Do-it-yourself concrete porch is easy to do. This part is an important element of the exterior of a house or building for any other purpose. If you make a porch in accordance with all the rules, then it will turn out not only durable, but also beautiful.
The need to comply with installation rules
If you intend to build a porch of concrete with your own hands, it is important to comply with the technology of the work. Otherwise, cracks may appear on the walls of the house. The finish of the structure may peel off if you neglect the rules. Among other things, a subsidence of a new building may occur in relation to the foundation of the main structure.
Correcting such deficiencies will be very difficult, and in some cases, carrying out repairs will be completely impossible. This will cause additional labor and financial costs. The master will have to dismantle the reinforced structure, which is highly durable, and then install a new one.
Basic rules for building a porch
If you decide to build a porch of concrete with your own hands, then it will be necessary to ensure the depth of the foundation of the new design, which should be equal to the corresponding parameter inherent in the foundation of the house. When building a ring, you must connect it with the foundation of the main structure, this also applies to the case when construction is carried out after the construction of the house. These manipulations can be carried out using the porch foundation reinforcement method.
You should not save on waterproofing the foundations of the new design, as this will cause the cost of the necessary repair of the decorative coating, which will need to be carried out periodically.
Preparation of tools and materials
You won’t be able to erect a concrete porch with your own hands if you do not prepare the appropriate materials, among which Portland cement can be distinguished. It should have the brand M 400 or M 500. Prepare a gravel and sand mixture, as well as reinforcing rods, the diameter of which is 6.5 millimeters. In order to tie the reinforcement, it is necessary to use a wire, as well as a twisting device. You will need a hammer drill, which must be equipped with drills designed for concrete. In order for the construction to be solid, it is necessary to use a vibrator. The filling will be carried out in the formwork system, which can be assembled from edged boards. In the role of formwork racks, bars will act.
In order to give the fittings the desired size, it is necessary to use a grinder, which can be replaced with a bolt cutter. Concrete can also be prepared manually, but this will extend the work, therefore it is recommended to use a concrete mixer, which can be rented if it is not available. An electric or gasoline saw will help prepare the boards for formwork. Be sure to purchase bayonet and shovel shovels, this equipment will be needed for earthwork. Before you make a porch of concrete with your own hands, you need to stock up on nails, with the help of which the construction of the formwork will be carried out. Hammer them to hammer. A wheelbarrow should be used for transporting concrete. The base can be waterproofed with tar and roofing material.
Work on preparing the site
If you are thinking about how to make a porch of concrete with your own hands, you need to prepare a site for the construction. To do this, the territory must be marked by the size of the future structure. Next, the area is calculated, and the soil is taken out to the depth of the foundation of the house. The next step will be the installation of formwork to fill the base.
The porch of the house with your own hands from concrete can be made more durable if you install reinforcement in the prepared pit. In the wall, which will be adjacent to the building, it is necessary to make holes in a row. This will ensure a reliable connection of the porch and the foundation of the building. The fittings should be installed along and across. The distance between these rows should be at least 10 centimeters. Using a wire, it is necessary to connect the rods to each other. Vertically oriented elements of the reinforcing cage should be a maximum of 20 centimeters higher in relation to the level of the foundation.
Concrete work
Before you build a porch of concrete with your own hands, you need to prepare a solution. It should be added Portland cement, a sand-gravel mixture, using a ratio of 1: 4. The amount of water must be determined independently, the mass should help to obtain the consistency of liquid porridge.
If you want to build a semicircular porch of concrete with your own hands, you need to dig a hole of the appropriate shape. For formwork, use material that will allow you to create the shape of a semicircle. Concrete after pouring must be rammed with a vibrator. After the mixture is poured, its surface must be leveled, covered with burlap or polyethylene, and then left for a period of up to 96 hours. After this time, it is necessary to carry out the formwork, covering the hardened concrete on top and around the perimeter with molten tar.
Preparation of formwork for pouring steps
The number of steps should be determined based on the height of the future design. However, the steps for the porch with their own hands from concrete should be made in such a way that their height does not turn out to be more than 20 cm. While the width should not exceed 30 cm. It is recommended to make the porch 30 centimeters wider on each side of both edges of the front door.
Now you can proceed with the installation of wooden formwork for steps. This must be done taking into account the maximum tightness, otherwise the flow of the solution cannot be avoided. At the bottom of the formwork, it is necessary to additionally cover the roofing material. The foundation pedestal should be treated with liquid tar in advance. These manipulations are necessary in order to exclude leakage of moisture and prevent the destruction of steps. If they are adjacent to the walls on both sides, the master can save on the amount of concrete used in the work, which is poured into the formwork. To do this, the box, which was formed by the formwork boards, must be covered with a gravel-sand mixture. It should be placed at a certain angle with respect to the outside of the steps.
Professional Recommendations
Steps must also be reinforced, the ends of long rods should be inserted into the holes prepared in the foundation of the main building. If you are going to make a railing, then you need to provide for a moment that involves removing the ends of the rods above the level of the steps by three centimeters. After pouring concrete, it must be tamped until the voids are eliminated. Further, everything is covered with burlap and left for the same period as indicated above. The next step is to remove the formwork.
Porch decoration
For finishing work, you can use natural or artificial stone, as well as ceramic tiles. It is important to ensure surface roughness. Side walls can be upgraded with clinker bricks. Siding designed for the foundation is also suitable. Clinker and paving slabs can be laid around the steps.
Conclusion
You can make a round porch of concrete with your own hands, and the use of formwork will help ensure any form of construction. It is important, first of all, to do the work, ensuring the strength of the porch.
Before starting, it is recommended to prepare a project, it is advisable that professionals do this. However, such work is sometimes very expensive. Therefore, it is good if you have a finished project in stock. Quite often, there is a need to build a ring after the construction of the main building, however, experts advise planning such manipulations at the initial stages of house design. Only in this way will you completely eliminate the possibility of cracks in the structure itself, as well as in the walls of the house. These rules are recommended to be taken into account at the very beginning of the work, which will eliminate many errors that occur frequently.