How to build a barn from foam blocks with your own hands
A barn is a very important element of any land plot, because it is in this building that tools and equipment for working in the house and in the garden are stored. In addition, firewood is often harvested in the barn for the winter. This room is a multifunctional structure, the construction of which should be taken with particular seriousness. How to build a barn with your own hands, we will consider further.
Do-it-yourself frame shed construction
Before starting work, you should decide on the location of the future building. It is preferable if the barn is located away from the entrance of the house. The interval between the barn and the house depends on its functional purpose. If coal or firewood will be located in the barn, then it is best to build it next to the house. When storing garden tools in a shed, place them near the land or garden.
When choosing a place for a barn, we recommend stopping at a poorly lit area, as it is the least suitable for planting plants or trees. In addition, the location of its location also depends on the exterior finish of the barn. If you plan to somehow decorate or decorate the barn, then you can not hide it from prying eyes.
At this stage, the type of structure, its shape, and the size of the structure are also determined. These factors directly depend on the individual characteristics of the site and the functional purpose of the premises. Decide if you need windows in the barn, what role they will play. Remember that the presence of additional windows and doors contributes to an increase in heat loss in the room.
For the construction of the simplest barn, a cut board is used. At the same time, the main advantages of the construction of this design are:
- the speed of the work, such a barn is being built for two, three days;
- affordable cost of construction work;
- optimal appearance.
To improve the appearance of the barn, various kinds of plants are planted around the perimeter or additional flower beds are built.
The construction of a gable barn is a more complicated process, but the appearance of such a structure is attractive. Quite often, homeowners use the same material to finish the roof of such a barn as in the process of finishing the roof of the house.
Siding is also used to decorate the walls of the barn, with its help it is possible to choose the right color or shade of the building, which fully fits into the overall exterior.
Some owners of country houses prefer the construction of combined structures, one part of which is a place to store inventory, and the other is a greenhouse or conservatory.
The choice of one or another material for the manufacture of a barn depends on many factors, such as:
- the main purpose of the building;
- material resources of the site owners;
- material from which the house is built.
The simplest and most affordable material for building a barn is wood. With its help, it is possible to build a structure, the duration of which exceeds fifteen years. However, it should be remembered that the tree needs high-quality processing before installation and periodically the barn requires painting with varnish or paint.
A do-it-yourself barn for chickens is made of brick or stone. However, for their manufacture, it will be necessary to additionally build a shallow foundation.
If you want to build a barn with your own hands cheaply, then we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the instructions below:
1. Work should begin with the installation of the base under the barn. To do this, in relation to the size of the future building, measure the site and prepare for work. The construction site must be flat, cleared of debris, preferably if the top layer of soil is removed.
3. For the construction of a barn, slab, tape, columnar or pile types of foundations are being built. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. If the soil is not particularly heaving, and the level of groundwater is low, then it is enough to use a columnar foundation.
4. Depending on the perimeter of the barn, install at the corners and at the intersections of the bearing walls. It is preferable to install pillars at intervals of 150 cm. At the same time, the depth of the pillars is from 70 cm.
5. Sand is poured at the bottom of the trenches, the layer thickness is about fifteen centimeters. Sand must be carefully compacted and watered. In order for the pillars to last as long as possible, they should be properly waterproofed. For these purposes, mastic on a bitumen basis is suitable.
6. After the installation of the foundation, the installation of the frame, which is based on wooden beams, follows. Wooden sections must be treated with special compounds. An excellent option would be the use of impregnation, which contains color.
7. The size of the timber used in the process of mounting the crate must exactly match the size of the timber from which the building is being erected. Boards should be laid on the frame, which will help form the base in the form of a floor. Please note that the boards should be located at a distance of 1-2 mm from each other. Thus, with changes in humidity, it will be possible to compensate for their expansion and prevent deformation of the floor covering.
8. If the floor is subsequently leveled with a planer, then the hidden method should be used when laying the boards. Support posts are installed at the corners of the barn. If there are windows and doors, racks should also be installed at their installation sites.
9. Use the optional stands to keep the uprights level. If the frame is built on a brick base, then first you need to lay out several layers of bricks, and then install wooden beams on them.
Do-it-yourself barn photo:
Further work on the construction of a barn with your own hands involves the installation of a truss system. To do this, on the surface of the previously exposed racks, a frame made of timber is fixed, along the central part of which cuts are provided. To fix the parts together, use self-tapping screws or steel corners.
A do-it-yourself one-story barn provides for racks that rise above the building on one side. Thus, it will be possible to ensure optimal drainage of water from the roof. On the surface of the rafters, elements in the form of cuttings should be built. This is followed by the process of laying them on the roof surface and fixing with self-tapping screws. The crate is installed directly on the frame.
