Doing the foundation with your own hands
The foundation is that part of the building which, after the completion of construction, cannot be redone, corrected or supplemented with any elements. You can install additional walls, expand or vice versa, lay openings, complete the additional floor, change the roof construction, and the foundation will still remain as you build it during construction.
For a house to be strong and reliable, you need a solid foundation that can withstand any vagaries of nature and weight loads.
Preparatory work
The location of the construction site is the main factor for choosing the type of foundation. You will determine what foundation your home will have at the design stage after conducting a soil survey.
The most expensive construction is considered to be a monolithic foundation. Its construction is necessary if the construction site is located on marshy soils. For other types of soil, strip foundations or columnar with grillage are poured.
Preparatory work должны быть выполнены качественно с полным соблюдением технологии.
These include:
- Accurate and rational marking of the boundaries of the foundation.
- Well done excavation work. The required depth of the pit is dug according to the project and the selected type of foundation.
- Laying a sandy pillow with a layer of at least 20 cm.
- Installation of formwork around the foundation of solid wood. Shields should be placed strictly parallel on both sides of the pit. The upper part is interconnected by crossbars. The formwork itself requires maximum compliance with the installation rules. A shift towards the formwork wall will entail a violation of the foundation structure and its strength.
- Installation inside steel frame formwork. It is the main binder of concrete. The quality of the frame will provide the necessary design strength of the base. For a bundle of reinforcement use wire. It is possible to connect the rods by welding, but this procedure increases the cost of the foundation.
- Access to the building of all communication taps and device in the design of the base of the ventilation ducts.
Concrete preparation
Preparatory work завершены и проведены они были по всем правилам. Следующий этап — приготовление качественного раствора. Основой бетона является цемент. Прочный качественный фундамент можно залить, использовав цемент марки 300 или 400.
The hygroscopicity of the solution depends on the type of cement used. It is very important that the cement comes to the construction site in whole packs and is stored according to the requirements written on the bags.
In addition to cement, good sand, medium-sized crushed stone and water are also needed. Materials must be purchased for future use, so that the base was poured immediately, not in parts. Why is that? About this you will learn further.
Rapidly hardening mixture needs urgent use. Making concrete in small portions, they need to be quickly poured into the foundation, and this is unproductive and time consuming.
At small volumes of construction use concrete mixers. If the building is large or it is necessary to fill the tile foundation, it is better to order the concrete mix at the factory.
Fill technology
The finished mixture just need to pour into the formwork and evenly distributed over the entire area of the base. To the foundation was strong and of high quality, it is necessary:
- Remove formed air bubbles from the foundation structure. To do this you will need a deep vibrator or shovel. For tamping use the stalk. It is desirable to tamp the mixture before it starts to harden.
- The surface of the solution needs to be well leveled and checked level horizontal.
- To the foundation as quickly as possible and better gained strength, it must be covered with a film. If the air temperature is too high, it is advisable to periodically wet the surface with water.
If all the work is done efficiently, the foundation of the house will be reliable and durable.
Questions from readers and professional answers
Is it possible to fill the foundation with parts
It is advisable to fill the foundation of the building immediately in order to obtain a monolithic structure. There are many different situations in life and sometimes there is simply no way to do concreting in one go. You can fill in parts if you follow the rules:
- Divide the base into compartments vertically. Pour each compartment at a time.
- For a bunch of compartments should be fittings, which will be released from the filled part in vain.
- Before you start pouring the next compartment, the previous wall must be poured with water.
When pouring slab foundation to interrupt the process of concreting is impossible.
What are the optimal conditions for concreting?
The foundation for the building is better to be laid when the temperature is above zero. Work can be carried out in the fog or with a little rain. At high humidity, concrete hardens better.
In construction technology there is a winter base casting, but it is very difficult.
Do not start construction if the air temperature is not more than +5 degrees.
How to prepare a solution for columnar or ribbon base?
The amount of solution required for your foundation can be calculated by the project. Having learned volume of the base, you will know the volume of the required concrete solution.
Three parts of crushed stone of the middle fraction and sand and one part of cement M400 are laid in the concrete mixer.
How to pour a solid foundation
For a monolithic structure, you need to install solid formwork and fill it in one go. Under the tiled foundation, you must install a drainage system. When the system is installed, a layer of sand is poured and compacted.
A reinforcing cage is installed on top and the installation of solid formwork is done. A large amount of concrete is required for tiled foundations, so it is better to order special equipment and ready-made concrete. The rest of the work can be done independently.
Errors
Errors can be avoided if you know about them:
- Refusal to conduct geological exploration.
- Wrong foundation type selected.
- Incorrect load calculation.
- Saving on material for formwork. Poor quality of mounting boards.
- Partial mating reinforcement.
- The finished foundation is left under the scorching rays of the sun without shelter.
- Disturbance of proportionality of the components of the solution.
We advise you to read:
- a fence from a professional flooring with the base;
- how to build a simple arbor.