Built country house using frame technology plus a small veranda. The cost turned out to be quite economical, and the time frame was 3 and a half months. We even finished it a couple of weeks earlier than promised. We only go to the dacha in the summer, so I can’t say anything about thermal insulation. Thank you
Thank you very much for building a house made of aerated concrete. The quality of both the material and work is excellent - FRIENDS WILL BE JEALOUS. Time frame for completed work: a house was built from scratch in approximately 4.5 months. Good luck to all of you, good clients and big houses!!
They built our house in 3 months (they started the foundation at the end of summer, and finished the walls and interior decoration) , it didn’t turn out cheap, but everything was thought out, our participation was minimal. This year we are building a bathhouse together with them! Thank you for such professional guys that you provided us with!
Thank you so much for your work and attitude! Everything is efficient, high quality, fast! Thanks to the team led by Alexey!
The company built me a great summer house! I don’t have any complaints about the company; next summer I’m going to build a bathhouse and a garage. I’ll definitely contact them. Thanks to everyone, especially Sergei’s team, who built it for me, a lot depends on them!
We built a house from aerated concrete in your company - I’m very pleased. The house was erected on our pre-prepared foundation in 45 days. And as a gift we received home insurance for a year. So I recommend it.
In August 2017 I ordered the foundation ( monolithic slab) for a house in the Leningrad region. In 2018 I already ordered the house itself. I can recommend it because... We were pleased with the result. Everything was done quickly and professionally.
We ordered a house and garage from this company in the summer of 2016. The builders worked for about 4 months, without a break (they really liked it). Everything was done according to the agreement, no extra money was asked.
Frequently asked questions before construction
About company
How long has your company been in business?
Our company began work as a repair and finishing company in 2007. From that moment on, we have grown into the construction industry and all thanks to our employees. Special thanks for the work invested in the development of the company.
How is the competence of specialists confirmed?
All architects and engineers of the company have qualification certificates. Because the project is not subject to a company license, but to an architect’s certificate. By law, responsibility for the project lies with the architect.
Does your company do all the work? Or do you use contractors?
- We ourselves carry out general construction, Finishing work, site arrangement, wiring engineering systems(electricity, heating around the house, water supply) and so on.
- We invite contractors to work that we do not perform every day and require specialization, for example: production and installation of windows and doors (special orders), air conditioning systems, boiler room equipment, installation of wells, septic tanks.
- Searching, attracting, complying with agreements and monitoring the performance of work by contractors is our task.
- We carry out 80% of all work on the construction of your home ourselves and only 20% involve contractors.
- We enter into an agreement with each contractor in which he specifies a guarantee for the work performed by him, and in case of malfunctions, their elimination is the responsibility of the contractor.
Is it possible to see objects that are currently in operation?
Yes, there are objects that we can show at different stages of work and houses that have already been commissioned by prior arrangement.
about the project
Should I buy a standard project or order an individual one?
Buy finished project.
- Plus is the price.
- The downside is that it will not include all your wishes regarding materials and layouts. Also, it will require modification to suit the characteristics of your site.
Buy a ready-made project and modify it.
It all depends on the changes you want to make. It is possible that developing an individual project will be more profitable for you than modifying a standard one.
The cost of such modifications must be discussed during the meeting.
Development of an individual house project.
- Pros: all your wishes regarding all characteristics of the house and site are taken into account.
- The downside is that the cost of such a project is higher than a standard one.
BUT! You can develop an individual project for free. If our company builds, then the development of an individual project is free for you.
How is an individual project developed?
- The development of an individual project begins with the signing of a contract and the first meeting with the architects, at which the client voices his wishes. Based on the results of the meeting, a design assignment is drawn up, which is an annex to the contract.
- Architects prepare several versions of sketches and decide with the client in which direction to move next. During the entire design period, several meetings take place with the client, at which all architectural and design solutions are worked out in detail until the client is satisfied with everything, which he confirms with a signature on the Draft Design.
- Next, a working draft is developed. This is the calculation phase of each design solution in which the client is not involved.
