Learning to build a columnar foundation

Before building any structure, you need to lay the foundation. Since it is of several varieties, it will be necessary to dwell on one particular variant. His choice depends on what you are going to erect. If in your plans to build a house, garage, bath or other small structure, then the easiest way is to erect a columnar foundation. We will now talk about all its merits and about the erection.

The column foundation is a pillar stuck into the ground at a distance of 1.2-3 m from each other, and the columns must necessarily be located at the corners of the structure and at the intersections of walls (if their presence is provided).

The undoubted advantage of this type of foundation is its economy and speed of erection. Compared with the ribbon foundation, the columnar requires less concrete and reinforcement, and besides digging wells is much faster and easier than digging a trench, as in the case of a belt. Despite all the simplicity, the strength of such a foundation is quite high, though, if all the work was done correctly. Also worth noting is that this type of foundation excludes the option of building basements. The correct solution is a columnar foundation if the house is built on a slope or on very weak ground, which does not allow the use of another type of foundation.

Columns of this type of foundation can be made of different materials: concrete, brick, wood. Which materials to use, you decide, but note that the best option is just the same concrete. First, the columns of it are the most durable, and secondly, they do not crack under the influence of gravity or frost, and thirdly, the work on their erection is the fastest.

So, how is the columnar foundation erected? Most importantly, you already have on hand a plan for your structure and accurate calculations. In the area where the foundation is located, it is necessary to remove the top layer of soil about 20-30 cm thick. After that, we mark out the future foundation and designate the places for the pillars. Using a drill or hand grapple drill boreholes, whose diameter is 25 cm, and the depth is about 170 cm. The bottom 20 centimeters of each well are covered with crushed stone or gravel. We install in each well one pipe (this is the so-called columnar foundation of pipes) with a diameter of 20 cm, and then its outer walls are sealed with soil. Pay attention to the fact that the pipes stand vertically, if necessary fix them with horizontal formwork. The resulting hole in the pipe is filled one third with concrete, the pipe itself is lifted so that the concrete spills. As a result, an expanded base will be obtained, which makes the design even stronger and more resistant to various influences. The pipe should be lifted up to the height that is indicated in your plan. This height you should have been denoted by a stretched lace when marking the area. After this, the concrete is again poured into the pipe, not reaching its upper edge by 10-15 cm. When the mixture
Filled, insert the reinforced rod. Now it remains only to wait,
When the whole structure is solidified. Here everything will depend on the weather conditions: in
Sunny weather, concrete can freeze within 2-3 days, but often the time can be much longer - 1-1.5 weeks.

In principle, the columnar foundation is already ready. If desired, you can make it even stronger if you join all the columns together with a grill. Usually in its role serves concrete floors or slabs. Grillage can be placed 30-70 mm above the part of the columns that protrudes above the surface, or lay on the ground with support on the poles. The column foundation with a grill eliminates the possibility of inclination of the pillars, which means that the structure will be even more stable.