By choosing a foundation and laying it, a person carries out the most important work in the process of building a house. After all, its durability and well-being in further operation depends on how high-quality the foundation of the building is. It should be noted that choosing a foundation is a rather complicated procedure, but if you focus on the criteria listed below, then no problems will arise in this regard. Let's decide which foundation is better?
Foundation selection criteria
First of all, the foundation of your house should be durable and have a high load-bearing capacity (relative to the building erected on it);
The foundation of the house should prevent heat exchange as much as possible between the floor of the house and the ground;
Durability. The operational period of the foundation should be such that its destruction would begin only after the destruction of the walls);
Ideally, the foundation must allow the creation of warm and dry cellars or underground garages. A very important quality when building a private house;
Maximum efficiency– but not at the expense of quality.
It should be noted that it will be impossible to select the type of foundation without taking into account the type of soil on which the construction will be carried out. This factor is no less important than the characteristics of the building being constructed. It is simply impossible to decide which type of foundation will be better in a given case.
What types of foundations are there for a private house? Their main characteristics
When constructing private houses, one of the following types of foundations is used:
Slab foundation - it is formed on the basis of a monolithic slab previously placed on the ground.
Strip foundation - the type of foundation provides a strip-shaped base on which the load-bearing and interior walls of the house are supported;
Pile (columnar) foundation - the support for the structure being erected is a slab or beam grillage placed not on the ground, but on the heads of vertical supports (meaning on pillars or piles).
Slab 
Tape 
Pile
Without a doubt, each type of foundation has its own advantages and disadvantages. It will be possible to make an informed choice only if you know them thoroughly.
On a foundation of this type it will be possible to build a light frame structure, and capital brick construction. However, it should be noted that the strip base can only be erected on dense rocks with moderate humidity and slight heaving deformation. A related requirement for the site on which it is planned to build such a foundation for a house will be a relatively flat terrain.
The universal strip base is suitable for almost any type of house - for example, for a brick
Positive qualities:
High bearing capacity of strip foundation;
Solid internal volume
Flaws:
Low heat resistance;
Insufficient moisture resistance.
In fairness, it should be noted that using slab insulators, it is possible to better mitigate these shortcomings.
You can build anything on such a slab, but it will cost you a lot
Obvious advantages:
There are no restrictions on the characteristics of the soil and the weight of the house being built.
High load-bearing capacity;
Moderate heat and moisture resistance.
Flaws:
“Zero” volume of the base;
The requirement for the site is a perfectly smooth surface;
High price.
Conclusion - the use of a slab foundation is possible only if the house design does not require an underground garage or basement. And the estimate should include significant financial costs.
Pile and column foundations
It will be possible to build on this type of foundation only lightweight design– frame houses, “Finnish” houses, as well as block buildings.
Fast and reliable pile foundation for a light frame house
Advantages of a pile foundation:
Unpretentiousness to the soil - dense soil, quicksand, silty soil are suitable. This is explained by the fact that the installation of piles makes it possible to detect dense support at a depth of up to 12 meters - provided that the pile packages are immersed at a distance of 25-35 meters.
It is possible to create a spacious cellar or underground garage;
Durability. Pile foundation for a house will last more than a hundred years.
Flaws:
Low load-bearing capacity - this explains the fact that it will not be possible to place a permanent brick building on this foundation.
The need for additional heat and moisture insulation.
Which foundation for a house should you choose?
In order to choose the appropriate type of foundation, you will need to find out the following things:
Detailed characteristics of the soil on which construction is planned;
Features of the site's relief;
Characteristics of the structure being built. Project, materials, need for arrangement of underground premises, total area, planned costs - all this must be taken into account.
It is necessary to emphasize once again that before deciding which foundation for a house is best to make, you need to triple check all the data. Understand correctly - this is a job that is usually entrusted to specialists with appropriate training and experience. If you have already decided to save, then you need to do everything so that this saving does not turn into tenfold losses. If the foundation is chosen incorrectly, the house will not stand for long. Even a pile foundation erected according to all the rules will not support a capital structure, and a strip foundation will “ride” on quicksand. This is about what mistakes are made in most cases when choosing the type of foundation.
Any construction begins with laying a foundation, the quality of which will determine the final result and durability of the structure.
A number of requirements are put forward for the foundation:
Foundation types
To decide which foundation is best to make, you need to know their main characteristics.
In the construction of a private house, several types of foundations are used, the choice of which depends on factors such as:
- weight of the planned structure;
- quality of the underlying surface;
- terrain;
- depth of soil freezing.
Available types of foundations for private houses are:
- tape;
- columnar;
- pile;
- slab
Strip is the most popular type of foundation. Its arrangement is recommended for the construction of heavy structures (made of bricks, slabs, blocks) in stable soil conditions, not subject to erosion and landslides, on a leveled surface and in a temperate climate.
