Building the foundation for a house from foam blocks

The foam block is a material that has earned the trust of many builders. It has the shape of a parallelepiped with sides of 30 and 40 cm. Foam concrete blocks are made of foam concrete. Also included are cement, sand and water. The mass of material due to the porous structure is very small, so the foundation for houses made of foam blocks may not be very massive. The material is characterized by a gray color, when immersed in water does not sink (due to its porous structure). The characteristics are almost the same as that of aerated concrete, the difference in materials is only in cost. In this short review, we will look at how to build a foundation for a house from foam blocks.

Positive properties of foam blocks

Foam blocks have a low cost when compared with similar building materials. But the buildings of them have rather high indicators, in many ways they even surpass the structures of wood or brick.

Also, do not forget about such advantages of foam blocks:

1. In the production of the material do not use harmful impurities, so the blocks are environmentally friendly and are not able to harm your health. If we focus on sanitary standards, we can see that it is allowed to build child care facilities out of foam blocks - there are no barriers.
2. One of the pluses is the excellent level of sound insulation. Walls made of foam blocks do not let in sounds. Therefore, there is no need to make additional sound insulation.
3. From foam blocks you can cut an element of any shape - they are very easy to process.
4. Due to the porous structure, high-quality air exchange between the street and the house is ensured. And sound insulation at the same time at the highest level. It should be noted that the walls do not let heat out.

A little more about the features of the material

When making a foundation for a house from foam blocks, damp will not affect the material. This is another good quality material, because you do not need to install additional designs to get rid of moisture. There are also such material features:

1. The laying of foam blocks is much faster and easier than bricks.
2. The maximum size of the joint is 3 mm, therefore, when laying, it is allowed to use both cement mortar and special adhesive compositions.
3. When carrying out finishing, it is not necessary to lay a large amount of plaster, because the surface of the walls of the foam blocks is almost perfectly smooth.
4. When the material is heated, neither expansion nor deformation occurs.

But it is worth paying attention to the drawback, and the essential one is not very high strength. Therefore, when building a foundation of foam blocks for the home, this moment must be taken into account.

Varieties of foundations for buildings made of blocks

And now let's talk about how to choose the right kind of foundation. In total, there are four types of foundations that are used in the construction of foam block houses:

1. Columnar - there is reinforced concrete in the structure. The pillars are made square or round. It is allowed to use a beam or grillage. There is also a belt of reinforcement rods.
2. The foundation of the tape type is usually a shallow or recessed structure.
3. Pile foundations - usually in this case, hanging or screw piles, concrete grills with reinforcement, piles are used. The difference of this type of foundation is that there are reinforcing pile elements in the design. In general, the design is very similar to a columnar or tape. Piles - the ideal solution for an unstable type of foundation, which requires the presence of additional support.
4. Monolithic construction - not much different from similar structures. It is worth noting that the weight of the foam block is quite small, so there is no need to make a base of large thickness.

What parameters to choose the foundation

To choose the optimal foundation design, it is necessary to take into account all the features of the site on which the construction is carried out. The main thing in the foundation is that it must be strong and reliable, otherwise it will not be able to withstand the load of the structure.

But when calculating the foundation, you will have to not only focus on maximum strength, but also reduce construction costs.

Soil features

Be sure to consider all the features of the soil at the place where the construction is carried out. It is recommended that geological surveys be carried out in advance to help determine soil quality. To do this, you can contact the specialists. But if this is not possible, everything can be done independently. To do this, using a drill, you need to make at least two wells with a depth of 2-2.5 m. From these wells, you will need to take the earth for a sample to determine the main components. Three groups of soils can be distinguished:

1. Fulvous - a lot of loam, clay, sandy loam.
2. Weakly grained - may contain small grains of sand or dust.
3. Non-porous - a high content of gravelly sand with large or medium grains of sand.

Soil type selection

After analyzing the soil, you can determine the most suitable type of foundation. For example, for heaving soils, the tape is the most inappropriate type. It is best to apply a pile foundation. In the event that there is non-porous soil at a depth of more than 2 meters, and the freezing is much closer to the surface of the earth, it makes sense to use columnar or pile structures.

Be sure to carry out the calculation in such a way that between adjacent posts the distance is sufficient to withstand the total mass of the building. It is recommended that the freezing depth be determined based on observations over several years. If you take on average, then this figure is 0.5-2 m.

