How to make a concrete blind area - step-by-step instructions, from preparing the solution to pouring the concrete. Creating a blind area with your own hands Concrete pouring around the house

The work is not limited to just the construction of a private house. It will be necessary to make some efforts to arrange the home so that it is as reliable, comfortable and durable as possible. One of the main stages performed after completion of the main construction work, is to create a blind area around the house. This element performs a number of important functions. If you wish, you can make the blind area yourself; there is nothing super complicated about it.

Some homeowners ignore the need to build a blind area. And absolutely in vain! This building element helps to increase the service life of the building and generally creates more comfortable living conditions. The blind area protects the foundation and the surrounding land from harmful effects various kinds water. Atmospheric and melt water, in the absence of obstacles, can erode the soil so much that moisture seeps into the foundation and then into its base. The consequences of such an impact can be very severe, including destruction of the foundation and the house.

Thus, the blind area is very important element, especially if the house is built on a shallow foundation, the base of which is located close to the top layer of soil. When wet, the sole of the base will lose its strength and begin to sag, which will lead to a significant decrease in strength concrete structure, right up to its destruction.

But even if the house is built on a strong, buried foundation, the need for a blind area cannot be ignored. It must be present in any case, regardless of the type of foundation, soil and level of precipitation characteristic of a particular region, etc.

Preparing to create a blind area around the house

There is nothing complicated about constructing a blind area yourself; you just need to take into account and follow the basic recommendations in order to get the most reliable and durable building. It is first necessary to prepare materials and understand the main stages of the technology.

Selecting the width of the blind area

Choose the appropriate width of the structure. Since the “shoulders” of this structure bear the function of protecting the foundation of the structure, the width of the fill should be quite large. To reduce the risk of foundation destruction under the influence of moisture, it is worth taking care to drain water from the walls of the building to the greatest possible distance. The optimal width of the blind area is at least 80 cm.

Quite often, the blind area is made so wide that it simultaneously serves as a convenient path. This point also needs to be taken into account at the stage of planning the blind area, so that in the future you do not have to move sideways along such a path. Thus, the most convenient width of the blind area, which can provide both reliable protection and freedom of movement, is 150-250 cm.

The blind area is carried out with a certain slope, which can ensure the drainage of rain and melt water from the house. In accordance with building codes, per 100 cm of the width of the structure there must be at least 5-10 cm of slope. Thus, if the blind area is, for example, 100 cm wide, then the edge that meets the wall of the house will rise by 5-10 cm, and the opposite side will be at the same level with the ground.

Such a descent is quite sufficient to effectively drain water from the building. However, moving around similar design hard. But if you reduce the angle of inclination, the flow of liquid will not be as effective. In view of this, the slope is made at a level of 1.5 cm per 100 cm of the width of the structure. This optimal value, which does not interfere with walking along the path and promotes effective moisture removal.

Materials for the installation of a blind area

The independent construction of the design in question requires the presence of certain devices. The list of materials may vary depending on the selected type of blind area. The most common option is concrete construction.

First you need to clean the area for the blind area, lay a reinforcing mesh of rods with a diameter of at least 6 mm, connect the rods with a special binding wire, install the formwork and pour concrete mortar. This general scheme. However, each stage has its own characteristics and requires separate consideration.

Set for pouring blind area

1. Shovel for digging a trench.
2. Level.
3. Wheelbarrow.
4. Manual tamping.
5. Materials for moisture insulation.
6. Material for thermal insulation.
7. Clay.
8. Crushed stone.
9. Sand.
10. Reinforcing bars or finished design with cells 100x100 mm.

Remove everything from the walls of the house that could interfere with the work, collect the devices listed above and start marking. For this step you will need some rope and metal pegs. When creating markings, make sure that the structure has the same width in all places.

Guide to pouring a blind area

The blind area makes a big contribution to the durability of the foundation, so its creation must be approached with maximum responsibility.

The structure consists of an underlying and a top layer. The first is responsible for creating an even, compacted base for the next layer. It is created from sand and small gravel. The total thickness of the layer is about 2 cm. You can also use clay. When choosing a specific bedding material, focus on the material of the top layer.

The top layer is designed to create water resistance and increase the resistance of the structure to water. Can be created from small cobblestones, clay, concrete and other materials. The thickness of such a layer is about 10 cm.

