How to prepare the foundation for wintering so that you can build in the spring

Construction of any house begins with a foundation pit. And the foundation is being built in the pit. And several questions immediately arise - which one to choose type of foundation, what dimensions to lay, when to start building it. And if its type is largely determined by the taste preferences of the main builder of the new house, the size of the foundation are determined by the weight of the future structure, but the construction timeline is determined by the planned tactics construction process. We have to reckon with the weather forecast, and with the possibilities of financing each stage, and with many other factors. Of course, in the summer, dig a pit and assemble the formwork more comfortable than in the autumn rains. But if the summer weather was missed, then postponing the start of the foundation for the next summer is too waste of time.

Autumn construction has its own challenges. But next spring, you can assemble a house on the foundation. And the frame can be started in winter. But for the winter, a new foundation needs to be prepared with special measures.

Winter hazards to the foundation

The main danger is freezing water. It is also known from school physics that water, when frozen, turns into ice, and its volume is greater than the volume of the original water. Water forgotten in a bottle will break the bottle in winter. The water frozen in the cracks of the stones destroys the rocks. And water absorbed by the concrete of the foundation blocks or remaining in the unmarked gaps between the blocks will destroy the foundation when frozen. Not to the bottom, but its strength will decrease.

The same mechanism works when the soil is destroyed in the site of the house. The soil saturated with water begins to swell in frosts. If groundwater is located near the surface, it will turn into ice in severe frosts and deform the foundation strips.

The dangers of unfinished construction include a fire department, biological contamination of a tree and theft with vandalism. Fire-fighting measures include removing all flammable materials from the site. From mold and fungi, the tree is saved by preventive treatment and dry storage. And from thieves, valuable things and materials should be hidden away or security should be organized. And the most reliable thing is to have time to use them in the outgoing season.

PHOTO: jackwharperconstruction.com

Protective measures

Builders have learned to protect their work from the harmful forces of nature. Since water is to blame for everything, you need to protect the foundation from water. And then the frost is not terrible. Resist the forces of heaving (i.e. e. vertical forces of frozen wet soil) should be the weight of the building itself. And it will be built only next summer, when there will be no more frosts. This means that in the fall, you need to take all measures to prevent the reinforced concrete structures and soil from getting wet at the construction site. For concrete surfaces, waterproofing is required. Top and side faces of concrete blocks can be smeared waterproofing compositionpenetrating inside concrete. Then the entire foundation must be covered with a thick film (it is possible in two or three layers). We also need waterproofing under the base of the foundation. Formwork must be removed from all concrete structures. She will not be able to add strength to the freezing raw concrete, and raw wood will only increase the wetting of the blocks.

But that is not all. Frozen clay soil can swell. To reduce the negative swelling effect, you need to perform at least one of the three recommended measures: vertical load on foundation blocks, insulate cracks in concrete blocks from water, remove clay from under the tape foundation. The last requirement is the most difficult to fulfill, this must be done while digging a foundation pit. The volume of the harvested clay is compensated by adding gravel and sand. At the same stage of work, it is necessary to create a drainage system in order to remove water from under the area occupied by the house. Drainage wells should be located in the corners of the building, between them - perforated corrugated pipes.

The area under the house and the blind area around the house must also be insulated. Under the blind area, extruded EPS EPS foam should be laid horizontally at a depth of 30-40 cm. Snow can serve as a natural insulation. To prevent the wind from blowing it off the site, you can arrange snow retention by installing shields.

If the pre-winter conservation is carried out with high quality and in full, then in the spring you can start construction without delay.

PHOTO: gidfundament.ru

For the winter, not only the foundation, but even an unfinished house is protected from the weather.

PHOTO: gwd.ru

Conclusion

Building a house is not a quick process. And some stages of construction require dry and warm weather. But the weather has its own laws and its own schedule. Builders have to adapt. And the pre-winter conservation of an unfinished house is an important stage in the construction. The durability and appearance of the house largely depends on the quality of its implementation.