Ways to save, high-quality and cheap foundation with your own hands. Which foundation is cheaper - learn to save on the foundation for a house Quick foundation for a house

When choosing the cheapest foundation option of all possible, it is very difficult not to make a mistake. There are really a lot of technologies and materials, and the final price depends on a number of factors. And you need to build a house that is not only inexpensive, but also reliable, and more than half of this depends on the quality of the foundation.

What to hope for?

Some say that there is no point in thinking about building your own home if you don’t have at least a million rubles in assets. Others, however, are ready to argue: by resorting to the latest technologies and choosing the cheapest strip foundation, you can reduce this amount by a third, and sometimes even more. To achieve maximum savings during construction, you need to clearly plan every step, think through all the stages of building a house, find out in advance the prices for the work of craftsmen and the necessary goods. Many people advise immediately preparing for a long construction project. From year to year, a person will invest a certain amount available to him in the project, the house will grow, while still having the opportunity to use the latest developments that appear on the market literally every year.

When choosing how to build and how to pour the foundation cheaper (by yourself or with a mixer - there is practically no difference, although the first option may cost a slightly smaller amount), from what to build the base of the house, you should turn to the experience of professionals who are well versed in modern techniques and materials. Some practical options for implementing ideas are not allowed for use in multi-story construction, but are used to build private houses with your own hands - they help to significantly save on construction. This is especially true if the house is built frame, made of wood. Such buildings do not require a capital foundation, there is no need to install screw piles, you can do without concrete reinforced with expensive reinforcement, which means that costs are significantly reduced. You can build a gazebo, bathhouse, technical or storage room even cheaper.

Blocks and their alternatives

Houses of one, two, and sometimes three floors, for the walls of which blocks and bricks are used, are often built on foundation blocks. These are ready-made building materials that can be purchased in almost any market or ordered at the factory in the required quantity. Currently, this is one of the cheapest types of foundation. They produce many standard sizes, which allows everyone to choose an option to suit their taste and budget. The blocks were developed as a basis for massive buildings, so there is no need to worry about unreliability. True, it is necessary to select a quality product and choose a responsible supplier.

Our country has standards that all production sites that offer foundation blocks to customers are subject to. This allows you not to worry about the quality of the cheapest foundation for a house. The standards are designed so that even the smallest dimensions and lightest options can cope with the load of a small structure. Blocks are often chosen for the construction of objects with a body made of steel, wood, as well as for timber and log one-story buildings. However, you need to buy them in stores that can provide quality certificates.

How to work?

It is important not only to choose the cheapest foundation for the house, but also to take a responsible approach to all stages of creating the base of the structure. First you need to prepare the base, remove the top layer of soil until the root layer is exposed, then pour a cushion of sand, spill it and compact it.

The next stage is laying the blocks and connecting them together in accordance with the technology provided by the manufacturer (the description will be contained in the instructions for the specific product). Next, a metal or wooden grillage is installed. Reinforced concrete is not used as redundant, unnecessarily burdening the estimate without any real benefit to the result. When the grillage is completed, you can mount the lower trim and lay the first crown. It is secured with studs and insulated, strictly following the building construction technology.

As can be seen from the description of the process, blocks are not only the cheapest foundation for a house, but also allow you to avoid long-term work with water. Therefore, it can be used at any time of the year.

Tested for centuries: wood

When choosing the cheapest foundation for a gazebo, bathhouse or other small building, you should take a closer look at the tree. It has been used since ancient times to create the foundations of small buildings in areas where the population did not have suitable stone material. These days, concrete has almost replaced wood, but some still prefer it. Sometimes this building material is used when it is necessary to create a foundation for a lightweight residential building. New opportunities have opened up with the creation of durable and reliable preparations for wood processing: they eliminate the harm of insects, rot and mold, and make the material impervious to moisture and fire. Some manufacturers of antiseptics guarantee that a tree treated according to all the rules can remain on the ground for a quarter of a century - and no harm will befall it.

Having decided for yourself that the most suitable and cheapest sauna or house is wooden, you will have to take a responsible approach to compliance with the technology. Only then will the tree live long when the material is treated with special compounds using the immersion method.

A narrow hole half a meter deep, up to six meters in length, is made on the site, the inside is covered with moisture-proof material, an antiseptic is poured into a kind of “container” and the timber from which the foundation is supposed to be built is immersed in it. Each specimen will have to be processed for half an hour or longer (the specific time is specified by the manufacturer of the composition) in warm weather conditions. During periods of sub-zero temperatures, it will not be possible to protect the material.

Although wood is perhaps the cheapest foundation for a bathhouse, shed and small house, it pays for itself only if installed correctly. Sand is compacted for the pillow, and the perimeter is decorated with ditches that will help remove excess moisture. Without these protective measures, no antiseptic will save the tree.

If it is necessary to erect a temporary structure, wood is considered the most suitable option. Builders recommend choosing it if you plan to use the facility from a year to a quarter of a century.

It's all in

The answer to the question of what is the cheapest foundation for a house may surprise you. According to experts, one of the most affordable options is to build the base of the structure from car tires. What may surprise the average person will not be news to professionals: tires have been used in the construction industry for a decade now. Work begins with creating suitable sized recesses in the ground, into which rubber products are placed, then filled with sand, spilled with water, and compacted. Sand can be replaced with fine crushed stone, a mixture of gravel and sand.

If we turn to the official terminology, such the cheapest foundation created by ourselves can easily be called a dry concreting system. A mixture of sand and crushed stone is used as rubble. Rubber products become formwork. The strength of the finished object and the stability of its base are determined by the quality of compaction of the material and the thickness of the tires chosen for construction.

Ready-made slabs as a base

When considering the cheapest foundations, it is worth paying attention to those previously used in other objects. Of course, this option is not applicable for a residential building, but it is perfect for warehouses, utility rooms, and enclosures. The main difficulty is to obtain high-quality used reinforced concrete slabs. The strength parameters of such objects are high enough that even after some time of service in a different role, the slabs would become a good foundation for a structure. A base layer is made from them, then the frame is tied or the first crown of timber or logs is laid.

Slabs previously used to create floors or build roads are used as subfloors in the construction of buildings for which an extremely limited budget has been allocated. As a rule, this trick is used when working on courtyards, additional buildings, and sheds.

About prices: how important is the foundation?

It is not for nothing that many people who are thinking about creating their own home, but are limited in funds, begin their acquaintance with the issue by searching for the cheapest foundation for a frame house, block, or timber. On average, the price of the frame is at least a third of the total cost of the building, and specific costs consist of several factors. If you plan to resort to the help of a designer, his work will have to be assessed separately. On the other hand, the investment will be worth it: a professional will analyze the features of the site and suggest which construction solution will be optimal. The next cost item is geological research, which will prevent emergency situations in the future.

Further, the price of even the cheapest foundation includes the cost of materials and work on arranging the foundation. It is necessary to calculate the formwork and reinforcement layer. It is necessary to take into account the expected weight of the building: this determines which materials can be used for construction and which are absolutely not suitable. The most economical options are available to those who plan to build a residential building made of wood and inexpensive foundations are available to those choosing Canadian frame houses.

Wooden house

For such a structure, one of the cheapest foundations is a shallow frame foundation with a grillage made of wood. You don’t have to make a large pit, and the main building materials for supports are wood, blocks, and bricks that are accessible to everyone. Installation requires little effort, which means you won’t have to spend money on workers at all, or it will be enough to hire several people who can finish the installation in a few days. The specific price will be determined by the dimensions of the building, the number of pillars depends on them. This option is only suitable for areas with sandy soil.

House made of bricks or blocks

The cheapest foundation for a house made of foam blocks will be heavier compared to a wooden one, which means the load-bearing capacity of the foundation should be greater. Builders recommend choosing medium or shallow depth options and giving preference to monolithic foundations with a grillage made of beams or reinforced concrete. If the house is supposed to be made of stone, it is recommended to make a strip frame. If the initial conditions are not only a heavy structure, but also complex soil, it is practically impossible to do without such a foundation.

By choosing the cheapest foundation for a house made of foam blocks or bricks, people save on building materials. This is possible if there is nearby access to natural deposits of stone suitable for construction. Such a base will have good load-bearing capacity. It is important to remember about weight: if a cubic meter of blocks is on average no heavier than seven centners, the same volume of brick weighs about one and a half tons.

