How to make a brick foundation yourself. Brick foundation: features, advantages, laying methods How to properly make a broken brick foundation

There are many types of foundations. If during the construction of residential buildings it is necessary to strictly follow the design documentation, which already contains the type of foundation, then during the private construction of outbuildings, bathhouses or any other small buildings, you can try to save money. The most budget-friendly is a shallow brick foundation. It does not require a large amount of expensive materials, extensive earthworks and the need to use construction equipment. You can do all the work yourself and quite quickly. The article will discuss various features and methods of laying a brick foundation.

In what cases can the foundation be laid out of brick?

According to their design features, all foundations are divided into strip, columnar and monolithic. The latter are poured with concrete and are a solid reinforced concrete structure, so this type of foundation is not laid with bricks.

Regarding strip and columnar ones, in certain cases they can be made entirely of bricks. But it is important to comply with a number of requirements:

• the brick should be the most durable; experienced builders recommend choosing burnt red brick, which is sold as defective at a significantly lower price. Its defects include possible bulges and metallized areas. This does not affect the strength characteristics in any way;
• There are also a number of requirements for cement mortar. It should be prepared in the proportion of 3 parts sand and 1 part cement. The grade of dry cement should be as high as possible, the minimum acceptable value is M400. Since the masonry will often be in an environment with high humidity, it is advisable to add waterproofing additives to the mixture;
• When building a columnar brick foundation, a layer of waterproofing should be placed under each support. If a tape is made, then the entire area under the foundation is waterproofed. This stage is desirable, but if the groundwater level is only 1.5 meters or higher, then it must be done;

• When laying a strip foundation, the base should still be poured from concrete with a sand cushion made using all technologies. This will not only increase the possible load on the base, but also protect the cracking of the masonry from soil heaving;
• Before starting laying the foundation, it is recommended to carry out geodetic work. This will allow you to accurately calculate the required depth of the foundation in accordance with the load that will presumably be placed on it. But brick foundations are most often made for light houses or outbuildings, so there are no special requirements for them.

Choosing bricks for laying the foundation

One of the most important characteristics of a brick that you should pay attention to is its brand. It encrypts 2 of its main parameters: M (load per cm2) and F (frost resistance).

• The following types are suitable for the foundation:
• M-150;
• M-175;
• M-200;
• M-250;
• M-300.

• Frost resistance indicators should be F 35-100. The water absorption rate is also taken into account; it is recommended to choose its value in the range of 6-20%. This is especially important for foundations that will be located underground.
• White sand-lime bricks cannot be used. It has very low moisture resistance, and when it gets wet in the fall and winter, it begins to crack. When laying a foundation made of sand-lime brick, it will quickly become damp and crumble, which will lead to deformation of the base and the entire structure. It will no longer be possible to correct this on your own, and ordering builders to correct the error will be tantamount to the price of a new foundation.
• Only red brick is suitable for laying the foundation, but not all of it. Often, manufacturers, in pursuit of a lower price, skimp on the quality of firing. It is impossible to distinguish this from the outside, but within a few years after construction, quite noticeable cracks will appear. And after 6-10 years it completely crumbles.
• Best fit clinker brick. This type of ceramic brick, but for its firing, a higher temperature is used, which exceeds 1200 °C. This makes it very durable and resistant to getting wet and freezing. Therefore, sidewalks and paths are often laid out for them. But only solid bricks are suitable; products with cavities are unsuitable for laying foundations. Although they are not inferior in strength to solid analogues, the water that accumulates in the cavities will freeze in winter and destroy the entire structure. But it has a drawback, because of which this brick is practically not used in Russia - its high price. Almost all the goods presented on the construction market are imported.

Important: fire-resistant bricks that cannot tolerate high humidity are also not suitable for laying a brick foundation.

• in some cases, masons recommend additional protection of the brick foundation from moisture by applying a strong solution of cement plaster to it. But this will only be an additional measure in addition to the main waterproofing. Since concrete itself is unable to fully protect against water and deteriorates over time;
• When laying a brick foundation with your own hands, it is important to follow all the rules that apply to walls. This is the thickness of the seam, reinforcement, horizontal and vertical level, etc.

Laying a brick foundation photo

Brick foundation calculations

• Before you begin laying a brick foundation, you need to accurately calculate the size of the foundation and the amount of materials needed for it. The first parameter is based on the load that will be exerted on the foundation (material of walls and ceilings, number of floors and type of soil). These dimensions, as a rule, are already included in the project. But in any case, the width of the foundation should be at least 5-7 cm greater than the thickness of the walls; in the future, this will make it possible to conveniently position the floor logs of the first floor.
• First you need to calculate the required number of bricks. The dimensions of red bricks are standard (25x12x6.5). Approximate prices for products from Russian factories range from 10-15 rubles/piece. The imported analogue costs 70-100 rubles/piece.
• Next, calculate the required volume of river sand and river sand for the cushion and concrete mortar. Their average cost today is 400 rubles/t and 700 rubles/t, respectively.
• For bricklaying, cement mortar is made in small portions yourself. This means you need to buy the required number of bags of cement, 50 kg of which costs 250 rubles. If there is no suitable dry room for storing it, then it is better to buy in small quantities. If you are outside, even under a canopy, it will quickly deteriorate from humidity.

• It is more convenient to use bitumen, primer or any other coating material as waterproofing. For a 6x10m foundation, on average, one bucket costs 1000 - 1500 rubles.
• Reinforcement is used to strengthen the brick structure. During work, reinforcing masonry mesh made of wire with a diameter of 4-6 mm is laid across some rows, and corrugated reinforcing rods with a diameter of 6-8 mm are fixed in the longitudinal direction.

Thus, you can calculate the cost of laying a brick foundation if you do the work yourself. But you can order the services of masons, since no special aesthetics are required, and their work will cost less than when building walls.

