For the construction of a reliable foundation, certain technologies are used. But one of the cheapest and best options is considered to be a foundation made of concrete. High strength, low cost and a simple bookmarking process are the advantages that made it so popular in the construction environment. In addition, it can be organized independently, but in this case you will have to clearly follow the instructions, so that a quality foundation is obtained.
The article will describe the process of how to lay a concrete foundation, as well as discuss the features of the material and recommendations for organizing the foundations of this type.
general information
A feature of the construction of a concrete foundation is that for its masonry it is necessary to use natural stone. The material should be strong, large, without chips and cracks. The following rocks and rocks are related to butu:
- sandstone;
- basalt;
- limestone;
- dolomite;
- granite;
- dense shell rock;
- diorite.
To organize a reliable concrete foundation with your own hands, you first need to check the quality of the stone: you should hit it with a hammer. If the building material is durable, then it will not crack upon impact. In addition, there is an artificial blockboot, the shapes and sizes of which have a certain proportion. But such raw materials are used during facing works, and they are rarely used for the construction of foundations.
Before you begin the construction of a concrete foundation, you need to choose the right brand of concrete and rock type. To reduce the cost of construction work, it is recommended to buy materials in those stores that deliver raw materials not from distant places: transportation of natural stone is expensive. When designing, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the width of the base should be 10 centimeters greater than the outer wall of the building. In addition, you should know: such a foundation is better to build on solid ground.
The choice of rubble stone
The selection of high-quality material is an important stage in the construction of the foundation. Butobeton must be made of stones with torn edges, since rounded cobblestones will not adhere well to the mortar. Masters recommend using the same raw materials with the following sizes:
- length - 30 cm;
- width - 20 cm.
Booth is a strong and durable material, however, when choosing it, the following points should be considered:
- The use of small stones will increase the consumption of concrete, and too large stones will decrease the stability of the base. Therefore, it is better to purchase elements of buta, the optimal sizes of which were given earlier.
- Do not use contaminated building material: it weakly adheres to the concrete mixture.
- It is forbidden to build a foundation of stones with noticeable defects, as the result is an unstable foundation.
But there are some tricks when working with this natural material: for better adhesion to the solution, cobblestones should be moistened.
Scope of butobeton
This building material is usually used in the construction of low-rise objects, which will be located on hard ground. Before starting the construction of the building, you should do an analysis of the soil on the site.
On loesslike loams and clay soil, it will be necessary to organize a columnar concrete foundation, since in this case it is necessary to raise the building above the groundwater level and protect it from flooding. In addition, you will have to install steel reinforcement or mesh.
These are the main areas of application of concrete. The peculiarity of the material lies in the fact that the stones will take heat from the solution, so work is best done when the weather is warm outside.
Concrete base: advantages
This foundation is practically a copy of the usual reinforced concrete analogue. Most often, the base of buta is made in the form of a tape, and its technical parameters include its advantages:
- environmental friendliness;
- strength and durability;
- beautiful appearance through the use of natural breeds;
- high moisture resistance;
- low cost (no need to buy steel reinforcement);
- good resistance to the negative effects of aggressive environments and low temperature;
- withstands the load of multi-story buildings;
- the foundation can be built independently without the use of special equipment.
But the main advantage of such a foundation is that the stone is a natural material, due to which a reliable foundation is obtained.
disadvantages
A concrete foundation is not the most ideal foundation, so it has its own characteristic flaws, or rather:
- The building will not retain heat well due to the tendency of the base to freeze in winter. To eliminate this drawback, it is necessary to cover the base with insulating material (for example, mineral wool, expanded clay or expanded polystyrene), and then veneer and make a blind area.
- The high complexity of the work - the stones will have to be sorted and prepared manually, so builders recommend using concrete for the construction of small bases.
- For the construction of multi-storey buildings, the foundation will have to be reinforced with reinforcement.
- A concrete base can be organized only if the temperature outside is not lower than 5 ° C. Otherwise, the solution simply will not have time to harden, and this will inevitably lead to the fact that the supporting walls of the building crack over time.