Monolithic structure

No matter how much you would like to use the cheapest foundation and save a lot of money on this, by choosing a monolith, you will have to remember that it requires a full-fledged foundation, that is, a strip type of base is required. An alternative is a concrete monolith; this is more often chosen if the soil is mobile and the groundwater is high. In such conditions, tape requires a supporting sole. Due to the substrate, the pressure of the building on the base will be reduced, which means that the load-bearing capacity will be significantly higher.

To reduce the costs associated with the construction of a strip foundation, you can use concrete blocks for its manufacture. This way you can reduce expenses by almost a third.

Piles as a base

It is reasonable to choose metal piles for the foundation if construction is planned on moving soil of increased complexity. With relatively small financial investments, the foundation of the building will be quite strong. Screw piles are often chosen for construction on rocks or very high water levels in the ground. True, when determining for yourself which foundation is the cheapest and most suitable, you need to remember that the piles will not support much weight, which means the structure must be light and compact. Stilts are often used when it is necessary to build a house from panels or panels. Such a foundation is suitable for the construction of a garage, shed or other auxiliary premises.

The main savings of this option are due to the lack of earthworks that require the involvement of heavy equipment and specialists. All elements can be installed by hand, and the materials are relatively inexpensive.

TISE

Opinions differ among professionals regarding which foundation is the cheapest. Some argue that TISE is the optimal choice. The abbreviation hides the foundation on pillars or piles with supports with a cross-section of 25 cm. Under the pillars it is necessary to make 60-centimeter extensions, called soles. They significantly reduce the pressure of the weight of the structure, that is, they minimize the risk of land subsidence.

TISE is suitable for building a house from blocks, bricks, stones, and is suitable for frame buildings. The base can be placed on sand, clay and other soils. The reliability of the finished building will largely be determined by the quality of the grillage. Often, rolled metal is used for its production. An alternative is a concrete monolith.

Plate

Although this is not the cheapest option, it is the only one applicable on highly complex soil. The basis of the house with this construction technology is a concrete monolith up to 170 cm deep. Builders often call it a floating foundation. For this, a frame of increased rigidity is taken. The finished base can easily cope with strong pressure and significant load. And to save money, you can choose the cheapest method at home - for example, just plaster.

The advantage of a slab as a foundation is that the structure will not be affected by seasonal changes in the soil or high water levels. Uneven terrain or moving layers will not become an obstacle to the long service life of the building.

Eternal classic: strip foundation

This method benefits from ease of implementation, but requires considerable effort. A non-professional can create the base of the structure, but he must be a strong and resilient person. The finished base will be quite reliable under reasonable load conditions. The budget version of the foundation built using this method involves saving on size - the width is made no more than 40 cm, and the height is up to one and a half meters. It should be remembered: the foundation must be above the water in the ground and below the freezing point. Additional costs may be due to difficult soil conditions. For the work you will need concrete and reinforcement, materials for insulation from water, concrete additives to improve the quality of the finished result.

To create a foundation, a trench is first prepared where it is planned to make load-bearing walls, then everything is completely filled with concrete - a closed figure is obtained. Construction requires preparation of formwork. The reinforcement is poured directly on the construction site, due to which the object becomes solid. In order for the finished structure to be durable and reliable, it is necessary to responsibly strengthen the corners - these are the parts of the building base that will be the weakest.

Frame house: features

The most affordable and reliable option for country house construction is frame houses. Such buildings are undemanding to the base and weigh little. When choosing a base, perhaps the most important factors are the terrain and soil. You can install pillars, make a monolithic base, choose piles, TISE or a combined option.

Having determined the boundaries of the building, pillars are placed under the areas of maximum load - they will act as a support. The pitch of the pillars should not exceed 2.5 m; the cross-section is calculated for each object individually, taking into account the weight of the finished building, the number of floors and the material from which the supports will be made.

A columnar foundation for a frame house will be reliable only if it is made half a meter or taller. The depth is determined by soil and climate parameters. For the bottom trim, use concrete with reinforcement, timber, and pipes. The space under the building can be left open or a barrier made of brick, plywood, or slate can be created.

Columnar foundation: technical aspects

Iron and rubble concrete are used to make supports. You can use building blocks, bricks and special building stone. Sometimes logs play the role of supports, some use round profile pipes. The base is made monolithic or prefabricated, focusing on the characteristics of the material of the supports. If you plan to erect a building on heaving soil, it is necessary to bury the pillars below the freezing point. If the soil is stable, half this value will suffice. A cushion of sand or a mixture of sand and gravel is made at half the height of the pit. If the posts do not require deepening, the level of the base corresponds to the soil.

The grillage is placed above the foundations, ties them together, preventing them from tipping over, distributing the load as evenly as possible. If the soil belongs to the category of increased stability, you can abandon reinforced concrete beams, making do with only the bottom trim laid on top of building materials that insulate from water. The easiest way is to build such a foundation from rectangular pillars, and use plywood for formwork. You can refuse it if the soil density is above average.

Cheap and cheerful: what do we save on?

When choosing among all possible options for inexpensive construction, you need to clearly understand what exactly allows you to save in each specific case. The foundation of the building should be simple, requiring a small amount of materials and earthworks. Therefore, it is reasonable to analyze each option of interest according to the specified parameters. You can create a table for yourself that will record the scores on these points, and then compare the amounts.

The smaller the volume of material needed to form the base of the structure, the less money you will have to spend on it - this is obvious to everyone. If the installation technology is quite simple, the likelihood of successfully doing everything yourself increases, without spending a limited budget on paying the labor of strangers. Analyzing market offers will also help you save money. When purchasing in bulk, prices from different suppliers may vary greatly. Therefore, you need to familiarize yourself with all possible offers in advance.

At the same time, you need to realize: construction with minimal costs, and even on your own, is a considerable risk. If you make serious mistakes at the very beginning, the venture will end in failure and the money will be wasted. We will have to build everything anew, and investing much more money: as they say,

When deciding which foundation is cheaper, you should adhere to the principles of reasonable savings. After all, the foundation is not at all the part of the structure on which you should save.

However, there are still ways to reduce the cost of building a foundation.

And in this article we will show you exactly such loopholes in the gaps in the balanced relationship between the cost of the foundation and its bearing capacity.

How is the cost of the foundation determined?

The estimate for the construction of the foundation consists of the following expenses:

At the same time, when deciding how to make the foundation cheaper, you shouldn’t skimp on the indicated points. After all, refusing geological surveys, high-quality materials and qualified builders will cost the owner of the house being built very dearly. And trying to save money on arranging a foundation pit, reinforcement or formwork will lead to even worse consequences.

However, it is still possible to save on foundation construction. And we will tell you how this is done below.

How to make a cheap foundation - ways to save money wisely

To reduce the cost of foundation construction, you must do the following:

• First, hire a competent geologist.
• Second, hire an experienced designer.
• Thirdly, it will take care of drainage, waterproofing and insulation of the base of the building.

Of course, at first glance, these methods will only require the owner of the site to spend additional money on services and materials.

However, in the long term, these expenses will have the following effect:

In addition, a competent designer and an experienced geologist will help you not only save on parameters, building materials and workers’ wages - these specialists will help you choose the cheapest foundation option for your home, optimizing its design.

Which foundation is the cheapest and why?

The cost of the foundation depends not only on the price of the building material used to construct the walls, but also on its weight. Therefore, a wooden, brick, block or monolithic structure has its own options for ideal foundations - durable, strong and cheap foundations. Examples of such structures will be presented below in the text.

Foundation for a wooden house

The cheapest foundation option is undoubtedly shallow a columnar foundation designed for a wooden grillage made up of the lower crowns (or beams) of the building.

The cheapness of this design is due to several reasons. Firstly, a full-fledged pit, in this case, can be replaced with half-meter pits. Secondly, the pillars will require a minimum of building material. And, thirdly, the arrangement of such a foundation can be done even on your own, saving on labor costs.

Foundation for a block or brick house

But a cheap foundation for a frame house or a log dwelling is completely unsuitable for a brick or block structure. The problem lies in the need to equip a monolithic grillage - essentially a tape poured over the pillars or over a sand bed. After all, bricks or blocks must rest on a solid surface - the upper edge of a horizontal beam that can withstand lateral loads.

Therefore, the cheapest foundation option for a house made of blocks is a columnar, medium-depth foundation, with a monolithic beam-type grillage. A reinforced grillage will hold the wall of a low-rise building made of foam blocks. After all, the weight of a cubic meter of this material is only 600-700 kilograms.