- This entire process takes from 2 weeks to 2 months, after which the client receives a finished project with ready-made detailed calculations, which is necessary when submitting documents for a building permit.
About construction
Will you go to the site where construction is planned?
Yes. When inspecting the site, we take into account the size, access from the road and its width, the proximity of neighboring buildings, the presence of a slope or drop, cardinal directions and what kind of soil is on the site.
Do you help with choosing a site for construction?
Yes. Our specialists help with site selection. They will help you find it according to your requirements on the Internet with advertisements.
What affects the final price of a home?
The cost of building a house is affected by:
- site features: relief, entry conditions, location
- materials used in construction
- house architecture features
- work conditions (working time restrictions)
What guarantees do you provide?
We provide a 3-year guarantee on our work. The manufacturer provides a guarantee for materials and it is different in each case. There are materials for which the manufacturer provides a lifetime warranty.
How can I control construction?
- We send each client a step-by-step photo report of the work.
- We install online video surveillance of the facility 24 hours a day, you and the company’s specialists have access to it (paid service).
- You can also use the services of companies that provide technical control.
- The construction is carried out in stages, you always see which stage and only after accepting one, we proceed to the next.
When is the contract signed?
- The design contract is signed at the meeting, before the first communication with the architect.
- The construction contract is signed after the estimate has been developed and approved.
When should I pay for your work?
For design, an advance payment is required within 5 days after signing the contract in the amount of 70% of the total amount. The balance is paid upon delivery of the finished project to the client.
Payment for construction is broken down according to the stages specified in the estimate. Each stage of construction is also divided into payments, the size of which may vary (usually due to the need to purchase materials)
How are builders placed?
What communications are needed to start construction: electricity, water?
Electricity with a power of at least 5 kW and technical water.
If this is not the case, then we will bring our generators FREE OF CHARGE. Water in most cases wood construction used only for household needs, we will provide its delivery on our own.
What time of year do you carry out construction?
We are building all year round, one of important conditions V spring-autumn period This is a suitable road for vehicle access.
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU? |
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We will help you save by correctly calculating the estimate and choosing high-quality materials. |
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Complete high-quality design documentation, thanks to which you can not worry about the design decisions made. | |
It should be understood that the Japanese house of today and yesterday are in many ways different things. In our world, old traditions, materials, and technologies are being replaced everywhere by new ones; the Homeland of the Samurai is no exception. Architecture keeps up with the times and changes; in megacities this is more noticeable, in rural areas it is not so obvious.
🈚In urban housing you can find much more similarities with traditional design in the internal arrangement, which cannot be said about the appearance.
🈵Attention! Despite the fact that the Japanese style of house building was formed largely under the influence of Chinese architecture, it has a number of important features– simplicity, good lighting and an asymmetrical circuit!
🈯Minimalism is the main component of Japanese life and interior.
How a traditional house works in Japan
The classic housing of Japanese commoners is called Minka. In such buildings lived artisans, fishermen, merchants, in other words, all those segments of the population that did not belong to the samurai and nobility.
Minka can be divided into several types:
- matiya: where the townspeople lived;
- noka: lived by peasants;
- gyoka: fishermen's buildings;
- gassho-zukuri: mink in remote mountainous areas with steep and massive thatched roofs, silkworm hut.
🈚Matiya roofing - tiles or tiles. The roof of Nok is straw or shingles.
