A pillar to support a brick house. Pillar brick foundation. Seasonality of foundation works

It is not so difficult to build a columnar foundation made of bricks with your own hands. First of all, it is necessary to level the site as much as possible. Then mark it in accordance with the project of the future building, apply the locations of future pillars.

Marking is done with a strong rope. It is stretched in accordance with the lines of the load-bearing walls in parallel, and then perpendicularly. At the intersection of the threads, the pillars of the future foundation are placed.

The pillars are erected along the line of load-bearing walls and also at their intersections, since it is the load-bearing walls and intersections that will carry the main weight of the structure.

The foundation can be shallow - the height of the pillars does not exceed 50 - 70 centimeters and deep - the height of the pillars is up to 2 meters. It all depends on the soil on which the construction is being carried out.

The complexity of erecting a columnar foundation lies in the fact that it is inconvenient to lay out masonry in the prepared hole. In such cases, a wide trench is dug in which it will be possible to lay out a brick pillar with a void in the middle of the pillar.

After the erection of the pillars, the lower part that is in the ground is finished with waterproofing, in order to avoid the destruction of the brick by moisture and groundwater, the trenches are filled up and leveled with the rest of the earth.

The easiest way to make brick pillars is to make a small square box of boards as a template for the pillars, which is placed in place of future pillars, having previously made a flat area of concrete mortar.

A template is placed on the cooled site, lay out several rows of bricks around it, after removing the template, the internal space of the pillar will remain for pouring concrete, and continue to lay out the brick to the desired height.

Reinforcement with a section of 10-12 mm is inserted into the empty space of the finished pillars in such a way that the reinforcement protrudes 15-20 cm above the pillar to be connected to the foundation base, and is poured with concrete. When aligning the posts at the same height, use a spirit level, it will more accurately indicate the height of the posts.

The space between the pillars above the ground is also bricked with vents for ventilation. Or the formwork is placed as in a strip foundation, reinforced with reinforcement, and poured with concrete.

Before concreting, plastic sewer pipes with a diameter of 110 mm are inserted into the space between the formwork to ventilate the space under the house and remove communications.

These erections between the pillars are in no way connected with them and with each other in order to avoid a break during subsidence or some other natural phenomena.

Friends, if the article columnar foundation made of bricks was useful to you, please leave a review, ask questions, I will definitely answer, and as you know, when discussing the topic, you can learn a lot of new things, thank you in advance.

In contact with

Classmates

It is no coincidence that when speaking about the reliability of a life situation, we use the word "foundation": a material foundation, a fundamental education.

The foundation in construction is the same foundation, supporting structure that bears the weight of the building. Without it, even a primitive outbuilding will not stand for any long time.

In the age-old practice of construction, several types of load-bearing foundations have been mastered and used:

for the intended purpose (5 types);
according to the material used (4 types);
by type of construction (6 types).

A columnar brick foundation (for its intended purpose) is used for shallow laying on natural soil. The material and type of construction are visible in its name - columnar brick.

The bearing load of the structure in this case is distributed between an arbitrary number of supports (at least 4), stacked in the form of pillars with a section of 38x38 (cm) and a height of 1.20 - 1.30 m. A third of the total height of the supports is brought to the surface so that the lower trim of the building does not come into contact with the ground. Bookmark depth foundation depends on the level of freezing and occurrence of groundwater, but is at least 80 cm.

Columnar supports are installed at each corner of the building and the intersection of partitions. The distance between the pillars should not exceed 2 meters - to ensure the rigidity of the wall structure.

In order to extend the durability, the supports are placed on a concrete layer and isolated from contact with soil and air with bituminous mastic and roofing material. In the center of the upper part, the embedded end of the stud is cemented, which will fix the base trim.

For aesthetic purposes and to protect against the penetration of living creatures and litter, the upper part of the foundation is camouflaged with a fence.

Reference: foundation pillars are installed below freezing mark. The necessary information in the tables for all regions is easy to find on Internet sites. Winters with heavy snowfall can reduce the average frost level.

Application

This type of foundation effective at low groundwater levels and is able to withstand the weight of a small building of 1-2 floors, provided that it is:

frame-panel construction (house or outbuilding);
a wooden structure made of timber (bathhouse, extension, gazebo);
free-standing pillar or column (veranda or terrace);
a one-story house made of aerated concrete (in one stone) on plain ground.