This is what the strip foundation of the future house looks like It is laid in unstable soil conditions, as well as on relief terrain. The depth of its laying reaches up to 3 meters. Laying a strip foundation to such a depth is very expensive.
Recommended for wetland areas, as well as for northern conditions where deep soil freezing occurs. Pile foundations are used for capital structures only in cases of extreme necessity, because... after a short time it becomes loose for one reason or another, which can lead to deformation of the walls and base of the building.
A slab foundation is an ideal solution if there is mobile, unstable soil, as well as in areas where there is pronounced heaving of the soil when it freezes.
An example of a finished slab foundation for a cottage Withstands the heaviest structures and allows you to maintain the integrity of the base and walls of the building during soil movement. However, its price exceeds the cost of all of the above types of foundation, which is due to the large amount of building material consumed.
So, let's look at how to make a foundation for a house with your own hands. Let's focus on the strip base, as the most common in private construction.
Let's look at the stages earthworks, we will learn how to make formwork for the foundation and how to pour it under the house.
Laying a strip foundation
The main stages of laying a strip base are as follows.
Stage 1 Determination of groundwater depth
In order to determine the level of groundwater passage, it is necessary to dig a hole 1 m deep and 1 m wide. 
Leave the hole for a day, and after 24 hours analyze: if the bottom remains dry, then a regular strip foundation, buried up to half a meter, can be poured under the house.
If water is found in the hole, then the foundation must be deepened to a level of up to 1.5 m and it must be waterproofed.
Stage 2 Site marking and foundation design
At this stage, based on the data from the design documentation of the future house, it is necessary to mark the foundation on the site. To do this, first a peg is driven in and the width of the future structure is measured from it and the peg is driven in again.
The length of the future house is measured from the second peg until the contour is closed. When marking the foundation, it is necessary to ensure that the angle between the pegs is strictly straight, otherwise the foundation will not be able to perform its main functions for a long time. 
After these operations, it is necessary to remove the fertile layer of soil from the area under the foundation and dig a trench along the entire perimeter of the future house. The depth of the trench will depend on the weight of the building under construction, as well as on the characteristics of the underlying surface, and its width will be 30-40 cm.
Attention! The depth of the foundation strip must be below the groundwater level. It is recommended not to remove the fertile soil, but to store it on the site for further use when restoring the local area after construction is completed.
After cleaning the walls and bottom of the trench, it is necessary to arrange a drainage cushion at the bottom of the foundation pit. To do this, it is recommended to use a layer-by-layer arrangement of coarse sand and gravel, and the sand layer must be moistened and compacted (you decide how many such layers you will make). The optimal height of such a pillow for a strip foundation is up to 20 cm.
Stage 3 Foundation reinforcement
Without a solid foundation it is impossible to make, so pay no less attention to this stage than pouring the foundation. To begin with, bricks are placed on the constructed layered pad at the bottom of the trench. Reinforcing bars are laid on them, crossing each other. In places where the rods intersect each other, it is necessary to fasten them together with steel wire.
Thus, a kind of lattice is created. It is not recommended to connect the rods together using spot welding, since in this case the structure will lose flexibility and will not be able to fully withstand soil heaving or displacement.
Example of correct reinforcement Stage 4 Foundation waterproofing
Roofing felt and bitumen are used as waterproofing materials. The bottom of the trench is covered with roofing felt. In this case, the joints of sheets of roofing felt, laid out overlapping each other, are glued with tape (construction or painting tape).
For roofing felt, the top is covered with a layer of liquid bitumen. If necessary, up to 2-3 layers of roofing material coated with bitumen can be formed.
Stage 5 Construction of formwork
Before pouring the foundation for the house, it is necessary to erect formwork. Let's look at how to make formwork for the foundation efficiently and aesthetically. Inexpensive ones are used for formwork building materials: boards and plywood sheets. The frame of the future foundation is assembled from the boards. 
Make sure that the heads of the nails used to knock down the boards extend outside the formwork and are not placed inside. This will save appearance your foundation.
To prevent the boards from spreading or moving under the formwork, it is necessary to support them from the outside with short beams.
Stage 6 Pouring the foundation
Before you learn how to pour a foundation for a house, you need to decide what to fill it with.
To fill the foundation, a cement mixture is used (note MIXTURE, not SOLUTION, which means that the composition should have a dense consistency and not spread). We prepare the mixture with our own hands, and for this you need to know how many and what components should be included.
So, the mixture consists of: coarse river sand (3 parts) + cement (1 part) + crushed stone (5 parts).
First, mix the dry components of the future mixture, and then dilute them with water to obtain a mixture of paste-like consistency. The cement mixture should not be poured, it should be laid. Only in this case the result will be a very strong, durable and reliable foundation.