🈯Although Minka, in the classical sense of the word, implies medieval buildings, these days this term is applied to any residential building in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Key Features
Element Minka | Material | Peculiarities |
| Basic materials | wood, bamboo, clay, grass, straw | Easily accessible and not expensive materials. |
| Roof | straw, tiles | Based on wooden beams, can be straight, pointed at the corners or raised. |
| Walls | clay, wood | Interior walls are usually omitted, and Fusuma or Shoji (movable screens) are used instead - Washi paper attached to a wooden frame. For this reason, Minka can safely be called open-plan housing. |
| Foundation | stone | This is the only purpose. |
| Floor | earthen or wooden, raised on stilts (50-70 cm) | Covered with tatami or musiro mats. Tatami is more durable nice option, is made from special igusa bamboo and rice straw. |
| Furniture | tree | There is little furniture. Built-in wardrobes. You can highlight Kotatsu. This is a kind of small Japanese table. Consists of three elements: a support, a tabletop and a spacer between them in the form of a heavy blanket or futon mattress. Often under this table in the floor there was a heat source in the form of a fireplace. The most important things are stored in special Japanese chests on Tansu wheels; in case of fire, they can be easily saved by rolling them outside. |
| Windows and doors | wood and washi paper | All windows and doors, with the exception of the main entrance, are not stationary; their role is played by Fusuma or Shoji. |
| Decor | calligraphy, paintings, ikebana | Everything is very meager compared to European houses. Basically, one small niche (tokonama) is allocated to the decorative elements. |
🈯There are practically no chimneys. This is explained by the floor raised by stilts and the high roof.
Increasingly, traditional Japanese houses are built from several floors, although previously only one level was used.
In general, the history of architecture developed according to the characteristics of climate, relief and other features. Eg, heat and humidity influenced the fact that the Japanese home was made as open, ventilated and bright as possible.
And the danger of earthquakes and tsunamis prompted the use of piles in design. They softened the shocks. They also tried to lighten the roof as much as possible so that if the house was destroyed, it could not cause critical physical damage to the owners.
Japanese style presupposes a reverent attitude towards purity and harmony. After all, the room was originally a project for a person living on the floor. And for such a philosophy, the absence of dirt and chaos is extremely important. It is not for nothing that such things as special slippers in front of the restroom and bathroom or exclusively white socks have become customary.
🈚To be fair, we note that maintaining cleanliness in Japanese square meters is easier than in our apartments. This is due to the minimal presence of furniture - the main place where dust accumulates.
The Japanese garden deserves special mention
Picture: Garden
Harmony with the surrounding world and nature is deeply rooted in the philosophy of this eastern people. And this could not but affect them Everyday life, including designing your home.
The Japanese surrounded their houses with wonderful and characteristic gardens. Travelers were amazed by the beautiful and harmonious combination of natural components and man-made products: bridges, ponds, lanterns wrapped in transparent paper, figurines and much more.
But, perhaps, Sakura is the most common element in a Japanese garden. This is not just a plant, it is a real symbol of all eras, dynasties and empires.
🈚By removing everything Fusuma or Shoji, the Japanese turns the house into a kind of “gazebo” in his own garden, thereby satisfying the innate need to think about the meaning of life. This partly explains the absence of windows and doors that are classical in our understanding.
🈯By the way, many European and American landscape specialists garden design They take the Japanese style of home area design as the basis for their projects.
Device diagram
So, to summarize, the device diagram traditional home Japanese will consist of the following places:
- external fence;
- kindergarten;
- tea house (usually among the nobility);
- outbuildings (barn or storage place for tools and tools);
- veranda (engawa);
- main entrance (odo);
- hallway Genkan;
- kitchen;
- toilet;
- bathroom or Japanese bath ofuro;
- rooms (washitsu).
🈯The central part of the house may consist of several washitsu. If a large gathering of guests is planned, then all partitions are removed, creating one large hall!
🈵Important! The Japanese often measure rooms not by square meters, but by the number of tatami mats. A standard mat is 90 cm wide and twice as long.
In general, tatami is important element Japanese culture. Their number and arrangement can determine the character of the washitsu. For example, this could be a bedroom. In this case, a Japanese Futon mattress is placed on the mats and the result is a standard sleeping area resident of the area where Sumo wrestling originated.
Tea house or Chashitsu
Important and wealthy families had a tea house on their property. First similar structures appeared in the 15th century AD. From the name it follows that these places were intended for the tea ceremony and, in general, had the main properties and signs of culture - minimalism, asceticism, space and illumination.
🈯A pond or lake around is a classic of the genre!
At the same time, a number of features are observed:
- A low entrance requiring the person to kneel. The main message of this idea is that, regardless of status, everyone must bend down to enter this “temple of tea drinking and spiritual pleasure.” The second point is that people with weapons were not allowed here; such a door prevented a samurai from entering Tyashitsa with weapons.
