Block foundation

In 2011, I ordered the Dubrava house with a veranda from the company Technologies from Moscow. The manager led us to the most expensive buried strip foundation of blocks with a guarantee of 2 years. Unfortunately, he did not stand for two years and swam in the spring of 2013, so the veranda fell off. Given that there was still a guarantee for the foundation, they called the company and called for workers who had not arrived.

After numerous repeated calls, the head of the warranty department said that according to the map, the house is on the shore of the lake (although in fact it is 2 km to the shore) and this case is not a guarantee. To a reasonable question, why did he say that block foundations are not intended for clay soils. Despite everything, they called their specialist, who came to take a picture and confirmed that it was impossible to build a block foundation on such soil and the case is not a guarantee.

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Carefully choose the type of foundation, require calculation

I would like to share my experience in the multiple construction of foundations of various types and their reaction to heaving soils. Firstly, all types of clay and alumina soils are considered heaving. In this case, the block foundation, which is being built, must be buried below the level of soil freezing, regardless of whether there will be a basement in the house or not.

The buoyant force that acts on the blocks, albeit invisible, is large enough to move even massive heavier buildings. And the bearing walls, if not cracked by thermal deformations and shrinkages, will affect the foundation in such a way that it can lose its integrity. At the same time, such a deep deepening (material consumption) in combination with waterproofing and a drainage system makes the strip foundation one of the most expensive.

Relatively quick installation
Short technological pauses between the construction of the foundation and the start of wall construction

Expensive construction
A large number of related systems (drainage, waterproofing, etc.) are required

The block foundation is ideal for houses in which it is planned to have a spacious basement or ground floor. Installation technology also does not cause great difficulties. Therefore, choosing the technology of the block foundation, I did the following. First I ordered a selection of land for the pit for the basement to a depth slightly higher than the height of the basement. In places where the blocks will stand, a sand cushion of 10 cm is poured under the wall of the pit.Then he put whole blocks in the corners of the house, and already from them we begin to arrange the rest. The next layer is installed on a normal sand-cement mortar like a brick and also with bandaging in blocks, i.e. the block on top lies on the joint between the blocks of the lower row. I think it’s not worth reminding that all this is done with the help of a crane. The cost of such an assembly is quite high, but you do not need to wait a month until the monolithic concrete hardens to start building the walls of the house.

High installation speed
High construction reliability
Suitable for the construction of multi-storey buildings

Expensive blocks
Expensive rental of construction equipment

When we mounted the block foundation for the house, it became a question of making it monolithic without gaps and then completely waterproofing. Having arranged the outer wall lining with some kind of material such as roofing material or bitumen, or leave a gap along the entire height of the block and then tinker with its sealing and sealing. I was inclined to think that it was necessary to drill, but a familiar mason advised me to indent blocks. It was argued that the water inlet under pressure doesn’t matter in principle, but the outgoing sewer should have a certain bias, since drains from the house go into the cesspool by gravity. It is much more convenient to place pipes in between the blocks. Since it is necessary to have a maneuver to adjust the tilt depending on the situation. The remaining 2/3 holes can be laid just like I did - with a brick.

Pretty high build speed
Reliable and strong foundation for any type of wall material

The high cost of work and building material