Basement house. How to make a basement under a house

Not a basement: if the latter is necessarily located away from the house, then the basement is under it or in the immediate vicinity; Most often, the basement as a building structure is also the foundation of the house. The basement must be buried below the standard soil freezing depth (NGD); The cellar can also be a bulk cellar. The basement floor is often located below the groundwater level (GWL). All this makes the basement and the house on it especially sensitive to soil movements and the action of groundwater. Moreover, the basement can aggravate the influence of both of these factors. All this makes the construction of a basement perhaps the most difficult and important task of the entire cycle. construction work. When built to order on a turnkey basis, a house with a basement costs 30-100% more than the same one without a basement. However, a basement in a house provides a lot of conveniences and benefits, and it is quite possible to build a basement with your own hands and save a lot of money. Let's try to figure out how.

What does a basement provide?

The traditional use of a basement as a food storage facility is already more useful than cellars: the microclimate in it is more stable, easier to regulate, and it is much more difficult for pests to get into the basement than into a cellar. The basement is also more suitable for a workshop and other utility rooms: it is electrified, gasified and heated along with the house.

The basement in a private house is especially advantageous as a center for the concentration of life support systems (LSS): all equipment can be located safely, compactly and conveniently for routine maintenance and repairs, on the left in Fig. And that’s not all: a boiler or heating stove with a water circuit, moved in the same house from the boiler room (furnace) upstairs to the basement, turns out to begin to consume 3-5% less fuel due to the same stable microclimate of the basement. The savings during the heating season in material terms are quite noticeable.

Another advantage of a house with a basement is still little known in our area, but in the countries of Southern Europe, the demand for houses with a residential basement (on the right in the figure) consistently exceeds supply. The point here is survival, but not in case of war or some fantastic cataclysms. There are also enough real ones: due to global warming, the Sahara will “spit” hot air every summer for a long time. Surcharges, special or “environmental” tariffs, penalties, etc. fees for excessive consumption of electricity in countries that are provided with their own energy resources - mom, don’t worry! When it stays at +(40-45) outside for weeks and months, it’s impossible to live normally, and the energy bills for air conditioning the whole house come in such a way that... better think about democratic values, they are eternal. Moving to a residential basement for the summer either reduces air conditioning costs to acceptable levels or allows you to do without it altogether.

Waterproofing: the beginning

The basement under the house will only be a benefit when it is dry and does not disturb the stability of the entire structure. Both of these factors are interconnected, because a house with a basement often begins to tilt and/or settle precisely as a result of the disruption of underground drainage by a rigid box buried deep in the ground: natural movement groundwater is disturbed, see figure:

As a result, the mobility and load-bearing properties of the soil also change. There are known cases when a house with a basement, built on dry, dense loam, had to be abandoned - quicksand was crawling under it due to the influence of an improperly constructed basement.

The ways in which soil moisture penetrates into the basement are varied, and 100% effective ways There is no way to drain a damp basement. Basement dampness will make the entire house uncomfortable and unhealthy. But you also need to think about the influence of the basement on underground drainage. The only way to prevent such a Gordian knot from tying is the correct design of the basement and its reliable external waterproofing. The choice of design is directly related to the properties of the structural material. Therefore, in order to properly build a house with a basement, its development must be carried out in the following sequence:

• Selection of construction material;
• Selection of power circuits in plan and section;
• Choosing a waterproofing method and scheme;
• Determining the composition of the basement arrangement;
• Selection of construction techniques.

Note: if the basement gets wet, but the house still stands, then there are ways to dry the basement, see below. Such a basement will not be suitable for housing and stationary electrification; drying will have to be repeated every 3-5 years, but it will serve as a food storage and/or location for non-volatile heating devices.

Materials

It is possible to make a basement from materials that can withstand lateral soil pressure of 20 bar (2 kgf/sq. cm or 20 tf/sq. m) and formation water pressure of 10 bar (1 kgf/sq. cm or 10 tf/sq.m) . m). These conditions correspond to the strength grade from M200 and the water resistance grade from W10. Of course, the greater the margin for both parameters, the more reliable the basement will be.

Independent developers usually build monolithic reinforced concrete basements (item 1 in the figure), prefabricated concrete foundation blocks with a monolithic base (item 2), brick (item 3), monolithic with a brick base (item 4) or cinder blocks, pos. 5.

The “brick on concrete” option is quite durable if the base is made of burnt iron or clinker bricks: the outer facing brick is not intended to bear the weight load of the building; its service life is up to 40 years, and a house with a basement is built to last for generations. Red working brick in the immediate vicinity of the ground begins to crumble within 25 years, and in 50-60 years it completely loses its load-bearing properties. Iron ore and clinker will last a century, but are not aesthetically pleasing. In general, the basement at pos. 4 is not an option. For beauty, it would be easier, more reliable and cheaper to fill the monolith and cover it to taste.

The suitability of certain materials for building a basement is shown in the figure:

As you can see, they can be divided into 3 groups:

1. Unsuitable.
2. Conditionally suitable on structured soils (dense sandy loam, light loam), if the groundwater level does not rise closer than 0.2 m to the underside of the basement floor.
3. Suitable.

Group I

The obvious “losers” are foam and aerated concrete, and their low load-bearing capacity is not the most important thing here. Let's say the natural wear of concrete is 0.01 mm per year. This is an insignificant amount; in the ground it is much larger. The minimum concrete layer above the reinforcement is 40 mm. In order for the reinforcement to begin to be exposed en masse and thus the structure to require major repairs, in the absence of other destructive factors, 4000 years must pass. Let us also assume that the bridges between the pores of foam and aerated concrete are thick, 1 mm; they are usually thinner. With the same wear and tear over 25 years, the material will lose 50% of its strength (lintels are destroyed on both sides) - major repairs are impossible, the structure has become unusable. In another 10-15 years it will begin to spontaneously collapse without the possibility of restoration. For this reason, in Southern Europe (most of all in Spain), thousands of houses that were once built for seasonal rental are now being sold “for what they will give”. They still look gorgeous, but their lifespan is coming to an end and there is no way to restore them.

This also includes sand-lime brick and expanded clay concrete. The first one in the ground crumbles literally before our eyes, is expensive and requires quite high skills to work with it. The second one is cheap, easier to work with, but, alas, it gets wet through and through, and it is impossible to reliably isolate it, there are no such methods and compositions.

Group II

From this group, it is better not to use red brick and poor concrete for the foundation under a house: they crumble in the ground and repair is often impossible. Clinker brick is quite reliable, durable up to 150 years or more, easy to insulate, but expensive. Burnt iron brick is not much inferior to it and is cheap, but it does not regularly go on sale, because is a manufacturing defect. But a cinder block basement, due to its low cost and ease of working with it, is quite common, see video:

Video: building a basement “box” from cinder block

An important advantage of a cinder block basement is that it is lightweight and a house with it gives normal settlement on fairly weak soils with a bearing capacity of >0.7 kgf/sq.m. see It is possible to build a cinder block basement not only on dry soil. It may be quite suitable for economic purposes if the soil water remains above the basement floor level for no more than 6 months. per year, and the reservoir pressure does not exceed 10 bar; in most cases of self-building, these conditions are met. But, firstly, measures for waterproofing basement walls must begin to be carried out already at the stage of their construction, strictly observing all the rules of cinder block masonry, see video:

Video: basics of cinder block laying

Secondly, waterproofing must be done the same as for walls made of bricks or foundation blocks, but reinforced: both painting with bitumen compounds and pasting, see below. And instead of textile-based lining materials, use cellulose (cardboard) roofing felt. Looking ahead, the principle of operation of insulation based on natural bitumen is as follows: if after many years you disassemble the structure insulated with it, not a trace of the original insulator is found. The bitumen from it is pressed into the concrete, on which a waterproof crust has formed. The pores of the cinder block are much wider than those in concrete, and the cellulose fibers from the roofing felt base will become a reinforcing filler for the bitumen in them.

How to insulate a cinder block

How the waterproofing of a cinder block basement is arranged is shown in Fig. on right. Since there is and cannot be any guarantee on the level of groundwater, it is better to replace the backfill with soil with a clay castle (highlighted in color) with an extension at the top of 0.5 m beyond the contour of the blind area. Its presence around the house, as well as heels with a distance of 0.4 m under the foundation strip, is an indispensable condition for the reliability of waterproofing of a cinder block basement.

In this case, pasted (sheet) insulation is applied in the reverse order to the generally accepted one - from top to bottom. It is more convenient to work this way, using a device in the form of a trestle with a stick placed in it or a piece of pipe on which a roll of roofing felt is placed. The tragus is placed on the foundation strip, and then:

1. Paint a section of the wall to the width of the roll +(15-20) cm with liquid bitumen prime mastic (primary) with a gasoline thinner. It is better to apply prime mastic with a wide, hard brush, pressing it into the wall material;
2. Coat the same area with bitumen mastic based on anthracene oil - it is thicker, stickier and dries more slowly than with gasoline. Layer – 3-4 mm;
3. A piece of roofing felt is unrolled from the roll to the bottom with a small margin;
4. Roll the insulator onto the coating, going from bottom to top and squeezing out bubbles;
5. The cut is cut with some margin;
6. The trestle is rearranged so that the overlap of the cuts is 20-25 cm;
7. Repeat paragraphs. 1-6 on a new section of the wall with an extension of 15-20 cm beyond the width of the roofing felt strip;
8. The joint of the sheets is heated gas burner and roll according to step 4;
9. Repeat paragraphs. 1-8 until they reach the corner;
10. At the corner, the adjacent wall is painted and coated, the roofing felt extending around the corner is cut across at the top and bottom;
11. The insulator wing is not heated too much from the outside and is softly turned around the corner;
12. The wrap is heated and rolled according to step 4;
13. Repeat the work cycle until they go around the entire building;
14. In a similar way, apply the 2nd layer of adhesive insulation;
15. Apply an external safety layer of paint insulation from the same mastic;
16. Backfill the soil or install a clay castle.