- Opposite the entrance there was a place where certain attributes were concentrated. These were either traditional calligraphic designs and texts, which were the subject of discussion, or relaxing objects such as ikebanas or lavish incense sticks and incense burners.
🈚Japanese tea houses promote meditation and tranquility, or vice versa – they encourage philosophical conversations.
Picture: Tea house in Japan
Ryokan Hotels
These hotels can also be classified as traditional Japanese houses. For tourists and travelers, this is a kind of temple of traditional Japanese culture. Everything in the rooms is furnished in a manner consistent with the Mink hut.
Here you can plunge headlong into Japanese identity. Sleep on mattresses laid on tatami. Spend time in o-furo. See the traditional kimono attire that the staff wears. Taste using Japanese hashi chopsticks national cuisine, rich in seafood and vegetables.
Modern Japanese style house
As mentioned at the beginning, modern Japanese housing has changed a lot, especially on the outside, but interior design The interior design of almost any person from the Land of the Rising Sun contains a touch of national traditions.
In the current realities, when the cost per square meter and interior elements is rising, the Japanese style with its minimalist approach to arrangement is becoming the most practical. And the free layout of their homes provides people with the opportunity to realize their design fantasies and ideas.
Buildings in the city and rural areas should be considered separately.
City. The appearance of ancient and modern Japanese cities has changed dramatically. Wooden Matiyas were replaced by buildings erected using materials such as brick, concrete, iron, and bitumen.
In the central parts of the policies rise business skyscrapers, where the foundation of a strong and stable economy is forged. World famous corporations are located here.
The majority of citizens live in apartments located in multi-storey buildings. As a rule, these are five to seven storey buildings. Prevail one-room apartments. The area of the rooms does not exceed 10 square meters.
The layout of such housing is simply surprising with its rationalism when using such a limited area. Upon entering you will see this view:
- Small narrow corridor.
- On one side of the corridor there is a combined bathroom.
- On the other side there is a built-in wardrobe and a kitchen.
- Next is a small room.
- Miniature balcony with drying stick.
Space saving is evident in everything. This includes a kitchen built into a closet, placing plants on the walls, and a miniature bathroom. Well, the tradition of sitting on the floor, and, consequently, the lack of chairs and armchairs.
Entrance to the apartment
Kitchen in the closet
But some Western influence can also be identified, for example, the presence of a European bed or console under the TV.
More affluent people buy so-called family apartments (60-90 m2) or private houses on the outskirts.
🈵It is practically not practiced in Japanese houses central heating, instead, gas, electric, infrared and even kerosene heaters are used.
Countryside. Houses outside the city are less susceptible modern trends. Although many of them today are built on the model of Western society using know-how materials, it is still possible to draw an analogy with the traditional Minko.
Everyone decides for themselves to what extent their housing should correspond to classical Japanese culture and style.
Let us highlight several of the most common common features that are inherent in houses in the outback today:
- Minimum amount of furniture. Ignoring chairs and armchairs.
- Elevation of the floor half a meter above the ground.
- Open plan, which is provided by movable screens (Fusuma or Shoji).
- High roof.
🈯The more prosperous the peasant, the more he enjoys the achievements modern science. Poor people in the village still make a roof out of thatch, sleep on a futon, and warm themselves at a kotatsu.
Frame buildings
Whatever global trends in architecture occur, the Japanese build only frame houses. This technology is simply necessary for them to survive in an earthquake zone.
Frame house incredibly resistant to tremors, it seems to absorb and dampen them. There are known frame buildings that have survived a large number of earthquakes over a thousand years and were practically undamaged.
This technology has some advantages! They are relatively easy to restore when destroyed. These structures are lightweight, and if they collapse, they are unlikely to cause severe fatal damage.
There are three types frame houses:
- Wooden. These are traditional Japanese Minka, tea houses, temples;
- Reinforced concrete. Modern skyscrapers.
- Unusual futuristic buildings. Frame technology allows you to build fancy buildings of unusual shapes and their combinations.
