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When arranging pitched roof installation truss system cannot be performed directly on the walls of a building. An additional element that receives loads from the rafters and transfers them to the walls will be the Mauerlat. Usually this is a special beam that is laid along the perimeter of the walls. Since it takes a serious load from the roof, it is very important to securely fix the Mauerlat on the wall. In the case of brick or concrete walls everything is simple and clear. But how is the Mauerlat fastened to aerated concrete without an armored belt, because the gas block itself is rather loose and porous, therefore it cannot provide a strong fixation of the fastener? This is what we will talk about in our article.

The functional purpose of the Mauerlat

Usually, the same material is used for the manufacture of the Mauerlat as for the truss system. Most often it is made from a wooden beam. However, if the truss system is made of metal, then this structural part can be made of a channel or an I-beam.

Usually this element is made of the following materials:

• Wooden beam with a section of 100x100 mm, 150x150 mm or 200x300 mm. The beam is made of hardwood and undergoes mandatory antiseptic treatment. The product is laid around the perimeter on the walls of the structure. Joints are fixed with nails or a direct lock. Most often used in private construction wooden structure roofs.
• Less commonly, rolled profiles are used for these purposes - a channel with a U-shaped section or an I-beam with an H-shaped section. The height of the profile is determined by calculation and can be in the range of 70-120 mm.

timber or steel beam attached to the walls. In this case, they can be used different ways mounts. Further, the rafter legs rest on the Mauerlat. They exert a load on this element, which, in turn, evenly distributing it, transfers it to the walls of the building. In addition, this beam keeps the truss system from moving.

Important: since aerated concrete does not tolerate long-term point loads, gradually collapsing, it is recommended to erect a monolithic reinforced belt on top of the walls before laying the Mauerlat.

However, there are ways to put this structural element on aerated concrete walls without armored belt. It is also worth remembering that the upper edge of the Mauerlat should be located at a height of at least 30-50 cm from the floor surface. This will ensure effective ventilation of the under-roof space, as well as facilitate inspection and repair of roof structures.

Mounting methods

Mounting a Mauerlat to aerated concrete is much more difficult than to a brick wall.

Mounting a Mauerlat to aerated concrete is much more difficult than to a brick wall. As a rule, this product is laid at a distance of 50 mm from the outer edge of the wall. The following fasteners can be used to fasten the Mauerlat:

• steel wire;
• anchor fasteners built into the masonry;
• special chemical anchors;
• steel pins.

Important: anchors are used to attach the support beam to the reinforced belt or brick walls.

After installing the beam rafter leg is attracted to the wall with the help of a twist made of twisted metal wire with a diameter of 3 mm. To fix the wire below the timber, a steel shorty is mounted 6 cm. Instead, the wire can be fixed to the floor slabs. When installing a complex roof, it is recommended to make sure to carry out a reinforced concrete belt, which will give the building additional rigidity and more evenly distribute the load from the roof onto the walls of the house.

To bind the individual parts of the Mauerlat into a single structure, an oblique cut is used, followed by fastening with nails, screws or bolts. Steel plates and staples are used to reinforce the corner parts of the structure.

Using wire to fasten the beam

If wire is used to fasten the Mauerlat, then this must be taken care of even at the stage of laying the walls. The wire must be laid in the tub of walls when performing the last few rows. At the same time, the following sequence of actions is followed:

1. During the laying of aerated concrete blocks, two or three rows before the end of the laying of the walls, a steel wire with a cross section of 6 mm is laid between the elements, which consists of several thinner wires twisted together.
2. At the same time, the middle part of the fastener is inserted into the masonry. Its ends should protrude from the walls. The length of these ends should be such that the wire can be freely wrapped around the timber to be laid.
3. The number of wires used should be equal to the number of rafters installed.

Fixation with pins

Mounting the mauerlat to the wall of aerated concrete with studs is allowed when installing light roofs on small houses. The materials used to form the roofing pie should be as light as possible and not transfer significant loads to the rest of the structural parts of the building.

This technique is the best suited in the case when it is not possible to equip the armored belt. In such a situation, the timber itself will act as a reinforcing belt. This method causes rather controversial reviews of experts, but in practice it has proven itself very well, providing high reliability and stability of the roof.

To fix the beam to aerated concrete, you will need the following elements:

• studs marking SRT-12, called "dovetail";
• wooden beam section 20x30 cm (the dimensions of this element depend on the thickness of the outer walls).

