DIY foundation repair solution. Repairing the foundation of an old wooden house - the foundation of your home will be reliable again! Independent determination of reasons

Having carried out high-quality foundation repairs, you can no longer doubt the reliability and strength of the entire structure. To determine whether it is possible to repair the foundation yourself, you need to understand the design and complexity of building different types of foundations.

Depending on how the foundation structure rests on the ground, strip, pile (columnar) and slab foundations are distinguished. When constructing heavy, bulky buildings, it is advisable to install a strip foundation, which provides the same cross-section of the structure along the perimeter of the walls of the entire building, including the internal load-bearing walls. Pile foundations are often used for buildings with light walls. The main element of such a foundation are piles (pillars). The choice of pillars depends on the weight and size of the building; they can be made of wood, brick, stone brick, concrete or reinforced concrete.

Slab foundations are erected on subsidence and heaving soils. The basis of the structure is a solid slab laid under the entire plane of the building. Such a foundation evens out horizontal and vertical movements of the soil (floats). Solid slab foundations are quite expensive and are used in the construction of small-sized buildings. One of the most important functions of any foundation is its ability to hold the house in one position for a long period of time. But time passes, and the foundation begins to collapse. The reasons for such destruction are due to: improper installation of the foundation; incorrect calculations, as a result of which the foundation cannot support the weight of the structure; additional extensions or construction of another floor; characteristics of the soil and the proximity of groundwater and many other factors. Repairing a slab foundation is quite complex and requires the knowledge and skills of highly qualified specialists, so it is almost impossible to repair it yourself.

As an example, the repair of strip and column foundations is considered. The most common problem is subsidence of the foundation, which is accompanied by the appearance of cracks on the blind area. To repair the foundation yourself, you need to determine the nature of the subsidence. To do this, attach a paper tape to the cracks that appear and indicate the date on it. If after some time the tape breaks, this is clear evidence that the drawdown is permanent. Near the crack, a hole is dug at an angle of 30 degrees to the base, into which an asbestos or metal pipe (15-20 mm in diameter) is inserted. The pipe is filled with solution until the concrete stops being absorbed into the soil. After a couple of days, re-filling is done. After this, new paper tape is applied to the crack. If the subsidence of the foundation has slowed down, a ditch (20x30 cm) is dug around the pillar, formwork is installed, reinforcement is made and concrete with crushed stone or gravel is poured. If a wide crack appears on the base and the house is deformed (misaligned), you need to consult with a specialist to identify the cause of the damage, and then choose the most appropriate method of repairing and strengthening the foundation.

If you approach the problem responsibly, study and analyze the problem that has arisen, even extensive foundation repairs with your own hands can be carried out without the participation of a construction team. To strengthen the foundation around the entire perimeter of the house, it is necessary to dig a trench. The old foundation should be thoroughly cleaned of plaster and dirt and a reinforced mesh should be secured to it. In order to “build up” the foundation, formwork is installed and poured with concrete. After the concrete has hardened, the trench is filled in and the soil is compacted. There are many different ways to strengthen and repair your foundation yourself. All of them are tested and reliable, but in order to solve the problem in a particular case, it is necessary to carefully examine the nature and extent of the damage, choose a method that can eliminate the problem in order to ensure maximum reliability and strength of the entire house.

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There are several types of restoration of the foundation of a house, among which one of the simplest is the restoration of the foundation under a log house (or any other type of wooden structure). Now we will look at all the features of the process and provide step-by-step instructions for quickly restoring the old foundation.

Step 1 we dig in.

We take a bayonet shovel and dig out about 1 meter around the concrete so that the worker can safely approach it and set up the formwork without any problems. We drip until the shovel goes slightly under the base. As a rule, the perimeter of the concrete almost coincides with the perimeter of the building itself, but there are log houses that “overhang” 50-100 centimeters above the base and lie on beams. In this case, you will need to swap the first and second steps, and carry out all other work according to the instructions.

Step 2 we raise the house.

For ease of operation and the ability to reach the required surface, it is necessary to raise the entire structure. You can use two jacks, lift one side, place a log, lift the other and place the log again. Lifting height from 20 centimeters to 100.

Step 3 clear the walls of debris.

It is necessary to completely clean the old concrete, tap it with a hammer, scrape off the remnants of the old, flaky material, and sweep the walls with a broom.

Step 4 Repairing the foundation of an old wooden house begins with the installation of formwork and reinforcement, which must be done as often as possible.

