Reinforcement of the basement with your own hands

According to the norms and rules for the foundation of the foundations, the concrete mass must be strengthened with reinforcement, but even the reinforcement of the basement can be done by hand.

According to the laws of material resistance, a concrete monolithic unit is capable of withstanding the maximum compression loads.

At the same time, its strength under the load "to bend" is quite small.

In fact, concrete is a fragile material.

To give concrete the necessary elasticity, it is strengthened with metal or composite reinforcement. This process is called reinforcement.

Reinforced concrete is capable of perceiving static and dynamic loads with equal reliability.

Preliminary stage

The procedure for reinforcing the basement foundation begins after the

• how to excavate and equip a trench.

  For smaller objects such as a bath, garage, summer kitchen or a small house, it is more convenient to dig a trench manually.

  In this solution, there are the following advantages:

  • small amount of land taken out;
  • trench wall level;
  • the volume of concrete will be optimal.

  A layer of 10 cm thick sand is poured into the bottom, which must be sealed. For this purpose, it is spilled with water. This is the most effective method of compaction.

  The video shows how to perform the marking and preparation of the trench under the pile-tape base.

  Video:

  In order to properly calculate the need for fittings, it is necessary to once again measure the length and width of the trench.

  If the pile-tape foundation is not rectangular, but more complex configuration, you need to take into account the size of additional segments.

  The length of the perimeter, measured in meters, will serve as the basis for calculating the need for fittings.

  The reinforcement frame can have a complex profile. It depends on the size of the foundation. In the simplest version, the frame is assembled from five longitudinal segments.

  So, the length of the perimeter should be multiplied by five. In this way, the total length of the reinforcement is determined, which will be required to equip the foundation.

  Assembling the frame

  When purchasing the reinforcement, it should be taken into account that the rod will be required for the manufacture of transverse rods. The standard length of reinforcing bars with a diameter of 12 mm is 11.7 meters.

  Many years of practice shows that the frame can be made in advance and already ready to install in a trench.

  Another method is often used, when assembly of the reinforcement skeleton is carried out by hand directly into the trench. There is no fundamental difference between these approaches.

  

  It is important that all assembly activities are performed correctly, in accordance with the current building codes. A specific choice is made based on real conditions.

  Monolithic pile-and-tape foundation has received such a name in accordance with its strength characteristics.

  This means that the strength of the base in any section is the same.

  This condition should be provided to a large extent by the reinforcement cage. The reinforcement structure must be assembled and fixed in the assembled position in such a way that its rigidity is the same on any segment.

  The exceptions are angles. It connects the longitudinal and transverse sections. They must be connected correctly, in strict accordance with the requirements of technology.

  Manufacturing of transverse elements

  The framework intended for reinforcing the pile-and-tape foundation is of a three-dimensional shape.

  In order to obtain the required volume, you can use short pieces of reinforcement, as well as special round or rectangular workpieces.

  It is more convenient to work with rectangular clamps, which need to be made in advance. This is a critical step and all operations must be performed correctly.

  When forming the reinforcing frame, the armature with a diameter of 12 and 8 mm is most often used. Transverse clamps are bent from a thin rod.

  

  In this case, the accuracy of the operations is required. The so-called clamps must have the same dimensions.

  Preliminary marking of the reinforcing bar must be made. The height and width of the product is determined in accordance with the dimensions of the cross-section of the basement.

  When the depth of the trench is 1 m and the width is 0.5 m, the clamp dimensions should be 0.7 and 0.3, respectively.

  These proportions are close to the standards specified in the construction regulations.

  You can make clamps yourself. Here you can use a machine for bending fittings or to make the simplest adaptation from improvised materials.

  It is very important to properly set up the device and work out a sequence of operations.

  Preparing the

  fittings The next step is to prepare the reinforcement from which the frame will be assembled. The rod of the reinforcement must have the same length as the length of one side of the house.

  In practice, this coincidence is very rare. In the event that the rod of the armature is longer, it is simply cut to the required size.

  Video:

  If the armature was shorter, then it must be increased. This is done by a simple bunch of two or more segments. The connection must be made with a special knitting wire.

  It is important to remember that the overlap of the rods must be at least one meter. Reinforcing the foundation is desirable with whole bars of the rod.

  Assembling the framework for the foundation of the

  It is more convenient to assemble the frame on the site next to the trench under the pile-ribbon foundation. The first action is to expand the clamps along the trench at a distance of one meter from each other.

  The next step is to pass a long piece of reinforcement inside the yoke and make an anchor at each point of contact. Then, in the same way, the next three segments are traversed.

  All of them are connected with yokes with knitting wire. The fifth piece of reinforcement is laid on top of the received structure and fastened to the clamps in the same way.

  

  After the completion of this operation, you can say that the frame on one side of the foundation is ready.

  With the standard form of the pile-tape base of such structures, there must be four. Two on the long side and two on the width.

  The next step is to collect the assembled structures in their place in the trench. Here they need to be fixed together and do it right.

  This is done in the same way using a binding wire. To enhance the design, the outer corners are connected by means of corners bent from the reinforcement.

  Monolithic strip foundation requires increased strength in angular control points. The binding of the reinforcement is performed using the appropriate tools.

  This can be a special forceps or hook, which you can do with your own hands.

  Installation of the frame

  After the frame is lowered into the trench, it must be properly oriented. This is a responsible operation that determines the reliability of the foundation as a whole.

  The monolithic pile-and-tape foundation will not justify its purpose if the requirements are not simple in its content.

  The first requirement is that the bars of the reinforcement do not protrude outward from the concrete base. The video shows the reinforcement skeleton correctly installed in the trench.

  Video:

  Practice shows that when individual housing construction rules are not always respected. Nothing good comes of it.

  Tear off the reinforcement from the ground

  According to many years of construction experience, it is known that there should be a distance of 10 centimeters between the reinforcement skeleton and the ground.

  Special supports are used to ensure this clearance. In practice, most often used fragments of brick or trimming the metal corner.

  Horizontal planning

  The reinforced monolithic foundation is long and reliable if all the requirements for its arrangement were carried out with high accuracy.

  The top plane of the frame must be set horizontally. In this case, the top layer of concrete will have the same thickness over the entire surface.

  Vertical orientation of the

  The frame must be secured in the trench so that the reinforcement does not come into contact with the formwork walls.

  If this is not done, then when pouring concrete, the entire structure can lose shape and move to one side.

  Side spacers are easy to install with their own hands. For these purposes, it is possible to apply pieces of reinforcement.

  Foundation pouring

  Correctly executed work on the reinforcement of the basement foundation allows to achieve the desired result. The base will serve for a long time and reliably.

  Even significant changes in external conditions, such as rising groundwater levels or subsidence of the ground, will not have a significant effect on the strip foundation.

  At the same time, it is very important to carefully perform the final part of the work on the arrangement of the ribbon foundation as a whole. Pouring concrete is not a difficult, but responsible operation.

  The video shows how it is executed.

  Video:

  Many developers who build a house with their own hands prefer to fill the strip foundation themselves. In such a decision there is a rational grain.

  Pouring is carried out in stages. In this case, it is important that you can track the position of the reinforcement and prevent distortion or deformation.

  Upon completion of the pouring, the strip foundation should gain strength within three to four weeks.