The entire mass of the cement mixture is not laid at once, but in parts. Each laid layer is compacted so that voids do not form in the foundation, which negatively affect the quality of the foundation.
Table of different grades of concrete By the way, you can buy cement mixture. The price for a cube of cement for a foundation with delivery is on average 2,000 rubles, and a self-made mixture will cost you 1,050 rubles. per cubic meter
There is a 50% savings at this stage.
And if you decided to hire workers to complete this stage of construction, it would cost you from 11 thousand rubles per cubic meter. The price consists of the cost of materials and wages for construction workers.
Stage 7 Caring for the foundation while it hardens
After laying the entire cement mixture into the formwork, it is necessary to leave the foundation for 25 - 30 days so that the cement completely sets. However, at this time it is necessary to maintain a certain microclimate for the future foundation of the house.
If you are laying a foundation in hot summer, then its surface must be regularly moistened, but if in rainy autumn or spring, then the foundation, on the contrary, must be isolated from excess moisture by covering it with polyethylene.
The process of wetting concrete during hardening If you have completed all the stages of laying the foundation successfully, then it will delight you with its strength and long service life.
The strip foundation has proven itself to be a reliable and durable foundation for any type of building. Due to its versatility and relatively low price, this type of foundation is widely used in the construction industry. Having in your arsenal basic knowledge in construction, a set of necessary tools, technical means and a great desire, you can easily turn into reality the idea of building a strip foundation with your own hands. You will learn how to pour a strip foundation with your own hands without experience and organize the work correctly from our step-by-step instructions.
Before you begin the preparatory work, you should decide for yourself what type of strip foundation you prefer to see as the basis of your future building. There are two types of strip foundations:
- Shallow;
- Recessed.
The first type of strip foundation is suitable for those who want to save their time and money. Arrangement shallow foundation does not require deep trenches. It is an excellent solution for the construction of small buildings. Experts recommend giving preference to a shallow strip foundation when building structures such as:
- Wooden houses;
- One or two-story buildings made of foam concrete or aerated concrete blocks;
- Frame buildings Canadian technology construction;
- Monolithic structures with permanent formwork;
- Small stone buildings.
The depth of this type of foundation does not exceed 50 cm.
A recessed strip foundation is suitable for buildings with heavy walls, a concrete roof and an underground garage or basement. When choosing this type of foundation, it is necessary to correctly calculate its depth. To do this, it is enough to determine the level of soil freezing and subtract 30 cm from this value.
Preparatory work
At this stage, it is necessary to draw up a detailed plan for subsequent work, bring all construction materials to the site and place them near the work site. Calculations should also be carried out necessary materials, as well as sizes. In this case, specialized online calculators will come to your aid.
Marking
Probably the most important stage in the construction of any type of foundation is marking the land plot. Before starting it, it is necessary to clear the entire surface in the area of the future foundation from debris and cut off the top layer of soil to a depth of 15-20 cm, which will help avoid biological processes decomposition of organic matter. After arranging the construction site, you can proceed directly to marking. To do this:
- A peg, which can be a piece of reinforcement, marks the location of the first corner;
- From it, using a vertical and plumb line, mark the position of the second and third corners;
- A string is also pulled from the second and third corners and the fourth corner is determined;
- Having measured the diagonals and made sure that the angles are set correctly, a rope is pulled between the pegs;
- Stepping back from the resulting marking inward at a distance equal to the thickness of the future foundation, mark the internal contour.
Having finished marking, we begin digging a trench. To do this, we select the lowest point of our marking and from it we count the remaining depth, using the building level. For a small building, a depth of 40 cm will be sufficient, and only a shovel will be enough to dig a trench, although you can easily use the services of an excavator.
Educational video about markup:
Foundation cushion and waterproofing layer
So, the trench is dug, and the next step is to settle the sand bed with a mixture of gravel. This pillow is covered in layers, each of which is watered and compacted. According to standards, the thickness of the entire layer must be at least 15 cm. A waterproofing film is placed on the pillow as a protective layer. A rough concrete solution can also serve as an alternative, but in this case you will have to wait a week until it hardens.
Installation of formwork
Dimensions of formwork for foundation
The formwork materials can be planed boards, slate, moisture-resistant plywood and oriented strand board (OSB). The formwork is installed vertically to a height of 30 cm, which will allow for the construction of a basement in the future. In order to later install the sewer pipe and water supply, asbestos concrete pipes are laid in the formwork. If you want the formwork material to be able to be used after the foundation has been poured, place a plastic film between the formwork and the concrete. Dismantling of the formwork is carried out 6 days after pouring the concrete.
