What are the building blocks to build a better house? Comparative review - HouseChief - online-magazine for modern masters

Posted 09/17/2019

To date, the construction market, there are many materials from which you can build a wall of the house, the so-called "box". But the common man without special education and great experience in the sphere of individual housing construction is quite difficult to understand: how do you choose and what material is better to build a house? During the construction of baths, or the garage is usually thought of not so long, but before you build the house, in which He plans to live a family, and possibly two families - you need to carefully study the market today building materials.

If you have not had the experience of self-construction, or you want to explore this topic in order to control of contractors and the process of building your home - you will be very helpful to immerse themselves in this difficult theme. We have tried to present the material accessible and interesting, so you will not be bored - pictures with examples will assist you in the development of the article.

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Which of blocks for walls better at home

To date, the most popular materials for the construction of walls of the houses are three types of blocks, which you probably ever heard of, and perhaps even worked with them. So our leaders: keramzitoblok, aerated concrete and silicate blocks.

Why they have achieved such popularity? Usually, people choose them because of the reasonable price, good performance and features, well, the most important thing - the ability to quickly build a wall of one (you can even per season).

Today we tell about how, on what criteria is still worth paying attention when buying, and the advantages and disadvantages of each of the blocks. But apart from this, we calculate how much it cost to build per square meter wall.

How to select the blocks for the construction? The main selection criteria are the following:

1. Price
2. Strength
3. thermal properties
4. Ease of operation

Price

Price - this is the first criterion in any purchase price is particularly important in the implementation of large projects, such as houses construction. To compare rates, you have two options: 1) go to the material manufacturer's website and request information there, find opportunity to receive discounts. 2) Go to the website of major trading companies (with branches across Russia) and to compare prices and discounts from them.

But before you count how many blocks you need to buy, and what they will cost, you need to first understand how the building of these blocks? For example, for walls gazoblok most commonly used 400 mm, thickness silicate block 250 mm + 100 mm insulation and lightweight aggregate blocks with ligation in the two blocks (190 + 190 mm) + heater 50 mm. Why is it better to build in such a way and not otherwise - see paragraph "Thermal Properties."

So, compare the prices of these units, go to the site of any major trading company for the sale of construction materials. We see that keramzitoblok worth less often (about 38 rubles / pcs), silicate blocks a little more expensive (about 70 rubles / pcs) and gazoblok even more expensive (about 194 rubles / pcs). Prices do not include shipping.

This shows that a single-layer wall of aerated concrete - a faster time, labor costs due to lack of insulation of walls and the cost of its purchase and installation. But we remember that the block is rather expensive. Further, silicate blocks - double wall: the unit and heater. Hence we conclude that it will take more time and money on the construction of the wall, with subsequent warming.

And then the three-layered wall made of two joined keramzitoblokov and insulation. Everything is clear.

Strength

After the prices people tend to look the technical characteristics of the blocks, and the most important of them - the strength. After all, it means the ability of the carrier block. And anyone who wants to build a house - of course wants the house to be durable, reliable and forever.

Information on the compressive strength and the supporting test certificates can usually be found on the sites of factories for the production of building blocks.
In the Tyumen region, we find the following information (the larger the number, the greater the load on the compression resistant unit): So, was the leader - silicate blocks with the brand strength of the M150. At the second location - expanded clay blocks with strength mark M50 and the third - the aerated concrete block M35.

All these figures are valid according to GOST, and this is quite sufficient strength in the construction of houses up to 3 floors. A small digression: before you build the foundation and build a house - be sure to check soil in your yard. Since the foundation - is the most important part of the house, and often with the wrong type of foundation selected appears uneven shrinkage of the house and cracks. In such a situation - no matter how rugged the unit was not - he can not withstand excessive loads when moving soil.

thermal properties

Some private developers are not quite correctly understand the term "thermal conductivity" and what it means. The thermal properties of the unit means that it does not transmit heat to the outside (that is, keeps the heat inside the house). They measured the thermal conductivity index. The larger the figure - the more heat skips block, and it's bad because through the walls into the environment takes about 30% of the heat. Accordingly, the high cost of home heating. And the price of gas or electricity, as we all know, is growing every year. Therefore, so that the house was warm and economical - it is necessary at the stage of construction planning correctly calculating the thickness of external walls from the unit that you have chosen (for each region of Russia it its). For more information on the minimum and recommended thickness of the walls (figure R - resistance to heat transfer walling) you can find on the Internet. Also, there are online calculators heat engineering walling that can help you do the calculations.

So, again we go to the website of local producers, and see that the aerated concrete here - the undisputed leader with a thermal conductivity of only 0.11. This allows not insulate walls (According Thermal calculation of SP50.13330.2012 "Thermal Protection of Buildings") 400 mm for Southern Tyumen region. In second place keramzitoblok 3 times more permeable heat - 0.36, and the third block with a thermal conductivity Silicate 0.41.

Hence the wall of keramzitobloka 380 mm thick insulation requires at least 50 mm in order to meet minimum wall Thermal Technology (R min). Wall silicate block require already 100 mm insulation. A wall thickness of 400 mm aerocrete extends minimum construction standards without insulation.