We perform the work in the following order:

1. We drill holes in the walls of the gas block in increments of 100-150 cm.
2. We insert the studs into the holes and fix them with cement milk or a non-shrinking mortar.
3. Next, you need to perform waterproofing. To do this, two layers of roofing material are laid on the walls. At the location of the studs in the material, holes must be pierced to ensure its snug fit to the walls. Waterproofing will protect the wooden beam from saturation with moisture and subsequent rot, which can come from the walls.
4. With the same step as the studs were installed, holes of a diameter suitable for the studs are drilled in the Mauerlat.
5. Then the beam is mounted on the studs on top of the waterproofing, washers are installed and tightened with nuts.
6. After mounting the beam, the ends, in which individual fragments of the beam are joined, are pulled together with forged steel brackets.
7. Now you can proceed with the installation of the truss system.

If the studs are mounted in the armored belt, then we work as follows:

1. Before the start of pouring the armored belt, studs are placed in it with a step of no more than 100 cm.
2. They are fastened with a knitting wire to the reinforcing cage of the belt. Plastic ties can be used instead of wire to fix the studs.
3. The accuracy of the installation of the studs horizontally and vertically is checked.
4. Concrete is poured into the formwork of the armored belt.
5. After it hardens, the prepared beam is put on with holes on the protruding ends of the studs and is attracted to the surface with nuts.

chemical anchor

This product is also called liquid dowel, injection mass or glued anchor. In fact, it is an adhesive with high bonding characteristics, which is made on the basis of synthetic polymer resin. Thanks to the chemical anchor, it is possible to firmly fasten the metal rod and the base.

Important: unlike other fasteners, the liquid dowel does not create expansion stress in the material, which is especially dangerous for fragile aerated concrete at the edges of the walls.

Unlike mechanical anchors, the fixation of which is based on the use of friction forces and expansion of the dowel made of polymers, the chemical anchor is fixed due to the fact that the adhesive penetrates into the pores of aerated concrete to a considerable depth and firmly fixes the rod in the wall.

Installation of a chemical anchor is carried out in the following sequence:

1. First, a hole is drilled along the anchor. However, its size should be slightly larger than for a conventional anchor bolt.
2. Using a special brush or compressed air, dust, debris and metal crumbs are removed from the channel.
3. A special chemical adhesive is poured into the hole prepared in the wall.
4. After that, a steel rod is inserted there - a threaded stud M 12-14. Also for these purposes, you can take a piece of reinforcement of a suitable diameter.
5. The adhesive composition gains the required strength in 20 minutes, provided that the ambient temperature is approximately 20°C.
6. After the chemical composition hardens, the rod is securely fixed in the wall. Moreover, the fastening strength is much higher than that of the mechanical method.

Advantages of using a liquid dowel:

• The service life of such fasteners is more than 50 years.
• This method of fixation can be used on the edge of the walls, without fear that it may crack.
• Fasteners have a fairly high chemical resistance.
• Fastening is allowed to be carried out on wet material, that is, installation can be carried out even in rainy weather.
• Work on the installation of the Mauerlat and the arrangement of the roof can be performed without the use of reinforced belt, since a chemical anchor is much more firmly fixed in a fragile material than a mechanical dowel.
• This method is ideal for working with aerated concrete.
• The depth of the hole may be less than when installing a mechanical anchor, which must be deepened by 2-3 rows of masonry.

The only downside this method fixation is that with a rod attached to a liquid dowel, welding cannot be performed, since from heating polymer material breaks down, the strength of fixation decreases.

Mechanical anchor (anchor bolt)

This is a fairly common way to fix the timber to the walls. The anchor bolt consists of the following parts:

• external spacer;
• internal threaded rod.

Fixation occurs due to the fact that at the moment of screwing the nut onto the rod, the spacer structure is deformed in such a way that it securely fixes the product in the hole drilled in the wall.

Work on the installation of a mechanical anchor is performed in the following order:

1. A prepared beam is laid along the perimeter of the walls.
2. Further, holes are drilled along the entire length of this product for installing anchor bolts. The spacing of the holes is 1 m. It is important to try that the installation sites of the anchors must fall on the corners of the building and the junction of the two ends of the timber.
3. After that, with the help of a drill, holes are drilled in the walls through the holes prepared in the Mauerlat to a depth equal to the length of the anchor. In this case, it is not allowed to make the depth of the anchor less than 2 or even 3 rows of masonry.
4. Installed in the hole anchor bolt. For these purposes, it is better to take products with a length of at least 50 cm with a thread M 12 or 14.
5. After that, the washer is put on and the nut is screwed tightly. As a result, the steel or plastic dowel is unclenched so that it is firmly pressed into the material and fixes the bolt in the wall.

