“Monolithic houses - what is it?”, - this question is often asked by those who want to buy an apartment in a new building. What advantages and disadvantages do such buildings have and is the housing worth the money the developer asks for? About what operational characteristics such structures differ, as well as about the features of the technology of their construction, we will talk later in the article.
Varieties of houses poured from concrete
If we talk about high-rise buildings, then buildings erected using cement mortar can be divided into several main types:
- With brick interior walls and monolithic exterior.
- With concrete exterior and brick interior.
- Completely cast from cement mortar.
- With concrete walls and plasterboard partitions.
- With internal and external walls of cement mixture without any partitions.
The construction of residential buildings of this type in combination with bricks makes it possible to improve the building's characteristics in terms of environmental cleanliness. However, of course, the construction of such combined structures is more expensive, and therefore apartments have a higher cost. The cheapest is the last type of house. However, such buildings are not too convenient for living. The fact is that the acoustics in them are almost perfect.
Foundation of monolithic houses
So, monolithic houses. What is it, we hope, now you are more or less clear. Next, in general terms, we consider the technology of construction of such buildings. Since the walls cast from modern lightweight concrete varieties do not weigh too much, simple tape bases are erected on stable dense soils for such structures. Buildings with such a foundation are the cheapest. On complex soils, a pile-grillage foundation is usually used.
Building frame
The technology of monolithic houses (their construction) is not complicated. Such high-rise buildings are poured in a wooden frame, having the cross section in the form of the letter "P". Racks are made of planed timber with a moisture content of not more than 18%. Its cross section is usually 50x100 mm. The distance between the racks, that is, the thickness of the walls, is usually 75 cm. The step between them along the length of the wall depends on the width of the plates of the selected type of insulation for the facade.
Assembly should be carried out correctly. Only in this case will a reliable, able to withstand the pressure of the mixture, an even frame of the house. Monolithic concrete - material is strong and durable. However, the building's performance also depends on the quality of the frame. In order to make it stable, the racks are carefully leveled and strengthened in an upright position by braces. They are not mounted directly on the foundation, but on the so-called lower harness. Above the ends of the racks are also connected to each other by bars along the perimeter. The resulting design is called the upper binding.
Covering and filling
That's about how the frame of such structures as monolithic houses is being built. What is it - we have found out. Next, we will deal with what they finish with such designs. Most often, asbestos-cement sheets are used for cladding on the outside, plywood or drywall is used on the inside. Filling is carried out with foam concrete, aerated concrete or foam-concrete. These materials are simply remarkable for their excellent performance. Houses with their use turn out to be warm, strong and durable. Through such walls, natural air exchange is carried out, which contributes to the creation of an excellent microclimate in the apartments.
Among other things, special additives are added to the cement-concrete mixture intended for pouring monolithic structures of residential buildings, which increase the rate of solidification of the mixture, as well as increase the waterproofing properties of the finished walls.
Roofing monolithic houses
On buildings poured from concrete, a mansard hip roof is usually placed. Its rafter system in this case is a continuation of the frame of the walls. Modern roofing materials are used for roof sheathing.
Benefits of Monolithic Buildings
The technique of building buildings by pouring concrete began to be used in our country not so long ago - in the 90s of the last century. However, many citizens of Russia have already received for themselves the answer to the question: “Monolithic houses - what is it?” Reviews on these buildings are mostly positive. For the most part, these are comfortable and inexpensive buildings, characterized by a mass of undeniable advantages. In addition to a good microclimate in apartments, their advantages include non-standard, convenient layout and durability. Some varieties of houses built using this technology can last up to 300 years. Good noise and sound insulation is another undoubted plus. The ceilings and walls of apartments of monolithic houses are characterized by perfect evenness and lack of seams.
Another indisputable advantage of buildings of this type is the simplicity and speed of construction. Since massive elements are not used in the construction of such structures, there is no need to involve heavy equipment. Foam concrete is poured into the walls using special lightweight installations, the design of which can be very different.
Facing of monolithic houses also varies. Most often, such buildings are finished with bricks. Sometimes for this purpose siding or lining is used.
Cons of monolithic houses
There are practically no shortcomings in modern buildings of this type. Indirectly, the minuses can only be attributed to the fact that in our time such houses are often built without internal partitions at all. Therefore, the owners of apartments have to build them on their own, spending additional funds. However, this drawback is insignificant. Indeed, in this situation, you can put partitions in those places where it will be most convenient. A very interesting option is also a studio apartment, in which there are no such demarcation structures.
Private house building
The construction of residential buildings from cast concrete is practiced not only by construction organizations, but also by individuals. If it is a cottage, a team of specialists is usually invited. In this case, the building is being built using approximately the same technology as in the construction of high-rise buildings.
Small structures are usually flooded on their own. At the same time, the walls in a monolithic house of a small area are built of ordinary concrete mixture consisting of sand and cement, since it is impossible to prepare foam concrete or aerated concrete in the absence of special installations. The latter are quite expensive. The walls of low concrete buildings in the formwork are poured in layers of approximately 40 cm. In this case, both stationary and mobile structures can be used. The formwork is knocked down from boards 2.5 cm thick.
As you know, ordinary concrete has a rather high degree of thermal conductivity. If you just build a house from this material, it will turn out cold. Therefore, when erecting walls, plastic bottles, milk bags, old newspapers, etc. are poured into concrete.
As you can see, monolithic concrete houses have quite good operational characteristics. Therefore, it is definitely worth buying an apartment in such a building. And living in a building flooded with concrete with your own hands will most likely be quite convenient.