Do-it-yourself blind area made of broken bricks. Pouring a concrete blind area around a private house

The blind area around the house is simple, but a constructive element that greatly extends the life of the building. Of the two completely identical and built at the same time individual houses in an area with an even favorable climate, one, the owners of which decided to save on the blind area, in less than 20 years required a major overhaul with a partial replacement of the foundation, and the second has already outlived its fellow more than twice and costs itself no matter how in what had happened without signs of any violations in the design.

At the same time, the blind area can be completely done with your own hands, incl. and around an already existing building, without possessing any building skills and thereby saving in the family budget, at current prices, at least 150,000 rubles. This is for a house 10x12 m in plan and a blind area of ​​the simplest type. If the house is 12x15 m and the blind area is capital, savings from its independent device will be more than 250,000 rubles.

If now you immediately want to study the step-by-step instructions for laying the blind area, then please - here is a detailed video:

However, this is quite true, but only one specific example. Meanwhile, only in officially approved building regulations can count at least 20 blind area schemes for different climatic conditions, the nature of the soil, the type of building, the availability of local resources of building materials, etc. And the notes to each scheme indicate when, under what conditions and how this design can be changed in order to simplify and reduce the cost.

That's why we then we will do what you can’t tell in the video. Namely: we will try to explain the different subtleties of the blind area so that you, the reader, understand the meaning of each of their elements, each production operation and could ensure the long life of your home without unnecessary work and costs.

Why is a blind area needed?

The blind area in the general sense is a cornice attached to the wall, covering the horizontal angle between it and the ground or floor. An ordinary floor plinth is also a blind area, only internal. The principle of operation of the blind area is simple: do not completely block the path of adverse factors (moisture, dust, etc.), but take them to the side where they do not harm. The plug will leak sometime, and if nothing flows here, then nothing will flow. The obvious is easy to overlook, and the simple is difficult to come up with: the blind area in construction appears only in ancient Greece.

The blind area of ​​​​the foundation is a low, but wide basement cornice with a slope lying on the ground(see figure on the right), made of a material that does not allow moisture to pass through and poorly passes gases. The foundation is the basis of the building, and the blind area ensures its reliability and durability. Its value for the foundation consists of 3 functions:

1. Protective - from precipitation;
2. Safety - as a stabilizer of the gas regime in the soil around the foundation;
3. Insulating - neutralizing the effect of heaving of freezing soil on the base of the house.

First. Due to thermal deformations and uneven shrinkage of the soil and foundation material, a gap inevitably arises between them. Through this gap, rain and melt waters go down the foundation, albeit in a very weak, but stream. A drop sharpens a stone, and this stream washes away the foundation. And if the blind area takes it to the side, then the water will naturally seep through the capillary passages of the soil. Water in the capillary can no longer wash anything, because. its gravitational pressure is compensated by the force of surface tension.

Second. All soil inhabitants need oxygen. Many among them are supporters of "soft power": plants - root aggressors and relatively large burrowing animals; both create passages in the soil, through which water can again pass under the foundation in a stream and wash it away. At the same time, the soil around the house should not be allowed to suffocate; then chemically aggressive substances are formed in it, which are not only smelly and unhealthy, but also destroy the foundation.

The blind area allows enough air to pass under it so that useful soil trifles are enough, about the size of a nutritious grass root and an earthworm. And large “agents of influence”, having found that oxygen is blocked from above, go to the sides: there is enough land around, you can grow and dig somewhere else. Here unreasonable creatures turn out to be smarter than other well-known politicians.

Third. Frost heaving of the soil is dangerous, first of all, by uneven lateral pressure on the foundation, it can lead to a skew of the building. The same house made of silicate brick 10x12 m in plan and 6.5 m high from the basement to the roof ridge, tilted as a whole by only 1 degree, 20 years after construction begins to collapse due to horizontal stresses in the structure. The blind area creates a layer of unfrozen, and, therefore, plastic soil around the foundation, which evenly distributes lateral pressure.

Note: in the simplest case, the blind area acts like a snow coat on winter shoots; here it does not release heat upwards like the same cornice, only in the opposite direction. If the building geology in this place is unfavorable, then it may be necessary to insulate the blind area, see below.

Based on this, we can immediately draw important conclusions:

• The blind area should frame the house with a continuous tape: any gap will draw harmful factors to itself, which will entail an increased weakening of the foundation, especially dangerous, because. it is concentrated in one place.
• Cracks in the blind area are unacceptable, for the same reason.
• The blind area pillow (see below) should not be buried more than 1/2 of the estimated freezing depth in the area, otherwise it will turn into a rigid appendage of the foundation and lose all its functions; the blind area should "play" with the ground, without losing connection with the foundation. However, throughout the territory of the Russian Federation, this condition is met without any additional measures.

How is the blind area arranged?

The blind area is also simple: it is a trench 20-50 cm deep, dug around the perimeter of the building close to the foundation. A thermal gap (expansion joint) is immediately made between the blind area and the foundation; for this, it is covered with a rubber-bitumen compound and immediately with 2 layers of roofing material, the lower ends of which are bent into a trench by 50-70 cm.

Note: if the blind area is insulated, then the thermal break is superimposed on the insulation of the basement / foundation.

Then the trench is lined with waterproofing from a polypropylene film; it gives just the right gas permeability. A pillow of sand and gravel is poured into this gutter; in most cases - in a cage made of geotextile (road mesh), which prevents the migration of the cushion material into the ground, but does not prevent the outflow of moisture from it to the sides. Modern blind area construction technologies involve laying multilayer pillows. Alternating layers of sand and gravel make it possible to greatly simplify and reduce the cost of the blind area, while at the same time increasing its efficiency.

A pillow under a monolithic coating is poured into the formwork, under a slab - it is limited from the outside by a curb stone, and under a soft one - it fits either also in a curb, or just like that. According to previous ideas, it is the coating that is actually the blind area, and the pillow only supports it. But multilayer pillows in geotextiles with propylene insulation are able to take on all the functions of the blind area, so the coatings of modern blind areas can only be decorative and ergonomic. In general, blind areas are divided into 3 types:

1. Rigid - monolithic from concrete, asphalt and cement-pouring on crushed stone with iron-plated surfaces;
2. Semi-rigid - with a multilayer cushion and flooring made of paving slabs, cobblestones, porcelain stoneware, reinforced concrete slabs for an additional cushion;
3. Soft - bulk from crushed stone on a multilayer pillow.

When is a blind area needed?

All types of blind area perfectly cope with their duties, but for different periods. The durability of monolithic ones is almost equal to the service life of the building, but they are labor-intensive and expensive. This also applies to asphalt: its binder - tar - in modern conditions remains profitable only in large-scale road construction. Cement-filled coating is inexpensive and relatively labor-intensive, but applicable only on stable soils; on heaving (moist loams, etc.) it is not recommended categorically. In addition, all hard coatings are not decorative.

Note: the case when you need to unconditionally choose a hard coating - an insulated blind area. It is useless to insulate semi-rigid and soft blind areas. And when you need to make a blind area with insulation, let's see further.

Soft cover is very cheap and easy to make. But it serves no more than 5-7 years, but on any soil in any climate and it is elementary to replace it, as far as this concept is generally applicable to construction work. It is optimal as a temporary one, if there is a shortage of funds or the construction site is simply tired. We will deal with finances, hands will rise again - we will complete it thoroughly, but for now it will serve perfectly.