A brick house needs a more solid structure. What is needed here is a full-fledged, buried strip-type foundation. After all, a cubic meter of dense brick weighs up to 1.5 tons. Therefore, the grillage of such a foundation must resist the corresponding lateral load.

Well, how much a strip foundation of this type costs is up to the designer to decide. After all, as we have already said above in the text, only this specialist can influence the final cost of such a design. After all, only he is able to optimize the geometry of the cross-section of the tape, influencing the labor intensity and material consumption of the base.

Foundation for monolithic construction

You can also place a deep strip under the monolith, resting on an expanded base and a full-fledged slab, on top of which a foundation wall for the basement floor is built.

There are very few opportunities to save in this case. And all of them are related not to design optimization, but to construction methods (technologies). For example, the same strip foundation can be built from blocks or using monolithic pouring. The latter option will be 30-40 percent cheaper than the first technology.

In addition, the maximum impact of insulation, waterproofing and drainage on the cost of the foundation of the structure is observed precisely at this stage.

Base for a small architectural form

The cheapest base option for MAF is a pile foundation with a metal or wooden grillage. After all, if you use screw piles as support pillars, then any summer resident can do such construction. So much for saving on workers.

In addition, using screw piles, you can completely avoid excavation work - these supporting elements are simply screwed into the ground. Well, a grillage made of channel bars will support not only a gazebo, but also a full-fledged garage or shed.

The only thing cheaper than a similar design is a base assembled from pitch-filled car tires. This option will serve its owner for at least half a century, requiring absolutely no expenses for arrangement.

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Types of foundations by cost and labor costs

Slab foundation with basement. The most expensive type of foundation in terms of labor costs and cost. Making it alone will be extremely problematic, if not impossible. But, oddly enough, this is the most common type of foundation in North America. I'll explain why.

Having erected the concrete walls of the basement, we immediately get one floor of the house, which is more than half below ground level. Heated floor pipes are immediately installed inside the main foundation slab, under the house. What does this give us? The base of the foundation is located below the freezing depth of the soil. This means that even in winter, the stove is not exposed to sub-zero temperatures, and precious heat is consumed minimally. And in the summer we get coolness from the ground in the basement. Americans and Canadians like to set up gyms, billiard rooms, and home theaters there. The house above the ground is low, although its total area provides a comfortable standard of living.

In Russia, a simply insulated foundation slab is becoming popular, which serves as the basis for the floor of the first floor. The frame house is being built immediately on it. Along the edge of the slab, frames are installed - strapping for frame walls.

Strip foundation. The most common type of foundation among Russians. Probably because it is the most understandable. A reinforced concrete foundation strip is poured under the future walls of the house. The width of the tape is slightly wider than the thickness of the walls of the future house. It has many varieties and types of execution, depending on the competence of the builders and the soil at the construction site. The height of the strip foundation ranges from shallow to a size greater than the depth of soil freezing. The main cost of the foundation lies in the cost of concrete and reinforcement. It can be difficult to do alone, but it’s better to have helpers.

Pile foundation. Recently, it began to have two varieties: bored piles and screw piles. The foundation on bored piles is relatively simple to implement and can be done independently in a fairly short time. Holes are drilled in the soil into which the concrete formwork is inserted. A structure made of reinforcement is lowered into this jacket, after which concrete is poured.

Screw piles are made of steel. Piles have a main cylindrical part and blades at the end, which are used for twisting inwards, and then as the main support for the foundation. Pipes for piles are not specially manufactured. Typically used pipes from the oil industry are used.

Both types of foundation piles, in the upper part, are rigidly connected to each other, either by strapping or by a grillage, which, in principle, is the same thing. The grillage not only combines the piles into a solid structure, but also forms a single plane for mounting future walls of the house. A pile foundation is very suitable for a frame house, especially if the topography of the building site has a curvature. But this inexpensive foundation for a frame house has one significant drawback - the open space under the building. And it is better to tighten screw piles using special equipment.

Columnar foundation. As you may have guessed, this is the cheapest and simplest foundation for a frame house. It consists of free-standing concrete pillars that are slightly buried in the soil. Despite its simplicity and low cost, this type of foundation also requires some preparation of the foundation. We will consider this point in more detail in the article columnar foundation for a frame house. Here I would like to note that any errors and shortcomings may mean that after some time it will have to be repaired. Or replace the columnar foundation with screw piles.

As a result, we find that a columnar foundation for a frame house is two to three times cheaper than a pile and strip foundation. A slab foundation, insulated, and even with a basement floor, is the most expensive in terms of cost and labor costs.

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Ways to save, high-quality and cheap foundation with your own hands

The total price of a building structure, so important for any building, includes many data that you need to know in order to install a cheap foundation with your own hands.

When designing a building, all the nuances of climatic conditions, the soil condition under the house, and to what depth the foundation of the structure can be installed are taken into account.

Types of foundations for buildings

Spring observation of soil qualities allows you to evaluate:

• sandy
• rocky
• mixed

In such areas it is possible to lay buildings with any foundation; costs are calculated depending on the choice of its type. An area with clay soil will cause problems.

Clay is capable of absorbing liquid with deep freezing, which causes soil heaving.

To get rid of this, it is necessary to lay the foundation at a depth with additional costs.

All options are possible when starting a new construction project and there are ways to determine if a rebuild is being carried out or if you need a cheap do-it-yourself foundation for a garage, bathhouse, gazebo, then they focus on the structure being built, its volume and the amount of expected load forces acting on the foundation.

In any case, it is necessary to know the soil properties of the site, the conditions of deep freezing, and the existence of existing underground springs.

The existence of a large number of varieties of laid foundations under buildings has not been canceled, but they are all created on the main types:

• columnar
• tape
• tiled

The columnar version speaks for itself by its name; it is laid out evenly around the perimeter of a building made of brick or concrete in the form of pillar structures. The foundation under a structure made of pillars is considered cheap and simple; even residential buildings are erected above it if the walls are light frame, wooden.

Such a foundation has not been widely used only because cellars cannot be made in houses and the created space must be carefully insulated. Outbuildings with pillar foundations are the most convenient and economical case.

Old buildings were mainly erected on strip foundations, they are:

• shallow
• deep-seated

Houses are still being built over such a foundation; it has not lost its popularity.

Minor deepening is carried out if the soil does not heave and it is possible to lay a tape at a depth of up to 0.7 m with a 30 cm sand cushion in a low-rise building.

A strip foundation is reliable and durable if the line is laid deep. This method is used in any construction, regardless of soil properties.

A belt line with a large support area can withstand multi-story buildings; reinforced concrete, brick or any suitable building material are used for construction.

With this type of foundation, it is possible to build good basements, but this is not an option for reducing construction prices. The foundation requires costs for earthen and concrete actions, the volume of which is quite large.

Any problematic soil, even peaty and clayey, can withstand a household with a slab foundation.

They are placed with a shallow depth on a cushion made of sand and crushed stone. The slab is made of reinforced concrete according to the size of the building; it is not afraid of ground changes due to seasonal movements.

What materials do you save on?

The choice of the type of foundation rests with the developer; specialists will help to add up their lowest cost without compromising quality.

The value is determined from the total result of the costs incurred:

• geological soil research
• foundation design
• purchase, transportation of building materials
• excavation
• performing reinforcement and formwork activities for the arrangement
• wages to workers, subject to construction being carried out by hired force

If it is not possible to remove some item from the above in order to reduce the cost of foundation construction, the optimal solution is found in choosing less cheap alternative materials. The use of sand and cement, as the most expensive components in supporting structures, is not recommended to be replaced with low-quality compounds.

Instead of cutting solid reinforcement, old scrap metal consisting of:

• squares
• unusable metal products
• channels
• fittings
• wire pieces
• twigs

They use construction waste, rubble stone, and brick fragments, replacing crushed stone.

Digging of trenches for laying the foundation line is carried out in strict accordance with design requirements; it depends on the geological resolution regarding the condition of the soil on the site.

When making a box for formwork, concrete will be poured into it, you can make a choice of materials from the details:

• metal
• wooden
• plastic

The best option is to make a wooden product using scraps of boards. The inner side is lined with cardboard or fiberboard pieces. Even having put together a formwork box from good boards, it can be used more than once in other buildings.

Budget saving options

Reducing the labor intensity of some processes in the construction of a strip foundation, replacing deep laying with a small recess, makes it possible to install a foundation equal to the traditional one in its reliability.