Unusual frame structure
Dome houses are the most modern Japanese technologies in the field of architecture and construction
They have unusual design in the shape of a hemisphere. It looks like alien earth settlements of the future.
The most unique thing is the material. Essentially, it's a home made of reinforced polystyrene foam! It endows these buildings with properties that are useful and necessary for the Japanese climate, such as strength and high thermal insulation. You can also avoid spending on the frame and foundation, which significantly reduces its cost.
In Europe, they are actively beginning to introduce this technology in the production of seasonal suburban housing.
At the end of the video on the topic:
Japan, like its culture, has always been a mysterious and alluring country for Europeans, deserving close attention. The space of the inhabitants of the islands is quite limited, and over many years they have adapted to planning their homes in a special way.
They learned to plan economically and clearly, rationally using all available space. What features do Japanese houses have, and what distinguishes and characterizes this unusual style for us? A Japanese residential house is called “minka”, which literally means “house of people” in Japanese. But there is another traditional type of house in the country, intended for ritual activities. It's called a pagoda.
A huge part of the Japanese used to live in modest wooden houses. Some of them have been perfectly preserved to this day. Of course, for today's residents they are no longer relevant. Most of them live in small private cottages or in modern multi-apartment high-rise buildings.
What did a traditional minka look like and what did it consist of?
- The base of the house, or its skeleton, was made of wood.
- The outside walls were lined with bamboo and plastered.
- Instead of walls inside the building, special sliding screens were used.
- Tatami mats and musiro mats were used for making.
Depending on the region, the design of buildings could change, some things were improved over time.
But the main thing remained the same - it was inexpensive and as simple housing as possible, capable of protecting the family from bad weather.
Richer people, merchants and wealthy peasants, could use more expensive materials - fired tiles, quality wood, durable stone.
Today, Japanese minka is rather a tradition that is of great interest to many visitors.
Features of a traditional Japanese house
Signs of a traditional Japanese home
Minimalism– one of the main signs of a house in which absolutely everything is thought out, functional and rational.
- There is nothing superfluous here; conciseness and simplicity are valued.
- Here, by definition, chaos, chaos, and accumulation of unnecessary things are impossible.
- You will not find in such a home or closet cluttered with unfashionable clothes, broken equipment, skis and old bicycles.
- Minimalism is present in everything, both in the design of the house outside and in the last corner inside.
Functionality
- In a typical Japanese home, there cannot be any unusable space by definition.
- Every tiny area of the area is carefully thought out.
- In this country, most homes traditionally have small size, so homeowners have to make the most of all available square meters.
- Only necessary household appliances, functional: residents try to remove and close all things and objects so that nothing is in sight, does not interfere or disturb the overall style of the home.
Minimum furniture
Screen doors
- It is not so often possible to see our traditional ones in a Japanese home.
- Typically, screens are used in such houses, sliding doors and lungs.
- The basic principles that the islanders try to adhere to are convenience and comfort, respect for space and as little noise as possible.
No strong walls
- Typical house made in Japanese style, does not have solid and strong.
- It is compact and quite lightweight.
- Its walls are thin and have small walls.
- Typical Vacation home usually a simple quadrilateral.
- Role interior walls ok, special movable partitions play a role. They can be swapped at will, decorating the home in different ways.
- As internal partitions The Japanese use high-quality plastic or frosted tempered glass for their homes.
- In the old days, special screens were made from processed rice paper, which was then decorated with fancy patterns.
- It is the absence of solid stationary partitions inside the house that makes such a home dynamic and mobile, and its interior alive and changing.
- The design of the room can always be changed according to the mood, the number of inhabitants or the season.
- You can play up your living space by making rooms smaller or larger.
Transformable house and other quirks
- A Japanese house is a kind of transformer, which its inhabitants can easily adapt to their own needs.
- The roofs of Japanese houses traditionally have a very slight slope. Thanks to this, the structure looks wide and rather squat.
- The entire interior space of such a home is as open as possible. It is unlikely that you will find many small rooms, nooks and tiny storage rooms there. Even in small house There is always a lot of free space.
