The blind area is a special structure, which is made in the form of a paved strip with a width of 60 cm to 120 cm. The blind area should be closely adjacent to the plinth or foundation of the building with a slight slope of up to 10%. More recently, such a structure was made only of clay or concrete, its quality was low, it did not fulfill its functions at all, and did not have waterproofing or insulation.
The main purpose of the blind area is to drain water from the foundation of the house. It's very important correct device, otherwise otherwise ground or wastewater may wash out the foundation.
The main purpose of the blind area is to drain water from the building and foundation. Today, a blind area is not just a strip of concrete or compacted clay, but complex design, executed from various materials, which are able to protect the structure from excess moisture, give the site a certain attractiveness.
Blind area device
The blind area pie consists of several layers:
- the bottom layer, the so-called underlying;
- upper protective layer.
Sand or crushed stone is usually used for the bottom layer. The choice of “pillow” depends on the construction material. For the outer layer, tiles, cobblestones, bricks, concrete, sand and other materials are usually used, but this particular layer must be completely waterproof to prevent water from flowing under the foundation.
When installing a blind area, you must also remember that for a house with a warm basement, ground floor, only an insulated structure is suitable for a cellar, which allows reducing the estimated depth of soil freezing. A warm blind area will help to perfectly protect the building from too sharp temperature fluctuations and eliminate seasonal swelling of the soil layer near the house.
Various materials can be used for thermal protection, but expanded clay, polystyrene foam, and impregnated sand are best suited to others.
For the installation of a reliable blind area with warm layer made of expanded clay will not require serious expenses. The insulation technology is extremely simple; it consists in pouring expanded clay onto the bottom of the trench, then filling it with concrete. Similar design has numerous advantages, including not only high level insulation, but also protection from ground moisture.
Return to contents
When insulating a blind area, foam plastic must be laid evenly so that there are no gaps between them.
Construction of a blind area with insulation from foam boards carried out using extremely simple technology. A pit is dug around the perimeter and its bottom is waterproofed. Used as waterproofing polyethylene film, roofing felt sheets or any other similar material. Before waterproofing, a layer of sand is poured onto the bottom and compacted thoroughly.
Styling waterproofing material carried out in such a way that the material extends slightly onto the walls, ensuring reliable protection. After this, a layer of foam is placed on the bottom so that there are no gaps between the plates.
After installation, pouring is carried out concrete mortar, and before that the formwork is installed. Filling is carried out in two stages, after the first it is necessary to immediately lay the reinforcing belt again.
Return to contents
Insulation with polystyrene foam
Blind area device with polystyrene foam boards reminds ordinary work on thermal insulation external walls foundation and plinth.
After the trench around the perimeter of the house has been prepared, a layer of waterproofing in the form of a film or roofing felt must be placed at the bottom. Insulation is laid on this layer, the joints between the plates are carefully poured polyurethane foam. A thermal protection layer is poured on top regular soil, after this you can perform any type of work, for example, pour upper layer concrete or tile. It is easy to insulate a blind area using this method; the work itself does not take much time or money; even a beginner can do it.
Return to contents
Insulation with polyurethane foam
Polyurethane foam, or PPU, is often used in construction today to create a durable, warm layer with excellent performance characteristics.
Polyurethane foam is applied by spraying, it quickly hardens on outdoors. A significant advantage of this method is that there is absolutely no waste, the application itself is accurate and fast. Another advantage is that the insulation is simply poured into the prepared pit, after which it quickly hardens, creating a protective layer. There is no need to use meshes and other means of reinforcement, since polyurethane foam itself has all the necessary qualities.
Return to contents
How to make a blind area on heaving soil?
Particular attention has always been paid to construction on, since in winter time it is possible that the blind area may be deformed and pushed out. To prevent this from happening, you will have to follow some prerequisites, which will allow you to complete all work quickly and efficiently.
In this case, the warm blind area perfectly protects the foundation of the house, since sudden temperature changes are no longer scary. Installation begins with markings around the perimeter of the building, then the soil is removed to a depth of 15 cm (the fertile layer must be completely removed). The width and depth of such a trench depend on the ground on which the construction is being carried out and how far the roof overhang is located. On average, the width of the blind area should be 30 cm greater than the width of the cornice, and the depth should be from 25 cm. The structure itself should fit tightly to the walls of the house and have no breaks.
