Options for the blind area around the house. Blind area - what is it for, varieties, modern soft blind areas. Installation of a rigid blind area

Even the strongest foundation is exposed to moisture over time, which gradually reduces the load on the drainage system of the house, as well as on vertical waterproofing. To prevent this from happening, do-it-yourself concrete blind area is performed, step-by-step instruction which will be discussed in the article.

Concrete blind area is a necessary coating to protect the foundation

In addition to its main function (protection from interaction with moisture), this coating also allows you to arrange a pedestrian zone around the perimeter of the house and give the architectural appearance of the building a complete look.

However, before pouring the blind area, you need to pay attention to its design features and requirements for construction objects of this type.

blind area design

The concrete pavement has quite simple design, for the preparation of which you will need the following materials:

1. Bedding (pillow). It is performed before pouring the solution. A variety of materials are used as bedding: coarse or medium sand, sand-gravel mixture, crushed stone, fine gravel. The blind area of ​​​​the foundation does not fit on fine sand because of the likelihood of shrinkage, since in this case there is a risk that the base will crack. It is best to prepare a two-layer pillow: first lay gravel or crushed stone, which will compact the soil, and then sand.
2. Reinforcement. Availability of reinforcing mesh for concrete blind area give the structure more strength. The mesh size of this product is usually 30 x 30 or 50 x 50 cm. The mesh diameter should be about 6-8 mm, but it all depends on the type of soil.
3. Formwork. Wooden guides located along the perimeter of the coating are required, as they will prevent the concrete mixture from spreading. The width of the formwork boards, as a rule, is 20-25 mm.
4. Concrete solution. Filling the blind area is carried out using a certain composition of the concrete mixture.

The brand of mortar must be carefully selected, since the strength and durability of the entire structure will depend on its quality and characteristics. For such a coating, Mixture M 200 is usually used, the strength class of which is at least B 15 (a higher grade can also be purchased). It is also worth paying attention to the frost resistance of the composition, which should not be less than F 50. To ensure better resistance to drops temperature conditions, it is recommended to give preference to compositions with an indicator of F 100.

To get a high-quality coating, it is most profitable to make a concrete mix on your own.

We make concrete mix for the blind area at home

To organize a concrete pavement around the house, it is not necessary to buy a ready-made mixture and order an expensive delivery with a concrete mixer. Knowing the proportions of the components, you can make concrete M 200 yourself, this will require:

• 1 part cement (optimal is Portland cement 400);
• 3 parts sand (better than medium, but fine-grained is also suitable);
• 4 parts of coarse aggregate (gravel or crushed stone);
• ½ part water.

Accordingly, to get 1 cubic meter of concrete, you need to mix:

• 280 kg of cement;
• 1100 kg of crushed stone;
• 800 kg of sand;
• 190 liters of water.

Also using PC 400, you can get other brands.

Healthy! First of all, cement and water are mixed, and only after the composition has turned out to be homogeneous, sand and gravel are added to it.

In order for the construction of the blind area to be strong and the concreting to be durable, certain rules and requirements are provided.

Design requirements

To fill the blind area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe house with concrete, you must familiarize yourself with the regulations and recommendations of SNiP:

• The width of the blind area should be 20 cm more than the roof overhang (SNiP 2.02.01-83). If the structure provides for a drain, then its indicators are also taken into account. The optimal value is 1 meter. In this case, you can lay out a tile path around the house.
• The length of the do-it-yourself blind area around the house should correspond to the perimeter of the building. However, if you plan to install a concrete porch, then a "gap" is acceptable.
• Depth. The level of penetration of the "tape" is half the estimated depth of freezing of the earth.
• The thickness of the concrete blind area is also regulated by SNiP and, according to these requirements, should be at least 7-10 cm for the top layer. However, many make concreted parking spaces for private cars along with the blind area. In this case, the operational load increases, and the thickness of the concrete blind area can reach up to 15 cm.

