Every year more and more new building materials appear on the market. So, recently foam concrete has become increasingly popular. This material has good performance and low cost. The price of building a country house of foam concrete is much lower than the same building of classic brick. However, for the building to last a long time, you need to know all the nuances. In today's article, we will consider how the construction of a house made of foam concrete is carried out.
What is good material?
No wonder this material has become so widespread. According to reviews, foam concrete for building a house is better than brick. There are several reasons for this:
- The material is light.
- It has a larger volume, which positively affects the speed of construction of the building.
- It features high thermal insulation.
- It has a lower price than a classic brick. At the same time, the material is as fireproof as brick.
However, you need to understand that foam concrete panels for building houses need additional decoration. Since the foam block absorbs more moisture, it must be protected. But we will talk about the decoration of foam concrete panels for building houses a little later.
What should be prepared?
First we need to prepare the following materials:
- Aerated concrete blocks. Which foam concrete is better for building a house? If these are internal and load-bearing walls, it is better to use materials with a density of 700-100 kilograms per cubic meter. External walls are built of their blocks with a density of 500 kilograms per cubic meter. But when installing reinforced floors, durable material is selected. Its density should be 1,600 kilograms per cubic meter.
- Fittings with a diameter of 6, 8 and 10 millimeters.
- Solution for laying gas blocks.
- Material for the foundation device. These are crushed stone, concrete, poles, piles, sand and reinforcement.
- Floor slabs.
- Roofing material and lumber for the roof truss system.
From the tools you will need:
- Plumb line.
- Level.
- The square.
- Mallet.
- Sanding board or grater.
- Plane.
- Hand saw with victorious tips.
- Manual wall chaser for aerated concrete.
- Feather and screw drills.
- brush to remove dust.
- Master OK.
- Spatula for applying the solution.
- Drill with mixer nozzle and solution mixing tank.
- Guide corner.
The technology for building a house of foam concrete involves careful preparation of the construction site. Garbage removal, soil removal and tree removal (if necessary) are performed.
Foundation
During the construction of houses from foam concrete, the project can be anything, but any of them provides, first of all, for the foundation. Moreover, not every option is suitable for this. Here it is worth considering:
- Region of residence.
- Groundwater level.
- Soil condition.
- The relief of the land.
Base and blind area
Since the material absorbs moisture, a base and a blind area are made from the foundation. The height of the basement base according to SNiP is at least 50 centimeters with a rigid blind area. If this blind area is soft, the parameter is at least 30 centimeters. But as noted by the reviews, the optimal parameter is from 50 to 80 centimeters.
Wall masonry from foam block
A feature of the masonry of these blocks is that they are lighter than brick. Accordingly, the material will not squeeze out the solution. Therefore, attention is paid to the thickness of the seam. After laying out one row, you need to check the quality of the masonry with a building level. If necessary, align with a planer.
What to lay blocks on? Two compositions can be used here. It:
- Glue.
- Classical cement-sand mixture.
Recently, another option has appeared - polyurethane adhesive in cylinders. But judging by the reviews, it is better to use masonry glue for building a house from foam concrete. It has several advantages over the solution. Glue makes it possible to make a thinner layer. A seam visually seems more accurate.
The glue mixture should be in consistency like thick sour cream. After preparation, the mixture is applied to the previously moistened surface of the wall masonry using a spatula or trowel. Further, with a notched trowel, the composition is leveled over the entire width of the block. If the latter has a groove-comb mounting system, then these actions will be enough. If a regular foam block is used, the adhesive must also be applied on a vertical surface. Then a new block is installed on the solution. It should be laid correctly. The accuracy of the installation is checked by the building level. If there are hand grips on the unit, you need to fill the junction with water and then fill with glue. If necessary, the location is adjusted with a rubber mallet (by tapping).
note
When building a house from foam concrete with your own hands, you need to consider such factors:
- The first gas block is laid with a canopy 5 centimeters above the base.
- In the summer, the masonry must be protected by covering with a film. This reduces the drying rate of the solution. In addition, the hardening will be uniform.
- Blocks are stacked at a temperature not lower than -5 degrees Celsius. At the same time, special winter glue is used in the winter.
- You can correct the block within 5 to 15 minutes after installation. After this period, the element will have to be knocked out and re-glued. This will be difficult to do.
- If during installation of the blocks, excess mixture protrudes from the seams, first give time to dry, and then remove with a spatula.
