It can be done even in a small area - the more sinuous the channel, the more picturesque this corner will look. The seething stream brings an expressive touch to the peace of the surrounding nature, reminds that movement is life, creates conditions for endless contemplation. When viburnum blooms by the stream, you won’t find a more picturesque place.

no drop angle crucial- after all, the pump will be responsible for the movement of water. A slope of 3 cm per meter will already provide a visual perception of the flow of a silver stream.

Artificial stream in the country with their own hands. Site selection and channel formation

Well, if the landscape of the territory is uneven, then the channel needs minimal adjustment. On flat areas, you will have to create elevations in some places to look more natural. An artificial stream with your own hands is a closed cycle of pumping water from a reservoir and returning it to the lake:

The next step in creating a real mountain stream will be the formation of a channel. To do this, a ditch is dug with a depth of 30-50 cm and a width of 50 cm to 1.5 meters. As in real streams, the width of the channel along the entire length may be unequal. In some places you can go a little deeper to create the illusion of a pool. The configuration of the channel depends on the imagination and temperament of the owners of the site - from an almost flat line to intricate bends around trees or.

The finished ditch is cleared of stone, roots and other debris and compacted. Water overpass can be built in several ways:

Lazy - a piece of asbestos-cement pipe cut lengthwise is laid in a straight channel, while the stream will take the form of an irrigation canal.

Capital - the construction is carried out by concreting the bottom and walls, but this process requires a lot of labor.

Cheap - the channel is laid out cut along plastic bottles with a capacity of 5-6 liters with a remote neck and bottoms. This design is short lived.

It is much more interesting to show imagination, paving the way for the future river, and use flexible waterproofing as a material.

A layer of sand about 4-5 cm thick is laid in the ditch, then any waterproofing agent (butyl rubber, rubber, neoprene, etc.). After that, the channel is lined with a thin film.

The bottom of the future stream is decorated with rounded boulders, medium-sized boulders, fine gravel. On gentle areas, sandbanks can be made and laid.

Installation of a water circulation system

At the bottom of the reservoir into which flows artificial stream in the country with their own hands, is normal . The hose from it can run under the bed or to the side of it, disguised by grass or turf. Given that for the winter pumping system you have to remove it, to supply water to the source it is better to use polypropylene pipes, which are easy to install. Another advantage of using a film is that the water can not be drained. If the base of the stream is made of concrete, frozen water can damage the integrity of the screed.

At the top, you need to equip a source from where the silver stream originates. To do this, the water supply hose must be masked. Large boulders, ceramic elements or small stone structures in the form of a grotto or cave are suitable as a disguise. A small wooden canopy stylized as a well looks interesting. Such buildings are found in forested mountainous areas to mark the outlets of natural sources.

Shore decoration

The naturalness of an artificial stream will be given by plants planted along the banks and stones. Before creating artificial stream in the country with their own hands, stones should be sorted. The bottom can be diversified - in places of large differences in relief it is better to install large flat stones. Such thresholds will create small cascades. Medium-sized round boulders laid out on gentle areas will become an obstacle even for a small current, and imitate whirlpools. The place where the stream flows into an artificial reservoir can be made almost sheer - then the river will acquire its own.

The plants that will be planted along the coastline are selected depending on whether the stream rages in the dense shade of centuries-old trees, or smoothly carries its waters along a sunny meadow, repeating bends.

Rule of thumb when choosing flowers and herbs - moisture content. Popular coastal residents are:

- perennial with a height of 10 cm to 2 m. Panicle inflorescences from pale pink to purple bloom in June-July. For the winter top part dies off.

- winter-hardy plant up to 40 cm tall, blooms in May-June

forget-me-not- bushy plant with silver-green leaves and small blue flowers. Begins to bloom in April.

Buzulnik- a large bush up to 120 cm high with leaves similar to burdock (about 50 cm in diameter). Inflorescences - yellow baskets.

- ground cover shrub distinctive feature which is the ability to grow in steep areas.

– spike-shaped inflorescences of blue color growing on the banks of water bodies.

