Foundation for a house on wet soil. Slab foundation on heaving soils useful tips. What kind of foundation is easiest to build on your own

Hello Semyonitch! We bought a house 10 years ago. It turned out to be damp. The foundation is in the ground, the walls are damp. All the years we have been fighting mold with all possible means (they insulated the outside and inside, changed the heating, windows, etc.). The husband wants to break down the house and build a new one, but you yourself understand this is a very laborious process. Maybe there is another remedy?

Gulnara, Kazakhstan, Uralsk.

Hello, Gulnara from Uralsk!

Unfortunately, I am not an all-powerful gin from oriental fairy tales and I can hardly give a comprehensive recipe for drying your home. If you have already used every possible means to remove mold and damp in your home, but have not achieved anything in ten years, then it is difficult to give good advice.

A home drying kit usually includes the following.

Installation of drainage systems around the house (ditches, drains, laying drainage pipes, etc.). This is practiced in cases where the soil around the house is waterlogged, but it is possible to drain underground surface water towards the natural slope of the earth's surface.

Sometimes the device around the house, along the outer vertical surfaces of the foundation, the so-called clay castle, helps. For its device, a trench is dug around the perimeter of the house to the entire depth of the foundation. The dug trench is filled with clay soil, and even better - with the clay itself. It has the ability not to let water pass through its thickness.

If possible, the underground vertical surfaces of the foundation (both external and internal) are impregnated with bitumen mastic in several layers. (For which you have to dig the same trench). It is not excluded that a waterproofing gasket made of rubemast or glass-fiber insulation is installed on the outer side of the vertical underground surface of the foundation.

At constant availability in the basement of the water house, firstly, a moisture-proof screed is made of concrete and waterproofing. Sometimes they even arrange a small recess in the basement floor and lower the drain pipe of the electric pump there. With its work in automatic mode - there is water - it works, the water has disappeared - it turns off.

A waterproofing layer made of the aforementioned rubemast or glass insulation is laid along the basement plinth between its upper surface and the masonry (brick or from blocks). As you understand, in an old house this is difficult to implement, since it is necessary to alternate grooves (making deep grooves in the array of walls from the outer and inner sides), with the establishment of waterproofing in these grooves, followed by bricking with concrete (or cement) mortar.

In the basement of the foundation, on all sides of the house, it is necessary to have ventilation holes with a diameter of 15 centimeters, at the rate of at least one hole per 3 running meters. This airs the subfloor. If there is no basement under the house, then sometimes it is simply practiced to simply lay a layer of waterproofing (plastic wrap, roofing material, etc.) on the surface of the earth under the whole house.

Inside the house itself, ventilation holes and air ducts are also made with their output through vertical pipes above the roof surface for ventilation, air injection.

Thermal insulation devices on the walls and roof of the house are also arranged to eliminate condensation inside the house.

In addition, drying of the interior of the house is arranged with the help of constant ventilation and drafts (in the summer - all windows and doors are thrown wide open).

Drying is also carried out by all types of heating and convection devices (FENs, heating elements, air heaters, oil heaters, heat guns, etc.).

After drying the walls, mold is removed from them with scrapers, brushes, spatulas, along with whitewash. Then the surfaces are treated with a solution of copper sulfate or a special anti-mold liquid. The walls are whitewashed or painted.

Here is a rough checklist for creating dry indoor areas at home.

If all these activities do not help, then they do as your husband advises - it is under construction new house in compliance with all requirements for waterproofing and ventilation. The main thing in this case is to choose a place higher, so that there is less water in the soil, as is the case when houses are built in the lowlands.

Everything. Good luck!

Other questions about flooding and consequences.

The foundation in a swamp and peat bog for building a house is a very difficult case. It is very difficult to build a house on peat, but ... impossible for a builder is not. What is bad in swampy areas and peatlands is the presence of waterlogged soils, oversaturated with moisture, containing both organic matter and a fine-grained structure. All this is conducive to the formation of both true and false quicksands. All marsh soils swell in winter, and in spring groundwater rise and erode them. The thickness of the layers of weak swampy soils is often too large, and the construction of pile foundations can become not only uneconomical due to the deep bedding of a layer of dense soil, but also technically impossible for a private builder.