• bias. According to SNiP III-10-75, the slope should be from 1 to 10 cm per meter of width. Most often, it is 2-3 cm per meter - this is approximately 2-3 degrees. The angle of inclination must be directed in the direction opposite to the foundation. Increasing the slope is not recommended, as in this case it will be difficult to walk along such a path in winter time when ice forms on the surface.
• Border. The device of the blind area at home does not include the mandatory manufacture of a border, therefore, in this case, the decision is made by the owners of suburban real estate. However, experts recommend installing such "limiters" if trees and shrubs with an "aggressive" root system (blackberry, raspberry, plane tree, poplar, and others) grow near the foundation.
• Plinth height. For a hard type (concrete) cover, the plinth must be at least 50 cm.
• The recommended height of the blind area above ground level is 5 cm or more.

There are also several schemes according to which a blind area from crushed stone can be erected, in the form of a monolithic concrete pavement both for the usual type of soil, and for the "problem".

Knowing the requirements of SNiP and features suburban area, you can make a blind area with your own hands using the step-by-step instructions below.

We make a blind area on our own

The blind area device technology includes several stages that even a beginner can handle. construction works Oh.

Training

In order to start creating a protective coating around the house, prepare:

• pick;
• twine;
• roulette;
• tamper;
• pegs for marking;
• waterproof film (geotextile);
• concrete mixture;
• formwork boards;
• hacksaw;
• level;
• nails;
• reinforcement material, welding machine and wire cutters;
• as a rule, trowel, spatula;
• sealant for processing seams (it is better to purchase a polyurethane composition).

markup

The arrangement of the blind area around the house begins with the preparation of the area for construction. At this stage, it is necessary to mark the perimeter of the future "tape", or rather a trench for it, with the help of a peg. There are several recommendations in this regard:

• The step between the beacons is 1.5 m.
• The depth of the trench will depend on the soil, but the minimum value for this value is 0.15-0.2 meters. If the earth is "heaving", then the depth increases to 0.3 m.

The easiest way to apply markup is to act in the following sequence:

1. Drive metal or wood pegs into the ground in the corners of the house.
2. Install intermediate beacons around the perimeter of the building.
3. Pull the cord or rope, connecting all the pegs.

Healthy! At this stage, sealant can be used to separate protective covering from the foundation.

After that, the slope of the system is formed, for this a trench is dug, in which the depth of one of its sides will be greater. To compact the resulting ditch, it is enough to use a tree. First, the log must be placed vertically, lifted and sharply lowered down with effort. Due to this, the bottom of the trench will be compacted.

formwork

For formwork, you will need boards on which it is better to immediately mark the height of the future pillow. In the corners, fasten the impromptu “box” with metal corners (bolts on the outside).

Important! If you do not want to remove the formwork, after the concrete blind area is completed, be sure to treat the tree with an antiseptic compound and wrap the boards with roofing material.

Creating a pillow

In order for the concrete pavement to be made according to all the "canons" of construction, it is imperative to prepare a sandy or clay base for it. The thickness of the sand layer can reach up to 20 cm. It is best to lay the pillow in several layers, moistening and carefully tamping each subsequent layer. At the final stage, the surface must be leveled.

Waterproofing

A waterproofing device involves laying several layers of roofing felt or other geotextile on a pillow.

1. The material needs to be “wrapped” a little on the walls in order to get an expansion joint.
2. Roofing material must be overlapped.
3. A thin layer of sand is poured over the geotextile, and then 10 cm of gravel.
4. If you plan to install drainage system, then it is laid close to the resulting "water seal".

Reinforcement, pouring and drying

Above the level of 3 cm from the layer with crushed stone, it is necessary to lay a metal mesh with a step of 0.75 m. After that, you need to mix the concrete and pour it in equal portions into the resulting formwork sections. In this case, the composition to be poured must reach the level of the upper edge of the wooden "box".

Healthy! After pouring, pierce the surface with an iron rod in several places to release excess air.

You can distribute the composition with a trowel or a rule. To increase the resistance of concrete, 2 hours after pouring, ironing is performed. To do this, the surface is covered with a layer of dry PC 400 3-7 mm thick.

Healthy! So that the composition does not crack, it must be moistened with water 1-2 times a day.

In addition to how to properly fill the blind area, you need to make sure that it does not crack during the drying process. To do this, you need to protect the coating from precipitation and the sun with a plastic film. It is believed that the blind area completely dries out in 10-14 days. However, according to the regulations for drying, it is worth taking at least 28 days.

