How to repair an old brick foundation of a wooden house. Repair of the foundation of an old wooden house - the foundation of the dwelling will again be reliable! Factors indicating the need for repair or replacement of the foundation

The construction of wooden houses is quite common in our latitudes due to the availability of material and low construction costs. Quite often, people buy for little money or inherit old wooden buildings that require restoration. What to do with the building itself is more or less clear, but not every experienced master knows how to repair the old foundation in a quality manner. This material is devoted to issues related to the repair of the foundation under a wooden house: how to make a foundation at the lowest cost and maximum efficiency.

When are repairs really needed?

The fact that the foundation needs restoration can most often be guessed without carrying out any measurements and research. Under an old wooden building, the base often sags, causing the walls to skew and deform. Additional strengthening of the foundation of a wooden house is required to compensate for the load and counteract the following factors that negatively affect the structure:

  • the influence of time - building materials simply lost their physical properties under the influence of natural obsolescence;
  • high soil moisture, often due to poor drainage;
  • frequent temperature changes;
  • seasonal factor (heavy rainfall);
  • heaving of the surface layers of the soil, forcing to look for ways to strengthen the foundation;
  • low-quality materials from which the structure is made or violation of construction technology.

If the reconstruction of the foundation under the wooden house is not carried out in time, the performance of the building will deteriorate further and home comfort will come to an end sooner or later. One day the situation will worsen so much that there will be nothing to restore and you will have to rebuild the house, which is many times more expensive than the timely repair of the foundation.

An initial visual assessment is usually sufficient to determine the extent of the work required. When repairing the foundation of an old wooden structure, it may be sufficient to partially build up the most affected area, but there are times when almost everything has to be redone, and for a complete reconstruction, additional equipment and considerable knowledge in construction will be required, in particular, you need to know how to raise a building without risking destruction its walls and roof. Also, before you start repairing the foundation of a wooden house, you need to take care of the availability of all the necessary materials and tools.

Damage characteristic

To determine whether the foundation of an old house is suitable for repair, it is necessary to assess the degree of damage to it. In total, there are four levels of maintainability:

  1. Minor damage. Reconstruction of the foundation of a wooden house in such cases is the easiest to carry out, since apart from the peeling off plaster, there are no significant damages, and the bearing capacity of the base has been preserved.
  2. Average degree of destruction. Characterized by the formation of cracks of various sizes. In such cases, before repairing the foundation under the house, its behavior should be studied: perhaps the cracks will not expand and then they can simply be repaired. Otherwise, the scale of work will be much larger and you will have to look for ways to add a foundation under an old wooden house to thoroughly strengthen it.
  3. Catastrophic damage. The appearance of such defects can destroy the structure of the building. Most likely, it will be necessary to replace the foundation of a wooden house with your own hands, or to strengthen it. The repair technology is determined based on the type of foundation, soil characteristics, budget for construction work.
  4. Unrepairable damage. For such foundations, repairs make no sense - from a practical point of view, it is more economically profitable to simply destroy the building and clear the site for a new house.

Features of the strip foundation and its repair

For complex, moisture-saturated soils that have been prone to heaving to this day, masters in the field of construction recommend pouring a tape-type foundation. Since the building structure made of wood does not have a large mass, this base can be made shallowly buried, which will not only save on cement and reinforcement, but also avoid the harmful effects of unstable soil. But even a reliable strip foundation under a wooden house loses its operational properties over time, and it needs to be repaired.


First of all, you need to inspect the base to find out how complex work may be required.
For these purposes, a narrow trench is dug around the perimeter from the base. In lowered sections, you can raise the old foundation and strengthen it. If some parts are destroyed, they are removed, and are connected to each other through the supply of reinforcement or anchor fasteners. Further, in order to renew the structure, the base of the excavated trench is filled with a concrete composition of a liquid consistency, designed to fill in all defects and cracks. The mixture is poured in sections one and a half to two meters long, which are connected by reinforcing bars. As a result, without installing a new foundation under the structure of an old wooden house, we will be able to strengthen the old structure and prevent the surrounding soil from settling for many years to come.

Replacing the foundation under a wooden building with its uniform subsidence is carried out by means of a monolithic concrete belt with additional reinforcement. Its depth should be approximately 25 centimeters, and the bottom of the trench is covered with a sand and gravel cushion that acts as a drainage. The plinth of the structure is equipped with an outflow to prevent destruction from excess moisture.

In case of uneven distortions, the use of hydraulic jacks will be required. Before raising the building under the jack, a support from a metal profile or timber is installed. The building should be raised very slowly so as not to destroy the interior decoration, flooring and roofing. After lifting, the old structural elements are additionally reinforced and fastened with a new coating. A waterproofing layer is installed between the structure of the house and the basement.

Repair of pile supports

If the building is installed on concrete piles or brick pillars that have retained functionality, the repair of the pile foundation under a wooden log house is carried out by manufacturing a concrete reinforcement belt using a similar technology as for the tape type foundations discussed in the previous part.

However, the supports are not always preserved, and before the foundation is redone, the house will need to be raised. If the pile does not collapse during the lifting process, it can be repaired and used further, otherwise the support is laid out again. Crooked piles can be brought to a vertical position with a small dig and fixed with a mixture based on gravel and cement.