Types of foundations in swamp and peat bog

If the swampy soil has a thickness of no more than two meters, and geological studies have confirmed this, the foundation on bored piles or on TISE technologies, similar to foundations on low-power quicksands. The pile depth in this case is taken below weak boggy soils (but not higher than the GPG), the condition for supporting the pile on solid soil layers is mandatory. Widening - the heel at the ends of the piles does not allow the forces of frost heaving to squeeze them out of the ground. Strapping device - a grillage on the top of the piles reduces horizontal movements and stiffens the foundation structure.

A monolithic floating slab is suitable for substrates with any depth of swampy soil. It is the only foundation that, due to its design, does not struggle with the foundation soils, but moves with them. A solid slab rises and falls with the horizontal movement of soils, maintaining its integral structure and the structure that rests on it.

But this does not negate the need to reduce the impact of groundwater on the slab. Creation of a high cushion of sand, ASM or crushed stone - required condition reliable operation of the foundation. The pillow performs several tasks - it serves as a drainage layer, a shock absorber and distributes uneven loads from the base soils to monolithic slab.

Slab foundation technology on a pillow

Clearing the construction site, removing debris, cutting off the top layer of vegetative soil, if any. It is better not to do deepening in order not to create conditions for flooding. The bottom layer of the pillow is often made of construction waste - concrete scrap, stone, etc., since a lot of material is needed. The height of the pillow is needed at least one meter. The best material is coarse flaky crushed stone. After filling, the pillow must undergo a self-compacting period - at least a year. Mechanical compaction of crushed stone is possible only by rolling heavy equipment.

The crushed stone surface is planned and a concrete preparation is made of M100 concrete with a thickness of 100 mm. The preparation serves only for leveling the base under the slab insulation, so it can be done both from lean concrete and from mortar. The preparation is left until complete setting - from days to three, depending on the air temperature.

Installation of a heat-insulating layer made of slab insulation - extruded polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene 100 mm thick. Foam plastic for this purpose is much worse to use, since in a humid environment and under load it will not last long. A dense geotextile is laid over the insulation in one layer, with an overlap of 150 mm. Geotextile strips must be securely welded together. This layer is needed to ensure the safety of the waterproofing.

For the waterproofing device, polymer diffusion film membranes are used. The properties of membranes allow them not only to pass moisture from the foundation due to their structural structure and vapor permeability, but at the same time block access to the foundation for groundwater and capillary moisture. The membrane is laid, starting from the edge of the site, folds and distortions are eliminated. The strips are laid end-to-end with an air pocket and secured by welding, a special welding machine for welding polymer roll materials. The use of a building hair dryer is possible. Seam construction - overlap with an air pocket 20-25 mm wide, bounded by two parallel continuous seams. Before checking the tightness of the seam, the ends of the pocket are welded.

To check the tightness and strength of the seam, you need a compressor, a pressure gauge with a valve and a hose with a needle. The needle is inserted into an air pocket and air is forced to a certain pressure. The pressure for testing membranes up to 1.5 mm thick is 1.5 atm, for membranes 2 mm thick - 2 atm. The holding time is 20 minutes, during this time the pressure should not drop. If a decrease in pressure is observed, the seam is boiled again and the check is repeated. After the needle has been pulled out, the puncture site is sealed with a "patch" of membrane material. The quality of waterproofing is one of the prerequisites for the reliable operation of the foundation slab in conditions of high aggressive waters in swampy areas.

Another layer of geotextile with welding seams is placed on top of the membrane. A layer of thick polyethylene film is laid on the geotextile layer, gluing all joints with double-sided tape. The made multilayer cake under the slab will perform several tasks: it will enable it to "slide" on the base, provide its waterproofing and protect the concrete from local mechanical forces.

Slab formwork device. It is possible to use both wooden elements - boards and beams, and non-removable polystyrene foam formwork, which will provide the slab with additional lateral thermal protection. The formwork is leveled and secured with struts from a bar or board. For fastening wooden formwork, nails and screws are used, and the caps must be inside the formwork. On the formwork, the upper boundary of the concreting of the slab is marked. The formwork must be strong and withstand the entire dynamics of concreting, pouring the mixture and its compaction. Before starting concreting, the formwork and all fastening elements are checked again for strength and stability.

