Country Houses (113 Photos): Examples Of Garden Houses And Summer Cottages. Ready-made Modern, Mobile Sandwich Panels And Two-story Options. Unusual Houses In The Scandinavian Styl

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 05:33

A dacha can become a very comfortable place where it is pleasant to both relax and do garden work. But all this is achievable only under one condition - if the country house is prepared and equipped properly. It's time to figure out how to do it "with little blood", that is, with the least expenditure of time, physical strength, money and nervous energy.

Primary requirements

There are two types of requirements here: self-evident and based on the principles of legislation. Obviously, in a modern garden house, there must be space for storing utensils and working tools. And the same harvest, at least partially, can be stored there. As for the official standards, for many people it will be a surprise that no more than 30% of the total area of the site can be allocated to a country house, along with paths and paved areas. On 6-12 acres, there is not much space for a house, and therefore you have to manage it as efficiently as possible.

Important: this requirement does not apply to plots that are not part of dacha or garden cooperatives and other similar associations.

But at the same time, there should be at least 8 m between a residential building and a bathhouse, even a temporary one, or a toilet. As in other residential buildings, you need to comply with the standards:

• by the level of insolation;
• the quality of ventilation;
• fire safety measures.

On the plots designated for individual housing construction, it is allowed to build houses with a maximum height of 3 floors. In gardening associations, you cannot build houses for permanent settlement. It is imperative to take into account the use of the site for growing plants (otherwise the owners will face punishment). If, according to the documents, the land is registered as a summer cottage, it is not necessary to plant anything on it. The distance to wells and compost pits must be at least 8 m. It is always recommended to get acquainted with the current (at the time of construction) regulatory framework.

Types of buildings by purpose

It is no less important than the formal legal side of the issue to know what the options for a country house are. A summer house for a dacha, which is visited only for a few hours a day, can also be an ordinary simple hut. An elementary lightweight tent is made of tarpaulin and other sturdy fabrics . Only structures made of waterproof materials can be used as shelter from bad weather.

The same tarpaulin can help out if it is of high enough quality, with the necessary impregnations.

Traditional huts in the proper sense of the word are made on the basis of poles, branches and pieces of bark. The roof is made out using:

• straw;
• hay;
• dry meadow or grass mown on the lawn.

"Live" houses can be planted with climbing crops. Tents made from natural fabrics of various types are suitable not only for a short rest on the site. They will be a pleasant place for children to play. But no matter how attractive a mobile lightweight house is, full-fledged ready-made structures still deservedly constitute the bulk of the buildings. In the conditions of the Russian climate, only capital structures are reliable and durable enough to comfortably rest and work in the country in the off-season.

This does not mean that you will have to abandon the concept of a hut altogether. There is a whole type of capital houses, "huts", which were very popular back in the 1970s. Triangular structures with roofs reaching or nearly reaching the ground began to be erected for the first time in Scandinavia and North America. That is why it is so important to make some adjustments to these projects, taking into account the peculiarities of local conditions.

A-shaped structures, in fact, do not contain walls in the usual sense of the word - they are replaced by a gable roof of great steepness. But there are also mixed options in which a low box is used. The foundation is made using a tape or pile technique. The structure itself has a frame of 2-3, rarely more, triangular frames.

Developers are attracted by the house-hut, of course, by the reduction in construction time in comparison with classical structures.

An additional plus is that this house can be built independently. The total area is relatively small, while inside it is comfortable and garden or ornamental plants are not shaded. By the way, the abandonment of the walls also allows you to save money. Snow load is minimized.

It is easy to equip a couple of residential levels under a high roof . However, it is extremely difficult to allocate space for a full-fledged staircase. If you use a ladder of compact design (screw or bolt-based), the risk of injury increases significantly. Another obvious disadvantage is that inclined walls reduce the total usable area. Only to some extent can this disadvantage be compensated for by the use of internal drawers and shelving.

