How to Build a Terrace in a Field

Many summer cottages and cottages now have terraces. Indeed, this extension has long ceased to be considered a sign of luxury and has become affordable. The veranda is a great place for heart-to-heart conversations, evening or morning tea. And how pleasant it is to spend a quiet summer night in the open air! It is this design that makes the appearance of the garden and site completely finished. In this article, we will tell you how to make a terrace with your own hands in the country, give step-by-step instructions, and also show drawings, photos and video materials.

Content

Choosing a design
Determine the size
Choosing a material
Extension of a terrace to a wooden house
Foundation construction
Manufacturing of wooden flooring
Additional constructions
Polycarbonate terrace
Polycarbonate sheathing
Photo
Schemes

Choosing a design

The terrace can be a large porch located next to the entrance to the country house, be adjacent to one of its side walls, or even to the second floor. At the same time, the terrace in the country must necessarily be associated with one or more of the rooms in the house. The nuances of the structures that perform the enclosing function depend on the climate and terrain.

If you are thinking of building a terrace on your own in the region of the middle zone of our country, then you cannot do without arranging a roof and side strong fences. A veranda built in the southern regions can have a completely open structure and be fenced with only a railing. However, in order not to suffer from the scorching sun, it is worth taking care of building a light roof on such a terrace, on which to place climbing plants that will hide you from the sun. If only local sun protection is required, small portable umbrellas or awnings can be used. Interestingly, the roof on the terrace can be built either separately or jointly with the main roof of the house.

Determine the size

Before you build a terrace, you need to decide on its size and area. To do this, evaluate the space available on your site, as well as the financial reserve. If funds are limited, then it is worth saving on reducing the area of the future terrace. It is not worth saving by buying lower quality materials or simplifying the design. If, after some time, your financial condition improves, then it will be possible to increase the area of the terrace, as current technologies allow it. Thus, the first stage in the construction of a terrace can be called laying the foundation, which can subsequently be improved and modified.

Evaluate the factors of external influences. You should not place the structure in a place that is poorly protected from the wind, make sure that a beautiful view opens from the terrace so that children can safely and calmly play on it.

Choosing a material

When building a terrace, you have to make a choice from various building materials: metal, concrete, stone, brick. Perhaps, natural wood is best suited for this structure, since you do not have to face heavy work, carry out a solid foundation masonry, subsequently the terrace can be easily expanded to the required area, and its structural elements can be given rather complex shapes.

Do not overlook the ecological safety of wood. Of course, many can complain about the "fragility" of wood. In fact, such statements can be explained solely by ignorance of the characteristics of wood, misunderstanding of its properties. If you choose the right type of wood and do not skimp on various compositions for processing, you will not experience problems when operating the terrace, spend too much effort on caring for it.

Proper processing will allow you not to fear even a fire on a wooden terrace, it will be quite possible to cook a barbecue on it: accidentally falling coals will not lead to fatal consequences. Of course, such resistance of wood to fire will not save you from a fire caused by accumulation of debris on the terrace. Thus, the cleanliness of the veranda is no less a guarantee of safety than proper treatment.

Extension of a terrace to a wooden house

The construction of a wooden terrace can be done on your own. It is this material that is most often used for this purpose. For example, a brick or stone is heated in the sun and increases the temperature, but, on the other hand, this material is much stronger. But if the question is about the price, then the tree is the undisputed leader, especially if you have a lot of leftovers after other construction processes. So, to build a terrace made of wood, you need the following set of tools and materials:

roulette;
drill;
jigsaw;
screwdriver;
level;
chisel;
a hammer;
pencil;
shovels;
staples;
brushes;
cement;
wooden boards;
metal and stone blanks;
antiseptic;
paint.

Foundation construction

The principle of building a wooden terrace is expressed in the following successive stages:

First, mark the site. Drive in the pegs along the marked perimeter and pull the rope. It is also necessary to install additional supports in the corners, and put side logs on them.
Using a spirit level, level the horizontal. Place under temporary supports on the desired side. But keep in mind that the logs from the house should have a slope of up to 2 °. This will prevent water from trapping on the substrate.
Now it is worth aligning the cord along the upper edge of the log and fixing it securely to the peg. After that, you can remove the logs and start making the base.
At the corners of the future structure, it is necessary to build cement pillars. The height should be equal to the height of the temporary supports on which you put the logs.
It is necessary to dig a trench between the posts and fill it with cement mortar, having previously installed the curbs.

As for the internal space of the building, then it can be covered with rubble or a drainage system can be made. When building a foundation, be sure to tie it to your home. To do this, at the joints, drill holes in the foundation of the house and drive reinforcement into them.

Manufacturing of wooden flooring

When the base is ready, you can proceed to the direct installation of the wooden structure, and this process looks like this:

Lay logs on the posts and curbs and fix them.
Next, mark the places where the bars are attached.
Having laid out the bars, fasten them with corners with lags.
Now it's time to lay the boards. A great option for this would be a deciduous tree species. A board of 20–35 × 100–150 mm is suitable for this purpose. When stacking boards, be sure to leave small spaces for ventilation.
At the end of laying the flooring with a jigsaw, level the edges of the site.
The very last step is varnishing and painting.

Additional constructions

As for the further arrangement of the terrace, everything will depend on the way it is used. For example, you can additionally build:

The roof.
Fencing.
Pergolas.
Railing.
Swing and stuff.

All this will make the use of the terrace comfortable. By far, the roof for an extension to the house is considered the most important structure. It is very beautiful and original when it is made of the same material as the base, and in our case it is made of wood. Having made the roof structure, it can be covered with various building materials, for example, polycarbonate, slate, tiles, etc. This will require the construction of additional roof supports.

Polycarbonate terrace

If you decide to build a polycarbonate veranda, then you will need to familiarize yourself with another construction technology. First, it is worth noting that polycarbonate has many positive aspects, including strength, flexibility, ease of assembly, fire resistance, and so on.

Polycarbonate sheathing

If you decide to build an open terrace to the house, then you only need to install the roof lathing. If it is a closed type, then the lathing is also made for the walls. In this case, it is worth observing the following parameters:

The distance between the support posts should be between 1 and 3 m.
The distance between the lathing beams is from 80 to 100 cm.

Installation of polycarbonate is carried out by "dry" or "wet" method. If the panel is honeycomb, then holes for fastening are made in it with a pitch of 30–40 cm. Considering the fact that polycarbonate changes its volume under the influence of temperatures, its fixation is not tight. The process of laying the panels takes place according to the following instructions:

Installation must start from the left side of the roof. When joining sheets together, leave a small gap of up to 5 mm. If the used panel is honeycomb, then place them vertically so that condensation accumulated inside can be easily removed.
To prevent debris and moisture from entering the inside of the sheet, the panel is insulated with a solid tape and a strip in the upper end part, and a perforated tape is used in the lower part through which condensation will drain.
Fasteners are made using stainless steel screws with the mandatory use of washers. If the frame is metal, then use thermal washers that are similar in color or transparent.
Each joint formed between the sheets must be sealed or closed with decorative strips.

This technology is used to install a polycarbonate terrace to the house. By following simple tips and tricks, we are confident that you will cope with your task. Also, in addition to all that has been said, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the video and drawings of the terrace construction.