If you want to build a reliable and durable porch structure, it is best to use a brick. Such work is quite possible to carry out independently, without the help of professional builders.
The need for proper preparation
The porch of brick or any other material can be called one of the most important and necessary elements of construction for any purpose. It can be built from the same material that is used in the construction of the basement of the building. Therefore, it is recommended to use a brick for brick and stone houses. Today there are many varieties of bricks, they can be of different shades and sizes. It’s not difficult to pick up products, but they should ideally fit the appearance of the building.
Professionals advise the use of ceramic bricks, as they provide maximum durability of the structure. If you want the construction to last several decades, you need to develop a project and draw up a drawing. There are rules that are recommended to be followed, for example, the porch should be 1.5-1.8 times wider than the door that leads to the living room. The height of the construction site should be equal to the limit of 0.15 to 0.2 m. In this case, precipitation will not fall on the porch and accumulate on its surface.
When building a porch of brick, you should also pay attention to the fact that its thickness should be approximately 0.1 m. Pouring work must be carried out using high-quality concrete mortar. It is necessary to make a foundation for concrete, for this, ordinary crushed stone is used.
Step angle
After pouring, the concrete is covered with a 15-centimeter cement screed. In order for a person to be comfortable climbing, it is necessary to make the correct slope of the steps. The recommended slope value can vary from 2.8 to 3.2 °. With such a slope, water will drain from the steps without forming puddles. Steps must be built in prefabricated parts, and a special form can be used. As an alternative solution, a monolithic scheme is used, then formwork from the boards is performed. The recommended step length is from 12 to 15 cm.
Preparation of tools and materials
If you will build a porch of brick for a private house with your own hands, it is important to prepare materials and tools before starting work, among them:
- primer;
- reinforcing bars;
- sand;
- waterproofing;
- crushed stone;
- cement;
- grout paste.
Among other things, you will need: shovel, tile, trowel, building level, as well as a container for mixing concrete.
Foundation building
It is necessary to begin construction with the most important thing - the foundation. Its depth for the porch should be exactly the same as the depth of the foundation of the house itself. Over time, the foundations of the building and the porch will settle.
If you install the foundations at different levels, then space will begin to form between them, which will eventually cause the destruction of structures. It is necessary to lay the foundation under the brick porch according to a certain algorithm. At the first stage, the geometric parameters of the foundation are marked on the surface of the site. These works are carried out using wooden pegs, which are used for marking. Next, a pit is dug out according to the marking and a reinforcing cage is formed. To do this, stock up on a grid of rods, the cross section of which is 1 centimeter. They should be installed on the sides of the foundation, and they should protrude 10 cm above the surface of the site.
Then you can proceed to the stage of filling the space with a solution that is prepared from crushed stone, cement and sand, the ratio of these materials is as follows: 4: 1: 2. When the porch is made of bricks, after pouring the mortar, it is necessary to wait about four weeks until the mixture is completely dry. In the summer, this stage takes approximately 14 days. As soon as you are convinced that the base is well frozen, you can continue to work.
Porch construction
Bricks are installed on a solution of cement and sand, which is prepared in a ratio of 1 to 4. However, first of all, care must be taken to protect the structure from moisture. Waterproofing can be made of roofing material, which is an inexpensive and high-quality material, it protects well from water. Waterproofing is laid on the foundation in two layers. The next step will be the laying of a one-sided porch, this design is the simplest. In such a structure, the steps line up simultaneously with the brickwork. This allows you to complete the work in the shortest possible time. In a one-sided design, the number of steps will depend on the height of the base, it is odd.
Methodology
If you decide to build a porch of brick with your own hands, then you should knead the solution by collecting a mixture with a spatula, and then lay it on the side and bottom of the bricks. The first row will form the first step. The second line is laid after, it is pressed against the stacked products as tightly as possible. The third and subsequent steps are created using the same technique. The resulting structure should be left for about a week, during which time the mixture should dry well.
Some people try to simplify the procedure by laying out two or three rows of bricks along the perimeter of the porch, the resulting space is filled with a solution. The cost of such work will be less, as well as the complexity of the operation. However, in the end, it is not always possible to obtain an attractive exterior design. Quite often, a brick porch is built according to another method: for this, side walls are erected, and then steps are formed. This technology will be discussed below.
Alternative Brick Porch Solution
The porch in a private house made of brick can also be built using another technology. If you don’t like the technique, in which the steps and the masonry are laid out at the same time, you can erect side walls at the first stage. The very first product is installed in its entirety, while for a bunch of bricks and to increase strength, the next row starts with three quarters. A seam should be formed between the rows, the thickness of which is ten mm.
On top of the masonry under construction, it is necessary to form a straight platform, and below lay the area that will be used to lay the steps of the porch. The next step will be the embedding between the bricks, such manipulations are performed at a time when the solution is still in a wet state, but slightly set. At this stage, we can assume that the walls are lined up, now you can begin to fill the steps. To do this, a plank formwork is installed, and the shape of the boards should be similar to the configuration of the steps.
Next, a platform is formed, soil is poured to the base, which must be well compacted. At the next stage, it is important to make the slope of the site, it should correspond to the slope of the stage.
Recommendations for work
If you are thinking about how to make a brick porch, it is also important to think about the need for reinforcement, for this the rods are laid at a distance of 15 cm from each other, while the rods should have a cross section of 6 mm. The concrete mix must be given the desired shape by placing formwork boards at the previous stage. The first step is laid out with reinforcement, the joint points must be welded. At the next stage, crushed stone is poured and the mesh is laid, and then crushed stone is again poured. The structure is poured with liquid cement mortar.
The second row of bricks must be laid in such a way that it is possible to form the second and all subsequent steps. On this we can assume that the work is completed, the surface can be tiled, stone products or artificial materials.
The nuances of the work
When the porch is attached to the house of brick, it is necessary to mark on the wall the lines along which the master will be equal when laying the products. This will make the design distortion-free and as even as possible. The height of the first step is calculated taking into account sand filling and tile laying, so it should be slightly higher than the others. If you manage to lay down the cinder block, then you should do just that, but in many cases this technique cannot be used, since the height between the steps is quite small.
At the same time, you can lay the side wall so that everything works out on the level. The remaining blocks after construction are recommended to be laid in the porch base, this will fill the space and recycle excess building materials.
Before you build a brick porch, you should definitely think about what kind of material will be used. Facing brick for carrying out all stages of work is better not to apply. Despite the fact that the design will look beautiful, it will become fragile over time.
Interesting ideas
The brick porch may seem very primitive, but some craftsmen try to make it original. Thus, an instruction may be an interesting idea, the upper part of which is made of reinforced concrete, while the side surfaces can be lined with decorative brick. At the same time, the system will not lose strength properties, and its appearance will be attractive. The porch for a private house made of brick can be built according to the above technology, but add forged railings and beautiful lighting fixtures to it. In this case, the entrance to the house will look solemn.