Laying reinforcement
The reinforcement for laying in a trench with a cross-section of 1-1.2 cm is fastened with a special knitting wire so that cells with sides of 30 to 40 cm are formed. It is not advisable to use welding to fasten the reinforcement, since in the future corrosion may form at the coupling points. The optimal distance of reinforcement from the edges of the formwork is 50 mm. This placement is the most effective in a monolith. Instead of steel reinforcement, fiberglass reinforcement can be used, but its characteristics must be equivalent.
Pouring concrete
The concrete solution is poured gradually and in layers of 15 cm from a height of no more than 1.5 meters. Each layer is compacted with a wooden tamper or deep vibrator, which increases the overall density.
You can buy concrete for the foundation or make it yourself. IN the latter case the proportion of cement, crushed stone and sand is 1:3:5. If work is carried out at temperatures below 00C, then a concrete heater is used, and potassium chloride or table salt is added to the solution.
Completion of work
Once the concrete is poured, it is covered with film and left for at least 2 weeks, during which it will gain strength. If work takes place in hot weather, the hardening concrete is sometimes watered with water so that the cement continues to gain strength and does not turn into dust. It is possible to erect the walls of a building on a do-it-yourself strip foundation only after the concrete has completely matured.
The basis of any structure is the foundation. The stronger and more correctly it is installed, the longer any building will last.
But to make a high-quality base, you need to spend a lot. The third part is the cost of the building - this is the average price of a good foundation.
Therefore, to save money, many people want to know how to make a foundation with their own hands.
First you need to choose the type of foundation, because there are several types: strip foundation, columnar, pile and slab options. We will explain below how they differ from each other.
Strip foundation
The most versatile and frequently used type of building foundation is a strip foundation. It cannot be used only in permafrost and for structures “on water”.
The essence of the foundation is a closed strip - the base, stretching along the perimeter of the building and in place of the load-bearing internal walls. The photo of the foundation clearly shows that the thickness of the strip should be the same in all areas.
Such a foundation is suitable for any building and allows you to build a high-quality basement or ground floor.
The supply of housing communications at the base can be positioned as conveniently as possible for their operation.
The main disadvantage of this type of foundation is large number earthworks and building materials.
Columnar foundation
For small buildings, to save materials, it is recommended to use a columnar foundation. It allows you to provide a high-quality foundation for a lightweight building with less time and effort.
The foundation for a house consists of pillars at the points of maximum load of the building (corners, on long sections with calculated steps, under load-bearing walls).
You can build supports from brick, concrete, or even wood (only rot-resistant wood - larch, for example). The depth for the pillars is selected taking into account the material and type of soil.
After installing all the supports, you need to tie them into a single system for greater strength.
The disadvantages of the foundation include the impossibility of founding a basement. The base is not suitable for heavy buildings; unstable soil types also preclude its use.
Pile foundation
The foundation of a house on stilts is similar to a columnar foundation, but it is not. The main difference is the depth of the supports. Due to their small diameter compared to the pillars, holes for piles are not dug, but drilled. This allows you to install the supports to a greater depth and dig them into more stable rocks.
Otherwise, the technology for placing and tying supports is identical to the columnar foundation.
The main disadvantage of this base is the use of special equipment. However, recently piles with a screw at the end have begun to appear, which allows them to be screwed into the rock like a self-tapping screw. This is what made the piles accessible to the layman.
Slab foundation
One of the most rarely used types of foundation. Reinforced slabs are usually used more often for roads and boulevards, but some people also use them as a foundation for a house.
To create it, a gravel-sand cushion is first poured, after which reinforcement is placed and the foundation is poured. This creates a “floating” foundation for the house.
The advantage of such a basis is independence from the type of soil and its freezing in winter.
But there are many more disadvantages: the impossibility of creating a basement, the difficulty of connecting communications, the high consumption of materials, and the possibility of construction only on level ground.
Now we will tell you in detail about the creation of a strip foundation, as the most common and universal in construction.
Foundation construction plan
To build a reliable and strong foundation will require a lot of calculations. Knowing the future dimensions of the building, you need to calculate the depth of the foundation and its width.
And here we will make an important clarification. It is best for a specialist to independently calculate these parameters. The fact is that the correctly calculated depth and width of the foundation determines whether the foundation of the future building, and therefore your life, will support it or not.
There will be a lot of nuances when calculating, but only professionals know them. For small buildings, if you decide to do without calculations, the depth of the building will be small and the width will be a multiple of 100 mm.
Step-by-step instructions for building a foundation
- Mark the territory.
- Carry out excavation work (dig trenches).
- Create a bed of sand and gravel.
- Make formwork for the foundation.
- Lay the future foundation with a reinforcement belt.
- Provide ventilation (if necessary) using pipe sections.
- Pour concrete.
- Smooth the surface until it hardens.
- After a week, remove the formwork.
- After another 3 weeks, the concrete will completely harden and waterproofing can be done using roofing felt and hot bitumen.
- Lay a brick plinth on top of the concrete and waterproof it.
