Skeleton system in a family house? Large open spaces or possible changes at any later time.

A well-built house. Everyone wants it, but how to recognize it?
If you ask people what they imagine under the term "well-built house" or simply "good house," they will most often reply that such a house is primarily spacious and sunny. Many people also perceive a clear trend where quality houses are considered to have minimal energy consumption or will be completely energy-independent in the future. If you ask about the quality of the construction itself, most will remember that a good house must primarily be dry. These criteria seem very general at first glance. However, if we adhere to them during planning and the actual construction, we have a chance to acquire a truly well-built house.

With the Goldbeck Skelet system, you build a growing house that you can expand at any time.

Am I building a house for myself or for my family?
The function of houses changes over time as the habits and lifestyles of their inhabitants, or households, change. While in the past, houses provided shelter and safety for up to three generations simultaneously, often with livestock, later living transformed into a family nest where children moved out to their own homes upon adulthood. Today's situation is significantly more dynamic. As revealed by the results of the census of people, houses, and apartments conducted by the Czech Statistical Office in 2011, the occupancy of households has decreased from 3.4 to 2.4 people over the last fifty years. In the past fifteen years, the number of single-person households has doubled. The most common household model today represents an initially unmarried couple who have children at an older age. There are more divorces now, and parents are more often moving in with their children as they age.
A single perspective cannot be applied to individual households, yet it is important for everyone considering building or buying a house to think about its construction over a longer horizon. A young childless couple will likely be satisfied with a smaller space, but it will need to be significantly expanded with the birth of children. It is possible to add onto an existing brick house, but it will be only slightly simpler than building a completely new house. The construction method that naturally allows for an expansion of space based on the original structure will be shown below.

What will you build from and how?
A brick house is considered the traditional way of building in the Czech Republic today. However, if we look at a longer period in history, we find that what is really traditional is building with wood. Both types of construction can also be combined, just as one can choose from new and old systems of building, such as panel or steel constructions. If a well-built house is to meet the above requirements, the most suitable solution appears to be separating the load-bearing part of the structure from the other constructions.

This construction approach is offered by the Goldbeck Skelet system, which was inspired by larger industrial buildings. After all, it is the originally industrial buildings that have proven to be the most open to changes in function and use, transitioning from original manufacturing plants into apartments, offices, or even cultural centers or offices today. The separation of the load-bearing structure, which in this case consists of a slender prefabricated reinforced concrete skeleton, allows for easy future expansion of the building, alteration of the internal layout, or wall infill. In contrast to a conventionally built house on foundation strips with a load-bearing wall system, the construction of the Skelet system is based on monolithic pads that can be manufactured at any time without intervention in the foundation of the original house.

Spacious, sunny, and dry house
Returning to the most common demands for a "well-built house," it is the skeletal building that can fulfill these requirements. The large spans of Goldbeck Skelet system create completely free spaces inside the floors that can be left as they are or altered in the future. The skeletal frame also allows for the safe and easy installation of large glazed surfaces. A solid structure can be created in the highest quality while remaining simple, opening the space for a sea of additional ideas and visions.

The point-supported modular foundation slab of the Goldbeck Skelet system creates an air gap under the house without the need for moisture protection, which helps improve the thermal behavior of the house—keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer.

If you want a well-built house for your family, consider its characteristics over a longer time frame and choose a construction technology that can provide you with a good house in all aspects, whether you build it yourself or with contractors.