The reinforcing frame for a slab operating on a soil base in wetland conditions is assigned reinforced strength. For working rods, only reinforcement of a periodic annular or four-sided crescent profile is used. The diameters and pitch of the rods are assigned by calculation, depending on the weight of the house and the regional wind and snow loads. The approximate diameter of the working reinforcement is 16-18 mm.

It is preferable to connect the reinforcing bars by knitting, wire or plastic clamps. The volumes of knitting are significant and take a lot of time, so it will be practical to purchase a semi-automatic hook. The lower tier of the working fittings is installed on clips - plastic chairs. Fixation is necessary to maintain the protective layer. The use of wood, stone and other auxiliary materials as fixators will reduce the cost very slightly, but the slab will negatively affect the strength of the concrete. Brick, especially silicate brick, is unacceptable to use as fixators.

Continuous concreting of the slab is the main condition for its strength and durability. It is necessary to fill the plate in one shift, avoiding the formation of working (cold) seams. All slab seams are weak points and possible areas of deformation. Making concrete on your own in such volumes is hardly rational, and hardly possible. It is more practical to order the concrete mix ready-made. For laying concrete, equipment is needed, with a large slab area, it is possible - a concrete pump. Laying is carried out with vibration with deep vibrators and a vibrating screed. The vibration is not finished until concrete mix the release of air bubbles will not stop or cement laitance will not appear on the surface.

Concrete maintenance is very important. Within 28 days, concrete conditions for hardening are created - they provide optimal temperature and humidity, as well as protection from mechanical influences, solar radiation and wind. The first day, before setting, the concrete must also be protected from rain. After setting, the concrete must be watered and protected from evaporation by a cover of water-absorbing material - geotextile, burlap, and on top - with a thick plastic wrap. With significant changes in average daily temperatures, it is necessary to cover the concrete at night with heat-insulating material.

The optimum relative humidity for concrete gaining strength is 90 - 100%, temperature - 18⁰C - 20⁰C. At air temperatures above 25⁰C, concrete must be cooled by sprinkling with water in order to avoid the appearance of temperature-shrinkage cracks. Concrete and all available formwork surfaces are watered, and irrigation is needed constant, not periodic.

After 28 days, lateral waterproofing of the foundation and horizontal waterproofing are performed along the top of the slab. Before applying the coating waterproofing, prepare the surface - dedust, in the presence of cavities and cracks, they are sealed with a cement-sand mortar, then a primer or a penetrating primer is applied to improve adhesion, two times. After complete drying, the coating is waterproofed with bitumen or bitumen-polymer mastic. The side surfaces of the foundation slabs, poured into a removable formwork, are additionally insulated with a slab insulation - penoplex or extruded polystyrene foam on glue, less often sprayed polyurethane foam is used. In this case, thermal insulation not only fulfills its direct function, but also serves as a protective layer for waterproofing, protecting it from mechanical stress, as well as additional waterproofing. Reliable waterproofing of concrete in conditions of foundation operation on swampy water-saturated soils is a prerequisite for the durability of the slab.

A monolithic floating slab for building a house on a peat bog and a swampy base is a reliable and proven option. Economically - the slab is one of the most expensive foundations, and requires both significant material and considerable labor costs. But in terms of reliability in operation, the slab foundation has no equal, subject to the correct technology of work and the use of high-quality materials. And of course, it is better to entrust all calculations for the purpose of the thickness of the slab and the density of the reinforcement to specialists.

If your site, which you plan to use to build your home, turns out to be swampy soil, you should not be upset. Modern technologies easily allow you to lay the foundation even in difficult conditions. The basic rule in this case will be the correct choice of the type of foundation. You cannot be mistaken, because the service life of not only the foundation itself, but also the entire building will depend on this.

What is swampy ground?

Before you start building a foundation in a swamp with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with this type of soil. It is a heterogeneous multilayer structure, which provides for the presence of:

• sandstone;
• peat;
• clay.

The swamp is always oversaturated with moisture and has large quantities of fine-grained particles. They resist compression rather weakly. The soil is unstable, therefore it is difficult to determine the ultimate loads.

Swampy soil is one of the most difficult to carry out construction. Before determining the depth of the foundation, the type of foundation and the area of ​​the structure, it is necessary to study the geological setting.

