- Date: 07/13/2015 Rating: 23
No matter how high-quality and reliable the foundation is, the likelihood that over time it will begin to crumble or crack remains quite high.
Among the main factors influencing the fact that the foundation is crumbling, the following can be identified: violation of technology during the construction of the basement, incorrect selection of the type of foundation, uneven shrinkage of the building, unsuitable soil, poor-quality waterproofing, redevelopment of the house.
This problem needs to be solved as quickly as possible, since violation of its structure causes significant damage to the entire building.
It is very important to notice in time that the foundation has begun to crumble.
If you wait until the damage is obvious, you increase the risk that repairs will take a lot of time and money.
Foundation construction.
Not to mention the fact that, most likely, it will be necessary to repair not only the base itself, but also the walls. Therefore, it is better to monitor this and periodically check the condition of the building. To do this, you do not need to have specialized equipment; just a careful visual inspection will be enough.
Signs that indicate that the foundation is losing strength and reliability:
- Cracks of any length and depth on its surface and the walls of the house may indicate that the house is sagging or settling unevenly and, as a result, the base is damaged. Peeling of the finish indicates that the materials from which the foundation was made are of very low quality. Even the most minor violations of the horizontal floor level in the house are a signal that processes have begun that adversely affect the condition of the foundation. Changes in soil level. Humidity of the basement.
Before proceeding directly with the repair, you need to determine what the cause of this problem is. This determines exactly how and how effectively it can be eliminated. Without this, home renovation simply does not make sense.
Foundation repair.
Among the main factors influencing the fact that the foundation crumbles are the following:
Violation of technology during the construction of the basement: incorrect choice of building materials, small depth, inaccurately calculated dimensions of the foundation. Incorrect selection of the type of foundation, which can lead to the fact that it cannot withstand the load from the given structure. Uneven shrinkage of the building.
In order to prevent this problem from leading to serious consequences, you need to constantly maintain the base. The surest step would be to expand the area of the foundation with a rigid attachment to the old foundation. Unsuitable soil is a very common reason that cannot be eliminated, so you need to thoroughly strengthen both the foundation and the walls of the house. For example, casting additional pillars with an expanded base can help. Poor quality waterproofing and, accordingly, destruction of the foundation structure by sewage and groundwater.
Correcting this is quite dangerous, because this will require digging up the foundation of the house, and therefore there is a risk of repeated shrinkage. The most optimal solution is a system for removing moisture from the base, including drains and drains from the roof. Redevelopment of the house. The load may increase or shift and be transferred unevenly to the foundation, which is why some of its parts will begin to collapse under too much pressure.
Return to contents
If the crumbling of the foundation of the house could not be avoided, and its complete destruction occurred, which entailed damage to the structure of the walls, it is necessary to completely replace it.
First, the parts that bear the heaviest load are changed - these are corners, areas under windows and near aisles. For this purpose, the method of stage-by-stage casting of reinforced concrete is used. It is important to note that all parts that will be replaced must contain reinforcement.
This will give strength to the new foundation. But if it is still possible to “save” a damaged, cracked base, you should not carry out such complex procedures. You can simply add the missing width of the foundation by tying it to the base.
Return to contents
Strengthening foundations with clips.
Necessary materials:
- Primer. Anchors. Reinforcement. Clips. Cement-sand mortar.
A very common method nowadays for reconstructing a foundation that is crumbling is the use of concrete and reinforced concrete frames. The principle of such repairs is to strengthen the structure of the base in order to prevent further destruction. It is worth noting that all work must be carried out extremely carefully, because the damaged foundation is very fragile, and the likelihood of damaging it even more is quite high.
If the walls of the house are brick, then digging is strictly prohibited. The only way to strengthen a foundation is to widen its base. For this purpose, reinforced concrete clips are used, which must be installed, if possible, both inside and outside.
First you need to dig a trench, the width of which should be about 0.5 m, around the entire perimeter and as close to the foundation as possible. Its depth is equal to the depth of the foundation.
Clean the foundation surface, remove all crumbling layers, then thoroughly coat with primer. The next step: install anchors along the entire perimeter at a distance of 0.5-1 m from each other. You need to drill holes in them, into which you then insert the reinforcement.
It will be the link between the old and new foundations. After all the previous steps have been completed, you can begin to fill the pre-dug trench with cement-sand mortar. If the damage to the old base is minor, you can use the standard ratio: 1 part cement to 3 parts sand.
But if the foundation crumbles very badly, and its condition is close to critical, the percentage of cement needs to be increased. Until the surface of the newly poured new foundation is completely dry, it should be periodically sprayed with water. This will help avoid cracks.