Recommended on heaving soils. A layer of sand 15 cm thick is poured onto the bottom of the trench, it is spilled with water, and thoroughly compacted. After this, crushed stone is poured, formwork is placed along the edge of the trench, the height of which is 10 cm. The blind area is filled with concrete to a depth of 7 cm.
The grade of mortar M 200-300 is suitable for pouring; it has qualities sufficient for such work. While the concrete has not yet set, the structure is reinforced and refilled by 3-5 cm. This gives the monolithic layer bending strength and reliability. If this work is not done, the blind area will be torn under the influence of heaving forces. To improve the quality of the work, it is necessary to perform ironing, that is, pour cement on top of the poured layer and level it with a trowel.
Device Feature monolithic design on heaving soil is also that it needs to be filled separate sections, approximately 1.5-2.5 m each. Between the pouring areas, a expansion joint, the thickness of which is selected to be 10-20 mm. Such seams are filled after completion of work. liquid glass or tar. To prevent soil erosion, it is necessary around the perimeter of the building. Open special hatches are excellent for drainage; they can be covered with gratings on top. Water from the building is drained to drainage wells, ensuring safety.
Often owners of private houses they do not insulate the foundation and blind areas. For what? After all, the house has already been built, the walls are insulated, the foundation is underground, and such an element as the blind area has nothing to do with the house as a whole. But such a judgment is incorrect, since the foundation is exposed to temperature changes, just like the walls, and The main function of the blind area is to protect the base of the house from the penetration of rain and melt water. Neglect of such basic things leads to gradual destruction of the foundation, followed by wear and tear of the walls and house.
Why insulate the foundation and blind area?
Operation of the foundation is associated with exposure to aggressive external conditions, as well as with periodic load changes in clay soils ah, due to swelling of the soil at subzero temperatures. This influence of natural phenomena leads to a rapid violation of the integrity of the foundation and destruction of the entire structure of the building.
The solution to this problem would be the following set of measures:
- To remove excess moisture, organize ring drainage;
- Clay soils replaced with a layer of crushed stone;
- To balance temperature regime insulate the foundation;
- To avoid excess rain and melt water getting around the house pour the blind area.
Insulation is carried out at the construction stage, but if you got a house built 10-20 years ago, then nothing has been lost yet, everything can be done.
What materials are used
Offer various types There is simply a huge amount of insulation, but not all are suitable for insulating the foundation and blind area. The most commonly used insulation materials are:
- Expanded polystyrene.
- Penoplex.
Penoplex is extruded polystyrene foam, and the material received this specific name from its manufacturer.
Differences between these materials:
To insulate the foundation and blind area, sheets of one or another type of material are used. It is also possible to carry out insulation by spraying onto the foundation.
In terms of density, in ordinary household construction, expanded polystyrene or penoplex with an index of no higher than 35 is used. Denser types of such materials are used in industrial and road construction.
Insulation and waterproofing of the foundation
They are carried out during the construction stage of the house, but if the house was built a long time ago, then you need to assess the situation and update it if necessary, or re-carry out the entire work package.
If the house has a basement, then a natural question arises: can insulation be done from the inside? We said above that one of the functions of insulation is defence from external influences . That's why insulation work Be sure to also carry out externally.
Let's consider the work on insulation of the two main types of foundations used in residential construction: strip and pile. The insulation of a foundation made from foundation blocks is comparable in technology to the insulation of a strip foundation.
Insulation of strip foundations, work algorithm
The order of work is as follows:
Making insulation strip foundation, you should remember that:
- Insulation sheets are mounted on the walls foundation using construction adhesive mixtures.
- Under no circumstances should additional fastening be carried out using dowels, since drilling concrete violates the integrity of the structure.
- The coating must be continuous; for this, all joints between the sheets are additionally filled with polyurethane foam.
- Types of waterproofing are selected according to the specific situation on the site. Can be used as coating, pasting, plastering and others.
Insulation of the blind area
Why is a blind area with insulation made? Like the foundation the blind area is subject to the destructive effects of temperature changes, therefore, the insulation allows you to level out the temperature difference, and as a result extends the service life of the entire structure.
