All structural elements country house equally important, they are inextricably linked and fully necessary. If one of the elements of the system becomes unusable, then all the others will gradually begin to collapse. Repair of the base is required in cases where cosmetic work cannot be done. It is the basement that is the most vulnerable part of any building and subject to various influences. In addition, the blind area plays an important role in protecting the house from moisture.
Due to the fact that the base is located outside the house, it is systematically affected by environment: temperature changes, humidity, precipitation and microorganisms. All this together invariably leads to the destruction of the material. And when deformation of the basement part of the building occurs, the remaining structural elements of the house also begin to collapse.
For repair work on the plinth it is best to invite professional builders, which will be able to guarantee that the house can be used in the same way for many more decades. In general, the work can be done independently, however, an inexperienced person may encounter certain difficulties.
The blind area usually collapses much faster than the base, so it needs repair more often. It is located around the perimeter of the house and, as a rule, is made of concrete.
Reasons for the destruction of the base and blind area
The basement of the building is constantly exposed to natural influences, due to which it begins to collapse over time. The same is typical for the blind area, which often cracks and simply moves away from the base of the house. Among the main reasons for the destruction of these structures are:
- temperature changes;
- high humidity and extreme exposure to water on rainy days;
- severe frosts and freezing of materials;
- non-compliance with the technology for constructing the plinth and blind area.
The basement of the building is exposed to active environmental influences.
The base may collapse if errors were made in calculating its height and thickness during the design. In this case, it will be necessary to increase the strength of the above-ground part of the foundation. As mentioned above, it is better to trust the repair of the basement to professionals if the country homeowner has the opportunity to invite them.
Repairing the basement yourself
Repair work on the basement of the house involves, first of all, eliminating traces of biological effects on materials (mold, mildew, dampness, etc.). To be able to get rid of all this, you need to remove the old one from the base. finishing material(plaster), completely clean the surface (not separate areas, namely the entire perimeter wall). Next, the entire wall must be dried.
After the base has dried, the surface is treated with an antiseptic or finished with boards that have been previously impregnated with an antiseptic composition. Besides, Special attention attention should be paid to insulation and waterproofing. Once the insulation layers have been laid, plaster can be applied. Repair work of this type can be done with your own hands if the owner of the house has some experience in the construction industry.
Repair of cracks on the base
If cracks begin to appear on the base of your house, this is an extremely unpleasant signal that the foundation is being exposed to severe external influences. This could be heaving of the soil, rising groundwater, or excessive load from the building.
In this case, it is necessary to involve professionals who can quickly determine the reason why cracks appeared on the base, and also promptly carry out all the necessary measures to prevent subsequent destruction. It is not recommended to carry out such work on your own.
If, when you see cracks in the above-ground part of the building, you simply cover them with cement mortar, then you will not solve the problem, but will only hide it from view. In the future, this may negatively affect the operation of the entire building.
A house in which cracks appear on the base is either built incorrectly from the start, or is subject to severe impacts that must be properly and professionally resisted.
What should the blind area be like?
If you are repairing a basement, then you need to pay attention to the blind area, which is probably also not in the best condition. The blind area should be made at a height of 5-8 cm, above ground level.
Scheme of the blind area. Click to enlarge.
To give the blind area high level strength, during construction it must be reinforced with metal mesh. Many experts recommend laying several layers.
You can achieve maximum strength of the blind area by adding small crushed stone to the concrete.
It is worth noting that a correctly made blind area is located at a slight slope from the house (this must be taken into account when pouring the solution). In this case, water will not be able to get under the foundation of a country house.
Seal up cracks in the blind area
Repair of the blind area is required in cases where cracks begin to appear on its surface.
- To seal small cracks, you need to use cement mortar. Before you start pouring, you need to clean the surface (maybe even wash it). Then prepare the solution according to the instructions and fill all the defects with it. It is recommended to use the most liquid solution that can penetrate into small cracks, filling them completely.
- If the cracks are medium-sized, then they need to be sealed differently: the cracks are cleaned of dirt and primed. After which the primer is given time to dry. Then the concrete is poured. Places with cracks that were filled with concrete must be covered with film for about 2-3 days.