- The walls of Japanese-style houses are usually decorated with paintings. This could be a blooming branch of Japanese cherry in an elegant dark frame, which should have rectangular shape. Local design does not welcome flashy and pretentious frames with various curls.
Famous feng shui
- Feng Shui symbols are usually used to decorate a Japanese home, including various amulets and exquisite figurines.
- But all the decor is used in small quantities - local design is intolerant of excesses.
- There must certainly be living plants in the house, especially for a wooden one-story building.
- This can be an elegant bonsai in emphatically simple but sophisticated pots. Often in a home here you can see a miniature plum or pine tree, differing from the real one only in size.
Niches and partitions
- A common feature of Japanese houses is small wall niches.
- Traditionally, carefully selected items that do not fall out are placed in them. general style objects and little things.
- Very often, original stained glass is used here to decorate various objects and partitions.
Textiles and light
- Textiles in Japanese interiors are used to the bare minimum.
- Fabric curtains often replace comfortable bamboo blinds.
- You will also rarely find expensive bedspreads and carpets here.
- Stylish, comfortable mats have been completely replaced, beds are covered with thick fabric in calm tones without bright patterns.
- Islanders do not like the dead white light of modern lamps: they can use it at work or in the office.
- For home comfort they prefer soft, warm, warming tones.
Special Akari lamps were created for warming comfort. Perhaps such a device can be found in every Japanese country house.
Materials for houses using Japanese technology
Locals prefer natural natural materials, both for the construction of the buildings themselves and for their finishing.
What materials do the Japanese love more than others??
Tree
Stone
- Stone is also often used to build houses.
- In the Land of the Rising Sun, a unique philosophy of stone is very popular. According to it, minerals are, as it were, the highest creations of omnipotent nature.
- The stone is hard, indestructible, silent and independent.
The stone is virtually invulnerable, and has many other qualities beyond the control of humans. Therefore, it is actively used for finishing the outside of the house and in interior design.
Your own stone house outside the city, with wooden elements, is the dream of any local resident.
Other materials
Other materials are also active in the architecture and design of traditional houses:
- rattan,
- sisal,
- jute,
- straw and so on.
These materials are used to make rugs, mats, window curtains and other textiles. Such products are much nicer than heavy, dusty curtains. Japanese analogues do not accumulate dust, they are perfectly cleaned and washed with the simplest means.
Since ancient times, Japanese style has been characterized by its simplicity, minimalism, incredible harmony and sophistication. These graceful wooden buildings have open plan, spacious rooms and light partition doors made of thick paper or bamboo. For the Japanese, the main condition has always been being close to nature, the opportunity to observe natural processes and magical landscapes, which helps them find peace and harmony within themselves.
House in Japanese
A traditional Japanese house is built on the basis wooden frame and is covered with a pitched roof. At the entrance there is a terrace with wooden flooring; it is divided into two parts - one of them is under a canopy, and the other is in the open air.
In modern conditions, such exclusively wooden houses are impractical and short-lived, so the construction of a European home involves decorating individual elements according to the Japanese style. For example - used Decoration Materials in a certain color scheme oriental style, a miniature rock garden is set up, or light sliding doors are installed in the house. Small terraces decorated with dwarf pines, bamboo or other upright plants.
Garden in Japanese
That is why the landscape is considered the main element of a Japanese home. The Japanese are staunch followers of their ancient philosophy and therefore attach great importance to water and stones. Their houses are distinguished by the presence of a small pond, mini-waterfall or fountain on its territory, because according to beliefs, water cleanses the house from evil. There is also a common concept for arranging a garden and park area in the Japanese style - “Rock Garden”. This is the use of large and rough stones different breeds, structures and colors in the arrangement of parks and courtyards.
A Japanese garden gate must be made of wood. Light and lattice-like, according to philosophy, it transmits not only sunlight, but also the power of nature, the light energy of plants and air.
To make the garden as similar as possible to Japanese, you can use bamboo as the material from which the fence will be made. This material is not only distinguished by its characteristics of strength and durability, but will also provide style to the entire yard and garden.