Insulating the blind area around the house is done in the simplest way. Expanded polystyrene sheets are laid on the gravel or expanded clay backfill of the trench. Formwork is installed around the perimeter, reinforcing mesh is laid, and concrete is poured. For a more aesthetic appearance, paving stones are laid on top. Insulation of the blind area with extruded polystyrene foam is carried out in the same way. In this case, the thickness of the insulation of the blind area can be from 20 to 50 millimeters of the thickness of the insulation sheet.
When installing, be sure to plan slope from the walls of the house amounting to 2-3 degrees. Storm drains are laid along the entire perimeter to drain the flowing water. A properly installed blind area with insulation will last much longer.
Insulation of a pile foundation
There are a number of reasons for insulation pile foundation.
Firstly, empty space under the house will additionally cool the floor in the house. The walls of a house on stilts are erected around the perimeter of the frame, which can be raised above the surface, forming an empty space between the ground and the lower part of the house. To reduce heat loss, additional insulation is done.
Secondly, all water supply and sewerage communications will pass under the house, and in winter they can simply freeze.
Thirdly, with a decorated insulated base, the house will be look more aesthetically pleasing.
Pile foundation is different from other types lack of a continuous surface around the perimeter, therefore, the insulation technology will differ from the usual one.
First, for this purpose, prepare the surface on which the insulation will be attached. If during the installation of such a foundation a reinforced concrete grillage was poured, then the whole procedure is simplified. In the absence of a grillage, the most in a simple way will brickwork between the piles. Since the load on such masonry is minimal, it is enough to make the wall half a brick.
Also, to insulate a pile foundation, you can attach it to the piles frame, metal or wood.
Insulating the blind area around the house
One of mandatory elements at home on concrete foundation is a blind area, which is a house path up to one and a half meters wide. This design performs a number of tasks, the main of which are:
- removal of moisture from the base of the building;
- providing convenient passage along the walls;
- reduction of heat loss through the basement and underground parts.
Today we’ll take a closer look at why you need to insulate the blind area around the house and how to do it correctly.
General arrangement of the blind area around the house
To solve operational and decorative problems, the path along the foundation of the house can be covered with a large number of different materials. The most widespread include the following:
- asphalt,
- a natural stone.
The exploited surface of the blind area is not its main component. Special meaning has something that is hidden from view. The blind area with or without insulation is designed, no less, to significantly increase the service life of the entire house. To lay the main layers, a trench is made along the entire perimeter of the building, into which they are installed. The scheme for insulating the foundation and blind area with penoplex and other types of insulation will be discussed below in more detail.
The technology of making a house is multifaceted and complex. Some builders do not consider it necessary to make an insulated blind area, considering this unnecessary expense materials and forces. It is believed that finishing the foundation with insulation of one type or another fully contributes to reducing heat loss from the base. Let's look at this problem in more detail.
When pasting outer surface foundation, the surrounding soil freezes completely in winter period. Thus, negative temperatures approach directly to the base of the house, significantly increasing heat loss from interior spaces. In the case of installing an insulated blind area around the house, the soil near the base does not freeze, which reduces heating costs, which in last years is becoming more and more relevant.
Based on what was described above, we can say for sure that the blind area insulation technology is much more advantageous in terms of reducing the heat loss of a building. The sequence of work will be discussed in detail below. After reading our review, you will learn how to properly insulate the foundation and make a blind area, spending a minimum of materials, time and effort.
Materials used for warm blind area
To reduce heat loss and manufacture an insulated blind area, a number of materials are used, which are subject to the following requirements:
- they must be highly resistant to moisture, biological microorganisms, animals and insects;
- must keep their thermal insulation properties for a long time.
Not many modern insulation materials fully comply with the parameters listed above. Among the most widely used materials are the following:
- expanded clay;
- Styrofoam;
- polyurethane foam;
- expanded polystyrene.
Let's consider the main advantages and disadvantages of each of the listed options.
Blind area with expanded clay
It is considered affordable to make an insulated blind area around the house from a material such as expanded clay. It is a round granule of sintered clay with low mass and high thermal insulation properties. To achieve the desired result, the recommended thickness of the expanded clay layer is at least 500 mm. The disadvantage of the material is its high moisture capacity, which requires additional high-quality waterproofing.