- Sometimes large faults form on the blind area, the repair of which is quite complicated. They also need to be pre-cleaned and primed. It is best to choose thick concrete mortar, which gives maximum strength when drying.
- Often the blind area itself begins to peel off from the building. In this case, the areas with delamination must be cleaned and primed, and then the crack must be widened. This is necessary to ensure that its sealing is of the highest quality and durability. The base can be additionally treated with bitumen mastic.
Cracks in the blind area.
Finishing the basement after renovation
When the repair work is completed, you can think about it; fortunately, there are many options. We have already repaired the blind area, so we can start decorating the basement.
The outer part of the plinth can be finished with the most different materials, which are presented in abundance on the market today: tiles, siding, corrugated sheets, plastic thermal panels, etc. Each of these materials not only gives an attractive appearance to the house, but also provides proper level protection from various influences.
When it's time to repair the basement country house, many of us begin to really panic. But one should not exaggerate, because such repairs, and even subsequent finishing, can always be done independently.
Basement repair is very necessary, because this is precisely the element of the house structure that protects the foundation from moisture and destruction. If there is no base or it is in a destroyed state, the foundation and Bottom part the masonry will begin to collapse, which will affect not only the humidity inside the house, but also the quality of the walls, floors, and so on. IN in this case, possible cracks and serious chips, rotting of logs, gradual destruction of walls.
Therefore, repairing the basement of a private house is very important, and it is advisable to produce it exactly at the moment when its first defects were noticed. But if the base has been in unusable condition for several years, this is also not a problem, because we can restore it in a few days.
It is best to choose a warm and dry time of year for such work, preferably without severe heat. This may be the middle of summer, depending on the region, but we suggest that you repair the basement in early spring, as soon as it dries out after the snow in the fresh wind and rising temperatures sunlight. For example, you can start the process in the middle or end of May, so that it is not too hot for you to work, and the temperature for finishing is acceptable.
It is simply impossible to carry out repairs in cold or rain, as well as in severe heat, because a stable temperature is necessary for high-quality adhesion of the solution to the base materials and its uniform drying.
Where to start repairing the basement
You will need to prepare the repair site - beat the peeling parts well, try to remove debris, but do not go deeper, hammering further and further. After this, study the blind area, as it plays a significant role in protecting the foundation and the appearance of the building.
If the blind area is in order, it can be carried out redecorating, if there is practically no blind area, it will be necessary to fill in a new one.
Pouring the blind area
The blind area can rise above ground level by 4-7 cm, but should go approximately 20-25 cm deep. Determine the width yourself, dig a place to fill the blind area and clean the foundation of the house. It is important to remember here that the blind area should have a slope of several degrees from the house so that the water does not stagnate under the house itself.
When the place is ready, you should tie it to the foundation as much as possible, nail reinforcement to it, and weld the mesh to it. You shouldn’t be particularly zealous, but the base of the blind area must be done with high quality.
When the reinforcement for pouring is ready, it is necessary to fill in the gravel bed, install the formwork at the height of the blind area, and fill everything on top with cement mortar. But before this stage, you can also perform waterproofing, which will be very appropriate. This can be standard waterproofing of the basement of the house, or classic, clay, when a layer of clay 15 cm wide is laid along the entire height of the blind area around the house and is well compacted.
If you want to get a stronger blind area, lay several layers of fine mesh, and also make it based on a solution with crushed stone.
Repairing the basement of a country house
The base is upholstered and cleaned, the blind area is filled and fits tightly to it - all that remains is to move on to our main task.
A fine reinforcing metal mesh should be placed around the entire perimeter of the base. It is advisable to give it a shape, since the mesh will be held in place by a layer of solution. That is, the mesh can be filled more evenly vertically by adjusting its position with dowels.
Next stage– primer. You can pass the primer directly through the mesh so that the composition gets on both it and the surface itself. If a primer is not required, simply moisten the surfaces well before applying the solution.
After this, apply a layer of thinner solution onto the mesh well so that the plastering mixture penetrates through the mesh and fills all the cavities along the base. To do this, you should not accelerate; on the contrary, you must act very carefully, even pressing the solution inside the mesh, clogging all the cavities and recesses with it. Thus, finishing occurs along the entire perimeter, with a layer through which the mesh itself will only be visible.
