers of roofing truss manufacturer Freiman Timber Constructions; however, emphasize that in order to build such a house, there must be a competent builder who has experience in developing proper solutions and who does not artificially increase costs just because he lacks knowledge of rational, sustainable solutions and construction structures. Customers think very highly of Freimans Timber Constructions’ competence, quality and production capacity, which for many other companies is a stumbling block, as it is not possible for them to provide large volumes in a short time.
Roof timber trusses save the total cost of a private house
Prefabricated roof trusses is a rational solution in order for the house frame to get the roof as soon as possible. Competent specialists develop the project in about two days, the manufacturing process requires one day, the installation of trusses on the site is possible to be completed even in one day providing that there is no hindrance. No other roof structure can be compared to this if we take into the account the modern pace and costs as metal construction is definitely more expensive. It takes much more time to build a roof structure on the site from wooden rafters, in this case, you have to take into consideration high labour costs, and in the end you do not really know what the geometric accuracy is. Even if for the nonprofessional the costs of finished wooden trusses might seem too high at first, the doubts can be easily cleared up by simple mathematical calculations, comparing the cost of manufacturing and installation of an industrial building element with a product made of wood beams and labour plus the designer’s salary.
The shape of timber trusses and mounting options
If we speak about wooden roof trusses then we must say that they are notable by the fact of the possibility to design various modifications. It enables to apply each type of truss to single-slope, double-slope and four-slope roof structures effectively and efficiently and to choose the dimensions of timber accordingly. When roof trusses are designed their dimensions and also the required number, the layout of the building, special regulations, possible loads caused by the roof covering, insulation layer and wind are taken into account. In fact, there are no limitations on the dimensions if we speak about private houses. It is possible to design roof trusses that are 1 meter, 2 and 3 meters high, only the number of fasteners and the specifics of installation in the object will be different. For large span projects, it is possible to design roof trusses even with a span of 35 m without support points. Indoor areas can be built without columns, which is a much-demanded parameter nowadays – the spacious ground floor rooms and premises are called a family communication centre, where the living and kitchen areas are combined.
For the installation of trusses in a private house, an experienced assembly team with proper lifting equipment will need one working day or a maximum of two. One set of trusses weighs about 150 kg. All of them are marked and the location of each truss is marked in the project plan. If the owner has some time, he or she can watch the process enjoying it rapid progress. It is not necessary to have the skills of a roofer or a craftsman with a narrow specialization because the prefabricated wooden trusses are attached to the building frame with durable and practically tested steel fasteners – angles with the stiffening ribs. These elements are nailed to the brick lath. The geometry of the overall structure is precise and its consistency over time is guaranteed. Furthermore, the impact of human error during the installation of the trusses is deemed minimal.
Installation of trusses and the weather
Weather conditions do not affect the installation of trusses; it is possible to do it whenever the builders are ready for this type of work (if we think about a very hot summer or a freezing winter). It is also possible to carry out the installation in the rain, but special care must be taken to cover the trusses with film. After rain, moisture from the trusses is to be ventilated to prevent the risk of mould.
EXPERTS’ STORIES
Architect
As an architect, I am the one who helps customers sketch the size of the house and make their dreams come true in real life. During the construction of a private house, I point to useful solutions so that the costs and their justification are easy to understand. I have been dealing in private house design since 2008. I am proud to offer my customers buildings of various styles. One of the key factors of the costs of a private house is the construction of roof trusses. Prefabricated wooden trusses for the roof is an economically justified solution, and when used on site, it is definitely cheaper than individual work required for the onsite construction of trusses, especially if we take into account the current salaries of builders. I have faced with this several times in practice, so I no doubt recommend this solution to my customers for consideration, which accounts for a significant part of the cost of building a private house thus making it very economical. But just as well, roof wooden trusses are a successful way to be applied in order to construct a roof for hangars, shops and other objects.
Another technical parameter of roof wooden trusses is the possibility to have large spans designed in order to build spacious living rooms, which is the current trend – a one-storey private house with a spacious living room. By applying standard solutions, it is unfortunately not possible to build such spacious rooms, because relevant supports must be created in the form of columns or load-bearing walls. One of the customers of a private house wanted a wide overhang above the terrace attached to the house. For the implementation of this idea specific roof wooden trusses were ordered, which enabled the overhang to be created easily, quickly and visually attractive.
Customer that ordered trusses for his private house
Roof trusses were selected for the brick house, having come to the conclusion that the finished, prefabricated roof structures will definitely be a more convenient and faster solution. Moreover, in the end it cost cheaper than a locally made roof structure. I made all necessary calculations and, of course, chose the best option. Manufactured products have better quality, there are no unpleasant surprises, it is known that dry, calibrated timber is used for construction needs. In addition, speed is an important factor as well. The layout of the building is simple, there is a four-sloped roof, the installation of the trusses did not face with any technical obstacles. When the trusses were installed, they were covered with film, insulated and metal roof cladding was fitted.
Customer that ordered trusses for his private house
The private house is being built by ourselves, economically, gradually making our dream of a good family house come true step by step. Decisions are not made rashly or carelessly, but by carefully compiling information on technological solutions and sustainable materials so that the cost of building a private house is not astronomical. In order to choose the roof construction solution, the information available on the Internet about prefabricated wooden trusses was carefully evaluated. We also interviewed acquaintances – house builders. After the evaluation, it was concluded that the result with the finished roof trusses was definitely better in comparison with other solutions.
In total, the roof area of a private house is 330 m2. Its type is gable. For the installation of the wooden trusses only one working day was needed, small parts were fastened during the next working day.
The fact of great importance was that when calculating the costs for different solutions, the price of the finished wooden trusses was the most attractive one.