Widespread when making a stream with your own hands on household plots received, mosses and lichens. Of the plants with spectacular leaves, ferns and all kinds of hostas are most common. In the spring, irises, daylilies and bathing suits are indispensable on the shore. Properly selected plants will ensure that no one will call your stream artificial.

Each fan of countryside pastime puts a piece of his soul into his site. This kind of work not only ennobles the owner and decorates the landscape, but also implies the achievement of comfort and coziness. Take, for example, a picturesque stream. It will decorate and invigorate the garden, becoming an excellent resting place for the owners and their guests. It remains only to find out how to make a stream on your own, so that it pleases the eye and cheers up.

It all starts with planning

Before you make a stream in the country with your own hands, experts recommend carefully considering its arrangement, because even the smallest river needs a source, a channel and other signs of a natural reservoir.

First of all, you should think about the presence of a small pond into which a stream will flow. His first step is to mark the territory or, more simply, to choose suitable place to place the source. The presence of a natural water collector will not bring much torment, since the stream must be connected precisely with it. A good seed for a flight of fancy will be the creation of an artificial reservoir.

Video on creating a reservoir

In any case, the placement must be carefully considered and only then a stream should be made on the site that will be the most convenient and suitable for the implementation of the plan. It is enough just to imagine the composition, and then calculate everything on paper. As perfect place leaks, slopes with a slope of approximately 30 cm are recommended.

Stages of homestead stream building

It is impossible to make a stream in the country without a pump. It is he who will “scoop up” and direct the swift stream, adhering to compliance with the given channel. In the end, you should get something like this spectacle: from a spring hidden in a grotto or thickets, a stream beats, the waters of which tend to fall into the pond. In fact, water comes from it, continuously circulating.

Preparation of a ditch for a reservoir

When creating landscape water collectors, a number of generally accepted rules are followed. They depend on the preferred dimensions and materials used. The device of a stream in the country a priori cannot be large-scale, therefore the depth of a small home-made source will be from 25 to 50 cm, and the width will be a meter or a half.

The stream bed can be curved or winding - the main thing is that it looks natural and does not betray the artificial origin of the water source. Having decided on the direction and appearance of the flow, you can start digging. Stones, debris, plant roots are removed from the resulting ditch, and then the surface is compacted.

Arrangement of the stream bed

The arrangement of the reservoir bed begins with the choice of waterproofing material: film or concrete. Film is the simplest and convenient solution, so the masters landscape design prefer it more often. Under this coating, a “cushion” of sand should be made. The thickness of the sand layer is about 5 cm. The sand is compacted and covered with any film material, for example, butyl rubber.

If the do-it-yourself stream device is focused on a concrete base, then the procedure will be as follows:

Laying gravel-sand mixture, 25–30 cm thick.
flooring from waterproofing film.
Filling the surface with concrete with a layer of 15 cm.

Parallel to the riverbed, a trench is dug for water pipes or hoses supplying water to the "source". Installing the hose under the bottom is not recommended - in case of repair, you will have to disassemble decorative design.

How to make a pump pond

The pond does not have to be large, but it is important to remember that this is where the equipment that circulates water will be located. Sold in specialized supermarkets ready containers for quick creation of ponds. Their use greatly simplifies the work, but narrows the scope for creativity.

A home-made pond is equipped in the same way as a channel - they dig a hole of the required shape and provide waterproofing of the bottom and walls with the help of modern waterproofing materials or concrete.

The procedure for creating an artificial reservoir is completed, but, obviously, the result does not even remotely resemble a natural river. It lacks the finishing touch - a natural environment. In order to disguise the artificial component, it is enough to take a closer look at any stream flowing nearby or look at photographs of travelers.

Creation of the river bottom

Unlike man-made, a natural bottom is never smooth. It is full of all kinds of rocks. In the channel of a weak current, the base forms a flat ground. A pebble is quite suitable here. Places with more intense water flow require larger stones - large boulders will look good here. To achieve the effect of a waterfall, the bottom of the stream is laid with large flat stones, forming steps.