It is advisable to let the layer dry a little, and then you can begin final plastering. You can put another layer here cement mortar, or work with decorative plaster, original stone and brick masonry.
Depending on your choice, there may be very different variants further processes.
Finishing the basement of a house after renovation
Repair of a brick base or panel house completed, and now we need to tidy up its appearance. The blind area is already there, but it also requires a base to match, which we will now design.
Inexpensive plinth finishing
The base is ready, and now it is necessary to protect it from the harmful effects of atmospheric phenomena. This can be done with bitumen or other special mixtures, but you can always use old-fashioned method.
You need to heat the resin and diesel fuel over a fire in an old bucket. Heat slowly, over low heat, being sure to protect yourself from possible injury. By stirring slowly, you can prepare a high-quality coating solution that was previously used everywhere. It is necessary to use hot resin with the consistency of jelly using a large round brush, evenly applying the mixture to the base in a thick layer.
Modern plinth finish
If you have the opportunity to spend more money, create more interesting view and effective protection against the influence of humidity, wind, frost and sunlight, use modern finishes. Often, it is simply decorative plaster with protective properties or further painting, but often masters do stone plinth or a plinth made of artificial stone, which is in no way inferior natural finish.
To lay the finishing material you will need to choose the right glue mixture and study the instructions for using the materials, because many of them will require a primer, mesh, and maybe the preparation of a special layer.
At every stage of repair and finishing of the basement of a country house It is worth remembering that this is often a very important structure, on which the durability of the building largely depends.
How to quickly repair the basement of a house (video)
The repair of the base has been completed, and now we can only be more careful about protecting the foundation from moisture, for example, simply smearing the cracks with resin, having previously sealed them with special mixtures, or laying the material used for finishing in place of the defects.
If there are problems with the base, then to correct the situation and perform basic construction works, a person does not need to have any skills of a highly qualified specialist in finishing works. A general understanding of how the installation of facing materials took place and what fastening compounds were used is sufficient. Since basement repairs may be needed at any time, it is advisable to prepare for this in advance.
If the owner of the house has not previously delved into such nuances, he must, first of all, understand that the plinth is the distance from the ground to the wall of the structure. It can sometimes occupy an entire floor or just a foundation that protrudes half a meter above the ground.
The main reasons for the destruction of the basement of a house
If over time a crack appears on the base of the structure or a fungus has formed, this indicates that the master, when carrying out facing works made mistakes that have now caused global problems. Also, sometimes experts ignore design standards, which would be sufficient to avoid such complications in the first years of operation of the building.
Over time, the basement will need to be repaired
To the main reasons basement destruction the following can be attributed:
- House shrinkage. Such processes depend on the soil, and an important role is played by total weight building. The largest subsidences are observed in brick multi-apartment buildings.
- Poor quality blind area. If you neglect necessary technologies making a blind area, in the future this will certainly lead to problems with the foundation.
- Groundwater. If the flow depth was not taken into account when creating the project groundwater and no waterproofing measures were taken, this will also provoke erosion. If the owner of the house is going to build the foundation himself, it is better to use the services of professionals. Only they will be able to correctly assess the situation and determine the depth of groundwater flow.
- Design standards were violated. Quite often, builders do not take into account the insulation of the foundation, as well as waterproofing. But such problems mainly happen to people who, without the necessary experience, try to build on their own. In the future, this will certainly lead to the formation of fungi and freezing of the entire structure. In turn, this will also provoke destruction of a certain degree of severity.
In this video you will learn more about basement repair:
Types of base repairs and description of the technological process
There are 3 main types of repairs to the basement of a building, namely:
- capital;
- current;
- cosmetic.
In some cases, when the work does not fall under one of these types, it is necessary to perform a partial restoration of the blind area. In any of these situations, a person should at least be familiar with the peculiarities of carrying out this type of work.
Partial restoration of the base and blind area
To partially restore the base and blind area, you must perform the following steps:
- Clean the facade of the building from fungus, dirt and dust, which requires restoration work, with primer of gorges and depressions.
- Next, using dowels, the exhaust mesh is attached so that it does not go beyond the edges of the recess. Now on problem area You can apply a layer of plaster mortar, adhering to the level of the base.