Brick strip foundation

Preparatory stage

• When building a house, it is recommended to make a strip foundation that runs along the perimeter of the building and under all load-bearing walls. This will require a lot of excavation, a lot of bricks and mortar, all of which comes at a significant expense. When building a barn, bathhouse or small country house using frame technology or timber, it is allowed to make a cheaper columnar foundation from bricks.
• In any case, before ordering a house project, you should carry out a geodetic assessment, which will become a recommendation for the required foundation. Sometimes it is necessary to make a concrete base with piles extending below the freezing level of the soil. In other cases, a shallow brick foundation on a sand bed is sufficient.
• Next, they begin marking and digging a trench for a brick foundation. Its width is calculated from the width of the base itself and the distance required to lay the waterproofing layer on both sides. If the soil is heaving (most often clayey), backfilling will be required, because of this the width of the trench increases significantly.

Stages of work

• The first layer is a sand cushion; its height should be at least 15cm. The sand is leveled and compacted using a vibrating plate. If it is not there, then you can simply spill sand from a hose with a sprayer. The result should be a smooth, compacted horizontal surface.
• Next comes waterproofing. It is recommended to use modern polymer materials, but if you want to save money, roofing felt is also suitable. It is folded in several layers with allowances on the walls.

Laying a brick foundation diagram

• The next step is recommended, but not required. Formwork is laid and a concrete base 10 cm high is poured. This will significantly increase the bearing capacity of the foundation, especially when reinforcing the concrete layer with fiberglass reinforcement.

• After a few days, when the mortar has reached its maximum strength characteristics, they begin laying. Start from the corners. The seams are made as usual internal ones, but if there is no further plastering, then it is better to make them flush.
• But cement plaster is an important protective layer of brick from moisture. Therefore, the method of applying the mortar in the lower part of the foundation and in the basement is different. So, if the lower seams are completely filled with mortar, then in the above-ground part the mortar should not reach the edge of the brick by 1 cm. This will increase the adhesion of the plaster.

Advice: on problematic soils, such as heaving soils, with a close groundwater level, reinforcement is done.

• When all the bricklaying is finished, you need to leave it for a couple of weeks until the cement mortar has completely set.
• It was mentioned above about the need to leave a wide trench around the entire perimeter. Now that the masonry has fully matured, it’s time to fill in these voids. Its purpose is drainage functions that facilitate the rapid removal of melt water from the foundation. Therefore, sand, sand, crushed stone or fine construction waste are suitable for backfilling. A blind area is built on top of such a trench, pouring concrete at an angle away from the house.
• Before the construction of the walls of the house begins, the upper part of the brick foundation is waterproofed.

Tub of bricks on the foundation video

How to properly reinforce a brick foundation

Having chosen this type of foundation on unstable soil, you must additionally take care of the reliability of the foundation and strengthen the structure as much as possible.

• The reinforcement is placed in 2 belts in 2 rows. It is important that it is completely immersed in the cement mortar and covered with it by a couple of millimeters. This seam will be immediately visible - it is thicker than the others.
• Twisted steel or fiberglass rods are used as reinforcing material. They are placed at a distance of 5-6 cm from the edge of the strip foundation along its entire perimeter.
• For transverse reinforcement, a mesh with a thin wire diameter is cut and laid.

Columnar brick base

It is columnar foundations that are most often laid out of brick. But, like all designs, they have their advantages and disadvantages.

• The advantages include low cost, no need to build a blind area, the ability to do it yourself, ideal for building an extension or veranda.

• But there are also significant drawbacks: high-quality waterproofing is required, they are more susceptible to soil heaving forces in cold weather, lack of a basement and low resistance to mechanical pressure.

• the site has a strong slope and the height difference under the foundation exceeds 2 m;
• weak mobile soil, over time the pillars will sag;
• clay or peat soils;
• it is planned to build a house from heavy materials, such as brick, foam blocks or reinforced concrete slabs;
• It is planned to equip a basement or ground floor.

The shape of the support pillars is always square or rectangular. The size of their cross-section directly depends on the calculated parameters of the foundation area, which are specified in the project.

For a light one-story building, it is enough to choose the size of a square support with a side of 38 cm. Or you can strengthen the structure by making the supports rectangular with sides of 38x51 cm. The pillars located inside the foundation under the load-bearing walls are usually made smaller; it is enough to make a section of 25x38 cm. When building a two-story house, even from light materials, the size of the external and internal brick pillars must be no less than 51x51cm.

Brick columnar foundations are divided into two main types, depending on the level of occurrence:

• recessed suitable for an area with low groundwater, located at a depth of 1.5-2 m, that is, below the freezing level of the soil;
• shallow-buried optimal for sandy soil types, when it is enough to go deep only 40-80 cm.

Columnar foundation. Technology

• When you have a project or at least a foundation plan in hand, you can start working. The place under it should be fairly level, but you cannot fill in the holes immediately before starting work. The soil will not be dense enough and after the first winter the pole will sag.
• Then marking is carried out using twine. First, the corners are determined, their diagonal is checked, and when there is precise confidence in the correct location, the pegs are driven in. A rope is pulled tightly between them, which will be the boundary of the outer sides of the remaining pillars along the perimeter.
• Next, even rectangular or square holes are dug to a depth of approximately 60-70 cm and with a margin on the sides for subsequent filling.