The instructions will discuss the procedure for arranging the most popular type of blind area - concrete. Having dealt with its construction, you can make a blind area from any other materials suitable for this purpose without any problems.

How to make a blind area with your own hands. Digging trenches and erecting formwork

The technology for arranging a blind area around the house requires mandatory reinforcement. Thanks to the reinforcing mesh, the rigidity and durability of the concrete structure will be increased. As noted, you can buy a ready-made mesh or assemble it yourself from metal rods. Cells with a side of 10 cm are considered optimal.

Special attention must be paid to the expansion joint. It is created at the junction of the basement of the house with the blind area. Due to such a seam, the said structures will be protected during the process of soil subsidence. That is, the blind area will be able to sink along the seam without causing damage to the base of the house. The standard seam width is 1-1.5 cm. The seam must be filled with roofing felt, sand-gravel mixture or bitumen of your choice.

You can also use a special rope for filling, the manufacture of which uses foamed polyethylene.

It is important that the diameter of this bundle is approximately ¼ greater than the width of the expansion joint and fits into the gap as tightly as possible. For more convenient compaction of the bundle, take plywood or other similar material.

The blind area technology requires that seams be present across the concrete structure, approximately every 200-300 cm. They will protect the blind area from ruptures during frosts. It is most convenient to make transverse seams using wooden slats. It is enough just to install the slats so that their top is located at the same level with the upper border of the concrete pour. Also, expansion joints must be present in the corners of the building. Don't forget to take into account the slope of the blind area.

To protect the slats from rotting, they must be pre-treated bitumen mastic, waste oil or other similar material. Also, expansion joints must be present in the corners of the building.

Concrete for blind area. Preparation and pouring

Concrete is prepared from 1 part cement (it is best to use the M400 grade material or the less expensive M500), two parts sand and four parts crushed stone.

After pouring, the concrete must be compacted and leveled. The wooden slats, previously used to create transverse expansion joints, will simultaneously serve as beacons by which you can navigate during the work process.

After pouring is completed, the concrete should be covered with a cloth; burlap is ideal. The cloth should be regularly moistened with water to prevent the concrete from drying out and cracking.

In the end, all that remains is to wait until the concrete gains strength. On average, this takes 1 month. If desired, you can do finishing cladding blind areas. Acid-resistant bricks are perfect for this.

Thus, there is nothing complicated about pouring the blind area around the house yourself. Just follow the instructions you received and everything will work out.

Good luck!

Video - DIY blind area around the house

Saving on construction is a difficult stage, where the quality/cost line is important, so that you don’t go broke on repairs in the future, and at the same time, feel comfortable enough when operating the structure.

The blind area should be built after the foundation, basement, walls, and roof have been completely built. Although, the blind area can be constructed at almost any stage of construction, after the walls have been laid. But the blind area after all stages of construction will be the cheapest and least time-consuming, because in this case you save on calculations and errors, and the formwork can be constructed on only three sides.

A concrete blind area of ​​70 cm around the entire house will be the most simple option. To build a high-quality blind area, it is necessary to take into account a number of rules:

1. The width of the blind area should be greater than the protruding part of the roof, usually by at least 20 cm. This is done so that moisture dripping from the roof does not deform land plot, which actively affects the quality of the foundation.
2. The blind area should be continuous, monolithic around the entire house. Only in this case will the foundation be safely protected from moisture, which, however, does not exclude waterproofing in any case.
3. A wider blind area is also more functional in terms of protection from moisture.
4. The slope of the blind area will optimally provide drainage at 1.5 degrees. You can make the slope larger, but remember that on a steeper slope in winter you can slip. The slope is formed at the stage of the underlying layer, and it is also possible at the stage of laying the covering.
5. A blind area made in accordance with all the rules ensures high quality, savings and no repairs, and a long service life for both the blind area and the plinth.

1. The underlying layer is a smooth, compacted base for the coating. For him, materials such as clay, fine crushed stone, and sand are used. The material of the underlying layer directly depends on the coating material used. Thickness up to 2 cm.
2. The coating must be completely waterproof and resistant to the destructive effects of water. They use clay, concrete, asphalt, and small cobblestones. Layer thickness up to 10cm.

These layers are necessary for any blind area.

