Are you thinking about building a log house? Learn about the benefits of CLT first.
When building a modern detached house, it is worth comparing different options. Read more about the benefits of CLT versus a log house.
Are you building a log house? Discover the benefits of cross-laminated solid wood (CLT) before you decide.
Solid wood is a premium house-building material, with a strong reputation for quality, sustainability, and health. In comparison to standard timber-frame homes, a solid wood house is more durable and better for the environment, with superior indoor air quality. But not all solid wood homes are equal. While a traditional log house is of course an excellent choice, cross-laminated timber (CLT) provides a host of additional advantages to homeowners. This includes faster manufacture and assembly of your new home, more structural stability and strength, as well as greater possibility for architectural innovation. That said, both log and CLT pure-wood homes are superior to timber-frame houses.
Why build a solid wood home instead of a timber-frame house?
A timber-frame house is a cheaper alternative to a solid-wood house. Timber-frame structures are often combined with plastic vapor barriers and mineral-wool insulation, which can result in poor indoor air quality. Plastics are also detrimental to the environment. Timber-frame houses often have interior walls built up with gypsum, which is neither a breathable material, nor one that offers humidity regulation. Gypsum products also lack the atmosphere and feeling of a pure wood home. Timber-frame homes also typically have several hidden structural layers, which can increase the risk of humidity and condensation that cannot be easily detected and, in the worst cases, destroy the house before the damage is noticed. Finally, the lifespan of a timber-frame house is shorter than that of a CLT house or log house. For people looking to build a home that lasts for generations, pure wood is a better structural choice.
What are the primary benefits of a solid-wood home?
A solid-wood home, whether built from CLT or log, provides homeowners with a different experience altogether. Pure wood regulates indoor air humidity to an optimal level. The structure breathes, so that no condensing humidity accumulates between structural layers. Wood is a pure, untreated natural product that is both beautiful and sustainable. Harvested wood stores CO2 for its entire lifespan as a house, which can last decades or even centuries. Further, building a house from solid wood, such as CLT or log, spares the atmosphere from the emissions generated by producing other building materials, like brick, concrete, mineral wool, and plastic. Pure wood homes are good for people and good for the planet.
Why choose a CLT house over a log house?
While log is of course an excellent traditional structural material, CLT offers unique advantages for the architecture, engineering, and construction of your new home — as well as interesting aesthetic and energy-efficiency benefits. First, CLT enables full digital control of the design process, with a much wider variety of architectural options for your new home. Furthermore, CLT is more precise and faster to manufacture and assemble than a log house. Because CLT is almost entirely manufactured in a factory environment, there is reduced risk for human error or damage on your construction site.
A CLT house is more structurally stable than a log house, with studies demonstrating that CLT is as strong as steel, and also fire-retardant. For added energy efficiency, CLT combines nicely with a layer of wood-fiber insulation (an all-natural material produced from timber byproduct), and reduces heating costs over the lifetime of your home. CLT also provides a sleek, modern aesthetic that isn’t available with a log house.
Why does Asumma build homes from CLT?
CLT is a smart, sustainable choice for building a new house. It permits a breadth of unique architectural possibilities, given its strength-to-weight ratio, versatility, and buildability. CLT homes smell fresh and pure. CLT is a breathable material that provides exceptional indoor air quality in your house. A CLT home lets you enjoy a pure wood structure that is healthy for your household, and also a healthy choice for the environment. We at Asumma admit our bias, but we find CLT homes to be among the most beautiful in the world.
Asumma designs and delivers custom CLT homes that are good for you, and good for the planet. If you are looking to build your own home, you can learn more about us here.
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