Nothing in the world lasts forever - this saying also applies to the foundations of old houses. Throughout the entire period of operation, they are exposed to external influences, gradually their physical characteristics become worse, and they are destroyed. House owners notice cracks in the walls, distortions of window and door openings. All these signs indicate that the foundation of the house is falling into disrepair and repair work is required to restore it.
How to strengthen the old foundation of the house? This question becomes topical for many owners of such buildings.
If the owner himself built his house, then he knows all the nuances of building his foundation. When repairing it will be much easier for him. But if the house was bought ready-made, then you will have to understand all the intricacies of the condition of the foundation before proceeding with the repair work.
Strengthening a foundation is different from creating a new foundation or simply repairing it. If you are not sure that you can handle it yourself, thenhire professional builders. And if you want to save money for the family budget, then, having studied the recommendations and tips written in this article, do this work yourself.
Next, we will consider how to strengthen the old foundation of a private house.
Stages of repair work
The first step is to find out the main reason that led to the destruction of the foundation of the house. This will eliminate it and protect the basis of the building from further destruction.
Causes affecting the integrity of the foundation
- The construction process was not observed. In this case, the repair work will be carried out at random. Their high-quality implementation will increase the life of the building by another 20-30 years.
- The level of groundwater has changed. Repair work involves the arrangement of the drainage of the base.
- There has been ground movement.
After determining the root cause, you need to outline the stages of repair work and prepare for their implementation.
Methods for strengthening the old foundation
There are several ways to answer the question of how to strengthen the old foundation of the house. Some of them require the use of the latest technology, but many developers continue to trust the old methods proven over the years.
All methods are not without their drawbacks and have a number of advantages. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account all the requirements and features of the method, and then proceed with the repair work.
Houses are built from different materials, so there are different ways to restore their foundations. For example, in order to strengthen the foundation of an old wooden house, it is necessary to raise it above the ground and work on laying a new foundation.
Ribbon basis
Strip foundation - one of the most popular in the construction of private buildings. Therefore, many owners are faced with the question of how to strengthen the foundation of an old house. The most common cause of skew in a building placed on such a base is heaving of the soil.
Work in progress
To strengthen the tape base of the house, it is necessary to achieve a balance of all forces acting on the foundation. To do this, you need to increase the base area.
A section of the wall 2 meters long is selected. A moat is dug along it to the depth of the base of the house. Its width is calculated according to the data obtained in the study of the old base. Often it is equal to the size of the old foundation.
The old base is being prepared for fastening it with the new one. To do this, drill holes for fittings and strobes. Next, the formwork and reinforcing cage for the new base are assembled. It is connected to the fittings inserted into the prepared holes. This is the main part of the work to strengthen the basis of the old house.
After completing the work on attaching the frame to the old base, the concrete solution is poured.
AfterWhen the concrete dries out completely, the renewed base is buried, and a new ditch is dug nearby, and the work is repeated. To save time, they can be made from different sides of the building at the same time.
The foundation is laid below the freezing point of the soil
The foundation of a house laid in this way is not affected by soil, but groundwater can wash away the earth from it. How to strengthen the foundation of an old house in this case will be described below.
Before starting work on strengthening the foundation, drainage work must be done. They are completed first, then all the concrete that has become unusable is removed.
Further work to strengthen the base is carried out in the same way as in the case of the tape base.
At the end of the repair work, blind areas around the perimeter of the house and other additional protection against moisture are installed.
Strengthening the base with piles
It happens that a worn base can only be strengthened in one way. How to strengthen the foundation of an old house with piles?
Piles can be screwed, driven or bored.
Screw method
This method is considered the most convenient and easy to do. Piles can be installed by any home master who does not have special skills. The pile is a pipe with a helical platform, thanks to which it is screwed into the ground. On the same site, the load of the house is redistributed. How to strengthen the old foundation of the house? The photo shows this (using screw piles).
Indentation method
If the building is very old, then all drilling is prohibited. The foundation can be strengthened only with the help of pressed piles. Such work is carried out by professionals and requires special equipment.
Bored method
In order to strengthen the foundation by this method, two-meter wells should be prepared. Then a reinforcing cage is mounted in them and concrete is poured. Beams are laid on the piles made, on which the old house being repaired is located. Work to strengthen the base in this way takes two months.
Repairing the foundation of brick or cinder block houses
How to strengthen the old foundation of a house made of cinder blocks and bricks, while not harming the integrity of the building, is written below.
To strengthen the basis of such buildings must be approached very responsibly. Usually the main task is to stop further subsidence of the building due to a weak foundation. Digging under the foundation in this case is unacceptable. You can strengthen the base with reinforcing solid belts made of reinforced concrete.
Steps of strengthening the foundation of houses made of bricks or cinder blocks:
- For the tape base, a ditch is cut out at an angle of 35 ° and a width of 50 cm. The base cushion must not be broken.
- The surface of the plinth or foundation is cleaned from old finishing materials. If the basis is destroyed in places, then these pieces are removed.
- The cleaned base is covered with a deep penetration primer. Further, the entire base or its individu althe destroyed parts are anchored with reinforcement. Holes for it are prepared using a perforator. If the foundation is made of rubble stone, then the anchors are hammered between them. The anchors are arranged in three rows with a step width of 60 cm.
- After installing all the anchors, they must be scalded with reinforcement, which is located horizontally.
- Then a metal mesh is attached to the reinforcement.
- The formwork is installed at a distance of 15 cm from the grid and the concrete solution is poured.
- After it dries, the soil is backfilled.
After the repair, the old base becomes like a solid reinforced concrete foundation. After studying this part of the article, you learned how to strengthen the foundation of an old house with a basement.
Repairing the base of a wooden house
Every owner of a wooden house should know how to repair the base. If there is a need to strengthen the base, certain work needs to be done.
Examination of the foundation will help determine the complexity of the upcoming work, identify defects in the basis. Based on the inspection, a decision is made whether the repair will be major or partial.
Types of base repair
Partial repair of the foundation is done if the integrity of the house is not broken.
If the base is made with wooden parts, some of which have rotted, then they should be replaced or the entire foundation changed. In order to do this kind of work,the building is raised to a certain height, and the base is built up with bricks or blocks of wood.
To determine the exact and appropriate base repair technology, you need to determine what the base was originally. If it was a strip base, then you can partially replace the destroyed areas or strengthen it around the entire perimeter of the old house. In case of severe destruction, the basis will have to be completely replaced.
If the original foundation of the house was made in a columnar way, then all the details of the foundation will have to be changed. The building rises to a height, this is done with the help of conventional jacks. How to strengthen the old foundation of a private house? The photo shows the moment the building was raised to a height.
The old concrete pad is being replaced with a new one. A new pole is mounted on it. After replacing all the details of the old foundation, the building is lowered onto the new foundation.
Replacing the old foundations of wooden buildings is a costly and inefficient job. In its implementation, the most important thing is to keep the building and all its structures in their original form. Fasteners are usually installed in window and door openings. To control the integrity of the house, beacons are installed that show its deformation.
Results
The article shows that there are no impossible jobs. You can strengthen any foundation of any structure. The question is, is it necessary to carry out such work, if their price can be more expensive than the oldest house? If you still decide to strengthen the foundation of the building, then this article will help you find out how to do it.article. When carrying out repair work, you should adhere to all the rules and recommendations written in this material. When strengthening the foundation of an old house, follow the safety rules, take care of the he alth of your helpers and your own.