The cost of columnar supports is more economical and will be only 15% of the total cost of the house with 30% of the cost of other types of foundation. It can be laid independently, without the use of sophisticated equipment and machinery, and completed in a short time.

Important: columnar supports are not suitable if a cellar or basement is designed.

Advantages and disadvantages

This type of foundation is a number of indisputable advantages:

Accessibility of the technological process for non-professionals.
The minimum time spent on its construction.
The distribution of the amount of work for a convenient period.
Reducing the impact on the soil of problem areas.
Application on soils of various types.
A small amount of earthworks.
The ability to use it with a slope of up to 5% or whimsical terrain.
There is no need for a complex waterproofing device.
It is not difficult to replace it in case of destruction and wear.
Economy of consumables.
A small technological break before the walls are erected (2-3 weeks).
Brick is an affordable building material with excellent load-bearing capacity that can be reused as long as its integrity is intact.

TO shortcomings worth considering:

Limited types of built buildings.
Mandatory preliminary calculations and drawings.
Exclusion of the possibility of basements.
Insecurity of the space under the floor from the penetration of forest animals.

For your information: a combined device of support pillars is possible, when the brick is used for external masonry, and the middle is then laid with rubble stone or crushed stone, poured in layers of concrete.

Brick selection

The functional need to constantly be in a damp, freezing environment, while simultaneously experiencing loads associated with the weight of the structure, soil movements impose the following requirements on the brick:

Density and integrity of a full-bodied stone.
A ceramic structure formed by firing up to 1000⁰.
The ability to withstand a large bearing load.
Frost resistance for freezing and thawing cycles of at least 10.

The greatest compliance with the requirements of red brick grades M125 and M200 with an indicator of frost resistance (it must be specified) - F10 or F35. Brick marking indicates that the material has a strength class - M, and is able to withstand a load of 125 or 200 kg, and frost resistance (F) is guaranteed for 10 or 35 cycles. According to the purpose of the application, an ordinary brick is used for the pillars.

Important: among the brands of silicate bricks, you can find a fairly strong, frost-resistant stone, but the ability to absorb water (over 6%) makes it unsuitable for building a foundation.

Calculations

Even at the design stage, it is necessary to assess the geodetic situation of the site, to make calculations.

For this you need to know:

the depth of groundwater, the absence of quicksand;
soil freezing depth;
the level of precipitation, depending on the climatic zone, their approximate weight in winter, which is an additional load on the roof;
the approximate weight of the entire structure (in kg) together with the foundation, based on the specific gravity of the materials used and their volume (P);
bearing capacity of the soil, depending on its composition (Rₒ);
safety factor (k).

The desired value (the total area of the base of all columns) will be equal to the quotient of dividing P by R, multiplied by k (S = P / Rₒ ∙ k).

The specific gravity of materials, the value of the resistance of the bearing soil, the safety factor can be determined from tables that are widely available on the Internet. Moreover, with a roof slope of more than 60 degrees, the additional snow load is equal to 0.

The result of the calculations will allow you to determine the number of support pillars if:

the area of the base of each column Sₒ = 38x38 cm;
1 pole should be installed per 2 m².

S/Sₒ = number of poles.

Reference: it is necessary to deepen the brick supports, focusing on freezing level(approximately 80 cm - in the ground, 40-50 cm - from above).

Work order (construction technology)

Tools and materials

Earthworks and bricklaying will require some set of tools and fixtures:

yardstick;
shovels (bayonet and shovel);
building level (bubble);
cord;
manual tamper;
solution container;
concrete mixer;
Master OK;
plumb.

materials:

river sand;
crushed stone;
red brick M150 or M200 (single or double);
cement M-400;
wire mesh ᴓ3mm;
ruberoid;
bituminous mastic;
concrete M200.

Skills:

instrument ownership;
general construction;
masonry work.

Important: brick pillars can withstand a vertically directed load well, but when the soil moves, the lateral action of forces can easily destroy them. That's why secondary brick for the foundation is suitable only if the construction will be extremely light: bath, barn, gazebo.

Action algorithm

1. Site preparation:

removal of the fertile layer more than 2 meters from the perimeter of the building;
uprooting;
leveling the surface using a sand-gravel mixture.

