The foundation for the bath is columnar made of roofing material. Construction of a columnar foundation for a bath. Monolithic concrete pillars are the most common option

If you build a columnar foundation for a bath with your own hands, provided that the soil characteristics are satisfactory, this will ensure minimal construction costs. It is a reliable choice for areas with soil that is not prone to subsidence and swelling. This type of foundation is pillars of different materials buried in the soil.

Column foundation used for baths from logs and beams, panel buildings. Frame construction baths can also be installed on such a foundation. It is an ideal and economical option for lightweight wall structures and small buildings. The cost of material resources and labor costs for a columnar foundation are 1.5-2 times lower than the cost level for building a belt foundation.

A tangible result when arranging a columnar foundation for a bath with your own hands will be a real savings in money.

Columnar foundation structures

Let's take a closer look at how to make a columnar foundation for a bath with our own hands and which foundation design to give preference to.

The foundation consists of a series of pillars located along the axes of all load-bearing walls, at the corners and intersections of the walls. The pillars are placed under internal partitions and other massive structural elements, such as a sauna stove. The best distance between the posts is 1.5-2 m.

Erection of a supporting building structure from various materials

Initially, the question arises about the choice of a suitable and affordable material. The columnar foundation is made of:

  • From wooden posts - logs with a diameter of 200 or can be a bar with the use of insulating materials and treatment with antiseptics. Least durable. Practical if the building is being built for up to 10 years;
  • Made of brick, the size of the columns in the plan is 380x380, stone is 500x600;
  • From concrete blocks 400x400;
  • From steel pipes or asbestos-cement, filled with concrete;
  • Monolithic concrete 400x400.

A bathhouse on a columnar foundation is being erected on a prepared site, below are step-by-step instructions for its construction.

Work preparation

First, the site is cleaned of debris and its planning. The upper vegetation layer is cut off with a thickness of at least 30 cm. If necessary, drainage of the site is carried out in order to drain the water. On clay soil, gravel-sand preparation is arranged required thickness with leveling. With a large difference in height between the sides of the site, it is necessary to level the surface in order to avoid distortions of the walls.

The bath plan is transferred to the land plot using a tape measure, level, stakes and twine, marking the axis of the building.

Excavation

The depth of laying non-buried pillars, as a rule, is from 40 to 50 cm; it should be less than the depth of soil freezing by one third of the value.

It is typical for a buried columnar foundation that the supports are laid at a depth less than the freezing depth by 50-70%. So, if the soil has a freezing depth of 1.2 m, then the depth of the laying should be from 60 to 80 cm.

Pits for supports are dug manually or with a drill. Their depth is greater than the calculated filling depth by the thickness of the sand bed. The size of the section of the pits is made 10-15 cm larger for the convenience of installing the reinforcing cage and formwork.

At the bottom of each pit, a sand bed is made, moistened with water and then tamped.


Non-recessed supporting structure device

Basic principles of construction

Regardless of the material chosen, the columnar foundation is mounted practically according to the same scheme - a pit of the required depth is prepared with filling 15-20 cm with sand, which is compacted after spilling with water, then a support is placed. Let's take a closer look at how to put pillars made of various materials.

Wooden foundation

The construction of a lightweight building, which is a bathhouse, allows the use of wooden posts. For pillars-"chairs" the lower part of the log is used - a butt with a diameter of 25-30 cm. Better to use pine or oak. The size of the pit should be 1.5 times the diameter of the support. Preparation for installation consists in firing the lower part of the support with a blowtorch, processing with an antiseptic solution and coating with bitumen in accordance with building codes. These measures will extend the life of the tree. As a rule, pine supports last up to 10-15 years, oak supports up to 25-30 years.

When building a bath, one of two ways of arranging pillars is used - non-recessed, in which a wooden pillar, whose height is 70 cm, rests on a wooden base and recessed with a pillar height of 1.2-1.4 m.In the latter case, it is better if the support is installed on a concrete preparation in a pit for reliable fixation, followed by backfilling with rubble and soil.

Brick foundation


The installation of brick pillars dictates the condition of strong and high-quality masonry in order to avoid the destruction of the pillars and deformation of the walls of the bath itself. The cross-sectional area of \u200b\u200bthe column consists of 4 bricks. The pillars are laid to a depth of 0.5 to 0.7 meters

The service life of a foundation made of brick pillars can be 50-100 years, depending on factors such as climatic conditions, soil characteristics, brick quality and the strength of the masonry.

It is important to use only solid red fired brick, which has the lowest moisture absorption properties and good strength. Silicate brick is completely unsuitable for this purpose.

A sand and gravel cushion up to 20 cm thick is arranged along the bottom of the pit, spilling it with liquid cement mortar and laying a steel mesh made of wire with a diameter of 3-4 mm or reinforcing bars.

After the masonry is completed, waterproofing is arranged on the surface of each pillar, for which roofing material and bitumen are applied, preventing the masonry from contacting the ground.