• A sand cushion is made at the bottom of each hole. To do this, a geofabric is laid at the bottom, which, by allowing water to pass through, will protect the sand from seeping into the ground. Sand or fine crushed stone is poured on top in a layer of 10-15 cm. Afterwards it is leveled and thoroughly compacted.
• A layer of rolled waterproofing, for example roofing felt, is placed on top of the resulting cushion of sand or crushed stone. It will protect the bottom row of bricks from water that will rise from below.
• As with strip foundations, brick pillars can also be reinforced with a concrete base. This is especially true when, at the initial stage of construction, changes were made to the house design, which lead to heavier construction. First, a reinforcing mesh made of thin wire (3-5 mm in diameter) is laid, and a layer of concrete 20-25 cm thick is poured on top of it. Depending on the brand and quality of the mortar, it will take 2-3 days for complete hardening and the ability to proceed directly to bricklaying.
• For laying a brick foundation, the mortar is prepared using cement grade M-500 or M-400, but not lower. When constructing a square support, 4 bricks are placed in one row.
• For high-quality work, it is important to do constriction and reinforcement, which allows strengthening the foundation supports horizontally. Every 4 rows (30cm) a reinforcing mesh of 5-6mm wire is placed in the solution.
• In those places where the walls will intersect, install the strongest supports. They are made in two bricks with a cross-sectional size of 51x51 cm. In places where the load will be significantly less, a size of 38x38 cm with a distance of 1.5-2 meters between them is sufficient.

• As with the construction of any foundation, it is important that all brick pillars are strictly in the same horizontal plane. Therefore, each new row of masonry is checked with a level. The pillars themselves are also carefully aligned using plumb lines so that the angle of inclination does not exceed two degrees. Otherwise, a poor-quality foundation will quickly deteriorate and lead to the destruction of the entire building.
• Thus, the masonry continues to be brought up until the foundation is at a level of 20 from the surface of the earth. If there is a slope on the site, the height of all brick pillars is adjusted to the one located at the highest point.
• Since the masonry is done in half a brick, the result is a support of a rectangular or square cross-section with an empty cavity in the center. Sometimes concrete blocks are placed inside, but it is more expedient to lower reinforcing bars there and fill everything with concrete.

• After completing the laying of the brick foundation, the moment of its waterproofing comes. The most convenient way is to use a ready-made primer and coat all the walls of the supports. Or use heated bitumen. To waterproof a horizontal surface, roofing felt or modern solpimer-bitumen roll membranes are used. In this form they are left to gain strength and dry for a week.
• Now it’s time to fill up the free space around the supports. It is filled with pgs, crushed stone or slag.

Recessed brick foundations are made less frequently. It turns out to be too labor-intensive, since you have to dig a 2-meter hole for each support, of which a lot is required. In addition, it will not be possible to lay the entire height of the pillar at once, which means that its construction will take not only a lot of effort, but also a lot of time. But if, nevertheless, there is a desire to make exactly this type (for example, there are bricks in stock), then the technology will fully correspond to the shallow-recessed analogue.

• If the groundwater is deep and the soil is sandy and not subject to heaving.
• Suitable as an inexpensive base for light utility buildings, bathhouses, garages.
• Only red solid clinker brick is suitable. The frost-resistant and strength characteristics of which should be among the maximum in the line.
• Due to the hydrophobic properties of brick, high-quality waterproofing will be required.
• Foundation reinforcement is required.
• If the foundation is designed for a residential building, then you should not save on a concrete base. This is not necessary for secondary structures.

Brick foundations appeared much earlier than concrete foundations. Currently, they are used in private construction for the construction of houses up to three floors. If the technology is followed, a brick foundation is not inferior in strength to a concrete one, and you can make it yourself without the involvement of heavy equipment. How to make a strip or columnar foundation from brick with your own hands, what kind of brick is needed and in what cases are such foundations suitable?

When can you make a brick foundation?

A brick foundation is not suitable for all cases. Before choosing the type of foundation, you need to know the condition of the soil and the level of groundwater.

Attention! It is possible to make a brick foundation only on dry, hard, non-heaving and non-flowing soil and with a low level of groundwater.

If the soil is somewhat mobile, then a foundation made of ceramic red bricks can only be laid on a pre-poured concrete reinforced base. In case of high-lying groundwater, it is necessary to use special components of the solution that will not allow the material to deteriorate from moisture.

It is forbidden to build houses higher than three floors on a brick foundation. This type of foundation is best suited for houses made of lightweight materials:

• wooden,
• frame,
• from foam concrete.

This type of foundation is not suitable for a house made of brick or monolithic concrete.

Pros and cons of a brick foundation

To decide whether to choose a brick or concrete foundation in a particular case, you should know about its advantages and disadvantages.

1. It has better thermal insulation properties than concrete.
2. With proper waterproofing, it will last no less than its concrete counterpart.
3. It goes well with any materials in the house and looks beautiful even without additional finishing.
4. If damaged, a brick base is easier to repair.
5. The brick base is less destroyed on moving soil, since it itself is mobile to some extent.
6. It's easy to do it yourself.

However, this material also has disadvantages:

1. With the same dimensions, a brick base will be almost twice as expensive as a concrete one.
2. However, it is less reliable than concrete.

Which brick to use

The foundation supports the weight of the entire house, so you need to choose the highest quality materials for it. The brick for it must meet the following requirements:

• have no voids
• strength grade - from 150,
• frost resistance - at least 35 cycles,
• density - 1600 kg/cub.m,
• water absorption - 6-16%.

These requirements are met by the so-called iron or clinker brick; the disadvantage of the latter is its high price. Sand-lime brick cannot be used for the foundation; only solid ceramic bricks are used.

Important! When purchasing, pay attention to quality. Over-burnt or under-burned material has less strength. A sign of poor firing is a scarlet color, a sign of “overexposure” is concave or convex edges.

Types of brick foundation

Brick foundations can be strip or columnar. How to choose which foundation to make?

A columnar foundation made of red brick is suitable for light buildings, such as frame and panel buildings, gazebos and wooden bathhouses. The advantages of this type are low price, no need to make blind areas, you can do it yourself. Disadvantages - requires good waterproofing, is susceptible to frost heaving of the soil.

The strip base is more durable; it is made when a basement or ground floor is planned in the house.

Strip foundation

Before building a strip foundation, markings are made. Mark the corners and perimeter of the building, and then the location of the internal walls.