Site marking and pit preparation
To build a foundation on your own is an easy task. To perform these works, you will need the following tools:
- shovel;
- building level;
- plumb line;
- trowel;
- hammer;
- roulette.
Before pouring the concrete foundation, it is necessary to examine the soil at the construction site. Groundwater level and freezing depth of the earth are the main parameters that need to be studied and entered into the design documentation. Next, you need to calculate the characteristics of the base, taking into account temporary loads and the mass of the finished object.
The technology of the device of the concrete foundation consists of the following preparatory measures:
- To clear a building site of garbage, plants and other foreign objects.
- Remove the fertile layer, the thickness of which, as you know, is 15 cm. If you neglect the implementation of this paragraph, then the roots of the plants will decay over time and spoil the final construction of the building flooring.
- Mark the area: install the pegs in those places that are marked in the project, and then stretch a rope or kapron thread between them.
- Dig a trench 20 cm lower than the freezing point of the soil in the area, while the width of the ditch should be 10 cm greater than the foundation itself.
- Pour sand and gravel to the bottom, and then thoroughly moisten and ram the resulting layer, the thickness of which as a result should be 20-30 cm.
- Lay the roofing material on the sand cushion so that the waterproofing material enters the walls of the trench 15-20 cm
All work is easy to do on your own. However, you can hire an excavator to dig the trenches, and it is better to compact the soil with a vibrating plate.
Solution preparation
The pouring mixture must be made in a ratio of 1: 3: 1, where the first value is cement of the M500 grade (can be used no lower than M300), the second is medium-grained river sand, and the third is fine crushed stone.
The components must be thoroughly mixed, and then you need to add water to the resulting composition. The result should be a not too thick concrete mortar, which should be filled with a trench and the gaps between the stones.
Formwork installation
The form must be mounted in such a way that it is wider than the concrete foundation being built. In addition, the formwork should protrude above the ground by at least 25 cm. The walls must be installed end-to-end so that there are no gaps between them, through which concrete mortar can leak.
The aerial part of the formwork must be strengthened with supports made of wooden stakes. Experts also recommend that the walls of the structure be pulled together by crossbars that must be connected with self-tapping screws. But there is another important point: the stones must be laid at a small distance from the boards.
However, if the site is dense soil, then you can not build the formwork. In this case, the walls of the trench must be made even, and then covered with roofing material.
Concrete foundation: construction instructions
This base can not be reinforced, since natural stone already provides a reliable bond. To build the foundation, you must perform the following work:
- Put rubble stones near the prepared trench. This will not only reduce labor costs, but also accelerate the construction process.
- Pour concrete mortar into the ditch (this layer should be 25 cm).
- Lay the stones in such a way that they are about 5 cm away from the walls of the formwork. The distance between the cobblestones should be the same. The first layer is better to lay out from stones with slightly sharpened edges: they will not damage the roofing material.
- Again, pour a layer of concrete, the thickness of which should be 25 cm. There should be no voids and lumps inside the mortar, and if there are any, then the mixture must be compacted using a construction mixer.
- The described work must be alternated until the required base height is reached.
If you follow this simple technology clearly, the concrete foundation will turn out to be strong.
Base insulation
To carry out these works, it will be necessary to sheathe the foundation both from the inside and from the outside. In addition, along with this process, the basement of the building is being constructed. To insulate the concrete foundation, you need to sheathe it from the outside with polystyrene foam. To do this, first remove dirt and dust from the surface of the base. After you need to equip it in several layers with rolled bitumen. The final stage is gluing the base on the outside with the mentioned heat-insulating material.
To protect the building from frost, it is necessary to sheathe the base with polystyrene foam. This material needs to be fixed on glue or mastic, and after that it is necessary to plaster the structure on a paint net.
Sometimes builders use a comprehensive technique to better warm the foundation.
Conclusion
To build a base of a concrete type is a simple matter that everyone can do. The article described how to do this. The main thing is to carefully study the instructions and correctly make preliminary calculations. Even a novice builder can cope with this task, who has all the necessary tools and building materials in his inventory.