Ring beam and wooden beam ceiling in hip roof - optimal?

Hello everyone,

our current plan for a two-story house with a hipped roof ("Toscanahaus") provides the following roof construction: The top floor ceiling is designed as a wooden beam ceiling. The roof beams rest on a ring beam. Construction otherwise solid brick.

Now two general contractors have told us that this construction method is significantly too expensive because of the ring beam and that a solid concrete ceiling, on which the roof beams rest, would be the technically and economically more advantageous variant. In addition, the summer heat protection would be better due to the concrete ceiling. However, this would make the house higher than in our previous plan, which we actually like quite well.

What do you think? Is a design with a concrete ceiling really the more advantageous variant?

Thank you very much for your assessments, ufr

No. Nonsense. Ring beam and insulated wooden ceiling at the top are cheaper. How do they come up with that? Thermal insulation is also not a problem at all.

Hello,

I have to agree with Nordlys, normally the concrete ceiling is significantly more expensive (but also higher quality). If your general contractor can now offer the concrete ceiling even cheaper, then I would have the execution documented in the contract / construction service description in writing and enjoy the concrete ceiling. We are also currently building and only have a wooden ceiling with drywall in the upper floor to the attic. If I were to build again, then never again with a wooden ceiling, it has no advantages except for the price.

Concrete ceilings are generally more expensive (material proportion > labor proportion), the wooden beam ceiling should generally be somewhat cheaper (labor proportion > material proportion). Therefore, I find the statements unusual.

What else comes to mind:

Concrete ceiling:
- As far as I know, no ring beam necessary, which means the windows can be higher if the lintel reinforcement is integrated statically into the ceiling, so an advantage
- Insulation in my opinion only possible "above" the concrete ceiling, meaning you lose about 20 cm of height at the top of the attic and the 20 cm concrete ceiling is initially "senselessly" heated, so both rather disadvantages in my opinion
- "No" movement relative to the walls, so no cracks as with wooden beam ceilings, so an advantage
- Easier spot planning and installation because the spacing of the wooden beams does not have to be considered

Wooden beam ceiling:
- Opposite of above, ring beam necessary, so windows become lower if the ring beam is not recessed. If it is recessed somewhat, then it can look strange from the outside because the window then "sinks into the roof." If a roof box is added, it definitely looks odd. Similarly high windows as with a concrete ceiling could only be achieved through higher room height and a suspended ceiling in my opinion. So rather a disadvantage. If the windows on the upper floor are to be exactly as high as on the ground floor, the room height on the upper floor must be much higher than on the ground floor because the ring beam requires height.
- Insulation is usually done between the rafters (e.g. floor area divided into 92% insulation 8% wooden beams, thus 8% "heat loss"). Still, in my opinion rather an advantage.
- Wood moves, so over time cracks usually appear at the transitions to the walls if you use rough plaster inside. Probably not a problem with wallpaper. Clearly a disadvantage if you use rough plaster. Maybe can be mitigated if you do longitudinal battens + OSB + drywall instead of just cross battens + drywall as ceiling cladding.
- More tricky spot planning and installation because the spacing of the wooden beams must be considered

Conclusion:
As often with house construction, the choice of ceiling in my opinion is a matter of taste.

Wooden beam ceiling requires more working time in my opinion, so they probably "want" to finish it quickly and not work forever on the wooden beam ceiling and offer it "on paper" cheaper.

Thank you very much in advance for the answers, that helps us in the decision-making process!

Hello, If I were to build again, then never with a wooden ceiling, it has no advantages except for the price.

Can you briefly say why you would no longer build with a wooden ceiling? Thanks!

For a concrete ceiling, you do not need a vapor barrier. The application is a task that must be carried out very thoroughly, otherwise you can have problems with moisture. I meticulously searched our ceiling for leaks after applying the vapor barrier and did find some, and now hope that I have not overlooked anything. It is also significantly easier to attach something to a concrete ceiling than to a ribbed ceiling (not in terms of the necessary force, which is of course much higher for concrete, but in terms of technical execution). You certainly do not live differently in a house with a concrete ceiling between the upper floor and the attic than with a wooden ceiling (unless you convert the attic, then the aspect of sound insulation is added), but with a concrete ceiling you have a construction that is less prone to errors and with which you are more flexible in attaching objects to the ceiling.