In our case, the width of the blind area is 100cm. The soil along the entire perimeter of the house must be removed to a depth of 20-25 cm. As a rule, the soil here is removed at the very beginning of building a house. You should dig to the full width of the blind area, 1 m. The calculation is also based on the material with which the blind area is laid. Regarding a blind area made of concrete, a depth of 20-25 cm is required; relative to other materials, a different depth is needed.

Some developers recommend immediately after digging a trench around the house, leveling the floor and walls, and then immediately covering them with herbicides. So that the plant roots do not grow later and damage the blind area. It's your own choice.

The formwork is made of boards. As a rule, 2cm thick boards are used for this.

A layer of clay of several centimeters should be laid on the soil that we have compacted. Then, it is necessary to level the layer and compact it.

A layer of sand is laid 10cm thick. It is also carefully compacted. To make the compaction process easier, moisten the sand with water. But not abundantly, so that the water does not reach the clay.

Then there is a layer of crushed stone of 5-10cm.

To strengthen the blind area, reinforce it fiberglass reinforcement with intervals at the joints of 10 cm. Reinforcement makes it possible to achieve concrete resistance not only to compression, but also to tension. Earth displacement occurs frequently, so reinforcement is required in any case.

At the junction of the blind area with the walls of the basement, you need to make a seam. It's called compensatory. Also, this seam is called a deformation or temperature seam. This seam will protect the base and blind area from ground subsidence and further destruction. In this case, the blind area will lower, but the movement will not damage the base, since all the mechanical impact will be on the seam. The width of such a seam is up to 1.5 cm. It should be made from a mixture of fine gravel and sand, bitumen, mastic, or two layers of roofing material. Some even use a tourniquet made of foamed polyethylene. The diameter of such a bundle is a quarter larger than the width of the seam. Thus, the rope fits very tightly into the seam gap.

Features when placing the tourniquet - it should go completely into the gap, and leave a little space on top. Those. There should be a depth at the top free from everything, which is equal to half the width of the seam. A piece of plywood will allow you to this process faster.

In our case, a simple sealant was used.

When filling the blind area, an expansion joint should be made across it every 2 meters. They preserve the blind area from ruptures in winter period. Wooden slats placed on edge are perfect for these purposes. The surface of the slats should be flush with the surface of the blind area. The slope of the blind area should also be taken into account, and therefore, place the slats either on a slope, or make the slats pre-slanted on the edge, to match the slope. To protect wooden inserts from rotting, they should be treated with bitumen mastic.

Expansion joints should also be installed in the corners of the house. Those. at the corners of the blind area.

In addition to pouring the concrete, it should also be compacted and leveled. The slats will help you navigate the height of concrete pouring. Just wait until it hardens completely.

Ironing gives the greatest strength to the formwork. Ironing done using the wet method will help the blind area achieve the greatest water resistance.

The last stage is covering concrete surface with fabric material, gradually, as it dries, wetting the fabric with water. This will help keep the concrete from drying out before it finally hardens. If you have to lay a blind area during the rainy season, then you can do without moisture.

In 2 weeks the blind area will be ready.

When laying the foundation, plinth and blind area of ​​the house correctly, long years you won't have any problems. But what to do if they appear? For example, is the blind area cracked? Yes, even significantly.

It will be enough to fill small cracks with some concrete mixture in a 1:1 ratio.

Larger cracks should be cut out to the full depth of their formation, the recess should be cleared of dust, dirt and other debris, and filled with liquid mastic (2/3 bitumen, BND-90/130, 10% crushed slag and 15% asbestos material). Then sprinkle the filled cracks with any sand.

If the destruction of the blind area turns out to be even more significant, then it should be fully restored using a fresh portion of concrete and a couple of simple manipulations. The surface must be cleaned of dirt and primed. For the latter, a cement solution is suitable. Place the fresh mixture and level it. Then, it is necessary to prevent the fresh concrete mixture from drying out until it has completely hardened. Those. Moisten it steadily, at the slightest drying, and cover with polyethylene film.

Repair of the blind area is best done in spring period, or autumn. Need cool weather. At summer period– you should choose the morning as the best time for work. Because due to high temperatures, the concrete will expand and the cracks will decrease. In winter, working with concrete is impossible.

Do not forget that the grade of concrete also affects the level of strength of the blind area. It’s easy to find 500 grade cement on sale, which we then divide into required proportions. With the highest density of 500 grade, the blind area will be very strong, and it will really last for decades. If only because it is the 500 grade of cement that is used for the construction of large bridges and tall buildings over 30 floors.

