Before starting to fill the foundation and even design a house, it is necessary to conduct exploration activities. They will make it possible to find out such important indicators as soil moisture in the area, the level of groundwater, the depth of freezing of the soil in the cold period, as well as determine other parameters that allow you to choose the type of foundation for the building. Filling the foundation under the house is also carried out only after calculations regarding the future load on it. Both of these types of work are entrusted to specialists.
Most often, strip foundations are used for private houses. Using an example of an erection of this type, we consider the basic principles of this work. You will also need to calculate (at least approximately) how much it will cost to fill the foundation. The price depends primarily on the size of the future building. The type of soil and the material from which the walls will be made are also of great importance in this regard. For example, on rocky ground, it is not necessary to deepen the foundation too much, and, consequently, its final cost will be lower. The same applies to light walls, for example, frame walls.
Pouring the foundation under the house begins with scribing and digging a pit. After the latter is ready, a formwork is installed in it. During the construction of small houses, any durable improvised material can be used for its manufacture. But most often the formwork is assembled from wooden panels. For this, special support racks are installed in the pit. After installing the shields, they are additionally fixed with spacers.
In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the distance between the shields around the entire perimeter is the same. Before installation, also check the horizontal bottom of the pit.
After mounting the formwork, sand is poured onto the bottom of the pit with a layer of 15 cm or more. Thus, a compensating difference in the pressure on the soil is arranged in the normal and spring periods, during the soil heaving, a pillow. Further, reinforcement is attached to the formwork. In the manufacture of this metal structure, it is not recommended to use welding, since the junction of the rods in this case can begin to quickly rust. It is best to use a special ligament wire. The next step should be the actual filling of the foundation under the house.
To do this, you will need cement, crushed stone (which can be replaced with rubble stone), water and special tools. You can, of course, use the old grandfather method (trough and hoe) when mixing the concrete mixture, but it is best to purchase a modern concrete mixer.
With its help, the technology of pouring the foundation will be simplified as much as possible. And the
concrete mix itself will turn out to be much better. Lay it in the formwork in layers. In the event that you decide to use
rubble stone, then first 15 cm of concrete is laid on the sand, then stones are laid on it. Then again concrete, then stones, etc.
It is necessary to ensure that the distance between the cobblestones and the formwork is at least 5 cm. After pouring the last layer, the surface of the finished foundation is carefully checked for horizontalness. To do this, use the building level. On this, a process such as pouring the foundation under the house can be considered complete. Concrete hardens during the day in a warm period of time. After this period, it will be possible to remove the formwork. The next two weeks, if the weather is dry, the foundation needs to be moistened with water from time to time to prevent cracks.
Concrete finally hardens in about a month. Only after waiting for this period, you can begin waterproofing work and the construction of walls.