To a beginner, this whole procedure will seem very labor-intensive, but any reliable anti-pressure insulation is no easier to make. But a cinder block basement will cost 1.5-2.5 times less than a concrete or brick one.

At the same time about brick

The insulation described above does not provide 100% protection for a brick basement from dampness - the pores of a brick are thinner than a cinder block, and bitumen is pressed into them poorly. It is better to insulate the walls of a brick basement with modern penetrating materials with a deep penetration effect (see below). Typical insulation scheme brick wall is given in the figure:

It is necessary to plaster the wall using a mesh under insulation: penetrates reliably fill cracks up to 0.4 mm, and wider ones can form in a brick wall. The role of a clay lock that prevents capillary moisture from entering the concrete-brick joint is played by plugs made of Penecrit in the 25x50 mm groove and Penecrit with Penetron in the holes of the concrete heel. The disadvantage of this scheme is that penetrates are not eternal, like natural bitumen; after 10-30 years the insulation will have to be replaced.

Repairing a damp concrete basement with deep penetration compounds

Note 2: if a previously dry concrete basement began to dampen drops along the walls and floor (the underground drainage has changed), it can be repaired with Penecrit and Penetron for 5-20 years, see fig. on right. Strobe – 25X25 mm. The insulation is plastered with moisture-resistant plaster in 2 layers of 15-20 mm each with a reinforcing mesh (see above) to avoid swelling of the insulating layer by capillary pressure. The work is carried out during the driest time of the year. The basement is pre-dried, see below, and immediately before applying the insulation it is wetted twice with a wide soft brush.

III group

In materials of group III, high-strength moisture-resistant concrete stands out by a large margin. Only from it can you build a dry basement on water-logged soil, without having to deal with such a complex and not always technically feasible thing as site drainage. It is enough to apply inexpensive (and very durable) bitumen insulation, see next. Fig., and the basement will not dampen generations of residents, no matter how the groundwater “walks.”

The big disadvantage of a concrete basement is the rush to pour and technical breaks to gain strength for the monolith; If you build on your own, you may simply not be able to make it in time for the season. In addition, M400 W>10 concrete is not cheap, and the concrete truck will not arrive exactly at the time you set. Most likely, it will be prescribed to you, and you will also have to wait.

The solution is to build a basement from ready-made foundation blocks. 2-3% by volume of liquid glass is added to the water for masonry mortar. It is better to buy ready-made blocks, they are already M(400-600) W(20-3). The 200x200x400 block is moved by one person. The masonry is then laid in 2 blocks with ligation of the seams and alternation of spoon rows with bonded rows, like a brick wall. The corner “half-blocks” are not chipped or cut off - let them stick halfway into the ground, the whole structure will only be more stable. If you have 2-3 strong helpers and at least a hoist, it’s even better to buy 400x400x800 blocks - they have teeth and the masonry will be very strong. In this case, it is carried out in one block with sutures bandaged in rows.

Foundation blocks on reinforced concrete structures undergo steaming, which is not feasible at home. But let it be known that the aging period is from 3 months. blocks that have gained 25% strength in a stack under the film completely replace it. The rows in the stack must be arranged with pieces of wood so that there are gaps of 20-30 mm between them; in hot, dry weather, the stack is wrapped in damp burlap. You can prepare high-strength concrete with your own hands by mixing it by hand, see the story:

Video: making concrete by hand

Building a basement, especially in an existing house, can generally be considered a third task that cannot be rushed. Then, for the first year, we slowly prepare the required number of blocks; Next summer we will build again without any rush. You can cast non-standard blocks according to your own strength and teeth - the finished masonry will withstand a pressure of more than 30 bar. And W? In production, liquid glass is mixed into the concrete mass in special devices, which again cannot be done at home. But self-builders successfully prepare moisture-resistant concrete using W(10-15) with the well-known repair composition Dehydrol, see video:

Video: how to make hydraulic concrete

Note: homemade hydraulic concrete does not guarantee against the penetration of capillary moisture, therefore the external anti-pressure insulation must be supplemented with internal anti-capillary insulation from the same Dehydrol, see fig. Also, inside the entire basement is plastered with armor insulation made of cement-sand plaster, see above.

Power circuits

The basement waterproofing scheme is tied to its general power (bearing) scheme. It is developed depending on local conditions, first in section and then in plan.

Possible power circuits for homemade basements are shown in cross-section in the figure:

A basement on a slab is built on weak, homogeneous soils: a large supporting area gives low specific pressure on the soil and distributes the weight load more evenly over it. In fact, the entire building in this case stands on a deeply buried slab foundation. The removal of the slab along the contour is required to be no less than the thickness of the basement walls (foundation strip), otherwise the weight loads will be concentrated on the edge of the slab, it will crumble over time, and the whole house will begin to sink crookedly. Also, basements on soft soils float up more easily, see below; The “side hook” counteracts this. The slab is poured with the onset of stable warm weather, kept until it reaches 50% strength (at least 20 days) and built on it from any other suitable material. If the seasonal standing of groundwater is possible above 0.6 m above the level of the base (not the floor!) of the basement, a slab is poured one and a half thick (from 300 mm) with a tooth at a third of the height, see below.

A basement on a strip is built, on the contrary, on dense, well-bearing (from 1.7 kgf/sq. cm), and possibly heterogeneous soils: the slab from a boulder that lands on its corner when settling will tilt dangerously; the tape will either push it down or push it to the side. On dense, homogeneous, non-heaving or slightly heaving soils, if the house has been stable without damage for at least 3-5 years, it is possible to build a foundation on a strip in an existing house. A typical diagram is shown in Fig. on the right, but in each specific case construction is carried out according to individual project based on on-site research.

If the basement on the tape is built at the same time as the house, then the emergency concreting cycles are not tied to each other: the pouring of the permanent floor can and even should (see below) be postponed until next year. In any case, the extension of the heel of the tape to the side must be at least 0.6 m in order to “disperse” the loads from the force of soil resistance to the subsiding building (shown by the red dotted line), otherwise the floor may simply be squeezed up.

Temporary floor

It is advisable to leave the basement on the tape for a year without a floor, if the groundwater level does not rise above 0.2 m under the base of the basement, so that the building gives an initial settlement and the permanent floor is definitely not pushed out. In the meantime, you can lay a temporary floor, just like laying floors on the ground.

Schemes for installing floors on the ground are shown on the left in the figure:

Pos. And it is applicable if the soil waters do not rise above 0.6 m to the base of the basement; pos. B - if they reach 0.2 m below it. In the case where the utility cellar on the tape remains dry for more than 3 years, a warm dirt floor is often laid in it, on the right on the rice: this way vegetables and fruits are stored longer and spoil less. Plant products in storage release ethylene, which stimulates their ripening; Without ethylene, products “sleep.” Ethylene is slightly heavier than air and is not completely removed by conventional basement ventilation (see below); There are many known cases of ethylene poisoning of people who spent a long time in food basements. The soil, on the contrary, greedily absorbs ethylene, you just need to make the bins ventilated and on stands of 15-20 cm. In addition, homemade kvass, liqueurs, wine, beer, mead in a basement with a dirt floor ripen better and turn out to be much tastier.

Note: basements on slabs and strips are suitable for installing boiler equipment and electrification for housing only after at least 3 years after the completion of the construction of the entire house, if during this time there were no signs of dampening of the basement and/or uneven settlement of the building.

A caisson basement made of moisture-resistant concrete with external pressure insulation will be dry on any soil, even if it floats in water - during the Second World War they even built from reinforced concrete sea ​​vessels. A coffered basement is also compatible with any building, see below. But its construction is a complete complex emergency, see below. And on light, loose, highly watered soils, a basement caisson can suddenly float up. Basements on slabs and strips make it clear that the underground drainage is in trouble by dampening despite any insulation - working and masonry seams are torn - and the caisson can literally float up in a week and fall on its side along with the house. Therefore, it is not recommended to build caisson basements when highest ground level more than 0.6 m above the basement floor, and the removal of the box should be from 0.6 m on medium and dense soils and from 0.8 m on light soils.

The power diagram of the basement in plan is linked not only to the ground, but also to the structure of the building. Its possible options for self-construction are shown in Fig. below. The basement floor (item 1) is the only one that allows you to immediately equip a boiler room and a house communications distribution unit in the basement (on the left in the figure at the beginning); in this case it is built with a caisson. The important thing here is that the boiler room must have a window, and the walls of the caisson and the base of the building are a single monolith.

An incomplete basement floor is built less often - the savings on earthworks are more than eaten up by the excess of concrete. Typical justified cases are heavy, complex and expensive soil to develop (pos. 1a) or on heavy soil a light loose spot is found, the size of which is suitable for a basement, pos. 1b. In this case, on the contrary, in no way should you build a basement-caisson or on a slab, only on a strip! The caisson is not recommended for pos. 1a, so you will have to wait several years before moving the boiler room to the basement or equipping it for housing.

Note: an incomplete basement floor and a basement mezzanine are different things. In the basement mezzanine it is possible to install an outdoor front door, buried in the pit no more than 3-4 steps.

It is even less common to build basements adjacent to the foundation of an existing house (item 2 in the figure above) - there is a high risk of new uneven settlement of the building. If a professional builds it according to a project, then the owner and operator sign that the damage will be caused by all possible consequences take over. In an existing house, it is better to build a “floating” basement, separated from the foundation strip of the house by at least 1 m, pos. 3. Him power circuit Any section is possible, but you will have to spend money on a separate basement floor, between which and the floor of the house you need a free clearance of 0.3 m, i.e. and the foundation pit for the basement needs to be dug deeper. The reason is the difference in the speed and amount of settlement of 2 separate buildings nested inside one another.

You can get by with a smaller total volume of earthen and concrete work, as well as a general ceiling, by building a connected basement - connected to the foundation of the house with rigid reinforced concrete lintels the width of the foundation strip. They are buried, like the foundation strip of a house, but at a rate >0.6 m below the standard freezing depth (NGD), and the walls of the basement are as needed so that you can walk in it at full height (1.9-2.2 m + floor thickness + thickness of the cushion under the floor). As a result, the difference in specific pressure on the soil of the foundation of the house and the basement walls turns out to be a value that jumpers up to 1-1.5 m long can accommodate.