It is also worth considering the following nuances:

• weakening of natural lighting at home;
• difficulties in placing autonomous heating systems;
• difficulties in choosing the concept of internal planning;
• the need to use strictly spliced, rather than solid beams.

It is imperative to weigh the pros and cons before making a final decision. Important: the amount of area loss is determined by the level of the roof slope. If it is 50 degrees or less, too much usable space is wasted.

Therefore, it is advisable to use roofs with an inclination of over 60 degrees. But here you still have to calculate the snow load, strength, sailing effect in strong winds and other characteristic points.

Houses of the "hut" type with a height of 1 floor can do without foundation and expensive materials. Thanks to the pile foundation, they can be placed even on a relatively steep slope. If the soil is problematic or the hut is being built on a slope, the basement should be relatively low . The entrance is made using a classic staircase with railings or a terrace. Large skylights are recommended.

Choosing a place for construction

But having decided on the type of country house, you need to answer one more question - in which part of the site it will stand. The sanitary norms of Russia stipulate that there must be at least 5 m to the road or railroad. However, it is also inappropriate to remove the building from roads and driveways inside the dacha villages by more than 10 m. Yes, formally the rules do not prohibit this, but then the aesthetics of the site are violated. The next important point is the distance to structures in neighboring areas and on your own land.

There must be at least 6 m between any two buildings . And ideally - 15 m; if this rule is followed, the risk of spreading fires is minimized. Additionally, it should be noted that large trees should not grow directly near the country house. We'll either have to uproot them, or choose another place to build. Of course, the laid communications, and those communications that will have to appear in the future, and plans for building land after the construction of the house are taken into account.

Particular attention should be paid to the water table. If possible, it is worth choosing that part of the site where they are as far as possible from the surface.

Only exploratory drilling in autumn or early spring can give an adequate estimate of the groundwater level. If earlier such work was carried out, they are limited to studying the documentation . You should also pay attention to the orientation of the house to the cardinal points (best in the northwest or northeast) and the likely level of heat losses during construction in different parts of the site.

Layout and dimensions

Since ancient times, people have been striving to build as large country and country houses as possible. But this "opportunity" itself, both for material and other reasons, is not always there. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to compensate for the lack of occupied space with the help of a carefully thought-out layout. The main guideline when choosing a layout is, of course, the general construction budget . Additionally, they are guided by the tastes and needs of the owners, including small children, while the needs are thought out “for the future”, because it is unrealistic to rebuild the dwelling every year.

A layout that takes into account:

• total usable area;
• the number of all residents;
• number of children;
• the presence of pets;
• seasonal or year-round use of the home.

Experienced architects advise to plan in the following sequence:

• decide on the number of floors of the future building;
• choose suitable building materials and decorative structures;
• draw up a drawing showing the distribution of rooms within the dwelling;
• think over the performance of the porch;
• select the desired roof configuration.

The simplest is the layout of a one-story dwelling. The usual division is to divide the space into a main room, combined with a kitchen, into the required number of bedrooms and a bathroom.

If there is enough space, they arrange additional utility rooms and even take out the bath (sauna) outside the main house.

If a country house is being built with an attic, then planners have much more interesting prospects . Often the attic replaces a full-fledged second floor, and then it is taken as a guest area and an office.

Large two-storey cottages use terraces or additional rooms for dressing rooms and storage rooms. Special attention should be paid to the layout of the living room in both triangular and rectangular or square houses. It differs in the country from similar premises in a city apartment or even in an ordinary country house. This room, along with the gathering of guests and family members, is used as:

• bedrooms of people staying for a long time;
• playroom for children;
• dining room.

At the same time, the living room should be furnished with less furniture than in the city. Usually they use transforming sofas, folding tables and chairs. Built-in furniture can also be used. It is advised to equip the kitchen with an additional entrance. Then it will be possible to use only it when the need arises.

