How to make a cheap blind area. How to make a blind area around a house with a strip foundation? How do ebbs around the house

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Regardless of the purpose of the building, it requires a blind area. Helpful Tips will help in answering the question: "How to make a blind area around the house with your own hands?". This is a useful building element, which is a strip of concrete mix that is adjacent to the building around the entire perimeter of the house. This design protects the foundation from soil displacement, from ground water and precipitation. It is important to fill it before the onset of cold weather, as the frozen soil puts a lot of pressure on the foundation.

High-quality concrete tape around the building looks very aesthetically pleasing and is a great addition. landscape design

Before carrying out installation on pouring, you need to choose the optimal strip width. In this case, the minimum size is 0.9 meters. This element can reach a width of 2.5 meters.

In addition, the tape for diverting water is used as a walking path. It is worth calculating the size so that the concrete element extends beyond the boundaries of the cornices by 30 cm.

It is also important to choose the right slope of the strip in the direction from the walls. In this case, the area near the wall will have a small height, and the edge of the tape will go level with the ground.

When deciding how to make a comfortable blind area around the house with your own hands, it is worth considering lifting a height of 16 mm by 1 meter. At the same time, you can walk on it, and the liquid will not accumulate.

Useful information! During the winter cold, this option can turn into a skating rink.

Preparation: important steps

Before pouring the blind area, produced preparatory work. You need to make a foundation. In this case, a concrete screed is performed:

• at a certain distance from the wall, pegs are driven in, and markings are made. A cord should be pulled over them;

• excavation is carried out, while the soil layer is removed by 20-25 cm. The depth of the recess should be the same everywhere;

• a layer of sand must be shed with water and compacted several times;

Useful advice! The sand should have a uniform structure without crushed stone and broken bricks.

How to make a blind area around the house with your own hands: important stages of work

Most often, the completed trench is concreted using formwork. Along the entire contour of the concrete tape, special equipped recesses (grooves) are mounted to remove water.

Related article:

How are expansion joints made?

At the junction of the wall and the protective concrete sheet, an expansion joint is made, the size of which varies from 1 to 2 cm in width. It is filled with sand and roofing material. You can also use a styrofoam band with a piece of plywood.

To simplify the laying of the blind area, you can mount the tape in separate blocks. For this, slats are used, which are installed across the formwork.

Useful advice! To prevent water from penetrating between the concrete and the rail, it is better to seal these areas with sealant.

How is formwork poured?

When deciding how to make a blind area around the house with your own hands, it is worth using concrete. The composition is prepared from one part of cement, part of sand and three parts of crushed stone. The mixture is poured in portions.

In this case, the end parts at the top of the jumpers coincide with the surface of the blind area. The concrete composition should be leveled with a wide trowel. The mixture is compacted with an iron rod or a vibrator. The reinforcing piece is immersed in concrete and rotates.

Punctures help eliminate bubbles. This makes the concrete more dense. To give strength to concrete, dry cement should be scattered, which will absorb excess moisture. Then, using a metal trowel, cement is well rubbed into the surface to a dark gray color.

The finished tape should be covered with burlap from sun rays. If there is no rain, then the material must be periodically moistened with concrete, otherwise it will not gain strength. A blind area can be created by a person who does not have building skills.

Do-it-yourself blind area around the house: videos and useful recommendations

A monolithic tape around the building allows you to strengthen the waterproofing properties of the base and walls. Also, this part is distinguished by functional properties, and also performs an aesthetic function. The width of the tape must be more than a meter. This parameter depends on the protrusion of the roof structure.

Do-it-yourself blind area around the house made of concrete: video and installation features

When determining how to make a blind area around the house with your own hands, you need to properly excavate the soil. Be sure to treat all the walls of the excavation with a special compound that will help destroy weeds. If this is not done, then weed grass destroy the structure.