We drill through the old concrete, insert studs with 12 mm thick threads, preferably every 30 centimeters. We put large steel washers and tighten them with nuts. The hairpin should protrude 20 centimeters outward and 2-3 inward.

Step 5 formwork

One wall of the formwork is the old foundation, make the second at a distance of 20-25 centimeters, you don’t need to set it too straight - it’s underground and not visible. Prioritize quality over appearance.

Step 6 pour concrete.

Repair of the foundation of an old house can be considered completed at the moment when the concrete is poured to the level of the old foundation. Then you can remove the formwork (after a couple of days) and let stand for about 25 days. If desired, treat with bitumen to protect against moisture.

Now we have figured out how to repair the foundation of a wooden house. Light restorations, as a rule, are not carried out on them. To ensure that your work is preserved for a long time, do not forget about waterproofing and protection with bitumen mastics. In exactly this way, you can completely destroy the old foundation located under the raised house and fill in a new one if necessary.

Concrete blind area as a method of repair and protection

Another type of work that can be done with the foundation is the installation of a blind area. It allows you to protect the main structure from water flow and subsequent destruction. Together with waterproofing, it is an effective means of protection and repair. To make it you need to perform several steps:

clean the foundation 5-6 centimeters below ground level, treat the surface of the concrete (preferably grind it with a grinder) and let it dry a little. If possible, use a hair dryer;
set up the formwork. Step back 80-120 centimeters from the house, mark a parallel line with pegs and remove the top layer of soil by 10 centimeters. Add 5 cm of crushed stone and place a 20 cm wide board along the edge (so that the solution does not leak out). The level of the board should be 5 cm above the ground so that our blind area is a little higher. The slope from the building is at least 2% per 1 meter;
pour concrete. Mix 3 parts of crushed stone, 3 sand and 1 cement (M 400), stir until thick sour cream, constantly adding water and pour it all onto the crushed stone. If necessary, use a hand tamper or spatula.

The blind area is done only if the foundation is in excellent condition or has minor damage. If an object requires repairs, you will first have to take care of its integrity and only then make blind areas.

Repair of the foundation of a brick house

It is not difficult to make in terms of design features, but you will have to work hard. Let's consider the main stages of a major overhaul of the foundation of a brick building.

Step 1 clear everything out.

You need to remove all the soil to the depth of the foundation and 1 meter wide for a person to move. To clean the walls from soil, fungi, layered concrete and other formations, you can use an angle grinder with a metal brush attachment. Let it dry for 5 days.

Step 2 We drill through holes through the concrete and install 18 mm studs every 40 cm in a checkerboard pattern.

On the inside of the room we place a washer and a nut, on the outside we simply tighten it with nuts, leaving 20 cm. Between the studs we stretch the reinforcement in 12 mm waves - this is the future reinforcement. Additionally, we make vertical reinforcement with rods of 20 mm, the density is every 50 centimeters.

Do you need to repair the foundation of a wooden or brick house? Here are useful tips from experts on how to do this not only efficiently and quickly, but with minimal damage to your budget!

Why the house starts to move - the main reasons

If your house begins to gradually “leave” somewhere, this is not yet a reason to curse the foreman or builders who poured your foundation or put the house on it. There are a large number of reasons why concrete can crack and the entire structure sag by several centimeters or more. Let's take a closer look at them.

Violation of the integrity of the blind area. This can happen as a result of mechanical impact (for example, during the construction of a sewer system with holes punched in the base), as well as due to constant moisture entering directly under the concrete base. The soil becomes soft and begins to sink.
Heterogeneous soil composition and incorrect geodetic analysis.
Exceeding the maximum load that could be exerted on the soil in this place.
The rise of groundwater, as a result of which the soil loses its density.

There is also a human factor, for example, an incorrect ratio of cement, crushed stone and sand or lack of reinforcement. The depth of concrete pouring plays an important role; if it is insufficient for the weight of the structure, the concrete will crack under the weight, mainly in the corners of the building.

Repairing the foundation under a log house and how to do it

If the “backbone” under the log house has given up life, it can be easily restored or even replaced – if desired. There are several ways to repair the foundation of an old wooden house, the main ones of which we will now consider.