Supports with serious deformations and destruction are replaced with special pipes made of asbestos-cement composition. To bring the foundation under the base of an old wooden house, it is placed in a dug trench with a slight slope, connected to a pile hole. The cavity of the installed support is filled with cement and fixed on a bed of gravel and sand. Also, the support is reinforced with cement from the outside. To more clearly familiarize yourself with the installation process, you can watch a video with detailed instructions.

Complete replacement of the base of the building with a new one

Many owners of old mansions are interested in how to completely replace the foundation under a wooden house. This procedure is very laborious, but in cases where the support structure is in a deplorable state, repair does not make much sense.

The most popular is the method in which a wooden house is installed on a tape-type foundation with a plinth filled at the required height. Before changing the foundation, a continuous trench is dug along the perimeter of the walls of the building, into which reinforced concrete is poured. It will also require waterproofing work, and before strengthening the foundation, it is finally insulated and covered with cladding.

The second way to overhaul the foundation of an old wooden house involves the use of screw piles. With strength characteristics comparable to those of a strip foundation, an updated foundation on screw piles is more economical and does not require a lot of time and effort for its installation. The supports of a wooden house are installed by hand using levers specially designed for this purpose. The installation depth of the pile for the foundation under the old wooden house should be at the level of freezing of the soil layer. The installed piles are connected by electric welding with the help of a channel belt, which creates a single structure.

Conclusion

As we could see, the repair of the foundation of a wooden house can be carried out in different ways, the choice between which is determined by the state of the old foundation and external conditions. If necessary, methods are provided that explain how to replace the foundation under a wooden house with a new structure that fully meets modern building standards.

You can determine whether the foundation needs repair by throwing just one look at it. The fact that the days of the foundation of the house are already numbered is indicated by the warping of the building, cracks in the walls and subsidence of the house. It is impossible to insure the building against such deformations, because over time the foundation materials are destroyed. Therefore, one day the hour comes when the owners of a wooden house have to decide what kind of repairs to make - partial or complete.

Conditions for partial and major repairs

In order to find out the degree of damage to the foundation and determine the necessary measures to restore it, you need to carefully study the current state of the foundation and identify characteristic defects that may affect the strength and integrity of the building or its individual elements.

If cracks appear on the foundation, then you need to think about the need to repair it.

The foundation is restored fragmentarily if it has sunk lower, but has not begun to collapse. A full repair is resorted to when cracks and other damage are detected.

The decision on what basis to replace a completely damaged structure is made, taking into account the type of soil, the terrain and the type of foundation originally created.

If the foundation of the house has gone into the ground, it's time to repair it.

With a strip base, they often do the following: the destroyed zones are dismantled and the structure around the entire perimeter is reinforced. In case of serious destruction of the foundation tape, it is decided to completely replace it.

With serious defects in the tape base of the house, it makes sense to think about its complete replacement

The repair of the column base is almost always carried out completely: all the old supports of the building are replaced with new ones. To do this, the house is raised to the height of the pillars with the help of jacks. New reliable supports are fixed on reinforced concrete "pillows".

The columnar foundation is most often completely replaced with a new one.

The foundation of wood, which has already managed to spoil the fungus a little, is usually replaced with a tape or columnar structure. To do this, the building is raised to a certain level and concrete blocks or bricks are placed under it.

Strengthening the foundation of a wooden house

When repairing the foundation, it makes sense to immediately strengthen it. You can do this if you are confident in the stability of the soil, which is below the level of laying the foundation of your house. Strengthening the structure under the building may also be required when it is planned to make another floor in the house, but there is a suspicion that the previously installed base will not withstand the increased load.

There are two ways to strengthen the foundation, depending on the load that it has to withstand.

Instructions for strengthening the tape structure

To make the foundation stronger, perform the following work:

  1. A trench is dug around the perimeter of the base. The pit must be wide, otherwise it will be inconvenient to work. In addition, we must take into account that the new foundation will become more powerful.
  2. The soil is cleared from the excavated foundation. To do this, use a metal brush.

    The trench must be wide enough to be comfortable to work in.

  3. Holes are made in the old base with a drill. It is important that their diameter exceeds the thickness of the purchased reinforcing bars by no more than 1 mm. In this case, the metal elements will be installed securely and without gaps.
  4. Reinforcement bars are inserted into the drilled holes with a hammer. They will help to connect the new foundation with the old one.

    Reinforcing bars are hammered into the drilled holes, to which a vertical grate is attached.

  5. Next metal elements are welded to the clogged rods, forming a reinforced belt. It is better to solder the fittings with the rods already installed in only a few places. For the most part, it makes more sense to tie metal elements with wire to avoid deformation of the reinforcing chord during pouring and hardening of concrete.

    The reinforcing cage will firmly connect the old foundation with the reinforcing concrete structure.

  6. Install the formwork and fill it with concrete. After waiting for the solution to harden, the structure of the boards is dismantled. For several days, the new foundation is not touched, so that it is even more strengthened.

    A formwork is installed around the reinforcing cage and concrete is poured into it. After hardening of the reinforcing layer, the formwork is removed.

  7. The created base is covered with a waterproofing material. An asphalt strip is created around the foundation at an angle.

Due to the reinforcement, the weight of the wooden building is distributed over a larger area. This method allows you to stop subsidence and destruction of the house.

Video: how to strengthen the strip foundation

Replacing the base under a timber building

The way to replace the base depends on its type.

