What are the foundations. Types of foundations and their description

The construction of any building, whether it's a private cottage, a sauna or a garage, begins with a foundation laying. About what the foundations are, let's talk in this article. And also consider what type is more suitable for this or that design and without which you can not do without laying the foundation.

What types of foundations are there and how to make the right choice?

The foundation is an underground part of the structure. Although it is not visible, but this part is the main load in operation. The foundation has to withstand the weight of load-bearing walls, floors, equipment inside. It is not surprising that the life of the house depends directly on its strength and durability.

Choosing the right foundation is not an easy task. A variety of factors should be taken into account. Among them, the relief and type of soil, the level of occurrence of groundwater, the depth of freezing and others. Also, when designing, it is important to take into account the weight of all elements, from building materials to furniture and equipment to be used in the building. Types of foundations and their description - all this is presented below in the review.

Pile foundations

This option, perhaps, is one of the simplest and budget-priced. Piles will be suitable even for weak soils, since the load will be produced on denser and deeper layers. The bearing capacity of this type of foundation is quite large, and it is not difficult to carry out excavation work. They are used mainly in private low-rise and high-rise buildings.

Pile foundations are different. The piles themselves can be located either vertically to the surface or under a slope. The degree of immersion in the soil is also variable. What are piles for the foundation? They can be wooden, metal or reinforced concrete. And by the degree of location - single, ribbon or in the form of entire pile fields. Everything depends on the number of storeys, weight and dimensions of the future construction.

Belt foundations

Such a foundation is the most universal of all. Tape foundations are used on all types of soil and for any type of construction. Moreover, if in the future building is provided for the construction of a basement or a garage, experts recommend that this type of foundation be laid.

Tape foundations are arranged at different depths, depending on the weight of the bearing walls and the very construction of the house. At the same time, various materials are used: brick, reinforced concrete blocks or popular butane concrete today. Of course, when choosing it is necessary to take into account the type of soil, the level of occurrence of groundwater and the potential danger of destruction of the ground.

Columnal foundations

As you can see from the name, this is the base of the pillars, which are located at certain frequencies in the corners and along the entire perimeter of the house. It is these pillars that subsequently account for the main burden. Speaking about what are the foundations for construction in a cold climate, most often the choice is in favor of columnar - because they are not afraid of even deep freezing. Harsh soils are another reason for the application of this base.

The pillars for the foundation are made of different materials, including concrete and reinforced concrete, brick, natural stone, wood, butobeton and others. The disadvantages are the risk of overturning on weak soils.

Monolithic (plate) foundations

For territories with a high level of groundwater, and also weak soils, a monolithic slab is an optimal choice. The laying of such a foundation is carried out over the entire area of the building, and for added reliability it is strengthened by a reinforced concrete frame. That is, the base is located under the area of the entire structure. This unification with the basic structure ensures a minimal probability of further subsidence and destruction of the building.

Plate foundation will be the best solution for construction in seismically active zones. Although this type is the most expensive and laborious in implementation, but the costs are worth it. In addition, no matter what the foundations of a monolithic type are, it is quite easy to calculate and design them.

Foundations of small deposits

If the main task in the construction of a house is to save time and money, then this foundation will do just fine. After all their arrangement will cost cheaply and is carried out quickly enough. Of course, for multi-storey and heavy structures they are unacceptable, but for light structures will be ideal. An additional advantage of the foundations of shallow laying is the possibility to use them in cold climatic zones, as well as in areas where there is a great danger of swelling of the soil.

Every home has its own foundation!

When it was decided with the type of soil and the terrain, it's time to decide which construction is supposed to be erected. After all, the storeys, dimensions, design characteristics also directly affect the type of foundation.

Wooden house building, widely spread in our country from time immemorial, is once again gaining its former popularity. Of course, for buildings made of wood, a qualitative foundation is also needed. What the foundations for a wooden house can be depends, first of all, on weight. After all, wooden buildings can be erected from a beam or a solid log, be single or multi-storey, faced with heavy materials, etc. Still, the main types of foundations of a private house made of wood are pile, columnar and ribbon with a shallow depth. They are inexpensive, easy to implement and are suitable for light buildings, which are wooden houses.