The sinuses are covered with soil or gravel and compacted.

Concrete block foundation


Scheme of a buried and shallow foundation on a sand cushion

The obvious advantage of this type of foundation is the speed of its installation. Ready-made concrete blocks are used. These are solid blocks, or with small voids, which have dimensions of 20x20x40 cm. The quantity is calculated based on the project of the future building.

The block foundation is mounted in the same way as brick pillars. Each row consists of at least two blocks. The next row is laid perpendicular to the previous one on the masonry cement mortar and so on until the required height is reached. As a rule, 20-30 cm from the surface of the site is sufficient. Then, work is carried out to waterproof all surfaces of the structure using roofing material and bitumen mastic. The seams must be treated especially carefully. It is necessary to finish by backfilling the sinuses with previously removed soil.

Pipe foundation


Supporting building structure on asbestos-cement pipes with a diameter of 200 mm

A convenient type of columnar foundation is considered to be metal or asbestos-cement pipes with a diameter of 200 mm. Their advantage is that they are easily cut to the required length with a conventional grinder with discs for cement or metal. The pipe should protrude about 40 cm from the ground.

Waterproofing of pipe surfaces is mandatory. It is made either with coating bitumen, or with roofing felt on bitumen mastic in order to avoid corrosion and negative effects of external factors.

Each pipe is lowered into a drilled hole with a diameter of 250 mm and a depth of about 1 m. Crushed stone is poured into the sinuses at a level of 40 cm from the bottom of the pit. It is advisable to insert reinforcing bars with a diameter of 12-14 mm into the pipe for strength.

After preparatory work, you need to fill the pipe cavity with 400 grade concrete with its compaction. Then fill the space between the pipe and the pit walls with fine gravel or excavated soil.

An important note is that you need to cover the posts with concrete with a film and allow to stand for 7-10 days to cure.

Monolithic concrete foundation

This type of foundation is very common and the most reliable. The foundation made according to the technology has a service life of about 150 years.

It is enough to pour a shallow foundation under a wooden bath.

Initially, you need to expose the formwork, which is prepared from edged boards. Then arrange a sand cushion and spill with water tamping. Next, you need to install the reinforcement cage, pour concrete of the M400 brand and tamp it with a vibrator or a piece of steel reinforcement. The formwork can be removed after 2 weeks, depending on the weather conditions when the concrete has gained strength.

After curing with concrete and carrying out waterproofing work, the sinuses of the holes are filled with soil. You can start installing the walls of the bath, installing beams, roofs, flooring.

How best to make a floor on this type of foundation

In order to protect the floor in the bath from cold air and snow, a special wall of brick or concrete with technological holes for communications and ventilation is usually made between the posts. This wall is called a pick-up. It serves to enclose the underground space; later, additional insulation of the filling with expanded polystyrene can be carried out. The question of how to close it is solved when sheathing the facade of the entire bath.

The problem of organizing water disposal in the bath must be solved at the stage of the foundation. This is important if it is planned to arrange a pouring floor. The pouring floor device has an extremely simple design, in which a drain is arranged for draining water.

Watch a video on how to prevent the lifting of the pillars of the supporting structure with winter heaving of the soil

Carrying out works such as the construction of a bath involves the use of various types of structures. The structure can be large and made of bricks. In this case, a massive base is required. The vast majority of projects involve the use of wooden structures, for which you do not need to create a complex foundation. The columnar version is optimal for the requirements presented.

The foundation on the pillars during the construction of a bath

The foundation itself consists of several pillars, the number of which depends on the type of soil, the mass of the bath and the material of manufacture. The main advantage is economy. There are several basic types of such a foundation. The choice of a specific option is necessary based on the available budget and specific situations. For example, it will sometimes be beneficial to create a brick structure. There is always a lot of such material after the construction of the main building.

In general, the columnar foundation for a bath can be divided into two broad categories:

  • Recessed base type. The laying takes place 0.5-1 meters below the level of soil freezing in winter. It is necessary to use a similar option in the case of soil with a high moisture content, as well as clay soil. That is, when there is a danger of erosion of the foundation by groundwater.
  • Shallow type of foundation. Lowering into the ground occurs to a depth of about 40-70 centimeters. Suitable in cases where there is a soil with a high bearing capacity. For example, this includes rocky ground.

Support-column foundation for a bath

Low cost and simplicity make this option one of the most popular in the construction of baths. It is recommended to use ready-made reinforced concrete blocks as pillars. Since their dimensions are standardized, we should talk about using 4 blocks for one support. The dimensions of one element are 200x200x400 mm. This is a common option that can be purchased at any building supplies store.

The poles are required to be mounted at key points. First of all, these are all the corners of the future bath. Additionally, here it is required to include the intersection of load-bearing walls and just heavy piers. Special attention is paid to the oven. If a construction is used brickwork, there should be a foundation under it. The poles are installed at a distance of at least 1.5-2 meters from each other.