Video instructions for building a blind area

Today we will continue the topic of the foundation and plinth of your house, or rather, we will “close it” with an article about how to build it yourself correctly and inexpensively concrete blind area for your home. We will look at the simplest and inexpensive way devices concrete blind area(after all, our task is to build inexpensive house with your own hands, which is not inferior in reliability dear home. Remember?).

So what do we have? The construction of our house is completed: the roof - it's all finished. It's time to start building the blind area. In fact, the blind area can be made almost any time after the walls are laid. But the most optimal time, in our opinion, this is when you start the final exterior decoration your house. If you plan to cladding the base, then the blind area should be done after this work has been completed.

Why do you need a blind area?

If you do not have enough funds for the final finishing of the house, then blind area We still recommend doing it. In any case, the blind area should be done before the cold weather. Then your house will “overwinter and welcome spring” without any problems.

And now - the main functions of the blind area:

1. Decorative effect, a sense of architectural completeness;
2. Except decorative element houses, blind area is protection of the foundation from external waters: melt water, rain. Retention of water, its diversion into storm sewer(this is what you plan to do) - the main task of the blind area;
3. In addition, the blind area allows you to reduce freezing of the soil underneath it, and, accordingly, around the house. Those. the blind area guards the heat of the house;
4. Reducing soil freezing entails reducing the likelihood of soil heaving. It is recommended to do this on swelling soils. True, we decided not to do this;
5. If there is no blind area and the soil comes close to the base, then in addition to excessive moisture, plant roots can also cause damage to the foundation.

How to make a blind area correctly?

The simplest option is a concrete blind area with a width of 60 cm, which surrounds your house on all sides.

In order for the blind area to fully fulfill its purpose, it is necessary to follow several basic rules:

• the width of the blind area should not match or be less than the roof overhang. Minimum width of the blind area = roof overhang (eaves) + 20cm;
• the blind area should continuously encircle the entire house. Then the basement of the house (and ground floor) will be protected from moisture penetration;
• the wider the blind area, the better the function of protection against water penetration will be performed;
• the blind area should be performed with a slight slope. Minimum slope from the house towards the ground, which will ensure water drainage - 1.5 degrees. The slope may be greater. It depends on the base coating. The slope can be formed both at the stage of creating the underlying layer and at the stage of laying the coating. We will describe below what the underlying layer and coating are.

DIY concrete blind area

The durability of your foundation depends on the blind area, carried out according to all the rules, minimum expenses both money and time for repairing the foundation, basement and blind area and the absence of “headaches” after you have finished building your house with your own hands - and this is probably the most important thing!

The blind area is two structural layers:

• underlying layer. The main task is to create an even, compacted base for the coating. Material used: clay, sand, small crushed stone. The material for the underlying layer depends on the covering material. Thickness - up to 20mm;
• coating. The main task is water resistance and resistance to the destructive effects of water. Material used: clay (clay is a material that can be used as both an underlying layer and a coating), concrete, asphalt mixture, small cobblestones. Thickness - up to 10 cm.

This is true for any type of blind area. In this regard, we will tell you in what order the work should be performed for concrete blind area structures.