2. Marking the axes according to the plan using a tape measure, cord and level. Places for the location of the pillars determine the corners of the structure and the intersection of the walls. For the reliability of the foundation, the distance between the supports should not exceed 2 meters.

3. Earthworks:

preparation of pits for each support post (1x1x1m). You can use hand tools or rented equipment (drill, excavator). The width of the pits should allow further construction work to be carried out in them. The depth of the pit is made 20 cm more than the designed underground part of the support;
the bottom of the pit is filled with a layer of sand and gravel. Additionally moisturizing the layer, they tamp it well;
waterproofing of a brick foundation is carried out with pieces of roofing material laid on a small layer of concrete pouring.

4. Masonry work(produced 8 days after concreting):

preparation of a cement-sand mortar in the proportions specified in the instructions for the dry mix (depending on the required strength);
the removal of the pillars begins from the corners of the perimeter. Standard masonry - 2x2 bricks, alternating bond and spoon rows and shifting each row by half a brick. The thickness of the seam is no more than 1 cm. It is possible to reinforce the masonry with a metal mesh laid on every 3rd row;
the removed pillars are coated with bituminous mastic and wrapped with roofing material (for waterproofing).

5. The pits on the sides of the pillars, a week after the masonry work, are covered with a sand and gravel mixture and rammed. For these purposes, crushed stone, slag is suitable, but not the soil taken out of the pit - it can lead to shrinkage.

6. On the prepared foundation with embedded studs, a plinth piping is laid from a bar or rounded log. If the distance between the posts exceeds 2.5 meters, a metal grillage is installed.

7. In order to improve the design of the building the ground part of the foundation is closed with a fence from wall material.

Important: setting up a fence don't forget about the perfume, which are necessary for the natural ventilation of the base of the building.

What can damage brick supports

GOST 530-2012 guarantees brickwork (subject to technology and accounting for geodesy) 70-100 years of shelf life.

But for the safety of brick pillars can have a devastating effect:

design errors;
increase in the weight of the building, compared with the project;
soil movement as a result of errors in the geodetic study of the site (identification of quicksand, freezing boundaries, groundwater level);
soil heterogeneity under the foundation;
errors in the device of the drainage system;
technology violations during construction;
use of low quality materials (secondary).

Visual signs of destruction:

partial detachment;
cracks;
hollows;
design distortions.

For your information: destruction dynamics can be determined with a paper beacon: strips glued along the two edges of the crack. If it breaks, the deformation process continues. The function of a lighthouse can be performed by gypsum and putty. Comparison of the timing of the installation of the beacon and its break will allow you to determine the speed of the running process.

Warming

The need to insulate the columnar foundation is justified by the expediency:

The free space formed under the floor, due to the design features of the base, can reduce the safety of heat in the room.
The soil between the pillars will freeze, and thawing will create increased humidity.
An open underground can become a collection point for windblown debris.
Temperature fluctuations will cause the destruction of the supports.

Important: insulation of a brick foundation will be effective if you complete it before the installation of the floor and walls.

Common ways of warming:

1. Pick-up device along the outer contour (made of wood, brick, wild stone). This version of the plinth will become a serious protection against wind and penetrating cold if:

to deepen the intake, prepare a groove from post to post with a depth of 20-40 cm, fill it with sand and gravel, tamp;
between the posts along the bottom of the groove, lay a beam with a groove (for vertical installation of boards) or reinforced concrete pouring to ground level (for laying with brick or stone);
from the underground, insulate the base of the intake with any heat insulator that is not subject to decay;
leave air on each side in the bookmark.

2. The use of insulation - polystyrene or foam boards:

insulation boards are hung on a previously prepared metal frame, which is mounted on poles from the inside of the underground;
I close up the outer side with sheets of corrugated board;
the formed sinus between the corrugated board and the insulation is filled with expanded clay.

3. An integrated approach to insulation (insulation + intake):

lay brick gaps between the pillars (see item 1);
stick foam boards on the inner and outer surfaces of the fence and poles;
make waterproofing insulation;
make blind areas around the outer perimeter.

Repair

When the foundation fails, repairing the brick foundation of a wooden house is a real opportunity to save the building.

fragmentary repair of supports;
overhaul of the foundation;
complete replacement of the base with wear of more than 50%.