The foundation is ready!
DIY foundation photo
There are many technologies in construction that make it possible to form a reliable, stable and durable foundation of a residential building - its foundation part. Let's figure out what the advantages and features of the poured method are, and get acquainted with step-by-step instructions on how to make a strip (that is, poured) foundation yourself.
Pouring the foundation for a house with your own hands
Real construction conditions influence the choice of technology
The decision to choose a foundation construction method is made based on the characteristics of the soil. Poured (tape) technology is appropriate only if the construction of a house is carried out in non-subsidence soils. If there are peat bogs on your site, the ground is saturated with water and is clearly swampy - a flooded foundation is not for you.
Strip foundation
A high-quality poured foundation can be made even without being a professional, if you follow the sequence of actions recommended by experienced craftsmen. Pouring is a relatively simple, profitable, financially accessible technology that has been proven for decades.
Calculation of a strip foundation for a house
Even in an area with complex terrain, it is easy to create a guide trench and it is not at all necessary to strive for zero error when determining the level of its bottom - when pouring, the liquid solution fills all the voids (in contrast to the requirements for level accuracy if the foundation is created from slabs or blocks). Strip foundations are ideal for low-weight structures: frame-type houses, timber or logs.
Video - Poured Foundation
Start of work: digging a pit or trench
Step one. Decide on the area that the future foundation should cover with its outer perimeter. Before the excavator begins excavating the soil, markings are made (wooden stakes, posts, etc.).
Marking for strip foundation
The thickness of the foundation (thickness of the tape, selection of reinforcing elements) depends on the weight load that is expected from the house being built. Experienced builders and technologists know how to correctly calculate the width and depth of a trench, taking into account the characteristics of the main building. It is recommended to consult with specialists in order to further avoid overloads that could lead to the destruction of the foundation.
Step two. It is important to decide in advance whether you will have a basement space or not. If you want to have a basement or storage area under the house, you will have to dig a wide pit in which the poured foundation will act as walls. However, most often strip foundation is practiced in small depths and basements with a low ceiling are of little interest to anyone, so it is not the foundation pit that is relevant, but the trench.
However, the choice of “pit or trench” is influenced by another factor - the size of the future structure. When the area of the future building is small (say, 5x8 m or 7x9 m), it is more convenient to use a solid pit with an internal approach to the foundation. Subsequently, the void is filled with selected soil or tightly filled with construction waste. On larger sites (from 10x12 m), it is advisable to dig a long trench and not touch the soil at all from the inner perimeter.
Step three. The trench should be slightly wider than the future wooden formwork (form for pouring concrete). The gap is necessary as space for free access to the formwork, as well as ensuring maneuverability of working tools. The most common trench width is about 25-35 cm.
Marking the foundation of a garden house
Approximately the same depth of the foundation along its lower part, provided that the terrain is relatively flat. In places where the relief is lower, it is advisable to keep this figure to a minimum, and where there is an increase in relief, the body of the foundation will be buried much more deeply into the ground. At the planning stage, it is necessary to take into account the curvature of the construction site and make a careful calculation of the difference between the highest and lowest levels of relief.
Attention! In case of uneven terrain, the bottom of the trench is made level, but in no case inclined, not “repeating” the relief slope! In other words, the concrete strip should have the same height everywhere, since the vertical load on the foundation from above from the side of the future house is uniform.
Creation of a flood channel - formwork, cushion, reinforcement
Step one. Shields are made from wooden boards, which are installed vertically and form a pouring channel. Use substandard wood, wood waste, etc. It doesn’t matter what the formwork looks like from the outside - the main thing is that the inside of the boards is as smooth as possible.
Formwork for strip foundation
The opposite walls of the formwork are pulled together in several places with temporary fasteners, secured vertically from the outside and additionally supported by inclined blocks - so that when pouring a heavy concrete mass, the formwork walls are not torn apart and the shape of the poured foundation remains unchanged.
The opposite walls of the formwork are tied together in several places using temporary fasteners
Step two. Sand is laid out at the bottom of the trench in an even layer, the thickness of which depends on the individual characteristics of the building under construction - 4-5 or 8-10 cm. The task of the sand cushion is to provide natural shock absorption. After all, even on stable soils, movements in the ground that are invisible to the eye occur.
It is advisable to isolate the sand from the concrete mortar with some kind of linen material of a synthetic composition (so that the process of decomposition does not begin inside the concrete pouring. Insulation allows you to retain moisture and cement laitance in the concrete, thereby preventing the foundation from becoming more fragile.
Step three. Reinforcement is placed inside the filling channel. The most common for these purposes is reinforced mesh; the costs for it are usually included in the estimate. An iron rod is also used. The optimal thickness of bar elements is 8-12 mm. In private construction, any metal objects long, flat shape (cuts metal pipes, fragments of old iron beds).