1. We carry out markings for the future blind area. We talked about the minimum width of the blind area in this article above. The width of the blind area in our house is 100cm;
2. We remove and compact the soil around the perimeter of the building. Usually the soil is removed during the zero construction cycle. When constructing a blind area, you need to prepare the soil exactly for the width of the future blind area in accordance with the markings. In this case, you need to consider what material you will make the blind area from. For a concrete blind area, the soil must be removed to a depth of 20-25 cm - the depth “at the bayonet of a shovel”;
3. Sometimes it is recommended to treat the roots of plants under the removed soil with herbicides, which can subsequently cause harm to the blind area. This is at your discretion - we did not do this;
4. We make formwork from boards. For formwork we use boards 20mm thick. About how to make it correctly removable formwork from boards (the principle is the same), we described in the article;
5. Place a small layer of clay on the compacted soil. Level and compact the clay;
6. We lay a layer of sand 10 cm thick. The sand must be thoroughly compacted. To do this, it is effective to shed the sand with a layer of water. Don't overdo it - there's clay underneath! Compact the sand especially carefully near the foundation.
7. Now we lay crushed stone in a layer of 6-7 cm;
8. To strengthen the blind area, we reinforce it with reinforcement mesh (see photo) in increments of 100 mm. It is typical for concrete to withstand compressive loads. Reinforcement allows the blind area to also effectively withstand tensile loads;
9. At the junction of the blind area with the plinth, it is necessary to make a seam, which is called a compensation seam. It is also called deformation or temperature. The expansion joint will protect the base and blind area from destruction due to soil subsidence. In this case, the blind area will sag or fall along the prepared seam without causing damage to the base. The width of the expansion joint is 1-1.5 cm. We fill this gap with a mixture of sand and fine gravel, bitumen, mastic or two layers of roofing felt. Some builders use foamed polyethylene to fill the seam. The diameter of the tourniquet should be 25% larger than the width of the seam so that the tourniquet fits tightly into the gap. A special feature when laying a rope: its top should be at a depth equal to 1/2 the width of the seam. To make laying the bundle easier, you can use a piece of plywood. And although we talked about this method of filling an expansion joint, we did not use it ourselves. We used sealant;
10. When pouring a blind area with concrete across the blind area, an expansion (temperature) joint should be constructed every 2-3 meters (the distance depends on the likelihood of soil swelling). Expansion joints protect the concrete blind area from possible ruptures in winter. Suitable for these purposes wooden slats, mounted on edge. The slats must be installed so that their top surface coincides with the surface of the concrete. IMPORTANT! Consider the slope of the blind area! To protect the slats from rotting, we treated them with waste oil (used oil). Wooden slats can also be processed;
11. Expansion (temperature) joints must also be installed in the corners of the house;
12. We put and ;
13. Level the concrete base. Pre-installed to create expansion joints wooden slats play the role of beacons, which should be guided by when leveling the concrete;
14. It will give maximum strength to the formwork. Ironing done wet method will give the blind area for your home maximum moisture resistance;
15. And the final stage: cover the concrete surface with a cloth, wetting it with water from time to time. This will keep the concrete from drying out until it is completely cured. If you are making a blind area during the rainy season, and this is exactly what happened to us, you can do without additional moisture. Daily rains will do their job;
16. A week later correct blind area made of concrete for your home.

Repair of concrete blind area

If you have properly completed the foundation, plinth and blind area for your home, you should not have problems for a long time.

However, it happens that cracks appear on the blind area or damage takes up a significant area. What to do in these cases?

1. Small cracks should be filled with liquid cement mortar (1:1 or 1:2);
2. Larger cracks must be cut out to their full depth and cleaned of contaminants. Then fill the prepared cracks with mastic of the following composition: 70% bitumen BND-90/130 or BND-60/90, 10% crushed slag and 15% asbestos. Cracks filled with mastic should be sprinkled with sand.
3. If the damage to the concrete blind area is significant, it is necessary to restore it fresh concrete. To do this, clean the surface to be repaired from dirt and prime it. Use for primer cement mortar(1:1 or 1:2). Then lay fresh mortar and level it. Next, you need to prevent the laid concrete from drying before it hardens. In other words, periodically moisten it or cover it plastic film to prevent drying out.

IMPORTANT! It is more effective to repair the blind area in spring or autumn in cool weather. If you need to repair the blind area in the summer, choose the morning hours for this. During the day under the influence high temperature Due to the expansion of concrete, the gaps will decrease. This will prevent you from completing your repair as efficiently as possible.

Blind area, surrounding the house, plays a very important role in ensuring long and comfortable use of the home. It protects the foundation structure and the soil around it from water ingress. The accumulation of moisture near the house when snow melts or during precipitation can wash away upper layer soil and reach the foundation. If it manages to seep to the base of the foundation and damage it, then it load bearing capacity and strength will be reduced, which may result in the destruction of the house. It is especially important to do it correctly when using a shallow base, in which the sole is close to the surface, so moisture can easily reach its depth.

The width of the blind area should be as wide as possible, since it should protect the base.

As a result of getting wet, the strength of the sole decreases, and it begins to sag unevenly, destroying the foundation. However, even if buried foundations are used, it is also necessary. It must always be done, regardless of the foundation design, soil type and other conditions.

Preparing to create a blind area around the house

How to properly make a high-quality one so that it lasts as long as possible and becomes reliable protection for the foundation? To do this you need to select suitable material good quality and strictly follow technology.

First of all, you need to choose the width. Since it must protect the base, its width should be as wide as possible.