Complete replacement of the fundamental principle. Making it is much easier than it might seem at first glance. The weight of a 4x4 pine log house will be only 3 tons (approximately 3300 kg, if you take a dry log and a standard project with a gable roof), that is, you can lift it and rearrange it without any supernatural devices. You need 2 jacks, 2 channels along which you will move it. It is advisable to pour a deep foundation nearby, but with a base 15-20 lower than the old one, so that the house can be moved at a slight angle. We lift the structure, place a channel (or pipe), gradually move it onto the new foundation and secure it - the repair is complete.
If you need to carry out work under a heavier wooden frame or there is no free space to move it, the house is lifted. 2 holes are punched in the old foundation immediately under the frame for a square or strong channel. 2 jacks are placed on the sides of the resulting beam, the house is raised 15-20 centimeters, supports are placed, then the same on the other side. The formwork is placed on both sides, concrete is poured or the old base is completely destroyed and a new one is poured.
Partial repair of the foundation of a wooden house with subsequent reinforcement. In some cases, it breaks in only one place, most often at a corner. In this case, you need to raise the corner, make jointing with reinforcement (M10 or M12), pour new concrete at the level. Put it in place after 3 weeks, when the structure has dried and gained the required strength.

These were the simplest methods for partially or completely restoring the concrete foundation under a wooden frame. They are not effective if the first wooden beam is of dubious quality (rotten or undermined by a pest), then you need to make a bundle with the upper logs using wooden slats. You cannot lower the frame onto a foundation that is not sufficiently hardened, so the repair process will take at least 3 weeks.

Repair of the foundation of a brick house and features of the process

Repairing such a structure will be much more difficult than a log house, since the building weighs tens of tons and it will not be possible to lift it, especially without cracks. Repairing the foundation of an old brick house is carried out in several stages; let’s look at them in more detail.

Digging a trench around the old foundation on both sides. You cannot dig through it and get to the very bottom - this can weaken the previously destroyed concrete, the structure will further crack or partially fall. If you have poured concrete to a depth of 150 centimeters, you need to dig a furrow to 110-120 centimeters.
Installation of reinforcing belt and drilling for reinforcement. You need to make a grid with a cell of 40x40 centimeters, drill a hole in each corner of the cell with an M12 drill for M12 reinforcement. Weld the reinforcing mesh.
Fill the entire trench (at least 20 cm on each side) with high-quality concrete with M500 cement, ratio 1:3 with sand. Allow to dry (8-10 weeks). After this, you can complete the construction of the house or perform any other manipulations; it will be perfectly strengthened.

In a similar way, you can carry out partial repairs of the foundations of country houses, only instead of working on the entire perimeter, only the damaged area is taken, most often this is the corner of the structure. Next, it is dug up on both sides, covered with reinforcement, and concrete is poured.

Repairing the foundation of a house is a task that not every non-professional builder can do. The thing is that the foundation is the foundation of the house, its safety and reliability make the entire building reliable.

The reasons why foundation repair may be required may be related to errors in its design, violation of the technology of its construction process, lack of waterproofing, use of low-quality materials, etc.

Ultimately, repairs may be necessary over time when the life of the foundation is long enough and there is a risk of it collapsing and collapsing the entire building. In this case, it requires major repairs and sometimes considerable costs.

The appearance of cracks on the walls and in the foundation itself signals the beginning of destruction. In addition, obvious signs of corrosion and a change in the level of one of the sides of the foundation also indicate that it needs urgent repairs.

The best thing to do in any such situation is to strengthen the foundation. It is quite possible to do this on your own.

Strengthening and repairing the foundation in stages

First you need to make sure that it is necessary to take actions to strengthen the foundation. To do this, a lengthy study is carried out, unless, of course, the condition of the foundation allows you to delay repairs.

During the year, the growth of cracks formed in the foundation of the house should be monitored. For this purpose, a gypsum solution is used to fill the cracks, and plain paper.

It should be glued to the plaster and monitored to see whether it breaks or remains in the same condition. In the first case, large-scale repairs will be required. This “old-fashioned” method is quite effective if the gypsum sticker is not exposed to precipitation and mechanical influences.

You can also call specialists to take electronic measurements that will determine the extent of damage to the foundation.

First you need to carry out excavation work: the foundation should be dug to the very foundation. This part of the work will probably be the most labor-intensive. Buildings play a big role here.

Then, the exposed surface of the foundation should be completely freed from heat-insulating material, adhering soil and plaster. Defective elements should also be removed.

Before proceeding directly to measures to strengthen the foundation, it must be treated with a special deep penetration primer.
This will allow you to protect the surface of the foundation base as much as possible from the negative effects of the environment and extend the life of the repaired foundation.

At the next stage, anchors are attached to the old foundation. The holes for them are prepared at a distance of approximately a meter from each other.