The true state of the foundation can be determined, only by opening its underground part for viewing, which allows a moat dug along the wall of the building. How to strengthen a brick foundation during the repair process or by replacing it with a different type of bearing support:

External reinforcement of pillars.
Restoration of the column base due to an additional reinforcement belt made of reinforced concrete (using strip foundation technology).
Replacement of one or more pillars with temporary supports or piles of another material (metal, pipes).
Complete replacement of the foundation due to the increase in the required depth of the supports. It is carried out with the help of attracted special equipment (powerful jacks). When using this technology, the house is raised above the old foundation by no more than 2 cm. Having disassembled the old masonry, they equip a new base in a tape type.

Repair is an inevitability that can be delayed by regularly inspecting the base of the house and reacting to minimal signs of change.

conclusions

Brick foundation of columnar type - economical and quickly erected base for panel or frame construction. The use of brick makes it especially reliable in taking vertical bearing loads. Compliance with technological requirements and insulation at the construction stage will extend its operational longevity.

And, if a columnar brick foundation needs repair, it is easier to carry out than restoring a monolith. Even a home master can handle the device of this type of foundation, and the necessary tool can be found among the useful things of every summer resident.

In contact with

You can make a reliable and relatively inexpensive fence for the site using a combined fence - the pillars are made of brick, and the filling (spans) and any light material - wood, profiled sheet, forged fences. The view turns out to be solid, and the costs are much less than for a "pure" brick fence. Moreover, laying pillars is not the most difficult thing, but profitable. Masters two years ago asked from 2,000 rubles per pole, and today prices have more than doubled. You can fold brick columns for a fence with your own hands without the skills of a bricklayer. It is important to follow the technology and everything will work out.

Fence foundation with brick pillars

The choice of the type of foundation for brick pillars depends on what material the filling will be from and also on the type of soil. If the span of the fence will be made of light material (corrugated board, wood), you can make a pile foundation for each pillar. The depth to which the pile must be driven / twisted depends on the type of soil and the height of the groundwater. If soils are prone to winter heaving (clay or loam) with high groundwater, it is necessary to dig in 15-20 cm below the freezing depth of the soil. On well-drained soils (sands and sandy loams), it is enough to dig in 80 cm.

A pile foundation for a brick pillar is made according to standard technology:

drill a hole of the required depth (diameter 25-35 cm);
a bucket or two gravel is poured to the bottom;
compact;
they put a pipe around which they will later lay the pillar (on heaving soils, several pieces of metal bars, tapes, corners are often welded to the buried part for greater stability);
the pipe is set strictly vertically, fixed;
for heaving soils, if metal pieces are not welded to the pipe, you can stick several reinforcing bars into the hole; for very difficult soils, you can tie a frame;
high-grade concrete is poured - M300 or higher (read about grades and composition).

The length of the pipes consists of two quantities: from the part that is walled up in concrete and the part that will stick out from above. Moreover, the upper section of the pipe is not at all necessary in this case should be up to the very top of the column. It can be 40-50 cm shorter. An exception is the poles on which the gate and / or gate will be hung. Here the internal reinforcement should be almost to the very top.

If the fence is planned to be completely brick or there are large wind loads in the region, most likely you will need to make a full-fledged strip foundation. Another option is piles connected with a shallow tape.

Fence construction with brick pillars on a monolithic reinforced concrete foundation

Mortar and brick for posts

The mortar is made cement-sand with a ratio of 1:5 (or 1:6). Sand is better to take a fine fraction, high-grade cement - not lower than M400. For plasticity, you can add a little liquid hand soap or dish detergent (20-30 gr. For a standard batch - 1 bucket).

It is important when preparing the solution to obtain the desired fluidity. It should not be dry, but it is also inconvenient to work with liquid, because water is added gradually, monitoring the consistency of the solution. The desired state can be controlled as follows: spread a certain amount of solution on some surface, put a cross on it with a trowel. Then take the marked area on the trowel and watch the cross: it should not “float”.

If desired, you can get a black solution: add soot to it. It is sold in bags in hardware stores. Add a small amount of soot and get decorative seams without painting.

Any brick is used for poles, just pay attention to the number of defrosting-freezing cycles (the more, the better) and to the geometry. Ideally, deviations in size should not be more than a couple of millimeters. Then it will be easy for you to work. If the batch is of different sizes, carefully sort by size so that the bricks in one column have a minimum discrepancy.