On the whole, taking into account modern construction achievements, semi-rigid blind areas should be preferred. Their service life is up to 20-25 years in most of the Russian Federation, except for the permafrost zone, and in terms of labor intensity, maintainability and the possibility of complete replacement, they are almost equivalent to soft ones. The cost depends on the coating material; work as expected on any soil.

The decorative qualities of semi-rigid blind areas are also determined by the coating material, for example. the blind area from (we will consider it in more detail later) from the point of view of a landscape designer is no different from a garden path. Nothing is an exaggeration. Partial, at the seams between the slabs, the water permeability of the slab blind area allows you to get by with internal slopes in a multi-layer cushion, and leave the flooring horizontal, i.e. it will be possible to walk on it in icy conditions.

Next, we will see how to properly make a blind area from the already mentioned paving slabs; cobblestone device technology differs from it only in the coating material. Along the way, we will deal with crushed stone soft and cement-filled, because. pillows under them need the same as for slab ones. Let us dwell in more detail on the blind area made of concrete as the most durable and the only one suitable for insulation. And private issues: the width of the blind area, its slope, insulation, drainage and the subject of discussion of the builders - the connection of the blind area with the base - we will touch on in conclusion.

Tile blind area

Generally true the scheme of the slab blind area with internal slopes has been walking along the Runet for a long time, but inaccuracies also walk along with it. Since the original infographic is advertising and commercial, it is possible that the authors were saving their know-how in this way. Let's try to supplement the source material to usability. The correct blind area from paving slabs is done according to the scheme in Fig.:

First, pay attention to the outer bend of the waterproofing up to the rubble. Its purpose is to prevent the first layer of sand from spreading. And the drainage of a thin (3-5 cm) layer of sand will be provided through the crushed stone layer overlying it.

Secondly, the recommended total cushion capacity of 30 cm is valid only if the blind area lies entirely in humus. If the humus layer is thinner, then the drained layers should not be buried in dense soil; in any case, a layer of crumpled clay is 15-20 cm. What if there is less than 20 cm of humus or not at all? Arrange drains, see fig. on right. Prefabricated gutters are brought to the ground 1-2 m from the lower corners along the general slope. In fact, drains are desirable for slab blind areas on any soil, and it is better to bring collections into a storm drain (storm drain) or a drainage well, if any.

Thirdly, the thickness of the crushed stone layer is 3 of the thickness of the first layer of sand, and the upper sand layer is 2 of them. For the correct functioning of the blind area, it is necessary to maintain exactly the proportions, but the thickness of the lower sandy layer must be at least 3 cm. The thicknesses of the overlying layers are considered along the wall and increase outwards according to the slope.

Finally, dodges. They should decrease slightly from bottom to top. In this case, the slope of the clay preparation to the outside is 0.08-0.12 (8-12 cm / m), the lower crushed stone is 0.05-0.07, the upper crushed stone is 0.03-0.04. The top of the pillow under the tile is horizontal.

soft and cement

The scheme of soft crushed stone blind area is even simpler, see fig. The conditions for deepening into humus, slopes and "trough" from waterproofing are the same, and the thickness of the crushed stone layer is equal to the total thickness of crushed stone and top sand with tiles in the previous case.

The cement-filling blind area is done in the same way, but in the formwork, and rubble is placed 2-3 cm less, see fig. below. Then the top is poured with a cement-sand mortar no worse than M200; for its proportions and method of preparation, see the section on concrete pavement.

When the mortar sets, but it is still wet (look, don’t miss the moment!) To increase its resistance to abrasion, the surface of the fill is ironed: sprinkle with an even layer of dry cement from M400 with a thin layer, just to cover the fill, and carefully rub with a half-rubber.

Then the blind area is covered with a dark film (the iron surface matures better without light) and periodically, once a day or two, after lifting the film, it is sprayed with water. An ordinary broom is suitable as a sprinkler. The exposure period to suitability for use is from 20 days. Outside temperature for the period of work - not lower than +12 degrees.

Note: in the already described and all other blind areas that require clay preparation, clay should be taken on it fatter. Here it works more as a heat insulator, and oily clay has less moisture absorption.

Once and forever!

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a monolithic concrete blind area, it is said above. In addition, it requires careful implementation. It must be said that the blind area of ​​​​prefabricated reinforced concrete slabs does not fully possess the qualities of a monolithic one, this is the same slab blind area, only more expensive and heavier. It is used more in industrial construction if there is a stock of reinforced concrete products or a source of their supply.

A summary diagram of a monolithic concrete blind area is shown in fig. below. It only needs some explanation. Firstly, it is mounted under the fill after laying the waterproofing. Its outer bend upwards, as in a multilayer pillow, is not needed here. However, it is highly desirable to install geotextiles on the insulation before installing expansion joints (see below) and laying reinforcement around the perimeter of the formwork so that the sand does not spread later. You can not bring the textile tape to the wall, but bring it up to the formwork to its edge, and then at least press it with pushpins so that the mesh does not slip down during further work.

Secondly, after backfilling the pillow, but before laying the reinforcement, the formwork must be divided into sections by thermal deformation compensators; without them, a solid concrete belt will soon crack. The maximum section length is 3 m, but expansion joints must also be installed between all pairs of adjacent and external corners of the building, see fig. That is, each section of the blind area should be convex in plan, without corners protruding into its contour, a geometric figure.

Compensators are made of wooden planks 15-30 mm thick. Since they will not remain in the blind area forever, the blanks must be properly, twice, soaked with hot bitumen. It is better not to soak, but to scald: boil in bitumen, brought almost to a boil, for 10-20 minutes, turning all the time. Expansion joints are installed immediately with the required slope - according to them, like beacons, a long rule or, if you have some building experience, a half-way, the pouring surface will be formed.

Note: if you have the opportunity to get hold of wood processing creosote - do not! Creosote is the strongest poison and carcinogen, its use is steadily declining in industry, where special installations with personnel protection can be used.

The third is a solution for pouring. The final grade of reinforced concrete must be at least M200, i.e. cement is needed from M400. But this is not enough, you still need to accurately maintain the recipe of the composition. Volumetric parts “on a bucket”, or even by eye, you can’t do it here, the tape will crack after some time, and repairing a monolithic blind area is more difficult than laying a new one. Components must be measured by weight only! The pouring of a monolithic concrete blind area is carried out with a solution of the following composition, per cubic meter of the finished one:

• Cement M400-M600 - 280 kg.
• Crushed stone - 1400 kg.
• Building sand fraction 0.2-0.35 mm - 840 kg.
• Technically clean water - 190 l.

The solution, as we see, is very dry, even drier than on the floor screed. This is necessary because fresh pouring should keep the specified slope until it hardens. The pouring is carried out section by section, in sufficiently large portions of the solution, so you should not rely on an improvised tub and a puncher with a mixer, you need a concrete mixer. The kneading is done in the following order:

1. The portions of the components required for the next section are weighed.
2. Dry cement is thoroughly kneaded for at least 20-25 revolutions of the mixer hopper; it is necessary to break up its clots and lumps.
3. Sand is introduced in 3-5 doses, kneading each dose with 5-6 revolutions of the hopper.
4. Gravel is introduced in the same way.
5. Water is added with a gentle stream during 3-5 revolutions of the hopper.
6. Mix for another 10-15 revolutions of the bunker.

The filled section is compacted with a vibrating bar, trying not to touch the reinforcement with the working body in order to avoid the formation of caverns with cement laitance, they greatly reduce the strength and durability of the blind area. Then the slope is taken out along the compensators, as in lighthouses. After the solution has set, it is desirable to carry out ironing, as for a cement-filled blind area, and just like it, the monolithic one is covered with a dark film and periodically sprinkled with water. It is impossible to cover with a damp rag, as, for example, a foundation! The solution from above will get wet, weaken and the whole blind area will crumble!