Quite a few people are interested in decorating summer cottages with panoramic windows . This is a complex constructive solution, but instead opens up excellent decorative possibilities and solutions. There is no need to make panoramic windows of a strictly rectilinear shape.

The use of arched curved lines is allowed. Panoramic windows are sometimes made according to the bay window scheme, which implies the division of space into sections.

Quite often, professional planners use the “chalet” approach . Such buildings are made of wood, because otherwise the authenticity is lost. The use of chopped elements helps to emphasize the specifics of the style as much as possible. The classic design involves the use of a spreading roof. The chalet is also attractive because such projects can occupy a relatively small area.

Some people sometimes use a barrel layout. But for the most part, this applies not to summer cottages, but to baths. Cylindrical shape saves heat. In addition, you can put such a building in a limited area. Finally, the economic benefit from construction is very large.

When calculating the area of / u200b / u200bthe kitchen, you need to build on the size and composition of the equipment used . It can take up a lot of space. They are guided by considerations of comfort of use (cooking and eating). Bedrooms are usually small because otherwise the heating costs in winter would be quite high. If there is an attic, the sleeping area will be equipped there.

When planning a bathroom, a minimum of 4 sq. m. The door should swing outward. If saving free space is very important, it is better to replace the bathtub with a shower cabin. In country houses of a small area, it is recommended to take the stairs outside . In this case, a summer playground will be equipped around it.

Design

With all the importance of planning decisions, attention must be paid to design issues. Only they allow you to create quite original and nice looking summer cottages. A large number of styles have been developed, the choice between them is determined by:

• the dimensions of the building;
• the developer's budget;
• personal tastes.

Dachas in the Russian style have gained a fairly high popularity. This direction is distinguished by particular flexibility and variability; at least 10 narrow directions are reliably known. A characteristic feature of such concepts is the use of a log or log frame. Another important feature of the Russian style is a high foundation and floor insulation in the "zavalinka" format.

A gable roof prevails, and the exterior is made strictly from wooden materials.

For a full-fledged stylization under an old Russian hut, it is recommended to use:

• platbands;
• door frames;
• other wooden elements.

But for all the attractiveness of the Russian style, European approaches are also popular. First of all, we are talking about half-timbered houses. This design looks stylish and cute, and also modern. But the problem is that scrupulous adherence to the canons of half-timbered houses is laborious, time-consuming and expensive. It is almost impossible to do everything properly with your own hands, and you will have to pay a lot for the services of professionals.

A classic half-timbered house is built using a frame made of logs or a bar . After the construction is completed, the logs remain outside. Brick or natural stone is used to fill the voids. But in order to simplify and reduce the cost of work, they refuse from strict adherence to the rules and are limited to the formation of a facade that is suitable in appearance.

An attractive alternative is decorating a summer house in a Scandinavian style, for example, in a Finnish style - it is both cheaper and better suited to the needs of Russian developers. An important advantage of this solution is the rejection of pretentious expensive materials and structures . A characteristic feature of the style is the organization of a spacious comfortable terrace. At the same time, they try to minimize the number of partitions and other barriers that limit space.

Another common feature of the Scandinavian style is the use of natural materials for both furniture and finishing structures. It is simply impossible to imagine a full-fledged Scandinavian country house without a fireplace. It is desirable to make the windows panoramic, letting in maximum light. Decorative items are mainly made from textiles and wood.

Provence is partly close to the Scandinavian style . The pastoral design is equally well suited for a "work" and for a summer cottage just used for recreation. Provencal design involves the rational use of every piece of space. Ceiling beams are a must.

All finishing should be done textured and, as it were, slightly carelessly . Any details, not excluding wooden ones, are covered with white paint. Walls in the Provencal spirit can be very diverse, even the use of unfinished brick structures is allowed. But at the same time, they should be different from those that are used in the urban format and in the loft style in particular.

The design of the dacha in the Japanese style also deserves attention. For summer gatherings over tea, it is difficult to find a more attractive option.