Masonry fence posts: technology

In most cases, fence posts are made of 1.5 or 2 bricks, section 380 * 380 mm and 510 * 510 mm, respectively, height - up to 3 meters.

The masonry is carried out with dressing (displacement) - the seam of the bottom row is blocked by the "body" of the brick lying on top. The seam is standard - 8-10 mm. The scheme of laying columns in one and a half and two bricks in the photo below.

Pillar laying: work order

Cut-off waterproofing is spread on the finished foundation. It can be roofing material in two layers, but waterproofing on bituminous mastic is better. This layer is necessary so that the brick does not "pull" moisture from the ground. If wet brick freezes, it quickly begins to crack and crumble. Therefore, waterproofing is necessary. Rolled waterproofing can be replaced - coat the foundation twice with bituminous mastic, and in areas with high humidity it is better to make double waterproofing - coat with mastic, and then lay Hydroisol as well.

According to the size of the column, a solution is applied to the waterproofing with a layer of a little more than 1 cm. Bricks are laid on it, according to the scheme. They are aligned in the vertical and horizontal planes by tapping with a special rubber hammer. Craftsmen can use the handle of the trowel, but, in this case, the remains of the mortar can fly off the plane of the trowel, dirtying their hands and brick, and it is poorly rubbed off the cement.

Ceramic brick absorbs moisture very quickly, so if you hesitate a little, it will be difficult for you to “put” it in place. In order for the mortar to retain plasticity longer, the brick is dipped in water for a few seconds before laying. The same maneuver makes it easier to wipe the solution from the surface (it is removed immediately with a dry cloth).

The second row is also laid: a mortar is spread on the bricks, bricks are placed on it, but already with dressing - unfolded so that the seam is blocked. Align again. Then they take a tape measure and check the dimensions of the stacked rows. Even a small displacement of 1-2 mm is eliminated. They tap on the end of the brick (called a “poke”), moving the bricks closer. Then, if the side faces were not smeared, the vertical seams are filled. All subsequent rows are placed in the same way.

If there is a void between the inner reinforcement pipe and the brickwork, it is filled. If the distance is small, you can use a masonry mortar, if the void is significant, to save space, you can fill it with rubble, tamp, then spill it with a liquid cement-sand mortar.

Masonry under the bar

The masonry of the pillars described above has long been tested, but for beginners, when making it on their own, it is difficult to maintain an even seam. Another problem is that the solution crawls out of the seam, staining the surface. It doesn't turn out very pretty. To facilitate the work, they came up with a masonry under the bar. They take a square metal bar with a side of 8-10 mm, cut it into pieces, 10-15 cm longer than the dimensions of the column.

Having laid the first row, a bar is laid out on it along the edge of the brick. The site is filled with a solution with a small margin, and the layer is made larger closer to the pipe. Then, leading the trowel along the bar, remove the excess, cleaning the bar from the solution. But at the same time, the slope of the solution is preserved. They put a brick, align it in level. At the same time, the bar does not allow it to settle much, and the position of the other end is controlled by the level.

Then they take a short piece of a bar about 10 cm (for a vertical seam), put it along the poke, apply the mortar on the side of the laid brick with a trowel, also removing the excess along the bar. The second brick is put and leveled. After the level is set, the seam is pressed from above with a trowel, and the vertical bar is removed.

So all the bricks in a row are laid out. Then the bars are removed, proceed to the next row. This technology of laying brick pillars allows you to control the seams and make them neat. So even a novice amateur bricklayer can fold a pole with his own hands. It is important only in the process to control the parameters of each row (so that the column in the section is of the same size).

Video lessons

A more complex version of a brick pillar - screwed

Features of working with ceramic bricks

Possible problems and solutions

The main problems that can arise when laying poles with your own hands are resizing and “twisting”. Both defects arise from insufficient control.

When laying pillars with your own hands, often the upper rows become much wider than the lower ones. This happens gradually, a millimeter or even less is added, but in almost every row. As a result, at a height of 2 m, the column width is 400 mm and even more. This is instead of 380 mm instead. The fix for this bug is to control the size of each row.

It is not enough to control the dimensions of the column only with the building level. A household tool (yellow) is mainly used, and it has a rather large error. And if the level has a length of 60-80 cm, you simply will not see slight vertical deviations. Therefore, they additionally use a tape measure - measuring each row. To reduce the time it takes to control, you can make a template according to the size of the post (for example, from even strips) with which to check for deviations.