To do this, a partial soil replacement is carried out with a sand cushion so that it guarantees foundation deformation within acceptable dimensions. When laying a tape with a small recess, you can even build small basements and cellars on any soil except too heaving.

Construction consists of stages:

• digging a trench line with an estimated depth of up to 0.7 m
• lay an anti-heaving cushion of coarse sand equal to 0.2 m in the upper layer, in the lower layer sand is mixed with crushed stone 0.1 m high
• carefully compact the layers
• covered with a polymer film so that the solution does not penetrate into the compacted base
• install formwork panels, attach roofing felt sheets that prevent the concrete mixture from leaking through the cracks, and save lumber for easy disassembly to use it another time

You should be aware of the need to load the foundation before winter; it is not recommended to leave it free from the walls during the cold period.

Introduction to pile foundations

The next foundation for the building is pile foundations:

• bored
• pile-screw

Designers determine places for drilling wells, in which a frame of metal reinforcement is installed and concrete is poured. The wells are reinforced with roofing felt lining and casing; they are removed after the solution has hardened; for those wishing to increase the pile strength, they are left untouched.

Pile holes are drilled using technical devices or simply by hand using the well-known TISE technology. Its feature is the excellent design of the pillars, expanded at the base, which increases the supporting area and the ability to resist ground buckling forces.

A hand drill is used to hollow out wells.

Built into it:

• sliding rod
• folding plow
• controlled cord

The plow's own weight lowers it, holds it in place using a two-link locking mechanism, and can be raised to a vertical position by a cord. A locking screw secures the extension of the rod to different lengths.

During the drilling process, the plow is removed, rotational movements are carried out with the drill, and, as necessary, it is raised to the surface to clean off adhering soil.

Using a plow, the lower part of the well is expanded, each time drilling continues with a change in the direction of rotation. The hole is filled with reinforcement cage and concrete mortar. A roofing felt jacket is placed in the resulting cylinder, protecting it from destruction by soil forces acting on the column.

The completion of the pile foundation is the laying of a grillage in the form of a reinforced concrete or metal beam. Its task is to ensure that all foundation parts form a single whole so that the expected loads are evenly distributed across all installed piles.

The installation of the grillage takes place both high and low, above the ground or below it. At the same time, a single connection between the house and its extensions is excluded; an individual foundation is created for them, which is separated by expansion joints.

Such actions are necessary due to the difference in load forces. The walls from the building put pressure on the foundation areas in different amounts compared to the porch or terrace. Rammed foundations under buildings can be erected and support not only light wooden or frame houses, but also brick, block, and stone ones.

Groundwater and unreliable soil are not dangerous for them; there were practically no disadvantages from the consequences of exploitation. Pile structures driven deep into the soil, in accordance with the level of its freezing, below this mark, will protect it from soil vibrations due to freezing.

What are screw structures

Builders consider it an economical way to build foundations using piles on screws. Excavation work takes a lot of time and labor; its cost is not considered insignificant, especially if heavy equipment is used.

Installation of screw piles costs less material compared to a strip or slab foundation. Steel pipes are used to make them.

The structural forms consist of cutting blades that are screwed into the soil, regardless of the designed depth. A part is welded to the top on which the grillage is fixed.

Due to its properties, such a foundation reliably holds in frozen soils.

When a pile is screwed in, the soil around it is compacted by the action of the blades, ensuring the installation of a durable product with reliable support, withstanding heavy loads acting on the base from above.

The installation depth is calculated by the building designers, and the central part is concreted.

To ensure the unity and integrity of the constructive structure of screw piles, they are connected by channels, beams, grillages, the method is chosen according to the requirements of the structure.

The screwed piles are ready to accept the design load immediately after their installation. There is no need to wait for additional conditions through soil shrinkage or long-term hardening of mortar mixtures.

For screws, there are no restrictions in choosing a specific soil, not only from the weakness of the composition, but also from the location. This can be a mountain slope, a coastal strip or a forest area, with the least damage to the natural landscape.

If the soil has a heterogeneous composition, the piles are screwed in unevenly, deepening is carried out as necessary with leveling of the above-ground parts.

The screw method of installing foundations is suitable for all types of buildings, but stone and block houses allow, in addition to installing a grillage, the installation of a monolithic slab in the foundation, which serves as a subfloor. The implementation of pile-screw foundations is carried out regardless of the change of season.

What attracts a shallow foundation?

Private developers most often use shallow foundations. They are somewhat cheaper, and they also suggest combining regular tape with insulation when installing the slab.

To do this, the base is minimally leveled by producing a sand cushion, and insulated using extruded polystyrene foam, eliminating the risk of heaving from frost. The tape is made with a variable cross-section, lighter and more stable.

Each section is calculated for monolithic thickness and reinforced methods. A distinctive feature of such a foundation is an insulated blind area with a floor slab.

The following actions are carried out:

• remove the fertile layer
• dig a trench to a depth of 50 cm and a width of 1 m
• pour sand up to 15 cm and compact it
• install formwork with reinforcement cage
• carry out concrete pouring

The width of the tape sole is 60 cm with a height of 30 cm.

Insulation is carried out starting from the outer compacted sand backfill; a polystyrene foam plate with an inclined blind area is mounted on it. Use the excavated soil to rework the internal foundation sides.

The surface cells resulting from the formed tape are leveled using sand, insulation materials are installed over the entire surface, reinforcement is applied on top and filled with concrete mortar, obtaining a single monolith of a rigid structure. It is capable of supporting buildings of several floors.

The advantages of foundations with insulated slabs include:

• the foundation strip and slab work in unity
• the result is an insulated monolith that serves as a rough floor surface

Such a structure should be paid attention to by developers seeking to reduce costs not only on the foundation, but also on the heating season, because the house will be warm in the cold season and cool in the hot season.

Points to note when constructing foundations:

• the pillar at the base can have a constant cross-section in the form of a cylinder, a parallelepiped, as well as a variable cross-section, with an expanded lower part
• the fence is made with a height of up to 30 cm, otherwise there will be poor underground ventilation
• Composite reinforcement can reduce the cost of constructing slab structures
• installation of non-buried products is carried out halfway through ground freezing

In order to make the most reliable and high-quality foundation for a house, every homeowner strives to reduce the cost of the work performed, while choosing the most optimal option for the soil, terrain and wallet.

The main task in foundation devices is to install a house on it for a long time, without further problems during its operation; this requires familiarity with this important process, consultation with specialists, so that the construction serves the pleasure of the developer.

The easiest and most reliable way to make a foundation is in the video:

Noticed a mistake? Select it and press Ctrl+Enter to let us know.

foxremont.com

Correct and economical foundation of a country house

There is an unwritten rule that a second home is built to a higher quality. Those who have already walked this thorny path once are ready to follow the prescribed technologies and treat building codes with due respect. And with caution towards all builders without exception.

Why pay more

In construction, it is important that everything is not just “solid”, but done correctly. High costs absolutely do not guarantee high quality and durability. Of course, no matter how trivial it may sound, the main quality of the future home is a good foundation. No matter what is done later, no matter what sophistication is invented when constructing the walls and decorating the house itself, it will not be better than the foundation. Because everything stands on a foundation. On the other hand, who needs extra costs already at the stage of laying the foundation, which significantly increases its cost? And won’t you then have to save on everything in order to somehow get the house under a roof? Look how many abandoned, unfinished boxes stand idle due to the fact that the owner did not initially calculate his strength and resources.

In order to estimate your expenses at this stage of work, you need to decide on the type of foundation. Its choice depends on the bearing capacity of the soil and the depth of its freezing, the level of groundwater under the house, and the characteristics of the building itself. Typically, when constructing private houses, strip, column or slab foundations are used.

Strip foundation is a relatively inexpensive and most quickly erected type of foundation. It looks like a concrete or reinforced concrete “ribbon” that follows the contours of the house and load-bearing walls. Strip foundations are best erected under heavy buildings. The main task of the foundation is to transfer and distribute the load from the house to the soil. Therefore, to reduce the specific load on the ground, the tape is made with a wide base and a thinner main part to reduce weight and save materials. In cross-section it will look like an inverted letter "T". The width of the upper part is planned based on the width of the wall. The foundation is not made too thin only because it is impossible to pour concrete into narrow cracks.

A columnar foundation, also very common, consists of concrete pillar piles that support the house at several key points. A column foundation is cheaper than a strip foundation. It is optimal for the construction of wooden and frame houses without basements and basements on heaving soils with a large freezing depth.

