A sensible and efficient method of guarding against water damage to your foundation is to create a concrete blind area around your home. This easy project is ideal for do-it-yourselfers who want to upgrade their homes because it only requires simple tools and supplies.
By acting as a barrier, a concrete blind area keeps rainwater from seeping into the foundation and directs it away from your home. This lessens the likelihood of problems like soil erosion, foundation cracks, and basement flooding. Additionally, it can improve the overall look of your house by giving the perimeter a polished, orderly appearance.
We’ll take you step-by-step through the creation of a concrete blind area in this article. For a long-lasting and appealing finish, you’ll learn how to prepare the ground, mix and pour the concrete, and finish the surface. Regardless of your level of experience, this guide will empower you to take on this project independently.
You can increase the value of your home and keep it well-protected from water damage by following these instructions. Let’s begin the process of adding a concrete blind area to the exterior of your house.
Step | Instruction |
1. Planning | Measure the area around the house and plan the width and slope of the blind area. |
2. Excavation | Excavate the soil to a depth of 20-30 cm along the planned area. |
3. Base Preparation | Fill the trench with a layer of gravel or crushed stone and compact it well. |
4. Formwork | Install wooden or metal forms around the edges of the excavated area to hold the concrete in place. |
5. Reinforcement | Lay reinforcement mesh or rods on top of the gravel base to strengthen the concrete. |
6. Mixing Concrete | Mix concrete using cement, sand, gravel, and water in the correct proportions. |
7. Pouring Concrete | Pour the mixed concrete into the formwork, starting from one end and working towards the other. |
8. Smoothing | Use a trowel to smooth the surface of the concrete, ensuring an even finish. |
9. Curing | Cover the concrete with plastic sheeting or burlap to keep it moist while it cures for at least 7 days. |
10. Removing Formwork | Carefully remove the formwork after the concrete has cured completely. |
- What is it
- Functions performed
- Requirements for the blind area and installation rules
- How to make a blind area
- Preparation of tools and materials
- Marking
- Creation and compaction of a sand cushion
- Waterproofing
- Creation of formwork
- Reinforcement and pouring
- Alignment and drying
- How to protect the blind area from destruction
- Video on the topic
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What is it
A concrete blind area is a waterproof external structure that runs the length of the building and slopes gently from the wall to the local area’s relief. The structure is made movable but is tightly pressed to the house’s base in accordance with the project’s requirements. Its structure is similar to a layered cake and consists of the following elements:
- Base layer (bedding). It is created from crushed stone or clay.
- Waterproofing layer.
- Top coating – concrete.
Functions performed
Putting together a concrete blind area around a home by hand is a crucial building step that serves several practical purposes and impacts a residential structure’s longevity. Effective drainage from the wall structures and the house’s foundation is the primary goal of such a structure.
A well-made concrete blind area increases a building’s service life by halting the foundation’s deterioration due to prolonged exposure to precipitation, groundwater, and other elements. Water from the foundation will be effectively drained and transferred by the presence of a temporary concrete structure.
In the event that it is absent and the lawn or flowerbed is close to the room, this will have an adverse effect on waterproofing and raise the possibility that the nearby garden plantings’ root systems will destroy the foundation.
Continuous snowfall and rain will also become a major issue since the moisture in the soil will start to affect the foundation and hasten its demise.
For a long time, the method for creating a blind area involved compacting clay that was placed in a specific trench around the building’s perimeter. To create a waterproof film, the completed layer is further moistened.
The most prevalent blind areas nowadays are made of concrete, which has a unique manufacturing process. Such a material has many benefits, including improving the insulation of the house’s foundation by enabling you to arrange a smooth surface free of gaps, cracks, and crevices.
Simultaneously, experts advise pouring concrete in blind areas even if funding is not available to arrange finishing. Furthermore, it is preferable to outfit the structure ahead of time for the colder months to maximize its effectiveness.
- Presentative appearance of the exterior. The presence of a properly erected blind area is the final stage in the design of the outer part of the premises.
- Protection and drainage. The structure saves the garage or private house from the negative impact of groundwater and rainwater. And if it is equipped with a storm drain, all excess liquid ends up in the sewer pit.