A curb stone or removable formwork is laid out along the entire contour of the structure. The bedding material is then produced and carefully compacted. Depending on the material to be used, the designs will differ in laying methods:

• laying stone or cobblestone. In this case, the height of the material should not be more than 10 cm. Installation is carried out on a laid out sand flooring. If crushed stone is used, then the thickness will be less. The space between the cobblestones is covered with sand;
• if you do a blind area around the house with your own hands from, then you do not need to lay an additional layer of fine gravel and sand. All voids between individual tiles are also sprinkled with sand. To make tile installation easy, you need to make a strip of such a size that you do not have to cut the tile.

The application is the most profitable and optimal option for arranging the blind area. Because it has many advantages. This is the possibility of repairing the coating in parts and long term services.

If the soil is non-porous, then clay is used. If the soil is heaving, then a sandy layer is also used along with clay.

Installation of any blind area consists of the following steps:

• a sand cushion is placed on the base of the soil. A layer of crushed stone is leveled on top;
• between two surfaces at the junction there is a deformation layer. It will prevent cracking and deformation of the tape. Several layers of roofing material are mounted between the surface of the base and the blind area;

The blind area is a special coating around the perimeter of the building, which performs a protective function, preventing the harmful effects of precipitation on the foundation of the building. It is strongly recommended not to neglect this element, especially if the foundation is not protected in any way. Now we will figure out how to make a blind area around the house with our own hands, what points need to be foreseen and do not forget to focus on the important components of this process.

As already noted, the blind area protects the foundation of the building. It is made inclined, so that rain and melt water flow away from the walls and the basement. This prevents the harmful effects of moisture, and simply makes it impossible for water to accumulate near the walls.

Also, the blind area plays the role of a kind of stabilizer, strengthening the soil and preventing its displacement due to temperature differences and uneven subsidence. Properly selected laying depth significantly increases the strength of the base, and also provides additional insulation. Thus, the depth of soil freezing near the house will be greater than without a similar element.

If your house has a basement or cellar, the blind area will perfectly help keep it from the cold. This is especially true for homes where basement a garage or a gym is provided, that is, a room not just for storing things, but actively used.

And finally, the blind area performs a decorative function, especially if you decorate it in the future with some elements, which we will tell you about at the end of the article. And now let's proceed to the direct construction of this element with our own hands.

Training

First of all, you need to decide on the type of blind area. In the vast majority of cases, ordinary concrete is made - it is much simpler and cheaper than other options. Also well prepared concrete mortar will last a considerable time and save you from having to redo something, although regular maintenance and minor repairs will still be needed.

We will consider other types of blind areas at the end of the article. The process of laying such options is not much different from concrete, but the cost of materials will be much higher.

So, before you make a blind area around the house, you need to thoroughly clean the place to work. The cut begs the question with dimensions: how wide should this element be? There is a clear rule here. Measure the protrusion of your roof and add at least 20 cm to the figure. This will be the minimum width of your blind area. As a rule, most blind areas are made from 60 to 100 cm wide, so when preparing the site for work, consider approximately these dimensions with a margin.

Make a marking of the future blind area and drive in pegs for a guide around the perimeter and pull the ropes. Carefully monitor the uniformity of the width around the entire perimeter of the house, as this main factor future visual beauty. Clear the soil of debris and large stones. By the way, work is best done in dry weather, preferably before the onset of cold weather. Optimally - at the end of summer.

In the perimeter marked for the blind area, we remove the soil layer to a depth of 25-30 cm. We act very carefully, achieving a uniform depth around the entire perimeter. After that, carefully tamp the bottom. If after removing the soil layer you find large roots various plants, it is recommended to remove them. This will reduce bad influence to the blind area.

If necessary, treat the soil with special herbicides, especially if you see deep enough roots in the area. Plants, over time, can deform the blind area, while the reason will not be immediately clear, and repairing the structure will be quite difficult. Therefore, carefully get rid of large roots, even if you have to dig several holes.