A type of columnar foundation is pile foundation. The piles are driven into the bottom of the pit over the entire area of ​​the future building - a pile field is made with a pitch between piles of an average of 1.5-2 m. Then the bottom of the pit is completely filled with concrete. It is recommended to install such a foundation in weak soils and high groundwater levels. Pile foundations are very reliable, but often the most expensive.

A slab foundation is laid when the site has heaving, heavy and subsiding soil. In this case, the foundation pit for the house is completely filled with concrete. Laying this type of foundation requires large amounts of metal and concrete. To eliminate unnecessary options, it is worth studying first the foundations of buildings built nearby. This will give food for thought, since life itself discards incorrect calculations, leaving, as they say, only time-tested ones.

The next step is to calculate the bearing capacity of the soil. Different soils give different settlements because they differ in properties: some easily allow water to pass through, others retain it; some are fraught with landslides, others are quite stable; Some soils swell greatly when freezing, others only slightly. If we discard stones of natural origin, then the most reliable are homogeneous sandy coarse-grained ones. The foundation does not experience heavy loads from such soils, it settles evenly and does not warp. It is on such soils, if the building design allows, that shallow foundations can be used, which will serve as reliable support for the house. Fine-grained or dusty sand, as well as clay soils, when moistened, become fluid and, freezing in the cold winter, “heave”. The result of this process is a large load on the foundation, as a result of which the house may warp and cracks will appear on the walls. The way out is simple - deepen the base of the foundation below the freezing depth of the soil.

Another important characteristic of soils is the level of groundwater. If the freezing level is below the groundwater level, then soil swelling can be expected in winter. Moreover, the force of swelling is such that it can lift the building and change its geometry. The solution here is to install a buried foundation, the base of which will be below the freezing level. On sandy soil for a light wooden house, it is enough to lay columns - ordinary concrete blocks. If the soil is heaving, it is better to make a good sand and gravel preparation for the posts. Spending money on a concrete strip or a monolithic slab is not very wise. Making a strong foundation for a frame house is also throwing money away. A heavy brick house is another matter; you have to try hard. And an “economical” shallow foundation is not the best solution here, and in operation it requires constant attention and control.

It is imperative to control every stage of the construction of the facility. Check the foundation frame, if the reinforcement was welded, make sure there are no burns. If it is twisted, with wire, check all the dressings. Be sure to check how well the formwork is fastened - if the fastening is poor, the concrete will simply unravel the formwork.

You need to start installing the foundation only on a compacted base. The soil must be compacted, otherwise subsidence is inevitable over time. For compaction, rolling with various rollers, compaction with rammers or vibration is used. The standard design of a country house with a monolithic foundation, two or three floors, implies the sufficiency of B20 concrete. The B30 brand makes you think about the honesty of the builders. It is necessary to take control samples from the mixer tray, casting 10x10x10 cubes from them directly on the spot. After 28 days, any laboratory for little money will issue a verdict on what was actually purchased and filled there. This operation should always be performed. When building a foundation, it is advisable to use factory-made concrete; it is easier to comply with all technological nuances at the enterprise. But even in this case, the monolith should be constructed using vibration. Under the influence of vibration, the number of pores in concrete is reduced and the strength of the foundation increases. The pores themselves are not dangerous; even with them, the concrete remains strong. But the moisture that gets into the pores, freezing, breaks the concrete.

And you shouldn’t rush to start building a house immediately after completing the zero cycle. No matter what concrete is used, wall structures cannot be erected a week after pouring the foundation. From the moment of construction of the foundation until it is fully loaded, at least a month must pass. This time is necessary for the concrete to gain strength.

domidei.ru

Which foundation will be the cheapest for a house: review, tips

When starting construction, first of all, the issue of choosing a location and project is decided. In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the following important factors:

• plan of the area, settlement;
• terrain;
• the shape of the site where construction is proposed, the surrounding buildings, structures and green spaces;
• the location of the building site relative to the cardinal directions, which in the future will seriously affect the living conditions in the house.

As you know, the foundation of a house bears the main load, so it must be strong and reliable, but if you want to make it as cheap as possible, you should not be too zealous, because shortcomings or possible mistakes can subsequently have a very negative impact.

Read also: How to repair and strengthen the foundation of an old wooden house

When talking about how to choose the cheapest foundation, you should also take into account what the building will be like, whether it is a frame house or garage, hangar, bathhouse or shed, as well as what material it is supposed to be built from.

In some cases, if the construction is not too massive, you can choose the option of a columnar or pile foundation, which, as practice shows, is the cheapest. Moreover, if the nature of the soil and climatic conditions allow, you can save a little on some materials, and the laying depth may vary. The use of such progressive and relatively lightweight materials as foam blocks or aerated concrete can also lighten the load on the foundation.

Read also: How to correctly calculate a pile foundation with a grillage

A simple columnar foundation is made by driving piles into the ground to a depth of up to two meters along the entire perimeter of the foundation. First, holes are drilled with a drill, into which pre-prepared roofing felt sleeves are inserted. The bottom of the pit, with the exception of the holes, must be filled with crushed stone and then filled with concrete mortar. Such a foundation, in addition to its tangible economic advantages, is also good for constructing buildings on slopes or on moving soil.

First of all, you need to make a schematic marking of the area of ​​land where work is expected to be done, marking the location of the support pillars. Then, in the places where the pillars are supposed to be installed, holes are made in the form of mini-pits up to 80 centimeters deep, the bottom of which is well compacted. A sand cushion is laid at the bottom of the pits, the layer thickness is up to 20 centimeters, and if the soil is sandy, then crushed stone or gravel about 10 centimeters thick is laid.

Subsequently, pillars and reinforcing structures are installed, formwork is created and concrete is poured. After the concrete mixture hardens, the wooden formwork can be dismantled, after which waterproofing work is carried out by pouring liquid bitumen and final concreting of the foundation. As you can see, everything is more or less simple, and on the Internet and on YouTube you can easily find a lot of video instructions that clearly show what and how to do when building a columnar foundation.

The most common and easiest to construct is a strip foundation, but it will cost several times more than a columnar or pile foundation. A strip foundation is suitable for more massive buildings, and its peculiarity is that it can be erected either by preparing a pit and pouring a concrete mixture, or using bricks. Such a foundation is called “ribbon” because it resembles a tape that encircles the perimeter of the house, repeating its outline; in addition, during its construction, sections are made under the load-bearing structures inside the perimeter.

As in other cases, a pit is dug to lay it, and, taking into account the climate, its depth should be approximately 20 centimeters below the soil freezing line. Before pouring concrete, wooden formwork is made, which is removed after the solution has completely hardened. For a wooden house, a shallow strip foundation is suitable, which, being a type of strip foundation, is made not from concrete mortar, but from a monolithic concrete strip with a depth of up to 60 centimeters into the soil.

To summarize, it is worth noting that the question of choosing an option when laying the foundation should not only be based on the economic component. It is important to remember that the foundation is the fundamental structure of the house, and the condition of the building for many decades, for all the years of its operation, depends on how strong it is and, so to speak, fundamental. You should not save where there is a prospect of subsequently encountering unforeseen and very unpleasant circumstances, which will predictably lead to the need, at best, for repairs and reconstruction and, therefore, to additional financial expenses.

svoidomstroim.ru

Which foundation is cheaper? How to save money on foundation construction?

When planning the construction of a building, you should decide in advance what material the house, bathhouse or garage will be built from in order to understand the load that the foundation will have to transfer to the load-bearing soil of the foundation.

If you are planning a capital structure with brick walls, then the foundation must be solid, capable of supporting a massive structure, and if it is a small log house, then the foundation can be made less bulky and cheaper.

But, no matter what foundation you choose, there will always be opportunities to save on construction.

Let's look at what the cost of the foundation consists of and how it can be reduced without reducing the load-bearing capacity and reliability of the foundation being laid.

How is the cost of the foundation determined?

What does the cost of building a reliable foundation consist of?

As a rule, to determine the cost, you should add up the costs of:

• geological study of soils at the construction site;
• foundation design;
• purchase and transportation of construction materials;
• excavation of a pit;
• cost of installing reinforcement cage and formwork;
• wages for workers employed in construction.

It is clear that without any of these points, construction will be impossible. This means that it is necessary to find an opportunity to reduce the cost of construction by optimizing some positions in this technological chain of foundation construction.

