Building principles

The houses are manufactured in Finland, in massive laminated logs from Finnish pine wood. The structure of this wood is much more dense and durable then indigenous wood. Laminated logs are much more durable than natural wood thanks to the improved glueing, under high pression, of boards from different sections. These dry boards (8 to 12% humidity) guarantee after glueing a high stability of the logs, and thus of your house.

Proceedings

Based on the plans of your architect orn the plan proposed by MammuttiHirsi and adapted to your wishes or the standards in your country, we quote a price for your project. This price includes the manufacturing of the wooden structure in Finland and its transport to your building lot, as well as the assembly and finishing of it on the spot by our company.

You can also choose for the delivery of the wooden structure kit and take care of the assembly and finishing yourself.

Timing of the construction

After signing the contract, we analyse the building lot and start the foundation works. At the same time, we start the manufacturing of your house in Finland. This takes about 1 month for a house of 100 square meters. After that the wooden structure is transported from Finland and assembled on the foundations. This takes 4 weeks time for a surface of 100 square meters (reference). The finishing of the house is done according to the customer’s plan.

Treatment of the wood

During the manufacturing of the laminated logs, the wood is not treated. The treatment of the wood is subject to the customer’s wishes and depends upon whether the wood will be used for the inner or the outer structure. This treatment is done once the house is assembled. This treatment guarantees total protection against any external aggression. This treatment can be colourless or in a chosen colour.

Isolation

The diameter of the logs is the diameter of the walls of your house and does not need any extra isolation. Wood is a perfect natural isolator. The diameter of the logs varies from 204 mm (for cottages or in case of finishing with an external brick) till 270 mm. These standards are perfectly adapted to the Finnish cold and humidity. A house built with 270 mm logs has an isolation coefficient of 0.42.

Electricity and water conduits

All the conduits for electricity and water are built in in the walls and thus not visible. This means that all openings must be previously planned with the architect, because the openings in the wooden walls will be prepared in the factory.

Fire resistance

Contrary to what one might think, houses in laminated logs have a higher fire resistance than traditional brick houses. Laminated wooden crossbeams don’t loose their supporting power as long as the fire stays under control. This can not be said for concrete or steal constructions. After a fire you can always repair your massive wooden house, without having to demolish the walls that have been exposed to the fire. Brick walls would have to be demolished.

Urban development requirements

In a lot of municipalities it is now permitted to maintain the externally visible wooden walls. Hopefully their number will continue to grow. The logs are joined in a dovetail motive, which makes the massive wooden structure less visible from the outside. Thus a deviation from the urban development requirements can be requested.

You can also opt for a massive wooden construction in combination with other materials, or choose to use external bricks.

Stability of a house built with laminated logs

A massive wooden house built with laminated logs has a higher stability then any other construction, thanks to the diameter of the walls and their profile, thanks to the assembly system and the lightness of the construction (only 350 à 400kg/m3). These houses offer the best resistance and protection against earth quakes.