The erection of the foundation is one of the most crucial and complex stages in the construction of a house and any other structure. Sturdy and level walls, reliable floors are laid now. The foundation laying process is multistage and can be divided into the main stages( detailed instructions are available on the links):
- marking of the future foundation on the site,
- excavation of the trench under the foundation,
- waterproofing and drain foundation,
- formwork ,
- reinforcement ,
- foundation pouring.
Pouring the foundation is the last step in its erection, after it many flaws can not be corrected, therefore it is necessary to check once again with the layout of the structure, to believe the trenches and formwork are positioned correctly, the quality of the reinforcement. Make sure that the pipes are left in the form of pipes for ventilation and the subsequent supply of communications to the house.
Do not save on concrete!
For concrete pouring it is better to use ready-made factory concrete, the quality of which is higher than that of homemade concrete - this material should not be saved. Order it better than the brand not lower than M200.Calculate how much concrete is necessary, you can measure the depth of the formwork or trench, its width and extent, the latter can be done on the plan and cross-checked the data on the object. All three parameters in are written in meters and multiply, the resulting number is the necessary cubature of the concrete. For reliability, you should add 5-6% to it.
Before filling the solution, make sure that it is plastic and not dry. For the concrete truck, it is necessary to provide access to each corner of the foundation, fill the formwork from different sides faster, and the concrete is distributed evenly.
Pouring: Important Points
Pouring concrete for the foundation is needed at a time, this is another reason to order a concrete mixer with the finished mortar. If this is not possible, then pour in parts, but not in horizontal layers, but in separate sections. The formwork is covered with vertical bridges, separating a section that can be filled at this time. In the future, when pouring the adjacent section, the jumper is removed, the concrete at the site of the future joint is moistened with water, it can even be treated with an abrasive to improve the subsequent adhesion. But such a design will still be less solid than the foundation, filled at a time.
The foundation is poured in layers of 20-50 cm. Each layer is immediately distributed, leveled and tamped. To do this, use a special vibropress, and in its absence, a platform from the board or "ironing".Before the vibration, the difference in the individual sections should not exceed 10 cm. From time to time, it is necessary to tap the walls of the formwork so that the concrete is distributed into all voids. When liquid appears on the surface of the layer, the process can be stopped. This compaction allows you to get rid of air bubbles in the solution, as a result of which the foundation is stronger.
When the previous layer is compacted, immediately fill the next one. And so on until the necessary height is reached. The direction in which concrete is poured, in all layers should be the same. The last layer is leveled especially carefully and checked by level. The poured foundation is left for several hours for shrinkage.
Drying the foundation
Concrete dries unevenly, fastest from the top. If the top layer dries prematurely, then it can become covered with cracks. To avoid this, the foundation for the drying time is sprinkled with wet sawdust or covered with a damp cloth. On top of the stretch polyethylene film to preserve moisture.
The foundation dries from three weeks to a month, depending on the weather. In hot and dry weather, it will be necessary to moisten it more often, when it is wet, also cover with a film, but already to protect it from rain. After drying the foundation, the formwork can be disassembled and proceed to the next stage of construction.