To arrange a recreation area, you should pay attention to Japanese gazebos, which allow you to very pleasantly spend time drinking tea or observing nature. A mini-garden with paths and bonsai is usually built around them.
It is the paths that are also an integral part of Japanese landscape design. You can create them in two ways:
- a scattering of fine gravel or other natural stones;
- concrete slabs (more durable and practical), diluted spaces with soil, sand or gravel.
Japanese interior
First of all, it should be remembered that Japanese is about open, bright spaces and minimalism. “Cluttered” rooms scatter the attention of the living person and distract him from focusing on important thoughts.
The most important thing, as mentioned earlier, is light, sliding partition doors made in the appropriate color spectrum. Such doors can lead to a terrace and open up a beautiful view of nature, or they can create different zones indoors, serving as partitions.
It is best to cover the floor with a mat or covering that imitates straw mats. Accents in the interior can be bright pillows, a carpet or a painting.
To give the room a Japanese style, you should choose the right furniture - it should be light and wooden. You can also use small tables or Japanese curtains.
It is important to remember that Japanese style is aimed at emphasizing the beauty and sophistication of decorative elements; it uses natural materials for finishing, predominantly milky, white and beige shades with a contrast of black or dark brown.
Japanese style is not only restraint and simplicity of form, but also an inextricable connection with the surrounding nature.
The fashion for a house or home decorated in an unusual style has always existed. But the case of houses built with claims to the Japanese style is slightly different from the options for imitating Italian, French or Dutch architecture. Western houses have always been the epitome of practicality and adaptation to the local climate.
The traditional Japanese house was business card family living in it, and in most cases was created not with the goal of achieving maximum living comfort, but as a continuation of the traditions and complex worldviews of a centuries-old culture.
What is Japanese architecture
Even an ordinary person, far from the originality of the Japanese style, once looking at a Japanese temple, pagoda or ancient samurai house, will confirm that it is unusual and beautiful. To create a Japanese-style home, you need a little:
- The project takes into account the basic, understandable to us, canons and rules of the Japanese tradition;
- Give the building classical features and design elements to emphasize that the architecture of the house belongs to the Japanese style;
- Decorate the space around the house in accordance with the requirements of Japanese architectural tradition and style. Territory, vegetation, landscape are ideally an organic continuation Japanese house.
Important! When building a house in the Japanese tradition, it is very important to copy not the elements of the building, but their design style. It is extremely difficult to build a real Japanese house due to the huge number of details and nuances. Moreover, for a Western person such a home is not always convenient and understandable. It is much easier to create Japanese style house designs.
Differences and features of a Japanese-style house
A real traditional Japanese house is a little different from the designs we know from films and photos. Those examples of Japanese architecture and style that we know belong to the family estates and castles of wealthy people, high-ranking dignitaries, military leaders and clergy in ancient Japan.
They became the basis for the creation modern houses in Japanese style. Classic Japanese houses in different parts of Japan differed in some details, but all were built according to the same laws:
- The territory on which the house or temple was located was always surrounded by a protective fence, had a large number of plantings, planted in strict accordance with established rules, paths and auxiliary facilities;
- The house had an open and closed part, designed in the form of several terraces, directly in front of the house there was always open area or pond;
- The walls of the house had a large number vertical racks, which supported the massive roof, and windows, which provided normal lighting in most interior spaces.
- The main part of the house was installed on wooden stilts with two or three stacked supports made of natural stone. This is also a Japanese style of providing thermal insulation and protection from dampness and flood water.
For your information! The most recognizable element of a Japanese house is the specific curved shape of the roof. It is this element that has become decisive for any house built in the Japanese style.
Basic elements of a Japanese style home
The first thing that makes a house in a characteristic Japanese style so recognizable and original is the roof of the building. The roof design is in many ways reminiscent of elaborate Chinese roofs, but simpler and more practical.
Of the European roofing designs, the ones closest to the Japanese style are Danish and Dutch. hip roofs, also designed for large amounts of precipitation and strong winds from the sea.