Why gazoblok warmer than the rest of the blocks? All of us from school lessons of physics we know that the air - the best thermal insulator, which helps to retain heat. Therefore, all the insulation of the walls, and even the clothes, such as down jackets are light and airy. The thing is that in the production of aerated autoclaved in its structure there are air bubbles, because of this he retains heat, not allowing him to pass through the block to the street.

Therefore, the more concrete is contained in the material, so it is colder. After all, in the concrete absolutely no air.

So, when choosing wall blocks for construction in addition to price and strength you need to pay attention to the thermal properties. After the colder unit, the greater the wall thickness and greater insulation layer. Accordingly, the greater the cost of materials and the work of builders.

Ease of operation

The usability of the material as one of the important criteria of choice, especially if you are planning to build a house on their own. It is important to consider the following characteristics:

• the weight;
• size;
• surface (smooth or with inclusions);
• method of slicing and the necessary tools for this (saw or Bulgarian);
• masonry material (cement-sand mortar, special blend or polyurethane foam-glue).

All these factors have a direct impact on the presence or absence of additional costs during construction, as well as the time and labor costs.

For example, the surface of the block, and it affects the evenness of flow plaster for interior or exterior trim. The more inclusions, the higher layer will have to be applied to the unit for its alignment. The site of the Tyumen manufacturers we found information that the leaders in the geometric dimensional accuracy is a silicate unit (deviation of no more than 2 mm per meter of wall). In second place aerated (deviation of not more than 3 mm.) The worst indicators at claydite-concrete blocks with a tolerance size of about 7 mm per meter of wall. And we have considered only the official information producers, but there are people who are in the garage conditions made itself blocks to build a house or anything else. Of course, in this case it is not necessary to talk about the high-quality performance.

It turns out that an average minimum thickness of the plaster layer of aerated concrete blocks and silicate is about 5 mm (Lowest possible layer of plaster due beacon rack-size), and for claydite-concrete blocks - at least 13 mm, i.e. consumption 2 times more.

Yes, cement-sand plaster for keramzitobloka cost several times cheaper gypsum, which is commonly used in the aerated concrete and silicate wall. But the consumption of cement plaster due to a thick layer is greater by 2 times, at least.

Come on, production and cutting dobornyh blocks required size is also an important process in the construction industry. Gazoblok through the porous structure can easily be cut with a hacksaw spetszatochkoy, silicate and lightweight aggregate blocks can only be cut into a disk with diamond-coated. Accordingly, their processing takes more time and effort.

Gazoblok solution was placed on the adhesive mixtures thickness of 2-3 mm, and if the select-adhesive foam, the layer obtained is very small as 0.5 mm, and wherein the seam clean masonry.

Silicate unit also possible to put both the solution of the adhesive mixture (a special mixture in bags), and the foam-adhesive. A keramzitoblok placed on a sufficiently thick layer of about 10 mm cement-sand mortar because the block structure of uneven, interspersed with expanded clay. And due to the increased thickness of the seam provide the necessary horizontality, evenness masonry.

So, we were told what characteristics to look for when choosing to build a house of blocks. These are: price, durability, thermal properties, and ease of use. Below, for convenience of perception of the information we have brought key information about concrete, silicate and expanded clay blocks. Points (on 3-point scale - 1 - Worse 3 - the best).

All presented in this review of building blocks - are good in their own way. And every builder chooses what material it is most important property, and what you can "close your eyes." In order to fully form an opinion about the modern materials for the construction of the house, and read articles and watch video reviews, study the information from the manufacturers, communicate with friends and neighbors.

Calculating the cost of construction of 1m² the walls of the units

And the most important question that everyone asks themselves, who decided to build a house, how much does it cost? What is the cost to build a wall and a box? Let's calculate the approximate cost of construction of 1 square meter of the wall to the South of the Tyumen region. The cost of construction crews or service companies, we take into account will not, because people are often on their own engaged in construction without the involvement of contractors.

The table below shows the cost of materials and their usage for the erection is 1 m² masonry walls. Prices were taken from the site major trade and construction company in September 2019 in the south of the Tyumen region.

So, we see that all will turn out cheaper to build a wall of concrete blocks, followed keramzitoblok and then silicate blocks. The total savings in the selection aerated is 24% compared with the lightweight aggregate blocks. Due to what? Due to the lack of need for walls of aerocrete insulation, low flow plaster for finishing and savings tonkoshovnoy clutch using polyurethane adhesives. The "cheaper" to mean - bad, poor quality. We're talking about saving a reasonable and proper accounting of funds.

We recommend you to plan the construction of the house have to do calculations to take into account as much as possible all the necessary costs at the beginning of the construction, and the closer to the finale.

We finished our review of blocks for walls. Brief summary, we told you:

• What are the building blocks;
• how to select units for the walls, the main criteria;
• how much it costs to build a house out of blocks.

We hope that our review was useful to you and be sure to come in handy at the stage of the selection of materials and planning the construction of the house. We wish you success in the building, let your house will be the most reliable, warm and cozy!