But do not assume that Japanese is always all traditional and reminiscent of antiquity. You can use another hypostasis of the Land of the Rising Sun - its modern high-tech appearance.

Dome houses embody the spirit of the latest technology . But not everyone can afford it. The way out is to use the classic concept, with its minimalistic motives and closeness to nature. If, nevertheless, it is decided to design a dacha in the spirit of high-tech, it is not necessary to abandon the use of wooden elements. The use of timber, processed according to modern technologies, allows you to increase the functionality of the structure and make it more pleasant.

And another option is the design in the English style . The romantic English décor is designed to effectively present the space and emphasize the traditional style. As a result, laconic "country estates" are created, embodying the spirit of the old era. You will be able to comfortably relax in such a room, even when you are within the boundaries of a large city. The foundation is made especially low, and it is recommended to use red brick for external wall decoration.

We select materials for construction

For the foundation

To get it right to plan the creation of the foundation, you need:

• establish the type of soil;
• determine the depth of freezing in winter;
• find out how close the groundwater is;
• calculate the load exerted by the building itself, the people and objects in it.

Pillar foundations are used in medium-sized summer cottages. In this case, metal structures or wooden beams are used to connect the pillars. The pillars themselves do:

• made of bricks (or rather, based on the assembly of bricks);
• from rubble stone;
• from concrete (more precisely, from concrete-based blocks).

More solid and heavy buildings should be placed on reinforced concrete or brick strips. This solution is especially good if you plan to build a dwelling on unstable, swampy ground.

But if you want the highest possible reliability, you need to choose board-based solutions. They are made from reinforced concrete, which is incredibly strong.

True, the cost of such a solution is very high.

For walls

Aerated concrete is considered one of the best options for the construction of country houses. Stone wall materials are very durable and perfectly resist destructive mechanical stress. But aerated concrete is superior to natural stone and even other types of concrete in terms of thermal conductivity.

There is simply no point in using monolithic concrete in low-rise construction . This is a very expensive and, moreover, "cold" material. It is possible to use monolithic concrete with permanent formwork, but it creates many problems when decorating a room.

Building brick walls is aesthetically pleasing . But solid bricks are very heavy and allow a lot of heat to pass through. To compensate for heat losses, very thick walls will have to be built. Finishing must be done at least from the inside.

According to both criteria (thermal conductivity and cost), cellular concrete is irrevocably ahead of brick.

Sometimes dachas are built from sandwich panels . Their undoubted advantages can be considered the economy of the material itself and the minimum cost of work. The sandwich panel is hygienic and has high environmental performance. It retains heat better and prevents the propagation of extraneous sounds than brick. This material can be used to make both summer and year-round buildings.

For roofing

When choosing a material for a country roof, you need to pay attention to the angle of inclination of the slopes. Not all coatings are suitable for flat roofs. If the dwelling is built under tall trees, you need to give preference to materials that will not trap fallen leaves and needles. It should also be borne in mind that when the roof is shaded, colonies of mosses and lichens may appear on it. Therefore, you have to choose materials that will prevent these organisms from developing.

Even if the house is to be used exclusively in the summer, it will still stand in the winter

Therefore, we must not forget about the amount of snow, which is estimated by the maximum, record figures, and they also make a margin of safety.

The next important aspect is the environmental safety of the material used. It must not spread any toxic substances. And if the dacha is being built entirely on its own, you need to evaluate the materials and ease of installation.

Flat slate is worse than the wave version. But both of these types are gradually falling out of use. Slate is being replaced by more modern and practical materials.

Its important drawback is that about 20% of the material is spent on overlaps. In addition, the presence of asbestos fiber is harmful to health.

A more correct option would be to use corrugated board or metal tiles . They are stronger than slate sheets and, at the same time, do not differ in such extraordinary fragility. For the manufacture of such materials, a steel sheet with an outer zinc layer should be used. The recommended steel thickness ranges from 0.4 to 1.1 mm. Decking is 30-40% heavier than metal tiles; there are differences in the form of a relief pattern, however, the structure and substances used for external protection are identical.