The T-shaped pattern (item 4) is used on light, pliable, homogeneous soils; H-shaped (position 5) for light heterogeneous and medium ones, and cellular (position 6) for medium heterogeneous and heavy homogeneous ones. In any case, a connected basement is built only and only on a tape - on a slab or a caisson will tear the lintels and destroy the foundation of the building. Common mistakes when developing connection diagrams for the foundation and basement are as follows:

• The corners of the basement adjacent to the connected ones are left hanging (pos. 7).
• The connection diagram is made asymmetrical relative to both axes of the foundation plan (item 8) or centrally symmetrical (item 9).
• The corner of the basement box is connected to the corner of the foundation, pos. 10.

The latter is especially dangerous for the integrity and stability of the entire structure. In the case as in pos. 10, it would be necessary to either change the layout of the house with a basement to symmetry along at least one axis, pos. 11, or, better, without changing the plan, connect the internal corners of the foundation with a lintel, and make the basement an incomplete ground floor, pos. 12.

Waterproofing

In the process of developing basement waterproofing, its design is first selected in relation to a given building under these specific conditions, and then suitable materials are selected. Water is an insidious element and it is impossible to protect against its penetration for decades with a single obstacle. A typical case in individual construction is when, at the seasonal peak of dryness, the groundwater level drops below the base of the basement floor by 0.2 m or more, and at the peak of moisture it rises to the level of the humus layer; the most fertile layer of soil is considered to be constantly moistened, but does not create any significant flow and pressure of moisture on the structure.

In these conditions, the only reliable solution is external pressure waterproofing. Non-pressure only from surface runoff does not guarantee a dry basement, because, firstly, in rainy years the pressure of surface water can become significant. Secondly, the underground drainage under the structure itself may change, see above. Internal anti-capillary insulation and armor holding it may be required if the lower water supply is stable at the level of the basement floor or higher, see below.

External waterproofing of the basement is carried out in general in 2 ways: cut-off (cut-off), on the left in the figure, and drainage (discharge), on the right:

If a building with a basement stands on permeable soil (pebbles, gravel, cartilage, sand, sandy loam, loose loam), then shut-off insulation can be performed without drainage; in this case, the clay castle is continued down to a level of -(0.25-0.3) m below the base of the basement floor cushion. This is its great advantage - it does not require an expensive and labor-intensive drainage system. If the basement is built of hydraulic concrete, then the outside walls are plastered over the insulation with cement-sand plaster and, instead of a clay castle, they are backfilled with excavated soil. This is the second advantage of shut-off insulation - self-dug clay is not suitable for a lock, you need to buy construction clay, and a lot of it.

The disadvantages of shut-off insulation are, firstly, a large volume of excavation work. Secondly, they are not always technically feasible - choosing a pit of the required profile (see below) may not allow nearby buildings. Thirdly, clay is an obstacle to moisture, but not a blind barrier. It reduces the flow and pressure of water on the wall, but does not stop it completely. Therefore, complete external insulation is needed (prime + coating + flooring), and if the basement is cinder block or brick, then reinforced, see above. Fourthly, cut-off insulation is applied only entirely, at least within the wall, because the joints of the flooring sheets need to be glued and heated, so installing it on an existing house is very problematic - you cannot completely dig up any of its walls without risking the stability of the entire structure.

The drainage insulation operates only in conjunction with drainage: its basis is a membrane with a reverse capillary effect that collects moisture and removes it to the drainage. The membrane itself is glued to the wall instead of the shut-off insulation sheet and is protected from rapid clogging by soil with geotextiles. The main advantage of diverter insulation is its minimal or zero impact on underground flow under the house; cut-off insulation even with drainage changes it, so it is recommended to insulate the basements of houses on soils with complex unstable hydrology with a membrane. Additional, firstly, a pit for shut-off insulation is needed with a width less than the extension of the blind area (practically 0.6-0.8 m is enough, just so that the worker can squeeze into it). Secondly, you can insulate it in pieces about 1.5 times the width of the membrane. Therefore, the basements of existing houses can almost always be insulated only by the drainage method.

The disadvantages of drainage waterproofing are also very serious. The first is an even greater volume and complexity of excavation work, only accompanying. Constructing a drainage area is no joke, and finding a place for a drainage discharge field is also not always possible. Second, the best membranes last up to 20 years; more often - 10-12 years, and on heavily watered, loose soils for 3-7 years. If you intend to insulate the basement with a membrane, be prepared to dig up the house and change it at regular intervals.

When you need it inside

If the GW is more than 3 months. per year stands level with the basement floor or rises higher, the external anti-pressure waterproofing is complemented by internal anti-capillary waterproofing. Concrete, not to mention brick, is not a solid monolith. Its microstructure is the smallest grains of cement, similar to sea ​​urchins, the needles of which are silicate crystals. With these “needles,” the cement grains are interlocked with each other, and the gaps are filled with sand and, in hydroconcrete, hardened liquid glass (which is also silicate), and in moisture-resistant polymer additives. In both cases, micropores remain; The polymer also decomposes in 3-15 years, and under pressure the concrete slightly allows moisture to pass through. It's not noticeable in the hydroelectric dam, but very noticeable in the basement.

Options for internal anti-capillary waterproofing of the basement are shown in Fig. on pos. In and D, external insulation is not conventionally shown, but it is needed here too. Seam insulation at pos. B - at least 4 layers of roofing material, glued together with liquid prime mastic and heated with a burner. You cannot seal the seam with thin mortar - it will leak. Tolm or roofing bitumen insulation (hydrobutyl, etc.) is also not allowed - the wall will crush and squeeze out. Glass cutting and others based on fiberglass, on the contrary, will underpress the weight of the wall - the base will remain uncrushed and capillary moisture will flow along it, so this is also not possible. Pressure wall at pos. B – plastering on a grid with cement-sand mortar, see above.

Insulating materials

Roofing and wall waterproofing materials are not suitable for basements - they are not designed to withstand soil pressure and formation water pressure. Based on method of application and purpose, materials for basement waterproofing are divided into:

• Primary, or prime, or impregnating - liquid mastics applied to the prepared surface (see below) to create a base for coating with other materials.
• Painting or coating - more viscous adhesive compositions, used either separately, or as a base holding the overlay sheet insulation, or, again together with the prime, for anti-capillary coating inside. IN the latter case After coating, the walls are plastered over a grid with any moisture-resistant plaster in one layer.
• Thick-layer mastics with cement filler - designed for applying coatings up to 20 mm thick only on the sides facing the pressure. They are used instead of overhead materials in cases where the ground water does not reach the basement floor for more than 9 months. per year.
• Overhead or lining - sheet flexible or soft materials on a woven or fibrous base, impregnated with the insulator itself. Universal and most reliable insulator. They are also applied only to the sides facing the advancing water.
• Capillary membranes - a special coating with a reverse capillary effect is applied to a waterproof plastic base, see above.

The insulating principle of these materials, except for membrane ones, can be as follows:

1. Bitumen has not yet been surpassed in durability, but is difficult to work with. How bitumen waterproofing works, see above. It is produced in the form of primary mastics with a gasoline thinner (primes), coating mastics, thick-layer mastics and overlay materials. Armor insulation is almost never required; if so, then cement-sand plaster. Sticks to any wall (concrete, brick). Penetration into concrete is up to 30 mm (usually 7-15 mm), so the treated surface loses its water resistance due to mechanical damage.
2. Bitumen-nairite mastics are frost-resistant and can be applied at temperatures down to -(15-25) degrees. Layer – up to 6 mm. Cracks up to 30-50 mm wide are tightened, because foam in air, so the opened package must be used within the period indicated on it (or in the instructions). The coating retains plasticity up to –(45-60) degrees. Service life – 10-25 years. A specific material for northern construction or complex repairs of completely dilapidated buildings.
3. Epoxy, epoxy-tar and epoxy-furan mastics are an even more specific material for waterproofing building structures that are regularly flooded to the point of being completely submerged in water, freezing and icing up unheated. They are fragile and require complete replacement after 3-5 years. Difficult to work with, toxic, carcinogenic.
4. Natural elastomers (liquid rubber) are easy to work with, but are only suitable for repair purposes for internal insulation. Only brick and cinder block fit well. The renewal period for waterproofing with natural elastomers is 1-5 years, depending on local conditions. Armor insulation of at least 2 layers of cement-sand plaster over a mesh is required, because easily swell and peel off due to capillary pressure. In general, an “ambulance” remedy for a damp basement until your hands and wallet get around to more serious repairs.
5. Synthetic elastomers - semi-urethane, silicone, MS plastics. They act similarly to bitumen, but penetrate deeper into concrete, up to 100 mm. After 7-20 years, the insulation needs to be updated. For repairs from the inside, apply to a dried and abundantly moistened surface immediately before treatment, see below.
6. Penetrating (deeply penetrating) compositions – synthetic elastomers + cement + polymer additives. Available in the form of mastics for painting in a thick layer. The work is simple. Are used only for external insulation. They are pressed into gaps up to 0.4 mm (polyurethane) or up to 10 mm (on silicone or MS) to a depth of 100 mm and seal them with cement that recrystallizes under the influence of moisture. The surface to be applied must be leveled to +/–(2 mm) and thoroughly cleaned of dust. Bituminous covering materials do not adhere to themselves. Armor insulation, if required - cement-sand plaster on a mesh. Service life – 10-30 years. Capillary moisture is not cut off 100%, so bitumen anti-capillary insulation inside is almost always needed.

What if it’s damp?

Since we are talking about repairing an existing damp basement, it would be appropriate to mention the sets of compounds for it. Their components are prepared, as a rule, on a different basis, but are consistent in their physical and chemical properties. Therefore, repairs to a damp basement from the inside should be done with compounds from one reputable manufacturer.

For example in Fig. shown as basements different designs are isolated inside with compounds from the well-known Dehydrol kit. Strobe wherever needed - 25x25 mm. Surface preparation - according to the instructions for the corresponding composition. Dehydrol 10-2 is also successfully used to make homemade moisture-proof concrete, see above.