When building a house from gas silicate blocks necessary condition is the manufacture of armored belts from concrete mortar. Armopoyas for aerated concrete is a monolithic layer of concrete, evenly distributed around the entire perimeter of the walls of the house. This design increases the reliability of the aerated concrete wall and the entire structure by an order of magnitude. For one-story house it is recommended to make an armored belt in the middle part of the wall and under the roof, and for a two-story one - between floors and under the roof.

What is it needed for armored belt in aerated concrete house

Many novice builders do not fully understand why an armored belt is needed for the walls of the house. Especially if the building is one-story. In fact, the need for its construction comes from the following reasons:

• The belt binds together the entire structure, being a kind of stiffener. This increases the resistance of the building to wind loads, seismic activity, soil movement in the building area, shrinkage building material. Without such reinforcement, the likelihood of cracking on the walls increases.
• The entire load on the walls is distributed evenly, which prolongs the life of the house.
• Thanks to the armored belt, it becomes possible to make window and door openings of any width.
• It is necessary to fix the truss system on the roof very reliably, but gas blocks cannot provide this.

Dimensions of the armored belt

The dimensions of the armored belt depend on the dimensions of the wall itself:

• The armored belt runs along the entire perimeter of the building, including along the inner walls.
• The height of the armored belt can be less than or equal to the height of the gas block. It is not recommended to make it more than 30 cm. This is an unjustified expense of funds with the same degree of protection. In addition, there will be an increased load on the walls.
• The thickness of the armored belt for aerated concrete can be equal to the thickness of the wall, or maybe less.
• It is recommended to make the section of the armored belt square. There is a rule of sopromat: a square section is more resistant to mechanical stress than a rectangular one.

Options for manufacturing armored belts

Some builders, in order to save money, make armored belts from bricks. It consists of 4-5 rows of bricks, between which reinforcement or reinforcing mesh is laid. Since the brick belt is inferior in strength to concrete, it can be used for the construction of small buildings or utility blocks.

We will analyze how to properly make an armored belt for aerated concrete using the monolithic casting method. There are several options for making an armored belt, which are given below:

Using ready-made U-blocks

Such products are commercially available. In the section of each U-block there is a cutout where reinforcement is laid and concrete is poured. The thickness of one wall is 10 cm, and the second one is 5 cm. U-blocks are installed on ordinary aerated concrete adhesive first at the corners of the wall, and then connected in one row. Blocks are placed with thicker sides on the outer wall of the building.

Wooden lintels are mounted above the door and window openings, which are fastened with vertical supports. Jumpers should be flush with the top of the previous row of gas blocks.

This method is easy and quick to install, but is not popular due to the high cost of U-blocks. Alternatively, you can make U-blocks yourself by cutting out the middle parts in them with a hacksaw.

Using additional blocks

You can use additional blocks of different thicknesses for the manufacture of armored belts. For external walls, blanks with a thickness of 10 cm are used, and for internal walls - 5 cm. They are installed on glue on top of the previous row. Insulation must be adjacent to the outdoor units. A reinforcing cage is laid between the blocks and concrete is poured.

Option with one-sided additional block

Additional blocks 10 cm thick are used. They are installed on glue from the outside of the wall. Directly near the blocks, sheets of extruded polystyrene foam 5 cm thick are inserted. They are necessary to reduce the heat capacity of the armored belt, in order to avoid the appearance of cold bridges. Formwork is mounted on the inside of the wall. In the resulting niche, a reinforcing cage is made, after which a concrete solution is poured into it.

From the outside of the house, the concrete belt will not be visible, so you can perform any exterior finish with the same material.

The use of double-sided formwork

Formwork is installed on both sides of the wall. Inside the formwork, close to its outer side, a layer of insulation is inserted. After that, a frame of reinforcement is mounted, and then concrete is poured inside the formwork. After the concrete has hardened and the formwork has been removed, the insulation must be sealed. Most often this is done in conjunction with plastering the wall or finishing it with foam sheets.

