Foundation on peat do it yourself

Successful development of the technique of preparing foundation foundations on peaty soil is possible only if the direct executor has certain skills for this kind of work. It is for this reason that we would like to tell you about how to build a foundation on peat with your own hands, as well as to acquaint you with some features of the organization of work on lightly bearing soils.

Selection of foundation type

The selection of the type of foundation, as a rule, is preceded by a study of the depth of the peat beds at the place of work, the results of which can lead to the following conclusions:

1. When the depth of the reservoir is up to one meter and if there is a dense soil under it, one can resort to the so-called “peeming” (removal of the peat layer), which should be carried out to the full depth. At the same time, a sandy substrate is made in a pre-dug trench, over which a typical ribbon-type basement is arranged (preferably on a concrete pad).
2. With a layer thickness of more than one meter, the most acceptable is the option of using a pile foundation, whose supports are capable of transferring the load from the structure to the deep layers of dense soil.
3. In addition to these two options for building the foundation, there is another way to harden the soil, implemented by strengthening the base with bulk soil using special geotextile bedding.

In the event that you did not manage to reach the relatively resistant ground at all, it makes sense to think about the expediency of carrying out construction work in this area.

The most acceptable options

For self-construction of foundation bases on peat, the following two methods may be most appropriate:

• Removal of peat deposits up to the discovery of a dense soil, followed by filling the bottom of the trench with geotextile and adding sand and rubble. On the basis of the resulting base (taking into account the prepared as a result of bedding-cushion), subsequently, a strip or slab foundation of a classical sample is erected.
• Drilling a well with further preparation of the foundation of the bored-type, penetrating into the dense layers of soil (it is also possible to use screw piles). This option has to be chosen with significant thicknesses of the peat layer at the construction site.

Let us consider in more detail each of these approaches to solving the problem.

Peat excavation with its subsequent replacement

Receiving excavation is recommended to apply in cases where the peat layer does not exceed the size of the order of 1-1.5 meters, which is an economically viable option for the organization of earthworks. The most important condition for the expediency of using this method is the detection of clay or sandy rocks in the form of large or medium-sized fractions under a layer of peat. With sufficient budgetary resources, the peat layer can be removed with an excavator rented for a specific time. Otherwise, you will have to manually master significant amounts of earthworks.

Upon their completion, a foundation of the type of your choice (tape or slab) is arranged on the site of the excavated soil, the parameters of which are selected on the basis of the requirements laid down in the draft. In the event that the project of the future structure implies the arrangement of the basement room - the depth of the prepared trench will need to be increased to 2 meters.

As an alternative, a variant of partial extraction of the peat mass with the subsequent construction of the foundation with the predicted draft after a certain time can be considered.

An example of such work is the option of sampling a half-meter-deep trench prepared for arranging a strip foundation, after which a 1-2 year pause is made. During this period, you will be able to observe a certain shrinkage of the foundation, from the size of which it will be possible to estimate the amount of additional work on its buildup.

Preparation of the pile foundation

In this section we will tell you about what you need to pay attention to when preparing the foundation for peat with your own hands in the case when the thickness of the unstable layer exceeds 1.5 meters (in real conditions it can reach 4-5 meters). In such a situation, the replacement of peat by another material does not lead, as a rule, to the desired result, and preference should be given to the pile foundations customary for us. The role of bearing supports can perform the following types of piles:

• special bored piles with asbestos-cement pipework;
• reinforced concrete driven pile foundations;
• modern screw piles.