How to dry a basement

Bituminous waterproofing mastics are applied to a dry surface. When they write that penetrating compounds must be applied to a damp surface, this is correct. But when they add that it is better for freshly poured concrete, this is fundamentally wrong. Capillary moisture in a wall prepared for treatment with penetrates should go deep into the dry mass and, as it were, pull the insulator along with it. If the concrete mass is saturated with water, it will flow out through the capillaries and, conversely, squeeze out the insulator. The depth of its penetration into the wall will be, at best, much less than the calculated one; resp. The service life will also decrease, because the composition is destroyed from the outside under the influence of air.

Before renovation, a damp basement must be thoroughly dried, and immediately before treatment, the walls and floor must be moistened several times with water using a soft plaster brush. Moistening with a roller gives a worse effect, and spraying is even worse, because... the air becomes excessively humidified and capillary moisture no longer actively strives to escape into the concrete mass.

Drying the basement with a stream of warm air is useless - it will not dry out until it starts to “sweat” again in the fall. It needs to be dried using thermal (infrared, IR) radiation. But not “far” from the electric fireplace or nichrome “goat” (which is dangerous), but “close” - incandescent lamps provide it in abundance, which is why they fall out of use. Near-IR penetrates deeply into concrete and brick, with almost no absorption in the air. You need to hang more light bulbs in garlands at the rate of 60-100 W per 1 cubic meter. m of basement volume. If a test hole is driven into its wall, then most often after 10-12 days of continuous drying of the IR it turns out that the soil around it has already begun to dry. In any case, after a week it is already possible to apply penetrates or coat with bitumen. Drying it a little longer won’t hurt in any case - as long as you have the patience to watch the electricity meter fluctuate.

Repairs are not for your own hands

Sometimes it is possible to dry a damp basement only by injecting special compounds into the surrounding soil, see fig. on right. For example, if quicksand crawls under a house, then the entire structure must be saved. But in this case a body of irregular shape is formed in the ground, and it is impossible to accurately predict the further settlement of the structure. Therefore, only specialized organizations carry out injections into the soil based on the results of on-site research, and they take a subscription from the customer and the owner of the building that they will bear any consequences.

Arrangement

This section is not about 3D wallpaper, a bar, HD TV, a jacuzzi or a 3-bed under a mirror on the ceiling. This and all that stuff is at your discretion. Mandatory and, for residential and technical, desirable arrangement of the basement consists of:

• Ventilation is required.
• An entrance with a staircase is required.
• Access hatch - if the staircase is steeply inclined.
• Insulation – for residential and technical basements.
• Surface drainage - in areas with heavy rainfall in the warm season.

Ventilation

Ventilation is vital for any basement, because... Almost all harmful, poisonous and many explosive gases are heavier than air and flow downwards. For the same reason, basements are built with energy-independent natural supply and exhaust ventilation.

The ventilation device for the basement under the house is quite simple, pos. 1 and 2 in Fig.:

The cross-sectional area of ​​the lumen of the pipes is 5 square meters. cm for each cubic meter of basement volume, but its diameter in any case is from 60 mm. It is better to put a filter on the inlet pipe instead of a rodent mesh, on the right in Fig. Flow-through with a filter filler (item 3) protects from dust and insects, but requires regular inspection and replacement of the filler. The aerodynamic one (item 4) is cleaned as needed; you only need to attach a strip of newsprint, etc., to the mouth of the inlet pipe in the basement. flow indicator: when the air filter is clogged, the air flow stops very abruptly. But especially harmful and cunning mosquitoes and flies make their way through it.

If the basement is next to the house, then making a high exhaust pipe is difficult and not always possible. In this case, basement ventilation is built according to the diagram in Fig. on right. The minimum diameter of the pipes is 100 mm; for a basement of more than 10 cubic meters, the cross-sectional area is 10 square meters. see per cubic meter of volume. In the basement, there should be no obstacles to air movement between the supply and exhaust pipes. The upper ends of the pipes are bent like a goose from rain and snow.

Ladder

The staircase to the basement is one of the most common causes of household injuries, so the utmost attention should be paid to its design. From this point of view, stairs are divided into ascending and steeply inclined. You can climb/descend along the first ones with a load in your hands, without holding on to the railings, but on steeply inclined ones it is generally undesirable to walk - if you step awkwardly or sway, you can crash, leaning back. With a load in one hand, they generally climb up a steeply inclined ladder, grabbing the railing or upper steps with the other.

The staircase design can be any of those shown on the left in Fig. The most convenient ones in terms of saving usable space are highlighted in color:

On the right in Fig. calculated ratios for them are given, and here there is a nuance: since the height of the ascent and descent into the basement is small, a staircase with an inclination of up to 50 degrees will be quite comfortable. tg 50 is almost exactly equal to 1.2, which makes the calculation easier, based on the fact that the minimum tread width of a stair step is 180 mm, and its maximum allowable height is 230 mm. Let's say the height of the descent into the basement is 2.2 m, counting from the top of the ceiling (see below). This height must accommodate a whole number of steps, take 10. The height of the step is then 220 mm. Divide by 1.2, we get 183 mm - suitable. The staircase extension in plan will be 183x10=1.83 m, which is also not bad. The area under the stairs, with a minimum permissible width of 0.8 m, is 1.83X0.8 = 1.464 sq. m.

About erroneous stairs

What you don’t need to do with a basement staircase is, firstly, to do it on a string (one stringer) with hanging steps, pos. 1 in Fig., such stairs are extremely dangerous:

Secondly, pour the concrete staircase yourself on site, pos. 2. Ready-made concrete stairs are a real monolith; they are poured entirely into a split mold. There are no working concreting joints in them, and when pouring “self-made” they are inevitable: the upper step cannot be poured until the lower one has set. The seams are weak, they soon crack in basement conditions, and as a result, a homemade concrete staircase to the basement serves less than a wooden one.

Installation of stairs to the basement

In a dry basement, a wooden staircase serves as well as it does. A properly made wooden staircase does not suddenly collapse and, before the steps begin to rot, a creaking sound indicates a structural failure.

The construction of a wooden ladder for the basement is shown in the figure:

Instead of cutouts in the inner string, you can fill it with fillets from a board or, better yet, thick plywood under the treads of the steps, pos. A. However, the collapse of rotten wooden basement stairs in a damp basement is also a common occurrence in household injuries, so it is better to attach the treads to steel or concrete stringer beams. The cross-sectional dimensions of the concrete stringer are from 100 mm in width and from 150 mm in height. Steel - channel from 100 mm or I-beam from 80 mm.

Methods for attaching wooden treads to steel and concrete stringers are shown in the figure:

Dowels for fastening to concrete are made from sections of 8-18 mm corrugated reinforcement bars. Concrete penetration from 60 mm; in wood from 30 mm. Holes in fillies for mounting on dowels are drilled 2-2.5 mm narrower; the fillies are impaled with blows of the mallet. Fastening the treads to the legs allows you to simply arrange the railing: the reinforcement bars are extended upward to the height of the railing, and sections of pipes are put on them to support the treads and balusters; maybe plastic. It is best to attach the treads to a strip - they will not rot even in a damp basement.

In case there is not even one and a half squares for the stairs, here in the figure are drawings of a wooden steeply inclined staircase for the basement. It will definitely need a hatch, see below.

Note: Before assembling into a product, all parts of a wooden staircase to the basement must be impregnated with an oil-based water-repellent composition (can be worked off), and the finished staircase must be varnished with acrylic varnish for external use or painted with moisture-resistant paint. The best choice is acrylic enamel for baths.

Entrance and hatch

There is often no space for an ascending staircase to the basement under a private house, and then the entrance to it is made from the outside. This is generally necessary if a ready-made concrete staircase is purchased for the basement - they are not made with a slope of more than 40 degrees. Then, firstly, the entrance to the basement must be protected from precipitation by a canopy, see fig. on right. The overhang of the canopy roof should protrude forward above the edge of the top step by less than 30 cm, and on the sides and back - from 15 cm. Secondly, the top step should protrude above the ground or blind area by at least 70 mm, and the basement door opening must have a threshold of 90 mm. Both are necessary to prevent rain and melt water from penetrating into the basement. It is better to make the threshold 120-130 mm high, attaching ramps of 400 mm wide to it on both sides.

The hatch to the basement is also not so simple. Nowadays, probably, no one makes “lyada” from boards with rope anymore - there is a wide range of ready-made basement hatches on sale. They are immured in the ceiling (see below) with cement-sand mortar, and the price is as follows. way:

• Non-automatic with a mechanical stop, kind of like old sofa beds: pulled, lifted - it clicked. I need to close it - I pulled it up, it clicked, and I lowered it.
• Semi-automatic with a spring-lever mechanism - pulled all the way, it stays open. I need to close it - I pushed it down and sank.
• Semi-automatic with pneumatic lift - pulled up a little and opened. It needs to be closed - I pushed it down and it closed smoothly.
• Automatic with pneumatic lift - I stepped firmly on the edge of the lid, removed my foot - it opened. To close, lightly push the lid down and it closes.

In terms of ease of use, both semi-automatic devices are equivalent, but automatic ones are nothing more than a marketing gimmick without regard for safety. Let's imagine - furniture is being brought into the house. The riggers (or you and an assistant) carry the cabinet. The front one steps on the hatch, it opens. The one in the back can’t see what’s under his feet, and he doesn’t care - he falls through and gets hurt. If you really want to fork out for a cool basement, take a car sunroof with remote control from the remote control, they are also sold.

Insulation

Insulation is necessary for residential and technical basements. The latter is to ensure that the water in the pipes does not freeze, and fuel savings are noted only in insulated general boiler houses. It is also advisable to insulate the storage basement next to the house: building construction There are good bridges of cold in winter, and warmth in summer.

The basement must be insulated with sand backfill, see Fig., so that seasonal soil movements do not tear the insulation.