The fittings are attached to them. To strengthen the foundation, it is better to use a base 12-14 mm in diameter. The metal frame is complemented by a mesh with large cells.

The cement mortar is poured into the formwork, which is assembled at a distance of about 20 cm. from the damaged foundation of the house. The process of installing formwork is described in detail here: do-it-yourself formwork.

There is probably no need to talk further about how to prepare cement mortar. It is only important to mention that the quality of the finished mortar directly affects the quality of the repaired foundation. There shouldn't be any mistakes here.

In accordance with the technology, cement mortar is prepared and poured into the formwork. The characteristics of the foundation’s operation will also depend on the quality characteristics of the concrete itself, so in this case it is better not to skimp on building materials.

When the concrete is completely dry, work is carried out to waterproof the reinforced foundation. Drainage (ring) is installed. There are several ways to waterproof a foundation: from traditional ones, like hot bitumen, to modern ones.

After all the measures to strengthen the foundation have been carried out, it is covered with crushed stone and additionally compacted with sand on top.

This sequence of work is described to eliminate very severe damage to the foundation. For less significant defects, most often, simply additional plastering of the foundation surface over a metal mesh will be sufficient.

We will give you a little advice that will definitely help you in your work.

If you decide to strengthen the foundation on your own, this must be done in the warm season, when the soil is quite soft and loose. This is mainly due to the nature of weather conditions in our country, which do not allow this kind of work to be carried out in winter.

This is also important for preserving the quality characteristics of the concrete itself.

Article provided by the StroySovety website

After long-term use of a building, its supporting system wears out somewhat and becomes covered with cracks and chips. Major repairs to the foundation of an old private or country house of a strip, columnar or other type can be done with your own hands, but this work will require some skills and special equipment.

Diagnostics

Before starting construction work, you need to assess the task and its level of complexity. The most difficult task is to carry out both independent and professional repairs, as well as restoration of the foundation of a concrete and stone house. The main reason lies in the fact that the cracks cannot be completely repaired - most of them are located under the building. But in other situations everything is completely fixable.

Photo - old foundation

In what cases does the foundation of a country house, bathhouse, garage and other buildings require repairs:

Experts say there is no such thing as a cracked foundation that cannot be repaired. It all depends on the abilities and financial capabilities of the owner of a country or city cottage.

Photo - repair of the foundation of an old wooden house

Reconstruction methods

The technology for repairing the foundation of a stone and brick house is quite complex. First of all, you need to check at what rate the destruction of the support occurs. To do this, you need to apply a relatively thin strip of gypsum mortar over the cracks. After it hardens, you will be able to assess the scale of the destruction. Wait a few days and evaluate the condition of the lining. If it is cracked, then reconstruction should begin urgently, but if not, then you just need to carry out cosmetic repairs.

Photo - rise

The simplest option available at home is to simply pour dense cement mortar into the resulting cracks. But this is more appropriate when strengthening the facade, since over time, in any case, the support will have to be changed.

If the foundation of a brick residential or country house is destroyed along the entire perimeter, then more serious repairs are required. Step-by-step instructions on how to strengthen and strengthen the old supporting system:

Similarly, you can repair a foundation built with screw piles, which is often used to build a rustic frame house, fence or utility room from a log frame. Then it is necessary to dig up each pile separately and strengthen it according to the described method.

This type of construction has many positive qualities:

The supporting system receives the properties of a reinforced concrete foundation, which is used to construct an apartment building;
The owners have the opportunity to build a two-story house on an old support (provided that the second floor is made of wood, timber, foam concrete or other lightweight materials);
In addition, the material placed on top of the reinforcement helps increase the protective properties of the building. The sample is insulated and protected from the destructive effects of groundwater and wastewater.

Photo - principle of strapping arrangement

But this option is quite complicated, and besides, repairing the old foundation of a panel or wooden house requires a different approach. The following methods are used for their reconstruction:

Raising the existing base and installing it on a new sole;
Complete replacement.

Depending on what the house is installed on (on a sand bed or using screw piles), its repair may vary. How to reconstruct a building on stilts:

Sometimes a pile or columnar structure is strengthened using so-called crowns. The reinforcing mesh (crowns) is installed around the perimeter of the foundation and welded.

Video: repairing an old foundation

Price overview

To raise a veranda, garage or carry out major repairs to the foundation of a residential building, it is best to contact a professional organization. Companies providing such services provide full technical support.

How much does it cost to raise the foundation and repair the walls in a stone house (turnkey price):

An estimate, if necessary, is drawn up before the start of work so that you can calculate your budget.