Replacing the strip foundation

Overhaul of the base in the form of a tape is carried out in stages:

  1. In order to reduce pressure on the base, furniture is removed from the house, the floors are dismantled, and the stove is dismantled. Only heating equipment standing on a separate concrete platform is not subjected to dismantling.
  2. The building is slightly raised. If the house is small, then its level in relation to the ground is changed with the help of a kind of lever for lifting weights - a beam 8x8 cm in size, brought under the corner of the building. A log will serve as a support for him. For heavy construction, it is better to choose thicker lumber. The wooden structure is lifted, putting pressure on the beam.

    The house is raised on jacks and temporary supports are placed under it

  3. Around the house or only in areas where it is required to raise a wooden building, they dig a trench.
  4. A jack is placed under the old foundation. There may be several mechanisms for raising a building. The number of jacks is determined by their carrying capacity and the weight of the house. Mechanisms can only be installed in areas where there is no damage.
  5. With the help of a jack, the house is slowly raised to the desired level. It is important that it rises above the surface of the earth evenly. Since there is a risk of unsuccessful installation of the jack, it is advisable to play it safe - to get wooden wedges between the building and the base pad.

    The house rises evenly on several jacks. For insurance, wooden blocks are placed under the supporting beams

  6. The lower crown of the raised wooden structure is pulled together with a steel hoop or hammered with strong boards. This technique will protect the overloaded lower bars of the house from damage.
  7. The house to the very surface of the earth is freed from the former foundation. If you are not ready to spend a lot on repairing the base, then you can partially disassemble the structure - remove only the destroyed areas.

    A hammer drill is used to destroy the old foundation.

  8. Under the reconstructed base of the house, a pillow is made of a sand-cement mixture. Supports made of concrete or bricks are placed at the corners of the building. Instead, you can use piles. Thanks to the installation of supports, the size of which must correspond to the height of the base being built, the base will be able to withstand increased pressure in the future.
  9. Construct a reinforcing belt, necessary to strengthen the base. Elements of a metal structure are connected not by welding, but by wire.
  10. Formwork is made from boards. The finished structure is filled with concrete mortar.

    The formwork with a reinforcing frame inside is reinforced with side supports and poured with concrete

  11. After 3 days, the concrete hardens, so the formwork is removed, but further work is not carried out yet, waiting for the foundation to be strengthened.
  12. A few days after the dismantling of the formwork, the new base is covered with a waterproofing sheet, for example, roofing material.

    A few days after the formwork has been removed, the foundation is covered with waterproofing material.

  13. The house is lowered, acting as slowly as during the raising of the building. The front side of the base is covered with waterproofing and facing materials. A blind area is made around the house, which will not allow rainwater to seep into the base.

Video: how to repair a tape concrete base

Repair of supporting pillars

To replace the columnar foundation, proceed as follows:


If it is necessary to replace only a few pillars, they act differently: in the area of ​​\u200b\u200btheir location, tunnels are made, pipes are immersed and poured with concrete. Old supports are dismantled after the mortar has hardened.

Video: do-it-yourself column foundation replacement

Converting a foundation from rubble or brick into a monolith

Since the brick foundation is characterized by increased fragility, it is more expedient to replace it with a concrete base.

To build a concrete foundation in place of a brick or rubble base, perform the following steps:


Video: brick foundation repair

Do-it-yourself wooden house foundation repair

The wooden foundation is mainly made of pine or larch. A wooden structure always requires a complete replacement, as over time it is completely covered with fungus and rots. The replacement of old elements of such a base with new ones is carried out as follows:


The damaged foundation of a dilapidated wooden house can be put in order. To do this, you need to obtain the necessary knowledge and choose the technology of repair or replacement. Reconstruction of the foundation of the house can be done with your own hands, if there is a desire and at least a little experience in the production of construction work.

Foundation repair is a costly and complex undertaking, in order to perform it correctly, you need to know the principle of the device, the causes and signs of foundation destruction. A wooden private house is very common in our area, which is not surprising, because wood is an affordable material, construction costs are relatively low, and the built house will be environmentally friendly and warm. These are the undoubted advantages of a wooden structure. There are also disadvantages, but they do not appear immediately, but after some time of operation.


Most often, the owners of wooden houses are faced with the fact that the house is "bursting at the seams." Windows, doors warp, walls sag, cracks appear. All these visual defects are caused by one reason - the destruction of the foundation. To prolong the life of the house, it is necessary to eliminate this destruction in a timely manner. This will require strengthening or reconstruction of the foundation (restoration), complete (overhaul) or partial (elimination of cracks).

It is worth noting that repairing the foundation of an old wooden house is not an easy undertaking, so it is advisable to entrust it to professionals. But, you can do the work yourself. The main thing here is the time factor. The problem must be fixed as soon as it is discovered.

Reasons for the destruction of the foundation

Before proceeding with a detailed study of how to repair the foundation of a wooden house, you need to figure out what caused its deformation. Two factors can contribute to this:

change in the bearing capacity of the soil. This is due to an increase in the load on the foundation, and hence on the ground under it. The reason may be improper drainage of rain / melt water or an increase in the level of groundwater, which leads to erosion of the soil. The erection of other buildings near the house also increases the load on the soil. As a result, the soil, as it were, is squeezed out from under the foundation of the house, which ultimately can lead to subsidence of the house or its distortion.

loss of strength of the material from which the foundation is made. Among the main reasons are the following: the wrong choice of the type of foundation, the impact of water, the wrong brand of concrete that was used during construction, the incorrect calculation of the depth of soil freezing, and the violation of device technology.