Mineral wool and cellulose insulation, which is excellent in all other respects, are not suitable for basement walls: they cake and collapse underground. Granular foam plastic is also bad: under the pressure of soil and formation water, it quickly crumbles into granules. Extruded polyethylene foam (EPS) is more or less resistant in the ground; Sprayed polyurethane coating lasts for more than 10-15 years. Insulate with both in the usual ways, and before filling the sand cushion, it is protected with cement-sand plaster.

Drainage

In places with heavy rainfall in the warm season, no basement without surface contour drainage of the house will always be dry. In other cases, drainage is also useful: it reduces the range of groundwater level fluctuations, which makes it easier to waterproof the basement and/or increase its efficiency. What is equally important is that the influence of a drained house with a basement on underground runoff is reduced significantly. Incorrect settlement of such buildings is extremely rare as a result of gross violations of construction. A diagram of the circuit surface drainage device for a residential building is shown in Fig. on right. The discharge field can be located under a vegetable garden or, better yet, a garden: almost the same atmospheric precipitation is collected in the drains, quite suitable for irrigation.

Basement under the garage

A basement in a garage is attractive because it does not require the removal of land area or complicating the design of a newly built house. The basement under the existing garage is built without destroying the housing. But there are special requirements for the equipment of the basement under the garage, because... explosive vapors of fuels and oils that are heavier than air; much heavier in the cold, when they thicken.

Firstly, the garage basement hood must be high, rising above the roof by at least 1.5 m, on the left in the figure:

It is unacceptable to display “geese” nearby above the ground! Secondly, the exhaust air duct needs a larger cross-section, from 15 square meters. cm per cube of basement volume or at least 120 mm in diameter. Thirdly, the hood must have an aerodynamic deflector closed type, providing some “cold” draft even in complete calm, for example. TsAGI or Khonzhenkov deflector. Fourthly, in winter the basement must be warmer than an unheated garage, so that air is drawn into the ventilation only from the outside. Therefore, they insulate the basement under the garage from above, like the attic floor of a house, on the right in Fig.

Drivers, of course, will ask: won’t the car push through this feather duster? And how. Therefore, it is necessary to provide longitudinal gaps in the insulation and lay tracks in them flush with the floor. You will need to drive into the garage carefully so as not to drive out of them. In general, a garage basement isn't that attractive at all; there is a place for a repair pit.

Construction

Building a basement on your own is only possible in dry or seasonally dry soil. In the latter case, all work for this year must be completely completed before the water level rises. Pumping groundwater is so difficult and expensive that in large construction used extremely rarely. An exception is a caisson basement, which is built at the top to the side and installed in a pit, but if it is concrete, a crane of 20 tons or more and a team of experienced slingers and riggers are needed. There is, however, an exception to the exception, see at the end. In general, the construction of a basement includes the following. stages of work:

• Excavation of a pit;
• Pouring the base - slabs or tape soles;
• Installation of communication input channels;
• Walling;
• Construction of the floor - on dense soil with the groundwater level standing above its level for no more than 3 months. after at least 6 months. at the end of the annual work cycle;
• Floor installation;
• Basement equipment, see above.

Pit

Building a basement in a hole with vertical walls is a gross mistake - it is impossible to make high-quality waterproofing. When insulating an existing basement, the house is dug up in sections, and the finished area is backfilled before selecting the next one. A typical pit profile for basement construction is shown in Fig. on right. The width of the passage outside the future wall is at least 75 cm along the bottom. The angle of repose is acceptable for the given soil.

Base

At this stage, you need to order a concrete truck with reinforced concrete concrete. The point is not in the quality of the self-mix, it can be better than the factory one, but in its volume. Working concreting joints on the base of the basement are extremely undesirable, so they need to be filled in one fill. Laying the reinforcement frame directly on a sand-crushed stone bed is also wrong - crushed stone requires meager preparation, see below. Before pouring the preparation, apply insulation with flaps on the sides of the pit 150-200 mm above the thickness of the slab/sole. Concrete is poured into the resulting bowl. Thus, direct contact of concrete with the soil is eliminated, which, in turn, eliminates the formation of fistulas in the monolith. The fistula may not lead to dampness of the basement, but it will allow moisture to reach the fittings, but the base of the basement supports the entire house. After pouring the concrete mass, it is deaerated (deaerated) by piercing each cell of the reinforcement frame in the middle with a rod. After the monolith has set, it is covered with damp burlap, which is kept moist until the base reaches 25% strength; In a typical summer in the Russian Federation this is approx. a week.

Walls

The basement walls are erected using conventional construction technology for this material. If a caisson basement is being built (see below), the walls are built integrally with the base. Door and window openings are reinforced with concrete lintels with a height of 80 mm, with a depth of 120 mm in concrete walls and 200 mm in brick and cinder block walls. It is forbidden to strengthen openings in the basement with steel or wooden mortgages! Remember again: the basement supports the entire house! When light, dry spots appear on the drying concrete walls that have set, anti-capillary insulation can be applied. On brick and block walls - after 3-4 days after construction to the top.

Permanent floor

The permanent floor in the basement on a tape is poured immediately during the construction process after the walls have gained at least 25% strength. Under the permanent floor, crushed stone backfill is poured over sand with a thin liquid cement mortar: cement from M400: sand 1:3 – 1:4. Fill to a level of 40-50 mm above the tops of the stones. When the filling has set, apply insulation and fill the screed with cement: sand: crushed stone 1: 3: 2 in a layer of 70-80 mm. You can lay a clean floor and finish the walls in 2 weeks to a month.

Overlap

Floors made from hollow core or box-shaped prefabricated slabs are expensive and require lifting mechanisms with qualified operators for installation. Homemade monolithic flooring is labor-intensive and technologically complex. It, like floors made of hollow core slabs, clearly has excessive load-bearing capacity for a private house. Is it possible, by sacrificing it within reasonable limits, to cover the basement with something moderate in price and easier to work with?

In modern individual construction, prefabricated block floors designed specifically for such a case are becoming increasingly common. You can compare a monolith with a prefabricated block structure in the figure:

Insulation of the floor of a house above the basement under a prefabricated block ceiling in normal climatic conditions is not required or a simplified one is required. The load-bearing beams are poured together with the load-bearing belt (see below) in grooved formwork on supports, which are much easier and simpler to make than a solid hanging formwork for a monolith.

Laying and belt

It is impossible to build a house with a “box-on-box” basement: at the top of the basement walls you need a large groove into which the monolithic floor goes, slabs are laid or the load-bearing belt of the prefabricated block floor is poured. In all cases, the minimum thickness of the wall and the placement of the ceiling in it are different for walls made of different materials.

How much flooring is laid in a wall made of concrete or brick is shown in the figure:

Waterproofing is shown conditionally, for the case when the basement ends with the basement of the building with its own ceilings. For a cinder wall, the laying is the same as for a brick one, but its distance from the top is at least 2 rows of masonry.

How to build a caisson

The reinforcement frame of the basement caisson is assembled at the top in its entirety and installed in the prepared pit (see below) by crane. It is impossible to assemble the entire frame by welding - the reinforcement will weaken due to the tempering of the metal. Therefore, the frame is first knitted with wire as usual, and then individual joints are welded: on the bottom at the corners of the cells there are 3x3 or 4x4 frame cells, and on the walls in every 3rd or 4th belt.

The foundation pit for the caisson is prepared as for other basements, see above. Further construction proceeds in the following sequence (see also Fig.):

Note: concrete basement walls on slab and strip are also poured according to paragraphs. 7 and 8. It’s a mistake to pour between the boards and the ground - what kind of reliable pressure insulation is that?

Couldn't it be simpler?

A very valid question. Building a permanently dry, reliable basement is extremely difficult for an inexperienced person, and even experienced ones have a headache. The answer is positive: you can buy a ready-made basement-caisson, put it in a hole on a sand-crushed stone cushion and fill it with a clay castle (it’s a must, otherwise it will float up). If it (the basement) is not needed under the house, not residential or technical. Vegetables in the bins will have to be sorted out from time to time, but suppliers optionally offer delivery to the site and installation in a finished pit.

Caissons for basements are produced as steel welded insulated ones with a hatch, ladder, ventilation and reinforcement for concreting (optional), on the left in Fig. There are also plastic ones on sale, but don’t buy them - 100% float. Individuals also make caissons for basements from steel from 8 mm. To catch the ground from floating, staples are welded from a strip of 12 mm (on the right in the figure), but this is less reliable, and you have to isolate the caisson from corrosion yourself.

By the way, you can do it even cheaper - make a basement-caisson from a used shipping container. If you cover it with a thick layer of bitumen-cement mastic, it will last in the ground for at least 100 years. To hook onto the ground, pipes are threaded into the eyes of the rigging feet at the bottom and an anchor frame is welded to them. The container width is 9 feet (2.7 m). Length – 12-70 feet (3.6-21 m); the most popular are 20 and 40 feet (6 and 12 m). It’s quite enough for a basement, but how savvy amateurs make basements out of shipping containers, see the video.

Equipping a basement is the initial and main stage of building any home. Regardless of whether it is a private house or a multi-storey one. Its presence will help increase the usable area, which is necessary for solving many problems.

Types of basement

If you are planning to build a basement in your house, then you need to decide on its further purpose. There are several ways to use . It could be:

• additional living space, office, billiard room, fitness room, etc.;
• workshop with work racks and equipment;
• Utility room. Heaters, boilers, filtration and water purification systems can be installed in it, and utility rooms can be located in it;
• a cellar for storing vegetables, fruits, canned goods and other items;
• garage.

Construction of a basement in a private house

The procedure for constructing a basement

The construction and installation of a basement in a private house begins with the installation of a pit.

Pit for the construction of a house with a basement

Before starting work, it is necessary to conduct a geological study of the bearing capacity of the soil. Only after such a check can construction of the basement begin.

Important!

The size of the foundation pit dug should exceed the size of the planned house by 1.5 meters.

It is recommended that the height of the basement be about 2 meters unless it is to be used as a living space. If a living space is installed in the basement, its recommended height can be up to 2.5 meters. This will allow you to fully use the basement.