Features of construction in wetlands: geological research

If you decide to lay the foundation in a swamp for a house, then at the first stage you must carry out geological research. They are necessary to determine the parameters of the soil. It will be necessary to find out what is the volume of soil water, to what level freezing occurs, the type of soil, as well as the surface proximity of underground waters.

A hand-held probe must be used for soil sampling. Wells are drilled on the site, which are located at the corners of the future foundation. It is better to carry out research in winter, when the soil is most saturated with moisture. Soil sampling provides the following information:

• the thickness of the layers;
• physical properties of the soil;
• bed depth;
• changes in the soil in recent years.

For wooden house 5-meter wells are drilled, whereas if you plan to build a stone or brick house, then the depth of the well must be increased to 10 m.

Before starting construction on a swampy area, the depth of soil freezing should be determined. If the foundation is laid to an insufficient depth, then later this can cause its destruction. As a result of engineering and geological studies, you will receive information that will allow you to determine the type of soil.

What is the best foundation to choose?

The most time-consuming and expensive process in building a house is work on the arrangement of the foundation. The cost of these manipulations will be 1/3 of the total cost estimate for the construction of the building. After a few years, any foundation in the swamp begins to collapse, but only if it does not reach the depth of seasonal freezing.

On the south side, the base begins to bulge out if the work was done incorrectly. In order for the structure to serve as long as possible, it is necessary to make a drainage system. It will remove excess moisture from the site. On swampy soils, three types of foundation are used, one of which is a pile foundation.

This design is most suitable as it has the following advantages:

• relatively low cost;
• the possibility of construction in any relief;
• increased durability;
• high resistance and strength;
• excellent corrosion resistance.

The foundation screw piles can be installed in any weather. The construction time is very short. You can complete the foundation device in 2 days. By using supports of different heights, you can smooth out unevenness in the surface.

The main part of the foundation is a pile, which can be installed vertically or with a slight slope into the ground. The supports are combined using a grillage, which is a cushion in a reinforcing cage.

Screw piles for the foundation are one of the types of supports used in swampy areas. These products are protected from corrosion by zinc spraying or mastic. Screwing in is carried out using a special lever. The piles can be reinforced concrete, they are driven in with a hand pile driver. As an alternative solution, complex composite piles are placed in the casing. They are removed after the installation of the supports and the concreting of the site.

based on bored piles

The foundation in a swamp may consist of bored piles. It is being built using one of several technologies, among them:

• with waterproofing;
• with fixed formwork;
• with removable formwork.

In drilled wells, covers are installed, which are welded from a polyethylene film. The walls are laid out with roofing material, and concrete is poured inside. When creating a pile, you can use a removable formwork made of metal or plastic. After 2 hours after pouring, the strength of the concrete will be sufficient to preserve the structure. The formwork is pulled out after the mortar has solidified.

Such supports have one drawback, which is that they are not protected from moisture. But the impact of the frozen layer can be leveled by creating a sand cushion.

The foundation on bored piles in a swamp can be created according to the third method, when the formwork is not removed. In this case, it will perform the function of waterproofing. The technology provides for the use of pipes made of the following materials:

• special cardboard;
• asbestos cement;
• metal.

This method allows you to protect the piles by eliminating height differences and creating a layer of sand between the supports and.Before installing the structure, water from the well is pumped out by a pump. The lower part of the pipe, which acts as a formwork, is filled with waterproofing concrete per meter of height.

Such a foundation in a swamp requires an increase in the strength of the support. For this, frames are used from metal 1.2-cm rods. You can also use triangular designs.

Should you choose a slab foundation?

One of the most expensive, but reliable, is a slab foundation. It is able to withstand heavy loads and sudden changes in temperature. The weight of the building will be evenly distributed over the entire area of ​​the structure, which will eliminate the likelihood of subsidence. A sand and gravel cushion is located under the slab, which allows groundwater to pass through, preventing damage to the foundation.

Conducting construction on a wetland area. Slab foundation - will it work?

If the soil is swampy, then you can equip a slab foundation. At the first stage, a shallow pit is dug, and then it is drained using pumps or drainage. Layers of sand and gravel are laid at the bottom, which are well compacted and covered with several layers of roofing material.

For pouring concrete, formwork is installed, and a reinforcing frame of 1.2-cm rods is being constructed. The prepared site is poured with a solution, and then it is left for several days to dry. After that, the formwork can be dismantled.