Let's see what you can save on here.

How can you save money when building a foundation?

In order to reduce construction costs and be sure that the building will serve you faithfully for many years without requiring major repairs, you should contact specialists who have extensive experience in performing such work.

By contacting geologists with extensive experience, you will be able to rely on their recommendations on choosing a construction location on a selected site, depending on its topography and soils.

An experienced geologist will tell you where a more massive foundation is needed, and where you can get by with less.

The same applies to the choice of the designer who will calculate the foundation. A novice specialist, whose cost of work may not be too high, at the same time can design an unreasonably expensive foundation, wanting to hedge his bets due to the lack of sufficient experience.

Where it would be possible to get by with reinforcement with a diameter of 12 mm, he will use 14 mm in the project, and instead of M150 grade concrete - M400 concrete.

As you yourself understand, the foundation will have a multiple safety margin, but it will also cost many times more.

Therefore, it is better to choose a specialist who will be confident in his calculations and will help make the optimal choice of materials, which will subsequently be included in the specification.

Drainage device

If you are planning construction on heaving soils, where high water occurs in the spring, and during the year the groundwater level rises quite high, then the best way to reduce the cost of building a foundation here would be to install drainage.

Laying formation or wall drainage will help lower the groundwater level, make the soil drier and, as a result, less susceptible to the forces of frost heaving.

In addition, wet soil freezes to a greater depth than soil from which moisture is removed by drainage. This will save on the depth of the foundation base.

Foundation waterproofing

Another opportunity to reduce the cost of building a foundation is to ensure its reliable waterproofing.

After all, even on moist soils, the foundation, reliably protected from ground moisture, will reliably support the building.

Which foundation is the cheapest?

The cost of the foundation directly depends on the design of the structure being erected, on the required load-bearing capacity and on the foundation soils lying on the site.

Let's look at what the price of several different types of foundations consists of in order to get an idea of ​​the ratio of their costs.

Foundation for a log house

As a rule, foundations for a log house are the cheapest, since the weight of a structure made of logs or timber is not as great as when built from brick or other piece materials.

In the case of log house construction, shallow strip foundations are often used, as well as columnar foundations made of asbestos pipes, foundations on TISE piles or on screw piles.

It is also possible to erect small buildings made of wood on columnar brick foundations or on shallow rubble foundations.

When constructing such foundations, a minimum of labor costs is required. Instead of a deep tape, in these cases small holes are dug for columnar supports or trenches 70-100 cm deep for a shallow tape.

But a more massive structure cannot be built on such a foundation. Therefore, if you are planning to build a 2-3 storey house from blocks or bricks, you will need a more reliable foundation.

Foundation for a brick house

In the case of a brick building, you can also use columnar foundations, which are cheaper than strip foundations. But in this case, you will need to install a reliable grillage - a horizontal part of the foundation connecting the pillars (piles), which bears the load from the walls being built.

In addition, the composition of the soil at the construction site will also affect the cost of the foundation for a brick house or bathhouse. Building a foundation on dry sandy soils will cost significantly less than building a foundation on waterlogged and heaving soils, which will either need to be replaced with soil that has more suitable characteristics for construction or the base of the foundation should be lowered below weak soils to rest on a more reliable foundation.

As you can see, when constructing brick buildings, savings will depend directly on the geological situation on the site.

When starting a private construction project, the owner of the future building most often wants to save money and at the same time get a reliable building. And we are talking here not only about the selected building materials for the house itself, but also about the type of foundation that will be the basis for the construction. We will discuss how to choose the optimally cheap foundation, what type of foundation is suitable for the specific soil on the site, and how to save on work.

Important: the cost of constructing the frame is 30% of the total cost of building the house as a whole. Therefore, it is worth carefully weighing all the parameters and nuances of installing the base with the help of competent specialists.

Parameters for determining the cost of the foundation

In order to understand how much money will be spent on installing the foundation of a house, such important criteria as:

• Salary for a home designer. It is this person who is able to make for you the optimally profitable building on the specified site.
• Conducting geological soil analysis.
• The total cost of all building materials for the foundation.
• The price of excavation work, including backfilling of the base.
• The cost of installing a reinforcing belt and installing formwork.
• Wages for workers, if any, are involved in construction work.

Important: you definitely cannot save on geological soil analysis and designer work. After all, a competent approach to soil research allows you to make an optimal design for a house with a foundation that will have good load-bearing capacity specifically for your building.

In addition to these two important components of subsequent construction savings, it is necessary to take care of high-quality insulation, waterproofing of the base of the house, as well as a reliable drainage system.

The effect of hiring competent specialists

If there is some confusion on the topic “why pay specialist designers and geologists,” then we hasten to dispel all doubts. The work of such professionals will bring the following benefits to installation work:

• Thus, a competent geologist will determine the optimal location on the site for building a house. Optimality here means the lowest possible groundwater level and the same level of soil freezing. This means that the depth of the foundation can be safely reduced. Savings in building materials and payments for excavation work in this case are obvious.
• A competent professional designer will help you make a reliable building from optimal building materials. After all, for example, M-500 cement has a high load-bearing capacity, but it also costs several times more than M-300 cement. Or maybe, according to the project, your house will require the use of M-300 grade cement. That is, it will be enough for your design. And here the savings are obvious. Needless to say, there are a lot of similar nuances when designing a building. And only an experienced architect-designer can cope with them.
• In addition, it is the designer who is able to correctly determine the optimal width of the foundation strip or grillage. After all, construction is not always about creating maximum opportunities for the foundation. The architect will be able to determine the optimal load-bearing capacity of the frame specifically for your home. This means that building materials will then be purchased not according to the maximum quantity and load-bearing capacity, but according to optimal parameters.

In addition to saving on construction by attracting experienced professionals, the following points also play an important role:

• Drainage system design. After all, proper drainage of water from the site reduces the groundwater level, which means that the level of soil freezing will be reduced. Therefore, the foundation can be made shallow. Another saving point.
• Designing a waterproofing system also makes it possible to create a shallow frame even on soil with a high groundwater level. And this is an additional point of savings during construction.
• The installation of a high-quality heat insulator also allows you to reduce the cost of building a foundation. Due to good insulation, the base tape can be narrowed to optimal load-bearing capacity.
• It is worth noting that both the geologist and the architect are able, in accordance with the site studies obtained, to select the most effective and economical type of foundation for the desired building.

Types of foundations at low cost

The price of installing a foundation is determined not only by the amount spent on the purchase of building materials, but also by the total weight of the finished house. It is for this reason that for a frame or wooden house you can make a light and economical frame on poles or stilts. Below we will consider foundation options that will be economical options in each specific case for a specific building.

Foundation for a wooden house

For such a house it is quite possible to install a shallow columnar frame with a wooden grillage. The financial benefit in this case will consist of the following parameters:

• There is no need to dig a full pit;
• Possibility of using available materials (blocks, bricks, wood) as building materials for foundation supports;
• Minimal labor costs during installation, that is, the base can be built even with your own hands without the involvement of professional craftsmen.
• The average cost of such a columnar frame in Russia is from 40 USD. for one pillar.

Important: this foundation is considered the cheapest, but is only suitable for light houses and buildings on sandy soils.

Foundation for a brick or block house

Heavier buildings require a more powerful foundation with high load-bearing capacity. In this case, the most cost-effective option would be a shallow or medium-deep columnar monolithic foundation with the same reinforced concrete or beam grillage. Ideally, a strip frame should be built under a stone house. Especially if the soil on the site is difficult. When constructing a strip frame, you can save on building materials if there are deposits of rubble (natural stone) near the site. The rubble strip foundation is quite strong and reliable and has a high load-bearing capacity.

Important: the mass of one m3 of blocks is approximately 600-700 kg, while the mass of bricks in the same volume is already about 1.5 tons. A strip foundation made of concrete with reinforcement will cost about 7 thousand rubles per linear meter. A columnar frame made of concrete with reinforcement and a monolithic grillage will cost 65 USD. for one post plus grillage.

Foundation for a monolithic house of 1-2 floors

In this case, a full-fledged strip base or a concrete monolithic slab is installed. The latter option is especially good for moving soils with high groundwater levels. Moreover, if it is planned to install a strip foundation, then in the case of moving soils on the site, it is necessary to install a support sole under the frame strip. The expansion will reduce the pressure of the house's mass on the foundation and increase the load-bearing capacity of the foundation.