Reinforcement is placed inside the pouring channel
Attention! Do not weld reinforcing elements under any circumstances. Just tie them together (use wire or special fasteners sold in stores). Welding takes away the plasticity and protection from ruptures from the foundation during those minor movements in the soil that are natural with changes in temperature, humidity, and shrinkage of the house.
Do not weld reinforcing elements under any circumstances.
Preparation of mortar, pouring concrete
Step one. When purchasing concrete, give preference to brands M-200, M-250 and M-300. Typically, the construction of private houses and buildings involves such volumes that a small concrete mixer is enough. In it, the concrete mixture acquires the necessary mobility (in other words, consistency). The poured mass is easily distributed inside the formwork and carefully fills the smallest air cavities.
Concrete M-300
The composition of the solution is best agreed upon with specialists who have experience in construction in your region and are well versed in the characteristics of dry concrete. There is an easy way to check the viscosity of concrete (its mobility) manually: scoop up a handful of the solution and squeeze it tightly in your fist, then unclench your hand. If all the water has left, the concrete solution is not entirely successful - it has low mobility, and when it hardens, there is a high probability of small cracks forming inside the foundation. If there is concrete milk (mush) left on your hand, the mixture is prepared perfectly! The foundation of such concrete will be dense, ductile, and durable.
Concrete mixer
Step two. It is undesirable to fill during rain and snow (sometimes construction is carried out in spring or autumn, when there is little precipitation - at this time it is better to cover the formwork and wait for the weather to clear). Pour concrete in such portions that in one cycle the entire area at the bottom of the formwork is filled. Ideally, you need to start work in the morning, so that by lunchtime or evening you can fill the entire box layer by layer.
Attention! Sometimes on large areas the foundation is poured in parts. Keep the same principle: layer by layer horizontally, but never “side by side” vertically. Remember that the weight load of the house on the foundation is always directed from top to bottom.
Step three. In hot weather (temperatures above +19…+22 °C), it is necessary to periodically pour water over the foundation. This will improve its strength when setting concrete. When the formwork box is completely filled with mortar, you should wait 25-30 days for the concrete to gain maximum strength.
However, the first construction work on the house without serious weight loads can begin within 10-15 days after pouring the foundation. At this stage, the concrete has gained about 75% strength, and there is no point in wasting time.
Pouring strip foundation
Step four. After the foundation concrete has completely hardened, the formwork can be removed, but the process of creating the foundation is not over. Be sure to make a concrete blind area around the outer perimeter of the house.
The meaning of the blind area:
- prevent contact of the foundation with rain and melt water;
- protect the foundation soil from moisture accumulation;
- move the winter freezing zone away from the house.
Monolithic reinforced blind area
Blind area of strip foundation
Don’t forget to also build drainage structures on the roof and along the walls of the house. After all, even the strongest foundation is not immune to decomposition processes that can occur over time if water and moist fumes are allowed to unimpededly affect concrete.
The construction of the foundation must be taken extremely seriously, because this is the basis of the future home, its strength will depend on it.
Types of foundations.
There are several types of foundations, but the most popular of them is the strip foundation. The reason for such unusual popularity is extremely simple: inexpensive materials, ease of reinforcement, and also the fact that anyone can do it themselves once all the nuances of how to pour the foundation for a house have been studied.
Ribbon structures are used mainly in those houses that plan to have a basement. In other words, it is ideal in our case. But such construction is a very responsible procedure for which you should properly prepare.
Introductory video - types, types and secrets of pouring a foundation for a house
Preparation.
Stage one.
We mark the area where the foundation will be built. For this we need fishing line and several pieces of reinforcement. Such markings should be made either in full accordance with the dimensions of the future house, or ten centimeters wider (to make digging convenient).
It is worth remembering that not only the back side is marked, but also the inside (the best distance is about forty centimeters, so you will be as comfortable as possible when digging).
Stage two.
When the markings are ready, you should not rush to start digging a trench. First, it is better to check the diagonals, because they must coincide with each other.
Let's start building the foundation for the house
Stage one.
Digging a pit. In principle, everything is very clear here, so we will not expand on this topic.
Stage two.
The main load will fall on the lower area of the foundation, so we must soften it. This could be, for example, ordinary sand, with which we fill the bottom of the pit, and then compact it thoroughly, periodically pouring water on the sand.
The pouring of the foundation must fully comply with all the requirements, so we build a special formwork (for this, ordinary cut planks are suitable for us). Such a simple move will soon significantly reduce the cost of leveling the foundation walls.
Moreover, you will be able to control the height of the formwork. When the board has fulfilled its function, do not rush to throw it away - it will serve you well as a rafter.
Stage three.