Such a foundation in a swamp is poured at one time; a strip base can be installed on top. It is carried out on its own, is durable, and protects the walls from cracking during shrinkage. This technology is relevant for those who want to have a basement in the house.

An alternative option is a shallow strip foundation

Strip foundation in the swamp is one of the cheapest, but relevant only for buildings made of metal frames or wooden beams. Such a base requires a good drainage system, since the structure is laid above the freezing of the soil. The tape must be capable of resisting heaving of the soil.

The structure will rise and fall evenly with the soil. The tape will need a sand cushion as well as thermal insulation for the base. Such a foundation in a swamp can be poured independently, observing the technology. The work is not too complicated.

Construction of a strip foundation

If you decide to build a strip foundation, then first you need to dig a trench of the desired shape. A sand pillow is placed on the bottom, and then a reinforcing cage is installed.

If water appears at the bottom, then it should be disposed of by constructing a drainage system. Next, the formwork is installed and the mixture is poured, which should be left until it hardens. When everything is dry, the surface is covered with waterproofing.

Finally

Peatlands and wetlands are some of the most difficult terrain to build on. Swampy soils are oversaturated with moisture and tend to form unstable quicksands. In winter, such soil is exposed to frost heaving, and in spring - to erosion. The solid layer lies at a considerable depth, which excludes the possibility of using some types of foundation.

For wetlands, it is best to use floating foundations, also called monolithic slabs. The structure will turn out to be one-piece, thanks to this, a partial shift of the house will not occur, while distortions and destruction of the walls will be excluded.

It is a difficult site to build. The land of the swamp has a lot of water, and a large mass of fine-grained particles. The first layer of the soil is peaty, it shrinks a little. In peaty and boggy soils, the waters are close by. The foundation is being built using several good technologies. Before you get started and design the foundations, you need to do a few studies on which the base frame and bottom will be made. This is the construction of pile and slab foundations.

The most necessary moment in preparation for the construction of foundations in a swamp is finding water from the ground. Groundwater is located close to the ground. It is also necessary to take into account the load of the entire building. How strong the mass of the proposed building will be, it is decided what the foundation will be. For this, the total mass of the building is calculated, according to these criteria, the types of foundation are selected.

Bath foundation

In the past, stones were the foundation, they were coated with clay, the structure was made of logs. There are many ways to prepare a base that will last for a very long time without breakage. The foundation for a bath in a swamp must be: strong, safe, the walls must be waterproof, be ready to take the weight of the structure.

When making the foundations, you need to be careful with the soil, in most cases it all depends on how long the steam room will serve for a long time. Ground requirements:

• do not move;
• do not bulge;
• shrink well, be stable.

It is undesirable to make a bath, where most of the peat and sand are present. If there are no options, you need to make a pillow of coarse sand. A pit is made on the foundation, sand is laid on the bottom, poured with water, tamped.

Well-mixed soil is excellent. The bottom of the construction site should be half a meter. Before laying the foundations, you need to know how far to lay, how much the soil will freeze. The laying occurs 20 cm below the rest of the data, the distance is filled with sand, gravel. Before laying, it is necessary to treat the area.

A drawing is made, the territory is leveled, the first layer of soil is removed. The width of the base should be 10 cm wider than the width of the wall. There are several types of bases: tape, columnar, bored, pile.

Erection of the foundation

The most important condition for making a foundation in a swamp is to do drainage. It is necessary to remove all unnecessary water from this site; after all the measures, it is already possible to erect a foundation for a building in a swamp. Drainage work takes a lot of patience. For the land in the swamp pile foundation is combined or reinforced concrete. Piles are the main part of the foundation. People living in the North take a reinforced slab for construction.

Shallow foundation - most suitable for small wooden houses... After that, a project is selected, and the slab is poured correctly, and then everything will be fine with the construction.

Foundation and swamp

For work the best option will be piled with girder and monolithic grillage... The reason is soil instability, soil deformation, can push the structure support out of the ground. Moisture is very important, it can destroy the reinforced concrete structure of the main pillars. A foundation in a swamp, supported by dense soil below the freezing point, is an excellent choice.

The erection of the foundation is not quite simple than on simple soil. All work is done by hand, with a minimum of mechanical machines.