And, as the final step in reconstructing a collapsed foundation, experts strongly recommend making high-quality waterproofing to avoid problems with the base crumbling in the future.
The foundation is the most important part of a building or structure, which bears all the loads. For its construction they use concrete, wood, rubble stone, reinforced concrete. What to do if the foundation crumbles?
It can be prefabricated or monolithic. The foundation is divided into several types: pile, solid, strip and columnar. Due to deformation of the base, various cracks appear on buildings. The base and walls can collapse due to corrosion and mechanical damage.
Deformation begins with the slightest design errors, also due to design and manufacturing errors. To make sure that the foundation is crumbling, there are several signs: Cracks of varying lengths and depths appear on the building. The finishing on the walls and base may peel off little by little. This depends on the quality of the material used for pouring. If the floor in the house begins to sink a little, then the condition of the cement becomes critical. The quality of the cement and pouring depends on the soil itself. The moisture content of the base is of great importance for crumbling. Waterproofing helps for this.
Before improving the foundation, you should definitely find out the reason for its crumbling. Then you can decide on the repair method. There are several factors that cause the foundation of the building to crumble: During the construction of the basement, the technology was violated. The materials were selected incorrectly. The size of the foundation was completely inaccurately calculated. The type of foundation itself was chosen incorrectly.
Each type has a certain load. Poor soil. This problem cannot be eliminated. But it is necessary to strengthen the base and walls of the building during construction. Poor waterproofing. If there is a large amount of waste and ground water near the base and walls, then the structure of the foundation will collapse. If redevelopment occurs inside the house, then those parts of the foundation that bear a large load will begin to collapse.
The foundation can be repaired with your own hands
Over time, even the strongest foundation of a building can begin to crumble.
You can repair a crumbling foundation yourself. First you need to choose its type. If the house is made of logs, then a monolithic foundation of reinforced concrete strip is best suited.
The crowns must be taken even. Their length must be at least 6.5 meters. If the house is not on a flat surface, but on a slope, then it is better to make a screw one.
To begin repairing the foundation, you need to raise the house.
This is done with the help of jacks. They must be installed in all corners, under all windows and doors. These are the busiest places. New logs are immediately treated with an antiseptic. For each corner in the house you need to make a platform with a concrete pillar.
The height of the pillars should be at the same level as the height of the tape. On concrete pillars it is necessary to make corners for the plinth. Their height should be about two bricks. You need to pour gravel under the tape and compact it.
Then install the formwork and reinforcement. Under each wall you need to clean the space. Next, the formwork is installed. In the base, the niches must be sealed with brickwork. The house is lowered into place with a jack.
You can also repair a crumbling foundation yourself using clips. You need to work with the clip with extreme caution. A damaged foundation should be carefully repaired; it may continue to collapse during work. If the walls of the house are made of brick, then digging is strictly prohibited. To strengthen the foundation, you need to make its base wider.
Reinforced concrete clips will help for expansion. They should be placed outside the building and, if possible, inside the foundation. First, you need to dig a trench. Its width should be 0.5 meters along the entire perimeter of the base of the building.
You need to dig it closer to the walls. The surface of the old foundation needs to be cleaned. All layers that are already beginning to fall must be removed. After cleaning, the surface of the foundation is coated with a primer.
Anchors must be placed along the entire perimeter of the foundation. The distance between them should be no more than a meter. Holes should be drilled inside the anchors. Reinforcement is inserted into these holes.
It is this reinforcement that will connect the entire foundation. The trench should be filled with sand mortar and cement on top. While the surface of the foundation dries, it needs to be sprinkled with water little by little. This will protect the entire surface from cracks.
Construction of a strip foundation
Strip foundations are most often poured under heavy walls.
It should be poured around the perimeter of the entire house and under all load-bearing walls. This requires a lot of material and a lot of time. The process of constructing a strip foundation is labor-intensive, but it is very simple to perform.
If the soil of the strip foundation crumbles, it means that the work was carried out incorrectly.
To properly fill the foundation, you need to determine the type of surface soil and the depth of water in the ground. Before starting work, the entire area must be cleared of debris. The top layer of soil must be removed.
Before pouring the foundation, a trench is dug. Sand must be poured into the trench.
You will get a pillow of sand. Its height should be at least 15 cm. Each layer must be filled with water and compacted a little.
Then the formwork is installed. It is assembled using edged boards.
Metal rods are used for fittings. They should lie along the axis and across. The reinforcement is attached to the formwork using wire.
Concrete must be poured into the formwork.