As for ondulin, its common name "Euroslate" is based only on the appearance - there is a fundamental difference between them in chemical composition and manufacturing method. Ondulin consists of organic substances and is impregnated with bitumen . This material stands out due to its environmental friendliness. But one must understand that at high temperatures it becomes not so strong, and under the influence of mechanical loads it bends.

For several decades, roll materials have been used to cover summer cottages - roofing felt and roofing material . They are not only nailed through wooden slats, but also fused with a flame of gas burners or glued with mastics. Self-adhesive coatings that are especially easy to install are also available. Important: if it is difficult to immediately choose the final finishing material, you need to use roofing material. He will perform the necessary defensive tasks for a while.

For interior decoration

A simple and elegant way to decorate a country house from the inside is to paint. Water-based and acrylic paints are used more often than other formulations. Then it will be quite easy to change the color by simply painting the wall again. However, a high-quality painting is possible only after careful alignment. Another disadvantage is the need for regular wet cleaning.

Drywall can be used for perfect alignment . This material makes it possible to lay sheets of special thermal insulation or soundproof materials in the gaps. In addition, the surface of the drywall can be easily painted at will and does not need to be pre-leveled or primed beforehand. However, gypsum boards take up quite a lot of usable area, while only a few (more expensive) sheets are sufficiently resistant to moisture.

Quite a lot of people prefer the lining finish. Both wooden and plastic varieties can be used.

Attaching plastic decorative items is easy even with your own hands. Wooden lining, including the block house, is very practical and has invisible connections. With its help, you can create a wall no less flat than when using gypsum board.

If the dacha will be used year-round, you can give preference to a fabric finish. It looks unusual, but in fact it is just a "well forgotten old version." Matter is attached in various ways:

• gluing in the manner of wallpaper;
• by pulling on wooden frames;
• pinning with a construction stapler.

What is the best choice?

Whatever materials are used, whatever the situation with groundwater, we must not forget about the subtleties of choosing a specific project. There are a lot of options even that fit into the official restrictions. An important requirement is the adaptation of the project to the site, and not vice versa . It is the peculiarities of land ownership that determine the type of foundation, and the communications used, and even the orientation to the cardinal points. It is better if the exit from the house, the guest and dining areas are as illuminated as possible.

It is necessary, when evaluating a specific project, to decide on the placement of additional buildings relative to the house . For people permanently living in the country, you need to choose house designs from aerated concrete blocks, brick or concrete monolith. Wooden structures and frame buildings are slightly worse. But if you plan to visit the dacha only in the summer months, the main choice will have to be made between a frame, a bar and a log. It is better to build fire-resistant brick and concrete buildings near the forest.

Where disabled or elderly people will live, one-story buildings should be preferred . But you need to remember that a building with 1 floor is more expensive than buildings with an attic that are identical in height and area. In addition, the attic room itself is difficult and difficult to equip. As for the number of rooms, there is a simple rule of thumb: total number of permanent residents + 1 room.

It is also worth thinking about utility and auxiliary rooms, so as not to suffer later from the fact that there is no storage room, or a gym, or a quiet study.

Beautiful examples

The unusual country house shown in this photo will really appeal to the vast majority of people. The attractive, non-standard looking triangular appearance of the home will suit both lovers of minimalism and those seeking to attract maximum attention. The contrast between the dark wall and light flooring material looks very interesting . Design elements only enhance the perception.

An alternative is to use a contrast between wood and stone elements . Let a small stone wall only be guessed and does not attract much attention - it contributes to the overall composition. Another two characteristic features of the project are the very large windows and the sharp "chopped" shape of the building.

Well, the authors of this project were clearly inspired by the image of an ordinary wooden barrel. True, the form is only stylized for it - but that is why the solution did not become less elegant in appearance.