Swamp house

Houses and dachas, warehouses, industrial buildings and other buildings are sometimes erected in the swamp. Periodically residential buildings bet on:

1. pile;
2. tape;
3. monolithic foundations.

A monolithic base is the most durable and expensive. It is more economical, but too reliable to use a strip foundation, it requires a very large amount of work. The best foundation for a house in a swamp is a screw pile, screwed down lower than the layer of the earth freezes, the more practical the structure becomes. The support extends to the entire area, thereby making the building more stable and practical.

A pile foundation - a reinforced pipe filled with a sand cushion, is considered one of the suitable for building a foundation in a swamp, there is a large anchorage area, which is good for the overall load of the building. Considered the most expensive option.

Swamp foundation

A well-filled base is the beginning of the construction; the practicality of the building on wet soil depends on the base. When it is necessary to fill the foundation in a swamp, the usual foundation will not work, it is subjected to earth drilling, and poor-quality installation due to the fact that there is water nearby. There is a specific instruction for installing the foundation for the construction of a reinforced concrete monolithic slab, a building is being built on it.

To do this, it is necessary to fill in and make compaction from crushed stone, at the very beginning of the pit. The top is sprinkled with sand, it strengthens the crushed stone, does not allow it to disperse. Further, a layer of sand and gravel is compacted with vibro tools. After the layer is covered with vinyl film, it keeps the concrete slab from capillary moisture. Above is iron reinforcement. Metal fittings are not recommended to be welded, they are fastened with a knitting wire.

It is easier to pour a monolithic slab with ready-made concrete made at the factory. Then you can pour it in one day, it's good for the stove. It is manufactured in such a way as to preserve the building during ground movements. The base may float, the reason may be the movement of the monolithic slab.

Strip foundation

The strip foundation is the most expensive and durable of all that is. It is placed almost everywhere where the earth layer is relatively stable. The strip foundation in the swamp is a concrete structure that has the perimeter of the future house. The work is to make a trench and fill it with concrete, you can also install small and large blocks from the foundation.

When building a foundation, you need to know about its reliability, this is due to weather conditions, and much depends on the soil. The soil is looser in winter than in summer. The greater the density of the soil, and the colder the winter, the more the earth will freeze.

The lowness of groundwater is of great importance. When digging a pit, pay attention to the thickness of the soil, and the depth of the foundation, there will be layers of large and small stones.

We clear the area for construction, when you need to fill the foundation in the swamp:

1. We make a trench of the required shape for the building.
2. Making a sand pillow.
3. We construct the reinforcement of the frame along the dug hole.
4. We do water maintenance, build drainage.
5. Pour the mixture and wait until it hardens.
6. When everything is dry, waterproofing must be done. When the foundation is ready, you can start building the walls. If you do everything smartly, the house should work out.

When building houses, different types of foundations are used. First, it is very necessary to abandon those foundations that cannot be erected in the swamp area. To put a foundation in a swamp, it is worth starting with a monolithic version. The construction is expensive and large in volume, you need to get a lot of soil. This requires freight transport, the house will be heavier, which should not be allowed on the territory of the swamp.

Pile and columnar foundations are not recommended for bog construction. It will only be good to build a bath, the weight of the building is transferred to the entire area of ​​the structure.

You should abandon the cellar, there is very high humidity, there will be dampness. In order to start installing the foundation, make a series preparatory work... To begin with, groundwater is diverted, drainage ditches are made around the perimeter. It is necessary to make a small descent to collect water in a certain place.

If there is already a ready-made pit, the bottom is sprinkled with small pebbles, special pipes are placed on it. It is necessary to protect them from clogging, and twist them with geotextile, which will exclude unnecessary dirt. The pipes must be taken into a well, from there the water can be removed with a pump.

We protect the foundation from excess moisture, this is done after the formwork has been placed. We install asbestos-cement sheets and a waterproofing membrane, it will protect against excess moisture. And also there will be no dampness in the house itself, so that mold does not appear and fungus does not start. It is very difficult to remove the fungus from the living quarters, and dampness is also a bad indicator for a residential building. This will allow your cellar to remain without water, which means that you can store useful necessary things, twists in it.

Building a foundation is always fraught with difficulties and serious financial costs. In some cases, home owners pay for the foundation up to a quarter of the cost of the entire building of the house. And yet, it is by no means possible to save on the foundation. Still, it is on him that the load from the entire structure falls. So any attempt to save money on quality can lead to the most sad consequences.