We proceed to the manufacture of formwork. For this purpose, it is recommended to use boards with a thickness of about 20 mm. With a step of about 1.5 meters, we drive support posts into the ground along the edge of the dug trench and attach our formwork to them. Make sure that the boards lie evenly and do not create irregularities, since the aesthetics of the blind area will depend on this. After that, go to the "pillows" tab.

If you want to make a blind area with your own hands with a high degree of insulation from moisture, it is recommended to lay a layer of clay directly on the ground. This layer will act as additional protection. Next, we pour a layer of sand about 10 cm thick on the clay and compact it tightly. You can dampen this sand a little to create more density, but don't overdo it with water.

Next, a layer of gravel is laid on top of the sand layer. This layer should be about 8-10 cm thick and consist of fine rock (preferably). As for the reinforcement of the base, it can be omitted, although experts recommend not skipping this stage for greater strength of the blind area. It is possible to reinforce using reinforcement with a section of 6-10 mm, laying it along or across in increments of 10 cm. Please note that the concrete pouring area must be evenly covered with reinforcement.

It is important to remember about such a detail as an expansion joint. It is a small indent necessary to prevent deformation of the basement due to thermal expansion of the blind area itself and shrinkage of the soil.

It is recommended to make an expansion joint with a width of about 150 mm. You can fill this seam with a mixture of sand and gravel, but it is better to use special materials, such as polyethylene foam tow. Please note that the tourniquet should be slightly thicker than the gap itself to create density. Be sure to provide for a protrusion of the bundle above the surface of the seam by about half its depth. It is necessary to lay the seam very tightly. As an alternative to such a tourniquet, you can use a sealant, but if you do not have the opportunity to purchase such materials, feel free to use sand and gravel.

Preparation of cement mortar and pouring

The preparation of the cement mortar is carried out according to the technology, which depends on the brand of cement. You should use cement grade not lower than M200. Be sure to prepare a concrete mixer for this purpose, since manual mixing will not allow you to achieve the desired consistency.

Pay attention to the correct formulation of the preparation of the solution. Here it is necessary to accurately maintain the proportions, since measurements "by eye" can later result in the appearance of cracks and the need to redo the work.

So, based on 1 cubic meter ready solution we need to maintain the following proportions:

• Cement - 280 kg;
• Construction sand - 840 kg;
• Crushed stone - 1400 kg;
• Pure water - 190 l.

We calculate the proportions based on cement grade M400 or M500, while the solution will turn out to be quite dry, but we need it that way. The thing is that the blind area should be with a given slope, and the more liquid version will not keep its shape and will simply spread.

It is important to know the rules of kneading. A portion of cement is loaded into the concrete mixer and kneaded for about 20 minutes. This is necessary to create a uniform dry product consistency. After that, sand is introduced in 3-4 doses, carefully kneading each additive. The same way gravel is introduced. Water must be supplied with a gentle stream, pouring in the entire portion in about 4-5 turns. Next, the mixture is stirred for another 2-3 minutes.

To make a blind area good quality, it is necessary to provide additional expansion joints, similar to those described above. Every 1.5-2 meters along the perimeter of the blind area we install wooden slats, perpendicular to the basement of the house. Reiki are installed on the edge. Do not forget that the blind area should be inclined, so be sure to allow for a difference in height of about 2-3 cm per meter. In other words, there should be a difference in height of about 5-6 cm between the beginning of the blind area 2 meters wide and its end. the edges of the structure.

Reiki can be treated with special mastic to increase their strength and protection against decay, and then proceed to the direct pouring of the mixture. When pouring, do not forget to compact the concrete - this can be done with an improvised tool, such as a shovel or chopper. You should “pierce” the concrete layer and reciprocate the compaction. If you have a special electric vibrator for these purposes, the work will go faster.

To smooth the concrete layer, we use the following technology. We take a long and even rail and holding it perpendicular to the installed expansion joints, smooth the surface of the poured mixture. The wooden slats that we installed as expansion joints will act as lighthouses when smoothed, so you can easily achieve a smooth surface.