Buy expanded clay from required volumes not difficult. It is sold throughout our country and is sold both in bags and in bulk. This material is delivered to the construction site by truck and is used not only for thermal insulation of the blind area, but also.
Foam insulation
Polystyrene foam also refers to inexpensive options thermal insulation materials, used in the case when a blind area is made around a house with insulation of the foundation with your own hands. This is due to accessibility of this material. At the same time, the majority professional builders have a negative attitude towards this insulation, especially when installed in the ground. This is due to the following features of polystyrene foam:
- it is capable of destruction under the influence of moisture and subzero temperatures;
- it was loved by rodents who willingly build their nests inside;
- polystyrene foam is hygroscopic, that is, it absorbs and becomes saturated with water.
Based on the above features, insulation of the foundation base and blind area with extruded polystyrene foam (foam) can only be recommended if it is manufactured.
Polyurethane foam in the blind area
In recent years, do-it-yourself warm blind areas have begun to be made using materials such as polyurethane foam. Its feature is spraying on any surface, so this insulation can be used for all building elements buildings - floors, walls, roof, basement, etc.
A bunch of positive qualities PUF is offset by the need to use specialized equipment and the high toxicity of one of the components of the mixture, which requires the use protective equipment and leads to a significant increase in the cost of the entire technology.
Penoplex is the best choice
Most suitable option for the construction of an insulated blind area around the house, the use of slab material such as polystyrene foam is rightfully considered. The following set of advantages sets it apart from its competitors:
- high moisture resistance;
- long service life exceeding 20 years;
- low compression ratio, which allows it to withstand mechanical loads;
- low relative mass slabs;
- resistance to negative temperatures;
- environmental friendliness and thermal resistance.
The installation of a warm blind area with penoplex around the house is accessible even to non-professional builders. The slabs have a special tongue-and-groove joining system, which allows them to be laid as tightly as possible. More details on how to make an insulated blind area around the house in the next part of this article.
Warm blind area manufacturing technology
Step-by-step instructions for installing an insulated blind area around the house with your own hands are not complicated and accessible to everyone home handyman. Before starting work, we recommend preparing the following tools:
- bayonet and shovel;
- vibrating plate or manual tamping device;
- household electric concrete mixer;
- marking cord with a set of pegs;
- hammer;
- drill;
- screwdriver
The general sequence of work is as follows:
- We mark the future blind area. We first determine the width of the future tape. To do this, lower the perpendicular from the edge of the roof overhang to the ground and retreat outward at least 0.5-0.6 meters. Next, we install the cord at the required distance, pulling it between pegs driven into the ground.
- Excavation work is the most labor-intensive stage. Using an entrenching tool available to everyone, we remove all soil from the foundation to the cord to a depth of at least 500 mm for slab materials and polyurethane foam. If expanded clay is used as insulation, this value can be increased to 1 meter.
- It is necessary to make a hydraulic lock at the bottom of the trench. The best natural material Clay is traditionally considered for this purpose. A layer about 10-15 cm thick is poured onto the bottom and compacted thoroughly. If there are loamy and clayey soils in the construction area, you can simply compact the bottom of the trench.
- Be sure to lay it on top of the clay layer non-woven material, called geotextiles. It will prevent the mixing of subsequent layers and the germination of vegetation, so that the insulated blind area does not turn into a lawn. Sand is poured on top of the geotextile in a layer of 20 cm, which is leveled with a slope from the house, moistened and compacted in 2-3 passes over the entire area. If necessary, water intakes and storm water drains are installed in the sand layer.
- The next stage is laying the selected type of insulation. For slab types, the base must have ideal flatness. If a deflection is detected, it is necessary to remove the slabs and add clean, sifted sand. Having previously calculated the required layer thickness, depending on climatic conditions, do not purchase slabs of this thickness. Builders recommend laying two layers of more than thin sheets, mutually overlapping the joints of the previous row. This technique will provide better thermal insulation.