Scheme of the blind area around the house.

Except protective function, the blind area around the house is also erected as a path around the perimeter of the building. This also needs to be taken into account when choosing its width, so that in the future you do not have to walk on it sideways. Based on the above, we can conclude that the most optimal width of a properly made blind area around the house, which meets all standards and requirements, is within the range of about 1-2.5 m.

The blind area around the house must be made with a certain slope, which will ensure that water flows away from the walls of the building. Building codes determine the slope to be 50-100 mm per 1 m of width. This means that the edge of the blind area around the house, the width of which is 1 m, will have a height of 50-100 mm near the wall of the house, and its other edge will be located flush with the ground. The resulting slope is good for draining water from the building: water will flow down it quickly enough, but it is difficult to walk on such a blind area. However, if you make the angle of inclination smaller, then the water will flow much more slowly or even linger on the surface, but walking will be much more comfortable. A compromise between efficiency and comfort is considered to be a slope of 15 mm per 1 m of width. When walking, such a slope is almost unnoticeable, and the water completely flows down and does not linger on the surface.

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Materials and covering for the blind area around the house

Scheme of the blind area.

In order to properly make a blind area around the house yourself, you need to prepare the appropriate materials. There are several popular options for its manufacture, which use various materials, but the most common is a concrete blind area.

The manufacturing technology is quite simple. First of all, the area for the blind area is cleaned, after which reinforcement bars with a diameter of 6 mm or more are laid in the form of a mesh. The rods are connected to each other using binding wire. Next, formwork made from wooden boards. At the end, the formwork is filled with concrete mortar.

To make a blind area around the house yourself, prepare the following tools and materials:

• Shovel;
• Hydraulic level;
• Wheelbarrow for transporting crushed stone and removing soil;
• Manual tamping;
• Waterproofing materials;
• Insulation;
• Sand;
• Crushed stone;
• Clay;
• Reinforced mesh with 10x10 cells or reinforcement bars.

Before starting work, it is advisable to carry out the necessary preparatory actions, for which you should organize free access to the house from all sides, as well as prepare the previously listed tools and materials.

The next stage is carrying out marking work. It is most convenient to carry out this procedure using wooden or metal pegs (driven in around the perimeter of the future) and a cord stretched between them. In this case, you need to ensure that the blind area has the same width at all points (usually around private houses with a width of 1 m).

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Concrete blind area around the house with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

Scheme of the construction of a concrete blind area.

The durability of the foundation, as well as the amount of money and time spent on constructing the structure itself, depends on the blind area, made in accordance with all rules and regulations. It is better to take care of creating a blind area immediately after completing the construction of the house.

The blind area around the house consists of 2 structural layers. The first of these is the underlying layer. The main task of this layer is to create a compacted level base for covering. Material used: sand, clay or small crushed stone. Layer thickness - up to 20 mm. The choice of material for the underlying layer depends entirely on the material of the second layer, i.e. coverings. The main purpose of the coating is resistance to the destructive effects of moisture and water resistance. Material used: clay (it can be used both as a base layer and to create a coating), asphalt mixture, concrete, small cobblestones. Layer thickness - up to 100 mm.

Diagram of a concrete blind area.

This is true for any type of blind area around the house. The following will provide instructions for constructing a blind area using the example of the most popular option - concrete.

To prepare a concrete mixture, you need to take M400 cement, crushed stone and sand in proportions 1:4:2.

Make markings for the future blind area around the house. The minimum width of the structure was discussed earlier. Remove and compact the soil around the perimeter of the building. Usually the soil is removed during the zero cycle of construction work. When constructing a blind area, it is necessary to prepare the ground exactly to the width future design in accordance with the markings made. It is necessary to take into account what material will be used during construction. To do this, you need to remove the soil to a depth of about 25 cm (“on the bayonet of a shovel”).

The next step is making formwork from boards. For formwork, boards with a thickness of 20 mm are used. A small layer of clay is placed on the compacted soil. The clay is leveled and compacted. A layer of sand about 10 cm thick is laid. The sand must be thoroughly compacted, for which it should be additionally spilled with water. Try not to overdo it. Remember that there is clay below. Sand near the foundation must be compacted especially carefully. Now you need to lay crushed stone in a layer of 60-70 mm.