In order for the stones to remain in place, they need to be fixed with concrete mortar. All visible traces of concrete should be covered with small pebbles, suitable artificial plants or other decorative items.

picturesque coastline

In order for the device of the stream to comply with aesthetic canons, you will have to wake up your creative vein. Mostly stones will be used, but they can be chosen with taste and decomposed accordingly.

The landscaping of the shores of the reservoir deserves special attention. In addition to taste preferences, in this type of work they also adhere to special rules regarding the choice of vegetation. Shrubs and perennials that gravitate to moisture are suitable for decorating the source of the stream:

viburnum;
astilba;
juniper;
badan;
ferns.

These plants adore water and will feel quite comfortable near it, pleasing the gardener's eye and soul.

To make the stream on the site more attractive, they decorate the banks with moisture-loving vegetation, but now of a ground cover type. Suitable here:

swamp iris;
loosestrife;
day-lily;
ostrich;
brunner.

These representatives of the flora love stones and feel great in their environment. Useful plants that prefer to "crawl" on the rocks. They will become a very naturalistic addition to an artificial stream. Any specimens will help in the choice, including mosses and stonecrops, as well as periwinkle and creeping tenacious.

After planting the plants, you need to let them take root. The rooting process in most of these species requires at least three weeks. For this period, experts recommend not turning on the pump. The flow of water can uproot coastal vegetation.

Commissioning of the artificial reservoir system

According to the idea, the stream bed should circulate towards the pond, so submersible pump. This device will take over the flow routing. In order for the device of the stream in the country to be the most effective, when choosing the power of the device, you need to consult with a specialist.

The rise of water to the sources is provided by pipes or hoses. It is recommended to choose products made of polypropylene. They do not cause difficulties during installation, they bend easily and have sufficient frost resistance. The supply hose, located at the source, can and should be decorated at the outlet. As well as possible, a large boulder or several stones, folded in the form of a grotto, are suitable for this.

Making a stream on the site is not so difficult if there are skillful hands and at least a small creative spark. Be sure to follow the advice of professionals. And if something does not work out, do not neglect the help of experienced craftsmen.

Every gardener can make speeches in the country with his own hands. This does not require financial investments and the use of heavy equipment. Do-it-yourself decorative stream is made using a simple technology using improvised materials. This article talks about how to make a decorative stream quickly and ensure an uninterrupted supply of water. Before you make a stream with your own hands, study the device of this artificial reservoir.

The stream in the garden looks cute, but before you start enjoying its gentle murmur and admiring the birds that the water will attract, you need to carefully plan everything, think over not only the location of the stream and the shape of its banks, but also the design of its beginning and end. If we forget about poetry for a while, then a stream is a water "band" flowing between its beginning and end (source and mouth).

Where can an artificial stream "flow" from? From under a large boulder or a crack in it, a pile of stones, a picturesque bush will also come up, a waterfall can also be the source, technically this is just a disguise of a hose in order to give the impression of a natural source. The end of the stream is most often a pond, it can also disappear under a large stone or a group of stones, under which there is a reservoir with a pump. You can arrange one or both ends of the stream so that they are “lost” in the garden. Of course, the stream is man-made, but it is quite possible to make it "natural", natural in appearance.

The device of the stream in the country and in the garden

First of all, the arrangement of the stream is his project, then its transfer to nature. Be sure to draw the lines of the stream, its beginning and end on the plan, then transfer it to nature with a hose, changing its configuration until it seems ideal to you from all possible viewpoints. If you don’t know how or don’t like to work with plans on paper, you can immediately try to “draw” it on the ground with the help of pegs and construction tape.

And then, to ensure the device of the stream in the country - dig a bed of the stream, tamp the ground, lay (or fill the bed with a small layer of sand), then lay a black pond film, cover it with gravel or pebbles, carefully pour water, spread the stones on the shore, hide the edges films and plant plants in the right places. Naturally, hostas, Siberian and marsh irises, loosestrife, astilbes, swimsuits, marigolds, ferns, sedges, etc. will look natural on the banks of the stream.

To carry out the water cycle, the arrangement of a stream in a garden involves the use of an electric pump, with the help of which water will be supplied from the mouth to the source through a well-disguised hose. In the most natural way, the stream will flow where there is a difference in height, but it is quite possible to arrange it on a flat area.

Before starting work, you need to purchase all the necessary materials:

PVC film with a thickness of 0.5 mm or 0.8 mm in black or much stronger and more reliable, although more expensive butyl rubber (EPDM membrane), they can be glued and repaired if necessary using special tapes and adhesives;
sand or geotextile as an underlayment and shock-absorbing material;
submersible pump, which will be placed in the lower storage tank; the longer the stream, the louder its sound is planned, the more power the pump needs;
hose;
stones for decorating banks and channels;
plants for planting near the stream and in the channel itself.

Decorative stream: photos and rules of care

The photos on this page ornamental stream show all the splendor of flowing water:

Photo gallery

However, to maintain this beauty, timely care is required. The rules for caring for a stream include the following measures: in the spring, it is advisable to drain the water from the reservoirs using a drainage pump (by the way, think in advance where you will drain it in the spring), then you need to thoroughly rinse the stones with a strong jet from a hose and fill it with a new clean water, adding a little (a couple of buckets) of the old one, so that the biodynamic balance is established faster.

You can not wash the stones, but then they become covered with silt, become dark. After a couple of days, you can start the fish. In summer, you need to remove leaves that have fallen into the pond from the pond, feed the fish, remove green algae with a net or hands if they appear, sometimes you have to clean the pump if it is clogged with silt. At the end of September, you need to transport the fish to the aquarium, turn off the pump, wash it, dry it and clean it for winter storage in dry room. Water from the pond does not descend, the hose remains in the ground.

20159 0 7

What you need to know about window openings - 4 important rules for a novice builder

In modern housing construction, few people adhere to established standards and restrictions on window openings, so each owner of housing under construction tries to choose their shape and size based on their own taste and personal preferences.

In some cases, this approach leads to the fact that an already finished window suddenly turns out to be too small or too large, and sometimes even turns out to be installed in the wrong place.

In order to avoid such situations, in this article I propose to consider the main issues regarding right choice type and location of windows, as well as common standard sizes window openings for residential and utility rooms.

Rule 1. What criteria should the window meet

For those homeowners who wish to equip their future home with window openings in accordance with GOST, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the regulatory and technical document GOST 23166-99 “Window blocks. General technical conditions". At the same time, I want to warn you right away that this document contains a lot of specialized technical information, which in most cases may be incomprehensible and useless for many private developers.

So that the reader does not puzzle over this issue, then I will try to explain in an accessible language the main provisions of the current State standard on windows:

When choosing specifications for the future window opening, first of all, you need to be guided by the room in which the window will be located and for what purposes it will be used;
The total glazing area of one or more window openings must provide free passage the right amount natural sunlight, which should be sufficient to avoid the use of artificial lighting during daylight hours;
All sizes according to GOST window openings, in principle, are standardized, however, in accordance with current standards, they can vary within a fairly wide range. Therefore, in the next section, I plan to pay more attention to this issue.

The sound insulation class, air permeability and water tightness class, light transmission coefficient, heat transfer resistance value, and sound insulation value must be within the established limits of this normative technical document;
Estimated service life of wooden and plastic frames must be at least 20 and 40 years, respectively, the service life of fittings and double-glazed windows must be at least 20 years, and the service life of the set rubber seals- at least 5 years.
The number of opening / closing cycles of swing or sliding doors, while maintaining normal performance, must be at least 20,000.

During the design and construction of a house, I recommend using standard sizes window openings for plastic windows, since the manufacture of double-glazed windows irregular shape or custom sizes can cost significantly more.

Rule 2. Typical dimensions of window openings in apartment buildings

Window and door openings in apartments of multi-storey buildings are part of the external load-bearing walls of the building, therefore, changing their size, or making any other changes to the design, is strictly prohibited by the current Building Regulations and Rules (SNiP). At the same time, in order to replace or install new windows, homeowners need to know at least the approximate size of the external glazing in all rooms of the apartment.

In most cases, each type and each series of multi-storey buildings has standard windows, and to make it easier for the reader to navigate, then I will give the approximate dimensions of window openings in typical residential apartments:

The houses of the old housing stock, built at the beginning of the last century, are distinguished by elongated rooms, thick walls and high ceilings, so the window openings in such houses most often have a rectangular vertical shape and are quite large:

In such apartments, the width of a single-leaf window can be from 850 to 1150 mm, and the average height is about 1900 mm, but sometimes it can reach 2100 mm;
Two wings usually have the same height, but their width can be from 1200 to 1500 mm;
Tri-leaf windows are rare, while their maximum dimensions can reach 2400x2100 mm.

The so-called "Stalinist houses", which were built in the period from the 30s to the 60s of the last century, in addition to high ceilings, are large and spacious rooms with a separate layout, so single-leaf windows in such apartments are almost never found:

Double-leaf windows have two standard sizes: 1150x1950 mm, and 1500x1900 mm;
For three-leaf windows at that time there was one standard - 1700x1900 mm.

Typical five-story residential buildings that were built in the period from the early 50s to the mid-80s of the last century are commonly called "Khrushchevs". They have a cramped, uncomfortable layout with small kitchens and small walk-through rooms, and the standard ceiling height is no more than 2500 mm. For the manufacture of windows in such apartments, two standard sizes were used, and they are easy to determine even without a tape measure, according to the shape and width of the window sill:

If the window has a wide massive window sill, then its dimensions are 1450x1500 mm for a two-leaf opening, and 2040x1500 mm for a three-leaf opening;
In apartments with a narrow window sill that practically does not protrude beyond the plane of the wall, the dimensions of two-leaf and three-leaf windows are 1300x1305 mm and 2040x1350 mm, respectively.

Newer Brezhnevka houses were built in the 70s and 80s, along with the Khrushchevs, and their main positive difference lies in the improved layout and larger kitchen area. Sample projects there are several series of such houses, and in each series the sizes of windows differ slightly from each other:

Of all the Brezhnevkas, the 600th series is distinguished by the most large windows, since in such apartments the double-leaf opening has dimensions of 2380x1420 mm, and the three-leaf opening - 2690x1420 mm;
In the 602 series, a two-leaf window has a size of 1210x1450 mm, and a three-leaf window has a size of 2100x1450 mm;
The 606th series has the smallest windows: two-leaf - 1450x1410 mm, and three-leaf - 1700x1410 mm.

Modern new buildings are considered to be apartment buildings that were built from the 90s of the last century to the present. Sample projects modern houses are presented in more than 40 different series, so I will give the dimensions of window openings for several of the most common type series:

137th series two doors - 1150x1420 mm, three doors - 1700x1420 mm;
504th series two doors - 1450x1410 mm, three doors - 1700x1410 mm;
504D series two doors - 1420x1100 mm, three doors - 1420x2030 mm;
505th series two doors - 1410x1450 mm, three doors - 1410x2030 mm;
600.11 series two doors - 1410x1450 mm, three doors - 1410x2050 mm;
The 600D series has only two sashes, in which case the dimensions of the window openings can be 1420x2680 mm, 1100x2360 mm or 1420x2360 mm.

Please note that all dimensions shown are approximate and are intended for estimated calculation cost of new windows. I strongly do not recommend using the indicated values when ordering window frames, since in each case, all measurements are under plastic window must be carried out directly at the installation site.

Rule 3. Dimensions and location of windows in private houses

When designing and building private houses, I advise you to choose the size and shape of window openings, taking into account the requirements of the same normative document GOST 23166-99 “Window blocks. General technical conditions". At the same time, I should note that private developers have more room for maneuver, since this document does not establish any rigid framework and restrictions:

In order not to violate the conceptual style of a residential building project, when developing the size and number of window openings, one must take into account the height of the ceilings, the total number of floors, the area and width of each room, as well as others. architectural features building;

The optimal height and width of windows should be determined based on the total area of \u200b\u200bthe room, and the required level;
Glazing area and standard sizes of window openings of private houses are regulated by SNiP P-A862. According to the requirements of this standard, in residential and sleeping quarters, the total area of the light opening should be at least 1/8 of the total area of \u200b\u200beach room;
For glazing non-residential and household premises, these dimensions in a private house can be reduced up to 4 times. Thus, in a toilet, bathroom, pantry or boiler room, the window area can be no more than 3% of the total area of the room;

In regions with a cold climate and short daylight hours, the direction of the windows is best oriented to the south or southwest side of the house;
In hot climates with large quantity sunny days in a year, for less influence of the sun on the internal microclimate, windows should be located on the north or east side of the house;
Ease of use and functional qualities of windows in various premises, largely depend on the height at which the window sill is located relative to the level of the finished floor. From own experience I recommend using the following values:

In the living room, bedroom or children's playroom, the optimal height from the floor level to the window sill is 700-900 mm. This size provides a good panoramic view and the most efficient transmission of natural sunlight;
For the kitchen, the height of the window sill can be from 800 to 1200 mm. This is due to the fact that the window sill should be flush with the sink and countertops of kitchen furniture;

In a toilet, bathroom or bath, it is customary to make the height of the window sill at least 1600 mm. This is done to ensure quality natural ventilation, and at the same time make it as difficult as possible for unauthorized persons to peep at the residents during intimate procedures;
On insulated balconies, verandas and closed summer terraces, the window sill board should lie on top of the side railing, while its height can be from 700 to 1100 mm.
In household and utility rooms, the light opening is usually made in the form of a low window or a wide horizontal window, which is set at a level of 1600-1800 mm from the floor.

When choosing a place to install windows in country house, I advise you to pay attention not only to the technical aspects, but also to the aesthetic side of the issue. There are no trifles in this business, for example, neat beautiful brickwork and stylish exterior finish window openings have a significant positive impact on appearance facade, and on the aesthetic appearance of the whole house as a whole.

Rule 3. Features of the arrangement of window openings in a brick house

For arranging a window in the wall brick house, in accordance with the technical design, starting from a given height, several rows of bricks do not fit, resulting in brickwork a window opening is formed.

In order not to go into the technical details of the work of masons, below I will talk about what a quarter is in window opening what it is used for, and how to make an opening for a wooden or plastic window in a brick house.

I want to say right away that the width of the opening with inside houses should always be made a few centimeters wider than the design dimensions of the window frame. Thus, in the top view, a ledge is formed in the side walls, which is called a quarter;

During installation, wooden or plastic window frame installed from inside the house in the extension of the slope, and rests with its front part against the rear edge of the quarter;
Thus, high-quality thermal and waterproofing of the window is ensured. This is achieved due to the fact that cold wind and slanting rain from the street cannot directly penetrate the gap between the outer slope and the window frame.
After the laying of the side walls is completed, it is necessary to lay the top window slab on the top row of bricks. It is a horizontal jumper, which should take on the load from all other rows of bricks and ceiling located above the window opening;
As a jumper, a thin reinforced concrete beam 250-300 mm wide, a metal channel or a thick-walled steel corner with a section of at least 120x120 mm are most often used;

The main disadvantage of steel lintels is that the metal has a high thermal conductivity, so the so-called cold bridges are formed above the windows. To minimize the possibility of low temperatures entering the home, decorative trim outside the house must be made using heat-insulating materials;
The lintel should be of such length that after laying it completely covers the window opening, and comes from above the side brick walls by at least 100 mm on each side;
After installing the jumper, I advise you to once again check the conformity of the dimensions of the window opening, and then proceed with the further laying of the next rows of bricks above the window opening;
Installation of window blocks, sealing the remaining gaps and fine finish inside is usually done at the very end, after the whole house is built and the roof is mounted, so I plan to talk about installing windows separately in the next article.

In order to make an arched window of a semicircular or oval shape with my own hands, I advise you to use two metal corner or a channel of suitable section. To do this, you need in one of the shelves of each corner, or in two narrow shelves channel, using a grinder, make many deep cuts at a distance of 50-100 mm from each other. After that, any profile metal rolling will be easy to bend into an arc along the desired radius.

Rule 4. Arrangement of a window opening in an aerated concrete house

The manufacture of window openings in an aerated concrete house is generally carried out according to the same principles as in brick houses. The exception is the load-bearing elements and the upper horizontal lintels, since they are cast from monolithic reinforced concrete directly at the installation site.

For the manufacture of vertical load-bearing elements of the house, special hollow aerated concrete blocks. After they are installed on top of each other, a vertical cavity is formed inside them in the form of a well;

These blocks perform the functions fixed formwork . Reinforcement is installed inside the resulting well, and then liquid concrete mortar is poured to the very top;
After the concrete solution hardens, a monolithic reinforced concrete column is formed inside the aerated concrete blocks, which has a high bearing capacity. I recommend initially laying such columns in the project, and placing them in the corners of the house, as well as along the edges of wide window and door openings;
Upper window coverings have a similar internal organization, only U-shaped blocks with an open top made of heavy grades of aerated concrete are used as fixed formwork for pouring concrete mortar.

Inside the finished window opening, vertical supports from scraps of thick bars or steel pipes must be installed and rigidly fixed;

Fix a thick, even board flat on top of them, and then lay out the U-shaped blocks in such a way that they form the upper edge of the window opening with their lower plane;
In the resulting hollow gutter, you need to lay the reinforcing cage, and weld its ends to the protruding bars of the reinforcement of the vertical columns, and then fill the entire gutter to the top with liquid concrete mortar;
After the solution hardens, a rigid bulkhead of monolithic reinforced concrete is formed above the window opening, closed on all sides by aerated concrete blocks.

In aerated concrete houses, the preparation of window openings for the installation of PVC windows can begin only after the final solidification and maturation of the monolithic-concrete mixture. Depending on the brand of concrete mortar, this period can last from 14 to 28 days.

Aerated concrete has an open, finely porous structure, due to which it strongly absorbs moisture, therefore, under the influence of precipitation, it can crack and collapse over time. To prevent this from happening, I advise you not to waste time, and immediately after construction, perform a protective and decorative design on the outside of aerated concrete houses, using hydrophobic water-repellent finishing materials.

Conclusion

In this article, I talked about installing windows in brick and aerated concrete houses, and deliberately did not mention wooden log cabins here, because installing windows and sealing in a wooden house is a topic for a completely separate article. The point is that during construction log cabins and frame-panel houses made of wood, you need to take into account a lot of specific points that are not inherent in houses made of mineral building materials.

To visually consolidate the information received, I recommend watching the attached video in this article, and if you have any comments or suggestions, I am ready to discuss them in the comment form.

September 22, 2016

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One of the most important stages in the construction of a building is the laying of windows, bricks in this case a certain amount will be required, which will depend on the size of the window. Since the window opening violates the integrity and strength monolithic wall, the reliability of operation of the whole house depends on the quality of its implementation.

The window opening must be securely supported, because. violates the integrity of the structure of the house.

A window opening in brickwork begins to be formed from an element called a run, which is the basis of a brick window. It is fixed on folded brick walls. Runs are made from several types of material:

concrete lintels made at an enterprise that produces construction products, or independently;
metal channels;
standard corners made of metal.

The material for creating the run is chosen depending on the expected load on the wall of the house, in which there will be a window, or on the convenience of the organization construction works by installing it. The dimensions of the run, according to the standards indicated in SNiP, are determined by adding 1.5-2 m on both sides to the width of the window opening in brick walls.

Runs from a channel

A metal channel is one of the popular ways to create a lintel that decorates a brick window with a small run. Channel - a device that is a corner of metal, usually 12-14 cm in the piers in half a brick and 24-27 cm in the piers in a whole brick.

The condition for the strength of the structure using a channel with standard dimensions of 100 × 100 mm (100 × 75 mm) is the reliability of the connection between the masonry of the main walls and the walls above the window of the house under construction.

The channel must be laid so that the material laid out on it fits very tightly to its edges. A jumper from a channel - usually no more than 150 cm long. Compliance with these requirements for the dimensions of the channel ensures that the span of the window does not bend and the brickwork does not sag above it. When finishing windows with facing bricks outside surface the channel will be closed, and the channel will be visible only from the inside of the building.

Concrete lintel

The laying of brick windows is made from two types:

jumpers produced at the factory;
jumpers made independently by the installer at the construction site by pouring.

Installation of a ready-made concrete product is carried out very quickly, and its reliability is guaranteed. But buying ready concrete lintel with required dimensions, which are most often non-standard individual construction low-rise building may not be possible. In addition, the weight of the finished industrial product more than 100 kg, therefore, it requires the involvement of special equipment for an additional fee.

Making concrete purlins for non-standard windows brick is independently organized according to the following algorithm:

The surface must be thoroughly cleaned to future masonry opening.

thorough cleaning of brickwork surfaces from cement mortar residues on both sides of the future window;
high-quality soil coating of the sides of the window opening;
assembling a wooden formwork for installing a jumper;
installation of reinforcement in a future run;
pouring concrete solution into the formwork in a small layer so that it does not flow through the formwork boards and that these boards do not sag;
laying in the poured layer of mortar mesh from reinforcement;
continued pouring of the jumper;
installation in the concrete solution of the second bookmark from the reinforcement;
completion of pouring concrete mortar;
formwork disassembly (it should be borne in mind that it is not always possible to remove lower part formwork).

With this method of work, it is necessary to pour the concrete solution slowly so that it has time to set evenly.

Window opening expansion

If you need to expand the window openings in the brickwork by a quarter of a brick (6 cm), this is easy to do without doing preparatory work to strengthen the lintel. If you want to significantly expand a window opening or a doorway in a finished wall, or connect 2 window openings, important rules must be followed. For this, it is produced complete dismantling the entire window block, deleting an existing window lintel and the creation of reliable supports for the new. One of several ways to perform such construction work is to install a steel lintel that reinforces the opening, or a reinforced concrete product.

Consider how to increase the width of the window opening in brick house. If a old masonry fragile, then you can remove part of it in the place where you plan to expand the window, and lay out the slopes again. If the masonry of the window openings is strong, then the side walls of the opening are hemmed, after which grooves are cut out for a new lintel, the wall in place of which is then carefully leveled with a solution of high-strength cement. After the cement has completely hardened, a beam is inserted into the cut grooves, under which special devices are placed to support it from below, outside the building and from the inside.

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Then the wall is dismantled where it is planned to expand the window opening in brick wall. Racks are removed, all gaps in the wall are filled cement mortar, set the frame of the new window. After that, the old slopes are dismantled and new ones are laid with the establishment of the maximum number of dressings with bearing wall. Then lining is done with facing materials.

Facing brick windows

Finishing windows with facing bricks is an excellent method of decorating window zones.

It emphasizes the contour, gives volume and highlights the windows on the facade of the building. Facing the window with a contrasting or embossed brick allows you to almost completely change the facade. Facing brick gives the building a neater and more elegant look. In conclusion, you can make beautiful decorative brick cornices.

The surroundings of the windows must be carefully calculated and symmetrical in relation to the masonry of the main walls and the corners of the building. Original beautiful windows complete the appearance of the facade, subject to careful sealing of cracks using special masonry or the use of brick platbands.

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The harmonious appearance of the facade directly depends on the size and shape of the windows, or rather, on how symmetrical they are with respect to the corners of the building and the width of the walls. It is necessary to comply with certain standards when constructing the walls of buildings, but in practice it is often possible to observe inconsistencies that it is desirable to eliminate before laying facing bricks.