- Installation is carried out on top of the slab insulation concrete screed. To limit it, a durable formwork made of 150x50 boards is installed around the perimeter of the blind area. Concrete is poured and leveled, having previously laid expansion joints from edged lumber 25 mm thick, positioning it perpendicular to the tape. This simple technique will prevent cracking of the screed of the insulated blind area located around the house.
- After the concrete has hardened, you can lay the selected type of coating, giving the surface its final decorative look. Submitted step-by-step instruction Do-it-yourself blind area installations with insulation and waterproofing will allow you to complete the work without hiring a hired one work force, significantly reducing costs.
Thus, insulation and waterproofing of the foundation and blind area are quite accessible, even in the absence of experience construction work. The main condition is strict adherence to the sequence of stages and their high-quality implementation. The final choice of how and with what to insulate the blind area around the house depends on the specific conditions in the construction area.
In order to protect the foundation from rain and flood waters, . In addition to its protective function, it plays the role of a decorative element and gives the house a respectable and well-maintained appearance. Therefore, when purchasing materials for a blind area, you should choose materials that are compatible and suitable for the main elements, such as paths and the driveway to the garage.
You can insulate the blind area in several ways: using extruded polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam.
- shovel;
- crushed stone, sand, gravel;
- paving stones (tiles, concrete);
- formwork (if poured);
- insulation (expanded polystyrene, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam).
Insulated blind area: preparatory work
Before starting work, you should prepare the soil. It is compacted along the entire perimeter of the walls. This affects the strength of the blind area in the future. Tamping should be done immediately after the zero cycle.
The soil surface must be cleared of grass and other plants. And in their place it is better to fill in a layer of crushed stone, which will act as a drainage layer. The thickness of the layer should be calculated depending on the coarseness of the sand and the decorative layer.
In order to correctly calculate the height of the crushed stone, you should subtract the thickness from the thickness of the layer of removed vegetation decorative covering and preparation thickness. Backfilling the drainage layer onto the prepared soil allows you to raise the blind area to the desired height after installing the finishing layer. This is especially important when installing an insulated blind area around the house not only protective function, but also the role of the sidewalk path.
When working on a blind area, one must not forget about the slope. It is always directed away from the walls of the house. To do this, you can shape the soil in the trench at the desired angle or add backfill during installation. Minimum slope should be 1.5 or 2% of the total width. At first glance, this is a very small slope, but it will serve as excellent protection for walls and foundations from rain or melt water.
There must be a gap between the wall and the blind area. If it is absent in winter, the blind area will begin to put pressure on the walls. The result will be damage and subsidence of the wall surface. To prevent such defects, you need to leave a small gap of 2 mm and fill it with sand or polystyrene foam. In some cases, 2 layers of roofing material can be installed between the wall and the blind area.
The height of the base will depend on the material from which the blind area is made. For example, a blind area made of crushed stone allows you to raise the height of the base to 30 cm, and one made of concrete or paving stones - up to half a meter.
Return to contents
Working with the surface layer
Concrete paving stones. This type of coating is one of the most popular materials. The construction market sells paving stones in a wide range of colors. You can find paving stones in black, grey, brown, red, orange and yellow flowers. The variety of material shapes will also surprise you: from a regular square to a wave or hexagon with equal edges or a chamfer. Rounded edges make pavers stronger and reduce chipping. Such diversity allows the developer to lay out any pattern on the path. The gaps between the elements should be filled with sand.
The blind area is made of elements 6 cm thick, as they can withstand the load of a person walking on it. To complete the look, you will need to purchase borders and additional decorative elements. The blind area technology is simple, and you can lay it out yourself, spending one hour of work per 1 m².
Stone paving stones. This type of material is most often chosen due to natural look. It can be made of gray or red granite or black basalt. Often when purchasing paving stones you will notice different shades in the elements. No need to worry about this. Since this property natural material and in no case a technical defect. Paving stones can be chipped or sawn. Shape y stone material can be in the form of a cube or parallelepiped. The work is carried out in the same way as with concrete paving stones. The elements are laid on a cushion of crushed stone up to 5 cm thick. After which the seams are filled with sand and compacted. The blind area made of stone paving stones turns out beautiful, especially when using decorative stone. For 1 m² of blind area it will take 60 - 80 minutes. In many ways, the duration of the work will depend on the size of the paving stones.