You can save on the construction of a strip base if you assemble it from concrete blocks. This will reduce work costs by approximately 30%. The cost of a strip monolithic base will cost approximately 111-126 USD per linear meter. A monolithic concrete slab will cost from 48 USD/m2. But depending on the depth of the base.

Pile foundation

The most economical and at the same time durable type of frame. The foundation on metal screw piles can be installed on complex moving soils, in rocks, and at high groundwater levels. The only condition for a pile foundation is a building that is light in weight. This could be a frame or panel house, a garage or a utility room like a barn.

The savings here are as follows:

• No need for complex excavation work;
• The ability to perform installation yourself without the involvement of professionals;
• Relatively low cost of building materials (piles and channels for grillage).
• The price of a pile foundation starts from 72 USD on average. for one pillar.

Important: the pile foundation can be installed directly near reservoirs. And with certain skill, the installation time will take only 1-2 days.

Foundation using TISE technology

This is a type of columnar or pile foundation, the supports of which have a cross-section of 25 cm. In this case, a special extension with a cross-section of 60 cm is arranged under the foundation pillars. It is called a shoe or sole. Such a pillow can significantly reduce the pressure of the house’s mass on the frame columns, and therefore prevent subsidence of the soil under its weight.

The foundation using TISE technology is good for any house (brick, block, frame, stone). In addition, this type of foundation can be installed on almost any soil, such as sand, clay, loam, high groundwater level, etc.

An important link in the construction of the base using TISE technology is a durable grillage - a frame encircling the pillars. It is most often made from rolled metal or monolithic concrete. The cost of such a foundation (including work) will be from 64 USD/linear meter.

Foundation slab

It is also called a floating base. Such a monolithic concrete pad goes 1.5-1.7 meters deep into the ground. In this case, the concrete pour is reinforced with a rigid frame.

A slab foundation can hardly be called an economical option for constructing a foundation, but such a frame will withstand any load on the most difficult soils. The slab foundation is not afraid of seasonal soil heaving, high groundwater level, moving layers or complex terrain.

Important: when starting construction with your own hands, carefully weigh all its nuances in order to avoid disastrous mistakes in the work.

To make the foundation correctly, you need to carefully study the options for construction types and their features. The construction of the underground part is carried out taking into account the following requirements:

• economic expediency;
• reliability;
• strength;
• durability;
• sustainability.

Before starting construction work, a soil study should be carried out. The choice of the right type of foundation is influenced by the total weight of the house, the strength of the soil and the groundwater level. A foundation that is carefully made and built in compliance with technology will last a long time and will not cause problems during operation.

Preparatory stage

It’s worth starting with pits or drilling. The main goal of this activity is to find out what soils are located on the site, as well as to find out the level of groundwater. The foundation must be laid in compliance with the rule: the mark of the sole must be at least 50 cm above the level of the water horizon.

How to do soil testing correctly? Two methods are used for this:

• excerpts of pits (deep holes, dimensions in plan are usually 1x2 m);
• manual drilling.

In the first case, the soil on the walls of the pit is examined. They also check to see if water has left the bottom. In the second option, the soil on the tool blades is examined.

Once you have determined what kind of soil is on the site, you will need to find its strength indicators. This can be done using special tables.

The cost of laying the foundation for a house can be up to 30% of the estimate for the entire building. To avoid cost overruns, you need to perform a calculation that will allow you to find the optimal design parameters that will simultaneously guarantee minimum costs, strength and reliability. For your convenience, you can use online payment.

Types of foundations

Building a foundation with your own hands involves the use of several technologies:

• ribbon;
• combined options.

Columnar supports have a low load-bearing capacity. It is possible to install monolithic pillars or assemble them into compact concrete blocks. Both options are great for DIY projects.

There are three types of pile foundation for a house:

• driven (not recommended for private buildings due to the need to attract equipment);
• (suitable for building a brick or concrete house);
• (ideal for light wooden buildings).

Piles make it possible to reduce the amount of excavation work. There is no need to dig trenches or a foundation pit or transport large amounts of soil outside the site. Thanks to this quality, installing this type of foundation is a very economical choice. The main disadvantage will be the impossibility of equipping a basement or underground for utilities. In this case, the base of the building is covered with decorative materials.

Another advantage of piles is the possibility of using them in wetlands. Even if the groundwater level is located close to the ground surface, the supports provide the necessary load-bearing capacity.

The next option is tape. It can be made monolithic or from blocks. The second option is rational to use for mass construction. Strip foundations are:

• recessed (for buildings with a basement, brick and concrete structures);
• (for wooden and frame houses);
• non-buried (technology of pouring foundations for small buildings on a solid foundation).

Before making a tape, it is worth checking the groundwater level and compliance with the rule that the sole cannot be closer than 50 cm to the groundwater horizon. Otherwise, there is a high probability of flooding of the basement, reducing the load-bearing capacity of the foundation and destruction of the materials of the supporting part of the building.

What to do with high groundwater level? If the structure is made independently from brick or stone, screw piles will not be suitable, and for bored piles it will be necessary to lower the water level. An excellent option would be filling. In this case, a non-recessed or slightly recessed base is made. The thickness of the slab is determined depending on the load, on average 300-400 mm.

How to pour a foundation for a house

Monolithic foundation type is the best option for private housing construction. In this case, laying allows you to significantly save on transportation and installation of structures. There is no need to hire a crane to install elements in the designed position or a KamAZ truck to transport concrete blocks and slabs.

Monolithic foundations can be made from factory-made concrete or you can mix the solution yourself using a concrete mixer. The first option is recommended. The fact is that it is very difficult to strictly observe the proportions of the composition in artisanal conditions. For factory-mixed concrete, such a guarantor will be a passport, which indicates the verified indicators of the material.

To make the material yourself, you will need to prepare clean water, cement, sand and crushed stone (or gravel). They are mixed with each other strictly observing proportions, which depend on what grade of concrete needs to be obtained. If you add a little more sand or crushed stone to the composition than required, the strength of the supporting part of the building will suffer.

To properly pour the foundation, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic rules of concreting:

• Concrete must be poured in one go at time intervals of up to 1.5 hours. If you take long breaks in work, the solution sets and concreting joints form, which weaken the structure. The technology allows making horizontal seams if absolutely necessary. It is unacceptable to install vertical seams on a monolithic foundation, since in this case the support of the house will not be able to resist soil deformations.
• The class of concrete is chosen depending on the type of supporting part. For a columnar or pile foundation, class B 15 is sufficient. For tape, grades from B 15 to B 22.5 are needed. Construction of a house foundation using slab technology requires concrete grades B 22.5 or B 25.
• After pouring, the material should gain strength. On average, this takes 28 days. Construction work can continue after the structure reaches 70% of its original strength.
• It is better to carry out work in warm, dry weather. The ideal average daily temperature for concrete hardening is +25°C. At temperatures below +5°C the material practically does not harden. For normal hardening in this case, special additives and heating are used.
• The concrete must be maintained within 1-2 weeks after pouring. It involves wetting the surface with water.
• To mix the mixture yourself, you will need cement, sand, crushed stone (gravel) and clean water. The proportions depend on the strength class. The material is delivered from the factory using a concrete mixer truck - it allows you to extend the life of the solution and deliver it over relatively long distances.

How to pour the foundation correctly? In general, work is performed in the following order:

1. installation of formwork and reinforcement cage;
2. laying waterproofing material in formwork;
3. pouring concrete;
4. its compaction by vibration or bayonet;
5. curing;
6. stripping works (if necessary).

To quickly complete the work, it is recommended to order a concrete pump together with a concrete mixer. Concrete manufacturers are usually willing to provide this technique. In this case, it is necessary to use a concrete mixture of grades P3 or P4 in terms of mobility. Otherwise, the equipment breaks down.

Step-by-step instructions for pouring a strip foundation

Concreting is considered using the example of a monolithic tape. To erect the supporting part of the structure, construction is necessary. To do this, use cast-offs and construction cord. You need to show the edges of the tape.

After marking, the soil is excavated. If there is no basement, it is enough to dig a trench. At its bottom you need to make a sand cushion. It performs several functions:

• ground leveling;
• prevention of frost heaving;

The edges of the trench should go exactly along the cord

Next stage - . For this purpose, the material included in the estimate is used: boards (removable type) or polystyrene foam (non-removable). The second option serves not only as a form for pouring concrete, but also as insulation of the underground part of the building. When installing the formwork, I raise the base to the desired height.

