Terrace with own hands

A terrace is called a platform adjoining the house. It is usually slightly elevated above the ground. It is used, for example, as a place for lunch in the warm season or as a gazebo to communicate with guests. The glazed terrace can already be called a full veranda. In any case, this place is great for recreation and sports.

Features

1. Many people confuse concepts such as terrace and porch. Therefore, it is worth explaining what is the difference between them. First of all, these buildings have different goals and structures. The terrace is most often reserved for rest. In the classical form it is an open area, which in some cases is covered with a roof.
2. The veranda is a cold room that does not allow street air to enter the house. In doing so, it serves as a protection for the entrance door. Unlike the veranda, the terrace does not have to be adjacent to the house.
3. The veranda is always a closed room, i.e.it has walls and a roof. As for the terrace, it does not have walls.
4. There are also differences in area. So, the terrace is usually spacious, so that there is enough space for rest. The veranda, on the contrary, can be small in size. The most important thing is that it protects the entrance.
5. Sometimes they confuse a terrace and a pergola. Pavilions differ in that they always have perimeter fences, which can be both wooden and brick walls. In the classical terrace there are no such fences. Roofs also did not exist initially, but later it became an optional element, as well as railings stuffed between the pillars holding the roof.

Selecting the location of the terrace

1. When choosing the location for the construction of such a site, the climate and the wishes of the owner of the house are taken into account. It does not always have to adjoin the building. Each determines its location, depending on their own preferences. It is advisable to plan where the terrace will be located, at the stage of drawing up the plan for building the building. That is, it is best for a single-storey house with a terrace to have a common foundation.
2. Sometimes this pad is located not on the first, but on the second and even on the third floor. Then the balcony and the terrace can be combined. In any case, it is necessary to ensure that the terrace and the surrounding areas are decorated in the same style. In general, everything that is installed near the house should harmoniously fit into its appearance.
3. Choose a location for the construction should be based on the location of the house with respect to the sides of the world. So, if the entrance to the building is located on the north side, then the option of a terrace that fits around the whole building is suitable. Then in the hot summer necessarily there will be a place for rest in the shade. If the exit to the street is located to the south, then the classic version of the attached terrace will do. In this place you can rest not only in summer, but even in winter.
4. If there is a swimming pool, a waterfall, a shore of a water body or other beautiful elements of the landscape on the site, then it is possible to build a terrace next to them, so that they can admire them.separately from home.
5. There are several possible options for placing a site on your site. Depending on this terrace can be:

• envelope the house from all sides;
• attached directly to the building;
• standing away from home.

Determining the terrace area

When determining the dimensions of the terrace, the following factors should be considered:

1. Its purpose.
2. House area.
3. The plan of the infield.

If this is taken into account, the site will fit very nicely into your site.

Tips:

1. If the terrace at the dacha is only needed as a place to rest, then it is enough to allocate a platform with a side dimension of 3-4 meters for it.
2. If you need it for the reception of guests, then its size should be, of course, more. It is customary to choose the area so that per person there are 3 square meters.

Terrace is often a full-fledged element of architecture. For this purpose the area is decorated with flowers, greens and other decorative accessories. Today the areas of some apartments initially include a terrace.

Shape of the terrace

Traditionally, the terrace is of course square or rectangular in shape. But nobody forces to adhere to these traditions. The terrace to the house can be semicircular and trapezoidal. Any decorative techniques that can make the geometric shape of this area more smooth and original are suitable. For example, you can make the floor multilevel.

It is allowed to combine different materials, use different decorative elements and plants. Be creative and create your own unique design for your terrace. To visually see what some types of terraces look like, the photo below presents several options.

Types of terraces

1. Open terrace - summer building in the form of a canopy, installed on a special area. At the same time it is enclosed by decorative perestenkami or half-walls. The summer terrace is perfect for a holiday in the warm season.
2. Closed terrace. This building is similar to a summer terrace, but it is equipped for use throughout the year. During the summer period, a conditioning and ventilation system will be required here, and in winter, heating appliances will be relevant.

Terrace project

1. Quality construction is impossible if it is not started from the design. This is a serious and responsible stage of any construction work. If the project is drawn up correctly, then with good probability you will get a good result. When designing the documentation, it is necessary to make dimensions, mark the plot and evaluate how the future construction will fit into the landscape.
2. In addition, at this stage, you need to choose the right material, calculate its required quantity.
3. Choose the right tools for the job.
4. The project should include materials for exterior and interior decoration, as well as to protect the building. Most importantly, do not rush to its completion, and carefully consider everything. Let the drawing up of the plan take a few days, but it will greatly facilitate the work itself. You will know what and how much you need, what the costs of labor and time for construction will be.

