The term "exterior" in architecture refers to the external appearance of a building. When designing it, professionals start from the natural environment, the man-made environment, as well as their own passions and creative ambitions. Today we will consider the most popular option now - decorating a house with a tree. It is this decoration of your home, both inside and outside, that has a number of undeniable advantages.
Wooden appearance: let's talk about the merits
You can think about tastes and personal preferences endlessly. But hardly anyone will argue with the fact that a wooden house in itself evokes a feeling of warmth and home comfort. Plus, it also has a number of advantages:
Modern processing methods reliably protect wood from corrosion and rotting, thanks to which we get a practical, durable and completely safe material endowed with excellent aesthetic data.
Wooden exterior: design elements
sheathing
Perhaps the main element in the design of the exterior of wooden houses is the cladding, which is used as a board (for timber), lining, planken, siding and block house. All these materials are specially processed wood, which is most often made in the form of oblong planks.
An important role in the design of the exterior of wooden houses is played by the fence. This is the first element that is the main indicator of the style and image of the exterior decoration of the house. The unusual shape of the upper part of the fence, the original arrangement of wooden boards, the picturesquely painted gates once again emphasize the individuality and impeccable taste of the owners.
When arranging the exterior of a country house, special attention should be paid to garden furniture. Wooden gazebos, a pair of swings facing each other will additionally decorate the overall view. Picnic areas with barbecue facilities are very relevant here, and wooden tables with benches placed nearby will become a favorite vacation spot for the whole family and best friends.
Flower beds serve as an incomparable decoration of the exterior. Previously, they were fenced with a picket fence, but today many original ideas of professionals make flower fences much more interesting and beautiful: these are wooden trellises with climbing roses, and picturesque flower beds in the form of carts, barrels, and even figured arches.
Wooden shutters, platbands, a spacious veranda or a neat porch will add an impeccable color to the house.
Exterior style art of wooden houses
To date, long-established stereotypes and associations cannot be appeased. The expression "wooden building" subconsciously draws a representation of nature, the village and the old-fashioned porch, and "log house" immediately evokes thoughts of a fabulous hut on the edge of the forest. However, standard thinking is not the best option when you need a creative approach to developing a country house project. Modern technologies, individual style and fantasy allow you to implement absolutely any, even the most atypical ideas of your own home.
Wooden buildings look harmoniously surrounded by picturesque forests and mountains, murmuring streams and shimmering ponds.
Of course, such landscapes impose appropriate requirements on the exterior design. But even this is not an obstacle to designing a wooden exterior in your favorite style.
Country
Country style is perhaps the most natural and simple design option for a country house built from logs or timber. There are many varieties of rustic style, and each in its own way reflects the national charm and flavor of a particular country.
In this case, the projects of wooden houses often imply the features of an American village, the so-called ranch, and may resemble pretty English houses surrounded by wicker fences or flowering gardens.
The Russian variation of country music offers a characteristic flavor. Merchants' luxurious mansions, a classic Russian hut or a modern design of a country wooden house equally express national traditions, customs and folklore. When decorating a house in a similar style, designers often erect pediments as a decoration for the second floor, and wooden windows are decorated with external shutters.
An alternative solution would be plastic structures decorated with wood imitation planks. A roof made of slate, tiles or reeds will look very organic against the general background.
Finnish style
Finnish wooden exterior designs offer an optimal balance of quality and cost. For the construction of houses in this case, profiled laminated timber is most often used. Its unique characteristics are conducive to year-round operation and construction without deformation and cracking of wood.
As a rule, Finnish houses are built in a short time, since the production of timber occurs by the factory production method, and the corresponding profile assumes the accuracy of parts, excluding their adjustment already on the construction site itself. That is why this type of building is very popular. At the same time, the virtuoso organization of the Finnish house will emphasize its individuality and originality. In the traditional version, such buildings have a sloping gable roof and one floor, but this does not at all limit the desires and fantasies of consumers. Architects can always design a second floor, an attic, an additional room or a sauna.
An alpine house against the backdrop of picturesque mountain ranges is another popular type of wooden building. This chalet has a more rational layout. Most often, we can observe a luxurious spacious terrace and several lovely balconies that skillfully complement the appearance of Swiss-style houses. The roof is made of bulky logs, gently sloping, extending beyond the boundaries of the building, and with minimal surface treatment. Such a dwelling is a real refuge from any bad weather, and the deliberate exterior gives the impression of a reliable defender. Therefore, a rough texture with knots looks very organic here.
If a strict exterior seems too aggressive, profiled timber will be an alternative. Such a Swiss house will become more tidy, but less characteristic of this style.
Manner decodance or "modern" style
Graceful houses in the style of "modern" - a real art of design. Luxurious composition of individual elements against the background of refined and at the same time simple architecture, like a magnet, attracts the eyes of passers-by and pleases the household. And all kinds of descents, ascents, turns give the exterior individuality and special charm.
Creative lanterns and fences are in harmony with the overall exterior. And it is worth noting that the many-sided charming Art Nouveau will perfectly fit into the landscape, thanks to its elegant floral ornaments. Forged objects, picturesque paintings on windows and doors make the house completely different from other cottages. Windows can be completely different - square and round, large and small, and even placed along the entire log wall.
The subtleties of facing the facades of wooden houses
Today, facade decoration is so diverse that even the most fastidious buyer can choose the option they like best for themselves: from all kinds of materials to various coloring methods. Consider the most optimal and popular cladding methods.
Plaster on the frame
The use of plaster is a fairly reliable way to finish the facade. It gives the house a unique decorative look, and impurities of quartz, pigments and rock chips often imitate natural expensive materials.
- sand-cement plaster is perfect for areas with high changes in humidity and temperature;
- acrylic varieties tolerate moisture well, but unlike sand-cement ones, they do not withstand temperature differences well, so they often cover polystyrene foam;
- plaster based on silicone resins is significantly superior in quality to other types. In addition to good resistance to humidity and temperature changes, it also perfectly resists ultraviolet rays.
Facade paints
An increasingly popular method of finishing wooden houses is painting the facade. And no wonder, because it is a more reliable protection of wood from bad weather and pests. Today, a wide variety of paints and varnishes offers a wide choice to customers: these are alkyd enamel, and water emulsion, and oil paint and all kinds of polyurethane materials.
It should be noted that only paints that form a continuous visually imperceptible film will provide reliable protection of wood from moisture. Facade acrylic paints are resistant thanks to organic solvents and acrylic resins. The strength of the coating is also affected by the color of the paint. So, for example, darker tones do not tolerate the sun well: they heat up faster, contributing to the rapid drying of the wood.