Concrete paving stones. A blind area made of concrete is the simplest, cheapest and affordable way. For the blind area, you should choose concrete of class B15 and higher, pouring a concrete mixture 10 cm thick. Concrete will reliably protect the structure from water penetration. Concrete blind area Be sure to separate it from the wall and make gaps every 6 m.
For decoration, you can use stones or pebbles. The placement and number of stones will depend on the desired effect. For 1 m² it will take half an hour, provided that ready-made concrete mixture. And if you knead it for construction site, then it will take 10 minutes more time.
Paving slabs. The blind area is performed using paving slabs. They come in rectangular and square. One of the advantages of the slabs is the ability to replace a damaged slab with a new one. The thickness of such slabs ranges from 4 to 8 cm. Based on the color palette, one can distinguish black, red, yellow, green and regular gray. The surface can also be different, ranging from smooth to textured.
Paving slabs are laid similarly to paving stones. Crushed stone is poured onto the prepared surface, tiles are laid, the seams are filled with sand, followed by compaction. In order for the slabs to lie intact, it is recommended to plan a blind area with a width equal to one or two slabs. The time required for 1 m² is no more than 40 minutes, depending on the size of the element.
Crushed stone. This is the easiest blind area to perform and the most profitable solution at high groundwater, and also if it is installed around the house drainage system. If crushed stone is not available, it can be replaced with gravel, pebbles or expanded clay. The size of crushed stone can be from 8 to 32 mm. If the owner wishes, you can order crushed stone of one size. When choosing crushed stone as a material for a blind area, you should remember that it is difficult to compact, so walking on such paths will be uncomfortable.
The work is performed as follows. On finished surface lay a layer of geotextile, then a layer of crushed stone 10 cm high. Geotextile will prevent mixing of crushed stone and soil and the appearance of plants. When filling 1 m² of crushed stone yourself, it will take about 20 minutes.
Return to contents
How to check the quality of the blind area?
In order to check how well the blind area is made, you should check throughout the year how tightly the doors close and what the degree of violations are.
If the doors close differently, it means the ground next to the foundation is getting wet. The cause must be found and eliminated.
Return to contents
Do-it-yourself insulation of the blind area
Insulation of the blind area around the house is mandatory for middle zone and northern Russia. Some developers believe that if country house do not live permanently, then it is a waste of time, effort and money. This is fundamentally wrong. At permanent residence In the house, the heating system does not allow the ground to freeze and the soil to swell, and if the residence is not permanent, there is no heating, so in in this case Insulation of the blind area is simply necessary.
May appear a large number of cracks in the walls of the building and foundation, even with a small weight of the house. Such defects appear as a result of soil swelling during the cold season, even if the house is built in compliance with all building codes and with additional reinforcement of belts. This is especially evident during the construction of houses based on a strip foundation.
Therefore, before the main work, it is better to familiarize yourself with the methods of insulating the blind area.
When building a house, professionals always recommend arranging a blind area around the house. After all, the foundation and basement rooms are exposed to frozen soil in winter and an abundance of water during rainy periods. It is important not only to build on and be sure to insulate the blind area. In this case, the house will be protected even better.
The blind area is often used as a path around the house, and it also performs excellent decorative function. Therefore, to furnish this part of the house, you should select materials that best match the cladding of the building.
If the insulation of the blind area around the house is done correctly, it will help:
- Reduce home heating costs.
- Extends the life of the foundation.
- Protects against high humidity.
- Timely planned insulation of the blind area will help reduce the depth of the foundation.
What are these prospects connected with? In the winter season, the water that is in the soil freezes, which means that its volume increases and the soil begins to move. Such shifts have a bad effect on the foundation. As a result, small cracks may appear in the base. In turn, moisture can get into them and freeze. Which leads to increasing gaps.
Through such holes, heat begins to escape from the house. But this is only a small problem. After some time, you can notice the appearance of cracks on the wall of the house, which increase over the years. But if you take care of the arrangement and insulation of the blind area in time, such problems will appear much later.
The video is working, the author has this screensaver.
When is the best time to start working?
Professionals recommend doing the blind area after the frame of the house, that is, the walls and roof, has been completely erected. But if this was not done at the construction stage, then it can be built already when the house is put into operation.