In the same way, we pour concrete around the entire perimeter of the future blind area. It is advisable to carry out this stage of work in one approach, that is, do not postpone the filling of certain parts for later. You should pour the entire perimeter at once, being especially careful not to allow the concrete to set tightly in places adjacent to the pour, in order to prevent future cracks. Thus, you should get a monolithic blind area with a flat surface. Be sure to control even the smallest details of the process.

Drying

So, the blind area with your own hands is almost ready. Now you need to wait for the concrete to completely harden. The hardening time of the blind area depends on the thickness of the solution layer. In our case, this is about 10 cm. It will take about 5 days to completely solidify, and, depending on the weather, you need to monitor the process. In hot weather, you can cover the blind area with a cloth and moisten it periodically. A little rain will not interfere with the process, but excess moisture is also not needed, so stock up on plastic sheeting. In a week you can start finishing work(if you want), or leave the blind area as it turned out.

By the way, about the finish. Many try to decorate the blind area with a border. In fact good construction does not need this detail, but for aesthetic reasons, a small border can still be provided. Also often cover the blind area with a variety of decorative tiles. It's easy to do.

A few words about maintenance and repair

Now you know how to make a blind area at home with your own hands, but you also need to know how to care for or repair it. At correct styling the blind area will not be a problem for quite some time, but after a few years cracks may still appear, especially if your house is in a rather difficult climate zone with frequent rainfall and temperature fluctuations.

So, to eliminate small cracks, you can use a liquid cement mortar in proportions of 1: 1 or 1: 2. Just carefully pour the mortar into the cracks and work with a spatula to level the surface. Carefully inspect the entire perimeter and eliminate any cracks found.

For large cracks, it is necessary to prepare a special solution consisting of bitumen, fine slag and asbestos in proportions of 7:1:1.5. Cracks must be cut down to the very foundation and carefully cleaned. After that, fill the solution and fill it with sand on top. After drying, the surface can be leveled.

It is important to remember that repairs should be carried out in cool weather, at least in the morning. The thing is that under the influence of heat, the concrete expands, and the cracks decrease, so in the heat you will not be able to do the job well.

Other types of blind area

We settled on the concrete version, but if you go to make a blind area for the house with your own hands from other materials, then you can safely use such popular options as stone, paving stones or paving slabs for this. It is easier to work with this material, although the work will be significantly more expensive than in the case of the concrete version.

Laying such a blind area lies in the fact that the preparatory procedures and the creation of a “cushion” do not differ from the concrete version. After completion of these works, the selected material is laid on top of the created "pillow", after which it is carefully compacted. The gaps are filled with sand.

The do-it-yourself blind area of ​​their stone, tile or paving stones is quite durable and resistant to atmospheric influences, and the relative high cost of materials can be considered a disadvantage in them. It is worth noting that care for such an option should be more frequent than for concrete, especially after serious temperature fluctuations or significant precipitation.

From a decorative point of view, this option, of course, looks more beautiful than an ordinary concrete blind area. But you can provide for the finish for the one we talked about in the article. In this case, you will spend less material and the work will be cheaper.

What type of blind area to choose is up to you. We tried to talk about the main elements of the procedure and focus on important nuances. With such knowledge, you can easily cope with the work and make your house and yard not only protected, but also beautiful.

How to make a blind area around the house with your own hands in short time? The blind area is carried out in two layers - the underlying layer and the overlap. The underlayment is required to obtain a compacted level base for laying the pavement. This layer is made of crushed stone, sand, carving or clay. The last option is considered the best.

The cover must be waterproof. It is made from paving slabs, concrete, clay, small cobblestone and asphalt. It happens that the blind area is made from a mixture of clay and sand, or clay with rubble. Thickness - from 5 to 15 centimeters.

Types of blind area

There are several types of blind area, depending on the material used in the manufacture:

• concrete;
• cobblestone;
• from concrete slabs;
• ground;
• brick;
• asphalt.

Work performance technology

How to make a blind area around the house with your own hands? You should start with excavation. A trench is dug around the perimeter of the building, its depth should be approximately 30 cm.