We nail the formwork together with nails or tighten it with screws, it doesn’t matter. The only thing to remember is that when using nails, the caps must be on the outside. In this case, the walls of our foundation will be quite smooth, and dismantling after the mortar has hardened will be significantly simplified.
Stage four.
Don't forget about sewer holes. You need to take care of them in advance, because if you make holes after the base has hardened, the solidity of the structure will be grossly violated.
We also said that for greater strength it is necessary to use metal reinforcement, which should consist of two rows. In order for it to be securely fastened, you need to use a knitting wire - it will perfectly fasten the jumpers together.
But if you do not have such wire, you can use welding (although we do not recommend this technique, since it can subsequently lead to rusting).
In addition, the foundation will be more reliable if the reinforcement is installed crosswise and lengthwise. When the formwork is finished, we check the structure for strength (otherwise it may shift after pouring).
Stage five.
To build our foundation, it is best to use lightweight concrete, and the reinforcement should be made of fiberglass. After this, perhaps, the stage of preparatory work ends. Next is the actual filling.
And here you may have a completely adequate question: how to pour the foundation for a house correctly? First of all, it is necessary to correctly calculate the proportions of the solution that will be used.
What should we know about pouring a foundation ourselves?
Before starting the pouring process, make sure that the solution is thick enough (if not, dilute it with water). It is advisable to first acquire a deep vibrator - this will contribute to the uniform distribution of concrete throughout the entire volume of the foundation. In addition, this removes air bubbles, which could subsequently cause structural failure.
You should also determine in advance the level at which the concrete will be poured. When it is poured, the surface is leveled and all irregularities are removed using a regular trowel.
If you carry out work in cold weather, it is necessary to use special additives that accelerate the hardening process. It is advisable to fill the entire area within one day, no need to delay.
What is needed to properly harden the foundation for a house?
The approximate hardening time for concrete is two weeks. And all this time you need to carefully care for it: moisten the surface if it dries out too quickly, cover it with polyethylene in case of rain.
After seven days, we cover the entire surface of the structure with bricks - this will displace the resulting voids.
As for the formwork, it can be removed after three days. And finally, when all the time is gone and the solution is completely dry, you can proceed to the next stage - constructing the base, but this article, alas, is not about that.
In the end, I would like to add a few words about the restoration of the foundation: it needs to be done in several stages, because creating a foundation under a finished structure is much more difficult than from scratch. But in general, we have looked at how to lay the foundation for a house.
Video lesson on pouring a foundation alone
The choice of foundation for a house is based on determining the degree of its reliability, ability to withstand a certain load, and the possibility of constructing a foundation on a specific soil with a known level of groundwater.
Of course, an important aspect when choosing is the amount of material resources that will have to be spent on the work and the ability to perform all manipulations without the use of special equipment.
When choosing a foundation for your future home, you need to pay attention to simple and most reliable structures, the construction of which can be done with your own hands, without the help of specialists. Some of the most economical but reliable include:
- columnar;
- tape
Which one existing species The type of foundation suitable for construction will be decided by the homeowner, but the most popular is a columnar foundation. This is a system of pillars installed not only at the corners of the house, but also at all intersections of walls and partitions.
Features of a columnar foundation
Base Pillar Design A simple and reliable columnar foundation can be made with your own hands when erecting a building on any soil. It is distinguished not only by its ease of execution, but also by its fairly low cost. The material required to make such a base may be:
- brick or concrete;
- natural stone or concrete blocks;
- rubble concrete or rubble flagstone.
The beginning of work is the clearing of the area designated for the foundation. If there are bumps or holes on the surface, then it must be leveled by removing a certain layer of soil or filling it with sand and crushed stone. After checking the quality of the preparatory work carried out using a hydraulic level, you can mark the future foundation.
Marking begins with determining the angles and diagonals. By placing pegs in the corners and pulling the string, you need to make sure that the foundation to be built is correct. Now you need to dig holes at the corners and at the intersections of the walls. Their depth depends on the groundwater level and soil freezing, but cannot be less than 50 centimeters. The width should be such as not to impede the work of laying bricks or blocks.
At the bottom of each prepared hole, a sand cushion at least 10-15 centimeters thick is made, spilled with water and compacted, and a rod of reinforcement is driven into the middle, which will become a fastening element when erecting a pillar.
Construction of pillars
The thickness of each pillar should be 12 centimeters greater than the thickness of the future walls. When building a light house, the number of pillars may be small, but when constructing a brick building, the distance between the foundation pillars should not exceed 2 meters. Having decided on the number of pillars, preparing the sand cushion and installing the rods, you can begin laying. The rods, the height of which necessarily exceeds the height of the pillar itself, are cut off at the end of the masonry using a grinder. It is necessary to make pillars that will rise above the soil level by at least two bricks, treat them with bitumen or other waterproofing material and cover them with earth. The erected foundation supports are also covered with waterproofing.
