System-s

Building a house in winter? Why frame technology allows it

Rear facade Ekodom 50, ash roof, black wood, construction sign.

Why does your frame house "like" winter?

The key to understanding why building a house in winter in frame technology is completely safe is a different approach to technological processes. The main obstacle in traditional wall erection is typical wet works in construction. They mean the necessity of evaporating thousands of liters of technological water from mortars, plasters, and screeds. Frost turns this water into ice, bursting the material structure. This is simple physics.

In the System-S frame technology we use, this problem practically does not exist. That is why a frame house in winter rises without obstacles – it arrives at the construction site as a set of "dry" elements.

  • Structural timber (C24 CE): It is chamber-dried to a humidity of about 15-18%. In such humidity, fungi and molds have no right to exist. Moreover, winter air is paradoxically much drier than autumn or spring air, which favors the preservation of wood parameters.
  • No masonry mortars: We connect elements mechanically (screws, nails, carpentry joints). Freezing temperature does not affect the strength of steel or wood in this regard.
  • Assembly, not masonry: Assembling walls and roof trusses resembles a precise puzzle, which low temperature does not hinder in any way.

Foundation – the only element that needs attention

Let's be honest – there is one stage that requires a positive thermometer or special chemistry. That is the foundation. Concrete is still concrete. However, technology has moved forward here too.

If you plan to build a house in a colder period, you have two options:

  1. Foundation execution in autumn: This is the ideal scenario. The foundation slab or footings are ready before the frosts. When winter comes, we enter with the wooden structure onto the ready base.
  2. Anti-freeze additives: If the winter is mild (up to -5°C), special concrete admixtures are used, which accelerate setting and allow pouring the slab even on cold days.

When the foundation is ready, nothing stops us. We can put up walls, roof, and install windows even in bitter frost.

The Moisture Myth: Will wool and wood get wet from snow?

This is the most common customer fear: "What if it starts snowing on the open structure?". The answer is simple: Nothing dangerous will happen. Snow is much less invasive than rain.

Snow in solid form can simply be swept off the structure before closing the walls. It does not soak into the wood as instantly as rain. Moreover, modern wind barrier membranes, with which we protect the building immediately after erecting the frame, act like a Gore-Tex jacket. They allow moisture to go out, but do not let it inside. Closing the raw state in frame technology takes only a few weeks – this is too short a time for the winter aura to harm certified wood.

Economy of time – Your biggest profit

Building in winter, you gain something that cannot be bought – time. Look at the schedule of traditional construction: start in spring, raw state in autumn, winter break for "seasoning", finishing the following year. Total: 1.5 to 2 years.

Choosing frame technology and starting in winter, you gain tangible benefits:

  • Shortened house construction time: Instead of wasting months on technological breaks, you move in much faster.
  • January/February: Assembly of the structure on a previously prepared foundation.
  • March: Developer state, installation works inside the (already heated!) building.
  • April/May: You move in and have a barbecue on the terrace, while neighbors are just looking for a masonry crew.

Winter construction also often means greater availability of crews and materials. In the peak summer season, you wait weeks for windows or wood. In winter, supply chains are looser, which translates into smooth implementation.

Summary: Don't fear winter, fear downtime

The decision to build a house in winter in frame technology is a rational decision, based on technical facts, not folk superstitions. If you have a ready foundation or the possibility of making it, waiting until spring is a waste of time and money (material inflation never sleeps). Your house can grow when others are sleeping a winter sleep.

FAQ - Frequently asked questions

Yes, the assembly of the wooden structure itself is possible even at very low temperatures. The only limitations are earthworks and foundations, as well as the work comfort of the assembly crew.

C24 structural timber is resistant to short-term exposure to weather conditions. Snow is easy to remove (swept off), unlike rain, and does not penetrate deep into the wood structure.

Plastering works require positive temperatures (usually min. +5°C). If the winter is harsh, the facade is done in the spring or special curtains and heaters are used, although we usually recommend waiting for a weather window.

No! This is a myth concerning masonry houses. A frame house has no technological moisture, so you can finish it and move in immediately after construction is completed.

Very quickly. Thanks to low thermal inertia and excellent insulation, the building heats up in a few hours after closing the shell (windows, doors, wool), which allows for comfortable finishing works inside.
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