Recently, it has become popular to build monolithic houses. This technology has long been used by builders in Europe and the United States for the construction of cottages. In Russia, it is used quite recently and is gaining rapid popularity and demand. The advantages of such construction include the construction of buildings with a different number of floors, different shapes and design complexities and purposes: residential, multi-storey and industrial. A monolith is a solid reinforced concrete structure, fully prepared for the last construction stage, namely insulation and finishing. Monolithic houses differ from panel houses in that the entire production cycle of work is carried out at the construction site. These structures can be erected in the most compressed areas of the city center. There is also a wide choice of projects for the internal type of structures. Redevelopment in this room can be carried out without violating the strength of the supporting structures, which are minimized in this type of construction.
Advantages of Technology
The main advantages of the monolith can be called: time saving and shorter construction time;mechanical strength and rigidity; service life and durability - about 200 years; increasing the level of thermal insulation and sound insulation due to the seamlessness of the structure; less weight of the product; savings in construction costs.
Types of formwork
Monolithic houses have a base in the form of formwork, removable and fixed. In the first case, a ready-made form is taken, a reinforced concrete structure is poured into it, and after the solution has solidified, it is removed. It turns out the necessary shape of the building. With a fixed option, the formwork is not removed, remaining part of the structure. It is made of durable and high-quality materials in the form of multiple empty blocks, which are subsequently filled with mortar, connecting all the elements with special locks to obtain a solid monolithic wall. In the production of fixed formwork, inexpensive expanded polystyrene is used, which looks like foam filled with gas. It perfectly retains heat and sound insulation. Construction techniques are constantly being improved, and now a monolithic residential building began to be built from a reinforced steel mesh superimposed on polystyrene and subsequently filled with another layer of concrete. Such simple manipulations allow polystyrene to maintain its qualities and be reliably protected from external damage.
Construction timeline
Monolithic houses are a great option for people who want to realize non-standard projects. After all, the blocks can be connected in a completely different sequence, which makes it possible to create non-standard and curved structures. And themconstruction requires a shorter period of time compared to prefabricated buildings. On average, it takes about two months to build a house with an area of 100 m2. A properly built cottage has a long service life, as reinforced concrete systems have a safety margin of approximately 300 years. When building a cottage, it is more expedient to resort to the help of experienced professionals who know a lot of subtleties when working with such material.
Subtleties of work
If you decide to build a monolithic house with your own hands, be sure to specify the type of soil and the depth of its freezing. You should also be aware that this type of cottage needs an improved ventilation system and if it is not properly planned, it will not “breathe” well. Importantly, the foundation in this construction method is laid with a perfectly flat surface.