The integrity of the blind area can be broken by the roots of plants, so the soil should first be treated with herbicides. Then, a removable formwork or curb stone is placed along the width of the blind area. Under a slope in the trench, the underlying layer is laid.

Laying concrete pavement

Concrete construction is the most common type of coating.

It is worth noting that in severe frosts, the blind area can fail. To prevent this from happening, rails are mounted on the edge across the blind area every 3 meters, they must be treated with bitumen in advance. Next, the solution is poured with concrete and leveled.

Increase service life blind area helps reinforcing concrete. In this case, concrete performs work in compression, and metal in tension. Installed metal crate in steps of 100 by 100 millimeters. Further on the level is poured cement mortar.

The finished surface is covered with dry concrete and leveled. Then it is covered with a dark film and left for a week, periodically watered.

How to inexpensively make a blind area around the house? If there is a desire to reduce costs, it is worth giving preference to the blind area of ​​reinforced slabs. Their shape is chosen depending on the structural features of the roof and the characteristics of the site. The best option- slabs 60x60 centimeters.

When using ready-made slabs as a coating, the work becomes much easier. After laying them on a pre-prepared surface, the seams are filled with mortar. If this is necessary, the blind area is insulated with heat-insulating materials.

The construction of insulation and slab is placed in such a way that there is an air cushion under it. As a basis for it, bitumen-impregnated and carefully compacted crushed stone serves.

Slope and Width

When erecting a blind area, it is necessary to observe the required slope and width.

In subsiding soil width can be more than 1 meter, on average it is 80 centimeters. At the same time, it should be 20 centimeters larger than the overhang of the eaves.

Slope from the wall building and up to the storm drain should reach approximately 5 °. A storm drain is a groove along the perimeter of the blind area, necessary for drainage. Instead, you can build a channel that collects water in a storm well.

Waterproofing and insulation

In the event that your house has a basement or ground floor, it is necessary to carry out waterproofing and insulation of the blind area. Waterproofing materials suitable for this purpose - bituminous mixtures, PVC and polyethylene films, roofing material.

under waterproofing layer insulation is installed on the ground.

It can be expanded polystyrene, foam glass and other materials.

The main functions of the blind area

• practical function. If the blind area will act as a pedestrian zone, then it should be performed taking into account the characteristics of the object and design loads.
• Protective function. A high-quality blind area reliably protects the foundation of the building from melt water, precipitation, and deformation. It transports water a sufficient distance from the foundation.
• decorative function. The blind area is a logical continuation of the building. The finishing layer is selected taking into account the style of the house and the design of landscape design.
• Warming. The thermal insulation properties of the building, if there is a blind area with an insulation structure, increase.

In order for the blind area to fully fulfill its purpose, you have to follow some rules:

1. The slope is formed both during the laying of the coating and during the installation of the underlying layer.
2. Pay attention to the junction of the wall of the house and the blind area. There should be an expansion joint. The best result is obtained with two layers of special sealant or roofing felt and sealant.
3. The blind area should be performed around the entire house continuously. Only in this case the base will be reliably protected.
4. Most cheap option for covering - crushed stone, laid with tamping. The most reliable is pouring compacted rubble with cement mortar.

So, building the right blind area around the house with my own hands under the power of everyone.

However, before starting work, should decide on the type of blind area It depends on what materials you need. Do not forget about observing the width and slope. If the building has a basement or basement, insulation and waterproofing will be required.

It would seem that it is simpler to arrange a conventional blind area at home? However, unscrupulous builders do it either not according to the rules, or simply do not know how it should be done. There is a special technology for arranging the correct blind area at home. If you adhere to it, then the foundation of the house and the surrounding area will be reliably protected from a humid environment, which means that the house will last much longer. Besides, correct blind area around the house, a blind area laid in accordance with all the rules will not require replacement or repair for a very long time.