How to make a formwork for pouring concrete

If at least one side of the armored belt goes outside the building, the construction of a mandatory formwork is required. It can be made from flat boards, OSB, plywood sheets, laminated chipboards. The formwork is attached directly to aerated concrete walls using wood screws. If boards are used, then it is necessary to provide for the presence of vertical jumpers to ensure structural rigidity.

Tip: the top of the formwork must be perfectly flat so that the concrete layer is the same in thickness. Then the row of blocks that will be laid on it will not change the geometry of the wall of the house.

On top of the formwork, horizontal jumpers are attached, fixing it on both sides. Jumpers are screwed with self-tapping screws or nailed every 80–100 cm.

If the insulation layer goes to the outer wall of the house, and the wall decoration has not yet been provided, it can be masked. To do this, the formwork is not installed flush with the wall, but directly on the wall. After removing the formwork, a depression about 3 cm deep remains, which is quite enough for a layer of finishing material.

Tip: formwork is installed immediately around the entire perimeter of the walls. This ensures the filling of the armored belt in 1 run.

concrete reinforcement

To increase the strength and rigidity of the concrete layer, it is necessary to perform its reinforcement. For this, metal or fiberglass reinforcement with a cross section of 8–12 mm is used. Usually four bars of reinforcement laid along the walls are sufficient. The reinforcement is connected to each other with a knitting wire every 50 cm to form a square or rectangular frame. It is not recommended to use welding for connecting rods, since the metal will quickly begin to rust even inside the concrete layer in the welded places.

The reinforcing frame must not rest on aerated concrete. It needs to be raised above it by about 3 cm. For this, special plastic clamps for fittings are used. It is more convenient to knit the frame inside the formwork.

Filling armored belt

Consider how to properly fill the armored belt with concrete mortar. For this, it is recommended to use concrete M200 or higher. It can be bought ready-made or made independently from sand and cement grade M400. When making it yourself, you should adhere to the proportions of the solution:

• Cement - 1 part.
• Sand - 3 parts.
• Crushed stone - 5 parts.
• Water - to the point.
• Plasticizer - according to the manufacturer's recommendation.

The concrete solution is mixed manually or with a concrete mixer. After that, the solution is poured into the formwork. Using a metal pin, the concrete is compacted with the removal of air bubbles from it.

Advice: it is recommended to fill in the armo-belt in one run to prevent delamination of several layers of concrete. If this is not possible, then wooden lintels are installed on the surface of the filled layer. After their removal, the concrete surface is moistened, and then pouring continues.

After about 5 days, the concrete will finally harden. The formwork can be removed. During these days, it is advisable to water the armo-belt with water to give the concrete increased strength.

Features of the concrete belt under the Mauerlat

We talked about the need to equip the armored belt on aerated concrete between floors. Do you need such a layer of concrete from below attic floor? Wouldn't a house with several belts be too bulky? Mauerlat cannot be attached directly to a number of gas blocks, since this material does not have high strength. From the impact of wind loads, the fasteners will simply loosen, and the beam will move from its place.

In addition, the walls will be reinforced, which will prevent the appearance of cracks on them. 2 concrete belts will not make the whole structure too heavy, so you don’t have to worry about the safety of the walls. Therefore, the armored belt is necessary, but has its own characteristics.

The armored belt under the Mauerlat may differ in its dimensions in a smaller direction, as it carries a smaller load. In addition, only 2 reinforcing bars are often used to reinforce the belt frame.

Mauerlat must be securely attached to the armored belt. For this purpose, even before pouring the concrete solution, the studs with nuts are lifted vertically upwards. The Mauerlat wooden bar is attached to the concrete with these studs and fixed with nuts from above.

There are no other differences with this design.

A concrete armored belt made in accordance with all the rules will provide strength and durability to a building made of aerated concrete, prevent cracks on the walls, and make a reliable roof. Having spent 2-3 days on the manufacture of a reinforced concrete belt, you will extend the life of the house several times.

This element is designed to reinforce wall structures, which can be subjected to various adverse deforming effects:

• wind;
• uneven shrinkage of building structures;
• temperature fluctuations that occur seasonally or within one day;
• subsidence of soil under the sole of the foundation.

The armored belt (another name is the seismic belt) takes on an uneven distribution of loads on itself, thereby saving the structure from destruction.

The fact is that concrete is much more resistant to compressive loads than gas silicate blocks, and built-in reinforcement helps prevent failure under tensile loading.

Thanks to the tandem of these two materials, the seismic belt during the construction of a house made of aerated concrete can withstand much greater loads than the normative ones.

