Houses made of foam concrete. features of foam concrete

In this article we will talk about what the average cost of a house of foam concrete, as well as what the technical characteristics of this material, and what the technology of its use. Today this topic is becoming increasingly relevant against the background of the permanent rise in prices for traditional building materials. So, from what to build, so that the price of the finished house was affordable?

Quality building materials available to many

Are you dreaming about building a country house or a cottage, but not enough money to buy bricks or high-quality lumber? Make your dream a reality will allow new technologies.

Despite the fact that the house of foam concrete blocks is not as expensive as an ordinary cottage, it can be much more attractive for a number of performance characteristics. So, what advantages are inherent in construction objects built with the use of cellular concrete?

The main characteristics of foam concrete and building materials based on it

Foam concrete is a category of cellular concrete, whose structure is a collection of a large number of closed air-filled pores. Pore ​​formation is a complex process that takes place during the hardening of the cement-sand mixture with the addition of a foaming agent.

Closed pores filled with air have practically no effect on the strength properties of the concrete ready-made material, but at the same time they are a good heat insulator.

Important: The results of the study of buildings erected with the use of non-autoclaved cellular concrete, after 40 years of operation, demonstrate that the strength of the building material has not decreased, but on the contrary, has increased at least 3 times in comparison with the original figures.

Modern cellular concretes are used in two configurations, namely, in the form of blocks and as a solution intended for pouring monolithic structures and structures. In either case, the price of the material is an order of magnitude more affordable than the cost of traditional solutions.

Foam blocks are most popular today, and this demand is not accidental, since this type of building materials is different:

• accurate shapes and sizes and, as a result, ease of transportation and ease of use in construction;
• low weight;
• ease of machining (in this case, diamond drilling of holes in concrete will not be required, as an ordinary perforator or electric drill will suffice);
• affordable price.

Features of the construction of foam concrete blocks

As already mentioned, during the construction of construction objects cellular concrete are used in the form of mortar and in the form of blocks. In this case, consider the use of blocks, since this solution is more accessible in relation to low-rise individual housing construction.

Of course, in specialized organizations, you can order the required amount of cellular concrete and pour monolithic walls. But the device of such formwork provides for the need for a special project and in due experience. At the same time, a house of foam concrete with its own hands using blocks is constructed as simply as brick.

Construction work is carried out in stages, and therefore consider the features of the implementation of each of them.

Design and selection of masonry mortar

If the foam concrete house requires a special project developed in accordance with the peculiarities of this material, then any project can be used for construction with the use of foam blocks. For example, a good solution would be to build a cinder block or ordinary brick.

However, when choosing a brick house project, it should be remembered that cellular material has a lower thermal conductivity than traditional building materials, and therefore the thickness of the walls in one block will be enough. Consequently, the amount of foam on the house will not be so large that will favorably affect the cost of the entire structure.

As a masonry mortar, you can apply the usual cement-sand mortar prepared at the rate of 3 parts of Portland cement to 6 parts of sifted sand. Masonry mortar should be thoroughly mixed without lumps and seals. The degree of density is determined from those considerations so that the finished solution crawls from the inclined trowel, and does not fall down from it and does not remain on it.

However, the use of traditional solution can be abandoned in favor of moisture-resistant cement mortar, which can be purchased in the form of ready-made dry mix. You will need to dilute the prepared mixture with water and mix. The advantage of acquiring dry mortar is saving time, but the price of such a solution will be an order of magnitude higher than the cost of a self-prepared solution.

The average solution consumption per one meter of layer is 10-15 kg.

So, after we have decided on the choice of the project and construction materials, we proceed to construction work.

Basement and Foundation

Since we are building a country house, it will be right to foresee the construction of a basement.

The pit under the basement rummages in the part of the future house where the kitchen, corridor or other ancillary facilities will be located. For the construction of the base of the floor and the walls of the basement is better to use concrete with mid-size rubble as a filler. Strengthen the concrete structure should be through reinforcing rods with a diameter of 3-5 mm, connected in a grid.

The base of the floor is also poured as an ordinary screed, as a guide you can use beacons. The walls of the basement are poured into a formwork made of plywood or plank shields.

As the ceiling for the basement you can use a concrete slab. This stage of work should be approached especially seriously, since only cutting of reinforced concrete with diamond circles will allow correcting errors.

For more information about the construction and waterproofing of the basement, you can read the relevant articles on our portal.

The foundation for the walls of foam blocks can be made of concrete tape brand B7.5. This design, despite the high price, in comparison with the columnar counterpart, will ensure the entire construction reliability, stability and durability even in harsh climatic conditions.

Important: In order to ensure the normal operation of the basement, when building the foundation, do not forget to bring the ventilation ducts. In addition, it is necessary to timely remove the pipe for water supply and for the discharge of sewage into the sewage system or cesspool.

Walls

The construction of the walls is at least a crucial stage than the arrangement of the basement and the laying of the foundation. If desired, you can raise the reinforced concrete frame in the form of side columns and in the intervals lay out foam blocks. However, you can lay out the blocks as well as ordinary brickwork.

Walls поднимаются следующим образом:

• Inspect the upper plane of the basement and knock down all the protruding nodules. If this is not done, the blocks will not become smooth and subsequent rows will also be curves. The hollows on the surface of the foundation are not terrible, as they will still fill the masonry mortar.
• At the corners of the future walls we drive in even planks, on which we fasten a cord, which will serve as a guide for the laying of building materials.

• We spread the first row on the same layer of masonry mortar along the entire perimeter. Putting one block and aligning it with the cord carefully so as not to split it, we drive it with a sledgehammer into the solution.

Important: After strikes caused by a sledgehammer, the blocks can not be moved, since the required strength will no longer be.

• After the first block is laid, we throw the solution on its edge and on the surface of the foundation and put the next block. Carefully leveling the cord and the water level, we put the entire first row.
• The second row is laid with an offset of 2/3 relative to the underlying brick.
• In the place where the bearing walls are connected with interroom partitions, we set up the reinforcing bar for the bundle.
• We make door and window openings by immediately inserting temporary wooden frames into them. This is done to make it easier to level blocks.
• In the upper part of the openings, we install steel corners, which will subsequently hold the stacked blocks.

Conclusion

Now you know the characteristics of foam concrete. In addition, you know what brand of concrete is used for the foundation of a house of foam concrete and what is the construction instruction using this surprising material in all respects.

If you have any questions, you can find the answers to them by watching the video in this article.