Pit equipment

If equipment is provided that is commensurate with the area of ​​the building, then it is necessary to make door and arched passages in the foundation. We should not forget about arched lintels, which can be made of either wood or reinforced concrete. The wooden lintel must be pre-treated with a composition thatThis will eliminate its rotting and damage by insects. It is made of timber with a cross-section of less than 15 cm. The reinforced concrete lintel is attached to a proportional formwork.

Door and window openings in the basement

The recommended depth of the basement underground should be between 1 m and 1.5 m. The remaining height should be above ground level. It is advisable to equip it with small ventilation windows. Equipping basements in a private house with a depth of more than 1.5 m threatens flooding with underground groundwater.

Ventilation windows in the basement

If the foundation is below the water level, then it will be necessary to install an independent or forced drainage system for pumping out water.

Basement drainage system

The bottom of the pit is equipped with a multilayer cushion of crushed stone and sand, on which a reinforced concrete slab is installed. In the future, this slab will serve as the foundation of the entire house. The slab is insulated from moisture using roofing felt and a layer of concrete is poured onto it, which will become the base for the basement wall.

Foundation waterproofing

The ceiling of a basement in a private house can be a reinforced concrete slab; less commonly, beam or wooden floors are installed.

Monolithic concrete basement floor

The free space of the pit after installing the wall and waterproofing is filled with earth.

Basement waterproofing during construction

Basement walls made of concrete and brick

Concrete, brick, concrete block, slab, and other materials are used for wall installation. If the basement under the house is planned to be monolithic, then it is built according to the principle of a strip foundation. After waterproofing, formwork is installed at the bottom of the foundation, the internal space is filled with reinforcing mesh and filled with concrete. After the concrete has hardened, approximately on the seventh day, the ceiling is installed.

Strip foundation device

If you decide to build brick walls, you must be very careful and attentive.

Important!

Brick walls must be horizontal and vertical.

Laying a brick wall starts from the corners. After installation is completed, excess mortar is removed from the inside of the brick wall.

Brick foundation

Basement walls made of blocks

Regardless of the fact that the basement under the house can be built from monolithic concrete or brick, the most common is the use of basement concrete blocks - GOST.

Basement walls made of blocks

Installation of a basement made of blocks is distinguished by its speed. The main document that defines the construction of basements is GOST 13579 - 78. The number 78 indicates the year GOST came into effect.

For the installation of basements, solid GOST blocks are used:

• solid foundation block (FBS);
• foundation block with cutout (FBV);
• hollow foundation block (FBP).

FBS is the most common and is used in all types of construction. These blocks can come in several sizes. The most used one has dimensions of length, width and height of 2380x300x580 mm, respectively. It can be 400, 500 or 600 mm wide with the specified length and height. GOST FBS has an additional block of the same dimensions, but with a height of 280 mm. It can be 1180 or 880 mm long.

Laying FBS blocks

FBV differs from FBS by a cutout that runs along the entire length. This allows you to lay door slabs and communication lines on the walls during installation. FBV has a length of 880 mm and the same width and height dimensions as FBS.

Installation of blocks

FBP has voids open at the top and bottom. Thanks to such voids, the amount of concrete for their production is reduced and the weight of the blocks is much lower. This type of block has a length and height of 2380 and 580 mm respectively and can be 400, 500 or 600 mm wide. Additional FBP blocks are not produced.

Strip foundation made of blocks

GOST 13579 - 78 defines the alphanumeric designation of foundation blocks, which indicates the brand of the block, its rounded dimensions in decimeters, and the type of concrete. For example, GOST 13579 – 78 defines the block brand “FBP 24.4.6 – C”. This means that we have a hollow foundation block with dimensions of 2380x400x580 mm, made of silicate concrete. Markings T or L may be used, which means heavy or light concrete. GOST 78 determines the strength class of concrete for foundation blocks. Blocks made of light or heavy concrete have a strength class of B 3.5, and their silicate concrete has a strength class of B 12.5.

FBS type blocks

FBS are manufactured without internal filling with reinforcement. GOST specifies in such blocks the presence of a specially shaped mounting loop made of metal of class 8AI and higher. The hinges can be installed on the surface of the block or located in a technological recess at a distance of 25-30 cm from the edges of the block. If the block has a minimum length of 880 mm, then GOST allows the production of such products without loops.

FBS foundation blocks

Installation of a basement wall made of blocks

FBS is used in the construction of houses with strip foundations. They are installed after laying the foundation cushion and horizontal waterproofing.

Installation of basement walls from blocks

The process of installing a foundation wall under a house has its own technology:

1. Roofing material is laid between the bottom row of blocks and the concrete surface using bitumen-polymer mastic. Depending on the density of the soil, a cement solution 25-30 cm thick is laid, which will serve as a leveling base for the blocks.
2. To connect blocks and joints between them, cement mortar with waterproof and frost-resistant additives is used.
3. Installation of blocks must be carried out using special geodetic equipment along the axial layout of the building.
4. First of all, beacon blocks are installed. They are mounted in the corners and at the junction of the outer walls with the inner ones. If the house is long, then beacon blocks are installed every 20-25 meters. When the beacon blocks are installed, a mounting thread is stretched between them to install other blocks.
5. To install the blocks, special equipment is required, since one FBS 2380x300x580 block weighs 980 kg.
6. 6. Before installing the next row, top part the previous row of blocks is treated with water, after which on it fits and the cement mixture is leveled.
7. The next row of blocks is mounted with the vertical seam moving within 30 cm. To do this, markings are carried out on the bottom row of blocks.
8. Correct installation is checked using beacon blocks and mounting thread.
9. Minor displacements are corrected on site. The slab must be raised, excess cement mixture removed or the required amount added.
10. When the plate has taken the required position, it is released from the mounting slings. Excess mortar that has come out is removed and placed in a vertical seam. This same seam is then completely filled with mortar to avoid voids and prevent water from penetrating into the basement.

How to build a foundation from FBS blocks Waterproofing a monolithic concrete basement

Internal waterproofing is carried out over the entire surface of the basement. Particular attention is paid to butt joints of concrete blocks and brickwork.There are several ways to protect your basement from flooding. Each has its own installation specifics, positive and negative sides. Waterproofing can be: roll (bitumen or adhesive), membrane, liquid glass or liquid rubber. For internal waterproofing of basements, vertical or horizontal insulation is used.Often a combined method is used, in which vertical and horizontal insulation are applied simultaneously.

Waterproofing basement joints

External waterproofing carried out before laying the foundation. The bottom of the pit is compacted, laid with two layers of roofing material and covered with bitumen. Horizontal insulation should extend 20 cm beyond the wall. Walls are protected in the same way. The wall insulation should be 15-20 cm higher than it.

External basement waterproofing

When building a house on sandy or loose soil, to protect the basement from moisture, the perimeter around the building is equipped with a blind area, and additional drainage is installed in the house.

How to waterproof a foundation

Thermal insulation

Thermal insulation is one of the elements of basement equipment.It will protect the basement from condensation in the warm season and from heat loss with the onset of cold weather. Thermal protection of the walls is carried out after waterproofing them. Basically, extruded polystyrene foam is used for insulation. After the wall, the floor is insulated using polystyrene foam or penofol, which reflects the heat back into the basement. Glass wool or polystyrene foam is used to insulate the basement ceiling.

Insulation of the foundation and basement

Ventilation

For ventilation, two channels are installed, which can be made of brick (channel size - 14x14 cm), as well as using metal or plastic pipes. The exhaust shaft is mounted under the basement ceiling and, together with other ventilation ducts, goes out through the roof of the building. The entrance to the supply shaft is mounted under the roof or on the roof, opposite the exhaust shaft, and ends near the base of the foundation. Considering that in the summer the hood can be weak, it is recommended to equip the exhaust shaft with a fan. In addition to ventilation pipes, ventilation windows are installed in the basement of the wall, which are located above the ground.

Alexander Bykov. Author.
Copywriter: construction, renovation.
Education: Ternopil Academy National economy specialty "Organizational Management". Experience in copywriting: From 2014 to present.

Think in advance about how and where you will remove the excavated soil from the room.

This problem can be solved in two ways:

• The construction of a cellar in the basement is carried out during the construction of the house. It can be immediately concreted, insulated and all the work can be done in just a few days.
• When a private house already has walls and a basement, the only solution seems to be digging a hole for the cellar with your own hands. This is painstaking work that will require some physical effort.

It must be taken into account that the construction of the pit should not weaken the soil under the foundation of the house. If you dig a pit too close to the walls of the house, this can lead to subsidence of the building and its further deformation.

In the event that the structure has pile foundation, then carrying out excavation work and arranging a cellar does not pose any danger, because the entire load from the structure falls on the underlying soil layers, which cannot be reached with a shovel.

Storage floor

The most common option is to install a concrete floor. Arranging such a surface, of course, will not provide 100% waterproofing of the room, although concrete has many advantages over a dirt floor, which are visible already at the construction stage:

After the reinforcing mesh is assembled, concrete can be poured.

• Anaerobic bacteria can emit gases that are potentially dangerous to humans, which will never enter the cellar through the concrete floor.
• A variety of pests will also not be able to enter the storage facility through the concrete surface, so installing such a floor is the right solution if you are concerned about this problem.
• Even large rodents cannot destroy a concrete floor.
• During high water, when the dirt floors simply begin to slip away from under your feet, the concrete surface will remain in place.

The construction of a concrete floor in a cellar in a private house involves the following steps:

1. The first step is to dig a pit, decide on the size of the cellar and level the bottom of the hole.
2. Next, you need to make a sand cushion, the thickness of which should not exceed 20 cm. It is compacted using available tools and water. The cushion must be firm and level, otherwise the concrete floor will undergo deformation in the future.
3. Then it is recommended to lay a layer of gravel, which also needs to be thoroughly compacted and made as even as possible. The arrangement of this layer will ensure high reliability of the surface and the cellar under the house will not be subject to deformation.
4. Waterproofing material is laid overlapping on the gravel-sand cushion (special polyethylene or roofing felt can be used). This is necessary not only as a barrier against groundwater, but in order to cement laitance after pouring the solution did not go into the lower layers. Thanks to this approach, concrete gains maximum strength. Of course, this will not provide an absolute guarantee against moisture penetration into the premises, but at least it will reduce the risks as much as possible.
5. A stack of reinforcement is placed on the waterproofing layer. The thickness of the reinforcement bars should be 5 mm or more. Reinforcement of the floor surface ensures the resistance of the surface and its durability during operation.
6. Finally, the floor is poured with cement mortar about 10-15 cm thick. You need to understand that the coating will gain working strength only after a few weeks. For the first days after completion of work, walking on such a floor is prohibited.