The armored belt creates the necessary stiffening rib in the gas silicate structure and prevents its destruction.

The device of the armored belt of an aerated concrete house is mandatory for several significant reasons:

1. The monolithic belt on aerated concrete compensates for the resulting deformations in wall structures with a heterogeneous load or modulus of elasticity.
2. When installing the roof truss system, point overvoltage of gas silicate blocks can occur, causing cracks and chips in them. This situation is also possible during the fastening of the Mauerlat with anchors and studs to the load-bearing wall.
3. When using a system of hanging rafters, the armored belt additionally acts as a spreader that distributes the load from the roof to the entire house.

Mauerlat - a wooden beam or log used as a base for rafters and making the necessary connection between the load-bearing wall and the rafter system.

The main requirement for the quality of the seismic belt is its continuity. It is provided with continuous circular pouring of this monolithic reinforced concrete section.

Learn how to make an armored belt. It is necessary to make an accurate calculation of its dimensions before starting work. The width of the belt should be equal to the width of the wall on which it is arranged. Height - from 18 centimeters. Height matters the most.

There are several ways to arrange a reinforced belt. The order of work is as follows:

1. formwork installation;
2. insulation (if provided by the project);
3. collection and installation of a frame from reinforcement;
4. pouring concrete solution.

By by and large the technology is no different from the process of building window lintels.

Concrete armored belt

formwork

Detachable design

The overall structure of the formwork consists of prefabricated elements - wooden shields made from boards. Instead of boards, you can use old furniture boards.

Formwork is fixed on the wall:

1. On the sides (using reinforcing pieces or metal wire)
2. From above (stiffening ribs are constructed from wood scraps 40x40 mm, which are nailed to the upper parts of the parallel formwork panels in 150 cm increments).
3. To prevent the formwork from shifting, its most loaded lower part is fastened with a cross section of reinforcement.

The thickness of the boards of formwork boards is directly affected by the height from which the mortar will be poured: the higher the height, the thicker the formwork.

In order to prevent leakage of the solution through cracks and gaps, all joints, corners and turns must be securely sealed.

The next step is the installation of a reinforcing cage, connected from steel elements with a diameter of 12 mm, interconnected by a knitting wire. Inside the formwork, the frame is installed on plastic supports (in extreme cases, you can use wooden blocks 3 cm wide).

Attention!

When manufacturing the frame, do not weld the elements. This will lead to a loss of structural strength and rapid corrosion inside the concrete.

The formwork is dismantled using a nail puller:

• In summer - after 24 hours.
• In winter - after 72 hours.

It is worth noting that the thermal conductivity of concrete is several times higher than gas silicate. That's why this method of constructing formwork is acceptable only with full insulation of the walls from the outside or for interior load-bearing walls. Otherwise, there will be constant freezing of the wall in the zone of the armored belt. The next method just eliminates this disadvantage.

With U-blocks

In order to prevent significant heat loss at the junction of two different materials(concrete of the armored belt and gas silicate wall), use the so-called fixed formwork.

It is made from factory box-shaped.

The reinforced belt device is produced as follows:

1. An adhesive mixture is applied to the top row of blocks, on which U-blocks are installed with a void up.
2. Additional thermal insulation of the outer side of the wall is carried out by laying polyurethane foam, expanded polystyrene or stone wool into the inner cavity.
3. The connected metal frame is laid, similarly to the formwork method.
4. Pouring and compacting the concrete mixture.

Combined method

On the outer side of the wall, blocks 150 mm thick are laid out on the glue. And from the inside, a formwork is constructed from wooden panels or OSB-plates (pictured below), as in the first method.

Warming

After formwork installation insulation of the future seismic belt should be carried out(if complex insulation of the house from the outside of the walls is not provided). Insulation works are carried out using various heat-insulating materials:

For the Moscow region, an insulation thickness of 50 mm is sufficient. It must be cut into strips with a size equal to the height of the armored belt. And install inside the formwork from the side outer wall with a tight adjoining of the marerial to each other. There is no need to fix the insulation, since it will subsequently be pressed with the help of a poured solution.

Reinforcement

The frame is made of four or more longitudinally arranged rods with a diameter of 10-14 mm (determined by the project). In cross section, it should be square or rectangular in shape. The transverse reinforcement is attached to the main part of the frame with a steel wire with a diameter of 6-8 mm, and is located in increments of 40-50 mm. The distance from the edge of the armored belt to the reinforcement is determined depending on the operating conditions of the building (values ​​​​can be found in normative documentation for reinforced concrete). Finished frame placed in the formwork and poured with concrete mix.