Make or pay?

Now you know enough to decide which blind area you need. Further material will help to understand the details, and in order to decide whether to take on the work yourself or order the builders, we report: the price of work alone on the installation of a blind area in Central Russia ranges from 2000-2500 rubles / sq. m for soft crushed stone up to 3300-4200 rubles / sq. m for concrete monolithic. We emphasize: this is only work, the purchase of materials with delivery is the master's, so you do not need to count on wholesale discounts.

This is due to the fact that a normal customer, a normal designer and normal builders make a blind area along with the entire structure. A finished house without a blind area is a half-finished job, and how much builders like to finish half-finished work and whether such work is profitable for them, you can ask any of them. Perhaps expand your knowledge of Russian, in a part that is not reflected in general-purpose dictionaries.

How can you save?

But how to reduce the cost of a homemade blind area? To determine the scope of work, you need to know its width; the length will give the perimeter of the building, and the depth - the selected scheme. According to SNiP, the blind area should extend at least 20 cm beyond the roof overhang, counting and gutters, but be no narrower than 70 cm.

That is, we climb onto the roof with a plumb line and beat off its contour on the ground. Then we measure along the entire length; if somewhere there is not enough up to 0.7 m - add as much as you need. Then we measure the resulting perimeter of the blind area; now we have a complete set of data for calculating the volume of purchases of materials and work.

Note: in order to avoid acidification of the soil, a blind area width of more than 1.5 m over a length of more than 2 m is undesirable. If it happened somewhere, we actually make the blind area 20 cm from the edge of the roof, and the rest will need to be paved with paving slabs on a simple sand cushion, like a path. It is possible in this place to make a playground for children or for recreation, with a barbecue, or somehow solve the issue, based on the methods of landscape design.

Warming and drainage

The next circumstance that can significantly increase the cost, complicate the blind area and still turn to professionals is its warming. However, it will only make sense if the blind area is monolithic, expensive and complex. Taking into account the fact that insulation most often has to be combined with drainage, the cost of work here can already be a small fraction of that of materials. But is insulation really necessary? And when, if so? Insulation of the blind area is necessary in the following cases:

• The house has a heated basement or basement.
• The house was built on heaving soil: clay or loam with high moisture absorption.
• Winter is unstable, with prolonged thaws, and the house stands on dusty, highly permeable soil, these are sandy, loess and alluvial soils.
• The freezing depth can reach the calculated one according to SNiP (see below) more often than once every 3 years or once for any period of time for more than 2 months.

What and how to insulate?

Of the heat-insulating materials for warming the blind area, extruded polystyrene foam (EPS) and polyurethane foam are suitable. The latter at first glance is seductive for its cheapness, but it only seems so. Below we will deal with foam, but for now we will deal with EPS.

If the need for insulation is caused only by paragraph 1, and the winter in the area is consistently not very severe and the soil under the building is stable, the blind area should be insulated according to the scheme on the left in fig. The principle is clear from the same place: the insulated blind area pushes the zero isotherm away from the house, which ensures its durability, as described above, but already in difficult operating conditions.

Designations on the diagrams:

1. reinforced concrete monolith;
2. XPS boards;
3. waterproofing;
4. sand cushion;
5. stone border;
6. holder of a drainage pipe made of geotextile, filled with crushed stone;
7. drainage pipe.

The simplified (left) scheme differs from the traditional ones, which we will discuss in more detail. First - how much EPPS to put under the blind area? This material is not very cheap, and each extra centimeter of its thickness means, in this case, an overspending of about 10,000 rubles. and higher.

Here it is appropriate to use the experience of traveling construction teams, that is, coven workers. By the way, they are not at all such grabbers and scammers, as they signed with the Soviet "Crocodile". If the feet feed the wolf, then the covener, like a banker, is his reputation. Which is made up not only of the speed and quality of work, but also of the visible savings on materials for the owner, because the covens do not carry them with them.

So, for a long time, the covenants have derived an empirical formula to calculate the minimum allowable thickness of the EPS under the blind area, namely: we take the estimated freezing depth under the house in centimeters, subtract the width of the blind area from it, also in centimeters, and multiply the resulting value by 0.75, this and will be the smallest required EPS thickness in millimeters. Let's say freezing is 1.8 m or 180 cm; blind area width 1 m, then you need a layer of XPS from 60 mm. More - does not hurt, if only the customer fork out.

The freezing depth can be exactly calculated according to SNiP 2.02.01-83 "Foundations of buildings and structures", with applications and design manuals, and according to SNiP 23-01-99 "Construction climatology". In recent years, houses are often built on heaving soils, because. building plots on them are cheap and from Soviet times, when they tried not to build "on a bunch", there are a lot of them left. In this case, the map in Fig. will help you decide on the insulation, and for individual specific points of the Russian Federation - Table. below, because calculation according to SNiP, although simple, is painstaking and requires many factors to be taken into account.

City	M	√M	Depth of soil freezing according to SNiP, m
			loams and clays	fine sand, sandy loam	coarse, gravel sand
Arkhangelsk	46,1	6,79	1,56	1,90	2,04
Vologda	38,5	6,20	1,43	1,74	1,86
Yekaterinburg	46,3	6,80	1,57	1,91	2,04
Kazan	38,9	6,24	1,43	1,75	1,87
Kursk	21,3	4,62	1,06	1,29	1,38
Moscow	22,9	4,79	1,10	1,34	1,44
Nizhny Novgorod	39,6	6,29	1,45	1,76	1,89
Novosibirsk	63,3	7,96	1,83	2,23	2,39
Eagle	23,0	4,80	1,10	1,34	1,44
Permian	47,6	6,90	1,59	1,93	2,07
Pskov	17,9	4,23	0,97	1,18	1,27
Rostov-on-Don	8,2	2,86	0,66	0,80	0,86
Ryazan	34,9	5,91	1,36	1,65	1,77
Samara	44,9	6,70	1,54	1,88	2,01
St. Petersburg	18,3	4,28	0,98	1,20	1,28
Saratov	26,6	5,16	1,19	1,44	1,55
Surgut	93,3	9,66	2,22	2,70	2,90
Tyumen	56,5	7,52	1,73	2,10	2,25
Chelyabinsk	56,6	7,52	1,73	2,11	2,26
Yaroslavl	38,5	6,20	1,43	1,74	1,86

Note: within the same region, the depth of freezing can vary significantly depending not only on the soil, but also on the presence of communications in it, etc. If you want to achieve maximum savings, you need to calculate exactly according to SNiP and geology data directly under the house.

On the left diagram of Fig. at the beginning of the section, one more coven trick is visible: the vertical EPPS base plate (its thickness is calculated in the usual way according to the heat loss of the building) is not brought down to the freezing depth, but breaks off at the lower edge of the blind area insulation. The fact is that the insulated blind area also reduces heat loss through the bare root of the foundation, and you won’t have to grunt over bills for fuel or electricity for heating. The existing methods for calculating heat losses do not take this circumstance into account. But a weak additional heat flow from the side, combined with an upward geothermal one (our planet has a positive heat balance, otherwise life on it would be impossible) pushes the zero isotherm even further. This is the case when harm turns to good.

When is drainage needed?

If in the operating conditions of the building there is at least one of paragraphs. 2-4, the blind area already needs to be drained from above. As shown in the right diagram of Fig. with diagrams. Drainage pipe diameter 110-200 mm; slope - within 0.03-0.1; you can drain the drain into a storm drain.