It is advisable to begin work in the drier season so that sudden rain or nearby groundwater does not interfere with construction. After all, installing an insulated blind area requires digging up soil near the foundation to a depth of 30–40 cm.
Basic principle of construction
Those who are faced with such a process for the first time are wondering how to insulate the blind area? In order to do everything efficiently and correctly, you need to adhere to one rule of the “insulated blind area”. It consists of:
- Geotextiles. It is laid on a previously prepared area. To do this, the place where the blind area will be built is cleared of the top layer of soil with plant roots. Then they dig a trench about 30–40 cm deep. The bottom of the trench must be compacted so that later subsidence of the soil does not occur, which can lead to the destruction of the blind area.
- Sand. It is laid 10–15 cm thick. It is important to level and compact this layer well. It will form the entire blind area in the future. Be sure to make an incline away from the house. The difference should be about 3 cm, more is possible. This is necessary in order for the melting or rainwater did not remain near the walls, but flowed into a drainage gutter or onto a flowerbed. To compact the sand faster, pour it with water, but here you need to be careful not to overfill it.
- Thermal insulation. A wide variety of materials are used for this. Starting from expanded clay and ending with modern ones, penoplex and. ABOUT various insulation materials We’ll talk about both their advantages and disadvantages a little later. The thickness of the insulation depends on the material used. You need more expanded clay up to 20 cm, but synthetic materials you need less to 8–10 cm.
- Sand. In this case, you again need 10–15 cm of the substance, which is leveled and compacted. The slope is maintained.
- Geotextiles.
- Fine crushed stone.
- Decorative finishing.
Such a complex design resembles a multi-layer cake. But it is precisely such materials that will reliably protect the foundation or basement room and the entire house as a whole from the destructive effects of moisture.
Choice of insulation
It is important not only to know how to properly arrange the blind area, but also to choose suitable insulation. In some cases, it may be possible to use only extruded polystyrene. For example, where soil moisture is too high. But let's look at a few possible options.
Penoplex
Insulating a blind area with penoplex has many advantages, thanks to which this material is considered the most popular. These include:
- Long service life.
- Moisture-repellent characteristics.
- Resistance to low temperatures.
- Little weight.
- Poor flammability and combustibility.
In order to insulate the blind area with penoplex, slabs 5 and 10 cm thick are used. If the first option was chosen, then the slabs must be laid in 2 rows. Be sure to ensure that the joints are hermetically protected with a special film.
Plates 10 cm thick are laid in one layer, but the joints should also be treated with a protective film.
Polyurethane foam
If this material is chosen for insulation, then you cannot do without the help of professionals. For installation, a special machine is used, which is very expensive, and you also need work skills to do everything correctly. It is advisable to insulate both the blind area and the foundation (basement) at the same time. Then you will get a continuous layer that will reliably protect the structure. Why is this material so good?
- Has a low thermal conductivity coefficient.
- Does not ignite.
- Resists biological influences.
- Repels moisture.
- Can be applied at any ambient temperature.
- Installs without cracks or gaps.
Expanded clay
This material has been used for insulating blind areas since ancient times. It's environmentally friendly pure material which does not harm anyone environment, no water for residents. At the same time, it retains heat perfectly. You need to know that expanded clay comes in three fractions, which differ in size:
- Sand.
- Crushed stone.
- Gravel.
For arranging the blind area they use exactly expanded clay gravel. It withstands low temperatures very well. But expanded clay needs to be protected from excess moisture. To do this, it is imperative to build a drainage system.
The water that will drain from the walls of the house will fall into the soil near the blind area and may end up on the expanded clay. After getting wet thermal insulation characteristics are greatly reduced. To avoid this, pipes are laid along the perimeter of the blind area and routed to a distance of about a meter.
They dig a hole there and line it with geotextiles. The top is covered with crushed stone. Then it fits drainage pipe. More crushed stone is poured on top and covered with the ends of geotextiles. Completely cover the hole with sand.
Having learned all the intricacies of arranging and insulating the blind area, you can do everything yourself. But it doesn’t matter whether the owner of the house does everything on his own or uses the services of professionals, the main thing is that the blind area is done.