The topmost layer of concrete must be leveled using a trowel. Sprinkle dry cement on top. Thanks to it, the top layer of concrete will instantly set and cracks will not appear. If the weather is sunny and hot, then you need to periodically wet the concrete to prevent cracks.
Preparation and equipment
Before replacing the strip foundation, it is necessary to study the weather forecast for the coming days and make sure there is no precipitation. Rains can create a lot of difficulties: trenches can be filled, and the setting period of new concrete will increase.
Immediately before starting work, you need to prepare materials, tools and equipment. To replace the base you will need:
materials for mixing concrete: sand, cement, crushed stone, water;- waterproofing coatings;
- steel reinforcement;
- wooden boards for creating formwork;
- automobile, manual or electric concrete mixer;
- sledgehammer, hammer and crowbar for dismantling the old base;
- vibrator for concrete compaction;
- tie wire for fastening reinforcing bars.
At the preparatory stage, it is necessary to analyze the condition of the structure and determine the points at which subsidence of the foundation occurs. It is from these places that the construction of a new strip foundation should begin.
The remaining sections of the base that have not subsided are dismantled last (if it is intended not to be partial, but to completely replace the strip structure).
The foundation is crumbling...
So, what to do if the foundation crumbles right before your eyes?
The foundation is crumbling due to the fact that when pouring the foundation, no cement was added to it. Also, if clay was mixed during construction, this can also cause the top layer of the foundation to crumble. You can't do without renovations here! To ensure that the foundation does not crumble, a lot of work will have to be done.
First remove the top layer, which crumbles. Clean it completely. Dig a neat trench as close to the foundation as possible, fill it with sand and compact it as best as possible.
Foundation reinforcement should be installed on the upper layers. Then the walls will stop mowing and cracking.
Good waterproofing should be done. To do this, you need to cover the top of the concrete with bitumen mastic. Place a layer of roofing material on top.
Not everyone knows what to do to prevent the foundation from crumbling.
Because for each type of foundation there are different reasons for its collapse. To avoid crumbling of the pile foundation, it is necessary to do very high quality waterproofing. Because in the fall, water accumulates near the piles and then penetrates into small cracks.
And when frosts begin, the water freezes and simply tears the concrete from the inside. Waterproofing must be carried out immediately during the initial pouring of the foundation. Then it will be much better quality than after pouring concrete.
Lack of waterproofing
Waterproofing is one of the most important points in arranging not only a strip foundation, but any foundation for a house. If this is not done, there is a risk of destruction of the foundation structures itself. In addition, the basement or ground floor (if there is one) must be protected from moisture penetration.
The strip monolithic foundation is waterproofed along the entire upper surface - where it comes into contact with the soil. There are several popular methods of waterproofing. A separate article of the project will be devoted to this; here we will only briefly list them.
- Spraying (waterproofing composition is applied from spray equipment to the surface of the foundation tape). This composition fills the pores of the material well, but this method is more expensive than most others.
- Coating with bitumen mastic - this method can be called classic. The entire foundation, including its underground part, is coated with mastic.
- Ruberoid or other rolled materials. This method complements the previous one (roll material is glued to bitumen mastic). In addition, the upper horizontal plane of the foundation can also be waterproofed with a couple of layers of roofing material.
- Primer for deep penetration concrete.
Photo: svoimirukami.lesstroy.net
Piles for fastening
Various piles are used for the foundation. For example, made of steel.
They are very heavy and therefore you will not be able to install them yourself; this will require a crane. Steel piles must be treated immediately, otherwise they will corrode. Piles are good to use in places where frost most often prevails - where there is a lot of groundwater, also if the terrain is quite complex and uneven.
Wooden piles.
This is already very unpopular material. Because wooden piles do not last very long. It also needs to be processed, but before processing you need to burn the piles with a blowtorch.
Then mold will not grow. You can also wrap the piles with roofing felt. This will greatly extend the shelf life.
Saving on concrete
If you are going to build a chicken coop or summer kitchen on a strip foundation, you can buy inexpensive concrete grades - M150-M200. But they are not suitable for a permanent house and will not provide the necessary foundation strength. For such buildings, you definitely need concrete of at least M250, and preferably M300. It is good to buy factory-mixed concrete, especially if there is a factory nearby. In some cases, when ordering ready-mixed concrete, you will also be able to rent a concrete mixer and a pump for pouring the foundation.
And one more important point: you should be wary if concrete is offered significantly cheaper than the market price. This most often means that either they are going to “heat” you in volumes, or they will sell concrete of inadequate quality.
The foundation is one of the most important parts of your home, the quality of which will subsequently determine the quality of life and the longevity of the building. Therefore, experts do not recommend saving on it.