Fence posts are laid around a metal reinforcing pipe, verticality is checked after laying each row

Self-laying pillars without experience in such work can lead to another mistake: the edges of the pillar can move, while the pillar seems to twist around its axis. This shortcoming is much more unpleasant: try attaching spans to such pillars. There will be many problems. Therefore, when laying each row, it is necessary to strictly ensure that the corners are located strictly one above the other.

To facilitate the task, you can use two corners screwed to opposite corners. They are temporarily attached to the lower rows (with bolts or self-tapping screws in the seam) and then used as a guideline, placing the bricks strictly in the corner.

Embedded elements and fastening of the gate

When laying brick pillars, you need to think about how you will attach the span to them. In order to be able to fix the horizontal guides for filling the fence, mortgages are pre-welded to the pipes located in the middle of the column. These can be corners, studs, "ears" for attaching wooden planks, etc. They are welded at the same height so that the attached crossbars are strictly horizontal.

One of the options is suitable for fastening corrugated board, picket fence

Mortgage options may vary. Someone makes from a corner, someone has enough hairpins. It all depends on the type of filling the fence (from which spans will be made) or mass.

Under gates or gates, at least three metal parts with a metal thickness of at least 3 mm (preferably 4 mm or even more) are required.

We make a cap on a brick pillar

To protect the brick from moisture, the top of the pillar is covered with a cap. They are sold in large quantities, there are metal, concrete or composite. If desired, a cap on a roofing iron pole can be made with your own hands. Below is a diagram. You just have to substitute the dimensions, and then bend along the marked lines. The product is fastened with special rivets, but self-tapping screws can also be used. Only it will be necessary to pre-drill the holes, coat them with anti-rust, then paint.

Photo ideas of fences with brick pillars

The most popular option is a corrugated fence with brick pillars.

Ragged stone and picket fence - combined fence

The columnar type of foundation is quite in demand, as it has undoubted advantages. It is approximately 1.5-2 times more economical than monolithic reinforced concrete structures. At the same time, it is possible to make a columnar foundation without special knowledge and skills; even novice builders can build it.

The columnar foundation is ideal for light buildings, for example, wooden houses without basements, buildings up to two floors, outbuildings, bathhouses, gazebos.

A columnar foundation is much more economical than a monolithic reinforced concrete foundation, and for its construction it is not necessary to have special skills.

They also lay a columnar foundation under the brick walls of the house, in the event that a deep foundation is required and the strip foundation is not economical. Column foundations are made of various materials: stone, concrete, reinforced concrete, brick, wood or pipes. The choice of material used for the construction of pillars is influenced by the design of the future building (mass and number of storeys). To make a columnar foundation made of bricks, certain rules must be followed.

Features of a brick column foundation

Additional advantages of a columnar type brick foundation are:

the possibility of arranging the base on any landscape;
the minimum amount of waterproofing work;
the ability to work independently;
availability, strength and durability - the service life is from 60 to 100 years (depending on the quality of the brick and its masonry, as well as the characteristics of the soil).

Fired full-bodied ceramic red brick is resistant to moisture, and with additional waterproofing it will last for decades.

The features of a columnar foundation made of bricks are a significant amount of earthwork and a rather laborious process. This type of foundation is made of special fired full-bodied ceramic red bricks of the M-150, M-200 and higher grades. This type of brick is resistant to moisture and durable - subject to additional waterproofing, its service life is decades. Silicate brick and slotted red brick are categorically not suitable for a columnar foundation.

According to the depth of laying, 2 types of foundations are distinguished:

shallow (40-70 cm) - performed in rocky or sandy soils with a low level of groundwater;
buried (30-50 cm below the freezing depth, that is, at a depth of up to 2 m) - is performed in clayey water-saturated soils.

When the construction of a columnar foundation of brick is impractical:

On horizontally moving and weak soils, since this type of foundation is unstable to overturning.
If the difference in height on the site exceeds 2 m.

Calculation of the columnar brick foundation of the house

The columnar foundation of the house can be calculated independently, based on the recommendations of specialists. The calculation of the foundation is the analysis of the load on the soil and the determination of the nominal sole of the foundation. In this case, the weight of the house and its design must be taken into account.

