What Authorizations do I need for the construction of my Wooden House?
If the
building in question is destined to be inhabited, you need to obtain a
Building Permit like any other house.
It is
necessary therefore to call upon an Architect or an Engineer for the
elaboration of the project, for the technical relations , and everything
else that is required to gain the all clear from the Town Hall. We will
provide you with the information regarding the technical and statical
features of our product.
Do the houses you produce include the Rooftop and the pavement?
We furnish
the pavement, composed by supporting beams and treading surface. We do
not furnish the pavement for the “humid” areas, as are the kitchen and
bathroom areas. the wooden structure must lean and be anchored on a
cement foundation.
Regarding the
roof, we supply a structure that includes supporting beams, internal
wooden panels, cohabitation layer, containment fillet, a hollow to
support the circulation of air and interrupt the thermal bridge
(ventilated roof). The external cover is not included in the price but
may be purchased separately from us and, according to the clients
wishes, it may be in galvanized and plated steel, canadian roofing tile,
etc.
What do I need to know about the electric wiring?
It must be
made clear that the wiring is not included in the supplying costs. Local
laws must be kept into consideration before beginning work on the
wiring. Usually there are two options:
Visible:
The cables will pass through apposite fittings made of non-flammable
material and will be installed directly on the walls, each with its
respective plugs and switches.
Hidden:
All the wiring will run through an insulated gap in the walls. In case
of walls without insulation the wiring will run directly inside the
walls, so that only the plugs and switches are visible.
What about the Hydraulic system?
The Hydraulic
system has analogies with the electric wiring.
For the first floor, all the pipelines may pass under the floor.
What can happen in case of an earthquake?
The reaction
of our buildings is amazing: our construction methods foresee that, in
case of strain, the load of each wall, both external and internal, does
not lean only on the supporting columns as in traditional housing. If
the shock is below 7 degrees on the Mercalli Scale, it is totally
absorbed; If the shock reaches the tenth degree on the Mercalli Scale,
our houses may sustain some damage in the foundation. The event of a
collapse is unlikely. Once the shock wave has subsided, the damaged
parts of the structure may be replaced.
How long do these houses last?
The
maintenance, mostly external, is variable depending on the climate of
the geographic area in which they are placed: In optimal conditions,
maintenance will be necessary in a large span of time; in harsh climates
the house will need a regular maintenance. In any case the preservation
will be reduced to a recoating of the outer finish, done with an
transpiring apposite varnish, that protects the wood from the rough
weather and the ultraviolet rays of the Sun.
If our houses
are maintained with care, they have a minimal lifetime of 100 years. Not
by chance, in the United States, Canada, and here, Northern Europe, most
of the houses are built in wood.