Construction requires digging holes in areas of interest to a given depth. After that, sand is poured into it in several layers and filled with water, with simultaneous compaction. It is on such a compacted base that the blocks must be installed. They are mounted until the foundation reaches the specified height. Above, a structure of wooden beams is created, on which the aboveground part will be erected. It is recommended to waterproof the upper part of the pillars so that soil moisture is not transferred to the first crown of the bath.

Column type foundation with grillage

The grillage creates a single foundation structure on which the aboveground part can be installed. It is built between the pillars and is a kind of sole for transferring the load. It should be said that the grillage should be made only for brick baths or foam block structures.

In the case of using a bar or log, this role is assumed by the first crown. It is allowed to use the grillage on various types of columnar foundation. This design can be divided into low and high, depending on the level of location.

The first option is to be located directly underground. In any case, the load on the foundation is reduced. The grillage is made of reinforced concrete or concrete. Wood or metal construction is used less often.

Column foundation using blocks

This method should be called one of the most attractive for those who do not have the proper experience. Ready-made blocks with dimensions of 200x200x400 mm are used as a building material. The method is distinguished not only by its simplicity, but also by its high speed. The following stages of work are being implemented:

  1. Digging holes in places under the foundation pillars to a given depth.
  2. Creation of a drainage cushion. It is performed at the bottom of a pit of compacted sand and serves to absorb moisture.
  3. Waterproofing. It is required to perform it in two places: directly around the pillar and in its upper part. In the second case, protection of the grillage or the first crown is provided.

It is best to use a viscous cement mortar to fix individual elements. Excess water when mixing will lead to the fact that the foundation is not strong enough. Better than this, the technique of additional coating of all seams using a solution has proven itself. After that, the surface is plastered.

Columnar base for a pipe bath

As already mentioned, pillars can be made from various types of elements. Quite often there is the possibility of using pipes. Since the bath has an insignificant weight, amounting to no more than a few tons, this option is quite reliable. The advantage of the method is the ability to carry out work by a person without special skills in terms of construction.

It is proposed to purchase asbestos-cement or steel pipes of a suitable diameter. They act as permanent formwork. When it is required to build a columnar foundation for a bath of this type, a natural question arises - what diameter to buy pipes. The best option involves the purchase of products with a cross section of 20 centimeters. For a bath, there is no need to use larger pipes, since these are capable of providing sufficient reliability.

Construction begins with a standard procedure - digging holes of suitable size and depth.

Pipes with a reinforced frame inside are placed inside. After that, the pipe should be poured one third with concrete. The usual brand M200 will do without additional additives. When the pouring is done, vibropressing is carried out and further pouring of the material. It is far from always possible to use specialized equipment. In this case, an ordinary metal pin is used, it is used to bayonet the surface to level the layers and create a monolithic mass.

The next step is to strengthen the pipe in a strictly vertical position. For this, a building level is used. You can use a specialized water version, or simply tie a weight to a string and align with it. Around the pipe, they begin to fill in the soil and tamp it. It is important to achieve a tight installation when the pole cannot be moved from its place. Do not leave pipes in the ground without pressure on them for a long time. After a few months, there is a risk of getting the pillars "ladder" due to squeezing out by the soil.

Bored foundation for a bath

A bathhouse on a columnar foundation assumes various types of base structure. As a rule, the bored version is placed in a separate category. It is a cross between the creation of piles and pillars. It is assumed that a special drill will perform a well, where concrete is poured. The main advantage is the high load-bearing capacity. The structure is quite capable of withstanding not only a bathhouse, but also a larger building. The disadvantages include the relatively high cost and complexity of the work.

This foundation belongs to the monolithic type of structures. It starts by drilling a well of a suitable diameter. For a bath, 30 centimeters is quite suitable, since this provides the proper level of strength. The depth of the well should be 15 cm below the level of soil freezing. You can treat the walls with a special solution, which will increase the performance.

Several reinforcement elements should be placed inside. The rods can be tied together with wire at the intersections. More effective method consists in welding the frame. The process of pouring concrete inside is similar to what was discussed in the previous paragraph. The formwork for the post is the soil around it. The full strength level will be reached after 28 days, and before that, it is recommended to refrain from building a bath on top.

Calculation of pillars

Regardless of what kind of columnar foundation was chosen for the bath, it is required to carry out work aimed at calculating its structure. There are various programs on the Internet, into which it is enough to drive in the basic parameters and get the result. In this case, you must have information about the following components:

  • Mass of the building and interior inside. For a bath, this can be calculated without any difficulty, based on the weight of all materials.
  • Soil type. As mentioned earlier, for dense earth, you do not need to deepen the pillars.
  • The level of soil freezing. In any case, the installation should be at a level lower than the depth of soil freezing.
  • The depth of groundwater and its fluctuations throughout the year. As a rule, in most areas, the pillars simply do not sink to this level.