A blind area built around the foundation of a house protects it and the soil adjacent to it from moisture penetration and premature destruction. Water flowing from the roof of a house erodes the top layer of soil and seeps to the base of the foundation. This leads to its subsidence, and ultimately can lead to the destruction of the house. To prevent such a phenomenon, a proper blind area must be installed around the perimeter of the house.

Installing a blind area significantly reduces the depth of soil freezing under the house and reduces its heat loss in winter time of the year.

However, to fulfill this requirement building codes you need to know how to properly fill the blind area.

The main purpose of the blind area

To do this, first of all you need to select its width. Since it must protect the base of the house from moisture, a larger width is better. As a rule, its minimum width is taken to be 80 cm and, at a minimum, it should protrude approximately 20 cm beyond the roof eaves.

In addition to the function of protecting the base of the house, the blind area is often used as pedestrian path located around the perimeter of the house. Therefore her optimal width it is better to make from 1 to 2 m. With its help, the base of the house receives additional decorative decoration and a sense of architectural completeness of the building.

Second important condition- she needs to make such a slope that it ensures the flow of water away from the walls of the house. The slope angle should be about three degrees. The generally accepted slope is approximately 15 mm per 1 m of width. This slope ensures good drainage of water and is practically invisible when walking.

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How is the blind area arranged?

You will need the following materials:

• sand and fine gravel to create a base layer;
• reinforcement with a diameter of about 8 mm, a mesh with a cell size of approximately 30x30 cm is made from it. The reinforcement rods are fastened together using knitting wire.
• boards 22 mm thick to create formwork.

Technologically, the blind area is performed on a cushion of two layers of dissimilar material:

The first layer is a compacting pad. Its main function is to create a dense, even layer under the main coating. The materials used for it are clay, fine gravel and sand. This layer is laid with a thickness of at least 20 cm.

The second layer is the coating. It is designed to be waterproof and must be resistant to water penetration. Covering material: concrete, asphalt, pea gravel or compacted clay. Its thickness can be about 10 cm.

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The procedure for constructing a blind area

To properly fill the blind area, you need to perform work in the following sequence:

1. First of all, make the correct markings for the future blind area, choosing the required width.
2. It is necessary to remove soil within the established width along the entire perimeter of the foundation. As a rule, the soil is removed to a depth of about 25 cm. Then the entire surface of the cleaned area is compacted.
3. Formwork made of 22 mm thick boards is installed around the entire perimeter, which is carefully strengthened.
4. Clay is placed on the surface of the compacted soil in a layer of about 5 cm. The clay layer is leveled and thoroughly compacted.
5. Sand is placed on the compacted layer of clay. The thickness of the sand layer is about 10 cm. The sand layer must be leveled and thoroughly compacted. For compaction to be effective, the sand must be soaked with water during the compaction process. The sand must be compacted very carefully against the walls of the foundation.
6. Fine crushed stone is poured on top of the sand, in a layer approximately 8 cm thick. The crushed stone is also carefully compacted.
7. To strengthen the blind area, it is reinforced with reinforcement about 8 mm thick in increments of about 15 cm.
8. In the process of pouring the blind area with concrete, it is necessary to install expansion joints across the blind area in increments of approximately 2 m at the corners. Expansion joints prevent the blind area from breaking in winter. To organize the seams, wooden slats with a thickness of about 20 mm are used. The slats are installed flush with the concrete surface, maintaining the slope angle. Before installation, they must be impregnated with an antiseptic or bitumen mastic.
9. The blind area should be separated from the foundation walls by an expansion joint. It prevents the destruction of the base and preserves the blind area in the event of soil subsidence due to heaving and thermal expansion of the soil. If such situations arise, the blind area will simply fall along the prepared seam without damaging the foundation walls. The seam is made about 2 cm wide. Then it should be filled with fine gravel, sand, sealant, bitumen or a strip of roofing felt folded in half. However, it is best to fill it with a strip of polyethylene foam. This strip should be about a quarter larger than the width of the seam.
10. After execution preparatory work lay and compact the concrete solution. We perform the alignment concrete base. When leveling the surface, compensation slats should be used as beacons.
11. After leveling the surface, we iron it, it will give maximum strength and moisture resistance to the surface of the blind area.
12. For final hardening of the blind area, its surface must be periodically moistened with water and covered with cloth or film.
13. After about two weeks, the blind area gains its design strength, the fabric is removed and