Wood in construction was used by our ancestors. Residential buildings of unique style were erected from it. Some architectural monuments erected from this material exist to this day. Time passed, and construction technologies gradually changed. Wood was replaced by brick, foam concrete, cinder block and so on. Only now wooden houses have gained their former popularity. They are raised from different types of forest. But not everyone knows which foundation is better for a house made of timber or logs.
How to choose a foundation?
The question of which foundation is better for a house made of timber worries a person who wants to build a dwelling from this material on his suburban area. After all, a solid foundation is the key to a long service life of the structure. The soil on the site is of great importance. And he can be:
- homogeneous;
- fine-grained;
- peaty.
An excellent option for any type of base is the first type of soil. To build a house on it, you will not need to be sophisticated with various technologies. The foundation in this case can be anything.
Note. On this basis, the structure will not shrink, deform under the influence of moisture and warp throughout the entire service life.
Fine-grained soils are not so practical. They can be sand or clay. They can withstand any load only in dry weather. But as soon as precipitation falls or flooding occurs, the soil immediately begins to “float”. This creates an additional load on the foundation, and for this reason it begins to deform: it changes shape, cracks.
Note. If it is wrong to choose the type of foundation for such soil, then over time this will cause deformation of the entire structure.
The most unfortunate is peat soil. As a rule, it can be found near forest plantations, in swampy areas, near lakes and other other bodies of water.
Important. Experts do not recommend building residential buildings on such soil, as they may begin to deform from moisture on the foundation.
In order to determine the type of soil on the site, special geodetic surveys are carried out. They will allow you to accurately determine which foundation is best suited for a house made of timber. According to the report, you can find out how much of a particular component is in the soil.
It is also worth considering the level of soil freezing on the site in a certain area. After all, the depth of the foundation should be below it. This will protect the entire structure from moisture in case of melting snow. You can set this level yourself. To do this, in early spring, when the snow melts, the soil surface is removed with a shovel and it is checked how deep the frozen soil is. Or you can ask a neighbor for advice or contact the geodetic service.
Varieties of foundations for a house made of timber
To determine exactly which foundation is best for a house made of timber, you must first know all the characteristics of the foundations that are used to build such buildings.
So, you can build:
- monolithic base;
- pile;
- tape;
- columnar;
- stove.
All these types of foundations differ not only in manufacturing technology, but also in their technical characteristics. Only based on them, you can determine what kind of foundation is needed for a house made of timber.
Note. First you need to find out from the experts everything about choosing a foundation for a house made of timber, so that the building is durable and will serve faithfully for more than one generation of residents.
Monolithic base for a wooden house
It is safe to say that such a foundation is the most practical and most popular for the construction of any home. Despite its advantages, it has one, but quite a significant drawback - the cost. When calculating such a basis, the amount of material required is taken into account:
- sand;
- cement;
- water;
- other optional components.
The latter include hardeners and other mineral substances that improve the strength of concrete and its resistance to almost all influences.
The advantages of such a foundation
Firstly, the base has extraordinary strength. Depending on its depth, it can support multi-story buildings of any material. Secondly, the foundation is durable. It does not have a specific lifespan. In some cases, even when demolishing a house, you can use the foundation to build a new one.
Advice. In this case, certain work is carried out to reconstruct and strengthen the foundation.
How to build a monolithic base?
Used to build this foundation for a timber house, instructions. So, the dimensions of the future structure are initially determined and a foundation pit of the required depth is dug. Next, formwork is made of wooden boards. Then you need to prepare a concrete solution. All ingredients are mixed in a concrete mixer so that the composition has a uniform structure.
Once the concrete is ready to be poured, reinforcement is laid to strengthen the foundation and mortar is poured.
Note. Such a foundation should dry and get stronger. It takes at least 20 days.
Some experts recommend letting the base dry for several seasons. It is especially important in this case to catch autumn and spring in the works.
Pile Foundation
If alreadyit is determined which foundation is better for a house made of timber, we choose materials for it. For example, if this is a pile foundation, then you will need piles made of wood or metal.
Important! Metal piles are considered the most durable and reliable. The material from which they are made is more resistant to various influences.
It cannot be said that wooden piles will be less reliable. Rather, they are less functional, as they cannot be used on all grounds.
Features of the pile foundation
The main advantage of this base is its versatility. It can be built on any soil, since the emphasis and loads of the structure will only affect the piles.
Note. It is for this reason that it is worth considering the load of the future structure in order to prevent the piles from deforming.
Such components of the base are deepened into the ground by at least 1.5 meters. It all depends on the number of storeys of the building and its mass. Piles in the construction will be much cheaper than a monolithic foundation. Because of this, they are often chosen for the construction of wooden structures.
Pits of a certain depth are dug out along the entire perimeter of the future building at a distance of no more than 1-1.5 m. They are sprinkled with:
- sand;
- gravel;
- rubble.
Then, according to the level in this pit, piles are set and concreted. The solution is prepared similarly to the construction of a monolithic base. During work, it is necessary to waterproof the piles with the help of roofing material andplastic film.
The foundation of this type gains strength within 30 days. After that, the upper trim is made of wood or metal pipes. Only then is a frame built on the foundation, on which the walls of the wooden house are mounted.
Strip foundation and its characteristics
Which foundation is best for a timber house? This question cannot be answered unambiguously. It all depends on the type of soil in the area. The strip foundation is something adjacent between the monolithic and pile foundations. It is made from:
- small poles;
- concrete mortar.
Firstly, marking is done and a shallow pit is dug.
Note. If the building is multi-storey, then it is better to make the foundation depth 1 m.
Secondly, the pillars are installed and concreted. Formwork is built on top of them and concrete mortar is poured. Since it is not possible to carry out all such work in one day, the filling is carried out in stages.
Important. Such a foundation gains strength in a few weeks.
Pillar base
This foundation is a type of pile foundation. Only now, instead of piles, concrete pillars are used. They can also be laid out of brick. Above the ground surface, such a foundation should protrude 30-50 cm.
Important. Such a base is well suited on soils that are prone to groundwater flooding. Due to the fact that the building will be at a height, moisture will notwill cause its destruction.
What kind of foundation is needed for a log house? The construction technology of this type of foundation is quite simple. Initially, recesses of 1-1.5 m are dug. Brick pillars are laid out in them or ready-made ones are installed. Then all this is poured with concrete mortar, in which, in addition to standard ingredients, crushed stone is added.
Slab Foundation
Can be any foundation for a house from a bar. Which one to choose from the well-known, many do not even know. The most important thing is to preliminarily evaluate the technical and qualitative indicators of the soil, the level of occurrence of soil water. The slab base is considered the least popular. This is due to the fact that it cannot be used on any soil. It does not have underground supports, and in case of flooding of a section of the slab, they can deform and move. All this happens even with a good connection.
Construct it on the surface of the soil with a small depression. Previously, in the place allotted for it, a backfill of sand and gravel is made. They also lay insulating materials that can protect the building from moisture and adverse climatic influences. Then the slabs are laid, the gaps between them are filled with concrete mortar. In some cases, reinforcement is used, which is laid out on top of the slabs and poured with concrete.