Trench

For a strip base, both deep and shallow, a trench is dug. For a shallow one, its depth will be about 50 cm. The higher the soil moisture, the wider it should be. The bottom of the trench is compacted, then a sand cushion is poured in and compacted again.

Concrete base

If the foundation is intended for a house, a concrete base must be poured under it. For light outbuildings this can be neglected. To pour concrete, make a formwork approximately 5 cm wider than the intended brick base and about 10 cm high. It is lined with roofing felt, concrete is poured and left for 2-3 days.

Solution

For the lower underground part, a sand-cement mortar is used in a 3:1 ratio; for the basement part, a cement-lime mortar can be used.

Masonry

You can lay out the brick in any standard way. Corrugated reinforcing bars are placed above the first row and in front of the last. For transverse reinforcement, a wire mesh is used.

Columnar foundation

For a columnar foundation, rectangular or square pillars are made. Their size depends on the load on them.

• For a one-story house made of lightweight material, pillars 38*38 cm or 38*51 cm are sufficient.
• The columns under the internal load-bearing walls are made thinner, usually 25*38 cm.
• For a two-story house, the size of all pillars must be at least 51*51 cm.

First of all, it is necessary that the base is level and solid. You cannot fill the holes immediately before starting work, otherwise the soil will not be dense enough. Then the site is marked.

In selected places, they dig rectangular holes 50-80 cm deep and slightly larger than the thickness of the pillars - leaving a reserve for backfilling.

Geotextiles are placed at the bottom of the pits, and sand or small crushed stone is poured onto it, leveled and thoroughly compacted. Geotextiles are needed to prevent sand from going into the ground. Ruberoid is placed on top - it waterproofs the lower surface of the pillar.

The solution is made from M-400 or M-500 cement.

Then you need to lay out the pillars in the holes. Every 4 rows of bricks, a reinforcing mesh made of 5-6 mm wire is placed.

Each layer of masonry is checked using a level - it must be strictly horizontal, all pillars must be in the same horizontal plane.

Under the intersections of the walls, pillars are made 51*51 cm, in other places - 38*38.

Waterproofing

For a brick foundation, waterproofing is required. Without it, the building material will quickly begin to be destroyed by moisture from the soil.

For waterproofing, roofing felt or more modern rolled materials are used. You can also coat the foundation with bitumen. Additionally, you can dig a trench and place a perforated drainage pipe in it.

Base

Usually the base of the house is laid out of the same brick from which the foundation was made. Sometimes it is possible to use sand-lime brick for the base of the foundation, but this is not recommended. You can line the walls and base with brick, then you need to take this into account when laying the foundation and expand it by about 12 cm - this is the standard thickness of facing bricks.

The brick for facing the foundation is a special facing or clinker brick. Which brick is better for the plinth, everyone decides for himself; both of these options are durable and have all the properties of building bricks, and look beautiful. The cladding can be connected to the walls in different ways; see how to do this in the video.

Broken brick foundation

Is it possible to make a foundation from broken bricks as an additive to concrete? Indeed, broken brick, for example, from an old house, is used in private construction as an additive to concrete instead of crushed stone, but concrete of a high strength class cannot be obtained in this way. In this way, you can make a foundation for a small, lightweight structure (gazebos, verandas, extensions). To obtain a satisfactory result, the following rules must be observed:

• use only solid ceramic bricks, not sand-lime bricks,
• grind it down
• add it in an amount no more than 1/3 of the volume,
• concentrate the brick in the center of the structure.

It should be noted that in any case, a foundation made of brick or cast concrete will be much stronger and more reliable. Professionals categorically do not recommend making a foundation for a house using old broken bricks.

Conclusion

Thus, a brick foundation is not suitable for all buildings and not for all types of soil, but in cases where it can be used, it is not inferior in properties to concrete. From brick you can make a strip or columnar foundation for both a house and a garage, gazebo, or bathhouse. In order for the base to last a long time, it must be properly waterproofed.

Most often, a monolithic concrete foundation is poured under suburban low-rise buildings. However, sometimes brick is also used to assemble the foundation of a house. The choice of this material in most cases is determined by the fact that it can be used to build a structure that is very attractive, from an aesthetic point of view.

Advantage of using brick

The estimated service life of foundations built from this material is lower than that of monolithic foundations. However, it has been observed that in practice the opposite usually happens. If the concrete strip of a building can reliably protect the walls of a house from destruction for 200-300 years, then the service life of a brick foundation often exceeds 400. But of course, such a structure will be strong and durable only if the technologies for its construction are strictly followed. Further in the article we will look at how to lay a brick foundation with your own hands correctly.

In what cases can brick be used instead of concrete?

The foundations of houses of this type are built mainly only on dry, non-heaving soils. It is also desirable that the groundwater level at the construction site be as low as possible. On not very stable soils made of brick, the foundation can be assembled only with preliminary pouring of a concrete “cushion” and mandatory reinforcement. When the groundwater level is high, special compounds are added to increase its waterproofing properties. Otherwise, such a base will quickly collapse due to high humidity.

For houses above three floors, brick foundations are prohibited by building regulations. In case of emergency, it is possible to assemble a reinforced powerful base of this type. However, in this case the foundation becomes unreasonably expensive. Therefore, in practice, monolithic concrete foundations are usually erected for buildings of 3 floors or more.

Among other things, structures of this type are most often assembled under the walls of buildings made of lightweight materials. For example, a very good solution would be to build a brick foundation for a log house. This option is very suitable for a cobblestone, panel house or for walls made of foam concrete. Such foundations are not suitable for brick or monolithic structures. In this case, it is also advisable to build a monolithic reinforced concrete structure.

According to the regulations, such foundations are allowed to be used not only for residential buildings, but also for any other structures. Very often, for example, a brick foundation is built for a bathhouse, gazebo, or garage. The technology for assembling such a foundation for structures for various purposes is almost the same.

