When exposed to excessive load, groundwater or freezing, the foundation of any building can be damaged. But you can diagnose the damage yourself. There are various ways to repair a foundation yourself.
If you doubt the integrity of the foundation of the house you live in, you need to get it diagnosed.
Foundation survey
If during the inspection you find a crack, you need to determine whether it is progressing. To do this, it is convenient to use regular paper tape. Stick it on the damaged area so that it connects both parts of the crack. Check it once a day for 2 weeks.
If the paper is deformed or torn, then it is necessary to urgently repair or replace it if the damage cannot be repaired. If the crack does not grow, then the damaged foundation can be easily repaired; if the problem does not threaten the integrity of the house, then it can simply be filled with cement mortar.
A more informative way to determine the severity of the damage is by digging holes. A pit is a depression in the ground adjacent to the foundation. It must be the same depth as the foundation, at least a meter long, and there must be at least 2 of them. To avoid collapse, it is necessary to install wooden supports on the walls of the recess.
Digging pits is the most informative way to determine foundation damage. It is recommended to dig it in a possible place of damage. It makes it possible to determine the presence of groundwater, soil composition and immediately begin repairs.
What are the types of base failures and restoration technologies?
Let's try to take a closer look at the main reasons why the foundation can collapse, as well as the technologies for eliminating them.
Leaching of the concrete component. Such processes occur due to the constant influence of salt or alkaline water on the structure. If this situation occurs, then:
- The first step is to divert such water from the building. At a minimum, a drainage system should be installed that can reduce the level of aggressive water.
- The next steps involve pulling out the soil around the foundation. All defective areas must be thoroughly cleaned.
- The recesses in the base are filled with solution. At the same time, it is necessary to erect vertical brickwork, which will be parallel to the base.
- It is also worth noting that the brick should be impregnated using bitumen. It must be isolated from the foundation using roofing felt. After completion of the repair work, the remaining free areas are filled with fatty clay.
Delamination may also occur. A similar process occurs in cases where there is no dressing in the masonry system. The reason may also be the loss of its strength qualities, as well as excessive load. To correct the situation, restoration of the foundation under the existing house is carried out by filling existing cracks with a concrete mixture. There is another option, which involves strengthening by installing external beams. It is to these elements that the load is redistributed.
Often, a gap in height may be a prerequisite for weakening of the foundation. The factor leading to this is usually the improper construction of the foundation or the destruction of the blind area. To prevent further destruction, swelling soil should be removed from around the structure. Next, the rupture area is filled with solution.
As for the sinuses, they should be filled with non-heaving soil; if there is a need to restore the blind area, then this operation must also be performed. It is also recommended to install a drainage system.
Common Causes of Damage
The most common reasons for foundation damage are:
- Human impact;
- Unscrupulous attitude towards the construction of the foundation, low-quality materials;
- External influence of natural factors.
The most dangerous thing is the presence of groundwater. In winter, when they freeze, they increase in volume and can damage the foundation. In summer, they can lead to subsidence.
Increased load-bearing capacity
You can repair the foundation of a private brick house yourself. For example, by increasing the load-bearing capacity of the structure, it will be possible to prevent subsidence and destruction.
Especially for this purpose, a new part is laid out along the weakened area. The load can be relieved by using concrete blocks with iron structures inside, which will pass through the base. Newly laid sections are anchored using through-type fasteners.
Attention! It will be necessary to devote a lot of time to repairing the foundation of a brick house, because each stage requires hardening and “gaining strength”
Symptoms of damage
You are quite capable of identifying a violation of the integrity of the foundation in your home. The appearance of cracks and depressions are excellent markers of destruction. It must be remembered that some cracks do not pose a danger to the structure and can simply be filled with cement.
Main symptoms of damage
- The walls begin to crack;
- In the area of destruction, the finish begins to break;
- Obvious violations in the integrity of floor coverings;
- Partial building collapses;
- Damage to the integrity of the soil in areas of possible destruction of the foundation.
Repair methods
Restoration of the tape can be carried out under various technological conditions. The choice of the most suitable option depends on the nature of the damage, the size and dynamic state of the crack .
The main requirement for the measures taken is efficiency and high quality results. All work should be carried out as carefully as possible, carefully monitoring compliance with the technology, not allowing any deviations and not skipping any stages of work.
Repairing the tape is a labor-intensive, responsible and complex task, which should be solved under the guidance of an experienced specialist, or you can entrust the repair to a team of professional builders.