For small dachas of seasonal residence, baths and farm buildings from wood the best choice will be a columnar foundation. Be careful: his choice will not allow the arrangement of the basement in the house, so keep this in mind when designing.

A profitable solution to the foundation for the wooden construction will be the use of bored piles. They are asbestos-cement pipes, the construction of which is reinforced with the help of reinforcing cage and concrete pouring. In this case, the pipes are the main load from the operation of the house. When laying such a foundation, it is necessary to drill wells deeper than the freezing level of the soil, mount the pipes and reinforcement cage, and then combine all this with concrete.

The foundation of the boring type is economical and easy to implement, it can be used without any problems on weak types of soils. At the same time it is permissible to build on its basis both one- and two-storey cottages made of wood.

As for heavy multi-storey buildings made of concrete, brick and reinforced concrete, the ribbon foundation has proved to be the best. When it is erected, strong and reliable materials are used, mostly concrete and reinforced concrete, with reinforcing cage. If a multistoried building is built on abrasive soil, it is better to use not a prefabricated slab, but a monolithic base that will protect the house from soil movements and freezing.

Armature - an integral part of the foundation

Armature is necessary for almost any foundation. In its types, classes and varieties, too, it is better to understand better. After all, having carefully studied what are the foundations, it is possible to identify the factors that influence the choice of reinforcement for a particular type.

In the professional environment, the reinforcement can also be found under the name of reinforcing bar or rod, rod or reinforcing steel. Its purpose is to give greater rigidity and strength to the foundation. The armature can be smooth or ribbed, hot or cold rolled, non-stretchable and prestressed. It all depends on the technology of its production, the type of profile and quality of materials, as well as the conditions of use in concrete.

Talking about what kind of reinforcement is for a foundation, one can not help but dwell on its mechanical properties, in other words - classes.

Classes of reinforcement used to lay foundations

• A1 - armature with a smooth (not ribbed) surface and high plasticity. Indispensable in conditions of stretching. Its adhesion to concrete is small, therefore, as a basic in the arrangement of the foundation, such reinforcement is not used. But it is well suited for fastening the main frame.
• A2 and A3 are the most common types for laying the tape base. This is a corrugated reinforcement, which can be found both in bays and in rods. Provides good coupling of the concrete base after pouring, has good resistance, high compression and stretching characteristics.
• A4, A5, A6, similar in their technical characteristics and diameter profile of the variety, but different in the grade of steel from which they are produced. Also very popular in laying the foundation of different types.

Metal or fiberglass: what to choose?

Depending on the raw materials used in production, the reinforcement can be steel or polymer. If you have not decided what to choose for your construction, carefully weigh the pros and cons of both types.

Steel reinforcement is durable and reliable, resistant to external influences and durable. It withstands heavy loads on the deflection, is represented in a wide range of diametrical values and any length of the rod. The disadvantages of this type include a large weight and susceptibility to corrosion over time.

Fiberglass reinforcement of such drawbacks is deprived. With a similar diameter, it is four times lighter than metal, convenient to transport and safely tolerates the effects of moisture. Unlike steel, fiberglass does not conduct heat, so such an armature will eliminate the appearance of the notorious "cold bridges" and increase the thermal insulation characteristics of the entire structure. But it is not devoid of shortcomings in the form of impossibility to conduct welding operations and perform bending during the installation process.

Summing up

So, what is the foundation under the house and what is the armature for it, you know. Now it remains only to make the right choice based on specific conditions. It is necessary to rely on the available information on the ground and its features, the depth of the location of groundwater, the climatic conditions of the region and so on.

Do not forget to take into account the material from which the construction itself is built. For example, stone and concrete buildings require greater depth and width, as well as greater strength of the foundation. While in the construction of a wooden house, you can do less and reduce labor intensity. Consider the number of storeys: even if the walls are as light and thin as possible, a two- or more-storey house requires a more thorough calculation of the foundation.

Regardless of what the foundations are and what choices you make, the foundation is still the strongest and most stable part of the building. Therefore, the minimum height of the foundation should be 20 cm. Practically, this figure is from 0.5 to 1 meter - depending on the above criteria. It is also recommended to increase the level of penetration when the load on the foundation is increased.

We told you about the foundations. Comparison of species, advantages and disadvantages of each of them, the scope of application - all this should serve as the basis for the right choice.