How to choose material

There are many varieties of bricks on the modern market. However, not all types of this material can be used for building foundations. Only red ceramic bricks are suitable for this purpose, and even then not just any one. The parameters of the stone intended for the construction of the foundation of the house should be as follows:

strength grade of at least 150;

frost resistance from 35 cycles;

density not less than 1600 kg/m 3 ;

water absorption - 6-16%.

Popularly, a material that meets all these requirements is called iron ore brick. When choosing such a stone, you should also pay attention to its appearance. The scarlet color of the brick indicates that it is not fired sufficiently, and therefore is not very durable and moisture resistant. Concave or convex edges of the stone, on the contrary, indicate that it was kept in the oven for too long. This type of brick is fragile. The foundation of a house can only be built from the highest quality materials. Therefore, among other things, when purchasing a stone, you should pay attention to the reputation of the supplier and manufacturer.

Sometimes the owners of suburban areas assemble the foundation itself (its underground part) from red iron ore, and the base from sand-lime brick. Building regulations allow this to be done. But only in the most extreme case - on dry soils and during the construction of some insignificant buildings (summer kitchens, garages, sheds, outbuildings, etc.).

How to dig a trench

So how do you build a brick foundation with your own hands? Step-by-step instructions for assembling this structure will be presented below in the article in full detail. However, first you should still figure out what the trench for this structure should be like, as well as how to properly carry out the preparatory work.

According to the regulations, only columnar or strip foundations of houses are allowed. Shallow brick foundations are also not assembled from brick. The sole of such a design in any case should be located below the freezing level of the soil. For the southern regions of the country this figure is 0.6-1 m, for the northern regions it can reach up to 2.5 m. Exact numbers can be found in special reference books.

Trenches for a brick foundation will have to be dug not only deep, but also wide. Indeed, in this case, you need to make sure that the mason has enough free space to carry out the masonry. After building a brick foundation, this “extra” space is filled with expanded clay or light soil. This allows you to reduce the freezing level for a given location, as well as minimize the negative impact on the underground parts of the structure during spring heaving.

Otherwise, trenches for such a foundation are dug according to the same rules as for a conventional monolithic one. That is, marking is first carried out using pegs and a cord (using the “two curves” method), and then excavation work is carried out.

Preparation of mortar for masonry

Increased demands are placed on the quality of brick foundations. After all, the service life of the entire building depends on how reliable it is. Therefore, it is worth taking a responsible approach not only to the choice of the stone itself, but also to the procedure for preparing the solution. The sand must be sifted before mixing. Under no circumstances should lime be added to the solution intended for laying the foundation. The mixture must be prepared using a concrete mixer. The more homogeneous the composition, the better.

Construction of a strip foundation: preparatory work

In the trench dug under the foundation of the house, the bottom is first carefully compacted and leveled. Next, a sand-gravel mixture 15 cm thick is poured onto it. The resulting “cushion” is carefully compacted with a tamper and water. Then a layer of waterproofing is installed. To prevent the base of the foundation from getting wet during operation, roofing material (2-3 layers) is rolled out over the “cushion”. At the same time as the bottom waterproofing, it is advisable to install the side waterproofing as well. To do this, additional strips of roofing material are glued to the canvas on both sides using bitumen mastic.

Mortar support device

On soft soils, a brick foundation, as already mentioned, is erected with the preliminary arrangement of a reinforced concrete “pillow”. The latter is poured into wooden formwork with reinforcement with a frame assembled from 12 mm rod. The thickness of the “cushion” should be at least 10 cm. Before starting to assemble the pillars, it must be left for two weeks.

Assembling a strip foundation

The first row of bricks is laid directly on concrete or roofing felt, taking into account subsequent dressing and filling of vertical joints with mortar. Next, the foundation is assembled according to general rules with mandatory reinforcement, vertical and horizontal. It is possible to build the foundation of a brick house only with single-row bandaging of the seams. In order to reduce the adhesion of the walls of the structure to the ground, jointing is performed (flush). The seams are not treated only if the walls of the structure are subsequently going to be plastered for additional waterproofing.

Do-it-yourself reliable columnar brick foundation: step-by-step instructions

In this case, not holes are dug under the base, as when using concrete mortar, but also trenches. After all, a mason needs space to lay pillars. Supports must be installed under all load-bearing walls of the building. The pillars must be placed at the corners. They also need to be installed at the intersection of the walls. The minimum side length of a square post is 380 mm (1.5 bricks). The support should rise at least 20 cm above the ground.

To make the masonry even, first, box templates made from boards are installed in the trench. Waterproofing is preliminarily laid under them and concrete platforms are poured.

The laying is done around these templates. After several rows have been laid out, the box is removed. As a result, there is empty space inside the pillar that needs to be filled with concrete. Next, the masonry is carried out, constantly trimming the bricks, to the desired height. The reinforcement (three 12 mm rods each) is inserted into the empty space remaining in the center of the pillars and the solution is poured.

Above ground, finished posts are often connected with concrete tape. It is poured into formwork with reinforcement. It is impossible to connect its parts to each other and to the pillars. Instead of concrete, the space between the pillars can also be simply bricked.

Brick foundation for a bathhouse

The principle of constructing the foundation for such a structure is the same as for a residential building. Most often, a do-it-yourself brick foundation for a bathhouse is poured in the form of a continuous strip. However, if the walls are supposed to be made of panels, you can save money and get by with a columnar base. For the basement of the strip foundation of the bathhouse, it is better to use red brick. Silicate is afraid of moisture. Also, when arranging the base for the bathhouse walls, maximum attention should be paid to waterproofing.

DIY brick for a gazebo

In this case, it will be enough to erect four pillars at the corners of the structure. Under very light gazebos, such foundations are sometimes not even deepened. For large structures of this type, 6-8 supports are installed.

