Today, many people dream of building their dream home, equipping it according to their own preferences and living in it comfortably for as long as possible. The foundation should be given special attention when building a house, since not only how much the building will stand idle, but also the level of security of living in it depends on it. The quality of the foundation, in turn, is affected not only by the concrete grade, but also by the reinforcement. If the construction of the house is planned from modern materials with low weight, then there are no special requirements for the foundation, however, when constructing a multi-storey building from durable materials, reinforcing the foundation is mandatory, since such a structure will create a rather large load. Therefore, every man who plans to build a house should know how to reinforce the strip foundation with his own hands.
What will be required in the course of work?
Before proceeding with the construction of a reinforced base, you must first prepare all the necessary tools.
In the process of doing the work you will need:
- reinforcing scissors;
- Bulgarian;
- pliers;
- hammer;
- plastic linings;
- special clamps;
- roulette;
- machine for bending reinforcement;
- steel wire;
- metal clips
- hook.
In addition to tools, it is recommended to decide in advance which knitting technology you will use. It is worth noting that it is possible to bend the fittings manually or using special machines, which can be done independently at home.
Making a folding machine
With the question of whether it is necessary to reinforce the foundations, we decided, so now we can talk how to do it. The first step is to make a special machine, which will greatly simplify the work. For its manufacture, two steel pipes with a section of 20 mm and a length of 0.5 and 1 meter, respectively, will be needed.
Then just stick to the following instructions:
- In a half-meter pipe, cut two grooves of 5 cm, between which leave 1.5 centimeters.
- The pipe bends at an angle of 90 degrees and is fixed on a reliable foundation.
Bending rods with such a homemade machine is very simple. One end is inserted into a short pipe, and the other into a long pipe, after which the rod is bent at the desired angle. This will allow you to make a reliable and durable reinforced foundation with your own hands without much labor and with minimal physical costs.
Reinforcement knitting
Filling of the reinforced base begins with the knitting of the reinforcement, which is necessary so that the rods are firmly connected to each other, and the future foundation is more strong and durable. You can knit reinforcement in various ways, which will be discussed later.
Method one
Many professionals who talk about how to properly reinforce the foundation use wire to knit reinforcement. This is due to the fact that this method is the simplest and fastest. It is based on the fact that the rods are fastened with twenty-centimeter pieces of steel wire. However, for this you need a special hook, with which it is much easier to twist the wire.
Second way
Another common way of knitting is to connect the rods with special clips, which you can buy at any specialized store. Each end of the paper clip is attached to its shaft, resulting in a very strong connection.
Third way
How to reinforce the foundation so that it turns out reliable and durable? To do this, the reinforcement is knitted with an overlap, so that the frame is more durable. However, it is very important to observe a certain overlap length. Experienced builders argue that it should be at least thirty diameters of reinforcement.
The fourth way
If the structure is very heavy and a large load on the foundation is expected, then it is best to fasten the reinforcement with welds. Welding technology in this case depends on the diameter of the steel rods. An important role is played by the type of reinforcement. It is best to buy bars with ribbed edges, as they provide better adhesion to concrete.
Types of substrates suitable for reinforcement
Before you begin work, you must first understand how to reinforce the foundation. In this case, it is necessary to find out what types of foundations are subject to reinforcement.
Today, you can increase the strength of the following types of foundation:
It is important to understand that each kind of foundation has its own characteristics and is reinforced in different ways, so you need to dwell on each of them in more detail.
Reinforcement of a columnar base
How to reinforce the foundation of a columnar type? Very simple. To do this, you will need 6 rods with a ribbed base with a diameter of 12 mm, as well as ordinary rods with a cross section of 6 mm for knitting. Reinforcement should be performed so that after pouring the concrete, the rods protrude from it by about 10 mm.