Calculate the reinforcement for the concrete belt in advance and buy it together with the reinforcement for the foundation and. This way you save on shipping.

In the same place, buy mortgages and metal corners for your home.

And one more piece of advice. Buy fittings and other rolled metal products at metal depots. They sell it by weight. As a result, it comes out much cheaper than in construction markets and in construction stores.

pouring concrete

If the reinforced belt is constructed under the Mauerlat, studs are mounted before pouring to fasten it.

Otherwise, you will have to drill holes for the studs in the finished concrete structure, and this is extra work.

Before performing concrete work, the studs are wrapped with plastic wrap.(you can put on plastic bags for sandwiches, securing them with tape) so that concrete does not get on the thread.

You should ask the builders who will be making the roof if the studs need to be laid, their size and the distance between the studs.

Apply a factory concrete solution of a brand not lower than M200 with crushed stone. Despite the fact that the brand is determined by the designer, the most common option is the M250 brand concrete mix with gravel aggregate.

Pouring is carried out evenly over the entire volume of the formwork at a time using a concrete pump with a special funnel equipped with a locking mechanism. For small volumes, it is allowed to fill the armored belt manually (with the help of cheap labor by carrying the solution in buckets). After that, the mixture must be compacted using vibration loads or by bayoneting with trimming reinforcement or a construction trowel.

Attention!

Filling must be done at a time without interrupting the process.

If for some reason (mixing concrete manually, there was not enough concrete due to incorrect calculation and other force majeure situations), the armored belt is not completely poured, make a vertical cut-off, as in the photo below. In this case, the gap should not be located above the window and door ceilings. Pouring in layers in 2 or more stages is not allowed!

If it's hot outside, the armored belt needs to be covered with a film so that the moisture does not evaporate too quickly. Or periodically water it with water, by analogy with a concrete foundation.

Subsequent work on the installation of a gas silicate or Mauerlat overlap can be carried out after a few days. In the case of factory concrete of good quality, work is continued after two days. Self-mixed concrete takes longer to set.

Brick belt on aerated concrete walls

It is an ordinary brickwork, additionally reinforced with a reinforcing mesh between the rows.

The device of such a belt is highly undesirable, since brickwork, even with reinforcement, is less durable than a monolithic concrete structure.

Two or three rows of bricks will not provide an even distribution of loads on the wall structure, which can lead to cracks in it, or even to complete destruction. Therefore, such a risk is not justified.

Nevertheless, this option is most often used by unscrupulous builders due to the ease of execution and cost savings for the developer.

The device of a reinforced belt for is a mandatory event. It will ensure high-quality operation of the building and extend its service life for many years.

Useful video

Theoretical part. In what cases is an armored belt needed?

Practical part. Video from a private developer about the construction of an armored belt, combined with window openings, from self-made U-blocks with fiberglass reinforcement.

The main percentage of affordable secondary housing in the private sector is old houses that have been in operation for more than 40 years. Everyone understands perfectly well that they will have to come to grips with construction work extending the life of the home. But that's enough in an inexpensive way buy your home. If the house is built correctly, then its service life can be about 100 years, but almost all old buildings were erected on their own by their owners. We will try to look at the future purchase through the eyes of a builder so that the investment does not become in vain, and also consider options for solving some problems with the house.

Where to start choosing

Initially, decide what buildings you need on the site. Looking around the house, you immediately have to figure out the possibility of new buildings. To do this, study the latest norms and guests in advance, the distances to neighboring sites and buildings play an important role. The assurances of the seller, such as: “yes, we agreed with the neighbors, they are building near us, and we are near them”, etc., do not matter. Neighbors have the right to demand the removal of a building that was not built according to the standards. Therefore, the dimensions of the site, or rather its front part, are very important. Knowing the laws will save you from problems in the future.

Be sure to make sure that all existing buildings on the site are listed in the plan. Unregistered structures can cause a lot of unnecessary trouble and trouble in the future. Basically, this applies to capital buildings. All future buildings must be coordinated in the architectural department.