If the construction takes place on a slope, the components will go to different depths and the process becomes more complicated, which must be taken into account.

Since the bathhouse in almost all cases is built from light materials (wood, cellular concrete), it is recommended to build the base not as a powerful monolithic one, but to use a columnar foundation for the bathhouse with your own hands. These are pillars dug or driven into the ground, which can be concrete, metal, asbestos-cement, brick and even wooden. Small material and time costs are the main advantage of such bases, and according to the characteristics of the soil, the foundation of columnar supports is suitable for all construction sites.

General preparatory measures for the construction of the foundation on the pillars

The first and obligatory action is to clear the site, remove the garbage and lay out the site for the bath. The sod must be removed and all unevenness in the ground must be leveled. The bathhouse project plan is transferred to the ground using pegs with a construction cord stretched between them. All sizes are controlled with a tape measure. With a large difference in elevation on the site, the leveling of the upper horizon is carried out - it is difficult to do this on your own, therefore it is easier to contact the regional geological exploration service.

The characteristics of the soil and the type of building materials for the pillars are two factors, the depth of immersion of the pillars. Self-determination of the type and properties of soil, the level of groundwater and the depth of soil freezing can be done in a simple way - to dig a hole 1-1.3 meters deep. If the groundwater does not show through, and the soil in the area is heaving (that is, it contains a lot of clay), then this depth is considered optimal to start building a columnar foundation for a bath with your own hands. If these conditions are not met, you need to dig even deeper until dense soil goes. To determine the approximate depth of soil freezing, add 0.4 meters to the depth of the appearance of dense soil layers.



The nodal supports are located at the corners of the bath foundation, and at the intersections of the load-bearing walls, the standard distance between the supports is 1.5-2 m. The wells for the posts are dug manually with a shovel or a hand drill with a cone of the required diameter. The drill allows you to make the walls of the holes smoother, which does not apply to wells for brick or block pillars - they are made square or rectangular, depending on the size of the building blocks.

The size or diameter of the wells depends on the building material for the supports, but in any case, the holes in the ground should be 70-100 mm larger for the following structures:

  1. For stone or brick supports - 0.5 x 0.5 m;
  2. For concrete supports - 0.6 x 0.6 m;
  3. For pipes made of asbestos cement - Ø 200 mm;
  4. for reinforced concrete pipes - Ø 300-350 mm;
  5. for intermediate supports - 250-300 mm.

The bottom of the well is covered with a sand cushion with a layer of up to 20 cm, moistened and rammed, after which you can begin to erect home-made or dig in ready-made supports.


Pipes as supports for a columnar base

The most acceptable solution, in which the columnar foundation for the bath will be strong and durable, is asbestos-cement or iron pipes Ø ≥ 200 mm. Such products can be easily cut with a grinder, and their weight makes it possible to do without special equipment in the installation. The upper part of the support for arranging the grillage should rise 40-50 cm above the surface. The body of the pipes, which is in the ground, is waterproofed with roofing material, bitumen, tar, mastics, and other roll, pasting or liquid materials. The supports prepared in this way are lowered and temporarily fixed with spacers in the well strictly vertically. It is allowed to use stone, brick, metal for spacers, but not wood. The grillage is needed in order to make it more convenient to equip the floor in the bathhouse.

After fixing the supports, the space between the walls of the well and the pipes themselves is filled with excavated soil or a mixture of sand and gravel with a layer of up to half a meter, moistened and rammed. The inner space of the pipes is reinforced: for this, reinforcing rods Ø 12-14 mm are placed in the pipe webs. The length of the rods should be such that the reinforcement is understood over the supports by 40-50 cm for alignment with the grillage beams. With a high pipe height, the reinforcement is tied together in a frame with rods with a pitch of 0.5-0.7 m. This is done using a soft knitting wire.


After preparing the base elements, the pipes can be poured with concrete grade M 400. If the concrete is not ordered from the manufacturer, but is prepared independently, then you need to prepare a concrete mixer or just a large container for mixing the concrete solution. Concrete composition: Portland cement M 400, coarse refined sand, or gravel. The proportions are 1: 1.5: 3. The volume of water is 40% of the volume of cement. How to pour concrete into a pipe - in stages:

  1. First, one third of concrete is poured into the hollow support;
  2. Then the pipe must be raised by 10-15 cm so that a little mortar spills out from below, and a concrete base is formed for support, after which the pipe is lowered back into the squeezed out solution;
  3. After that, concrete is poured in layers inside and outside the pipe, after pouring every 30 cm of mortar, the concrete is rammed to compact the mortar and squeeze out the air;
  4. The pillars filled with concrete are covered with polyethylene for a week - until the initial strength of concrete.