In order to cover walls or roofs, use boards, the optimal size of which is 2.5x10 cm. When constructing a roof, you should take care of its waterproofing. For these purposes, ruberoid is used. In order for the roof to have a presentable appearance, we recommend finishing it with flexible tiles, slate or corrugated board. First, the front of the barn is finished, and then the rest.
After facing the walls, an electric planer is used to level them. The smooth surface of the walls will help prevent water retention on their surface during rain. To make the shed look more attractive and last longer, we recommend painting it with an oil-based or emulsion-based paint.
How to build a barn from foam blocks with your own hands
Foam blocks are a fairly popular material for building a barn. Especially if this room is intended not only for storing inventory, but also for living in it for domestic animals, such as chickens.
If we consider the advantages of foam blocks, in comparison with other materials, then it should be noted:
- the lightness of the material ensures ease of installation and transportation;
- the speed of construction of buildings, compared with brick, increases three to four times;
- excellent thermal insulation characteristics, which is especially important for domestic animals, low thermal conductivity helps to reduce heat loss in the winter season;
- a high level of vapor permeability helps prevent the development of mold or fungus inside the building;
- the ease of processing the material also contributes to an increase in the speed of erecting buildings from it;
- foam concrete does not undergo combustion, and therefore the level of its fire safety remains at a high level.
Despite this, the barn of their foam blocks needs additional finishing, since the material itself tends to absorb moisture, and under its influence it quickly collapses. Before you build a barn with your own hands, a list of materials will be required for work. In addition, the functions of this room, its size, the presence of windows and the number of doors should be determined. Namely, using the drawing, you will be able to calculate the materials necessary for the construction of the building. After that, the process of choosing a place to build a building follows.
The site must be prepared for the construction of a foundation on it. For a barn of foam blocks, a tape-type foundation is best suited. Although the shed does not have a large weight and load, however, it is the tape type of foundation that will give it the necessary stability.
In relation to the size of the future building, the site should be cleared and the topsoil removed. Under the foundation, it is necessary to equip a trench, its depth will be about 60 cm, and the width is half a meter. This is followed by leveling the bottom of the trench and filling it with sand. The thickness of the sand layer is up to 15 cm, and every 2 cm of sand should be carefully compacted. In order to facilitate the process of compacting the sand, moisten it with water.
After that, a formwork is installed inside the foundation, a frame of reinforcement is placed in it. The diameter of the reinforcing bars used in the construction of the frame is about one centimeter. In order to interconnect several parts of the reinforcing cage, a knitting type wire is used.
The frame is not installed on the ground, the trench is preliminarily waterproofed with polyethylene film or roofing material. Next, small pieces of brick or stone are substituted under the frame. On the sides of the trench, the frame should also not come into contact with the soil.
High quality concrete mortar is used for pouring the foundation. The filling process is carried out simultaneously and quickly. After that, a vibrator for concrete should be used, with its help it will be possible to improve the quality of adhesion of concrete and reinforcement. The standing time of the finished foundation is about 4 weeks. After this time, work should continue.
Installing foam blocks is similar to the process of laying bricks. The walls must be absolutely vertical, and the blocks are installed strictly horizontally. Therefore, after laying each row of foam blocks, the correctness of the laying should be measured using a level and a plumb line.
Before starting the laying of foam blocks, roofing material should be installed on the foundation surface. First you need to install foam blocks in the corners. Next, you need to pull the cord, with which the masonry will be controlled. The connection between the foam blocks is carried out using a special glue or sand-cement mortar.
The use of glue is different in that the seams between the blocks will be minimal, and therefore the heat loss in the room will decrease several times. However, this option is more expensive than the traditional solution.
In the process of laying foam blocks, dressing is mandatory. That is, on top of each of the two halves of the block, a whole foam block is installed in the top row. If there is a protruding adhesive or mortar, it should be removed from the wall both inside and outside the building.
To install the block, use a special mallet made of rubber or a steel hammer. Steel mesh or anchors are used to connect internal partitions to external walls. After laying the walls, the process of installing the truss system and finishing the roof follows.
When building a barn with a shed roof, one of the walls is located above the second. A more convenient option is a gable roof. Since in the attic of the barn it will also be possible to store things. When choosing a roof finish, try to harmonize it with the general style of the interior and the main building on the site. Do not forget to perform thermal and waterproofing of the roof. Thus, it will be possible to extend the life of the barn several times. The following is the process of installing doors and windows, if any.
Do-it-yourself barn video: