What is the height of the plinth. What is the standard height of the base from the ground? Finishing the above-ground part of the basement with metal siding

Depending on the type of structure under construction, at the design stage, certain parameters of the foundation are taken: the area of its sole, on which the width of the foundation depends (in the case of a strip foundation), as well as the height of the foundation above the ground. In this article we will try to give a universal answer to the question of the required height of the foundation.

Balancing between necessity and redundancy

Considering that in construction costs country house the construction of the foundation will make up a considerable share, the desire of an individual developer to minimize the parameters of this part of the building is quite understandable. And if the calculated depth and width of the foundation are parameters that you have to put up with, then with respect to the above-ground height of the foundation, options are possible.

What determines the visible (aerial) height of the foundation

It must be understood that this part of the base serves link, a kind of jumper in the adjacent area "soil - external environment". And this site, like no other, during the operation of the building is exposed to external factors – high humidity and temperature fluctuations. The foundation must be raised above the zero mark for the following purposes:

for building a basement at home, when part of the foundation takes on the role of a basement. Obviously, the one-piece design is different the best performance than the construction "foundation + basement";
to protect the walls of the house from high humidity. Even despite the blind area, lateral Bottom part the house will be constantly moistened, so it is better to raise the “foundation - walls” transition as high as possible. How specific? At least 200 mm from the ground, and higher. An observant developer in one of the winters can estimate the thickness of the snow cover on the site, to which you can add 100 mm and get the optimal height of the foundation;
often the foundation rises above the ground due to the construction of the basement. In this case, the height of the base is determined based on the design data;
for columnar and pile foundations, the minimum rise above the ground is also 200 mm, this is required so that the heaving soil does not affect the building. The height may be greater, for example, if the terrain construction site has a bias;
when calculating the height of the foundation, it is also necessary to take into account the possible shrinkage of the house, the value of which depends on the characteristics of the soil and the load on it from the structure;
an increase in height in some cases prevents the destruction of the material of the walls of the building. This is especially true for wooden buildings, for example baths. In this case, either a high foundation (about 500 mm) is immediately arranged, or a plinth is erected from other building materials.

Summarizing the above

It is necessary to determine the height of the above-ground part of the foundation. We take into account a minimum of 200 mm. We estimate the thickness of the snow cover and, if necessary, change the parameters of the base of the building. The higher the foundation is located above the ground, the better and the less effort is needed to preserve the lower part of the house. Optimal values are considered 350–400 mm above ground level. Do not forget about the hydro and thermal insulation of the above-ground part of the foundation! These measures will not only preserve the foundation of the building (prevent moisture infiltration and destruction of the foundation reinforcement), but also reduce heat losses.

The content of the article

It is known that a concrete foundation of any type must necessarily rise to some distance above the soil level. Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve isolation of the walls of the building from its base. This prevents the harmful effects of capillary processes that constantly feed the building with soil moisture.

The foundation is in conditions of high humidity almost constantly. This is facilitated by precipitation, groundwater, melting snow masses. Therefore, there must be some minimum height of the foundation above the ground, ensuring the safety and dryness of the walls.

What are the functions of a building foundation?

The foundation, raised above the soil level, is not only a support for the entire structure.

In addition to this main function, it also solves certain tasks:

The height of the foundation of a wooden house

For wooden house sufficient base height is especially important, since preventing the bottom row of wood from rotting is an indispensable condition for building a wooden house. Such a foundation can be made of concrete, brick, metal or wood. The type of foundation can be tape, pile or columnar.

An indispensable condition is high-quality waterproofing of the base. As a mandatory waterproofing, you can use coating materials(bituminous mastic, cement-polymer-based slurry), as well as roll materials(hydroizol, stekloizol, roofing material).

Optimal Height the base is selected based on the climatic features of the area. It usually exceeds the average snow depth by 10 cm. It is desirable to protect the foundation for a wooden house from dampness not only from below, but also on the sides. This can be done by wrapping ceramic tiles or clinker.

The higher the base of the house, the better its thermal insulation will be, and the longer it will stand without complaints.

Strip foundation height

consists of its aboveground and underground parts. The optimal height of a monolithic strip foundation above the ground is about 35-40 cm. In some cases, this value may vary. But its underground depth depends on the properties of the soil.

According to the provisions of SNiP, the depth of the foundation is determined as follows:

Freezing of non-rocky soil by 2 m or weakly heaving soil by 1 m - the foundation is deepened by 50 cm.
Freezing of non-rocky soil by 3 m or weakly heaving soil by 1.5 m - the foundation is deepened by 75 cm.
Freezing of non-rocky soil more than 3 m or weakly heaving soil by 2.5 m - the foundation is deepened by 100 cm.
Freezing of weakly heaving soil by 3-3.5 m - the foundation is deepened by 150 cm.

The depth of the strip base depends very much on the level ground water. When groundwater is located near the surface, it is categorically not recommended to lay poorly buried foundations.

Regardless of the level of soil freezing and soil characteristics. Groundwater contributes not only to the dampening of the base, but also to its sedimentation, distortions and gradual destruction.

How to calculate the height of a slab foundation?

A slab foundation is usually preferred to be erected on weak, unstable, heaving soils. Monolithic slab able to endure heaving of the soil and its sediment, without violating the integrity of the entire structure. But this does not mean that it can be laid directly on the ground, that is, to make a shallow foundation. In some cases, this is allowed, but only on rocky and non-rocky soils. In all other cases iron concrete slab must be deepened to a certain level.

In the distribution of costs for building a house, the foundation can take up to 30% - 40%, so if you want to save on this part, the minimum height of the base must still be observed, as necessary condition long life of the building. Elevation supporting structure above the ground performs a number of important functions, and it is provided in all types of foundations. A properly made plinth fulfills its tasks, regardless of whether a basement, a cellar is built in it, or it is just pillars sheathed with siding for an easy outbuilding.

Basement tasks

To the height of the plinth above ground level at self construction own house often pay less attention than the depth of the foundation. It is not standardized so strictly and is not described in the requirements of GOSTs in such detail.

In the foundation, this part, in addition to transferring the load down to the support, performs 2 tasks of its own:

hydraulic fracturing between soil and walls;
underground ventilation.

An obstacle to the capillary rise of moisture along materials (concrete, brick, wood) is provided by laying waterproofing along the upper plane of the base. The height to which the basement wall is raised protects against water falling on outer surface buildings in the form of secondary drops, contacting snow cover, soil and debris deposits, as shown in this figure:

A clear answer to the question of why it is necessary to observe the minimum required height of the basement above the blind area near the walls of the house shows on practical example specialist in this video:

Insulation

Regardless of, cottage or has several tiers, wooden or brick, the plinth is combined into a single whole with the underground part of the foundation with a heat-insulating and waterproofing coating.

The lifting height above the ground is calculated taking into account the protection of the internal structures of the first floor floor, as shown in this drawing:

In this example, the plinth is raised above the zero mark by 0.6 m, since 0.2 m is the thickness of the floor slab. The second component of 0.4 m may be due to the thickness of the snow cover, characteristic of the area and the size of the air, which are located 0.1 m above the snow.

Monolithic strip foundations to maintain the desired height are often made in a combined (by materials) version. For this above-ground part tapes with products are laid out from red burnt bricks, as in this photo:

At the same time, one should not unnecessarily arrange a high base (with a margin), as the cost of base insulation increases. Depending on the type constructive solution heat loss from the surface of the protruding base reaches from 10% to 15%. In the case of a high non-insulated basement made of concrete, brick, rubble stone, this value can grow up to 40%.

The influence of the blind area

AT design solutions light or medium weight houses, the basement is usually a continuation of an underground support made of the same material. The minimum height above the ground, permitted by SNiP, is 0.2 m. Support belts with a size of 0.4 - 0.7 m work practically effectively. Reduce material consumption by reducing overall height foundation allows insulated blind area around the perimeter of the building.

One of the parameters that determines the depth of the foundation is the depth of freezing of the earth in a given climatic region. The indicator is given in the following reference table:

The total size of the support (tape, pile, pole) in height in the project will be 0.5 m more (standard requirement).

To accept a smaller depth of support at home, allows the option of local insulation mounted under concrete blind area around the building.

With the appropriate thickness of the insulation, the absence in the construction project basements in most areas, in order to obtain a stable capital support for the cottage, you can limit yourself to pouring the MZLF with manual digging of trenches and installing low formwork, as in the following photo:

The concrete blind area protects against the penetration of water from the surface of the earth to the foundation materials, but it is necessary to provide an effective barrier against moisture flowing down the wall down to the basement during rain. It will depend on the selected type of wall and base mate:

Speaker. The basement part of the foundation is wider than the walls and requires additional installation a visor along the upper edge, which protects the surface located under it from flowing precipitation. Another function of such a visor is decorative ornament building facade.
sinking. Most reliable option, in which the junction of the outer wall and the basement plane is made with a step. Kali break off the edge without wetting the foundation, which increases the safety of operating conditions for the base material in combination with a waterproofing coating. In this type, there is no need to install fenders for drains.
In the same plane with the wall. It is not popular, since it still requires the construction of a protective visor that sticks out on the surface.

In order to understand the need for this measure (protection from water from the walls and its removal along the blind area to the drainage), you can calculate the average number of flowing liters in your area: the average rainfall × wall area × 30%.

Useful plinth

If desired, it is possible to arrange a cellar or a large basement in the underground space of the foundation, if the result of the conducted surveys of the engineering and geological characteristics of the construction site allows.

For specific building conditions, you can calculate how to equip utility room even for a private house standing on screw piles, support in the form of a slab, flooded soils or flood rises of groundwater to a mark of less than 2 m from ground level.

SNiP 31-01-2003 of the Russian Federation considers the basement to be a room below ground level at a depth not exceeding 1/2 of its height. The height of the above-ground part cannot exceed 2 m.

Structurally, the device of such a foundation with a basement level differs little from the usual deepening.

The base of the concrete slab view is poured to the calculated depth and walls are erected on it. Tape base it is made monolithic or from foundation blocks, its deaf underground part evenly passes into the basement wall with windows and air ducts.

An example of installing a monolithic first floor on a slab is visible in the photo:

The characteristics of materials for such construction will depend on the characteristics of the soil and climate in a particular area. On dry, stable soils, you can take hollow blocks with low weight. Their main advantage is low thermal conductivity, which reduces heating costs during the construction of an operated basement level.

To get a useful room for various needs without increasing the area allotted for the construction of a private house, allows the foundation with a technical room, a cellar or a garage, laid down in the terms of the assignment at the stage of drafting the project.

If accommodation in the basement useful rooms provided before the start construction works, then you can get a tangible effect from the invested costs. But when the building has already been commissioned and is in operation, the need to maintain stability and bearing capacity the finished foundation imposes significant restrictions on the possible layout of the basement space and technological operations on his equipment.

The plinth is called outer wall foundation on which the façade rests. At the same time, this is the upper part of the basement walls, if it exists. The height of the plinth depends on the type of foundation, the general design of the house, the nature of the soil, designated purpose basement. There are certain building regulations in this regard.

Some homeowners believe that if there is no basement, then the basement is useless, you can make the foundation flush with the ground.

house design without basement

This is mistake. The main task of the base is to isolate the facade from contact with the ground. And so that soil water does not rise from the ground along the concrete in a capillary way, a layer of roofing material is laid between the facade and basement walls.

Base scheme

The plinth must be high enough, regardless of the materials of the facade: wood, foam and cinder concrete, bricks equally suffer from water.

In addition to protecting the walls of the house from destruction, the plinth also solves other problems:

protects the facade from pollution (due to the proximity of the earth, the lower part of the house suffers from them the most);
protects the upholstery from mechanical damage(basement cladding is orders of magnitude stronger than facade cladding);
compensates for shrinkage due to the load from the house;
isolates from harmful effects basement ceiling (most often wooden);
raises thermal insulation characteristics basement;
gives the appearance of the house aesthetic completeness.
provides its full ventilation (air vents are usually located in the basement of the foundation);

When designing a basement, one should take into account the climate (average temperature in cold weather), the average annual rainfall. You can determine the minimum basement height for your site empirically: measure the depth of the snow cover for several winters and add 10 cm of margin to the average value.

note

The minimum height of the base above the ground according to SNiP for the southern regions is 20 cm (preferably 30-40). If the house is wooden, the distance from the ground is preferably from 50 to 90. If there is a basement, the recommended basement height can reach 2 meters.

A high plinth is more expensive than a low plinth due to the increase in the amount of work on concreting. But in the calculations, savings are in second place, in the first place - strength and performance characteristics, which largely depend on the material of the facade.

The height of the plinth is also affected by its position relative to the facade wall. There are three options:

sinking - the plane of the base is recessed inward relative to the facade. It is possible only if the thickness of the facade wall is large enough;

flush with the facade;

speaker. This option is the only one possible if the thickness of the facade walls is small, and also if the project provides for a basement.

The advantages of the third option are increased thermal insulation characteristics (a necessary property when installing an operated basement). In all other cases, the first option is preferable: overhanging facade wall reliably protects the basis from atmospheric factors and mechanical damages. Obviously, the height of the sinking base should be minimal, because. as it increases, the degree of protection decreases.

Foundation options for the height of the basement in a private house

There are design differences for plinths on low foundations (strip, pile-strip, slab) and elevated (pile, column). In the first case, no air gaps between the ground and the floor of the first floor does not exist, the interior space is completely covered with concrete or brick tape - or top strip foundation, or superstructure along the perimeter of the slab. In the second case, a gap remains between the ground and the ceiling, the height of which is determined by the height of the above-ground part of the pillars or piles.

basement at the house with a pile foundation

The choice of the type of foundation depends on the characteristics of the soil, topography, and the mass of the building. This issue is resolved at the design stage of the house.

With a low foundation, the basement can be monolithic or prefabricated - from blocks, bricks. The second option involves less protection of the base from harmful factors.

brick basement scheme on a strip foundation

Greater attention is being paid exterior finish, not so much for aesthetic as for protective reasons. In any case, a blind area is performed (at least for removal from the base atmospheric waters), and at a high occurrence groundwater- drainage system. Max Height such a plinth is limited mainly by economic considerations.

The pile foundation can be low (the grillage lies directly on the ground) or elevated. Columnar, usually elevated. Since it is considered the most unstable, the height must be at least 20 centimeters (to compensate for heaving of the soil). To ensure sufficient thermal insulation inner space houses, the gaps between the pillars / piles are laid with bricks, covered with asbestos-cement slabs or wooden / plywood shields.

example of basement insulation and strapping pile screw foundation

example internal insulation pile foundation plinth

example of basement insulation outside the pile foundation

example of finishing the plinth of a pile foundation

The maximum height of such a plinth is structurally limited: too high above-ground load-bearing part it can not be.

What is the best basement height?

All of the above does not depend on the presence of an operated basement. Ground floor - important decision in terms of rational planning of space in the house and on the site. Suitable for solving almost any task: if desired, you can equip here not only a cellar or a boiler room, but also a study, a home theater, a bedroom. Even taking into account the additional costs of the foundation, the high height of the plinth for one-story house will cost less than the device of the second floor.

note

Overall Height ground floor(according to SNiP) - at least 2.5 meters. More.

Characteristics of the floor according to the standards:

ceiling height relative to ground level - within two meters;
deepening the basement floor into the ground - no more than half the height of the basement.

The height of the basement floor of your house will also depend on the purpose of the basement. If you are planning to make a bedroom or a room for comfortable rest, it is better to be guided by the maximum value; when arranging a utility compartment at ceiling height, you can save (within reasonable limits).

Tags: basement height snip basement ground floor

The basement is the lower part of the outer wall of the building, which is erected on the base and plays the role of a barrier between the wall and the destructive effects of atmospheric phenomena. A building without a basement is at risk from mold and rot and is less able to retain heat inside during the cold season. The main condition for a brick base on a strip foundation is high strength. Its structure must withstand the entire mass of the walls of the building. Helping you reach your target quality materials With high level resistance to frost, moisture and pressure resistance.

Types of plinth used in construction

To date, there are three options for the basement, which are used in the construction of residential premises:

Exit plinth. From the name you can understand that such a coating goes beyond the outer walls of the house. This kind of basement will be used if they want to achieve additional heat resistance during frost, or if this is required by the style of the building itself, because from an aesthetic point of view this option more attractive. So that water does not linger on the surface of the base, it is usually equipped with grooves or a drainage system.
Plinth end-to-end with external walls in recent times is used extremely rarely. This fact is due, first of all, to the absence of any useful properties in this type of base.
The recessed base will be used in the construction of residential buildings. Erected 6 cm deeper than the plane of the outer walls, this type of plinth can save money on organizing water runoff, and also ensure the safety of the waterproofing layer.

What should be the width of the plinth

The dimensions of the basement directly depend on the material from which the walls of the building will be built. Such information is always contained in the general plan and on the project drawing. With walls made of foam block (which is sometimes also called gas silicate brick) with a long surface of 60 cm, a width of 30 cm and a height of 20 cm, the masonry must have a thickness of at least 30 cm.

If further construction involves the equipment of an additional insulating layer on top of the walls, then the basement width should ideally be 38 cm. However, in the case when the brick is used as decorative element, built on top of the walls of foam concrete blocks, the thickness of the base increases by another 22 cm, after which it will be at least 60 cm.

Determining the height

Until now, the masters of the construction business do not have an unambiguous answer to the question of what should be the height of the basement. As the level at which top point masonry, it is best to take the height of those that have fallen in a few recent years atmospheric precipitation. This masonry technology is the most reliable and guarantees a long service life for a future building erected on a brick strip foundation.

But in practice, the most common basement masonry with a height equal to the floor of the first floor in the building. This technique also applies to buildings with a basement. Fashion and style trends in our time imply the presence of a high and massive plinth in the house, which are able to highlight the living space, giving it elegance and elegance.

Insulated brick base on a strip foundation

We remind you that all work on the organization of the basement is carried out on the erected tape base.

We outline the corners

One of the most important rules in the construction of not only the base, but any building in general, can be considered the correct definition of the corners of the structure. Negligence in this matter will certainly lead to a curvature of the surface of the walls, which will eventually lead to their partial or even full bearing capacity.

Several technologies are used to correctly set the corners, but the following technique is considered the simplest:

At all corners of the base of the building, a row of bricks is laid out without the use of cement mortar. In this case, the planned width must be observed. future design. The corners are inserted using the building level.
Next, measure the length and width on both sides, as well as the diagonals. All readings must match to the nearest centimeter. Measurements are carried out using a tape measure or twine.
It does not hurt to check the future walls again for irregularities. To do this, use the same twine.

Base surface waterproofing

To ensure reliable protection basement masonry from groundwater, care should be taken to organize the upper part of the foundation insulating layer, the functions of which can be performed by a roofing material folded in half. It is glued to the surface of the base with bituminous mastic, burner or heated bitumen. Also, glass isol, euroroofing material or an improved type of roofing material, which is based on cardboard - rubemast, is used as a waterproofing layer.

Bricklaying

Having provided the surface of the foundation with a waterproofing layer, you can start laying a brick basement. For fastening the bars, a solution of cement, sand and water is used. When building a basement, only red brick is used without holes and cavities.

They start laying out the base from the corners, placing the rows opposite each other, and covering the surface of the material with a solution 2-2.5 cm thick. After laying out several rows, the surface is checked with a level.

Having reached the minimum height of the base, which is 4 rows of standard bricks, you can begin to build walls. Trim the surface of the base decorative stone or siding. It is not uncommon to resort to decorating the basement. finishing tiles. With the help of a basement coating, the strip foundation is leveled with a brick.

If there is a basement floor in the room, holes in the basement for ventilation should be provided. They are located at a height of 10-15 cm from the soil. Dimensions depend on the diameter of the vent pipe. From above, the plinth is covered with a waterproofing layer, the same as the surface of the foundation was covered earlier.

Video about laying bricks on a strip base:

The basement can be a useful room

In the distribution of costs for building a house, the foundation can take up to 30% - 40%, therefore, if you want to save on this part, the minimum height of the basement must still be observed, as a necessary condition for the long operation of the building. The elevation of the supporting structure above the ground performs a number of important functions, and it is provided for in all types of foundations. A properly made plinth fulfills its tasks, regardless of whether a basement, a cellar is built in it, or it is just pillars sheathed with siding for an easy outbuilding.

Basement tasks

The height of the basement above ground level, when building your own house on your own, often pays less attention than the depth of the foundation. It is not standardized so strictly and is not described in the requirements of GOSTs in such detail.

In the foundation, this part, in addition to transferring the load down to the support, performs 2 tasks of its own:

hydraulic fracturing between soil and walls;
underground ventilation.

An obstacle to the capillary rise of moisture along materials (concrete, brick, wood) is provided by laying waterproofing along the upper plane of the base. The height to which the basement wall is raised protects against water entering the exterior surface of the building in the form of secondary drops, contact snow cover, soil and debris, as shown in this figure:

A clear answer to the question of why it is necessary to observe the minimum required height of the base above the blind area near the walls of the house is shown by a practical example of a specialist in this video:

Insulation

Regardless of whether it is a one-story house or has several tiers, wooden or brick, the basement is combined into a single unit with the underground part of the foundation with a heat-insulating and waterproofing coating.

The lifting height above the ground is calculated taking into account the protection of the internal structures of the first floor floor, as shown in this drawing:

Concrete strip built on with bricks

Monolithic strip foundations to maintain the desired height are often made in a combined (by materials) version. To do this, the above-ground part of the tape with the products is laid out of red burnt brick, as in this photo:

At the same time, one should not unnecessarily arrange a high base (with a margin), as the cost of base insulation increases. Depending on the type of design solution, heat loss from the surface of the protruding base reaches from 10% to 15%. In the case of a high non-insulated basement made of concrete, brick, rubble stone, this value can grow up to 40%.

The influence of the blind area

In design solutions for a light or medium weight house, the basement is usually a continuation of an underground support made of the same material. The minimum height above the ground, permitted by SNiP, is 0.2 m. Support belts of 0.4 - 0.7 m in size work practically effectively. The insulated blind area along the perimeter of the building allows reducing material consumption by reducing the overall height of the foundation.

One of the parameters that determines the depth of the foundation is the depth of freezing of the earth in a given climatic region. The indicator is given in the following reference table:

The total size of the support (tape, pile, pole) in height in the project will be 0.5 m more (standard requirement).

Minimum plinth

To accept a smaller depth of support at home, allows the option of local insulation, mounted under a concrete pavement around the building.

With the appropriate thickness of the insulation, the absence of basements in the construction project in most areas, in order to obtain a stable capital support for the cottage, it can be limited to pouring MZLF with manual digging of trenches and installation of low formwork, as in the following photo:

Speaker. The basement part of the foundation is wider than the walls and requires an additional installation of a visor along the upper edge, which protects the surface located under it from flowing precipitation. Another function of such a visor is a decorative decoration of the facade of the building.
sinking. The most reliable option, in which the junction of the outer wall and the basement plane is made with a step. Kali break off the edge without wetting the foundation, which increases the safety of operating conditions for the base material in combination with a waterproofing coating. In this type, there is no need to install fenders for drains.
In the same plane with the wall. It is not popular, since it still requires the construction of a protective visor that sticks out on the surface.

In order to understand the need for this measure (protection from water from the walls and its removal along the blind area to the drainage), you can calculate the average number of flowing liters in your area: the average rainfall × wall area × 30%.

Useful plinth

For specific construction conditions, it is possible to calculate how to equip a useful room even for a private house standing on screw piles, a support in the form of a slab, flooded soils or flood groundwater rises to a mark of less than 2 m from ground level.

SNiP 31-01-2003 of the Russian Federation considers the basement to be a room below ground level at a depth not exceeding 1/2 of its height. The height of the above-ground part cannot exceed 2 m.

Structurally, the device of such a foundation with a basement level differs little from the usual deepening.

The base of the concrete slab view is poured to the calculated depth and walls are erected on it. The tape base is made monolithic or from foundation blocks, its deaf underground part evenly passes into the basement wall with windows and air vents.

Monolithic plinth on a slope

An example of installing a monolithic first floor on a slab is visible in the photo:

The characteristics of materials for such construction will depend on the characteristics of the soil and climate in a particular area. On dry, stable soils, hollow blocks with a low mass can be taken. Their main advantage is low thermal conductivity, which reduces heating costs during the construction of an operated basement level.

If the placement of useful rooms in the basement is provided even before the start of construction work, then you can get a tangible effect from the invested costs. But when the building has already been commissioned and is in operation, the need to maintain the stability and bearing capacity of the finished foundation imposes significant restrictions on the possible layout of the basement space and technological operations for its equipment.

The plinth is the outer wall of the foundation, on which the facade rests. At the same time, this is the upper part of the basement walls, if it exists. The height of the basement depends on the type of foundation, the overall design of the house, the nature of the soil, and the purpose of the basement. There are certain building regulations in this regard.

What is the height of the plinth?

Some homeowners believe that if there is no basement, then the basement is useless, you can make the foundation flush with the ground.

The plinth must be high enough, regardless of the materials of the facade: wood, foam and cinder concrete, bricks equally suffer from water.

In addition to protecting the walls of the house from destruction, the plinth also solves other problems:

protects the facade from pollution (due to the proximity of the earth, the lower part of the house suffers from them the most);
protects the cladding from mechanical damage (basement cladding is orders of magnitude stronger than facade cladding);
compensates for shrinkage due to the load from the house;
isolates the basement ceiling (most often wooden) from harmful influences;
increases the thermal insulation characteristics of the basement;
gives the appearance of the house aesthetic completeness.
provides its full value (usually located in the basement of the foundation);

note

A high plinth is more expensive than a low plinth due to the increase in the amount of work on concreting. But in the calculations, savings are in second place, in the first place are strength and performance, which largely depend on the material of the facade.

The height of the plinth is also affected by its position relative to the facade wall. There are three options:

sinking - the plane of the base is recessed inward relative to the facade. It is possible only if the thickness of the facade wall is large enough;

flush with the facade;

speaker. This option is the only possible one if the thickness of the facade walls is small, and also if the project provides for.

The advantages of the third option are increased thermal insulation characteristics (a necessary property when installing an operated basement). In all other cases, the first option is preferable: the overhanging facade wall reliably protects the base from atmospheric factors and mechanical damage. Obviously, the height of the sinking base should be minimal, because. as it increases, the degree of protection decreases.

Foundation options for the height of the basement in a private house

There are design differences for plinths on low foundations (strip, pile-strip, slab) and elevated (pile,). In the first case, there are no air gaps between the ground and the floor of the first floor, the internal space is completely closed with concrete or tape - either the upper part of the tape foundation, or a superstructure along the perimeter of the slab. In the second case, a gap remains between the ground and the ceiling, the height of which is determined by the height of the above-ground part of the pillars or piles.

The choice depends on the characteristics of the soil, the relief, the mass of the building. This issue is resolved at the design stage of the house.

With a low foundation, the basement can be monolithic or prefabricated - from blocks, bricks. The second option involves less protection of the base from harmful factors.

Increased attention is paid to the exterior finish, not so much for aesthetic as for protective reasons. In any case, a blind area is performed (at least to divert atmospheric water from the base), and with a high occurrence of groundwater, a system. The maximum height of such a plinth is limited mainly by economic considerations.

It can be low (the grillage lies directly on the ground) or elevated. Columnar, usually elevated. Since it is considered the most unstable, the height must be at least 20 centimeters (to compensate for heaving of the soil). To ensure sufficient thermal insulation of the internal space of the house, the gaps between the pillars / piles are laid with bricks, covered with asbestos-cement slabs or wooden / plywood panels.

an example of basement insulation and piping of a pile-screw foundation

example of basement insulation outside the pile foundation

The maximum height of such a plinth is structurally limited: the above-ground bearing part cannot be too high.

What is the best basement height?

All of the above does not depend on the presence of an operated basement. The basement floor is an important decision in terms of rational space planning in the house and on the site. Suitable for solving almost any task: if desired, you can equip here not only a cellar or a boiler room, but also a study, a home theater, a bedroom. Even taking into account the additional costs of the foundation, a large basement height for a one-story house will be cheaper than building a second floor.

Characteristics of the floor according to the standards:

ceiling height relative to ground level - within two meters;
deepening the basement floor into the ground - no more than half the height of the basement.

The height of the basement floor of your house will also depend on the purpose of the basement. If you are planning to make a bedroom or a room for a comfortable stay, it is better to be guided by the maximum value; when arranging a utility compartment at ceiling height, you can save (within reasonable limits).