Correct blind area

First of all, if there is an old blind area, then it must be dismantled. If it is not there, then you can start preparing the foundation for the blind area. First you need to get rid of the plant layer. At least 45 cm must be removed. However, in any case, remove upper layer necessary before the hard ground: clay or limestone.

First stage

When the vegetation layer is removed, then a geofabric should be laid on the base of solid soils. This will be the first layer. The use of geotextiles is optional, but important condition. After that, a layer must be laid on the geotextile crushed granite. The minimum layer of such bedding should be five centimeters, and the maximum - 10 cm. Then the gravel must be leveled and tamped. For this you can use hand tools or vibrotamper plate. Usage automatic device will greatly speed up this process. After thorough tamping, the crushed stone layer must be covered with a second layer of geotextile.

Correct blind area at home Second stage

At the next stage of preparing the base for the correct blind area, we need sand. It is important that the quality of the sand is good. It should not contain impurities of clay. Sand must be poured onto the geofabric with a layer of at least twenty centimeters. Next, the sand layer must be compacted. It is more convenient in such cases to use a vibrotamper. When the sand is compacted, it must be plentifully wetted with water using a regular hose. Then tamp again. This operation is repeated at least two times until a smooth sand base is obtained. Irregularities on a sandy base can be leveled with a rake or other improvised means.

After the base is tamped, you can start digging a trench for pipes through which rainwater will drain into drainage system. Be sure to install a rainwater inlet. It is necessary, since rainwater will flow into it through drainage system at home, and after that, the water collected in this way will fall through the pipes into the drainage. The creation of such a drainage system in the blind area should be thought out in advance. We should not forget about the necessary slope when the pipes are laid. The slope of the future trench for pipes can be determined using an optical level or other methods. After installing the storm water inlets, they need to be lightly fixed with a concrete solution, and the pipes can simply be laid and connected. It should be remembered that the storm water inlet must be installed not at a horizontal level, but at the slope of the blind area, so that it is on the same level with it, and does not stick out of it.

Be sure to include a fixed drain at the edges. It is necessary so that the water that flows from the surface concrete pavement blind area, did not fall on the ground next to the house. Otherwise, if there is no drainage, the area around the blind area will always be waterlogged, and, accordingly, there will be dirt. In order for plastic gutters to hold well, they need to be fixed with a mortar. Just like pipes, drains must be installed with the required slope. You can use construction thread for this.

After the laying of communications is completed, it is necessary to sprinkle with sand all those irregularities that were formed as a result of these activities. The entire sandy surface should again be leveled and carefully compacted. But in this case, ramming must be done very carefully so as not to damage internal communications. For this purpose, it is preferable to use the manual ramming method.

Installation of formwork for the blind area

When the surface of the sand base is leveled, the formwork must be installed. For formwork it is better to use edged board 50 mm thick and 150 mm wide. The formwork must be fixed strictly according to the level, since the level of the blind area will depend on this. Every one and a half meters, it is necessary to fix the formwork with a bar hammered into the ground at a depth of 50 cm. This depth is enough to firmly fix it to the ground.

After the formwork is installed, 50 mm thick polystyrene foam boards must be laid on the sandy base. This material is necessary so that the ground under the blind area does not freeze. This condition will avoid deformation of the upper layer of the blind area. Styrofoam plates should lie very tightly on the sand base, which means that there should not be any voids under the plates.

So that the future blind area does not move away from the house over time, it must be attached to the house. To do this, at a distance of 75 centimeters in the foundation, you need to drill holes for the reinforcement. After that, the prepared pieces of reinforcement must be hammered into the holes obtained, and then tied metal carcass blind areas. The cell pitch should be 25 cm. This completes the preparatory work.

How to fill the blind area

Before pouring concrete, it will be necessary to install wooden spacers, which are an inch board the right sizes. Such gaskets are necessary in order to compensate for the thermal expansion of concrete. If there are no such gaskets, then the concrete will crack over time. They are installed every 2 meters. If the distance is large, then this system will not work. Be sure to have them on the corners of the building. Also, such wooden spacers play the role of beacons, since it will be possible to more accurately level the surface of the blind area of ​​the house on them.