Strip base reinforcement
Many people are interested in the question of how to reinforce the strip foundation. This is due to the fact that this type of foundation is the most common due to its ease of construction. The reinforcement in this case is stacked in layers, the amount of which depends on the size of the monolithic base. The distance between the rods can be from 15 to 25 cm.
In most cases, the strip foundation has dimensions of 400x500 mm. When reinforcing, it is necessary to retreat 100 millimeters on each side of the base. When laying the rods between them leave approximately 35 centimeters.
Now you know how to properly reinforce the strip foundation, however, the strength and durability of the foundation also depends on the brand of concrete and the type of reinforcement. It is best to use ribbed mixes and high strength concrete.
Slab foundation reinforcement
The tile base has the lowest strength, therefore, when pouring it, reinforcement is mandatory. At the same time, it is necessary to fix the rods using welded joints. Any other types of knitting are not suitable, as they are not able to provide sufficient strength and rigidity of the frame. In addition, so that the base does not break, the reinforcement must be completely immersed in concrete.
In order for the reinforced slab base to turn out to be of high quality, its thickness should be 300 mm, and the gaps between the vertical and horizontal rods should not exceed 350 mm. In addition, the indent from the edges of the plate should not be more than five millimeters.
Foundation reinforcement for a residential building: professional advice
Every person who wants to build their own home thinks about how to reinforce the foundation for a house. And this is not surprising, because strengthening the base will prevent the subsidence of the foundation. However, this should take into account many nuances.
If the foundation will have low strength, then there are additional risks for the building. In addition, when pouring the foundation with concrete, one should take into account the fact that this material has very low ductility, therefore, under the influence of external negative factors, the base quite often deforms and cracks.
If you live in a region with a harsh climate, then severe frosts with an uneven distribution of the load on the foundation can lead to the fact that the base changes its shape and the building itself leads.
The reinforced foundation for the house will help to avoid all these problems, since it has high strength and durability, and also does not change its shape and does not crack even under high loads.
Reinforcement Methods
The reinforcement of the base for a residential building can be vertical and horizontal. The second option contributes to a more even load distribution throughout the base. Vertical reinforcement is used as an additional measure to increase the strength of the base.
The process of reinforcing the foundation under the house
So, how is the foundation reinforced for a residential building? First of all, it is necessary to calculate the parameters of the future foundation. This will allow you to choose the reinforcement of suitable thickness. It is quite difficult to independently calculate the load that the building will create on the foundation, therefore it is better to turn to professionals for help.
When the calculations are completed, you can begin to manufacture the frame, which is performed in the following sequence:
- Selection and purchase of materials.
- Tying reinforcement at intersections. To make the frame as strong and durable as possible, it is better to connect the rods with a weld.
- A reinforcing mesh is welded at the bottom of the frame.
- Reinforcing frame laying.
- To protect the frame from the negative effects of environmental factors, its upper part is cemented.
When the work on the manufacture of the frame is completed, you can begin to fill the reinforced foundation.
To do this, you must:
- Prepare a place on which the construction of the house will be carried out.
- Dig a pit.
- Lay down a sand cushion.
- Install the formwork and frame.
- Pour the concrete foundation.
- Wait for the mixture to completely dry and surface treatment.
- To build a foundation.
To build a high-quality and durable reinforced foundation, which will last for several decades, can only be strictly adhered to this instruction.
How much does foundation reinforcement cost
It is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to the question of how much it costs to fill a reinforced base under a house. It all depends not only on the quality of materials, but also on the design features of the building. In addition, you should consider the cost of installation, which is impossible without the use of specialized equipment. If you live in a region with a harsh climate or build a house on a swampy area, it is recommended to add special additives to concrete to increase its operational characteristics, as well as the construction of heat and waterproofing, which, in turn, imposes additional financial costs.
As it turned out, reinforcing the foundation is a difficult task, but quite real. Most importantly, in the process of construction, adhere to a specific instruction for each type of foundation. In addition, safety precautions must always be observed during operation.