Therefore, in a house built in the Japanese style, the roof is always built with a negative curvature of the slopes, as in the photo. Traditionally, in the roof of a Japanese-style house, the roof slopes had several tiers, two or three.
With this roof design, snow and moisture did not linger on the roof for a long time, which significantly reduced the load on the very heavy and massive rafter system. Long overhangs rafter legs were used as suspension points for lighthouse lanterns, which could be used to navigate the estate at night in conditions of pitch darkness.
The oriental style is characterized by very large and long roof overhangs, especially at the corners and above the entrance to the house. In this way, they tried to divert rain and melt water as far as possible from the foundation and walls of the house.
The second, most recognizable element of the house, characteristic of the Japanese style, was the open terraces and a large number of vertical posts and supports that hold the roof and give rigidity to the walls of the house.
In the past, this technique made it possible to strengthen the walls of a house with a large number of huge window openings, decorative screens, covering the internal space from prying eyes. Now it's only decorative element, inherent in the traditional style of building design, photo.
House in classic style always complemented by a huge canopy over the entrance or side of the building. Traditionally, a place under a canopy or on large terrace was the main location during daylight hours.
IN modern building this is a beautiful attribute of a Japanese-style house, photo. Terraces surrounded the perimeter of the house, in some cases at least ¾ of the entire space. This was convenient in the old days, and in the same way they emphasize style in modern buildings.
Traditionally, in the Japanese value system, the home was both a temple and a place for ordinary human activities. Therefore, as in many others oriental styles, in the courtyard of the house there may be a chapel, figures and religious objects next to ordinary everyday things and objects.
Such a house was always built from wood, stone, paper, and fabrics. Therefore, in modern interiors And design solutions in the Japanese style, even plastic and synthetic materials are most often designed and decorated to resemble wood and stone. But, given the great interest in environmentally friendly projects and decorative materials, interior and appearance buildings in a traditional style only benefit from this.
The third specific attribute of a house in a traditional design style is the ability to decorate and create a very beautiful landscape in the local area. This could be a series of unusually shaped shrubs or trees, as in the photo, a fancifully laid out garden made of stone and ornamental plants, a small pond with a miniature waterfall. Traditionally, Japanese pine was used - bonsai, which was planted at the entrance to the house and along the paths.
The decorative lawn or rock garden in the house was always complemented by a large platform, on which, in fact, all the main events in the estate took place. Visually, such an addition increased the size of the estate and was a sign of the high position of the owner. IN modern style The site is traditionally used as a parking place for cars.
Today, the territory of the estate in the classic version is necessarily equipped with gates and a high fence, which is used as thin steel tubular fences covered with dense bushes. But in budget options the house is simply surrounded by a high stone wall.
Japanese style house interior
The traditional option for arranging the interior space of a house can be called quite minimalistic and strict. Following traditions, the house should have a minimum amount of furniture and objects. It is customary to decorate the interior walls of the house with engravings and drawings in the style of graphics and ink painting on silk.
Japanese style in the interior requires large quantity light, free space, so you can rarely see tall trees or overgrown bushes in front of the windows of the house. At night, due to the large number of lights, the building seems to consist entirely of windows.
The ceiling design was quite unusual. IN classic house floor and roof beams often served as a frame and storage room, a place to store a large amount of food and various items. Today from old tradition only the symbolic elements of the frame remained.
The most important element of the interior was the floor and flooring. The floor was always made from the strongest and hardest type of wood, and after assembly it was polished with wax to a shine. In a modern interpretation, natural oak and cedar are used, less often laminate or carpet covering, imitating traditional bamboo mats. Light paper and fabric screens were used for partitions and interior walls in the house, which are now being successfully replaced decorative panels with the texture of silk and bamboo frames.
Conclusion
The beauty of a house built in the Japanese style is very specific and interesting, European standards are very difficult to adapt to modern interpretations cultural traditions of Japan, therefore often even in Europe or Asia such houses have only an external resemblance to the main ones architectural solutions Japanese estate. The interior design of a home is most often adjusted to the needs, habits and preferences of the owners, which does not prevent them from considering their home to correspond to the classical canons.