Groundwater and timelines

The level at which groundwater is located must be considered when building the foundation. If they are too high, then the possibility of using a tape base is automatically excluded. If you want to build a tape, then you definitely need to make a drainage - this will prevent water from entering the foundation. True, the cost of construction will increase several times. The best option is a monolithic slab. Cheap and easy are the main advantages. But if you want to make a basement under the house, you will have to build a drainage and a strip base.

Speed ​​and price

And the last thing to consider is the cost of the work and the timing of their implementation. To build a house as quickly as possible, you need to put aside all complex structures. The speed of pile and columnar far ahead of all other species. In addition, they will require a small (relatively) investment of funds and forces.

But the most expensive and time-consuming are the tape and monolithic look. And what is the best foundation for a house of foam blocks - now we will try to find out. After all, it all depends on what type of soil on the site, as well as on your financial capabilities.

Production of a strip foundation

The tape base is ideal for soil, which consists of clay. Depth is calculated on the basis of freezing data. The width of the pit must be made such that it is larger than the block by about 10 cm. Better more, but not less. The base should have a height of about 40 cm, the upper part must be reinforced with reinforcement rods. A rod with a thickness of 10-16 mm is used.

Construction procedure:

1. First, a pillow is laid. It is made of sand or a mixture of it with gravel. But first, of course, the trench is rummaging. Then a layer of sand is poured 15 cm, gravel - 15-20 cm.
2. Now you can pour cement mortar - a thickness of not more than 10 cm. This is the so-called concrete block. After this, the layer should solidify within a week. But it is impossible that the concrete is completely dry.
3. After drying the layer by half, it is necessary to make reinforcement. Reinforcing bars must be connected using wire. It cannot be fixed by welding, because the metal will be more susceptible to corrosion. It is recommended to use fittings with a corrosion-resistant coating.
4. Install the formwork. It can be made of slate, wood, plywood, metal. Concrete is poured inside.
5. The solution is made of three parts of sand, five gravel and one cement. Pour water gradually so that the solution is not very liquid, but not too thick. If construction takes place in the cold season, additives must be added.
6. Pour concrete into the formwork and carefully ram it. It is recommended to use a vibrating plate for this purpose.
7. Formwork can be removed after the solution has completely hardened - 3-4 days is enough for this.

After making the foundation, it is possible to carry out the laying of blocks. That is how the strip foundation for a house from foam blocks is built. Nothing complicated, but you can not always do this.

Column foundation

It is worth noting that this type of design is ideal for our case. And if you are wondering what foundation is needed for a house of foam blocks, do not strain and choose a columnar. Supports must be placed so that they are at the corners of the structure, as well as at the intersections of the walls. It is also recommended to reinforce with poles and high load points. Please note that between adjacent posts there should be a distance of no more than 2-2.5 meters.

Work execution procedure:

1. First you need to mark the places under the pillars.
2. Dig holes and lay a pillow at the bottom - sand, gravel, gravel.
3. A waterproofing material must be placed on top of the pillow.
4. Put shields in the pits, and then burst them. This is necessary so that the earth does not crumble into the pit. In addition, these panels are used as formwork.
5. Carry out reinforcement - use rods of at least 12 mm. The fittings are located at a distance of 5-10 cm from each other. Fasteners are carried out using wire.
6. Fasten the formwork before starting casting. Mortar: into three parts of sand, one part of cement.
7. Poles should be infused for two weeks. After that, you can remove the formwork and make the overlap.
8. Concrete floors are made in much the same way as the pillars themselves.

After the foundation is built, you can begin construction.

Monolithic foundation

But the construction of the foundation of the house from the foam block can be performed using monolithic technology. This is ideal for heaving soils. There is one drawback - you can not make a basement. Construction process:

1. A foundation pit of the right size is made, the depth is not more than 0.6 m.
2. At the bottom of the pit you need to lay a pillow. It should have a thickness of 0.4 m. Of these, sand - 0.25 m and gravel - 0.15 m. A layer of waterproofing is laid on top of all layers.
3. Put the formwork and fill the concrete solution.
4. Once the solution is completely dry, you can remove the formwork and put the waterproofing.

That's all, now you know which foundation for a house of foam blocks will be the best for all types of soils. The main thing during construction is to adhere to norms and consistency.