Identifying the cause of foundation failure provides a starting point for research.

Types of deformation of foundations

The second point that needs to be taken into account is the identification of the degree of damage to the foundation. According to the criterion of maintainability, they can be conditionally divided into 4 types.

1. Minimal damage.

These include the partially exfoliated finish of the foundation of a wooden house. Such defects do not significantly affect the bearing capacity of the foundation. In addition, they are visible to the naked eye and are eliminated without any problems.

2. Injuries of moderate severity.

These include the appearance of cracks in the foundation of the house due to subsidence or destruction of the foundation. In this case, you should be more careful, because. crack crack discord. First of all, its direction is determined. As a rule, horizontal cracks in the foundation are the least dangerous, but vertical or zigzag cracks should alert you. It will also be clarified whether the subsidence of the foundation is temporary or is it progressive.

The nature of the destruction can be determined using beacons installed on the crack (see photo).

Plain paper can be used as beacons, but it is worth remembering that when moisture gets in, the paper gets wet and will no longer give a complete picture of the behavior of the crack. Gypsum plasters are suitable for use. But the easiest way is to apply a little putty on the wall and draw a straight line on it with a spatula and make a mark. Such a beacon is good because it breaks at the slightest movement of the surface. Installing a beacon will allow not only to notice the increase in the crack, but to determine the rate of destruction.

Important. The beacon must be installed on a clean, dry wall to prevent its movement. The beacon thickness should not exceed 5 mm.

With temporary subsidence of the foundation, the beacons will remain motionless. That is, there is a high probability that the soil under the foundation has moved a little, taken its place and does not intend to move anymore. Therefore, it is only necessary to carry out routine repairs of cracks in the foundation.

Elimination of cracks:

  • widen the crack
  • clean it from falling parts and dust;
  • treat with a primer;
  • seal the seam with a special mixture or cement mortar.

The destruction of lighthouses indicates that the fault in the foundation or wall is increasing. This means that sealing cracks will not help, it's time to take urgent measures - this type of deformation can be classified as catastrophic.

3. Catastrophic damage.

These are foundation defects that can lead to the destruction of the house. Of course, it is desirable to repair the foundation under a wooden house in time, but there are times when the moment is missed.

Then the technology for carrying out repair work will be determined by the type of foundation. The most popular of which are columnar and tape. In each individual case, each owner decides for himself whether he needs to strengthen the foundation or replace it completely.

4. Fatal deformations.

In this case, the state of the foundation is so deplorable that there is nothing to repair. It is usually easier and cheaper to destroy an old house and build a new cottage in its place that meets all the requirements of a modern person.

Repair of the strip foundation of a wooden house is somewhat more complicated, so we will dwell on it in more detail.

Strengthening the foundation of a private house - ways to strengthen

The reinforcement method is chosen when the deformations of the foundation are eliminated, and the soil under its pillow is stable. Or if there is a need for an add-on to the house, and the existing foundation cannot cope with the increasing load.

Strip foundation reinforcement technology - instructions

  • dig a trench around the perimeter of the foundation. Its width should be sufficient for comfortable work and take into account the fact that the thickness of the foundation will increase;
  • clean the surface of the foundation from the soil;

Advice. You can clean the surface well using a metal brush.

  • drill holes. Its diameter should exceed the diameter of the reinforcement by 1 mm. This is necessary for a more dense installation of metal rods;
  • hammer the rebar into the holes. Thus, the new foundation will be securely connected to the existing one;
  • make a reinforced belt. To do this, reinforcement is welded to the installed pieces;

Advice. It is advisable to weld the reinforcement in only a few places, and carry out the main part of the strapping with wire. Such fastening does not require special skills and tools. But if it is present, the reinforcing belt is not deformed when concrete is poured and hardened.

  • formwork is installed;
  • concrete is poured. After the concrete has hardened, the formwork is removed, and the reinforced foundation stands for a few more days;
  • the waterproofing of the new foundation is being carried out;
  • a blind area is made, which will allow water to be diverted from the foundation.

Strengthening the foundation of a wooden house allows you to redistribute the load of the building over a large area. As a result, the foundation will no longer sag or collapse.

Complete replacement of the foundation of the house

Often the foundation sags so much that water can freely flow into the room. In this case, you need to figure out how to raise the foundation of a wooden house? Or the old foundation can no longer cope with the load that falls on it, and then the foundation is reconstructed.

Replacing the foundation under a wooden house - technology

  • maximum reduction of constant and variable load on the foundation. To do this, everything that can be taken out of the house is taken out, it is even advisable to dismantle the floor and disassemble the stoves. The exception is furnaces on a separately poured foundation. Naturally, tenants are also evicted for the duration of the renovation;
  • load calculation (weight of the house). Weight is easy to determine, having at your disposal data on the density of the wood from which the house is built and the total cubic capacity of the wood used. The cubic capacity is calculated based on the dimensions of the house and the thickness of the walls;

Advice. A small and light wooden house is raised by means of a vag. To do this, the timber 80x80 is started at the corner of the house. Further, the timber rests on a log. By pressing on the beam, you can raise the house like a big lever.