- If the voids are too large, you should first prepare bricks of suitable size and fill these recesses with mortar. After the area has been restored, it should be moistened with water and applied waterproofing material two layers.
- After the surface is completely dry, the plaster can be applied.
If partial subsidence of the blind area occurs, the damaged area is removed and crushed stone, gravel and sand are added, compacting the soil. Next, the formwork is installed, and the surface is poured with concrete so that the level does not exceed intact and undamaged areas. If an ordinary crack has formed, without subsidence, it can simply be rubbed with cement mortar.
Current repair of the basement
Routine renovation of the basement means that the cladding will be updated, as well as the waterproofing layers. Wear often occurs quickly due to the fact that the base part is always located in the most aggressive environment and takes on various technical and atmospheric loads. To avoid such problems, it is necessary to periodically diagnose and update minor damage.
Major renovation
To produce major renovation, the first thing to do is pour a new blind area. After the space has been cleared, it is worth digging a trench, the depth of which will be 35-45 cm. The width is chosen at the discretion of the owner of the house. The lower 20-25 cm are covered with sand, as well as crushed stone, and compacted tightly.
Don't forget about the blind area Next, geotextiles or roofing felt are spread and filled with sand. To make the dressing, holes are made in the foundation and pieces of reinforcement are driven in there every 50 cm. A reinforced mesh is also attached here. Now you can install the formwork and fill the structure with concrete.
Further repair work should begin only after complete hardening. Apply to the cleaned base surface reinforced mesh. To perform these steps, you can drill a hole in the wall and drive the reinforcement in 1-2 rows, tying a mesh to it. Next, the surface should be primed and formwork installed, filled with cement and compacted.
Cosmetic repair of the base
Cosmetic repairs do not require any deep knowledge in the field of construction. The whole job is to restore the paint, plaster or other finishes. If any mechanical damage, you may need to replace one cladding element with another.
To understand such work, it is enough to have an idea of how to prepare plaster or paint and apply it to the damaged surface. As for replacing any parts, more effort will be required, but such actions can be carried out based on the principle of installation carried out earlier during the construction of the house.
Strengthening the foundation
To strengthen the foundation, holes can be dug at each corner of the building, approximately one meter by one meter in size. They must be made in such a way as to expose the lower corner of the foundation. Such a recess must be no less than 45-50 cm deeper than the existing foundation.
Next, a reinforced frame for the concrete cushion is made. To do this, a lattice with one cell 20 by 20 cm is made from reinforcement using welding. Next, this lattice is lowered into the pit and filled with concrete. Popularly this design is called a “bull”.
Repair materials
To repair the basement of a house with your own hands, you need to prepare certain materials for future work. First of all, this includes the following:
- gravel, sand and crushed stone;
- primer and concrete mixture;
- plaster mixture;
- dowels and fittings;
- geotextiles or roofing felt;
- boards for formwork construction;
- exhaust mesh;
- waterproofing solution;
- asbestos or steel pipe.
How to protect the basement of a house from destruction
To resort to reconstruction as little as possible ground floor, you can take care to provide it with adequate protection from mechanical and atmospheric influences. For this you can use a budget option, which is accessible to everyone, even those without experience in this field.
It consists of applying a resin to the foundation of the house, which can protect it from external influences. It is necessary to mix the resin with diesel fuel and heat until a homogeneous mixture is formed, similar in consistency to jelly. This solution, when hardened, forms a special film that has protective properties and prevents moisture from entering the foundation.
The base is the outer part of the foundation, the base façade walls. If it is cracked due to shrinkage or simply worn out over time, it needs to be repaired. Repairing the basement cannot be put off for a long time; this can lead to an emergency.
Basement repair work
Reasons why the base collapses:
Repair has several goals:
- recovery bearing capacity, strengthening the strength of the foundation itself and the entire house;
- insulation of the lower part of the facade and basement floor from the outside;
- waterproofing and mechanical protection;
- restoration of aesthetic appearance.
There are three main types of repairs: current, major and cosmetic.