An example of a finished monolithic foundation

However, in some cases, building a foundation is even more problematic than usual. Of course, we are talking about a foundation on swampy soil. This soil has several disadvantages. First, it is small load bearing capacity- under significant loads, the soil simply parted, and the structure collapsed.

Secondly, these are seasonal fluctuations in ground level. This happens most often in the spring, when the water table rises significantly due to the melting of a large amount of snow.
In this regard, special requirements are imposed on the foundation in the swamps. Not everyone can answer them.

It is a number of soil shortcomings that make many seriously think - what kind of foundation in a swampy area will best solve all problems? After all, if the foundation was chosen incorrectly, after changing the ground level, the building may simply be destroyed.

An example of a monolithic foundation in a swampy area

In addition, after a few years, the building may simply begin to sink into the ground from its own gravity. Therefore, the solution to this problem should be approached as seriously and responsibly as possible.

Fortunately, today there are several options for solving this problem. Yes, you can decide for yourself which foundation in the swamp best suits your requirements and financial capabilities.

1. ... This is a great solution if you need to complete the foundation in the shortest possible time. The main elements are piles - reinforced concrete or bored. With the help of special equipment, they are laid to a great depth - most often about 10-12 meters, but in areas with especially difficult types of soil, this depth can reach 20 or even 25 meters! Having passed to such a depth, the pile simply pierces the swampy soil layer, resting on a solid foundation.
   Installation diagram of the pile foundation

   This makes the foundation and the entire structure of the house completely immune to seasonal fluctuations in soil level - the foundation acts as a support for the piles, the level of which does not change depending on the season or precipitation. It is important that all the work can be done in two to three days. The installation cost is relatively low. Such a foundation can be installed both in summer and winter. Pile foundations in swamps have proven themselves to be reliable, durable and unpretentious, they have collected thousands of positive reviews from different parts of our country.

2. ... The most expensive and difficult to manufacture. And yet, in the northern, swampy regions of our country, it is monolithic or is most often used in the construction of private and multi-storey buildings... It is one huge, monolithic slab, buried to the level of freezing of the soil.
   One of the options for a monolithic foundation

   Even if the soil around heaves a lot, this in no way affects the reliability and safety of your foundation. The large weight of the slab (tens of tons!) Excludes the possibility of raising the foundation, which could lead to the destruction of the house. High strength allows the monolithic foundation to withstand enormous compressive, bending and tensile loads without harm. Therefore, it is it that is most often used in construction in the swampy regions of our country, despite its high cost.

3. Shallowly buried foundation. It occupies an average niche between the pile and monolithic foundations, both in terms of cost and construction time. Such a foundation in the swamp has also worked well.
   Shallow foundation device diagram

   However, it should be borne in mind that a shallow foundation is only suitable for - or. The fact is that the relatively small thickness of the foundation does not allow it to withstand significant compressive loads. At the same time, it perfectly resists loads from soil heaving. Since it is also monolithic, under heavy loads from the soil, it simply rises or falls slightly, like the whole house built on it. This, together with the low cost and speed of manufacture, makes this type of foundation quite popular in swamps.

As you can see, people who decide to build a house even on problematic, swampy soil have a fairly large selection. However, some of them do not want to spend extra money, preferring to build a foundation in a swamp with their own hands. Is it possible?

What foundation is easier to build with your own hands

Many of our compatriots prefer to carry out construction of any complexity with their own hands. First of all, because it makes it possible to save a lot of money. Of course, there are no exceptions when they need to build a foundation in a swamp. So it will be useful to consider the possibility of building different types foundation on their own.

First, consider the pile foundation. Alas, it is almost impossible to build it on your own, without the involvement of specialists. The fact is that only specialists have information about the thickness of the swampy layer in a certain area. In addition, they have at their disposal heavy equipment that allows them to easily and quickly screw piles to a depth of 10-20 meters.

Therefore, you should not even try to cope with this work on your own. Fortunately, this does not apply to a monolithic and shallow foundation. In this case, the work may well be done on our own, which will reduce construction costs several times. And even though you will need to rent a concrete mixer and, possibly, use the services of a bulldozer, the savings will be quite tangible.