Brick pillars under the foundation

For a base made of brick supports, preparation for work is carried out in the same way as for pipes, with one difference - you do not need to drill wells - you need to dig square or rectangular holes. With a small length and width, it is inconvenient to dig deep holes by hand - it is better to rent special equipment, but dig holes a little wider than the calculated volumes, so that it is more convenient to waterproof the supports and tamp the soil when backfilling.

When the pits are dug, a layer of sand is laid on the bottom in the same way as for pipes, moistened and rammed. Then the technology changes - the bottom of the sand cushion is concreted with reinforcement, the concrete layer should be 10-15 cm. Instead of reinforcement rods Ø 12-14 mm, you can use a reinforcing mesh with cells of 40 x 40 mm. When knitting a mesh from rods, a knitting wire Ø 2-3 mm and a crochet hook are used. After pouring the concrete base under the brick pillar, the concrete must be allowed to gain strength for 5-7 days.

Important: for the construction of brick pillars under the foundation, you cannot use hollow bricks - you need a ceramic solid brick, for example, grade M 100.


The disadvantages of a brick columnar base are the fragility of the brick base and the possibility of destruction under the influence of natural factors. Other building materials are also susceptible to the negative effects of temperature, moisture and wind, but the brick will collapse faster. Therefore, it is so important to carry out construction operations in full and in compliance with all technologies, including mandatory hydro-insulation, and if necessary, thermal insulation of columnar supports.

Block column foundation

For the construction of such a columnar base, industrial FBS are usually used - foundation wall blocks made of concrete. It is also allowed to use blocks with an insignificant percentage of voids, the products themselves have dimensions of 200 x 200 x 400 mm.



FBS are able to withstand the weight of any building, therefore, they are suitable for a columnar base without any restrictions. Installation of such a base is carried out in the same way as for pillars, with the exception of a few differences:

  1. Concrete blocks weigh much more, so they are laid with the help of special equipment. The height of the concrete pad on top of the sand bed should be 0.5-0.5 m;
  2. Instead of sand under the sole of the FBS, coarse gravel or crushed stone can be poured. The pillow itself acts as a moisture absorber or waterproofer;
  3. There must be at least two blocks in the FBS row. Each next concrete product is placed on the lower block perpendicularly, on a cement-sand mortar;
  4. The last FBS blocks are installed at a height of 0.2-0.3 m above the ground, protected by layers of waterproofing - roll, coating or pasting.

Concrete pillar supports

But among all the existing options for columnar foundations with the use of various building materials, a monolithic columnar reinforced concrete foundation is considered the most durable, durable and reliable. Excavation work for arranging such a foundation is carried out the same as for the previous options, and then reinforcing frames are formed for each concrete support. For this, reinforcing bars Ø 12-14 mm, periodic and smooth profile are used. Long walls of the reinforcement cage are built from corrugated rods, transverse ligaments are built from smooth rods. The whole frame is knitted with soft steel wire Ø 2-3 mm. The base of the frame can be made square or round, from three to five rods. Above the surface of the support, the reinforcement should look out 200-250 mm so that the pillars can be connected to the grillage.

Pouring with concrete takes place by pre-forming the formwork for each support. The formwork is assembled from sawn timber - boards, plywood, chipboard. The bottom of the well is covered with a sandy 20-centimeter pillow, on top of which, after ramming, polyethylene or roofing material is spread. The formwork is installed in a trench (well), a reinforced frame is installed in the formwork. Concrete M 400 is poured into the mold, which is prepared according to the recipe and with the proportions described above.

Column foundation for a bath updated: February 26, 2018 by: zoomfund

Insolvency strip foundation on rocky soil, or an area flooded by groundwater, has been proven in practice. This is where the columnar foundation is laid. The issue is resolved, it remains only to understand the principles of its creation.

Columnar foundation - how is it presented?

Outwardly, it looks like several rows of bearing pillars located relative to the bearing walls. That is, in places with a significant load. In principle, this is typical for all types of foundations. In addition to the load-bearing walls, the pillars are located at the intersection of the external and internal walls with each other. The foundation for the furnace, based on the pillars, is also prepared according to its size and schematic arrangement. If a heater is used for heating according to the project.

Over the years of practice, builders have determined the optimal distance between two supports in 1.5-2.5 meters. To impart solidity to the structure, and in order to strengthen the overall frame, for the purpose of subsequent installation of the basement row, above the ground, the supports are connected to each other with a grillage.

The most reliable option for a columnar support is reinforced concrete pillars. They are durable and can withstand almost any weight of the structure. But given the relatively small weight of the baths, even brick ones, it is allowed to use rubble concrete, stone, brick, steel and asbestos-cement pipes. These materials allow you to save on labor. But before choosing them instead of reinforced concrete supports, the soil at the construction site is carefully checked for the presence of groundwater.

Technical points of admission

No matter what material is used for work, a frame bath built or brick, the arrangement of the columnar foundation is accompanied by the following factors:

  • the columnar base does not favor the arrangement of the basement;
  • this type of foundation is less prone to freezing with all the ensuing consequences;
  • the price of materials relative to their quantity required for filling is much less.