Note: if you come across a description somewhere on how to replace a special drainage pipe with a home-made one made from a sewer pipe, try to find the author and let him show where this one will last at least a year without becoming completely unusable.

How to install eps?

The actual insulation of the EPPS blind area is not difficult: the plates are simply placed on a sand cushion before laying the reinforcement, see fig. There is only one nuance here that can increase the efficiency of insulation: it is made two-layer from half-thickness slabs, and about half of the lower slabs are cut in half lengthwise and the halves are laid along the edges of the trench. This will turn out the displacement of the seams along and across, which will negate thermal bridges.

What about foam?

Now let's see why it is undesirable to insulate with cheap and technologically advanced foam. And because it is generally impermeable, neither for moisture, nor for gas. Therefore, when insulating with foam, in any case, drainage buried by about 1 m is necessary, see fig. below.

Firstly, here you can’t get by with open drains; without a filter grid on them, the drain will quickly become clogged. Special gutters (on the right in the figure) are roads. Secondly, you can’t bring a deep drain into a storm drain, you need to build a prefabricated well with pumping. As a result, a cheap blind area, like a blind area, rises in price at times.

When it's seams

The worst case is when the house is in a drainless lowland, in a place of high standing groundwater or subject to flooding. Here, a full-fledged lower drainage of the entire building is needed, and this is such a topic that the blind area, as they say, is resting. Take a look at least at the fig., and this is only a summary diagram of the drainage of the house, without the collector network, well and pumping. As for the blind area, in this case it is not recommended to insulate it at all: general drainage will not allow the soil to swell anyway.

When to trim the base?

Usually, the blind area is advised to be done as a last resort, after finishing the basement. But these tips date back to the times of the Khrushchev-Brezhnev mass construction, when the plinths were plastered at best. And now, for example, how to make a waterproof thermal seam between the blind area and the plinth trimmed with embossed stone or plinth siding?

Taking into account the use of modern finishing materials, the basement of the building should be finished after the installation of the blind area. It won't get worse, it will only get better. Look at fig. In the place marked with a red dotted circle, above the thermal seam, the plinth trim forms a small cornice - a teardrop. Now only a tropical hurricane can drive moisture into the seam.

What slope is needed?

It remains to deal with the slope of the blind area. In Runet, for some reason, they recommend it at 10-15 degrees and even refer to SNiPs. Where there are such SNiPs, anyone, except for builders, can know. And it is clear that the authors of these tips themselves did not go into slush or ice on such blind areas. And in those SNiPs that are actually built, it is recommended to keep the blind area slope within 0.03-0.1. What will happen (remember about sines-arxines?) 1.72-5.74 degrees.

About the curb

The correct blind area does not need a curb. But it can be useful if there are cultivated plants near the house - root aggressors: raspberries, blackberries, poplars, plane trees, etc. in the same genus. Then the pillow under the lock of the curbstone is made about a bayonet of a shovel deeper than the regular one and is made of sand in half with broken glass. Continuing the analogy with “soft power”, agents of influence now immediately stumble upon a well-trained and organized counterparty, tough, firm and prickly.

The blind area is designed to protect the foundation from damage, which can be caused by contact with atmospheric moisture. Additionally, the blind area will protect the structure from the destructive effects of the roots of various plants. Many owners ignore the need for this element device absolutely in vain. The blind area can be made with your own hands, and thanks to this element, which is easy to erect, the service life of the building will increase significantly.

The blind area performs a number of important functions, including:

• ensuring reliable protection of the foundation of the house from the harmful effects of atmospheric moisture and other negative factors;
• diversion of any kind of water from the building into the drainage system. Special discharge gutters are equipped on the surface of the blind area, due to which the risk of wetting the base and base is significantly reduced;
• improving the appearance of the building. Thanks to the blind area, the foundation will look more harmonious and complete;
• additional insulation of the foundation. Subject to the correct arrangement of all layers of the structure or the use of special heat-insulating materials, the soil close to the house will freeze much less;
• practicality. Quite often, the blind area is used as a convenient path around the building, along which you can move without harming plants and other landscape elements of the site.

Thus, the blind area is a functional and aesthetic element that must be equipped around your home. Study the proposed instructions, and you can make a high-quality and reliable blind area with your own hands.

The structure under consideration consists of covering (upper) and underlying (lower) layers. Due to the underlying layer, the evenness of the surface is ensured. However, the base should not be 100% horizontal, but should have some slope.

If concrete is used as the top layer, the bottom layer must be made horizontal. The slope will be created already directly at the stage of pouring concrete. Thanks to the slope, fast and high-quality water drainage from the facade of the building will be ensured.

At the end of the work, a drainage groove is created along the outer edge of the perimeter of the blind area. The slope is usually maintained at the level of 5 cm per 1 m of the width of the blind area.

The underlayment and overburden can be made from different materials. So, clay, gravel and gravel are suitable for arranging the lower layer.

Practice shows that it is best to use crumpled clay as the basis. This material initially has good waterproofing properties. The standard thickness of the bottom layer is 25-30 cm. If the base of the blind area is made of clay, it will be enough to equip a 15-20 cm layer of the substrate.

When using gravel or gravel, sand must be poured over the main part of the underlying layer. The thickness of a separate additional layer of sand should be 7-10 cm.

For the construction of the cover layer, use a hard and moisture-proof material. The most commonly used materials are concrete, natural stone, asphalt. Sometimes paving slabs and bricks are used.

Preparation for work

Before starting work, you need to decide on the main parameters of the future blind area. First of all, set the appropriate width. Most regulatory documents indicate that the blind area should be at least 60 cm wide. However, this is only the minimum recommended value. Before finally choosing the right width, there are many additional important factors to consider.

Primarily, pay attention to the features of the eaves of the roof of your house. The outer border of the blind area should be approximately 25-30 cm further than the most protruding edge of the roofing cornice.

At the design stage of the blind area, one cannot but take into account the architectural and design features of the house. For example, if the site is decorated using all sorts of unusual design elements, the blind area can also be given an original look by correctly and organically linking it with other elements of the landscape.

A very important parameter is the type of soil at the construction site. For example, if the house is on subsiding soil, the blind area should be at least 90-100 cm wide. Experts recommend that the blind area be more than 1 m wide. Under such conditions, the design in question can simultaneously drain water and serve as a convenient path around the building.

It is important that the blind area is continuous. Any kind of web breaks can lead to a decrease in the protective functions of the blind area.

After determining the appropriate width, you will need to set the optimal value of the slope of the blind area. In order for the design to effectively cope with the tasks of diverting water, the slope should be at least 2-5 degrees in the direction from the house.

To determine the exact value of the slope, you must also consider climatic features, characteristic of the location of the house, and the type of material used to equip the top layer of the structure. For example, if the flooring layer is made of paving slabs, the slope of the blind area can be slightly reduced compared to the same indicator for a crushed stone structure.

The slope can be directly created at the stage of laying the bottom layer or during the installation of the front cover. This moment depends on what specific materials are used to equip the structure in question.

After determining the optimal parameters of the system, calculate the right amount of materials and assemble the required tools. At the stage of creating the underlying layer, you will need gravel and sand or clay.

The top layer of the blind area is most often made of concrete.. If you decide to make your choice in favor of this material, first prepare a concrete mixer or a container for preparing mortar, fittings and wire, several shovels, a level and other small accessories.

Step-by-step instructions for filling the blind area

The process of installing a blind area will be considered using the example of a concrete structure. If you are a beginner, pay attention to this option, because. in most moments, it is easier to arrange compared to other existing types of blind area. Perform every step of the work, and you will get a reliable, durable and efficient design.