Like a brick strip foundation for a bathhouse, the base for the gazebo should be waterproofed. Roofing material must be laid in several layers under the supports. When pouring the empty central part of the pillars, dowels or rods are installed under the frame and uprights of the gazebo frame. They should rise 20 cm above the surface of the support. The rods are also buried 20 cm into the concrete.

Often, when choosing a foundation for a particular structure, a strip-type brick foundation is not considered due to its insufficient reliability. We have encountered this kind of misconception more than once. The reason is that, seduced by the simplicity of the design, the developer sometimes does not bother with calculations and compliance with the rules for constructing the foundation - for example, installing waterproofing. But the reliability of the foundation consists of three components - accurate calculation, competent execution of work and quality of materials.

Fig.1 Foundation diagram

Characteristics of a brick foundation

• High rigidity;
• Average strength indicators;
• Low resistance to moisture and low temperatures.

Due to these parameters, it is recommended to use it in hard, dry soils that are not prone to heaving and with low groundwater levels.
The service life of a strip-brick foundation, subject to installation norms and rules, is from 30 to 50 years.

Application area

Strip foundations (rub concrete and brick) are optimally used for: stable soils and buildings of lightweight construction.

Advantages:

1. The absence of large-sized heavy structural elements makes it possible to independently construct the foundation without the involvement of hired workers and special equipment.
2. In case of soil movements, there is no global destruction (the foundation is more flexible than monolithic foundations).
3. A partially destroyed foundation can be easily repaired by restoring fragments of brickwork in the right places.
4. The base can be given any ribbon shape without the use of formwork.

Flaws:

1. The hygroscopicity of the brick allows moisture to easily penetrate its structure, which negatively affects the stability of the foundation, and in winter leads to freezing. The number of freeze/thaw cycles for a brick base is limited, so reliable waterproofing is required.
2. Compared to a concrete base, it has a shorter service life.
3. Limited area of ​​application (dry, non-heaving, stable soils with low groundwater levels are recommended). When building a foundation on unstable soil, it is necessary to increase the strength of the brickwork from mechanical loads using reinforcement.

Materials for the construction of a brick foundation

To build a brick foundation for a private house you will need:

• brick
• insulation;
• waterproofing materials;
• materials for reinforcement (rebar, masonry mesh);
• cement mortar.

How to choose a brick for a strip foundation

Brick is the main material for a strip-brick foundation. The reliability and durability of both the foundation itself and the house or other structure as a whole will depend on its correct choice.

What brick should not be used for the foundation?

The construction of a foundation made of any (!) silicate and hollow bricks is unacceptable. I don’t think that no matter how good your waterproofing is, you cannot create a foundation from these types of bricks.

Fig.2 Sand-lime brick Fig.3 Hollow red brick

Which brick is better for the foundation?

For laying the underground part of the foundation, choose a solid red ceramic brick, high-quality fired. It is less susceptible to moisture than others and is characterized by high compression resistance.

Fig.4 Solid ceramic brick

The above-ground part of the foundation, the base and the upper floors can be laid out of white sand-lime brick. Such bricks can be used for an above-ground foundation only on a dry soil layer with low groundwater levels.

Brand of foundation brick

The correct choice of material grade plays a decisive role. It is necessary to take into account two main parameters - M (load per 1 sq. cm) and F (frost resistance - the number of freezing-defrosting cycles). To construct the foundation, bricks of the M-150, M-175, M-200, M-250 and M-300 brands with frost resistance F 35-100 are used. The water absorption rate is also important. For underground masonry its value is in the range of 6-16%

Brick sizes

To build a strip-brick foundation, you can use standard bricks of the following sizes:

• single regular (250 x 120 x 65 mm);
• thickened (250 x 120 x 88 mm);
• modular (288 x 138 x 65 mm);
• modular thickened (288 x 138 x 88 mm).

Brick for the foundation: price issue

Today, prices for various brands of solid ceramic bricks vary from 8 to 20 rubles per piece (as of 2013). The final figure depends not only on the characteristics of the material itself, but also on the size of the purchased batch. The larger it is, the lower the price. Some retail outlets also offer delivery by vehicle with a crane manipulator - free or paid. In this case, unloading is accelerated, but you will have to leave the deposit value of the pallets. (A pallet can accommodate from 200 to 450 bricks).

Example. The construction trading house "Petrovich" in St. Petersburg offers the following brick for the foundation.

Solid building brick M-150, 250x120x65 mm, Pobeda (LSR).

Designed mainly for laying external and internal walls (partitions) of buildings and structures of various heights, for constructing foundations and plinths, laying in basements, as well as erecting load-bearing structures. Can be used for the construction of fences and to create architectural highlights.

Compound: clay, sand.

Marking according to GOST: Brick KORPO 1NF/150/2.0/75 GOST 530-2007.
Explanation of markings:
KORPo- single ordinary solid brick.
1NF (size): 250x120x65 mm
150 (strength): M150
2.0 (medium density class): thermal insulation is weak
75 (frost resistance): 75 cycles
Water absorption (%): 6,0-8,5.
On pallet: 256 pcs.
In 1m3: 513 pcs.
Price: 15.8 rub.

Calculation of the number of bricks

The amount of brick required to build a foundation is determined based on the volume of the foundation. The volume is calculated taking into account the configuration and width of the tape, the depth of the laying and the weight of the future structure. For example, one cubic meter of brickwork described in our example will require 513 bricks. But we must not forget about the solution, which usually takes up about 0.25 m3 of the entire masonry. From here we get that there will be about 400 bricks in 1m3 of masonry. To calculate the total amount of material, you need to multiply the resulting volume by the number of bricks in 1 m³ of masonry.

Insulation and waterproofing for the foundation

When constructing a brick foundation for a house or other structure, the masonry must be protected from moisture and freezing. For this purpose, hydro- and thermal insulation materials based on extruded polystyrene foam (tiled), geotextile (rolled), cement-based (coated) or bitumen (sprayed) are used.