  • choosing a jack to raise the house. Depends on the weight of the building, the load capacity of the jack and their number;
  • digging pits (trenches). It breaks out around the entire perimeter of the house or only in those places where raising the house is required. Its presence simplifies access to the foundation. In addition, the appearance of water in the pit will make it possible to understand the level of groundwater occurrence;
  • housekeeping establishment. In order for the raising of the house to go smoothly, you need to correctly install the jack. It is installed only in reliable places, without destruction and damage;
  • house lift. You need to raise the house carefully, slowly, and most importantly evenly;

Advice. To insure yourself in case the jack cannot cope with the load or is installed unsuccessfully, you need to start wooden wedges between the house and the foundation pad. It is advisable to start wedges every 15-20 mm.

Important: to build a foundation for a wooden house, you need to raise the entire structure. Considering that the house is wooden, the maximum load will fall on the lower crowns. To prevent them from sagging, you need to pull off the lower crown with a steel hoop or fill the boards.

  • demolition of the old foundation. If the budget is very limited, and the condition of some parts of the foundation is satisfactory, then partial disassembly can be performed, i.e. remove only the destroyed foundation. However, the cost of work from this will not decrease significantly, but the quality of work may suffer;

Advice. It is necessary to dismantle the old foundation to the ground.

  • arrangement of a sand-cement cushion for the future foundation. Despite the fact that the foundation is laid under the finished house, the pillow is an important part of it;
  • installation of concrete or brick supports in the corners of the house. It is also possible to install piles. They will reduce the load on the foundation in the future. The height of the support is equal to the height of the new foundation;
  • reinforcement. After the columns are installed, the reinforcement is installed. The reinforcing belt will give the foundation strength. We remind you that his armored belt for the foundation is carried out using wire, not welding;
  • formwork installation;
  • pouring concrete. The foundation must stand for several days to gain strength. After that, the formwork is removed, and the foundation is left open for another 1-2 days;
  • waterproofing. To protect the wood of the house from decay, lay a layer of waterproofing on the foundation. Roofing material is excellent for these purposes;
  • lowering the house. The house is sinking as slowly as it rose;
  • Finishing work. This includes complete waterproofing, cladding, drainage and blind area.

It can be seen from the description that replacing the foundation under a wooden house is a rather risky and time-consuming undertaking, for the implementation of which it is advisable to invite specialists.

How the house is raised and moved to a new foundation in practice can be seen in the video

Using the methods described above, you can repair the strip foundation of a wooden house. But what about those who have a columnar foundation?

Repair of the columnar foundation of a wooden house - technology

  • the house rises to the calculated height. The height should be sufficient to carry out the work and at the same time not contribute to the strong sagging of the lower crown.
  • tilted poles are dismantled. It is worth noting that the dilapidated support pillar must be removed, and the tilted one is simply leveled.
  • soil is selected at the installation site of new pillars. We remind you that the poles are installed at the corners of the building and at the junction / intersection of the walls.
  • a sand-cement cushion is arranged under the pole.
  • column is being reinforced.
  • concrete is poured.
  • steel or wooden beams are being installed, which take on the entire load from the weight of the house and transfer it to the poles.
  • the building goes down.

If you need to replace one or two pillars, you can do it as follows. In the place where the pole is installed, which is to be replaced, a tunnel is made. The tilt angle is 35°. A pipe is inserted into it and filled with a solution. After solidification, the old pillar is removed and the new one is leveled. The process is more clearly shown in the photo.

It is worth noting that the repair or complete replacement of a pile foundation is much easier and faster than a strip foundation and takes only a few days, after which the house can be operated normally.

Repair of brick and rubble foundation - replacement with a monolith

In times of total scarcity, i.e. during the construction of the main part of the houses, the foundations were built of brick (both strip and columnar). Due to the fragility, repairing the brick foundation of a wooden house usually involves replacing the brickwork with a more durable material - concrete. This reinforcement technology is applicable to the foundation of rubble stone. The method was described on the forum "House and Dacha" and judging by the reviews, the technique has shown itself well in practice.

To carry out repairs, you will need

  1. Concrete solution.
  2. Fittings.
  3. Corner for the manufacture of supports.
  4. Jacks for lifting a house with a lifting capacity of 20 tons.

We dismantle the old rubble laying of the foundation (or brick) in small sections of half a meter.

The released fragments at the base of the house are needed to install the jack and further transfer the weight of the house to the metal supports.

In place of the destroyed base, a base plate for the jack is made. The platform must be strong and stable, poured from concrete with mandatory reinforcement. If the ground is hard, concrete paving slabs can be used. Hanging the house with jacks. It is necessary to lift alternately in all openings. When the house is hung out, it is necessary to install supports pre-welded from the corner, on which we lower the house. Scheme of a steel support for a house - dimensions and principle of the device. After transferring the weight of the house to the supports, the formwork is arranged from the inside. Reinforcement is laid and knitted inside the supports. Upon completion of the reinforcement, the outer part of the formwork is installed and concrete is poured.

Thus, the foundation is being replaced under the wooden house.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you have gained an idea of ​​how to repair a damaged foundation, how to strengthen the foundation of a wooden house, and in what cases it must be completely replaced. Using this information, you will gain sufficient knowledge to do the work yourself.