In addition to the fact that the columnar base is preferable for structures of small weight and is recommended for pouring on the washed-out soil, there are a number of additional recommendations regarding the design study. For example, the total height of the base should not exceed 1.5 meters, and the shrinkage deformation, in relation to the most popular type of tape foundation, is 40% lower.

Conditions for the ineffectiveness of a columnar base

The first thing that says about the impossibility of choosing such a foundation is a complex structure of two floors or a bath with a veranda. The explanation for this is high overall the weight. Also, it is better to refuse a columnar base in the presence of weak soils that are displaced horizontally. This feature of the soil will lead to displacement of the pillars and, although incomplete, deformation of the structure. "Weak soils" include peatlands and places with large clay layers.

In order not to overpay for the purchase of material for pouring a columnar base, take into account the weight load on the foundation. Baths built from rounded logs or frame structures are not very heavy, so the pillars do not need to be poured too deep. This is explained by the fact that the low temperature in winter will affect the entire base, exceeding the kinetic load exerted by the weight of the structure. This will lead to cracking of the concrete and the appearance of a slope. The size of the shallow foundation is 40–50 cm. The depth of filling the pillars, unlike, for example, the strip foundation for a bath, should not exceed 70 cm, that is, without reaching the level of soil freezing. With an average value of this indicator for the regions of 1 meter, it is enough to fill the pillars by 60-70 cm.

As already mentioned, the heaving forces exert high loads on the columnar base and they are mainly directed to the plantar and lateral surfaces. Reducing this force is achieved by treating all poles with synthetic lubricants or bitumen-based mastic. In order not to puzzle over the choice of means, and in order to save money, each pillar can be wrapped with roofing felt or other similar materials.

Foundation laying work - preparation

The initial process, during which the place for the foundation is prepared, is the most important. This is a recommendation not only for pouring the base, but also for the construction of a bath, in general. There should be no debris on the site, the top layer of earth must be removed to a depth of 5 cm. Subsequently, this will further facilitate the work on laying drainage and sewerage systems.

After that, the location of the pillars is marked. Initially, you need to outline their fill at the corner joints and at the junction of the internal partitions, only after that you can calculate the distance according to the standard (1.5-2.5 meters) relative to other supports. If it is not possible to keep within these indicators, and the distance exceeds the stated norms, then it is necessary to revise the location by adjusting the parameters. Remember - installing supports closer than 1.5 meters is also unacceptable, this can lead to a weakening of the bearing capacity of the soil.

Instructions for pouring pillars

When the place for work is ready and the places for installing the supports are outlined, we proceed to digging holes for them. This is done manually or with a specialized technique, the main thing is to observe the depth of the bookmark. Floor-width holes should be 10 cm wider on each side. This stock is required to create a reinforcing cage. It is worth recalling that this must be done under the condition of monolithic filling. If the columnar foundation is installed under a small-weight bath made of logs, then it is better to make it from ready-made reinforced concrete supports.

The pit is ready, we fall asleep on the bottom of a sand and gravel pillow. Pour it all with water and tamp it a little. Now it is necessary to insert a reinforcing cage, welded in advance to size, into the pit. It will be inconvenient to install the piping in place, so it is better to prepare it in advance, according to the height of the fill. The frame is thoroughly trimmed horizontally and vertically, using the appropriate devices. After, according to the plan, the formwork is installed or its use is omitted due to the design features of the bath.

Further, the frame is wrapped along the contour with roofing felt, taking into account that the solution will be poured into it. The edges are held together with a stapler. Now it remains only to fill in the solution, and, if possible, expel air from the layers in order to reduce the possibility of cracking. The base is ready. It remains to give it strength and you can start building any, even a brick bath.

Considering the fill option as the most difficult and noteworthy, it is necessary to highlight several points regarding its characteristics and design features.

  1. A columnar foundation for a bath, made by pouring a reinforcing cage, can stand up to 150 years.
  2. In order for the structure to stand for a long time and reliably, it will be enough to prepare a shallow version, which will save on material.
  3. If the building does not provide for a basement, then there is no need to make formwork and raise the foundation above the soil. You can protect the basement level with roofing material.

That's all the tricks for laying a columnar base for a bath. If you do everything right, then the foundation will be as strong as possible. And the option that, with respect to such a basis, it is as simple as possible to conduct water supply in the bath, speaks of its attractiveness for those who do everything with their own hands.

This article will consider the question of how to make a columnar foundation with your own hands when building a bath. In contrast, much less is required for its construction building materials, which is an undoubted advantage in terms of saving money. So, we look at the content and go to the desired section of the article.

This type of foundation is a series of bearing pillars located at nodal points and places with significant loads from the weight of the structure (in our case, baths). As a rule, the pillars are located under all load-bearing walls, in the corners and at their intersections. If there are internal partitions or other heavy structural elements that exert heavy loads on the foundation, then additional pillars are also installed under them.

