Tips and tricks for installing the foundation for a do-it-yourself cottage

They say that in his life a man must do three things: build a house, ... yes you yourself know what a real man should do. Where to start construction? Any construction begins with soil research. In the process of the study, the composition of the soil, its uniformity, humidity, depth and location of subsoil water, and many other other parameters are established. After that, a project of a building or structure is developed.

The project takes into account many factors, including the conclusion of engineering and geological research. But in practice, not many can afford such research and professional project development.

How does the foundation for a country house begin?

Most often, garden houses are built “by eye”. But even in this case, it is necessary to independently verify the uniformity of the soil and the absence of water located close to the surface. To do this, drill pits to a depth of three to four meters and visually assess the uniformity of the soil, the presence or absence of organic inclusions and groundwater. Thus, the foundation design and the depth of its laying are selected.
It must be remembered that the wider the strip foundation for the country house, the greater the load it can withstand, so the width of the tape should be 40-60% more than the thickness of the supporting walls.
After choosing the basic parameters of the foundation, you need to mark the place of development. The marking is best done using the theodolite, but basically this is also done "by eye". I would like to advise you to approach this operation with all possible accuracy, check all measurements and double-check, the angles should be straight, and the lines parallel.
After marking, you need to dig trenches. From now on, all work must be done without delay, the rain can pretty much violate your plans. Coarse sand is laid at the bottom of the trench, 10-15 cm thick and well compacted, then crushed stone is laid in the same layer and is also rammed. After this, the formwork is installed, a zero level is noted and concrete is poured. When making concrete yourself, use clean sand and gravel. The presence of clay significantly reduces the strength of concrete.
After pouring, the foundation for the country house acquires sufficient strength at least a month later, only then you can continue to work, make waterproofing and erect walls. By the way, you can familiarize yourself with other types of foundation here.