We have considered such an important issue, how to properly make a blind area at home. Thank you for your attention come to us for relevant and useful tips in the field of construction and the choice of building materials.

Correct blind area video

Today we will continue the topic of the foundation and basement of your house, or rather, we will “close” it with an article about how to build a concrete blind area with your own hands correctly and inexpensively for your home. We will consider the simplest and most inexpensive way to device concrete blind area(after all, our task is to build inexpensive house do-it-yourself, which is not inferior in reliability expensive house. Remember?).

So what do we have? The construction of our house is completed: the roof is all finished. It's time to start building the deck. In fact, the blind area can be made at almost any time after the laying of the walls. But the most optimal time, in our opinion, is when you start the final exterior finish your house. If you plan to perform the lining of the basement, then the blind area should be done after these works have been completed.

What is a blind area for?

If you do not have enough funds for final finishing at home, then blind area we still recommend doing it. In any case, the blind area should be done before the cold weather. Then your house will “overwinter and meet spring” without any problems.

And now - the main functions of the blind area:

1. Decorative, a sense of architectural completeness;
2. Except decorative element at home, the blind area is the protection of the foundation from external waters: melt water, rains. Water retention, its diversion into storm sewer(this is what you plan to do) - the main task of the blind area;
3. In addition, the blind area allows you to reduce the freezing of the soil under it, respectively - around the house. Those. the blind area guards the heat of the house;
4. Reducing the freezing of the soil entails a decrease in the likelihood of swelling of the soil. On swellable soils, it is recommended to do. True, we decided not to do this;
5. If there is no blind area and the soil comes close to the basement, then in addition to excessive moisture, the roots of plants can also harm the foundation.

How to make a blind area?

The easiest option is a concrete blind area with a width of 60 cm, which surrounds your house from all sides.

In order for the blind area to fully fulfill its purpose, it is necessary to observe several basic rules:

• the width of the blind area should not match or be less than the ledge of the roof. The minimum width of the blind area \u003d roof protrusion (cornice) + 20cm .;
• the blind area should continuously encircle the entire house. Then the basement of the house (and the basement) will be protected from moisture penetration;
• the wider the blind area, the better the function of protection against water penetration will be performed;
• the blind area should be performed with a slight slope. Minimum slope from the house towards the ground, which will provide water drainage - 1.5 degrees. The bias could be more. It depends on the underlying coverage. The slope can be formed both at the stage of creating the underlying layer, and at the stage of laying the pavement. What is the underlying layer and coating, we will describe below.

Do-it-yourself concrete pavement

The longevity of your foundation depends on the blind area, made in accordance with all the rules, the minimum cost of both money and time to repair the foundation, basement and blind area, and the absence of a “headache” after you have finished building your house with your own hands - and this is probably , the most important!

The blind area is two constructive layers:

• underlying layer. The main task is to create an even compacted base for the coating. Applied material: clay, sand, small gravel. The material for the sub-base depends on the material of the pavement. Thickness - up to 20mm;
• coating. The main task is water resistance and resistance to the damaging effects of water. Applicable material: clay (clay is a material that can be used both as an underlay and a coating), concrete, asphalt mix, small cobblestone. Thickness - up to 10 cm.

This is true for any type of blind area. In this regard, we will tell you in what order the work should be carried out for concrete pavement structures.