The optimal distance between the posts is considered to be about 1.5-2.5 meters. To give stability and combine the pillars into a single rigid structure, they are tied together with grillages, which also serve as supports for the basement of the structure. When the distance is increased over 2.5 meters, it is required to install more powerful tie beams, called randbeams.

The main type of columnar foundation used in construction is a monolithic reinforced concrete foundation. However, on the nature of the soil on the construction site, as well as on the weight of the structure, foundations of rubble concrete, stone, brick, wood, asbestos concrete or steel pipes filled with concrete, and other building materials can be used.

Before erecting a columnar foundation with your own hands, the following points must be considered:

  • The building should be without a basement and be lightweight;
  • The cost of materials and labor costs for a columnar foundation is one and a half, and sometimes even two times less than that of a strip foundation;
  • Columnar foundations are least susceptible to heaving forces when the soil freezes;
  • Columnar foundations are preferred when
    • its sediment on the ground is much less than that of tape bases;
    • the height of the strip foundation is more than 1.5 meters (in terms of material savings).
    • It is not recommended to build a columnar foundation:
      • with a height difference under the foundation of more than 2.0 m;
      • on soft soils with significant horizontal movement, which can lead to tilting (overturning) of the posts;
      • on soils with low bearing capacity, such as peat and clay soils with a high water content;
      • if the structure is heavy (brick walls, as a rule, more than 500 mm thick, reinforced concrete slabs, panels, blocks ...);
      • if a basement is required for the construction of walls, since its construction will require significant financial investments.

Design features of the foundation for a bath

Considering that the bathhouse made of wooden beams, in terms of its design parameters and the materials used, refers to light structures, heaving x soils, it is advisable to build an unburied or shallow foundation. This is explained by the fact that frost heaving forces will act on a buried foundation below the depths of freezing of the soil, significantly exceeding the load on the foundation from the weight of a light structure. The result of this will be deformations in the entire structure: settlement, distortions, cracks, etc.

Depth of laying an unburied foundation, as a rule, from 40 to 50 cm and should be included in the range of values \u200b\u200bfrom one third to half of the calculated freezing depth.

A feature of a shallow foundation is that the depth of the pillars should be less than the freezing depth by 50-70%. For example, with a standard value of the freezing depth of 1 meter, the depth of the bearing pillars should be in the range from 50 to 70 cm.


As you know, frost heaving forces exert on the foundation, directed to its plantar and lateral surfaces. To reduce friction, the side surfaces are treated with bitumen mastic, synthetic lubricants or resins. ... In a simple way insulation of the foundation from the ground with roofing material can serve, as well as its insulation in the area of \u200b\u200badjoining soil layers. In addition, foundations made of monolithic concrete without reinforcement, bricks or rubble are made tapering upward, which makes it possible to evenly distribute the load from the weight of the walls of the bath.

With a significant impact from ground movements in the horizontal direction, grillages or randbalk are used, which allow to tie the columnar foundation into a single whole, and thereby increase its bearing characteristics.

When building columnar foundations, one should be guided by the following minimum values \u200b\u200bfor the dimensions of the cross-section of pillars, mm:

  1. Stone - 500-600;
  2. Brick - 380;
  3. From buta - 400;
  4. Monolithic concrete - ø400 or 400x400;
  5. Wood - 200.

When building a bath with your own hands, you can adhere to the following order of preparatory work (for all materials):

  • Checking.
  • Foundation markings (see details), taking into account the fact that the pillars must be installed at all corners, intersections and joints of load-bearing walls. If the distance between two adjacent pillars is more than two meters, then an additional pillar is marked in the middle. It is important to know that the optimal distance between the columnar supports should be in the range of 1.5-2.0 m.
  • Digging a hole manually or with the help of special equipment (drill) for each post. Their dimensions should be so much larger that it is convenient to install a reinforcing cage, formwork or sheet roofing material in them. For example, if the diameter of the post is 400 mm, then the diameter (width) of the pit should be 100-150 mm larger. The depth of the pit depends on the condition of the soil and the seasonal depth of freezing.

Monolithic concrete foundation

  • The concrete columnar foundation has a very high strength and a long service life (about 140-150 years). For a wooden bath, we use a shallow foundation with a depth of 500-700 mm (excluding sand filling).
  • When building light and wooden buildings without basements, including a bath, there is no need to arrange special formwork. It is enough to use the widely used method, in which roofing material or glassine is used as formwork. To do this, it is necessary to roll up the roofing material in the form of a pipe of the required diameter and appropriate length, and secure it with reinforced tape.
  • Insert a prepared pipe into the pit, pour 10-15 cm of building sand and pour water to seal it. Then add another 10-15 cm layer of sand and re-sprinkle with water. After compaction of the sand filling, a reinforcement frame is installed, the diameter (or diagonal) of which should be 5 cm less than that of a roofing material pipe. It is important to set the prepared formwork strictly vertically - this will reduce the effect of tipping the column during the operation of the building.
  • Concrete is poured into the formwork prepared in this way, which is compacted with a special vibrator or a piece of steel reinforcement.