First stage. Mark out your home area. It is enough to measure the selected distance from the walls of the house, drive in pegs from any suitable material along the measured line and connect these pegs with a rope. Make sure that the marking points are on the same line.

Second phase. Remove the soil over the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe blind area. The depth of the pit is selected individually, taking into account the type of system and the characteristics of the materials used. In most cases, the thickness of an ordinary concrete blind area is about 25 cm, excluding the front finish.

Third stage. Treat the roots of plants at the bottom of the trench with special herbicides. Such processing will not allow the roots to germinate in the future and disrupt the structure of the blind area.

Fourth stage. Collect formwork. As starting materials, you can use unedged boards and wooden blocks for supports. The thickness of the boards must be at least 2 cm. Place the boards along the outer edge of the trench.

Fifth stage. Seal the bottom of the trench and lay a 5 cm layer of clay on it. Carefully compact the clay, lay a 10 cm layer of sand on top of it and tamp it down. For better compaction, sand should be spilled with water. Lay a layer of gravel on top of the sand.

Sixth stage. Lay the reinforcement bars on the prepared pillow. Maintain a step of 10-15 cm. As a result, you should get a reinforcing mesh. Connect the joints with steel wire. Thanks to the reinforcement, the structure will have higher strength and resistance to various kinds of loads.

Seventh stage. At the junction of the blind area with the building, make an expansion joint. A 1.5 cm wide joint will suffice. Fill the joint space with sand and gravel or bitumen.

Eighth stage. Pour concrete. Pour in one horizontal layer. Approximately every 230-250 cm, install transverse wooden slats. Thanks to them, expansion joints necessary for the normal operation of the blind area will be created. Pick up such slats so that their top is flush with the surface of the concrete structure. Previously, the slats should be treated with an antiseptic.

Ninth stage. Carefully level the concrete and create the required slope before the mixture hardens.

Tenth stage. Cover the filling with wet burlap. As the fabric dries, it will need to be re-moistened with water. This will prevent cracking of the concrete mortar.

After about 3-4 weeks, the concrete will dry completely and gain the necessary strength. If desired, you can lay porcelain stoneware, paving slabs or other suitable material on the dried blind area.

Thus, there is nothing complicated in the independent construction of the blind area. All costs are reduced to the cost of purchasing building materials. Follow the instructions and you will be able to do everything just like a professional builder.

Successful work!

Video - Do-it-yourself blind area step by step instructions

Due to geological features, the house is exposed to external factors not only from the atmosphere, but also from the soil. The blind area around the house is one of the stages of complex protection that allows you to protect the building from the manifestations of nature (rain, melt, groundwater). The roof and drainage system protects the walls and the house itself from water, but precipitation flows to the ground near the building and destroys the foundation. What is a blind area? Why do you need a foundation blind area, what is its purpose and how to do it yourself?

What is a blind area at home

The blind area is a coating around the perimeter of the house, designed to protect the foundation, basement and basement from water. It is made of waterproof material sloped from the foundation.

Why do you need a blind area around the house (functions):

• hydrobarrier - protection of the foundation of the building from moisture. First of all, rain and melt water is diverted away from the foundation with the help of a blind area. In addition, the presence of a blind area informs the thermal insulation properties of the foundation;

• comfort - the blind area can be used as a path around the house. A wide blind area can become the basis for arranging a recreation area or terrace near the house. With the correct calculation of the load, it is possible to organize the movement of a car or its parking along the blind area;

• aesthetics - designing the design of the site and the adjacent territory, giving the structure completeness.

• the blind area stabilizes the air-gas regime in the soil surrounding the foundation. The composition of the soil invariably includes oxygen, which is necessary for the growth of plants and the vital activity of soil microorganisms. Large pests also create passages for air to enter the soil;

• eliminates the possibility of damage to the foundation due to frost heaving of soils. It occurs due to the fact that water, solidifying in the soil during the cold season, increases its volume. Soil heaving in itself does not pose any threat, however, it creates a significant lateral load on the foundation of the house, which can result in a distortion of the foundation of the house, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of the building standing on it. Thus, the blind area device allows you to more evenly distribute the load.

Types of blind area around the house

Taking into account the fact that the period of operation of the blind area should be equal to the period of operation of the structure itself, special attention should be paid to the choice of material for its construction.

In practice, several approaches are used to make a blind area, but in general it is classified either as a hard or soft category.

Hard blind area

1. Concrete pavement

The blind area is made of concrete in the vast majority of cases. Concrete is a reliable, time-tested and more than one generation of user material. Almost every man has an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhow to make a concrete blind area. And knowing the nuances of its filling, he can do the work with his own hands.

It is mostly used as protection for the foundation of multi-storey buildings. This is due to two factors. Firstly, the complexity of tamping the material (requires considerable effort). Secondly, in order to keep the asphalt in a condition suitable for pouring, its temperature should be about 120 degrees. Agree, it is difficult to make a blind area from asphalt without special equipment. Thirdly, asphalt emits harmful impurities when heated, and therefore few users are ready to replace the clean air of a country house with a typical urban aroma.

3. Blind area of ​​ceramic tiles

Belongs to the category of rigid, because the tile is laid on a concrete mortar. As a facing material, clinker tiles are used, as they are more resistant to external influences. Such a blind area copes well with its functions, but the cost of clinker tiles is high. Therefore, its analogue - concrete paving slabs - has become more widespread.

Soft blind area

4. Blind area of ​​paving slabs (paving stones)

A relatively new direction in the device for protecting the foundation from the effects of water. Despite the novelty of the material (or rather, the old one, because it is a prototype of paving stones - a cheaper analogue), laying paving slabs with your own hands does not cause any particular difficulties.

5. Blind area made of gravel (crushed stone) or natural stone

The gravel pavement (from cobblestone, rubble stone) has not become popular for several reasons: the complexity of tamping, the inconvenience of movement, the need to constantly correct the coating (it can be washed away by unorganized drainage), the possibility of weed germination. A blind area made of stone is a good option, but installation is more difficult and expensive compared to tiles.

6. Hidden blind area around the house

In this case, the soil acts as the front material, on which you can plant lawn grass, flowers, arrange flower beds. A blind area of ​​a hidden type is made according to the general principle: the top layer of the earth is removed, a layer of waterproofing is covered, a layer of sand and gravel. The difference is that the top of the cake is covered with geotextile or PVP membrane, on top of which soil is poured. It is undesirable to walk along the hidden blind area, there is a risk of damaging the profiled membrane and trampling the grass. But, properly executed, it will serve faithfully for a long time.

Which blind area is better - from paving slabs or from concrete

Each of the above types of blind area has its own advantages, disadvantages and construction features. According to statistics and reviews, today the most popular (more often used) blind areas are poured from concrete and lined with tiles. Therefore, it would be correct within the article to consider which is better, concrete or paving slabs for a blind area?

This question is asked by many masters and users. Practical operating experience indicates the effectiveness of tiles. The pros are as follows:

• the ability to create a solid, durable and stable blind area. At the same time, it is much more difficult to ensure the integrity of the concrete blind area than the tiled one;

• maintainability. The tile can be dismantled completely or partially. Thus, the process of repairing the blind area or laying communications is greatly simplified. In the case of concrete, it is required to destroy part of the blind area, dispose of the concrete fractions, and after laying it, restore it again. Eliminate subsidence of tiles or replace a defective element in the blind area of ​​tiles is not difficult and does not take much time. And most importantly, tiles can be reused;

• reliability. The tiled blind area drains water well due to the large number of seams. This allows us to assert that it is not deformed as a result of heaving of the soil or freezing of water. Water that has frozen on the surface of the concrete pavement can lead to local cracking of the material. At first, these cracks will not pose a threat, but each subsequent flooding will cause the crack to expand and the blind area to collapse.