Try to clarify the hydrogeological structure of the area in the area of ​​​​acquiring a house. close to the surface ground water will create a lot of problems during construction. If it is impossible to obtain this information, you can try to determine it on the spot. An alarming factor may be the lack of a cellar or other deep structures. Excellent information will be provided by the depth of the well with a wooden frame. The smaller it is, the closer the groundwater. Special attention pay a distance to the mirror of water in the well. If, at a large depth of the well, the mirror is at a small distance from the soil level, then the waters are under pressure and there is a possibility of their release in the construction pit. The presence of seasonal flooding by rain and melt water can be determined by the condition of the walls of the cellar. It is best to assess the site under adverse conditions. In case of intense snowmelt or prolonged heavy rains. Despite the bad weather, you can get rid of a lot of problems in advance in the future.

Assessment of the state of the house

1.Living area and options for its increase

Financial opportunities do not always make it possible to buy immediately big house. Therefore, the possibility of adding additional living space should be realistically assessed. You can immediately figure out where the windows will go, where you will have to cut through the doors, change the gas inlet, etc. Attaching additional living space refers to overhaul and renovation of an existing home. Expansion of the house in one level is preferable to building on the second floor. With approximately the same costs, the increase in living space will be significantly higher.

Almost all old houses exclude the possibility of building a full-fledged second floor. Even thick brick walls do not guarantee the reliability of the foundation. But modern materials allow to complete residential attic light weight is sufficient. Sufficient for reliable support brick walls about 40 cm thick or a log house made of timber with a section of 150 by 150 mm. In any case, you will have to completely replace the ceiling. Perhaps with the construction of additional bearing wall inside the house. Very often the "cross" overlapping scheme was used. Four beams were laid with one end on the walls, and with the other on a support pillar in the center of the house. They were the basis of the overlap. A stove with a cruciform heater was built around the pillar, and a hog with a pipe was located in the center of the "cross". The heater partially played the role of a supporting wall. This cover must be replaced. New beams will serve as an additional screed that prevents the walls from divergence, which is very likely in an old house.

2. Foundation condition

To assess the condition of the foundation, its presence is required. This is not a joke or a typo. Very often, wanting to save money or for other reasons, houses were built without a foundation. At best, the fertile layer was removed, and brickwork was made on the bulk sand cushion. The number of rows depended on the presence of bricks. Sometimes the supporting masonry was erected directly on the ground. It is impossible to determine the depth of the foundation without digging under it, but if the porch consists of one step, and even more so without it, then there is no smell of a real foundation here. You can pour a new foundation only if the house is chopped. And from a long beam. After all, for this it will have to be raised entirely. Most likely, the economy mode acted further and the walls were made of anything and everything. Such a house is almost impossible to restore.

The foundation should not have cracks and distortions on one corner or side. The statement that "then everything was built like that" does not make any sense. A plumb line, a hydraulic level and a cord have always existed. This should be taken into account when assessing the condition of any elements of the house. The skew indicates the presence of loose soil or close water under the foundation. But if in the first case the situation can be saved by the construction of an additional pedestal with a large area of ​​\u200b\u200bsupport or by replacing loose soil with crushed stone and sand (this is difficult, but quite realistic), then in the second case there are no options. Close water, fortunately, is a rather rare case. Most often, the cause of subsidence is a septic tank located too close to the house. Wastewater impregnate the soil and cause it to settle. Sometimes the distortion is caused by the fact that the foundation was not allowed to stand, and they immediately began to build a house. It is easy to determine the state window openings. If they are fairly even and located on the same level, then the subsidence of the foundation is caused by the haste of the builders.

3.Condition of the box at home

The walls of the house should not have cracks and pronounced deflections outward or inward. More often outside. Small cracks in brickwork may occur due to seasonal rises and falls of the foundation when its depth is less than the freezing depth. Large cracks and gaps in the walls from each other in the corners indicate serious problems with the foundation or shortcomings during construction. In most cases, this is unrecoverable. Often the walls move away due to improper extension of additional premises. The extension is connected to the main house, and the foundation is made with violations. Then the difference in vibrations of the foundations causes cracks.

