CHALET CONSTRUCTION

Wooden Chalet

This was my first experience building a wooden house in mountains. Client came from famous sky area in Chamonix, and asked to build them a house in the valley of Mont Blanc.

Finished chalet at Mont Blanc, France

Building a Chalet

Initial floor plan was for two floors wooden house. Downstairs - kitchen with living room. Living room was designed with opened ceiling up to the roof and big double glass windows so the owners could enjoy the best views of Mont Blanc mountain. 

Big double glass windows allows to enjoy the most of Mont Blanc.

First floor was sharing two bedrooms (master bedroom and children) and a bathroom. Skylight windows were installed in a master bedroom as well as in a bathroom: for more light and impressive views of other mountains tops. 

Skylight window in the bedroom

Skylight window in a bathroom.

Clients were trying to combine traditional wooden chalet construction with the landscape and surrounding. Even though they implemented some modern design ideas. 

One of a traditional elements that we used was roof beams decoration: 

Chalet roof element in wood

From modern design side they have chosen to use quite a lot of glass, and larch wood finishing from exterior.

Chalet in Chamonix, France

As concerns interior finishing: for the walls was chosen clean, white design, with some wood elements (doors, flooring, etc...)

Main article about this wooden chalet, construction type and floor plans you will find on main webpage: http://www.lithouse.eu/chalet-construction-in-the-valley-of-mont-blanc/

WOODEN HOUSE CONSTRUCTION: FROM A FLOOR PLAN TO COZY HOUSE

Building a wooden house is not that difficult as it may look. If you are still wondering and scared of such construction, don't be. Just find reliable contractor who will do the work. 

I have uploaded short less than 2 minutes video which shows full process of a wooden house construction. This project was built by http://www.lithouse.eu/ and I was managing it from the begining till the end. 

If you liked the house design you can contact me or check it in a following link: House in France: floor plan and price request. 

DECORATION IDEAS FOR YOUR WOODEN HOUSE

Building a wooden house or any other type of the house requires quite a lot of patience, planning and courage. At the beginning you have to think about right floor plan and design. Later comes headache by searching a good and trusted builder and much more decisions to be made to build your dream home.

Turning House Into Home

When your house is already finished and built companies leave but you still have to finish it and from just a house turn it into your own home. This time I would like give you some examples about the outside decorating details. 

Meet Your Guests At the Door In a Original Way 

I must admit, I am proud about every house we built. I go trough all project stages and I see how paper design turns into real, beautiful wooden house. No matter how much I am happy about the house after we finish and leave it, usually I am even more impressed when I come back after some time to visit my clients and find their final touch details, which creates cozy atmosphere. 

A special and not standard bell at your door is the first thing that your guests will notice and even will use it! It will welcome them to your house and will make them think, that the owner thought about small detail in a special way.  

Lighting and Lamps

When the Sun goes down and the darkness comes a right lighting may make your wooden house same or even more cozy and impressive.

Sometimes an original lamp may not only have a function and give light but also serve as a decoration detail during a daytime. 

If you would like to see a wooden houses gallery, not only decoration details you can find photos in this link: Top selling list of Lithouse built wooden houses

SCANDINAVIAN STYLE LOG HOUSES

Building a wooden house nowadays offers various styles and design solutions. Modern wooden houses change an idea of a wooden construction and compete with other building solutions. Still besides modern wooden houses a lot of traditional wooden houses constructions are popular and chosen by people. About round log houses I have talked in a previous topic, now I will give examples of "scandinavian style wooden houses". 

The name already suggests where this style comes from. There are a lot of wooden houses built in Norway, Sweden some in Finland by this type of construction. Why it is so special? 

Walls and Wood 

Scandinavian style houses are built from massive wood (not laminated). As you can see in the picture below corner section has different look as well.

Corner section of scandinavian wooden house construction style 

Such corner section is know as well insulating against wind. Also between logs is placed insulation material. Quite interesting fact, such houses are build from single log wall (18-25 cm thickness) and usually doesn't have additional insulation layer  from exterior. 

Scandinavian House Construction Period

Still such houses combine hand-made and machinery works. Which means longer construction period. Also such wooden houses have to be very precise and accurate for this reason after wood is pre-cut in the factory, house is assembled for control check. Only after check house is disassembled and packed for the delivery. 

Green Roof 

Besides construction differences for the walls there is other very common feature for Scandinavian House - Green Roof/ Grass/ Sodium roof. 

Grass roof perfectly combines with wooden house and implements it in the nature surrounding

Of course grass roof it is not an obligation and you can place other type of roof cover. 

Scandinavian Wooden Houses only in Scandinavia?

Of course Scandinavian countries have their own builders but nowadays "know-how" technologies are well developed in other countries as well. So if you like such wooden house style and would like to build for yourself I am sure you will find builders locally. I have managed a few projects as well and I can give you contacts of the company which produce nice scandinavian style houses. You can contact me: vaida@lithouse.lt

ROUND LOGS WOODEN HOUSES

There are different ways to build a wooden house: various style and design options. This time let's talk about specific style of building a wooden house from round logs.

Wooden house built from round logs

Round Logs

Wooden house walls are made from round massive wood beams. Between the logs there is placed insulation material. Even though there is placed insulation material between the logs, such houses are not very well insulated. 

Building a wooden house from round logs

Still a lot of people like this style of construction. Usually round log houses are built as summer, holiday houses. They create nice atmosphere, as built from massive wood - they are 100% eco friendly and of course - it is low cost construction comparing to other types of wood and techniques. 

Summer holiday wooden house

So if you are dreaming to build nice second holiday home - round wood log houses can be really a good option. Its solid, eco friendly house at low cost. 

Some Photos of Wooden Houses

Summer house perfect for campings, holiday parks to accommodate people 

Round logs wooden house interior

This house was built in Denmark for permanent living

One floor simple design, but very functional wooden house for holidays

WOODEN HOUSE: LOG OR PANEL HOUSE?

Wooden Houses Construction

People looking to build a wooden house have a vision how their house will look like, what size and what design. When they contact me saying: "I wan a wooden house. Can you build it?". Then my mission is to find out what exactly they mean by a phrase "a wooden house" because there are a lot of options to build. Main question - is it log or panel house?

Let's compare and answer some questions

• House interior: do I want to see wood or I prefer light, white clean interior?

LOG HOUSES INTERIOR: MOSTLY YOU WILL BE SURROUNDED BY WOOD

PANEL HOUSE INTERIOR - CLEAN, WHITE, LIGHT....

So two pictures above may very easy answer question: log or panel house you would like. Of course if you want to live only in a wooden log house, and some log walls combine with with stone, ceramic tiles, plasterboard we can find a solution for that. 

• Construction  technique: panel and log houses have different construction technique. We will not go into the details in this article but I will shortly show you by photos.

Panel houses - walls construction is built from wooden frame and filled with insulation material between. From interior walls are finished with plasterboard, and from outside/exterior -wood. 

PANEL HOUSE WALL EXAMPLE

PANEL HOUSE WALL IN PRODUCTION

Log houses - walls construction is built from massive wood beams. Later if client wants higher insulation values we may add insulation material. 

LOG HOUSE - WALL SECTION

LOG WALL - MASSIVE, SOLID WOOD

• Building period: panel houses come prefabricated from the factory, with ready built walls for this reason panel houses construction period is faster than log house. Log houses come to building site as "lego" set and we built walls on the foundation. 

LOG HOUSE CONSTRUCTION - LOG BY LOG BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION

PANEL HOUSE - WALLS COME PREFABRICATED FROM THE FACTORY

More photos of Log and Panel Wooden houses you can find here: read more