Construction of a monolithic foundation on your own

So you've decided to build a monolithic foundation. Where does it all start?
Of course, from the markings on the ground. For construction, it is best to choose the second half of summer - at this time the groundwater level is close to the minimum, it rains relatively rarely, and the warm air will allow the concrete to freeze in the shortest possible time, without the use of special building additives, which are quite expensive.

You can start building a foundation only when you already have finished project at home.

In this case, you know exactly what the dimensions of the building will be and, accordingly, the dimensions of the foundation. It is desirable that the foundation on all sides protrude beyond the perimeter of the house by 30-50 centimeters.
With the help of pegs and a nylon cord, you need to designate a specific place where the foundation will be located.

This is how the territory is marked for the foundation.

Now you need to remove the soil to a depth of 1-1.5 meters. The specific level of the foundation depends on the depth of soil freezing, this indicator can be found in any construction company.

Of course, when earthworks many tens of cubic meters of land will have to be extracted. It is simply impossible to carry out such a volume of work manually with a shovel. Therefore, it would be wise to rent an excavator and truck for the removal of all or part of the soil. Yes, you have to pay a considerable amount. But you will save several weeks of continuous work.

The bottom of the resulting pit must be covered with rubble and evenly distributed. The thickness of the crushed stone layer should be 20-30 centimeters. After that comes the same layer of sand, which is also carefully distributed and compacted.

This stage should never be skipped.

Sand-crushed stone pillow allows you to solve several problems at once:

• even distribution of the load from the foundation and the house along the load-bearing soil;
• reducing the effect of heaving in the winter season;
• quick removal of moisture after precipitation or melting of snow from the foundation.

When the sand-crushed stone pillow is ready, a reliable waterproofing must be laid on top of it. Roofing material is best suited for this. Yes, it is significantly more expensive than conventional construction polyethylene. But it is more durable and efficient, and is also able to withstand significant tensile loads and not tear.

Roofing material sheets should not only cover the entire bottom of the pit, but also the walls to a height of at least 30-50 centimeters. The purpose of waterproofing in this case is twofold. On the one hand, a layer of roofing material does not allow groundwater to come into contact with concrete before it gains sufficient strength.

On the other hand, the possibility that "concrete milk" is absorbed into the soil is excluded, due to which the strength of the monolithic foundation will be reduced.

The next stage is the preparation of the frame from the reinforcement. To do this, you need a rebar and a tying wire or welding machine. A frame of appropriate dimensions is constructed from the reinforcement - it must cover the entire volume of the future foundation, thereby allowing the concrete to withstand significant bending and tensile loads.

The installation of the frame can be done manually, but in this case it will take quite a lot of time to work.

Therefore, it is better to use a special knitting gun or welding machine - you will save at least one working day.

When creating the frame, take into account the fact that the reinforcement should be not only at the bottom of the foundation, but also at the top. The walls of the pit must be covered with formwork - ordinary thin sheet metal or plywood will do.

An example of installation of formwork under a monolithic foundation

The main thing is to ensure reliable isolation of liquid concrete from the ground, from which it can take water.
After that, it is the turn of the concrete. It is best to use concrete of the M400 or M500 brand for this. Yes, you will have to overpay at least a few thousand rubles. But you will be sure that the foundation will be able to withstand huge loads without the slightest harm to yourself and, accordingly, to the house that will be built on it.

It is worth recalling that you will need tens of tons of concrete to fill the foundation. So, it makes sense to spend money and rent a concrete mixer. In this case, you can get a large number of concrete in a short time. It is not necessary to pour concrete in several stages, when the lower layer has already grabbed - the foundation will not turn out to be monolithic, and even small cracks in its structure will lead to the fact that it specifications will decrease significantly.

When the pit is filled with concrete, it must be compacted using special equipment - constant vibration allows you to fill any gaps with concrete and get rid of air bubbles in the foundation structure. Such bubbles can significantly reduce the strength of the concrete.

After compacting the concrete, leave it for three to four weeks for it to set and gain sufficient strength. The setting time depends on many factors - air humidity, temperature the environment, foundation thickness and others.

Be that as it may, after a month you will receive a monolithic foundation that can easily serve you for many decades, withstanding any type of load and without losing its original strength.

That's all. Now you not only know which foundation is best for building houses in swampy areas, but, if necessary, you can do all the required work with your own hands.