It is not so easy to build an ideal house in all respects – no one is immune from small problems and all sorts of accidents. The main task during construction is to prevent critical errors and miscalculations, which in consequence can cause a violation of the integrity and reliability of the entire building. Errors during construction can be the cause of both the incompetence of the developer himself, and be the result of negligence on the part of the contractor and even the designer. At the same time, all the same, the main requirements for the quality and reliability of the building fall, first of all, on the developer, since it is he who finances the construction, selects the contractors for the work, and takes the object into operation.
It is the developer who has all the necessary leverage to achieve a quality result. Many flaws and mistakes are not so significant, they can be corrected by spending a certain amount of money (finishing defects, decoration flaws), but mistakes in the construction of the foundation, basement, box or roof can cause accidents and complete unsuitability of the building. The latter option may require significant financial costs to attract specialists and “rescue” the house. How to avoid these mistakes, save yourself from additional expenses and emotional experiences and will be discussed in this article.
Design.
Without a high-quality, properly executed project, it is impossible to build a reliable and comfortable home. In the design process, not only the calculation of the maximum loads on the foundation of the house, the bearing capacity of the walls is carried out, but the house is tied and its correct placement on the site, which subsequently cannot be changed. When performing design work, fire and sanitary standards should also be taken into account, the optimal design of the interior space and much more should be chosen. Before starting the design, it is mandatory to carry out a topographic and geodetic survey of the site and geological surveys with drilling a well to a depth of at least 6 meters. This topographic survey and engineering-geological surveys will allow the designer to take into account all the subtleties of the soil structure when choosing the optimal type of foundation, help to identify the most important features of the site relief, invisible to the naked eye (groundwater, rainwater runoff paths) and much more. In addition, the working draft will allow the developer to fully effectively carry out preparatory work, plan the stages of construction, and also eliminate the need for numerous alterations and various redevelopments.
Personnel issue.
The second important step in high-quality construction is a well-thought-out personnel policy in relation to the developer, his high level of qualification, competence and decency. One of the most effective ways to learn about him is to get acquainted with his recommendations, visit the objects he built, talk with former customers. The developer must constantly exercise technical control over the correct performance of work by contractors, control the quality and compliance of the materials specified in the project, require compliance with the established deadlines for the completion of work, and strictly follow the approved project. An experienced developer will pay special attention to the quality of materials and the performance of work in the construction of the foundation, the construction of walls and roofs.
Foundation arrangement.
One of the most important and responsible work is the quality laying of the foundation. At this stage of work, the personal presence of the developer and high-quality technical control over the correct execution of work, strict adherence to the working design and production technology are necessary. When building a foundation, the following common mistakes can occur:
The necessary vertical layout for the house, which is located in the lowland, has not been completed.
In this case, the ground around the structure will most often be wet, and, consequently, the foundation itself will be subjected to extreme stress. If there is a basement or cellar in such a house, it is likely to be at risk of flooding. If the foundation of the house has already been built, then it is necessary to dig it out around the perimeter and additionally waterproof it, plan a powerful drainage system around it and think over a system of trenches to drain water away from the house. In order to prevent such a situation, the vertical layout of the foundation must be carried out solely on the basis of a geodetic survey. When choosing the optimal site for the future house, it is necessary to take into account its height in relation to the adjacent territory, neighboring areas, etc. If, for geographical reasons, the house cannot be built on a hill, then the foundation level is raised to a height higher than another area, followed by backfilling and soil compaction. In the case of a high level of groundwater, it is possible to use a pile-type foundation.
The base for the foundation under construction is not sufficiently compacted, but simply leveled with a small layer of sand and watered.
With such soil preparation, it is possible to violate the horizontality of the foundation under construction, subsidence of walls and floors, the formation of cracks in the foundation and walls, partial or complete destruction of the building. In this case, you need to contact a specialist who will develop a plan of individual measures to strengthen the foundation, repair the walls. One of the effective methods of combating further destruction of the foundation is backfilling and mechanical compaction of sand with layer-by-layer irrigation. With a bedding depth of more than 15 cm, I recommend using crushed stone for these purposes. After a complete stop of the process of subsidence of the foundation, cracks are sealed, cosmetic repairs of the foundation and walls are performed.
In the process of excavation, a dig was formed, which was eliminated by filling sand to a given depth.
You, as the owner of the house, may not know about this fact. During the construction process, a wall loaded at the place of pouring can settle and deform. A timely noticed place of digging can be easily eliminated without any consequences. A small dig (no more than 1 meter long and up to 0.2 m deep) can be eliminated by backfilling and tamping, and a longer one by deepening the entire trench to a given depth (you will have an overspending of the solution, but a strong and reliable foundation).
When pouring a monolithic structure of a shallow foundation, there is no metal reinforcement.
In this case, during cyclic freezing and thawing of the soil, the foundation will begin to crack over time, while not providing a rigid structure for the walls, which in turn will lead to the formation of cracks in the walls and their destruction. To eliminate further destruction, it is necessary to seek help from a specialist who will develop an individual action plan to strengthen the foundation structure.
To prevent such situations, it is necessary in the process of arranging the foundation to use reinforcement along the entire length, at the corners of buildings, and also, if necessary, to arrange an armored belt. In addition, it is necessary to pay special attention to the quality of the concrete used in the foundation process. So, to a large extent, its strength and reliability is affected by:
- the use of uncleaned (not washed) crushed stone in the concrete solution,
- incorrect proportion (composition) of the concrete mixture (use of weak mortars not intended for arranging foundations),
- use of contaminated or corroded reinforcement as a reinforced material, freezing,
- overdrying or overheating of concrete in the process of solidification and hardening.
After the foundation has been erected, it is necessary not to forget to perform high-quality waterproofing of the horizontal surface around its entire perimeter, in order to prevent capillary moistening of the basement of the building. If this is neglected, then the moisture in the soil will freely penetrate the wall, accumulate, and expand when it expands to destroy them. As a result, you will lose not only their aesthetic appeal, but also the strength and reliability of the structure of the entire house.
We should not forget about the necessary high-quality sealing of places for supplying water and sewer pipes. If it is poorly waterproofed, groundwater can seep through the foundation wall directly into the basement or underground space, moistening and destroying the foundation. In this case, it is recommended to use special through-hole sleeves and elastic putty. The passage sleeve is able to provide high sealing and convenience when replacing pipes, without the need to violate the integrity of the foundation wall.
Successful and successful construction to all our buyers.