The blind area surrounding the house plays very important role in ensuring long and comfortable use at home. It provides protection for the foundation structure and the soil around it from water ingress. The accumulation of moisture near the house when snow melts or during precipitation can blur upper layer soil and reach the foundation. If she manages to seep to the sole of the foundation and damage it, then its bearing capacity and strength will be reduced, which as a result can cause the destruction of the house. It is especially important to correctly use a shallow base, in which the sole is close to the surface, which is why moisture can easily reach its depth.

The width of the blind area should be as wide as possible, as it should protect the base.

As a result of soaking, the strength of the sole decreases, and it begins to sag unevenly, destroying the foundation. However, even in the case of using recessed bases, it is also necessary. It must always be done, regardless of the design of the base, type of soil and other conditions.

Preparing to create a blind area around the house

How to make a quality one so that it lasts as long as possible and becomes reliable protection for a foundation? To do this, you need to choose suitable material good quality and clearly follow the technology.

First of all, you need to choose a width. Since it must protect the base, its width should be as wide as possible.

The scheme of the blind area around the house.

Except protective function, the blind area around the house is also erected as a path along the perimeter of the building. This must also be taken into account when choosing its width so that in the future you do not have to walk on it sideways. Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the most optimal width of a correctly made blind area around the house, which meets all standards and requirements, is in the range of about 1-2.5 m.

The blind area around the house must be done with a certain slope, due to which water will drain away from the walls of the building. Building codes define the value of the slope, equal to 50-100 mm per 1 m of width. This means that the edge of the blind area around the house, whose width is 1 m, will have a height of 50-100 mm near the wall of the house, and its other edge will be flush with the ground. The resulting descent is good for draining water from the building: water will flow down it quickly enough, but it is difficult to walk along such a blind area. However, if you make the angle of inclination smaller, then the water will drain much more slowly or even linger on the surface, but it will be much more convenient to walk. A compromise between efficiency and comfort is considered to be a slope of 15 mm per 1 m of width. When walking, such a slope is almost not noticeable, and the water flows down completely and does not linger on the surface.

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Materials and coating for the blind area around the house

Scheme of the blind area device.

In order to properly make a blind area around the house, you need to prepare the appropriate materials. There are several popular options for its manufacture, which use various materials, but the most common is a blind area made of concrete.

The manufacturing technology is quite simple. First of all, the area for the blind area is cleared, after which the reinforcement bars with a diameter of 6 mm or more are laid in the form of a grid. The rods are connected to each other by means of a knitting wire. Next, formwork is installed, made of wooden planks. At the end, the formwork is poured with concrete mortar.

To independently make a blind area around the house, prepare the following tools and materials:

• shovel;
• Hydraulic level;
• Wheelbarrow for transportation of crushed stone and removal of soil;
• Manual tamper;
• Waterproofing materials;
• insulation;
• Sand;
• crushed stone;
• clay;
• Reinforced mesh with 10x10 cells or reinforcement bars.

Before starting work, it is advisable to perform the necessary preparatory actions, for which you should organize free access to the house from all sides, as well as prepare the tools and materials listed earlier.

The next stage is the execution of marking work. It is most convenient to carry out this procedure using wooden or metal pegs (driven in around the perimeter of the future) and a cord pulled between them. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the blind area has the same width at all points (as a rule, around private houses with a width of 1 m).

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Do-it-yourself concrete blind area around the house: step by step instructions

Scheme of the construction of a concrete blind area.

From the blind area, made in accordance with all norms and rules, depends on the durability of the foundation, as well as the amount of money and time spent on the construction of the structure itself. It is better to take care of creating a blind area immediately after the completion of the construction of the house.

The blind area around the house consists of 2 structural layers. The first of these is the underlying layer. The main task of this layer is to create a compacted even base for the coating. Material used: sand, clay or small gravel. Layer thickness - up to 20 mm. The choice of material for the underlying layer depends entirely on the material of the second layer, i.e. coatings. The main task of the coating is resistance to the damaging effects of moisture and water resistance. Material used: clay (it can be used both as a base layer and for creating a coating), asphalt mix, concrete, small cobblestone. Layer thickness - up to 100 mm.