Monolithic walls

The walls of any basement are usually built from brick or foam concrete blocks. When the construction of a cellar is carried out in an already constructed house, certain difficulties may arise with waterproofing and backfilling. However, if you pay attention to the work, you can do it yourself.

Concrete is not poured to the top all at once, but little by little, compacting each layer.

The optimal solution is to build walls made of reinforced concrete. The procedure for constructing a reinforced concrete structure with your own hands is as follows:

1. The first step is to install the reinforcing mesh. For these purposes, corrugated reinforcing bars with a cross section of 10-15 mm are usually used. If you cannot find rods of this thickness, you can fasten two small rods together, or use pipe scraps. To knit a reinforcing network from rods, it is recommended to use wire and special hooks; it is best not to use welding.
2. Do-it-yourself vertical formwork involves the use of various available materials. Slabs, plywood sheets, and chipboard are excellent for these purposes. In principle, even large wood scraps will do. If there is not enough material for the formwork, the boards can be gradually rearranged as the walls are built. In this case, it will be possible to build a wall in a few days.
3. For pouring, it is recommended to use concrete grade M200 (and more durable). In some cases, it is recommended to add some crushed stone to the solution. The formwork must be poured little by little, in layers of several tens of centimeters. In addition, each layer of concrete must be compacted. The wall must be built to the floor level.

Overlap

If the cellar in a private house is made with your own hands, then the installation of thermal insulation of the ceiling seems unnecessary to many. This opinion is erroneous, because inside the cellar a stable temperature must be maintained within +2, +5 degrees, which allows the products to remain in their original form for many months.

If the air in the cellar warms up too much, then the provisions will instantly spoil, almost all of them. In addition, in winter, without a high-quality insulated ceiling, heat will go into the cellar, thereby increasing heating costs.

It is quite possible to make a ceiling with your own hands from wood, but how to insulate it?

1. A kind of “shield” of boards is attached to the supporting beams from below. The boards can be secured with self-tapping screws or nails. Nails must be driven in in different directions, at an angle, several nails per board. It is still better to fasten it with long self-tapping screws - it will be more reliable.
2. A vapor barrier film material is attached to the shield, which is necessary to prevent the thermal insulation layer from getting wet.
3. The entire space between the beams must be filled with thermal insulation material. In the case of a basement, mineral wool or glass wool is usually used, which is quite affordable.
4. Waterproofing is placed on the thermal insulation material. A roll insulator that can be overlapped works well. It is recommended to seal all seams with construction tape.
5. The load-bearing covering is laid on top and everything ends with the installation of the floor. If the entrance to the cellar is from the kitchen or living room, then it is necessary to lay the same floor covering on the lid as in the entire room.

How to deal with dampness under the house?

Having completed the installation of a cellar in the house and begun its operation, many are faced with the problem of dampness. How to prevent condensation from accumulating on the walls of the storage facility, and moisture from penetrating into the living space?

You need to understand that water will definitely seep into the cellar under the house due to groundwater and high water. No waterproofing can give a 100% guarantee. In addition, during storage, vegetables will release moisture, which will accumulate in the air.

The optimal solution in this case seems to be a device effective ventilation with your own hands. The ventilation system for the cellar should consist of two pipes. Through one pipe, fresh air will flow inside, and through the other, on the contrary, it will go outside. You can use any pipes: special ventilation pipes or regular ones made of polyvinyl chloride (which are usually used for sewage).

If your house has a small cellar, then you can make ventilation with just one pipe, which will be responsible for both air flow and exhaust. When the size of the cellar is significant, it is recommended to install special devices inside the ventilation pipes that will forcefully pump air out of the storage facility, preventing it from stagnating, leading to the formation of condensation.

The insect can enter the cellar through the ventilation.

The exhaust pipe must be brought to the roof of the house. The lower part of the exhaust pipe must be installed under the ceiling of the cellar (in accordance with the laws of physics). The lower part of the supply pipe is installed at a height of 20-30 from, and the upper part can be removed through any window. The supply pipe must be equipped with a metal filter, which will protect the cellar from debris and pests. In turn, a deflector can be installed in the exhaust pipe, which will increase draft from the cellar in windy weather.

With the help of a high-quality ventilation system, the cellar under the house can be used without problems for decades. Even a novice builder can make a storage facility correctly with his own hands.

Your own cellar will be useful in almost every private household. You can store vegetables, canned goods and other things in the cellar. At the same time, such storage will be as convenient and high-quality as possible, because the cellar is located underground and does not take up useful space in living quarters, and the temperature conditions in the basement ensure the longest possible storage of various food products.

The cellar can be equipped both at the stage of construction of the building, and in an already finished private building. In the second case, the work is complicated by the fact that you will have to dig a hole for the cellar by hand and remove the soil from the room yourself. Otherwise, the procedure for arranging a cellar for both mentioned situations is practically the same.

The cellar in the basement of the house must be buried at least 150-180 cm deep. With less depth, the temperature in the basement will exceed +8 degrees, which will not have the best effect on the conditions and shelf life of vegetables.

Before starting work, you need to establish the depth of groundwater passage specifically in your area. This is easiest to do at the stage of arranging the foundation of the house, because... Geodetic research is included in the list of mandatory preparatory activities.

If the house has already been built, but you have just now decided to start arranging your personal cellar, determine the point of passage of groundwater you'll have to do it yourself.

This can be done according to the following methods:

• dig a hole with a depth of 250 cm and monitor its condition for several days in terms of filling with water;
• determine the depth of water in wells on adjacent land plots.

You can also contact a specialized company engaged in drilling wells.

Checking the groundwater level should be done during the spring flood or autumn long rains. It is during these periods that groundwater aquifers rise to their maximum level.

If groundwater is closer to the soil surface than 100 cm, you will have to refrain from constructing an underground basement, giving preference to an external cellar in some other suitable area.

If the groundwater level is within 100-150 cm, you can try to reduce it using a drainage system laid around the perimeter of the building below the floor of the future basement. In this case, waterproofing the basement walls will need to be given Special attention.

Ideally, an underground cellar should have a depth of 200-230 cm. With such depth indicators, it will be comfortable to go about your business in the underground room, and the air temperature will be set at approximately +4-5 degrees, which is the optimal indicator for long-term storage of canned food, vegetables, etc.

Before you start arranging the cellar, you need to select suitable building materials. The walls of the room can be erected from concrete, natural stone, concrete blocks, ceramic bricks. It is better not to use sand-lime brick and cinder blocks.

Define best option entrance to the cellar. The simplest option is to install a hatch in the floor of the room with the installation of a ladder to descend into the cellar. If possible, the descent can be made of full-fledged concrete steps - this is more convenient. An inclined trench for arranging the descent must be provided at the stage of digging the foundation pit.

Step-by-step guide to building a cellar

Self-arrangement of the cellar under the house is carried out in several simple steps. Complete each of them in sequence.

Video - Cellar under the house

The first stage is determining the dimensions

Start by determining the dimensions of the cellar that are convenient for you. As a rule, the cellar area under the house is at least 5-8 m2. With similar dimensions, it will be possible to place racks with canned food in jars and containers with various root vegetables. For the rest, be guided by your needs.

Make the size of the pit at least 60 cm larger than the size of the cellar on each side. Of this reserve, approximately 30 cm will go to the walls. The rest of the space will be filled with waterproofing material and a clay castle.

Video - Construction of a cellar

Stage two – excavation work

Start digging a pit. If the house is just being built, use special equipment. In the case of arranging a cellar in an already finished house You will have to dig by hand. To prevent the side walls of the pit from crumbling, strengthen them with temporary supports, for example, made of plywood or boards.

Make the depth of the pit such that its bottom is approximately 30 cm below the bottom of the future cellar under the house.

The third stage is the foundation

Fill the bottom of the pit with mixed grade crushed stone. Compact the backfill and lay the reinforcing mesh on it. Pour the concrete. Allow the fill 2-5 days to dry initially. After this, you can begin arranging the walls of the future cellar.

Stage four - walls

It is better if the walls of the cellar are made of monolithic concrete. To increase the moisture resistance of the fill, it is necessary to add a special mixture to the solution to create penetrating moisture insulation.

Assemble the formwork for pouring concrete walls. To do this, use boards, bars, ties and nails. It is better that the formwork boards are planed - they are easier to dismantle in the future. Make the formwork about 30 cm wide. Lay 2 reinforcing bars along the future walls with a connection at the joints of the walls. Use soft wire to connect the rods.

At the stage of arranging the formwork, provide places for placing ventilation pipes.

Pour concrete into the formwork. It is best to pre-order ready-made concrete, because... on self-cooking the required amount of solution will take a very long time.

After pouring, pierce the concrete with a metal rod in several places to remove excess air from the material. The solution will dry for about a week and will need another 3-4 weeks to gain strength.

Let the walls dry and dismantle the formwork.

Fifth stage - waterproofing

Proceed with the external waterproofing of the cellar. Bituminous mastic is best suited for this. Apply 3-4 layers of waterproofing material to the outside of the basement walls using a roller, and then stick a layer of roofing felt over the mastic. Let the insulation dry and fill the area around the walls with earth or make a clay castle.

If there is a risk of flooding of the cellar, a clay castle must be made. Mix clay, clean sand and water until you obtain a homogeneous mass resembling plasticine. Fill the hole layer by layer with the resulting mass and compact thoroughly.

Inside, both the walls of the cellar and its floor are waterproofed. It is best to fill the floor with hot bitumen and cover it with roofing felt. To insulate walls, you can use polymer mastic or penetrating waterproofing. The second option is more preferable.