  Another nuance is the place where the blind area adjoins the house. As you know, the blind area should not form a single structure from the foundations (should not be associated with it). Soil movement, freeze/thaw cycles will inevitably break this bond. When laying tiles, it is easier to provide the required technological gap. In addition, the destruction of concrete occurs most often precisely at the place of its junction with the foundation or basement (the blind area leaves);

• foundation insulation. The paving slab laying technology provides for the arrangement of several layers, incl. the use of clay and the possibility of laying insulation. The insulated blind area of ​​the foundation is an additional protection of the basement, basement, which reduces heat loss and, ultimately, leads to savings on heating the house;

• plinth height reduction. With a rigid blind area (made of concrete), the minimum height of the plinth must be at least 500 mm. With soft (tiles, paving stones, gravel, natural stone), a height of 300 mm will be sufficient. This reduces the cost of building a base;

• ease of work, no need for a reinforcing frame, a minimum of debris, a slight dustiness of work;

• additional waterproofing of the foundation blind area. While the concrete pavement protects the foundation only from the influence of surface water (rain or melt), the clay hydraulic lock, which is made by forming a pillow for laying paving slabs, allows you to protect the base of the building from groundwater;

• more aesthetic, in comparison with the concrete blind area, appearance. A variety of styling options, designs, sizes and colors allows you to create a unique blind area.

The main advantage that led to the use of concrete as a material for blind areas is its cheapness. Buying paving slabs and materials for laying it will cost more, even if you do it yourself.

The cost of blind area of ​​a private house

In order not to be unfounded, we will give a brief comparative description, i.e. we will indicate in the table the prices for the blind area made of concrete and paving slabs. All prices for 2015, approximate, are presented for review, as a guideline for budgeting.

The cost of a blind area made of concrete (width 1 m, thickness 10 cm)

Material	Material consumption per 1 sq.m.		Price	The cost of a concrete blind area for 1 sq.m. rub.
Concrete M22, class B-15	1		3 500 rub	350
For self-preparation of concrete
	per 1 cubic meter	For 1 sq.m.
Cement M 500	320 kg	32 kg	200 rub/50 kg	128
Screenings or crushed stone (fraction 5-10 mm)	0.8 cubic meters	0.08 m3		160
Sand	0.5 cubic meters	0.05 m3	400-600 rub/m.cub. (the price is also affected by the place of loading: quarry or delivery)	30
Water	190 l	19 l	Local rate
Additives in concrete*
for pillow
Geotextile, PVC film)	1 sq.m.		110-2500 rub/roll (50 sq.m.)	100
Sand	0.05-0.1 cubic meters Depending on the thickness of the layer and the composition of the finishing base under the tiles		400-600 rubles/m.cub.	25-50
	0.1 cubic meters		1800-2000 cubic meters (the place of loading also affects the price: quarry or delivery)	190
Reinforcement
Armature, diameter 6 mm.	12 m.p.		10 r/m.p	120
Reinforcing mesh 50x50, diameter 3 mm.	1 sq.m.		60 rubles / piece (1000x2000)	60
Reinforcing mesh 150x150, diameter 3 mm.	1 sq.m.		33 rubles / piece (500x2000)	66
Formwork device
Formwork boards**
Beam 30x30 for spacers**
Total:				~ 800 rub/sq.m.

* we are talking about additives (plasticizers), which give concrete additional properties (strength, frost resistance). The addition of plasticizers to the composition of the concrete solution is at the discretion of the master. In the above "classic" recipe, their cost is not taken into account.

** for the formation of formwork when pouring the blind area, in practice, old boards or used plywood are used. Therefore, their cost is also taken into account.

The cost of the blind area of ​​paving slabs 1 meter wide

Material	Material consumption per 1 sq.m.	Price	The cost of the blind area from paving slabs for 1 sq.m. rub.
for pillow
Clay	Depends on the soil and the desired thickness of the hydraulic lock 0.05-0.1 cubic meters.	250-400 rub/m.cub. (depending on the location of the quarry and the fat content of the clay)	15-30
Geotextile, PVC film	1 sq.m.	110-2500 rub/roll (50 sq.m.)	100
Sand	0.15-0.2 cubic meters Depending on the thickness of the layer and the composition of the finishing base under the tiles	400-600 rub/m3	75-100
Screenings or crushed stone (fraction 3-10 mm)	0.1 cubic meters	1800-2000 cubic meters (the place of loading also affects the price: quarry or delivery)	190
For the final layer
Cement M 500	10 kg. Depends on the purpose of the formwork	500 rub/50 kg	100
sifted sand	2.5 - 10 kg. Depends on the purpose of the formwork	100 rub/50 kg	10
For the front layer
Tile	Depends on the size of the tile. 50 pcs. for the brick shape	300-1 500 rub/pc. an average of 400 rubles. for the brick shape	2000
Border	2 pcs.	75-300 rub/pc. depending on thickness	360
Water for irrigation sands and blind areas	Before the formation of puddles	Local rate
Total:			~ 3000 rub/sq.m

How long does it take to install a blind area

An important point, focusing on the experience of arranging blind areas of various types, you can give an estimated time for the construction of each of them. The calculation was made based on the total time spent by one person to make a blind area of ​​​​50 sq.m.

• The performance of all work on preparing the base, forming the formwork and pouring the concrete blind area is approximately 40-50 minutes. per 1 sq.m. (20-25 minutes when using ready-mixed concrete).

• Pillow filling and tile laying 1 sq.m. takes 60-70 min. Moreover, much time is spent on the process of tamping the base.

It should be noted that with an increase in square meters (area), the speed of work increases.

How to make a blind area around the house with your own hands - video

Device blind area at home - SniP and GOST

The second aspect that needs to be taken into account before you start building a blind area with your own hands is the provisions and recommendations of regulatory documents. These include:

GOST 9128-97. Mixes asphalt concrete road, airfield and asphalt concrete. Contain recommendations on determining the angle of inclination of the blind area.

GOST 7473-94. Concrete mixes. Contain requirements for the quality of the concrete used for arranging the blind area. It is required when arranging a blind area that acts as a driveway for a car.

SNiP 2.04.02-84. Water supply. External networks and structures. SNiP regulates the construction of a blind area around the well, contains recommendations for choosing the angle of inclination, as well as for arranging a castle made of clay or greasy loam.

SNiP 2.02.01-83 Foundations of buildings and structures. Regulates the main parameters of the blind area device (dimensions):

1. The width of the blind area around the house (foundation)

It is determined from the position of the type of soil. As you know, soil with different composition sags in different ways. For example, clay soil is divided into two types:

• Type 1 soil does not sag under its own weight or its subsidence is no more than 50 mm and can be caused by external factors.

• Soil of the 2nd type, can sag under its own weight.

Thus, based on the soil data, the composition and thickness of the base layers for laying paving slabs is selected. Based on the position of SNiP, the craftsmen determine how wide the blind area around the house should be.

It has been verified by practice that for the 1st type of soil, the minimum width of the blind area should be at least 700 mm, for the 2nd - at least 1,000 mm.

If there is normal soil on the site, the optimal width of the blind area can be 800-1,000 mm. In this case, the width can be considered sufficient if it exceeds the overhang of the roofing material above the load-bearing walls by 200 mm (for normal soil) and 600 mm for type 2 clay soil.