What type of foundation to choose

Construction is a complex and expensive business that requires a scientific, rational approach. Therefore, before choosing the type of foundation, you will have to answer several important questions:

• what will the house be like? (material, number of floors, will there be a basement)
• What are the geological conditions at the construction site?
• To what depth does the soil freeze in winter?
• At what depth is groundwater?
• how much do you expect to pay?

Reliability and quality cannot be achieved quickly, especially in construction, where each stage depends on the previous one, and a lot of calculations are needed to complete at least one of them in a short time.

The foundation performs a buffer function - it minimizes the possibility of soil subsidence, displacement of the walls of the house and provides. The future house depends entirely on the type of foundation, since it is its foundation and support.

How deep to lay the foundation is calculated taking into account the climate of the area. Our country is characterized by cold winters, so waterproofing and thermal insulation are mandatory. Therefore, it is better to build with high quality, thoroughly, and in one season.

The wrong choice of foundation type and subsequent settlement of the building are the causes of skewed porches, verandas, terraces, problems with opening doors, and sometimes more widespread disasters: ruptures of communications (water supply, gas pipes, sewerage).

You should not save on the basics, even if the cost of them is 20% of the entire cost of the house, because subsequent repairs will cost an order of magnitude more. The loss of finances is not the worst thing; sometimes it is impossible to restore or repair a structure.

The foundations can be strip, slab, columnar and pile.

Slab (monolithic) type of foundation

Monolithic, also called floating, are one of the most reliable foundations for various types of buildings located on an area with poor geological conditions:

• high groundwater level
• heaving/subsiding soil
• swampiness

They consist of monolithic reinforced concrete slabs located on bulk soils. Reinforcement is carried out not only around the perimeter, but also over the entire area of ​​the structure. This ensures rigidity and strength of the foundation, which in turn helps in the fight against deformation. These qualities are especially important in autumn or spring, when the soil is unstable due to temperature changes.

Slab foundations are also used in the construction of basements or basements: they protect well from moisture. Thanks to Swedish technologies and modern hydro- and thermal insulation materials, insulated slabs are becoming very popular.

If, for example, a garage is planned under the house, then it is better to use a slab foundation for this.

The construction of a monolithic foundation begins with digging a pit using special equipment (or manually, if the volume is small). The pit should be slightly larger around the perimeter than the foundation itself. The bottom is carefully compacted and layers of sand and gravel are poured to create a “pillow”. Each layer is separated with geotextiles. Then the slab is poured into the formwork: first, a thin layer is poured, then it is reinforced and the remaining concrete is added. After this, a monolithic strip is placed under the walls on such a slab, and the slab itself can serve as a floor for the basement. The thickness of such a structure rarely exceeds 0.2 m.

Advantages of a monolithic foundation:

• the reinforced slab does not deform and moves along with the ground, thereby ensuring the stability of the entire building
• the slab is reinforced not only outside, but also inside, which is the reason for the strength, stability and durability of the foundation
• resistance to temperature changes, thawing and freezing, as well as high humidity
• moving soils are not scary
• can be used in places where groundwater erosion is high. Provides water resistance

Advantages of a slab foundation

Flaws:

• the cost of floating foundations is high due to the large amount of excavation work and mandatory reinforcement.

Shallow strip foundation

This type of foundation is located around the perimeter of the building. It has the same width throughout its entire length, and is most often used for stone, wood and concrete walls. If the future house is large, it is advisable to use a strip foundation.

Lightweight one-story stone, log or frame buildings are best installed on shallow foundations (less than the freezing depth). This type is used on stable geological foundations (slightly heaving), but if reinforcement is made and a “cushion” of sand is prepared, then it can be installed on any soil.

The material for a strip foundation with a shallow depth is not only concrete (monolithic or prefabricated), but even stone or brick. But it is undesirable to use brick, since it is short-lived and absorbs water.

Strip foundations can be monolithic or prefabricated.

Under monolithic strip foundations (in a trench), formwork is first installed, in which the reinforcement piping is filled with concrete mixture. This foundation is strong and can withstand quite high loads of complex-shaped buildings.

Interesting fact!
Modern trends in construction are gradually leading to the idea of ​​stopping the use of wooden formwork. All construction companies are trying to achieve greater smoothness of the ends of concrete foundations for greater frost resistance, but wood does not solve this problem. And wooden formworks have to be built in new ways all the time. Instead, they now use reusable metal formwork, which allows for neat foundations.

The popularity of units consisting of separate blocks has subsided somewhat, and in European countries they have not been used for a long time. Such blocks are produced in specialized factories. They are placed in the pit using cranes, and there they are fastened together with a cement mortar. Perhaps this technology is simpler than pouring concrete into formwork, but practice confirms that the quality of such foundations is worse. Monolithic structures are much stronger than prefabricated ones.

Advantages of strip foundation:

• uniform distribution of the acting load. Durability and reliability
• saving money and materials
• ease of reconstruction

Flaws:

• the need for a simple architectural layout

Screw pile foundation

Pile foundations are effective for construction on swampy soils and problematic soils (for example, the city of St. Petersburg).

It consists of pipes with pointed tips. Such piles are screwed into the soil layer. They will serve as a support for the reinforced concrete slab covering them on top.

Piles are screwed in to different depths, depending on the mobility of the soil; this distinguishes a pile foundation from a columnar type.

The material of the piles can be different:

• metal
• tree
• reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete pile structures are still more durable, the possibility of their operation reaches more than 100 years.

To summarize, it turned out that this type of foundation is low in materials consumption, effective on difficult soils, but requires special small-sized equipment and complex engineering calculations.

It is a set of pillars installed at the main nodal points of the building with a distance of no more than 3 meters from each other. The materials for columnar foundations are concrete, stone (natural), brick. The pillars are covered with strapping beams (made of metal or wood), which makes the base more rigid.

Also, the distances between the pillars must be covered with connecting walls - (has its own design with ventilation holes, base). It can be made from brick, rubble masonry or concrete with a thickness of at least 0.1 - 0.2 meters.

It can also be monolithic or prefabricated.

A monolithic structure is used if groundwater is deeper than 1 meter. When installing it, holes for the pillars are dug (drilled). Concrete is poured into previously prepared formwork, and the distance from the wall of the formwork to the wall of the pit should be more than 0.1 meters. Reinforcement must also be provided, otherwise the foundation will not have the required strength.

Reinforced concrete prefabricated foundations are erected on damp soils. Such pillars are attached to a base plate. This type of building is not intended for moving layers, otherwise the entire building may be destroyed.

Advantages of the columnar type:

• material consumption and labor costs are 2 times, and in some cases 5 times cheaper, even (the most inexpensive of the above) strip foundations

The disadvantages of a columnar foundation are:

• mandatory arrangement of the basement floor
• impossibility of use in areas with height differences - this is dangerous, as tipping may occur
• not used for heavy buildings on sandy (sandy-clayey) rocks

Which foundation is better on clay soil?

The clay type of soil is characterized by the presence of a large amount of water in its composition (due to the fineness of the particles); when it freezes, it expands and, as a result, swells and becomes deformed. The foundation breaks under the influence of forces, and the building itself suffers.

There are several varieties of clay soils, but in all of them the choice of foundation should be in favor of:

• tape recessed
• slab
• pile

When constructing any of these foundations on clay rocks, it is necessary to use special technologies and rules.

For example, the strip base on such soils should be laid on a thick sandy base, and the base itself should be made of insulation (penoplex). Often the cross-section of such structures has a trapezoidal shape (the base is one third wider than the top). To remove excess water from the foundation on clay, a drainage system is used.

Which foundation is the most reliable?

Its adhesion to hard ground ensures maximum stability and strength of any structure. Sometimes you have to drill quite deep.

Properties of pile foundations:

• simple installation - despite the need for special small-sized equipment, it is built several times faster than other types of foundations. Unlike other varieties, the pile base does not require heavy construction machines and a large number of workers
• the work is carried out by 2-3 specialists
• the piles are durable, not afraid of corrosive destruction and water
• universal, as they can be used in absolutely any area, especially with problematic soils

In second place in terms of reliability is the floating type.

This type, despite its high cost, can withstand the effects of poor geological conditions of the site: it retains high strength qualities. When building on clay rocks, it requires a sand “substrate” and high-quality reinforcement.

Is it necessary to choose a pile or slab type of foundation for the construction of private residential buildings? Of course not. Specialists will always find the best option from a financial and security point of view.