Another, no less simple and reliable way constructing a support for a columnar foundation means pouring the pillars. To do this, you will need to drill wells about two meters deep along the entire perimeter of the base, and in the corners and at the intersections of future walls in accordance with the markings. The hole must be such that it can fit freely asbestos cement pipe with a diameter of 25 cm. Having installed the pipes in the holes of the finished wells, it is necessary to check the diagonals again. Now is the time to take care of the reinforcement. The fittings are installed inside each pipe. Watch the video about the benefits of poured pillars when building a foundation.
After pouring the solution into the pipe, it should be slightly lifted and the mixture should be allowed to flow onto the sand bed. This is necessary to obtain some kind of platform. When installing the pipe, you must check its verticality and fix it in the desired position. For fixation, you can only use coarse sand, but in no case waste earth. Concrete is poured into the pipes gradually, constantly bayoneting the solution to avoid the formation of voids.
Wall connecting pillars
Construction of the pick-up The main disadvantage of a columnar foundation is the absence of a base, which would provide reliable protection for the house from rodents, help retain heat and prevent moisture from penetrating into the living space.
In order to provide the building with additional protection and successfully replace the missing base, you need to build a so-called fence. This is the easiest option for replacing the base. It can be made from brick, rubble stone, concrete.
When constructing on sandy soil, the excavation must be deepened into the ground by at least 20 centimeters. Place a sand cushion 15 centimeters thick and avoid tying the wall to the pillars to avoid cracking due to uneven shrinkage.
Trying to avoid unnecessary material costs, collection can be done using DSP. The construction of a columnar foundation has a number of limitations, including the high level of groundwater. In a certain situation, an equally simple and reliable foundation will be a strip foundation, which you can make yourself, without the involvement of specialists or the use of construction equipment.
Strip foundation
The strip foundation is characterized by high strength and durability, but its construction requires significantly more concrete. There are two options for constructing such a foundation:
- monolithic;
- made.
To install a prefabricated structure, you will need several components made of reinforced concrete, and when making a monolithic foundation, you need to make a number of reinforcing elements that are poured with concrete. Watch the video on how to build a strip foundation with your own hands.
In order to make a strong and reliable strip foundation, after completing the usual preparatory work on the construction site, it will be necessary to dig trenches with a depth of at least 50-70 centimeters.
Important! The depth of the trench must exceed the freezing depth of the soil.
At the bottom of them, arrange a sand cushion, which, as with other methods of constructing the foundation of a house, is spilled with water and compacted. Now you should build the formwork, the height of which corresponds to the height of the future foundation. A thin layer of concrete is poured at the bottom of the trenches and reinforced structures made of rods with a diameter of 10-12 mm are laid on it. Concrete can be poured without erecting formwork, but in this case, after filling the trench, you will need to make several rows of masonry using concrete blocks or bricks.
When choosing the simplest, strong and reliable foundation for your future home, it is worth clarifying the amount of material required to complete the work, the need to use special equipment and the amount of material costs. Preliminary calculations will help you understand which of the proposed foundation options will be the simplest, most affordable and reliable.
The importance of the foundation for any building is difficult to overestimate, because a reliable foundation of a building is the primary condition for its long-term trouble-free operation. You can build any, no matter how durable and beautiful walls, a well-designed and installed roofing system, reliable floors, and expensive finishing. But all this can “go to waste” if errors were made when calculating the foundation, and during its construction, negligence was shown, unacceptable simplifications were made, low-quality materials were used, and the established technology was violated.
So, the foundation is a key stage of any construction, which sometimes takes up to a third of the total budget. In an effort to save some money, some potential homeowners are seriously thinking about the problem: is it possible to build a foundation with their own hands? The answer to this question, unfortunately, is not obvious. It's one thing to create a foundation for a small country house, a garage or outbuilding, and something completely different - for a full-fledged country mansion, which has several levels, and even with adjacent extensions.
This article will discuss the main types of foundations, but the main emphasis will be on its strip variety. We hope that after reading the article, many visitors to the site will become more clear whether they should undertake the construction of the foundation themselves, or whether it would be better to use the services of specialists.
Main types of foundations
There are quite a lot of varieties of foundations used in individual construction, but mainly four basic schemes are used, as well as their various combinations. And the main types include strip, columnar, slab and pile foundations.
Strip foundations
This is the most commonly used scheme, as it is suitable for almost all construction conditions, with the exception, perhaps, of regions with close permafrost or for buildings built literally “on the water.”
Despite certain differences in construction technologies strip foundations various types, they all have a common feature - this is a continuous, closed strip-base along the entire perimeter of the house being built and under the internal load-bearing structures. The tape itself is buried in the ground to the required calculated value, and protrudes from above with its base part. The width of the tape is maintained the same throughout the entire foundation - this parameter should also be based on the calculations performed.