Foundation repair is a costly and complex undertaking, in order to perform it correctly, you need to know the principle of the device, the causes and signs of foundation destruction. A wooden private house is very common in our area, which is not surprising, because wood is an affordable material, construction costs are relatively low, and the built house will be environmentally friendly and warm. These are the undoubted advantages of a wooden structure. There are also disadvantages, but they do not appear immediately, but after some time of operation.

Most often, the owners of wooden houses are faced with the fact that the house is "bursting at the seams." Windows, doors warp, walls sag, cracks appear. All these visual defects are caused by one reason - the destruction of the foundation. To prolong the life of the house, it is necessary to eliminate this destruction in a timely manner. This will require strengthening or reconstruction of the foundation (restoration), complete (overhaul) or partial (elimination of cracks).

It is worth noting that repairing the foundation of an old wooden house is not an easy undertaking, so it is advisable to entrust it to professionals. But, you can do the work yourself. The main thing here is the time factor. The problem must be fixed as soon as it is discovered.

Reasons for the destruction of the foundation

Before proceeding with a detailed study of how to repair the foundation of a wooden house, you need to figure out what caused its deformation. Two factors can contribute to this:

change in the bearing capacity of the soil. This is due to an increase in the load on the foundation, and hence on the ground under it. The reason may be improper drainage of rain / melt water or an increase in the level of groundwater, which leads to erosion of the soil. The erection of other buildings near the house also increases the load on the soil. As a result, the soil, as it were, is squeezed out from under the foundation of the house, which ultimately can lead to subsidence of the house or its distortion.

loss of strength of the material from which the foundation is made. Among the main reasons are the following: the wrong choice of the type of foundation, the impact of water, the wrong brand of concrete that was used during construction, the incorrect calculation of the depth of soil freezing, and the violation of device technology.

Identifying the cause of foundation failure provides a starting point for research.

Types of deformation of foundations

The second point that needs to be taken into account is the identification of the degree of damage to the foundation. According to the criterion of maintainability, they can be conditionally divided into 4 types.

1. Minimal damage.

These include the partially exfoliated finish of the foundation of a wooden house. Such defects do not significantly affect the bearing capacity of the foundation. In addition, they are visible to the naked eye and are eliminated without any problems.

2. Injuries of moderate severity.

These include the appearance of cracks in the foundation of the house due to subsidence or destruction of the foundation. In this case, you should be more careful, because. crack crack discord. First of all, its direction is determined. As a rule, horizontal cracks in the foundation are the least dangerous, but vertical or zigzag cracks should alert you. It will also be clarified whether the subsidence of the foundation is temporary or is it progressive.

The nature of the destruction can be determined using beacons installed on the crack (see photo).

Plain paper can be used as beacons, but it is worth remembering that when moisture gets in, the paper gets wet and will no longer give a complete picture of the behavior of the crack. Gypsum plasters are suitable for use. But the easiest way is to apply a little putty on the wall and draw a straight line on it with a spatula and make a mark. Such a beacon is good because it breaks at the slightest movement of the surface. Installing a beacon will allow not only to notice the increase in the crack, but to determine the rate of destruction.

Important. The beacon must be installed on a clean, dry wall to prevent its movement. The beacon thickness should not exceed 5 mm.

With temporary subsidence of the foundation, the beacons will remain motionless. Those. there is a high probability that the soil under the foundation has moved a little, taken its place and does not intend to move anymore. Therefore, it is only necessary to carry out routine repairs of cracks in the foundation.

Elimination of cracks:

  • widen the crack
  • clean it from falling parts and dust;
  • treat with a primer;
  • seal the seam with a special mixture or cement mortar.

The destruction of lighthouses indicates that the fault in the foundation or wall is increasing. This means that sealing cracks will not help, it's time to take urgent measures - this type of deformation can be classified as catastrophic.

3. Catastrophic damage.

These are foundation defects that can lead to the destruction of the house. Of course, it is desirable to repair the foundation under a wooden house in time, but there are times when the moment is missed.

Then the technology for carrying out repair work will be determined by the type of foundation. The most popular of which are columnar and tape. In each individual case, each owner decides for himself whether he needs to strengthen the foundation or replace it completely.

4. Fatal deformations.

In this case, the state of the foundation is so deplorable that there is nothing to repair. It is usually easier and cheaper to destroy an old house and build a new cottage in its place that meets all the requirements of a modern person.

Repair of the strip foundation of a wooden house is somewhat more complicated, so we will dwell on it in more detail.

Strengthening the foundation of a private house - ways to strengthen

The reinforcement method is chosen when the deformations of the foundation are eliminated, and the soil under its pillow is stable. Or if there is a need for an add-on to the house, and the existing foundation cannot cope with the increasing load.

Strip foundation reinforcement technology - instructions

  • dig a trench around the perimeter of the foundation. Its width should be sufficient for comfortable work and take into account the fact that the thickness of the foundation will increase;
  • clean the surface of the foundation from the soil;

Advice. You can clean the surface well using a metal brush.

  • drill holes. Its diameter should exceed the diameter of the reinforcement by 1 mm. This is necessary for a more dense installation of metal rods;
  • hammer the rebar into the holes. Thus, the new foundation will be securely connected to the existing one;
  • make a reinforced belt. To do this, reinforcement is welded to the installed pieces;

Advice. It is advisable to weld the reinforcement in only a few places, and carry out the main part of the strapping with wire. Such fastening does not require special skills and tools. But if it is present, the reinforcing belt is not deformed when concrete is poured and hardened.