1. We carry out the markup for the future blind area. We talked about the minimum width of the blind area in this article above. The width of the blind area in our house is 100 cm;
2. We remove and compact the soil around the perimeter of the building. Usually the soil is removed at the zero construction cycle. When constructing a blind area, it is necessary to prepare the soil exactly for the width of the future blind area in accordance with the markings. In this case, you need to consider what material you will make the blind area from. For a concrete blind area, the soil must be taken out to a depth of 20-25 cm - the depth is “on the bayonet of a shovel”;
3. Sometimes it is recommended to treat the roots of plants under the removed soil with herbicides, which can subsequently harm the blind area. It's up to you - we didn't do it;
4. We make formwork from boards. For formwork we use boards with a thickness of 20mm. We talked about how to make removable formwork from boards (the principle is the same) in the article;
5. We lay a small layer of clay on the compacted soil. Leveling and compacting the clay;
6. We lay a layer of sand 10 cm thick. The sand must be carefully compacted. To do this, it is effective to spill the sand with a layer of water. Don't overdo it - clay is at the bottom! Especially carefully compact the sand at the foundation.
7. Now we lay the crushed stone with a layer of 6-7 cm;
8. To strengthen the blind area, we reinforce the mesh for reinforcement (see photo) in increments of 100 mm. It is typical for concrete to withstand compressive loads. Reinforcement allows the blind area to also effectively withstand tensile loads;
9. At the junction of the blind area with the base, it is necessary to make a seam, which is called compensation. It is also called deformation or temperature. The expansion joint will protect the basement and blind area from destruction during soil subsidence. In this case, the blind area will sink or fall along the prepared seam without causing damage to the base. The width of the expansion joint is 1-1.5 cm. We fill this gap with a mixture of sand and fine gravel, bitumen, mastic or two layers of roofing material. Some builders use polyethylene foam to fill the seam. The diameter of the bundle should be 25% larger than the width of the seam so that the bundle fits snugly into the gap. A feature when laying the tourniquet: its top should be at a depth equal to 1/2 of the width of the seam. For the convenience of laying the bundle, you can use a piece of plywood. And although we talked about this method of filling the expansion joint, we ourselves did not use it. We used sealant;
10. When pouring the blind area with concrete across the blind area, every 2-3 meters (the distance depends on the probability of swelling of the soil) a deformation (temperature) seam should be constructed. expansion joints protect the concrete blind area from possible gaps in winter. For these purposes, wooden slats mounted on the edge are suitable. Laths must be installed in such a way that their upper surface coincides with the surface of the concrete. IMPORTANT! Consider the slope of the blind area! In order for the rails to be protected from decay, we treated them with working off (used oil). Also, wooden slats can be processed and;
11. Expansion (temperature) seams must also be arranged in the corners of the house;
12. We put and;
13. Aligning concrete base. Wooden slats pre-installed to create expansion joints play the role of beacons, which should be guided when leveling concrete;
14. The maximum strength of the formwork will give it. Wet ironing will give the blind area for your home maximum moisture resistance;
15. And the final stage: cover the concrete surface with a cloth, moistening it with water from time to time. This will keep the concrete from drying out until it is completely cured. If you make a blind area in the rainy season, and we had it that way, you can do without additional moisture. The daily rains will do their job;
16. After a week, the correct concrete pavement for your home is ready.

Concrete pavement repair

If you have correctly completed the foundation, plinth and blind area for your home, you should not have problems for a long time.

However, it happens that cracks appear on the blind area or damage takes up a significant area. How to act in these cases?

1. Small cracks should be filled with liquid cement mortar (1:1 or 1:2);
2. Larger cracks must be cut down to their full depth and cleaned of contaminants. Then fill the prepared cracks with mastic of the following composition: 70% bitumen BND-90/130 or BND-60/90, 10% crushed slag and 15% asbestos. Cracks filled with mastic should be sprinkled with sand.
3. If the destruction of the concrete blind area is significant, it is necessary to restore them with fresh concrete. To do this, the surface to be repaired must be cleaned of dirt and primed. Use cement mortar (1:1 or 1:2) for primer. Then lay fresh mortar and level it. Next, you need to prevent the laid concrete from drying before it hardens. In other words, periodically moisten it or cover plastic wrap to prevent drying out.

IMPORTANT! It is more effective to repair the blind area in spring or autumn in cool weather. If you need to repair the blind area in the summer - select the morning hours for this. During the day, under the influence of high temperature, due to the expansion of concrete, the cracks will decrease. This will prevent you from making the most efficient repair.