- Soil stabilization. The thickness of the concrete blind area allows the soil layers to breathe normally and at the same time prevents the penetration of large living organisms along the base.
- Enhanced thermal insulation. With the help of such a protective covering, the degree of soil freezing is reduced, so the house always has a comfortable microclimate.
- Protection from soil heaving.
Requirements for the blind area and installation rules
When you begin building a concrete blind area by hand, you must ensure that its width is the same or 20–30 cm wider than the overhang of the eaves. Generally speaking, architects work within a tolerance of roughly one meter (although this can be adjusted when installing strip foundations on sinking ground). The surrounding structure is lowered by half the soil’s freezing point. It ranges in thickness from 7 to 10 cm. A maximum of 15 cm of deviation is permitted if it acts as a path.
The blind area’s ideal slope from the load-bearing wall is between 92 and 94 degrees. There is a 50 cm raiseable base. To guarantee proper drainage, the exterior lower side is elevated 50 mm above the ground.
How to make a blind area
Read the detailed instructions and mark the ground if you want to learn how to properly create a blind area around a house out of concrete with your hands. Additionally, you should prepare the area by removing any fertile soil and covering it with a layer of clay or sand.
Next, formwork is set up and a geotextile covering is placed on the ground (usually made of roofing felt). The concrete mixture is created in the proper proportion and placed inside the formwork, with the perimeter reinforced further.
Preparation of tools and materials
Make sure you have all the tools and supplies needed before beginning to build an insulated concrete blind area around a house. A shovel, pickaxe, twine, tamper, pegs, and construction tape are used in excavation work.
Additionally, you must arrange the ideal quantity of waterproof film for the water seal. The additives needed to mix the concrete mixture should then be located. These additives include:
- Moistened sand.
- Water.
- Gravel.
- Crushed stone.
- Cement.
An alternative is to utilize a ready-made mixture sold under the M400 and higher brand. Shovels, stretchers, a measuring bucket, buckets, and other containers are among the tools needed. A mixer is needed to dilute the mixture. Either sand or clay makes up the underneath layer.
The strip’s formwork is organized using boards, so a hacksaw, a building level, and a hammer with nails should be available at the construction site. Use welding equipment, metal cutting tools, and steel mesh for reinforcement.
Marking
Prior to excavating a trench, fasten pegs all around it and draw a string between them. Special beacons with a permitted pitch of up to 1.5 meters are used to indicate the location where the blind area adjoins the plinth.
The fertile top layer of soil is removed while keeping the landscape design in mind. The bottom of the pit is filled with sand or clay, which is then gently compacted. For heaving soil, the maximum depth can go down to 500 mm.
Creation and compaction of a sand cushion
Sand (ten to twenty centimeters) is poured on top of a drainage system installed in the bottom layer of the pit. The type of blind area and its placement depth dictate the precise thickness of this embankment. Sand is meticulously smoothed and packed.
You can use a trench filled with water and let it seep into the ground to cut down on the time and effort required for such tasks. The sand will be more compacted in this instance.
In the event that groundwater is sufficiently near the surface, installing a drainage system will be required. It makes use of a specially-holed tube that is installed all the way around the outside and linked by a storm drain to a private home’s general sewer system.
Waterproofing
To ensure efficient waterproofing, the following supplies can be utilized:
- Bitumen mastic or Goodron.
- Roofing material and other roller hydroelectric speakers.
- Available solutions in the form of geotextiles, rubles, polypropylene and a number of other materials.
- Hydro -cement and asphalt concrete.
- Made.
- All kinds of polymer products for placing a waterproofing layer between the blind area and the foundation.
Prior to beginning construction, the fertile soil layer must be completely removed from the entire perimeter at a distance of up to 1.5 meters in order to waterproof the blind area surrounding the house with concrete. If money is not an obstacle, every piece of tamped clay needs to have a roll waterproofer applied to it. By applying multiple layers of hot bitumen, you can increase the barrier against moisture penetration. Next, tamping and crushed stone backfill are added.
Creation of formwork
Ensuring the presence of high-quality formwork is crucial in prolonging the service life of the enclosing blind area. The boards are 30 mm thick. The blind area’s dimensions are taken into consideration when determining the height. It is advised by experts to mark the boards so that you can keep track of how thick each layer is.