When calculating the foundation, the level of groundwater, the depth of occurrence and freezing of heaving soil are taken into account.

First you need to decide on the composition of the soil in your area. To do this, it is necessary to dig or drill several holes 2 m deep at the construction site. On rocky and semi-rocky soils, any type of foundation can be erected, except for pile foundations. If the soil on the site of the proposed construction belongs to the class of heaving (clay, sandy, peaty, silty, sandy loam or loam) - this implies a serious analysis of the following indicators: the depth and freezing of the heaving soil, as well as the level of groundwater. When calculating the foundation, the totality of all these characteristics is taken into account.

Sole area calculation

The total area of the sole is calculated by the formula:

S > Y n F / Y c R o , where

S - the area of \u200b\u200bthe base of the foundation (cm 2);

F is the calculated value of the load on the base (kg);

R o - calculated conditional soil resistance of the base at a laying depth of 1.5-2 m;

Y n - reliability coefficient (its value is assumed to be 1.2);

Y c - coefficient of working conditions.

To determine the quantities involved in the calculations, there are special tables. The resulting value is used to determine the footprint of the columnar brick foundation.

The columnar foundation of the house implies the construction of supports in the corners of the building, at the intersections of the main walls, as well as under all external and main walls. The distance between the supports, as a rule, is taken equal to 1.5-2 m. The height of the pillars should be 20-30 cm higher than the ground level, and if there is a possibility of flooding, then the height of the foundation of the house should be increased. The size of the support section corresponds to the calculated value. The most common supports are square section 380x380 mm or rectangular 380x520 mm.

Stages of erection of a brick foundation of a columnar type

Preparatory work

Before proceeding with the construction of the foundation, it is required to draw up a plan for the future home. You can do it yourself or seek help from specialists. With a plan in hand, you can begin to prepare the site. In accordance with the plan, the locations of the supports should be outlined. To do this, it is best to drive metal rods into the ground. Then, stepping back from the perimeter of the future building in each direction by 2 m, it is necessary to outline the boundaries of the site on which the preparatory work will be carried out. These works include:

Removal of the top fertile soil layer (to a depth of 10-30 cm) in order to exclude the germination of plants under the house.
Removal of all roots in the area.
Leveling the surface - removing bumps and backfilling recesses.

As a result, you should get a perfectly flat area.

Features and progress of work

To build a brick foundation for a house, you will need the following materials:

red ceramic brick - brand not lower than M-150;
sand;
crushed stone;
concrete grade 200;
wire with a diameter of at least 3 mm;
cement brand M-400;
roofing material or oilcloth;
bituminous mastic.

Tools and fixtures:

shovel;
tamper;
deep vibrator for laying concrete;
concrete mixer or construction mixer;
Master OK;
roulette;
kapron cord;
construction level;
solution container.

Execution sequence

The laying of foundation supports must be done very high quality. If you do not have brickwork skills, it is better to seek help from a specialist, as failure to follow the technology can lead to the destruction of the support. Work is performed in the following order:

Scheme of a prefabricated and monolithic columnar foundation.

Earthworks: a hole of the appropriate depth is dug under each support and with a section size exceeding the section of the future support, this is necessary for the convenience of masonry. Pits must be dug strictly along the axes. You can dig manually, which is advisable when building a shallow foundation, or hire the appropriate special equipment for a deep foundation. This will require appropriate costs, but will significantly save time and effort;
A layer of sand or gravel is poured into the bottom of the pit and tamped well with a manual or mechanical rammer - this will be the basis of the support;
Cover the sand pillow with roofing felt or oilcloth;
A screed is made of concrete 15-20 cm thick and reinforced with a wire mesh with a diameter of at least 3 mm. If the volume of the concrete solution is more than 4 m³, then it is more advisable to buy ready-made than to do it yourself. Concrete is compacted with a vibrator - this will eliminate the formation of voids. To prevent the concrete base from drying out and cracking, as soon as the concrete begins to set, it will need to be watered daily and covered with plastic wrap. It will take at least 8 days for the concrete to completely harden;
A concrete base, like a sandy one, should be covered with roofing material or oilcloth;
Then they start laying bricks, each row of masonry should be leveled. Brickwork is carried out in strict accordance with the requirements of building codes and regulations, while the seams should be tied up with a solution of a minimum allowable thickness of 8 mm. To prepare the solution, cement grade M-400 or M-500 is used. The ratio of cement and sand depends on the required brand of mortar - it is prepared using a concrete mixer or a construction mixer;
To waterproof the supports, a layer of bituminous mastic should be applied to its surface;
A week after the erection of the supports, in order to prevent seasonal ground movements from affecting the foundation of the house, the free space between the slopes and the support is covered with slag, gravel, crushed stone or sand.