Brick foundation

This type of foundation is built from red clay bricks. Depending on the physical condition and characteristics of the soil, climatic conditions and the quality of the brick, as well as the strength of the masonry, its operational life can be 50-100 years.

  • The most important condition for the construction of this type of columnar foundation is the quality and strength of the masonry, since the pillars can collapse prematurely and cause deformation or destruction of the bath itself.
  • The width of the pit for the pillars should ensure convenience when laying bricks, and its depth should be 0.5-1.2 m (excluding backfill and cement base).
  • Sand, gravel or crushed stone with a layer thickness of 10-15 cm is poured at the bottom of the pit and a cement reinforced screed 15-20 cm thick is made on top of it. lattice.
  • After completing the brickwork, the pillars are treated with bitumen in order to prevent direct contact with the ground.
  • The cavities between the ground and the pillar are filled with crushed stone or gravel.

Wooden foundation


  • Designed for the construction of lightweight wooden structures. The main material for pillars ("chairs") is the butt of a pine or oak with a diameter of at least 25-30 cm. The shelf life of such a foundation (subject to all technological requirements) for oak is up to 25-30 years, and for pine - 10 15.
  • The width (diameter) of the pit should be one and a half times the size of the wooden support. For example, if the trunk diameter is 30 centimeters, then the diameter of the dug hole will be 45 cm.
  • Before installation in the pit, the lower butt part is fired with a blowtorch to a length that exceeds the depth of the support by 30 cm, and then treated with tar, antiseptic and bitumen.
  • When building a bath, you can use one of two options for laying wooden supports: not recessed or recessed. In the buried foundation, the depth of laying the columnar supports is at least 1.2-1.4 meters.
  • When installing a non-buried foundation, the pillar rests on a wooden base in the form of a cross 70 cm long. For greater stability, the support is connected to the cross with its lower spike.
  • If a buried foundation is being erected, then the supports are installed on stone or concrete. Concrete base is done on a sandy backfill with a height of 10-15 cm. The wooden support is pressed into the depth of fresh concrete mortar by 10-15 cm - this ensures its stable and rigid fixation in the ground.
  • After installing the supports, they are first covered with gravel (crushed stone), and then with a layer of soil 10-15 cm.

What else you need to know when building a columnar foundation with your own hands

  • To prevent moisture, snow, dust and cold air from entering the lower part of the bath, the space between the posts must be closed. The strength of the concrete structure can be reduced by up to 20% if the concrete is prepared either too liquid or too thick.
  • For a wooden foundation, boards treated with antiseptic and bitumen are used.
  • For monolithic or brick supports, a concrete screed is made on a sand cushion 15-20 cm high above the upper ground level. At the same time, it will serve as the basis for the construction of the basement. To exclude cracking of the screed, it is reinforced with metal rods in the form of a frame. The concrete is poured into the pre-installed formwork. How to make concrete see.
  • M400 is the best brand of cement for building foundations for a bath. It is also important to take into account the fact that the shelf life affects the strength properties of cement. So, when stored for about 6 months, its strength decreases to 25%, and up to a year or more - by 30-50%.
  • Factors that reduce the strength and operational durability of a columnar foundation:
    • uneven depth of pillars;
    • low-quality raw materials and their preparation in violation of the technological process;
    • uneven load on columnar supports from the weight of the structure;
    • the depth of the support was chosen incorrectly;
    • erroneous assessment of the condition of the soil at the construction site;
    • Construction of supports onheaving soils produced longer than one construction season. This circumstance affects the uneven deformation of the pillars. For example, if some supports were left for the winter without load from the walls, while others were built during the warmer months of the year. This can, at best, greatly complicate the further arrangement of a columnar foundation for a bath (grillage, basement ...) with your own hands.

    For reference

Grillage (it. Rostwerk, from Rost -lattice and Werk -structure) top part pile or columnar foundation, which distributes the load on the base. The grillage is made in the form of beams or slabs that combine the heads of pillars (piles) and employees supporting structure for the erected elements of the structure.
A grillage is also called a single or double deck of logs or beams laid on a crushed stone, sand or gravel bed, and serves as a foundation for light buildings.

Zabirka - the wall between the pillars, which serves to insulate the underground space of the structure. It is an additional supporting structure, more evenly distributing the pressure on the ground from the entire building.

Randbalka - Reinforced monolithic reinforced concrete beam, manufactured at the construction site and used to connect the foundation pillars to each other by means of steel reinforcement outlets. Sometimes a metal profile is used: a channel or an I-beam.

Wikipedia

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