The current one involves updating the cladding, heat and waterproofing layers. Since the basement part is located in the most aggressive conditions (it takes on maximum loads and is influenced by both atmospheric and soil factors), wear occurs faster than the rest of the cottage. It is necessary to periodically diagnose the condition, update damaged layers, and protect internal space basement floor and the inside of the foundation from adverse influences.
A major overhaul of the base is necessary when the base structure itself is damaged: large cracks, chips, large pieces crumbled, and the corners of the house sank unevenly. In this case, it is better if a professional company does the repair work: firstly, they have the appropriate qualifications and equipment, and secondly, they are obliged to correct defects and work defects free of charge if they appear.
Cosmetic repairs involve improving the appearance of the base: restoring paint, plaster or other finishing, replacing one cladding with another.
Do-it-yourself basement repair at home
Work should be carried out in dry weather, in summer or spring, but not in the heat. Rain and low/excessively high temperatures impair mortar adhesion, and moisture negates waterproofing and insulation efforts. First you need to assess the condition of the blind area: if it is badly damaged, it is dismantled and a new one is poured after the repair work is completed.
Procedure for repairing the base yourself:
- Knock down the old plaster to the base, remove worn thermal insulation and waterproofing materials.
- Thoroughly clean the base from dirt, mildew, and mold.
- Treat with an antiseptic.
- Large cracks before plastering should be filled with crushed stone or broken bricks.
- Secure the reinforcing metal mesh with dowels.
- Prime the surface along with the mesh.
- Mix the concrete and treat the surface. Repair mother-in-law's cracks and chips.
- Apply and completely cover the mesh. Dry the base for a month until the concrete has completely set.
- Lay waterproofing material and insulation.
- Close facing material– , corrugated sheeting, etc.
- Fill the blind area: a layer of concrete 5-8 cm. A small sand and gravel cushion should be poured under the concrete and a layer of roofing material should be laid. It is recommended to add small crushed stone to the solution. The blind area is reinforced metal mesh and poured with a slope from the wall outwards.
Repair of the basement of a brick house
Using the method described above, you can perform routine and/or cosmetic repairs. If, due to uneven shrinkage or movement, progressive cracks appear in the base, the base must be strengthened. Otherwise, the destruction will appear again in the near future. Let's consider reinforcement using the example of a brick building.
The first stage is diagnostics: paper or plaster beacons are installed on all cracks to identify progressive destruction. It is advisable to put a date on the beacons. After a few days, the beacons are checked and identified those areas that need to be strengthened.
Procedure:
- Dig a recess under the crack to the depth of the bottom layer of the cushion with a wall slope of at least 35 degrees from the base.
- Install a steel or asbestos pipe into the hole.
- Pour liquid into the pipe building mixture. Some of it will be used to saturate the nearest soil, this is normal. Top up within 2-3 hours: when the soil is saturated, the pipe will fill to the top.
- Reinstall the beacons. Monitor for several days to see if the subsidence has stopped. If not, repeat the same procedures again.
If the damage is large-scale, strengthen the entire base around the perimeter:
- Dig a trench around the house to the depth of the foundation.
- Compact the bottom and fill it up. Compact by pouring water.
- Clean the foundation from soil, old plaster, etc.
- Prime the wall.
- Drill holes for the anchors with a hammer drill.
- Insert the anchors so that they go right through the wall and protrude outwards from it: they will connect old foundation with a new reinforcing belt.
- The new frame is placed 10 centimeters from the base. It is made from 1.2 cm rods.
- Install formwork from boards or fiberboard. The boards are removed after pouring; the DSP can be left.
- Fill the ditch in one go (layer-by-layer filling will reduce the strength of the new tape).
- Compact with a vibrating rammer. Drive the air out of the concrete by piercing it with a bayonet shovel.
- After a week, you can remove and fill the ditch with soil.
Nothing lasts forever, especially if it is made by human hands. This rule does not bypass the human home, so from time to time you have to do minor repairs of varying complexity. Repairing the basement of a building is considered one of the most difficult repairs, although this statement can safely be called a myth, which was invented by those who did not repair the stove in winter or drainage system after the rain.
Scheme of wall moistening followed by freezing: a – from destruction protective coating base; b – from destruction of waterproofing.