After the base is anchored, the structure still needs to be strengthened with corners and twine. Bolts are used to tighten them after they are positioned outside. To repair a damaged section, one simply needs to unscrew the bolt and perform necessary maintenance.
The fasteners have a diameter of 1 cm. All wooden components must be treated with an antiseptic if the formwork does not need to be restored. Additionally, it is advised to create an insulating layer using roofing felt to increase their service life. This kind of solution not only makes the blind area more durable but also offers dependable protection for the formwork against mold and rot.
Blocks or supports are used to reinforce large forms. A temperature joint is installed throughout the structure even at this stage of installation; it is positioned close to the intersection of the wall structure and the blind area. The potential effects of temperature variations will be avoided by the presence of a temperature joint. Cracks will cover the blind area if this is not done.
A gap of 2 m should be kept in order to install transverse seams on the formwork without error. Wooden formwork is only useful for structures enclosing concrete. A wooden base is not required if the blind area is formed without pouring using other materials.
Reinforcement and pouring
A 50×50 (100×100 mm) metal mesh and pieces of reinforcement set in the base with a 0.75 m step are taken in order to reinforce the structure. The concrete base is mixed and poured separately, and the mesh is elevated 30 mm above the crushed stone.
It is essential to stop air pockets from forming in the concrete during the reinforcing stage. You should follow the ratios used to produce concrete for road paving in order to accomplish this. A ready-made mixture made of cement grade M400 and above is utilized.
Additionally, the composition might include a variety of additives to boost its dependability and strength.
Alignment and drying
There are several guidelines and specifications that must be followed in order to level the upper surface of the blind area. The process of applying dry cement to the screed should be completed one to two hours following ironing. Three to seven mm should make up the top layer. Subsequently, the coating is gently massaged, and a layer of opaque polyethylene film is applied. In one to two weeks, the blind area can be declared ready.
How to protect the blind area from destruction
Because the fencing strip is arranged along the foundation’s perimeter using concrete, it may break or crack. The majority of flaws consist of numerous deep or shallow fissures, indications of collapsing, and sinking. Tiles peeling off the building’s base is not an uncommon occurrence.
- Failure to comply with installation rules. Often, builders ignore the importance of waterproofing, do not ensure optimal compaction and uniformity of backfill, do not comply with dimensional standards and make other primitive mistakes. Another problem arises when choosing the wrong recipe for a concrete mixture, when the composition contains an insufficient or excessive amount of binder additive. The first option threatens with cracking of the surface, and the second – crumbling.
- The absence of an expansion joint that prevents damage to the supporting structure due to temperature changes or precipitation.
- Lack of reinforcement in the blind area. Some home craftsmen refuse to lay this layer, arguing that its presence is not specified in SNiP standards. However, the metal elements make the strip not only functional, but also durable.
It’s critical to keep an eye on the width and density of the expansion joints and restore them when necessary to shield the blind area from any harmful influences. It is preferable to use 15 mm thick vinyl strips in place of wood. The blind area shouldn’t be connected to the basement if the building is situated on heaving soil.
A useful and satisfying project is to create a concrete blind area around your home. By carefully following the instructions, you can improve your home’s defenses against water damage and give the outside of your house a polished, clean appearance.
Despite being simple, the process calls for close attention to detail and thorough planning. Every stage is essential to guaranteeing a long-lasting and functional blind area, from measuring and planning to laying the forms and pouring the concrete.
Don’t forget to give the concrete enough time to cure properly. Long-term benefits from this patience will include a sturdy and dependable barrier against moisture infiltration for many years to come.
By using the appropriate equipment and supplies and adhering to the instructions, you can confidently take on this project and feel the satisfaction of a job well done. Have fun constructing!
A simple project that can greatly enhance both the overall appearance and foundation protection of your home is the creation of a concrete blind area around it. We’ll walk you through every step of the procedure in this post, from leveling the ground to pouring and polishing the concrete. Whether you’re a novice builder or an experienced do-it-yourselfer, our simple instructions will help you get professional results with the least amount of hassle. Prepare to improve the longevity and curb appeal of your house with a well-built, long-lasting concrete blind area.