First row laying
You need to start with the preparation of the foundation. The first row is always laid on a layer of waterproofing. Next, you need to check for horizontalness. By the way, cement-sand mortar is always used for the first row, even if further laying will be on glue. Cement mortar allows you to compensate for all irregularities. But previously the surface is cleaned of all contaminants. But to moisten the surface of the first row is not necessary.
Foam blocks are mounted from the angles between which the beacon (rope) is pulled. But professionals use the level. This beacon serves as a guide for the correct laying of the material. To prevent the cord from sagging, intermediate beacons are installed. The difference in height between the corners should not be more than 3 centimeters.
When performing work, additional foam concrete blocks may be required. They can be cut using a hand saw or grinder with a special circle. But since this operation is very dusty, do not forget about personal protective equipment. Also note that the length of such blocks in the corners should be at least 11.5 centimeters.
After laying the first row, you should wait about three to four hours. This time is necessary in order for the cement mixture between the first row and the foundation to dry.
Reinforcement
Since the foam block is less durable than brick, it needs additional reinforcement. This helps to increase the bearing capacity of the walls. Performs vertical and horizontal reinforcement. At the same time, a clear step of 1 meter is observed (if the unit has a height of 25 centimeters). If the dimensions of the foam concrete for building a house are from 30 to 35 centimeters in height, then reinforcement is performed through every third row.
To lay the fittings, a slot is made in aerated concrete. Strobes are performed using a manual or electric stroboreza. Two 2.5-centimeter recesses are carried out at a distance of 5 centimeters from the outer edge. Reinforcement is performed for each window sill and every fourth row of the foam block.
You can also perform block reinforcement with a grid. It can be plastic or metal. In this case, do not have to make holes. A mesh is often selected if glue is used during construction.
Floor floors
When building a house of foam concrete in several floors, overlap between the last is performed. When choosing, you can give preference to wooden or monolithic floors. But the former practice most often.
How are they installed? To do this, a circular armo-belt for wooden beams is made around the perimeter of the building. For such a belt, U-shaped blocks will be required. We plant them 20 centimeters in wooden beams. It is better that the length of the beam stop corresponds to its height. At the same time, the ends of the lumber remain open (the remaining parts are isolated).
The device of the reinforcing belt:
- The width of the belt should correspond to the width of the wall. Height - from 10 to 12 centimeters.
- The number of rows and the diameter of the reinforcement will depend on the gap between the supporting walls.
- Since additional reinforcement leads to the formation of cold bridges, they are eliminated through the use of thermal insulation materials.
- Instead of wooden beams, hollow concrete products can be used.
Warming
When building a house made of foam concrete, many think about insulation. Experts note that this operation is not necessary. Due to its porosity, the foam block does not conduct as cold as classic brick. This applies to walls. However, there are certain areas that are necessarily exposed to insulation. These include:
- End parts of floor slabs.
- Roof.
- Foundation.
- Door and window openings.
These sites are a serious source of heat loss. At the same time, experts recommend using a soft insulation that will allow foam concrete to “breathe”.
Exterior finish
This is the final stage of building a house of foam concrete. As we noted earlier, the foam block absorbs moisture more than brick. Therefore, it is advisable to perform additional finishes to protect the coating from adverse atmospheric conditions. Moreover, during freezing, such a material may become cracked. There are several options for exterior decoration of the house from the foam block:
- Siding (plastic panels).
- Ventilated facade.
- The use of facade plaster (the most popular option for today).
- Use of facing brick. But at the same time, even at the construction stage, it is necessary to provide for an increase in the load on the building foundation.
When choosing a material, it should be borne in mind that it should provide the ability to ventilate the walls and have qualities such as water resistance and frost resistance.
Conclusion
So, we found out how the construction of a house is made of foam concrete. The construction of such a building is a complex and responsible work. Therefore, it is always estimated when calculating. This includes:
- The cost of building materials.
- Acquisition or rental of tools / equipment.
- The cost of delivery of building material and garbage collection in the future.
- Labor costs of workers.
On average, the construction of a two-story residential building made of foam concrete will cost 680 thousand rubles. But this is the price without finishing work. As for the terms, the foundation device will take from two weeks to several months. The construction of the box (load-bearing walls and partitions) takes up to five weeks. Roofing works take about a month and a half. For the formation of a warm contour (installation of doors, windows and flooring) - 4 weeks. Also, it is worth including external decoration, internal and communications layout. In general, all work will take about 6-24 months.