At the first signs of damage, it is necessary to begin repairing the basement so that this in no way affects the foundation of the building, and then the house itself. When this part of the building is destroyed, a direct road to the foundation opens, and with it to the house itself ( brickwork, monolith, shell rock, etc.), which initially leads to a strong increase in humidity in the room, then destruction of the walls and foundation, and after that to a total renovation or construction of a new house. The destruction process takes many years, but you shouldn’t wait for them and, as soon as the first signs of imminent repair are discovered, you need to start it right away.
Visually, this need is determined by cracks and chips.
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Preparing for the restoration of the basement of the house
- Hammer.
- Hammer.
- Broom.
- Scrub brush.
Repairs should begin in the warm, dry season, and windy weather will have a particularly favorable effect. The reason for such loyalty to the wind is simple - even a small draft allows you to quickly dry the site of future work. It is necessary not only for the street to be dry, but also for the air not to be humid, then the work with cement will go exactly as planned. At very low or, conversely, high temperatures work is also impossible, because they will negatively affect physical properties cement solution when hardening (optimally + 20-25°C in the shade).
The process begins with destruction - all the places where cracks and chips were noticed are beaten off with a hammer, but there is no need to try to go deeper than planned - the area is simply cleaned and the debris is carefully removed (it is better to go through it carefully at the end to finally get rid of the dust) . Sometimes situations arise where more than 60% of the plinth needs to be removed, so it makes sense to remove everything and update the exterior of the house.
After this, you can move on to the blind area around the house, because... they are interconnected. If the blind area does not require serious repairs, then a small cosmetic intervention is enough. If serious repairs are needed at least in one place, then you will have to break up the entire area (a hammer drill and a crowbar are ideal companions for this). Next comes the complete cleaning of the site from debris.
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Repair work
- Concrete solution m300 (cement, sand, gravel, water).
- Cement mortar m300 (cement, sand, water).
- Reinforcing mesh.
- Primer.
- Dowels with screws.
- Sand.
- Water.
- Edged board.
- Plaster.
- Decoration Materials.
First of all, the formwork is poured.
The already cleaned area is deepened by 5 cm, leveled and compacted until smooth. Usually the formwork is removed from the house by 20-30 cm at the request of the owner. The height of the formwork is no more than 1 edged board.
After which it is poured to the bottom sand cushion 5 cm thick, which is compacted or watered. When watering with water, you need to wait 2-3 days for complete drying.
It is best to pour M300 concrete solution, because... it will provide an ideal balance between cost and durability. When pouring, you need to ensure a slope of 8-10°C from the house so that the water runs down the blind area and does not stagnate at the foundation.
The time for hardening of the blind area is 18-20 days in a dry climate and temperature of 20-25°C.
After this comes the most interesting part of the work - restoring the basement of the house. The process is quite labor-intensive, but interesting.
For local repairs, it is enough to simply apply the solution and replace the part of the base of interest, but these are exceptional cases, because repairs are almost always general.
First of all, a reinforcing mesh with a fine mesh is stretched. When fixing, you need to give it the highest possible stability, for which screws with dowels are successfully used.
The second step will be priming the surface. The process takes place directly on top of the reinforcing mesh so that the solution gets not only onto the base, but also onto the network itself, which is important.
Next, a thin layer of cement mortar is applied. When applied, it will have to be pressed through the mesh, and after application is completed, the reinforcing component will only be slightly visible. Further work will continue after the solution dries, which takes 3-5 days.
Then a layer of plaster is applied. Another layer of cement mortar or decorative plaster is applied to the plaster on top, depending on the owner’s preferences.
At the end of the work, the base is finished, which varies in price.
Inexpensive finishing material is made at home - resin and diesel fuel are mixed over low heat in a good steel bucket. Stirring slowly, you need to bring the contents of the bucket to the state of jelly, after which it can be applied to the base with a round brush in an even thick layer. Such protection will hold up no worse than any modern materials, but the design is a little weak.
The more expensive approach almost always uses natural or fake diamond, which is mounted on a special glue. Sometimes you can find tiles and decorative plaster, but the most reliable of these options will undoubtedly be natural stone.
If you carry out an inspection of the entire building once a year, eliminating problems along the way, then the house will stand for hundreds of years without any special whims.
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