Fig.5 Sprayed waterproofing Fig.6 Rolled waterproofing

Reinforcement and masonry mesh

The brick foundation is strengthened directly during masonry work using longitudinal and/or transverse reinforcement. In the longitudinal direction, the masonry is reinforced with corrugated steel reinforcement rods (diameter 6-8mm); in the transverse direction, the role of reinforcement is played by steel wire mesh (wire diameter 4-6mm).

Fig.7 Armature Fig.8 Masonry mesh

For laying the underground part of a strip-brick foundation, a high-strength cement-sand mortar is used, and for the above-ground part it is permissible to use a mortar based on a cement-lime mixture with a similar ratio of cement and other materials in a ratio of 1:3.

Fig.9 Preparing cement mortar

When building on a site with high groundwater levels, the solution must contain waterproofing additives. The solution recipe generally depends on the type of soil.

Instructions for constructing a strip-brick foundation with your own hands

Before starting work on the site, it is necessary to develop the configuration of the foundation and calculate its volume, taking into account the upcoming load (weight of walls, ceilings, roof) and soil properties. The width of the brick foundation should be calculated so that the strip is half a brick wider than the walls of the house. This allows you to conveniently lay the logs on the internal ledge when installing floors.

Instructions for marking the foundation can be read in the article:.

1. Carrying out masonry. Work begins after the concrete has completely hardened. The laying begins with the removal of the corners and is carried out by bandaging the seams of minimum thickness, in accordance with the “standards” of other brickwork.

If subsequent plastering of the foundation is not planned, the seam is made flush. Otherwise, normal internal seams are acceptable. The seams between the foundation bricks must be filled with mortar. The external seams of the plinth are facing and should not be filled with mortar to a depth of 10-15 mm for better adhesion of the mortar during plastering. This type of masonry is called “wasteland”.

On problematic soils, the masonry is reinforced.*

*How to reinforce a brick foundation

If the soils on the site where the house is being built are not stable enough, the strip-brick foundation must be reinforced. This design of the base will allow it to withstand serious mechanical loads even on problematic soils.

When carrying out work to strengthen the foundation, make sure that the reinforcement (2 belts of 2 rods each) is hidden under a layer of cement mortar to a depth of at least 2 mm. This will increase the thickness of the seam. For reinforcement, metal rods with a diameter of 6-8 mm are used. They are laid at a distance of half a brick from the side surfaces of the tape along its entire perimeter.

For transverse reinforcement, a mesh of steel wire with a diameter of 2.5-6 mm is used. If wire with a thickness of more than 5 mm is used, then weave in a zigzag manner.

From the author

Let's summarize this article. So the obvious things.

• A brick foundation takes place when it comes to stable soils with low groundwater levels. It is advisable to use for light structures: bathhouses, one-story houses, garages.

• We use only ceramic solid bricks with a frost resistance of at least 35 and a strength class of 150. Ideally, with maximum frost resistance and strength class.

• Brick is afraid of water, even the most waterproof. Therefore, a prerequisite for the construction of a brick foundation will be good waterproofing of the entire masonry.

• Brickwork must be reinforced with reinforcement or masonry mesh to increase its strength under mechanical loads.

• To increase the strength of the foundation, it is recommended to use a concrete pad under the brickwork. Although, as I understand it, for very light structures you can do without its use, especially in soils not subject to heaving. Still, such a concrete pillow is an additional expense of money.

Question: why use brick for a strip foundation, and not make a more popular and durable monolithic strip foundation from concrete and reinforcement? After all, as they write in books, the difference can be quite noticeable, namely 150 years for a monolithic foundation and 50 years for a brick foundation.

The first thing that should come to mind is the price, namely the cost of materials and the work itself. Let's try to count. We will not take reinforcement into account, since both concrete and brickwork are reinforced. We will also not take into account the labor costs themselves. Let's consider them more or less equal. In brick, this is the laying process itself, preparing the mortar. In concrete this is the installation of formwork, the creation of a reinforced frame. Provided, of course, that the concrete is poured using a concrete mixer.

Let’s simply calculate the cost of materials per 1 m3 of finished foundation.

Brickwork

According to the norms, 1m3 of masonry is 400 pieces. brick (250*120*65). The solution consumption rate per 1 m3 will be 0.25 m3.
As a result, we get 4000 rubles. (400 bricks x 10 rub./brick) + 800 rub. (cement mortar) = 4800 rub.
If we consider that we will lay the brick on a masonry mixture, then it will be even more expensive.

Concrete

For 1m3 M-300 concrete we will need: 380 kg of cement, 0.5 m3 of sand, 0.8 m3 of crushed stone.
As a result, we get 1500 rubles. (Portland cement grade 500D0) + 800 rub. (crushed stone) + 250 rub. (sand) = 2550 rub.

Comparison. The difference is exactly 2 times. By the way, if you order concrete with a concrete mixer, its average cost also fluctuates around 2500 rubles/1m3

The conclusion can be drawn as follows: a brick strip foundation is less durable and more expensive than a monolithic strip foundation.

For private developers who do not have much experience in construction, a strip brick base may not seem reliable enough. However, with the right choice of material, making accurate calculations and following construction technology, you can build a reliable, strong and durable strip-type brick foundation.

Advantages and disadvantages of a brick foundation

Before choosing a brick foundation, you should familiarize yourself in more detail with the disadvantages and advantages of a structure of this type.

Among the many advantages, the following can be highlighted:

• Simple construction. A brick foundation can be built without the use of special construction equipment, and the work can be performed by one person or a team of several workers.
• Plasticity of design. A foundation consisting of many small elements is more mobile than a monolithic foundation. Consequently, soil movements will have a minor impact on the brick foundation.
• Possibility of repairing individual fragments without dismantling the entire foundation.
• Versatility. You can build a structure of any configuration from brick.

