The foundation is the foundation of any home. Both the durability of the future building and its operational characteristics will depend on its quality. There are several types of foundations: strip, columnar, slab and pile. Regardless of which type is chosen for the construction of the building, the most important thing is to properly prepare the concrete mixture.
Any foundation mortar consists primarily of cement, sand, gravel and water. In special cases, various plasticizers are added to the mixture. Most often it is lime or clay. The brand of cement is chosen based on what type of soil the house will be built on, in addition, the level of groundwater occurrence is also taken into account. The quality of the mixture ultimately also depends on how correctly the sand and the size of the gravel fractions are selected.
Mortar for the foundation is most often made from cement grade M300-400. When using the first, the proportion of cement / sand / gravel is 1/3/5. When using cement grade M400, it is permissible to add four parts of sand to the mixture. However, thisonly if the soil in the area is dry and has good bearing capacity. For clayey wet soils when building on slopes, quicksand, etc., it is best to use cement grade M500.
As for sand, river coarse-grained is usually chosen for the foundation. In this case, it is imperative to ensure that there are no organic inclusions in it, as well as clay. The foundation mortar should include only well-sifted sand. Under no circumstances should slag be used instead. The fact is that slag concrete absorbs moisture very strongly. A house with such a base will be constantly damp.
Concrete for strip foundations, like for everyone else, usually contains five parts of crushed stone or gravel. Sometimes private developers also use rubble stone. In the latter case, you can save a significant amount of money. In this case, the solution is diluted in the proportion of cement / sand: 1/3. Preliminarily, concrete is laid at the bottom of the pit, then a medium-sized rubble stone. This is done in such a way that the distance between the individual elements is at least 2-3 cm. After that, the next layer of mortar is poured with a rammer. Then another stone, etc.
Some private home builders use an even cheaper foundation mortar - soil cement. In this case, instead of sand, they take slurry, loam or loess. In addition to being cheap, such a foundation has another advantage - over time, its strength qualities are quite strong.increase. In this case, the proportions of the mixture are usually used the same as when using sand.
Many developers order ready mix concrete from construction companies. Such a solution costs not much more than the dry ingredients necessary for its preparation at home. At the same time, you do not need to spend time and effort on a rather laborious operation for its independent kneading. In addition, you can get much better quality concrete. The solution, the delivery of which is usually carried out quite quickly, is prepared in this case on professional equipment, and therefore has the best characteristics. It is transported in special vehicles with concrete mixers.