The final decision on how wide the foundation blind area should be depends on the users and the purpose of the blind area. Which can be as follows: only protection of the foundation, protection + episodic human movement, protection + heavy pedestrian traffic (for example, a terrace or gazebo) or protection + car traffic.

Such parameters as the length and height (thickness) of the blind area are not regulated by SNiP. Users are advised to take them as:

2. The length of the blind area around the house

3. Thickness (height) of the blind area around the house

The minimum thickness of the blind area: at least 70 mm, optimally - 100-150 mm.

Note. The height of the blind area is not determined to zero. It should rise above the soil by at least 50 mm.

For the blind area that performs the function of a pedestrian zone, the requirements are becoming more stringent. They mainly relate to the pillow device. For the automobile zone, it is desirable to make the most solid base and, when choosing paving slabs, give preference not to vibro-cast, but to vibro-pressed.

SNiP III-10-75 Landscaping. The standard regulates the installation site of the blind area. It should fit snugly against the plinth at an angle. At the same time, the slope of the blind area should be within 1-10% in the direction opposite to the bearing wall.

4. The slope of the blind area at home

The angle of inclination of the blind area is measured in percent and degrees. For 1 m of the width of the blind area, the slope should be 10-100 mm, i.e. 1-10%. In practice, the slope does not exceed 15-20 mm per 1 linear meter. Such a slope is invisible visually, but does an excellent job of draining water from the foundation and basement of the house.

Note. A large slope can cause the flow of water to increase speed when moving along the blind area and, gaining strength, quickly destroy its outer edge.

Another document worth considering is "Schemes for operational quality control of construction, repair and construction and installation works." Based on it, you can study the permissible deviations from the specified standards.

5. Compensation seam in the blind area (deformation, temperature)

To compensate for the movement of the blind area and reduce the pressure on the foundation, an expansion joint is provided - a gap between the wall (plinth) and the blind area. A thermal seam is formed by installing an insulation sheet or several layers of roofing material to the vertical surface. Sometimes a wooden board is installed at the junction, which is then removed, and the place of its installation is sealed (covered) with sand. This is a laborious method, because it is quite difficult to remove a board from hardened concrete.

Conclusion

The information provided from the theoretical part will become a useful basis in arranging a blind area around the house with your own hands. Knowing how to make a blind area correctly, you can be sure that the created structure will last a long time and efficiently.

Having devoted a large number of articles to the construction of various kinds of buildings, this time we want to talk about such an important final stage of construction as a blind area. What is a blind area, why is it needed and how to make it - you can learn all this from this article.

What is blind area

A blind area is a coating that runs along the perimeter of the house, with a slope away from it, to protect the building from water. To make it more clear, the blind area is a "path" that runs over the house along its perimeter.

What is a blind area for?

We want to focus on the fact that the blind area is really needed - it is an integral part of the construction of any capital building. Why is a blind area needed?

The blind area is necessary primarily for the runoff water barrier so that the flowing water does not create puddles near the foundation and does not destroy it. In addition, the blind area diverts water flowing from the roof of the building, again so that it does not form in puddles and destroy the foundation.

Also, the blind area is used as an element of decor, which gives the building a look of completeness. The blind area also protects the foundation from freezing.

As you understand, the blind area is an integral part of the building and performs protective functions. If it is not there, then the foundation and the basement will collapse.

What is the blind area made of

Previously, during the construction of houses, the blind area was made of asphalt or concrete, but now, as a rule, asphalt is not used. Most often, now the blind area is made of concrete, it is quite practical, besides, the concrete blind area can be laid out with paving slabs, which will look very nice against the general background of the building.

How to make a blind area around the house

To begin with, you must measure where you will have a blind area. The optimal width of the blind area is 1 meter. If the visor of your building protrudes a greater distance, then the blind area must be made larger so that the flowing water falls on it.

When you have decided on the width of the blind area, we mark it out. To do this, arm yourself with pegs or rods and a rope to outline the area where the blind area will end. After that, we remove a layer of earth 25 centimeters deep (that is, a fertile layer of earth), around the entire perimeter where the blind area will be made, from the basement to the borders of the blind area. Then tamp the ground well.

The next stage of work is the construction of formwork for pouring concrete. It also needs to be done around the entire perimeter where the formwork will take place. We would like to draw your attention to one rather significant nuance. Concrete for formwork is best done in one piece. Why? If you pour concrete in parts, then the joints of these parts will not be as strong as a monolith, in the end, with great confidence we can say that a crack may appear in this place in the future and you will have to repair the blind area. Therefore, we advise you to take this moment into account in advance and exclude the possible onset of negative consequences and fill in a monolithic blind area.

But before pouring the formwork with concrete, it is necessary to pour a sand cushion. To do this, you need sand and ramming material. We pour a layer of sand 10 centimeters high along the perimeter of the blind area, after which we spill it with water, but at the same time not pouring much so that the sand does not spread and turn into porridge, but so that it is loose and can be easily compacted. You can tamp with any improvised tool with a flat surface.

When the sand cushion is ready, we fall asleep rubble. The height of the crushed stone layer should be at least 5 centimeters. Watering it is unnecessary, but you can tamp it down a little.

When the crushed stone flooring is ready, we put a road grid made of rods on top. Such a grid can be bought ready-made at a hardware store, or you can make it yourself. The mesh width should be 1 meter.

After laying the mesh, we proceed to the most difficult stage - pouring concrete.

How to make a blind area slope

The blind area, as you understand, acts as a drainage system, so it must be sloped so that water flows from it. A blind area a meter wide is made at an angle of 5 degrees. In order to fill the blind area at an angle from the side of the basement of the house, a little more concrete mortar is poured, approximately 1 centimeter, after which it is all leveled with a level and a rule.

How to pour a concrete pavement

When the place for the blind area is prepared and the formwork is built, you can start pouring concrete. You can prepare concrete yourself or order it. Of course, each of us is trying to save money and decides to make concrete on our own, but rationality is important here. You can prepare a concrete solution yourself if your house has a small area, but if your house is large, then prepare, for example, 8 tons of concrete in 4 hours, until the filled part begins to dry out - you need to try very hard. At the same time, it is very difficult to do this alone, if at all real. Therefore, if you need a sufficiently large amount of concrete, it is better not to save money and order a machine that will pour the concrete and you will not need to carry and pour it yourself. The only thing you will need to do is level its surface and make a slope of 5 degrees using the rule.

When the concrete is poured, we give it a couple of hours to dry and cover it with a film. After two days, the film can be removed. This is done so that the moisture in the concrete does not evaporate.

Finishing the blind area with paving slabs

As mentioned earlier, the blind area can be finished with paving slabs. To do this, when the concrete blind area is completely dry, we lay a waterproofing film, pour sand on it, 10 centimeters and tamp it well. A border is made at the edge of the blind area, which will hold the tile. Then we lay out the paving slabs and fill up its seams.

Long-term operation of the house depends not only on a solid and reliable foundation, but also on the blind area. Thanks to it, the base structure is protected from destruction, and in addition, it protects the soil around the house from moisture. If water accumulates around the house, which can occur when snow melts and during heavy rains, this can lead to erosion of the top layer of soil, as a result, moisture reaches the foundation.

If it seeps deep into the earth to the bottom of the foundation, then this will lead to damage to the base and its strength will significantly decrease, which will negatively affect the bearing capacity of the foundation. As a result, there may be a threat of destruction of the structure.