Degree of preservation wooden frame easy to identify by openings. If the windows and doors do not have large distortions and are approximately level, then the log house is in sufficient good condition. But this can also be observed with a uniform destruction of flashing crowns. This is easy to determine by the sheathing of the house. This is evidenced by the deformed lining of the lower part of the walls. This is easily fixable, it is not even necessary to raise the whole house. If the house has not settled completely, then the rotten crowns have compacted and hold it well enough. The replacement of the beam in parts begins from the corners. In the corner, damaged pieces are cut out and replaced with new ones. The ends of the new parts are made apart so that the following pieces overlap the joints. After the corners, they move to the middle of the walls, then to the middle of the gaps between the new inserts, etc. The new beam should fit snugly into the cut opening, sometimes using a heavy sledgehammer. Inserts are sewn together with nails or pieces of reinforcement. You don't have to worry too much about the wall falling apart. The log house has stood for a long time, and the bars are very tightly laid down among themselves. It can be very difficult to extract the cut pieces, you have to resort to the help of a crowbar and a sledgehammer. Cuts in the wall are made with a chain saw. You need to be extremely careful and vigilant. Cutting with the end of the bar may cause the saw to kick back and cause injury. An electric saw is preferred for this job. It is more convenient, has smooth speed control and turns off completely after releasing the button.

Mud houses cannot be repaired and it is almost impossible to restore the walls from the so-called "column". It is a series of thick vertical poles, the ends of which are inserted into bars with grooves. Further, a crate was stuffed onto the poles, and a layer of plaster made of clay with straw was thrown. An adobe house is easy to identify by trying to hammer a nail into the wall. Almost everywhere he will not meet resistance. "Stolbyanka" can be assumed only by the protruding ends of the logs of the crowns, if they are only at the bottom and top of the corner of the house.

4. Roof condition

The roof is the only element that can always be repaired. Only the amount of repair is different. You can only estimate the percentage of wear. Having risen to the attic, it is easy to determine the condition of the trusses, battens and roofs. Here everything depends on financial side question. There are no special problems in the repair of the roof.

Buying old wooden house may seem beneficial. In practice, this is not always the case. How to identify weak spots private house?

Detailed plan on how to check a wooden house after purchase

External walls

You need to start with plating. You should carefully consider the structure, with siding or any material that hides the timber. Most likely, it was sheathed to hide cracks or rotten areas. Finishing must be removed with a nail puller and visually assess the condition of the log house.

If the first crown or any other log is rotten, then it must be replaced. A new log before laying will need to be treated with an antiseptic - wood protection from decay.

Foundation

If it is freshly painted or lined with brick - most likely, cracks were masked. The correctness of the geometry is checked by the building level. Undermining will help determine the depth of the foundation. A porch with one step or without it indicates defective supporting masonry.

The foundation should have at least two ventilation holes with a diameter of about 15 cm. The waterproofing should rise 15-25 cm above ground level and consist of:

1. Horizontal - 1-2 layers of roofing material, smeared with mastic;
2. Vertical (coated).

The blind area around the house can be made of three types:

1. Concrete;
2. From paving slabs;
3. Soft (sand cushion, rolled waterproofing layer, lawn).

plinth

It should be about 60 cm. It must also contain ventilation holes, preferably a layer of insulation.

Attic

It is necessary to evaluate the strength of the rafter system, the pitch of the rafters and the batten, the degree of damage by insects. Pay attention to whether the attic is insulated, whether there are any gaps in the roof assembly. Be sure to check the integrity of the chimney. There should be no adjunction to the tree.

Basement

A musty smell indicates the presence of fungus and mold. If there is a difference in the shade of the walls, then in the spring there is melt water in the basement.

How to assess the condition of an old wooden house by external elements

Windows and doors

They need to be opened and closed. If the sashes sag, then the frames or the frame are skewed. When the walls near the windows are colder, the tightness was broken during installation.

Roof

The roofing material must lie flat, without grooves, dips, bends or other deviations. Fresh paint signals the deterioration of the material. If this is a metal tile, they may have tried to disguise rust.

Home Inspection Guide

After buying a wooden house, what to look for, except exterior finish? Inspection of the internal "stuffing" begins with the inspection of the rooms. To assess the thermal characteristics of the room, you need to take a thermal imager with you. It will help to find bridges of cold.

By tapping the wall with your knuckles, you will determine the condition of the wood. A dull sound indicates rottenness. The wiring is checked as follows: in the whole house you need to turn on the light, and then any powerful electrical appliance. If the light dims for a second, the network power is insufficient.

If not central heating, then a room with a window and an exhaust hood should be allocated for the heating boiler. AT small house(up to 150 squares) a kitchen is suitable. Boiler power - from 24 kW. Per connection gas boiler required permission.

Bathrooms in a residential building are allowed to design at least 1.8 squares. It is useful to open the doors of the box with pipes. How do you assess their condition? appearance walls without cladding.
Now you know what to do after buying a house. And also, how to extend the life of a wooden frame.