  • formwork is installed;
  • concrete is poured. After the concrete has hardened, the formwork is removed, and the reinforced foundation stands for a few more days;
  • the waterproofing of the new foundation is being carried out;
  • a blind area is made, which will allow water to be diverted from the foundation.

Strengthening the foundation of a wooden house allows you to redistribute the load of the building over a large area. As a result, the foundation will no longer sag or collapse.

Complete replacement of the foundation of the house

Often the foundation sags so much that water can freely flow into the room. In this case, you need to figure out how to raise the foundation of a wooden house? Or the old foundation can no longer cope with the load that falls on it, and then the foundation is reconstructed.

Replacing the foundation under a wooden house - technology

  • maximum reduction of constant and variable load on the foundation. To do this, everything that can be taken out of the house is taken out, it is even advisable to dismantle the floor and disassemble the stoves. The exception is furnaces on a separately poured foundation. Naturally, tenants are also evicted for the duration of the renovation;
  • load calculation (weight of the house). Weight is easy to determine, having at your disposal data on the density of the wood from which the house is built and the total cubic capacity of the wood used. The cubic capacity is calculated based on the dimensions of the house and the thickness of the walls;

Advice. A small and light wooden house is raised by means of a vag. To do this, the timber 80x80 is started at the corner of the house. Further, the timber rests on a log. By pressing on the beam, you can raise the house like a big lever.

  • choosing a jack to raise the house. Depends on the weight of the building, the load capacity of the jack and their number;
  • digging pits (trenches). It breaks out around the entire perimeter of the house or only in those places where raising the house is required. Its presence simplifies access to the foundation. In addition, the appearance of water in the pit will make it possible to understand the level of groundwater occurrence;
  • housekeeping establishment. In order for the raising of the house to go smoothly, you need to correctly install the jack. It is installed only in reliable places, without destruction and damage;
  • house lift. You need to raise the house carefully, slowly, and most importantly evenly;

Advice. To insure yourself in case the jack cannot cope with the load or is installed unsuccessfully, you need to start wooden wedges between the house and the foundation pad. It is advisable to start wedges every 15-20 mm.

Important: to build a foundation for a wooden house, you need to raise the entire structure. Considering that the house is wooden, the maximum load will fall on the lower crowns. To prevent them from sagging, you need to pull off the lower crown with a steel hoop or fill the boards.

  • demolition of the old foundation. If the budget is very limited, and the condition of some parts of the foundation is satisfactory, then partial disassembly can be performed, i.e. remove only the destroyed foundation. However, the cost of work from this will not decrease significantly, but the quality of work may suffer;

Advice. It is necessary to dismantle the old foundation to the ground.

  • arrangement of a sand-cement cushion for the future foundation. Despite the fact that the foundation is laid under the finished house, the pillow is an important part of it;
  • installation of concrete or brick supports in the corners of the house. It is also possible to install piles. They will reduce the load on the foundation in the future. The height of the support is equal to the height of the new foundation;
  • reinforcement. After the columns are installed, the reinforcement is installed. The reinforcing belt will give the foundation strength. We remind you that his armored belt for the foundation is carried out using wire, not welding;
  • formwork installation;
  • pouring concrete. The foundation must stand for several days to gain strength. After that, the formwork is removed, and the foundation is left open for another 1-2 days;
  • waterproofing. To protect the wood of the house from decay, lay a layer of waterproofing on the foundation. Roofing material is excellent for these purposes;
  • lowering the house. The house is sinking as slowly as it rose;
  • Finishing work. This includes complete waterproofing, cladding, drainage and blind area.

It can be seen from the description that replacing the foundation under a wooden house is a rather risky and time-consuming undertaking, for the implementation of which it is advisable to invite specialists.

How the house is raised and moved to a new foundation in practice can be seen at

Using the methods described above, you can repair the strip foundation of a wooden house. But what about those who have a columnar foundation?

Repair of the columnar foundation of a wooden house - technology

  • the house rises to the calculated height. The height should be sufficient to carry out the work and at the same time not contribute to the strong sagging of the lower crown.
  • tilted poles are dismantled. It is worth noting that the dilapidated support pillar must be removed, and the tilted one is simply leveled.
  • soil is selected at the installation site of new pillars. We remind you that the poles are installed at the corners of the building and at the junction / intersection of the walls.
  • a sand-cement cushion is arranged under the pole.
  • column is being reinforced.
  • concrete is poured.
  • steel or wooden beams are being installed, which take on the entire load from the weight of the house and transfer it to the poles.
  • the building goes down.

If you need to replace one or two pillars, you can do it as follows. In the place where the pole is installed, which is to be replaced, a tunnel is made. The tilt angle is 35°. A pipe is inserted into it and filled with a solution. After solidification, the old pillar is removed and the new one is leveled. The process is more clearly shown in the photo.

It is worth noting that the repair or complete replacement of a pile foundation is much easier and faster than a strip foundation and takes only a few days, after which the house can be operated normally.

