Nothing in the world lasts forever - this adage also applies to the foundations of old houses. Throughout the entire period of operation, they are exposed to external influences, gradually their physical characteristics become worse, and they are destroyed. Homeowners notice cracks in the walls, distortions of window and doorways. All these signs say that the foundation of the house is worthless, and repair work is required to restore it.
How to strengthen the old foundation of the house? This issue becomes topical for many owners of such buildings.
If the owner himself built his house, then he knows all the nuances of the construction of its foundation. During repair work it will be much easier for him. But if the house was bought ready-made, then you will have to understand all the intricacies of the state of the foundation before proceeding with the repair work.
Work to strengthen the foundation is different from creating a new foundation or simple repair. If you are not sure that you can cope with it yourself, then hire professional builders. And if you want to save money on the family budget, then, having studied the recommendations and tips written in this article, do this work yourself.
Next, we will consider how to strengthen the old foundation of a private house.
Stages of repair work
The first step is to find out the main reason that led to the destruction of the foundation of the house. This will eliminate it and protect the basis of the building from further destruction.
Causes Affecting Base Integrity
The construction process was not followed. In this case, repairs will be carried out at random. Their high-quality implementation will increase the life of the building by another 20-30 years.
The groundwater level has changed. Repair work involves the arrangement of drainage of the base.
Soil movement has occurred.
After determining the root cause, you need to outline the stages of repair work and prepare for their implementation.
Methods for strengthening the old foundation
There are several ways to answer the question of how to strengthen the old foundation of the house. Some of them require the use of the latest technologies, but many developers continue to trust the old methods that have been tested over the years.
All methods are not without their drawbacks and have several advantages. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account all the requirements and features of the method, and then proceed with the repair work.
Houses are built from various materials, so the methods for restoring their foundations are different. For example, to strengthen the foundation of an old wooden house, it is necessary to raise it above the surface of the earth and work on laying a new foundation.
Tape basis
The strip foundation is one of the most popular in the construction of private buildings. Therefore, many owners are faced with the question of how to strengthen the foundation of the old house. The most common cause of skewing of a building installed on such a foundation is soil swelling.
Work
To strengthen the tape base of the house, it is necessary to achieve a balance of all the forces acting on the foundation. To do this, increase the area of the base.
A wall section 2 meters long is selected. A ditch digs along it to the depth of the base of the house. Its width is calculated according to data obtained in the study of the old foundation. Often it is equal to the size of the old foundation.
An old base is being prepared for fastening it to a new one. To do this, drill holes for fittings and strobes. Next, the formwork and reinforcing frame for the new foundation are assembled. It connects to fittings inserted into prepared holes. This is the main part of the work to strengthen the basis of the old house.
Upon completion of the joining of the frame to the old base, concrete is poured.
After the concrete has completely dried, the renewed base is buried, and a new ditch digs nearby, and the work is repeated. To save time, they can be produced from different sides of the structure at the same time.
The foundation is laid below the freezing point of the soil
The basis of the house, laid in this way, is not affected by soil, but groundwater can wash away the ground from it. How to strengthen the foundation of the old house in this case will be described below.
Before starting work on strengthening the foundation, drainage should be done. They are carried out first, then all concrete that has fallen into disrepair is removed.
Further work on strengthening the base is carried out in the same way as in the case of the tape base.
At the end of the repair work, blind areas are installed around the perimeter of the house and other additional protection against moisture.
Pile reinforcement
It happens that a worn base can be strengthened in only one way. How to strengthen the foundation of an old house with piles?
Piles can be installed by screw, indented or bored method.
Screw method
This method is considered the most convenient and easy to do. Piles can be installed by any home master who does not have special skills. A pile is a pipe with a screw pad, thanks to which it is screwed into the ground. On the same site there is a redistribution of the load at home. How to strengthen the old foundation of the house? This photo shows (using screw piles).
Indented Method
If the structure is very old, then all drilling operations are prohibited. The base can only be strengthened with pressed piles. Such works are carried out by professionals and require special equipment.
Bored way
In order to strengthen the foundation by this method, two-meter wells should be prepared. Then a reinforcing cage is mounted in them and concrete is poured. Beams are laid on the piles made, and the repaired old house is located on them. Work to strengthen the foundation in this way takes two months.
Repair of the base of houses made of bricks or cinder blocks
How to strengthen the old foundation of a house made of cinder blocks and bricks, without damaging the integrity of the building, is described below.
To strengthen the basis of such buildings must be approached very responsibly. Usually the main task is to stop further subsidence of the building due to a weak base. Undermining the foundation in this case is unacceptable. The basis can be strengthened with reinforcing one-piece belts made of reinforced concrete.
Stages of strengthening the base of houses made of brick or cinder blocks:
For the tape basis, a moat is pulled out at an angle of 35 ° and a width of 50 cm. The base pillow should not be broken.
The surface of the base or foundation is cleaned of old finishing materials. If the basis is destroyed in some places, then these pieces are removed.
The cleaned base is coated with a penetration primer. Further, the entire base or its individual destroyed parts are anchored using reinforcement. Holes for it are prepared using a punch. If the foundation is made of rubble, then the anchors are clogged between them. Anchors are arranged in three rows with a step width of 60 cm.
After installing all the anchors, they need to be scalded with reinforcement, which is located horizontally.
Then a metal mesh is fixed to the reinforcement.
The formwork is installed at a distance of 15 cm from the grid and the concrete solution is poured.
After it dries, the soil is backfilled.
After the repair, the old foundation becomes like a solid reinforced concrete foundation. After studying this part of the article, you learned how to strengthen the foundation of an old house with a basement.
Repair of the base of the house from a tree
Every owner of a wooden house should know how to repair the foundation. If there is a need to strengthen the basis, you need to perform certain work.
A survey of the foundation will help determine the complexity of the upcoming work, to identify defects in the basis. On the basis of the inspection, a decision is made whether the repair will be capital or partial.
Types of base repair
Partial repair of the base is done if the integrity of the house is not broken.
If the basis was made with the help of wooden parts, some of which were rotted, then they should be replaced or the entire foundation changed. In order to perform such work, the entire structure is raised to a certain height, and the basis is increased with the help of bricks or blocks of wood.
To determine the exact and suitable technology for repairing the foundation, you need to determine what the basis was originally. If it was a tape base, then you can partially replace the destroyed areas or strengthen it around the entire perimeter of the old house. With severe destruction, the basis will have to be replaced completely.
If the original foundation of the house was made in a columnar way, then you will have to change all the details of the foundation. The building rises to a height, this is done using ordinary jacks. How to strengthen the old foundation of a private house? The photo shows the moment the building was raised to a height.
The old concrete cushion is replaced with a new one. A new pole is mounted on it. After replacing all the details of the old foundation, the building is lowered to the new foundation.
Replacing old foundations of wooden buildings is a costly and inefficient job. In its implementation, the most important thing is to keep the building and all its structures in its original form. Usually installed mounts in window and doorways. To control the integrity of the house, beacons are installed that show its deformation.
Summary
The article shows that there are no impossible works. You can strengthen any foundation of any structure. The question is, is it necessary to carry out such work if their price can be more expensive than the oldest house? If you still decide to strengthen the foundation of the structure, then this article will help you learn how to do this. When carrying out repair work, you should adhere to all the rules and recommendations written in this material. While strengthening the foundation of the old house, observe safety rules, take care of the health of the assistants and your personal.