Some experts in the construction industry are of the opinion that when arranging a drain, there is no need for a blind area near the house. However, this opinion is deeply mistaken. The gutter drain protects the area near the foundation from water that flows from the roof. But it does not protect against precipitation, which regularly moisten the earth.

The role of the blind area is especially great in cases where a shallow foundation was used to build a house. His sole is located very close to the surface of the earth. Therefore, with heavy rainfall, water can quickly reach the bottom of the base. Under the influence of moisture, the sole is washed out, it loses his profile and uneven subsidence occurs. The consequence of this is that deformation processes occur and the subsequent destruction of the foundation occurs. However, even if a well-buried foundation is used, then a blind area cannot be dispensed with.

How to arrange a blind area around the house?

When the owner understands the need to create a blind area near his house, then, having learned that the reliability of the structure and its long service life depend on it, the main desire that he has is to make it serve for a long time. This can be achieved if high-quality materials are used during the construction, and besides this, the construction technology is strictly observed.

The first thing to do - determine coverage width. Protecting the foundation from moisture is its main purpose. Therefore, the width should be maximum. The farther the path is located from the house, the less moisture it will absorb, and, therefore, the less risk for the destruction of the foundation of the house.

Based on existing building codes, the minimum width of the protective coating should be at least 0.8 m. There are no standards regarding the maximum width of the blind area. Here, everything largely depends on the desire of the developer.

The main function that the blind area performs is to protect the foundation of the house from moisture. In addition, it is used as a path around the perimeter of the house. You should also pay attention to this when choosing it. If you make the path too narrow, then when walking along it, a person will experience some discomfort, since he will have to move along it sideways or press against the wall. Based on all this, we can say that the optimal track width is one that varies within 1 to 2.5 m.

When constructing a blind area, you need to think about its slope. It is thanks to him that the constant flow of water falling onto the blind area in the direction from the walls of the house will be ensured. In Soviet times, the standards determined the slope in the range from 50 to 100 mm per 1 meter of width. This means that at the path, which has a width of 1 m, the height at the walls of the house will vary from 50 to 100 mm, and at the other edge it will be flush with the ground. Such a steep descent of the path will ensure optimal water flow from the house.

The slope of the blind area

Water, hitting the blind area, will quickly drain, creating inconvenience. If the slope is less, then this will lead to the fact that water will drain slowly from the surface. In addition, walking on it will not be very convenient. A compromise in terms of comfort and efficiency of the incline at the track can be considered slope 15 mm per 1 m width blind areas. When this coating has such a slope, when walking on it, a person does not experience any discomfort, and there is no water retention on the surface. It slides down completely.

In principle, a slope of 10 mm per 1 meter will suffice to ensure effective water removal from the surface of the track, provided that the surface of the track is smooth and even. However, there is a drawback to the blind area with such a slope. The thing is that in winter it is not comfortable enough to walk on it, because it becomes slippery.

If the owner decided to make a protective coating not near the house, but along the perimeter of the garage, then its slope line at the entrance should be up to 30 mm per 1 meter. This will provide the greatest protection of the surface from rainwater, which will drain quickly enough. This will protect the garage from the appearance of puddles and ice.

How to properly make this protective coating is one of the important questions that arises when a person decides to arrange a blind area near his house. Its quality largely depends on the material chosen for its creation. There are several options for making the track, which involve the use of different materials. However, most often it is made of reinforced concrete.

In most cases, owners when creating a track use the following technology:

• the first step is to clean the site on which the blind area will be created;
• then they take metal rods with a cross section of 6 mm and fit in a mesh with cells, the size of which is 0.3x0.3 m. Knitted wire is used to connect them together;
• after that, a formwork is created, which is made of unedged boards;
• the next step is pouring the formwork with prepared concrete;
• you should know that before proceeding with the manufacture of the blind area, it is necessary to create a foundation. To do this, you need to remove the top layer of soil along the perimeter to the width of the future blind area to a depth of about 13 cm. A little more should be removed near the walls of the basement. In this case, the poured concrete will flow towards the house, slightly squeezing it. Additional fastening of the blind area does not need to be created;
• after that, it is necessary to mark the boundaries of the blind area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe building, hammer in the pegs, and then pull the cord;
• a layer of sand should be poured at the bottom of the trench, the thickness of which should be 5 cm. The sand cushion will act as a base for concrete. Backfilling with sand can be omitted if sandy soil prevails on the site. It is necessary to mount the formwork on the pillow, and then lay out the reinforcing mesh. Only then is concrete poured. The location of the reinforcement is of great importance. It must be completely in the concrete base. And for this it needs to be slightly raised;
• for the preparation of concrete mortar, cement grade M400 is used. In addition to it, sand and gravel are used. These components are taken in a ratio of 1:2:4-5.

Some specialists use ash when creating a track. This material is a product of coal combustion in a thermal power plant. However, care must be taken when working with it, as this specific material can be radioactive. If you create a blind area out of it, then the health of people living in the house can deteriorate significantly.

Features of the blind area around the house

Creating a blind area, which or any other task in the construction industry, has its own nuances that you need to know about even before the start of work.

It is not necessary to engage in the construction of the blind area immediately after the completion of the construction of the basement. Chernozem or clay is used when backfilling a trench. The soil will sink anyway. But this takes some time. If you start building a blind area without waiting for the soil to subside, then if moisture gets into the soil, it will subside, which will lead to the following:

• the surface of the blind area is deformed;
• cracks may appear on it.

Backfilling is necessary to avoid this phenomenon. You can use sand, which easily passes water. He will quickly sag and in a day you can do work on the blind area.

To create a blind area around the house, it is undesirable to use porcelain stoneware tiles. It has a smooth surface and is quite slippery. When the surface of such a coating is wet, the risk of injury is high. In addition, the service life of such a blind area will be short. Tiles are laid on concrete surface. And at low temperatures, it bursts, which leads to cracks.

blind area protection

The main function that the blind area performs is to protect the foundation of the dwelling. However, it will not be superfluous to protect the blind area around the house itself from water flowing from the roof on its surface. To do this, you need to think about creating an organized drainage system, which must be located around the entire perimeter of the roof. In this case, the water must first fall into the gutters, and only then flow down the pipe. Of course, it will not be possible to completely get rid of water ingress, however, a smaller amount of it will fall on the surface, which will reduce the load on the surface of the blind area.

According to pre-existing standards, a drainage system was installed without fail on buildings that had more than two floors. Currently, this system is used in every new house, regardless of how many floors it has.

In some cases, specialists carry out work on additional insulation of the blind area around the house in order to minimize soil freezing in winter.

Often used as a heater expanded clay is used, which is used instead of crushed stone in concrete mortar.

There is another way to insulate the blind area. It is poured in two layers, between which insulation is laid. As such, foam is often used.

How to make a blind area around the house?

Based on the information above, you can draw the following conclusions:

Conclusion

Every owner who has built a house dreams that his home will stand for decades. It depends on the reliability and strength of the foundation and its protection from moisture, which is its main enemy. If the foundation of your dwelling has waterproofing layer, this does not mean that it is well protected from moisture.

Frequent precipitation can lead to the penetration of moisture deep into the ground and the destruction of the sole. The consequence of this will be the deformation of the base and its gradual destruction. And this will negatively affect the reliability and service life of the structure. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange a blind area around the house to protect the foundation.

It is not so difficult to make it, so each owner of the building can handle it on their own. Most importantly, it is necessary to use high-quality materials and strictly follow the technology for creating a blind area. Then you can ensure reliability for your mansion and you can be sure of its long service life.