Repair of brick and rubble foundation - replacement with a monolith

In times of total scarcity, i.e. during the construction of the main part of the houses, the foundations were built of brick (both strip and columnar). Due to the fragility, repairing the brick foundation of a wooden house usually involves replacing the brickwork with a more durable material - concrete. This reinforcement technology is applicable to the foundation of rubble stone. The method was described on the forum "House and Dacha" and judging by the reviews, the technique has shown itself well in practice.

To carry out repairs, you will need

  1. concrete mortar
  2. fittings
  3. Corner for the manufacture of supports
  4. Jacks for lifting a house with a lifting capacity of 20 tons.

Dismantling of the old rubble (or brick) laying of the foundation We dismantle the old rubble (or brick) laying of the foundation in small sections of half a meter.

The released fragments at the base of the house are needed to install the jack and further transfer the weight of the house to the metal supports.

The device of the base plate for the jack In place of the destroyed base, a base plate for the jack is made. The platform must be strong and stable, poured from concrete with mandatory reinforcement.

Hanging a house with jacks Hanging a house with jacks It is necessary to lift alternately in all openings.

Transferring the weight of the house to a metal support When the house is hung out, it is necessary to install supports that are pre-welded from the corner, on which we lower the house.

External formwork and concrete pouring Upon completion of the reinforcement, the external part of the formwork is installed and concrete is poured.

Thus, the foundation is being replaced under the wooden house.

After reading this article, you have gained an idea of ​​how to repair a damaged foundation, how to strengthen the foundation of a wooden house, and in what cases it must be completely replaced. Using this information, you will gain sufficient knowledge to do the work yourself.

Repair of the foundation of a wooden house - strengthening, reconstruction and replacement of the old foundation with your own hands - My Life


Repairing the foundation of a wooden house - strengthening, reconstructing and replacing the old foundation with your own hands Repairing the foundation is a costly and difficult undertaking to do it right,

Old wooden houses go to new owners in different situations. They can become property by inheritance, some citizens deliberately acquire cheap housing for a summer residence. Both of them subsequently face the same problems. Under the influence of time or due to lack of care, wooden houses require major repairs. First of all, it is necessary to fix the foundation, insulate the walls, repair the roof, replace windows and doors. And after that, you can proceed to the internal work. The foundation is the base of any structure, so the restoration of a wooden house most often begins with it. Repair work should be carried out in warm and dry weather.
Common foundation damage.
Depending on the area and the era of construction of the building, there are different types of foundation.
The oldest houses stand on ordinary stones, the gaps between which are sealed with cement-sand mortar. Over time, numerous cracks appear, which increase annually if the owners did not carry out timely maintenance.
Monolithic foundations replaced stone foundations a little later. However, they were made by the ancestors without taking into account the depth of soil freezing and without a reinforcing frame. Therefore, often the corners of the house sag, and wide cracks appear at the base.

Any of these foundations can be repaired on your own, spending money on materials and devoting your free time to the occupation.
Fixing cracks and gaps in the foundation
To restore the fortress foundation of the house, you must first consider the next steps to repair the entire structure. It's one thing if you just need a cosmetic update of the exterior (plastering, painting). In this case, you can use a reinforcing mesh and plaster to restore the foundation. But if you plan to insulate the house, decorate the walls with siding or embossed plaster, then you have to increase the thickness of the base. The technology of such repair looks different.


First, a dig is made under the base of the old foundation. This is necessary to increase the adhesion of the new concrete layer to the old one.
Next, reinforcement of sections of the foundation with cracks is carried out. To do this, holes are drilled with a puncher, into which pieces of reinforcement with a diameter of 8-10 mm and a length of 150-200 mm are hammered. They should protrude outward by about 3-5 cm.
Separate steel pins must be connected to each other with a knitting wire.
The next stage of the repair will be the installation of formwork. The distance between the plank structure and the concrete base is selected taking into account the increase in the width of the walls. The formwork must be securely fixed with supports from the outside, and wooden partitions are installed inside to fix the width.


The fastest stage of work will be pouring the cement-sand mixture into the formwork. To speed up the preparation of concrete, you will need a concrete mixer, and you will have to work with building mixtures with the help of shovels.


In such a simple but effective way, you can restore 2-3-meter sections of a cracked foundation.
Complete replacement of the concrete base
In the case of a stone foundation, as well as when corners subside with complete chipping of large sections of concrete, it will be necessary to completely replace the base. This work must be done in stages, resorting to the following scheme.
First of all, stones or a piece of concrete should be removed from under one of the corners. To do this, a certain layer of earth is selected, the remains of the old foundation are removed. At this stage, you can lift the sagging corner of the log box with a jack.


If the soil is loose, then it is necessary to install the inner formwork and fix it. The length of the site is limited to 2-3 m.
Using steel reinforcement or rods, a reinforcing frame is made. It must extend beyond the area to be restored so that the reinforcing belt can be connected into a single metal structure.


Individual rods are connected to each other with a knitting wire.


After that, you can proceed with the installation of the external formwork. To fix the wooden structure, internal struts and external supports are used.


Stones from the old foundation are laid on the bottom of the formwork, and concrete is poured.


It is important to carefully compact the concrete mixture to eliminate large air pores. Breaking old pieces of concrete is best done with a heavy sledgehammer.
After a day, the formwork can be moved to another area, where the inner plank wall is pre-installed and a reinforcing frame is created.


When the entire foundation around the perimeter of the house has been restored, you can take up its design or repair the walls. Now you can not be afraid for the foundation of the house.

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