Scheme of the device of the concrete blind area.

This is true for any type of blind area around the house. Next, the instructions for the blind area device will be given using the example of the most popular option - concrete.

To prepare a concrete mixture, it is necessary to take M400 cement, crushed stone and sand in proportions of 1: 4: 2.

Make markings for the future blind area around the house. The minimum width of the structure was described earlier. Remove and compact the earth around the perimeter of the building. Usually the soil is removed at the zero cycle of construction work. When constructing a blind area, it is necessary to prepare the ground exactly for the width of the future structure in accordance with the markings made. In this case, it is necessary to take into account what material will be used in construction. For the ground, you need to take it out to a depth of about 25 cm (“on the bayonet of a shovel”).

The next step is the manufacture of formwork from boards. For formwork, boards with a thickness of 20 mm are used. A small layer of clay is laid on the compacted earth. The clay is leveled and compacted. A layer of sand about 10 cm thick is laid. The sand must be carefully compacted, for which it should be additionally spilled with water. Try not to overdo it. Remember that the bottom is clay. Especially carefully you need to compact the sand at the foundation. Now you need to lay the crushed stone with a layer of 60-70 mm.

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 inexpensive way devices concrete blind area(after all, our task is to build inexpensive house with their own hands, which is not inferior in reliability to an 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, this is when you proceed to 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 money to finish the house, 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. In addition to the decorative element of the house, 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 ground floor) 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. The 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 underlayment and a covering), 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. Suitable for these purposes wooden slats mounted on the edge. 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. Ironing done wet way 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 for primer cement mortar(1:1 or 1:2). 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 it with plastic wrap to protect it from 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.

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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 removing ground layer 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 the sun. 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 process all the walls of the excavation special composition to help kill weeds. If this is not done, then weed grass will destroy the structure made.

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.

Application is the most beneficial and the best option for arranging a blind area. Because it has many advantages. This is the possibility of repairing the coating in parts and a long service life.

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;

Master of Architecture, graduated from the Samara State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. 11 years of experience in design and construction.

The blind area device is an extremely important event. These works are carried out after the construction of the house is completed, therefore sometimes they are not given enough attention, one hundred is unacceptable, since the design of the blind area performs the extremely important task of protecting the foundation from atmospheric moisture. The following describes how a do-it-yourself blind area should be done, step-by-step instructions for each type of protective strip, and recommendations for choosing materials.

Concrete pavement

To date, this is the most popular way to protect the foundation, but it has enough a large number of shortcomings, therefore, if there is financial opportunity to choose a more expensive and reliable option, it is better to resort to it. Most often, this type of blind area is typical for mass urban construction.

The disadvantages include:

The production of a concrete element is carried out in the following order:

1. Calculation of the thickness of the entire structure, in which it is required to take into account all layers. This value is needed in order to determine the depth of the trench along the perimeter of the foundation.
2. Determination of geometric dimensions. On average, the width should be taken within 90-100 cm. The slope for concrete is 3-5% (for piece materials - 5%, therefore, in order not to get confused in the values, it is recommended to remember the total - 5%).
3. Take out markings on the ground. For this, the limits of the future structure along the perimeter of the foundation are indicated by pegs with a cord stretched over them.
4. Next, open the trench. The dimensions in the plan are already limited by markings, it remains only to dig the soil to the depth calculated in the first paragraph.
5. The base soil is carefully compacted. If possible, a castle is made of clay, which will provide additional protection against moisture.
6. The next layer is a sand cushion. Sand performs three functions: replacing heaving soil, which is widespread throughout the country, with conditionally non-heaving soil, leveling the base, and arranging a drainage layer. The sand cushion is made only from coarse or medium sand. If a do-it-yourself blind area is erected using a fine fraction, then large shrinkage, cracks and a violation of waterproofing are possible. The thickness of the layer is selected depending on the characteristics of the soil. It is important to consider strength and water saturation. If the soils on the site are strong, it will be enough to lay about 200 mm of sand. For unstable bases, 500 mm of sand bedding may be required.
7. The crushed stone bedding performs approximately the same functions as the sandy one. Here you can use not only crushed stone, but also gravel or a sand-gravel mixture. The blind area on such a basis increases the strength of the soil and increases the reliability of the entire structure. At this stage, the preparatory work is completed. Up to this point, the fundamental differences in how to properly make a blind area for the foundation from different materials, No.
8. The next step is setting up the formwork. The formwork is needed so that the liquid concrete mixture does not flow beyond the markup. For manufacturing, you can buy boards with a thickness of 22-25mm. You can use old materials to save money. Walls are knocked together from the boards, which are installed around the perimeter of the foundation. At the same time, it is important to install the board directly to the wall of the building, the thickness of the formwork element will provide the necessary expansion joint, the thickness of which is in the range of 20-40 mm. The seam is needed to prevent cracking and deformation of the structure with different shrinkage of the foundation and blind area.
9. After the formwork is installed, reinforcing mesh is laid. They will increase the flexural strength of concrete. The diameter of the reinforcement in the grids is recommended to be approximately 10 mm. This technology of the blind area device will ensure its strength and reliability.
10. Further, the blind area device requires installation cross boards around the perimeter of the foundation. The boards will provide expansion joints that cut the strip into separate sections. The step of the boards is assigned 2 meters.
11. The next step is pouring concrete. For this, a concrete mixture of classes B20 - B22.5 (grade M300) is made. It is this solution that is able to provide the durability of the structure and the necessary strength. It is possible to use concrete of smaller classes, B15 and B17.5 are suitable, but it is worth remembering that the service life will decrease. When using a mixture of B22.5 normative term service will be approximately 25 years. Filling in each compartment between the boards of expansion joints is performed in one go. After that, compaction is required. There are several ways, but the most common is vibrators. In the absence of the necessary equipment, you can use the bayonet.
12. After the solution is poured, the surface is ironed, this is done to increase the strength characteristics.
13. The penultimate stage in the manufacture of a concrete blind area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe foundation is the strength gain of the structure and its maintenance. At a temperature of +20 degrees Celsius and normal humidity, it takes 4 weeks to cure. If the temperature is lower, the process slows down significantly. It is necessary to wait for at least 70% of the graded strength of concrete. A week or two after pouring, the surface is moistened every 2-3 hours (and at night 2-3 times a night). This is necessary to prevent cracking.
14. When the concrete has gained 70% strength, you can remove the formwork. After that, the blind area device is completed.

Paving slab foundation

The blind area around the house with your own hands in this case has only one drawback - the cost. But in terms of appearance, maintainability and ease of use, it surpasses the previous type.

The preparatory stage of work is carried out according to paragraphs 1-7 for the manufacture of a concrete pavement of the foundation.

1. An additional layer of sand 70-100 mm is laid on the crushed stone, while providing the necessary slope.
2. The next step is the installation of tiles.
3. The joints of the piece elements are sealed with a cement-sand mortar.

More details about this type of construction can be found in the article "Blind area from paving slabs." Using the same technology, a cobblestone or ceramic brick structure is mounted.

clay pavement

Arrangement of this type to protect the foundation requires the following steps:

1. Preparation according to points 1-7 for a concrete blind area.
2. Laying a layer of clay 100-150 mm thick and compacting it. For manufacturing, you can use clay, which remained after excavating the foundation pit, but only if it is of good quality and high strength.
3. The arrangement ends with the creation of a decorative layer. To do this, stones are sunk into the clay layer or pebbles are laid on top. This will create a comfortable footpath and strengthen the structure.

Clay blind area is an inexpensive and not laborious option for creating a drainage system around the perimeter of the foundation.

membranes

Before making a blind area around the house, it is recommended to consider the option of PVP membranes.

This material provides the highest degree of protection of supporting structures from atmospheric moisture.

The technology differs from the usual types of protective blind areas:

1. Perform steps 1-5 for a concrete blind area.
2. A layer of sand is laid, and a membrane is in it.
3. Cover it all with a layer of rubble.
4. Perform backfilling.
5. Planting grass.

The blind area from the membrane does not come to the surface and cannot be used as a sidewalk. Its only function is reliable waterproofing. ATThe choice of material depends on the possibilities and wishes of the future owner of the house.