Driven piles
Such piles must be installed into the ground using vibrating tools. Everything around the piles needs to be filled with concrete for fastening.
It is good to pour a pile foundation where there is a lot of vegetation, peat bog and groundwater. It is better to install piles with a grillage. Then all the piles will unite, and stability will increase noticeably.
To ensure that the surface does not crack or crumble, you need to take into account all the pros and cons of the type and location in advance, before construction, and then everything will be fine.
What should you do if the foundation crumbles and crumbles?
Owners of private houses often face a similar problem. It is quite logical that unscrupulous laying of the basis is fraught with consequences. However, it happens that a structure that was erected in compliance with all norms and rules was subject to crumbling. Before starting repair work, you should understand the reasons for the deformation of the base and consider all options for eliminating the damage.
What conclusions did I draw?
Summarizing all of the above, I want to say that the best shelter for any type of foundation for the winter will be erected walls. And if you still manage to install the roof before winter, it will be simply excellent.
I tried my best to complete these steps so that I wouldn’t have to deal with temporary shelters for the second winter in a row - and I succeeded.
I think that, having tinkered with films, roofing felt, slates for one year, you yourself will not want to repeat the feat next year and you, like me, will try to have time to build the walls. Do you agree?
“Symptoms” of base crumbling
It is very important to understand as early as possible that the underlying foundation has been destroyed.
If the home owner waits until the erosion becomes obvious, repairs will require significant physical, time and material costs. In addition, not only the foundation, but also the walls of the building will have to be repaired. To protect the building, it is worth checking its condition from time to time. For this purpose, there is no need to purchase special equipment; a visual inspection of the foundation is sufficient. There are several signs indicating that the foundation is losing its durability and reliability: Cracks of any size - indicate uneven shrinkage of the building, as a result of which the base is damaged; Changes in the ground level; Peeling cladding - indicates that poor quality materials were used during the construction of the structure; Small violations of the horizontal floor in the building - signal unfavorable processes leading to erosion of the foundation; Foundation moisture.
Causes of destruction
First, you need to find out the cause of the problem, which will allow you to choose the most effective repair method. If you ignore this step, the efforts spent on eliminating crumbling will be in vain. The main factors influencing the crumbling of the base are: Non-compliance with technology when constructing the foundation. The choice of low-quality building materials, insufficient laying depth, errors made in calculations and design have a very detrimental effect on the condition of the finished foundation; Selection of the wrong type of foundation. An incorrectly selected structure will have low load-bearing capacity and will not be able to withstand the weight of the structure; Uneven shrinkage of the house.
To avoid dangerous consequences, you should carefully care for the base. A suitable solution would be to increase the area of the base with a strong attachment to the old foundation; Unstable soil on the site. One of the most common reasons for the destruction of the base, which is impossible to eliminate. The solution will be to additionally strengthen the foundation and walls of the building; The use of low-quality waterproofing during the construction of the foundation.
In this situation, the structure will suffer from soil and sediment water, seasonal flooding (which is why very often the foundation crumbles after winter). To protect the structure, it is necessary to take care of creating a system for draining water from the foundation; Redevelopment of the building. Such manipulation leads to a displacement or increase in the load transmitted to the foundation. Because of this, the parts that are subjected to the greatest load begin to crumble.
Why is maintenance of the concrete mixture necessary?
The strength of the concrete mixture after hardening is directly dependent on how optimal the conditions for hydration can be created. By neglecting this, you can get various defects that appear as cracks or other damage. Caring for the foundation is important and requires some effort. Otherwise, the strength of concrete will decrease and the threat of destruction hangs over it. It is necessary to implement a whole range of measures that are aimed at providing suitable conditions for obtaining strength.
The main goals pursued at the stage of caring for the hardening concrete solution after pouring the foundation are as follows:
- minimizing plastic shrinkage;
- ensuring strength;
- neutralization of the effects of temperature changes;
- prevention of excessive and premature drying;
- ensuring durability;
- prevention of exposure to mechanical and chemical forces.
Competent repair of crumbling base
What should be done in a situation where crumbling of the base could not be avoided? If the structure has completely collapsed and erosion has resulted in deformation of the walls of the building, a complete replacement of the foundation will have to be performed. The first stage will be to replace the elements that hold the greatest weight: corners, areas under windows and passages. For this, a technique is used to gradually cast concrete reinforced with a reinforcement cage .
We must not forget that each replaced part must have a reinforcement connection. This will strengthen the new foundation. If there is a chance to reconstruct a faulty, split structure, the previously mentioned procedure is not advisable. It will be enough to supplement the base - build the missing part and tie it to the structure.