Technology for the construction of the terrace

For the construction of the terrace you can use materials that have remained from the construction of the main house. This will save your money. For the base, you can combine boards, bricks and blocks. When building, choose the most reliable material that can withstand the vagaries of nature, temperature changes and ultraviolet rays.

How to build a terrace with your own hands? Any building consists of the following elements:

1. of the Foundation.
2. Decking.
3. of auxiliary structures.

And, if the first two elements are mandatory, then the third one is not.

Attached terrace. The sequence of actions for the construction of the foundation is as follows:

1. Drive into the ground along the perimeter of wooden stakes or fittings and pull on them twine. This will be a markup for future construction.
2. At the corners put a temporary support. It lags. The height of the foundation above the ground should be about 300-400 millimeters.
3. Take the level and use it to align the horizontal. At the same time under the tiles should be temporarily supported. It can be even different construction debris. No one wants to have puddles on his terrace after the rain. Therefore, in advance you need to provide a small bias. To do this, set the lag about an angle of 2 degrees.
4. Align the tensioned twine along the upper edge of the lag and secure it firmly behind the peg hammered into the ground.
5. Now you can remove the lags and begin to erect the foundation itself. To do this, you need to put columns of cement in the corners, the height of which should be the same as that of the temporary support.
6. Dig a trench between columns, then pour cement and put paving curbs in it. At the same time, about half of their height should be in the ground. After that, you should align the plane horizontally. Now it's time to wait until the concrete stops.
7. The same basis needs to be done on the other side.
8. The voids that remained near the curbs should be covered with sand or gravel. In this case, it is desirable to provide a water drainage system.

When the foundation is ready, you can start installing the flooring. The order of work in this case is as follows:

1. Place on logs and curbs of the log. Secure them with screws.
2. Mark the place where the beams are fastened.
3. Lay the beams and connect them to the logs using corners.
4. Now you can start planking the boards. The best material for this purpose is larch. It is recommended to take boards with a width of 100-150 millimeters and a thickness of 20 to 35 millimeters. In order to preserve the possibility of ventilation and thereby prevent decay, small gaps are made between the boards.
5. Align edges with an electric jigsaw.
6. Finally, the flooring needs to be painted and varnished.
7. If decking is used instead of the boards, then indentation from the building should be 10 millimeters.

In order to make the terrace more comfortable, it is recommended to erect some auxiliary structures. For example, you can put poles and place a roof on them. On these poles usually fix the railing. You can also place a swing and pergolas for flowers. Such elements help to make your terrace unique. Most often, a roof is erected above the building, which is simply necessary to protect against unexpected precipitation. The roofing material can be used the same as on the house itself, especially when the site adjoins the building directly. As a material for the roof polycarbonate is excellent. Only in this case very strong supports are needed.

Exterior finish of the terrace

The terrace, depending on its type, can have different finishes. For example, the building can be lined with natural or artificial stone, wood panel, block house, pasture or other materials. Pretty popular are the wooden terraces. The most important thing is that the main material of the building reliably protects the inner space from cold air, insects, fungi and moisture. For this purpose, for example, various antiseptics are used. Finishing is needed for the following purposes:

1. Make the exterior of the terrace more attractive.
2. Performing protective functions. For this, seams and joints are sealed.

Glazing of the terrace and insulation

1. In order for the terrace to be glazed, openings for installing windows of double-glazed windows and doors are provided in advance. All these designs must be secured with a universal fastener, which allows you to remove the installed windows and doors at any time. Thus, no self-tapping screws and screws should be used in the structure. Only bolts, nuts and special fittings.
2. If the terrace is glazed, it should also be insulated, otherwise the first one makes no sense without the second. For insulation of the building, mineral wool is suitable from inside. Then it is necessary to lay a layer of vapor barrier. In addition, you will need to make a decorative finish, which is most beneficial to perform from wood.

Arrangement of the terrace

After glazing and warming, you can proceed with the arrangement of the terrace. This is no less laborious and costly. First of all, you need to make interior decoration. To do this, you can use any material you select. Depending on the area, type and purpose of the building, it can be arranged differently. The most popular items of interior are wicker furniture, a small table, a rocking chair.