When installing the floor, remember the required 1-2 degree slope of the surface in the direction of the technical pit. Thanks to the slope, the cellar will remain dry even during the rainy season and floods.

Stage six - finishing

At the finishing stage you will have to make a ladder, a manhole cover and ventilation.

If you decide to make do with simple wooden stairs, pre-impregnate the starting materials with an antiseptic. Place the stairs at a slope that makes it comfortable for you to climb and descend.

The hatch cover must be hinged. For the rest, at this stage, be guided by your preferences.

Video - Ventilation in the cellar

Insert the ventilation pipes into the holes that you made at the stage of preparing the walls for pouring concrete. The exhaust vent should be located under the ceiling of the cellar above the pit, the supply vent should be located almost near the floor in the opposite wall. Place the air ducts outside. Place protective grilles (grids) over the ventilation openings.

The procedure for arranging the ceiling depends on whether the cellar is created during the construction of the house or whether it is installed in an already completed building. In most cases, the ceiling of the cellar is an ordinary floor slab with a pre-prepared hole for the hatch. The procedure for arranging such a ceiling depends, as already noted, on the circumstances under which the cellar is created under the house, so be guided by the conditions of your particular case.

This completes the construction of a cellar under the house with your own hands. Install the planned racks and shelves, and you can start using your own cellar.

Good luck!

Video - DIY cellar under the house

In our country, suburban housing has, which are usually used for gardens and vegetable gardens. A spacious and dry cellar in the house is necessary to preserve the harvest. An office space for this purpose can be equipped in a garage or shed. It is also possible to build a separate structure. The final decision on the location of the cellar should be made based on the results of a study of the house and land.

For which specialists from design organizations. In order to save money, you can do it yourself and conduct research on the soils and hydrogeological conditions of the area yourself. A good result is obtained by interviewing neighbors and inspecting their cellars or basements.

When studying site conditions, you should pay attention to the following points:

• soil composition, depth of soil layers, tendency to accumulate moisture and heaving;
• groundwater level and the height of its rise during snow melting or intense precipitation;
• average depth of soil freezing.

This data will be necessary in the process of choosing the most optimal type of cellar for the given conditions and the method of its construction. Specialists use the obtained data in the process of design, calculation and estimate work. The best option for the homeowner, this is, without a doubt, a cellar under the house with an entrance from interior spaces. It is better to lay such a structure at the construction stage. The option of constructing a buried structure during the reconstruction process is also possible, but it is quite troublesome and time-consuming.

Small cellar

Basics of cellar design

A country house with a basement equipped for storing supplies is being built taking into account the requirements of SNiP 31-02-2001 and SNiP 2.08.01-89, as well as RSN 70-88. IN regulatory documents the geometric dimensions of residential and office premises have been determined. When equipping cellars, special attention is paid to the issue of waterproofing the walls and floors of buried storage facilities, as well as the necessary air exchange.

The main task that is solved during the construction of this room is to ensure a relative constant temperature at 8-12 °C with low air humidity.

During the design work it is necessary to provide . In the vast majority of cases, a vertical duct with an external exhaust pipe is sufficient. This method of air exchange does not require complex equipment or any operating costs.

Cellar ventilation diagram

A cellar in a private house is designed taking into account the overall size of the building. When making calculations, the following points should be taken into account:

1. It is recommended to locate the storage facility near the geometric center of the building at an equal distance from the outer contour of the foundation.
2. The depth of the cellar is selected taking into account the groundwater level and the degree of seasonal fluctuations.
3. In the process of design activities, such a factor as soil composition must be taken into account.

The central placement of the cellar minimizes the impact of temperature fluctuations due to the cooling of soil masses and their freezing during the onset of cold weather. It is good if the entrance to the service premises is directly from the house - this will significantly reduce heat loss. For the convenience of residents, it is recommended to install a stationary staircase with a flight inclination of no more than 45 ° and a step width of at least 200-250 mm.

Drawing and diagram of the construction of the simplest cellar under the house

Cellars are classified, first of all, according to the degree of their deepening, which, in turn, depends on the level of groundwater fluctuations:

1. Underground structures are built when water layers are lower than 3-3.5 m or under houses located on a hill.
2. A semi-buried cellar is erected when the depth of soil water is no more than 0.8-1.2 m from the surface.
3. Above-ground storage facilities are constructed in areas where there is no possibility or use of underground or semi-underground premises due to the high probability of flooding.

Read also

Installation of a boiler room in the house

The choice of a specific type of cellar should be based on objective data and the results of long-term observations.

Cellars can be made in different designs

How to make a cellar in your home with your own hands

Preparation for the construction of an underground storage facility under a residential building

At the stage of laying the foundation, it is necessary to mark the pit and dig it. Excavation work is carried out in compliance with rules and safety measures. The total depth of the pit should be about 2.7-3 m, and the diameter should be at least 2.5 m. The round shape for a buried structure is optimal and ensures its maximum strength. On the other hand, rounding a wall requires quite high qualifications from the mason.

Another option is the construction of monolithic walls made of concrete reinforced with steel or composite rods. This technology can ensure maximum resistance of underground structures to external mechanical loads. To make a cellar in a house correctly, you should evaluate your financial capabilities and practical skills in performing construction operations.

The choice of a specific technology for the construction of an underground structure will allow an assessment of the required amount of building materials. To build load-bearing walls we need red brick. The amount of material is calculated based on the minimum thickness of the wall, as they say among professional masons, one and a half bricks. When choosing a brick, special attention should be paid to its quality.

In this video you can see how to build cellar walls with your own hands from bricks

For underground structures, the use of bricks of heterogeneous composition, having deep cracks or inclusions is unacceptable. Construction material must be stored under proper conditions. Prolonged exposure of bricks to high humidity conditions can lead to a deterioration in its qualities and properties. When purchasing materials, you should ask the seller for certificates of conformity.

The walls of a buried storage facility must be built on reliable foundation. Typically, the role of the base is performed by a reinforced reinforced concrete belt at the bottom of the structure. It is quite possible to build a cellar in a house with your own hands, especially if you strictly follow the construction technology.

Waterproofing floors and walls

Buried structures require high-quality protection from moisture penetration through building structures. The most likely ways for water to enter a cellar or basement are:

• the presence of through gaps;
• violations of technology during bricklaying;
• penetration of moisture through capillaries in an array of building materials;
• the formation of condensation on walls or other surfaces due to temperature changes or insufficient air exchange.

Typically, waterproofing of walls, floors and ceilings is done using roofing felt. It is recommended to lay this roll material in two layers. The overlap of the sheets should be at least 10-12 cm, and each subsequent row should be laid perpendicular to the previous one. Under the waterproofing it is necessary to pour a gravel-sand cushion with a thickness of at least 100-150 mm.

Scheme of the cellar waterproofing device

It is possible to correctly build a cellar under a house with high-quality waterproofing of the walls during the process of laying the foundation.

In this case, the work will not be interfered with by other structures and elements of the building. During the construction of walls, bitumen mastic is applied to their outer surface, onto which, in turn, roofing material is glued. When performing this operation, the sheets are arranged vertically with an overlap of 8-10 cm.

The floors in the cellar are poured with mandatory reinforcement with a two-layer steel coarse mesh. The screed is filled with a cement-sand mixture with the addition of a fine fraction of crushed stone as a filler. The mixture is prepared on site by hand or using a concrete mixer. It is possible to order concrete from a specialized enterprise with delivery to the work site by vehicle with the appropriate equipment.

Scheme of correct filling of the floor in the cellar

Overlapping device

As soon as the load-bearing structures of the walls and floor are ready, you can begin to build the ceiling above the cellar. Taking into account the fact that the structure is of a recessed type, the best material for the floor would be a reinforced concrete slab. The calculation of the required number is carried out taking into account the length and width of the structure. When laying floor slabs, heavy construction equipment is used - a crane on a vehicle chassis.

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House roof heating system

Cellar floor plan

Another method allows you to do without lifting mechanisms. Building a cellar in a house using this technology involves casting a floor slab directly on site. Wooden formwork for these purposes is made from boards with a thickness of at least 40-50 mm. It is strengthened by horizontal beams and vertical posts that rest on the floor.

Construction of stairs and entrance equipment

A visit to the cellar located under the house can be organized in two ways: through the hatch in ceiling cellar or normal stairs. Calculation of a straight flight with a step length of 20 cm and a height of 250-300 mm shows that its horizontal length with a slope of 45 ° will be equal to the height. A doorway is installed in one of the walls, in front of which a rectangular platform is arranged.

Simple wooden staircase

A flight of stairs is installed along the outer surface of this wall, resting on one side on it, and on the other on an additional partition. The steps of the stairs can be cast from concrete and reinforced with a mesh of rolled steel or made from a metal profile. The use of wood is undesirable due to the high probability of damage by fungi or other pests.

Drawing of a complex concrete staircase leading to the cellar

A doorway with a door leaf that opens outward due to the relatively small size of the cellar is installed in the wall opening. Doors must have seals to prevent heat loss and temperature fluctuations. The process of making a staircase and installing it is quite complex.

Ventilation in the basement or cellar

To organize high-quality air exchange, it is necessary to install two vertical pipes. One of them serves as an exhaust hood, and the other is necessary for the influx fresh air. Air is taken from under the ceiling and supplied closer to the floor. In order to create maximum draft, the duct should be installed above the roof ridge. Natural ventilation of the cellar is made with minimal cost and investment.

The air ducts in the upper part are covered with metal mushrooms to prevent the ingress of precipitation. As air ducts, you can use steel or asbestos-cement pipes with an internal diameter of over 150 mm. The deflectors are made of galvanized steel sheet, 0.55 mm thick, and are fixed to the end of the pipe using a clamp and support posts.

The inside of the cellar must be plastered and treated with a special antibacterial primer. Instead, ordinary slaked lime can be used, which provides the necessary protection against the formation of colonies of pathogenic fungi on the walls. Experts do not recommend covering basement walls with clapboard or wood-based composite materials. In the gap between the wall and the facing panels, air stagnates with the formation of condensation.