You also need to know about the disadvantages of a brick foundation:

• The construction of such a foundation requires a lot of effort and time, and the construction speed is very low.
• Compared to other types of foundation, a brick foundation is characterized by a high cost.
• Due to the high hygroscopicity of the material, brick foundations require mandatory waterproofing.
• Possibility of construction only on dry and stable soils.
• The service life of a brick foundation is about half a century, which is relatively short compared to a concrete structure.

Material selection rules

Having made a choice in favor of a brick foundation, you should understand that brick will be the main building material. Consequently, the strength and reliability of the entire structure will depend on its quality.

First you need to figure out what types of this artificial stone exist and how they are characterized.

Brick can be silicate or clay, in the first case the material is white, in the second it is red. Red brick is used to build the foundation, so you should study this material in more detail.

Red brick is made of baked clay, therefore it is highly durable. There are several types of this material:

• Refractory or fireclay bricks are more suitable for the construction of stoves, fireplaces and chimney ducts.
• Facing or decorative brick is distinguished by its lightness and high thermal insulation properties, which explains its use as a facing material.
• Ordinary red brick, in turn, is divided into solid and hollow elements. Solid bricks are used to build the base and foundation; walls and partitions are built from hollow stones.

When building a foundation, both types of bricks can be used. The underground part of the foundation is built from red stones, as they are more resistant to compression and the effects of soil moisture. White brick can be used for the construction of the above-ground part of the foundation, basement and upper floors, but provided that the construction is carried out on dry soil with deep groundwater.

When choosing a brick for a foundation, the main attention is paid to the grade of material, and two parameters are taken into account:

• M – possible load per 1 cm of 2 elements. It is best to build a foundation from bricks of a grade higher than M-150.
• F – frost resistance. This parameter shows how many freezing and thawing cycles the brick can withstand. Bricks with frost resistance higher than F-35 are suitable for foundation construction.
• Water absorption coefficient. For laying the underground part of the foundation, a material with an indicator of 6 to 16% is used.

The dimensions of the brick are also taken into account when choosing the material; the foundation can be built from standard stone having the following dimensions:

• Single ordinary elements have a size of 25*12*6.5 cm (length*width*height, respectively).
• The size of thickened bricks is 25*12*8.8 cm.
• The size of modular stones differs slightly in length and width and is 28.8 * 13.8 * 6.5 cm.
• Modular thickened bricks have a size of 28.8 * 13.8 * 8.8 cm.

The quality of the brick is the most important criterion that can be determined by visual inspection:

• If the production technology is violated, the bricks will have an uneven color, too bright or faded color.
• Used bricks have uneven edges and crumble easily. It is possible that such elements have been subjected to freezing and thawing, so they may not be able to withstand significant loads.
• Foundation bricks should not quickly absorb moisture, in which case there is a possibility of rapid destruction of the foundation.
• For good adhesion to mortar, high-quality bricks have grooved sides.

Technology for constructing strip foundations made of bricks

You can build a brick strip foundation with your own hands if you follow the following instructions:

1. First, they dig a trench, its depth depends on the level of soil freezing, and its width should allow waterproofing to be laid on both sides of the tape. In some cases, backfilling may be required, which results in an additional increase in trench width.
2. Sand is poured into a layer of 10-15 cm at the bottom of the trench, moistened and compacted. The resulting pillow is leveled using a building level.
3. At the next stage, waterproofing material is laid. These can be roofing felt sheets folded in several layers, but it is best to use modern polymer materials. Waterproofing should cover the bottom and walls of the trench. Read our detailed articles about, as well as about.
4. Then the formwork is installed and a concrete pad 10 cm high is poured. The cushion is designed to increase the bearing capacity of the foundation, so the possibility of reinforcing the concrete layer is not excluded. However, it should be remembered that the total cost of the foundation in this case increases significantly.
5. After the concrete has completely hardened, they begin laying bricks. First, the corners are brought out, and then the laying of rows is continued with the obligatory bandaging of the seams.
6. Having completed the masonry work, you should stop the foundation construction procedure for 2-3 weeks. During this time, the solution should completely set.
7. Construction work is continuing. This stage is especially important for areas with close groundwater. Filling is done along the entire perimeter of the foundation, filling the space between the walls of the trench and the brick foundation. Gravel, crushed stone, coarse sand or construction waste are used as filler.
8. To protect the foundation from precipitation, a beating is made. To do this, pour concrete mortar into the soil around the perimeter of the foundation, making a slight slope away from the house.
9. Before the actual construction of the walls, the upper horizontal surface of the brick foundation is covered with a layer of waterproofing and thermal insulation.

Columnar foundation made of bricks

A column-type brick foundation is erected using the following technology:

1. For each support in the form of a pillar of bricks, it is necessary to make a hole. The width can be standard, 100*100 cm, and the depth is determined depending on the groundwater level and the mass of the main structure.
2. The bottom of each recess is leveled, compacted and covered with a small layer of sand, which is also thoroughly compacted.
3. The sandy area at the bottom of the hole is filled with liquid concrete and the surface is leveled, checking the horizontality with a building level.
4. The cement screed is covered with roofing felt to prevent the penetration of soil moisture into the brickwork.
5. They begin to build a brick structure directly on the roofing felt, and the column can have a rectangular or square shape. The strength characteristics of a columnar foundation are increased by laying reinforcing mesh between the rows of bricks. The area of ​​the column is selected individually, but taking into account the following factors: the corner columns should be the strongest, their size can be 51*51 cm. The columns under load-bearing walls can be made smaller, 38*38 cm is enough, they are placed in increments of 1.5- 2 meters. Each brick column should rise 15-20 cm above ground level.
6. Further work involves plastering the surface of each support and waterproofing it with molten bitumen. A sheet of roofing material is placed on the surface of each pillar, which will protect the walls of the house from the negative effects of soil moisture.

Brick foundations are great for building small buildings in a country house or garden. At the same time, all the work can be done independently; it is enough to follow the technology of the construction process and choose the right material for the work.