After completing all the work on the construction of the foundation, you can proceed to the device of the zero level. A house standing on supports does not look very attractive, therefore, in order to improve the appearance of the building, the columnar foundation can be closed with a fence - a wall of brick, stone or wood.

The most affordable option for a columnar foundation can be made of brick. This base construction technology is easy to master on your own, and it is ideal for houses and other buildings that have a lightweight design. Brick supports are reliable enough to support the weight of a frame house of two residential floors and even more. It is also important that a brick column foundation is a very economical option. And finally, about durability: this type of base can have a service life of 30 to 50 years. The exact figure depends on three factors:

the nature of the soil at the construction site of the house;
quality of materials;
the quality of brickwork.

Which brick to choose?

For the construction of the foundation, you should choose only full-bodied burnt red ceramic bricks. It is characterized by high strength and low moisture permeability. Provided that a competent waterproofing device is installed, a base made of such a brick can be used for many decades without losing its original characteristics.

The most important parameter of a solid ceramic brick, chosen for the construction of the foundation, is frost resistance ( F). It shows how many cycles of freezing and thawing the material can withstand. For example, if the frost resistance index F35, then the manufacturer guarantees that the brick of this brand is guaranteed to last 35 years without visible signs of destruction of the foundation. Do not forget about this indicator when buying material. The higher the parameter F, the higher the service life of the foundation.

The brick, which is supposed to be used for the construction of the foundation, is selected especially carefully. For this purpose, only a burnt brick that does not have cracks is suitable, which emits a sonorous sound when it is struck. Preference is given to red solid brick grades M-150, M-200 and above. Material grades M-100 and M-125 is not recommended.

Once again, we focus your attention on the fact that the use of silicate or lightweight hollow brick for a brick columnar foundation is not allowed.

To compare the characteristics of silicate and ceramic bricks, we suggest that you read the article "Silicate vs Ceramic".

Benefits of a brick foundation

Possibility of self-construction of the foundation (no heavy elements and large-sized structures. No need to involve heavy construction equipment).
Ease of restoration of brickwork by replacing its individual fragments with partial destruction of the base.
General advantages of columnar foundations.

Rules for self-construction of a brick foundation

Basic rule: strict selection of bricks for foundation masonry. You should choose only full-bodied red clay bricks, which must be burned out, since the main cause of brick destruction is high humidity, and burnt ceramic bricks are characterized by low moisture permeability.
The laying of a brick foundation is carried out on a cement-sand mortar of increased strength (1: 3) with waterproofing additives.
A mandatory device for thorough waterproofing during the construction of brick foundations in areas where groundwater lies close to the surface of the earth.
The execution of the sole of the base with concrete casting and its special backfilling are necessary to improve operating conditions and strengthen the brick foundation.
The calculation of the depth of the brick foundation is carried out according to general rules, but a prerequisite is its construction on a layer of stable, solid soil. *

* Columnar brick foundation is not recommended:

on weak horizontally moving soils (the possibility of overturning the foundation);
in areas with elevation differences on the ground of 2 meters or more.

Construction of a brick column foundation

Pillars must be erected in all corners, at the intersection of walls, under heavily loaded girders and piers, at other points with a heavy load, as well as at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from each other (the heavier the walls, the smaller the distance between the pillars) along the entire perimeter. The specific scheme of the foundation depends on the layout of the structure and the data of the design documentation. On top of the pillars, for even distribution of the load, they are tied with beams, which should be the more powerful, the greater the distance between the pillars.

Pole waterproofing . Upon completion of the masonry, the foundation brick supports are waterproofed to protect them from moisture from the outside. To do this, the pillars can be coated with bituminous mastic, and polymer-bitumen membranes can be used for horizontal waterproofing.

Zabirka. To prevent cold air from the street from penetrating under the floor of the building, a fence is arranged between the pillars located along the perimeter of the building.