DIY foundation repair
Steps to restore the integrity of the foundation depend on the type and extent of damage. You can see photos of foundation repairs to better understand the process.
Cracks
First, you need to determine the cause of the crack and, based on this, a method to strengthen the foundation.
When destruction does not appear in a separate area, but affects the entire perimeter of the building and is associated with high soil moisture, you need to do the following:
- Dig a trench around the perimeter of the house;
- Remove dirt and old plaster from the foundation;
- Place a metal mesh in the trench and fill it with cement, compacting it well.
Foundation subsidence
First you need to find out how the destruction progresses. If active, how can the foundation be repaired? The procedure will be as follows:
First you need to install the jack. To do this, a strip of foundation up to a meter wide is removed with a hammer drill. A jack is installed in the resulting recess. It is safer to use several jacks and lift the building no more than 1-3 cm at a time, otherwise the building may be destroyed.
It is necessary to make supports. Reinforcing bars with a diameter of 2 cm are better suited for this. It is important that the supports are at least 0.25 m wide. They are installed on special substrates.
Installation of formwork. Concreting.
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How to prevent cracks
The formation of cracks can be prevented by following the following standards when constructing the foundation:
- Use quality concrete
- Follow the filling technology
- Correctly calculate the future load
- Follow reinforcement technology based on load calculations
- Maintain the required time when concrete hardens
- Install a drainage system made in accordance with the standards 0.3-0.5m below the foundation
- Basement and concrete foundation cracks that are the result of too much moisture and water can be prevented using various waterproofing methods.
Important: In order to do everything correctly, following all the rules and regulations, you need to choose a qualified construction company that specializes in certain works, and does not do everything. To install foundations, choose a company whose specialty is foundations, and for waterproofing and drainage, choose a company whose specialization is waterproofing and drainage.
You can find how to find a professional company or contractor and not make mistakes in the following article - Contractors, companies and firms for waterproofing and drainage.
Repairing the foundation of a wooden house with your own hands
If the old foundation can no longer perform its basic functions or it is necessary to extend the service life of the building, it is replaced.
What you will need to replace the foundation yourself:
- Hydraulic jacks;
- Steel wedges and crowbar;
- Jackhammers or sledgehammers;
- Logs or bricks for support;
- Support for the jack.
Non-standard method of strengthening the base
Also, restoration of a brick foundation can be carried out in another way. The essence of this technology is that an overstressed clip is created. Thanks to this, partial unloading of the base becomes possible.
As part of this method, the area around the old foundation must be divided into several separate areas. This technology involves excavating the foundation of a building from both sides, after which the earth is removed from under the base. A concrete-reinforced lintel is installed under it. Vertically located reinforcing rods are subsequently welded to the latter. It is worth noting that their upper ends must be temporarily secured to the upper beams.
The empty space is then filled with concrete mortar to form tides. After it hardens, the consoles are installed. The nuts, in turn, must be screwed onto the rods. The result is overvoltage. After the beams are removed, the overstressed reinforced concrete frame will transfer some load to the tides.
The method discussed above, by which you can restore the foundation with your own hands, allows you to ensure reliable strengthening of the foundation foundation. The key advantage of this technology is to increase the rigidity of the foundation and improve the strength properties of the structure. A reinforced concrete cage makes it possible to reliably protect the foundations from the negative impacts emanating from groundwater. The foundation base after reconstruction will boast a wider base. At the same time, the depth of its occurrence will increase, and the soil will be compacted. Thanks to all this, the bearing capacity of the foundation will improve.
Photo of foundation repair
Strengthening the structure
When the basement in a brick house is destroyed, it is necessary to stop the settlement of the building as urgently as possible. Initially, for this purpose, beacons are installed on the cracks of the structure (a beacon is a plaster “construction plaster”). The date must be indicated on each label.
In the event that the “plaster” breaks, it will be necessary to dig a hole at an angle of 350 in the immediate vicinity of the strip base. This technology involves the installation of metal and asbestos pipes (d = 15-20 cm). After that, everything is poured with concrete.
The process is continued until the concrete solution stops decreasing within one or several hours. The next filling is performed after 24 hours. This continues three or four times.
Then the cracks are again secured with beacons, but made of wood. They are placed at the beginning and at the very edge. They fix the position of the pillar after pouring. If settlement continues to occur, then there is a possibility that the building will sink much lower into the ground. Then you need to fill everything with the solution again. Fixation is possible only in this way.
