Do-it-yourself concrete porch is easy to do. This part is an important element of the exterior of a house or building for any other purpose. If you make a porch according to all the rules, then it will turn out not only durable, but also beautiful.
Need to follow installation rules
If you intend to build a concrete porch with your own hands, it is important to follow the technology of work. Otherwise, cracks may appear on the walls of the house. The finish coating of the structure may peel off if you neglect the rules. Among other things, subsidence of the new building in relation to the foundation of the main structure may occur.
It will be very difficult to fix such shortcomings, and in some cases, repair work will be completely impossible. This will cause additional labor and financial costs. The master will have to dismantle the structure reinforced with reinforcement, which is highly durable, and then install a new one.
Basic rules for building a porch
If you decide to build a concrete porch with your own hands, then it will be necessary to ensure the depth of the foundation of the new structure, which should be equal to the corresponding parameter inherent in the foundation of the house. When building a ring, you must connect it to the foundation of the main structure, this also applies to the case when construction is carried out after the construction of the house. You can carry out these manipulations by reinforcing the porch with a foundation.
Don't skimp on waterproofing a new structure's base, as this will incur costs for necessary repairs to the decorative finish that will need to be done periodically.
Preparation of tools and materials
Do-it-yourself concrete porch cannot be built if you do not prepare the appropriate materials, among which Portland cement can be distinguished. It must have the brand M 400 or M 500. Prepare both the gravel-sand mixture, as well as reinforcing bars, the diameter of which is 6.5 millimeters. In order to tie the reinforcement, it is necessary to use a wire, as well as a twisting device. You will need a hammer drill, which must be equipped with drills designed for concrete. In order for the structure to be strong, it is necessary to use a vibrator. The pouring will be carried out in the formwork system, which can be assembled from edged boards. The bars will act as formwork racks.
Toto give the reinforcement the desired size, it is necessary to use a grinder, which can be replaced with a bolt cutter. You can also prepare concrete manually, but this will prolong the work, so it is recommended to use a concrete mixer, which can be rented if one is not available. An electric or gasoline saw will help prepare the boards for formwork. Be sure to purchase bayonet and shovel shovels, this inventory will be needed for earthworks. Before you make a concrete porch with your own hands, you need to stock up on nails with which the formwork will be built. They have to be beaten with a hammer. A wheelbarrow should be used to transport concrete. You can waterproof the base with tar and roofing material.
Work on site preparation
If you are thinking about how to make a concrete porch with your own hands, you need to prepare a site for construction. To do this, the territory must be marked according to the size of the future structure. Next, the area is calculated, and the soil is removed to the depth of the foundation of the house. The next step is to install the formwork for pouring the base.
The porch of a house made of concrete with your own hands can be made more durable if you install reinforcement in the prepared pit. In the wall that will adjoin the building, it is necessary to make holes arranged in a row. This will ensure a reliable connection between the porch and the foundation of the building. The fittings must be installed along and across. The distance between these rowsmust be at least 10 cm. With the help of a wire, it is necessary to connect the rods together. Vertically oriented elements of the reinforcement cage should be a maximum of 20 centimeters higher in relation to the level of the foundation.
Concrete work
Before you build a concrete porch with your own hands, you need to prepare a solution. Portland cement, sand and gravel mixture must be added to its composition, using a ratio of 1: 4 for this. The amount of water must be determined independently, the mass should help to get the consistency of liquid porridge.
If you want to build a semicircular concrete porch with your own hands, you need to dig a hole of the appropriate shape. For formwork, use a material that will allow you to create a semicircle shape. Concrete after pouring must be compacted with a vibrator. After the mixture is poured, its surface must be leveled, covered with burlap or polyethylene, and then left for a period of up to 96 hours. After this time, it is necessary to strip the formwork, covering the hardened concrete from above and around the perimeter with molten tar.
Preparation of formwork for pouring steps
The number of steps should be determined based on the height of the future structure. However, do-it-yourself concrete steps for the porch should be made in such a way that their height is not more than 20 cm. While the width should not exceed 30 cm. It is recommended that the porch be 30 centimeters wider on each side ofboth edges of the front door.
Now you can start installing the wooden formwork for the steps. This must be done taking into account maximum tightness, otherwise the solution cannot be avoided. At the bottom of the formwork, it is necessary to additionally lay roofing material. The foundation pedestal should be treated in advance with liquid tar. These manipulations are necessary in order to exclude moisture infiltration and prevent the destruction of the steps. If they are adjacent to the walls on both sides, then the master can save on the amount of concrete used in the work, which is poured into the formwork. To do this, the box, which was formed by the formwork boards, must be covered with a gravel-sand mixture. It should be placed at some angle with respect to the outside of the steps.
Recommended by a professional
The steps must also be reinforced, the ends of the long rods must be inserted into the holes prepared in the foundation of the main building. If you will be making railings, then you need to foresee the moment, which involves bringing the ends of the rods three centimeters above the level of the steps. After pouring the concrete, it must be compacted until the voids are eliminated. Further, everything is covered with burlap and left for the same period as indicated above. At the next stage, you can remove the formwork.
Porch decoration implementation
For finishing work, you can use natural or artificial stone, as well as ceramictiles. It is important to ensure that the surface is rough. The side walls can be ennobled with clinker bricks. Suitable and siding, designed for the foundation. Clinker and paving slabs can be laid around the steps.
Conclusion
You can make a round porch of concrete with your own hands, and the use of formwork will help to provide any form of construction. It is important, first of all, to do the work, ensuring the strength of the porch.
Before starting, it is recommended to prepare a project, it is desirable that professionals do this. However, such work is sometimes very expensive. Therefore, it is good if you have a ready-made project available. Quite often, it becomes necessary to build a ring after the construction of the main building, however, experts advise planning such manipulations even at the initial stages of designing a house. Only in this way will you completely eliminate the possibility of cracks in the structure itself, as well as in the walls of the house. These rules are recommended to be taken into account at the very beginning of the work, which will eliminate many errors that often occur.
