Brick foundations appeared much earlier than concrete foundations. Currently, they are used in private construction for the construction of houses up to three floors. If the technology is followed, a brick foundation is not inferior in strength to a concrete one, and you can make it yourself without the involvement of heavy equipment. How to make a tape or columnar foundation made of bricks with your own hands, what kind of brick is needed and in what cases are such foundations suitable?

When can you make a brick foundation?

A brick foundation is not suitable for all cases. Before choosing the type of foundation, you need to know the condition of the soil and the level of groundwater.

Attention! It is possible to make a brick foundation only on dry, hard, non-heaving and non-flowing soil and with a low level of groundwater.

If the soil is somewhat mobile, then a foundation made of ceramic red bricks can only be laid on a pre-poured concrete reinforced base. In case of high-lying groundwater, it is necessary to use special components of the solution that will not allow the material to deteriorate from moisture.

It is forbidden to build houses higher than three floors on a brick foundation. This type of foundation is best suited for houses made of lightweight materials:

• wooden,
• frame,
• from foam concrete.

This type of foundation is not suitable for a house made of brick or monolithic concrete.

Pros and cons of a brick foundation

To decide whether in a particular case it is worth choosing brick or concrete foundation, you should know about its advantages and disadvantages.

1. It has better thermal insulation properties than concrete.
2. With proper waterproofing, it will last no less than its concrete counterpart.
3. It goes well with any materials in the house and looks beautiful even without additional finishing.
4. If damaged, a brick base is easier to repair.
5. The brick base is less destroyed on moving soil, since it itself is mobile to some extent.
6. It's easy to do it yourself.

However, this material also has disadvantages:

1. At same sizes a brick foundation will cost almost twice as much as a concrete one.
2. However, it is less reliable than concrete.

Which brick to use

The foundation supports the weight of the entire house, so you need to choose the highest quality materials for it. The brick for it must meet the following requirements:

• have no voids
• strength grade - from 150,
• frost resistance - at least 35 cycles,
• density - 1600 kg/cub.m,
• water absorption - 6-16%.

The so-called iron ore brick or clinker meets these requirements; the disadvantage of the latter is high price. Sand-lime brick cannot be used for the foundation; only solid ceramic bricks are used.

Important! When purchasing, pay attention to quality. Over-burnt or under-burned material has less strength. A sign of poor firing is a scarlet color, a sign of “overexposure” is concave or convex edges.

Types of brick foundation

Brick foundations can be strip or columnar. How to choose which foundation to make?

A columnar foundation made of red brick is suitable for light buildings, such as frame and panel buildings, gazebos and wooden bathhouses. The advantages of this type are low price, no need to make blind areas, you can do it yourself. Disadvantages - needed good waterproofing, exposed to frost heaving of the soil.

The strip base is more durable; it is made when a basement or ground floor is planned in the house.

Strip foundation

Before you build strip foundation, make markings. Mark the corners and perimeter of the building, and then the location of the internal walls.

Trench

For strip base, both deep and shallow, dig a trench. For a shallow one, its depth will be about 50 cm. The higher the soil moisture, the wider it should be. The bottom of the trench is compacted, then a sand cushion is poured in and compacted again.

Concrete base

If the foundation is intended for a house, it must be poured under concrete base. For the lungs outbuildings this can be neglected. To pour concrete, make a formwork approximately 5 cm wider than the intended brick base and about 10 cm high. It is lined with roofing felt, concrete is poured and left for 2-3 days.

Solution

For the lower underground part, a sand-cement mortar is used in a 3:1 ratio; for the basement part, a cement-lime mortar can be used.

Masonry

You can lay out the brick in any standard way. Corrugated reinforcing bars are placed above the first row and in front of the last. For transverse reinforcement, a wire mesh is used.

Columnar foundation

For a columnar foundation, rectangular or square pillars are made. Their size depends on the load on them.

• For one-story house from lightweight material pillars 38*38 cm or 38*51 cm are sufficient.
• Columns under the inner ones load-bearing walls they make it thinner, usually 25*38 cm.
• For two-story house the size of all pillars must be at least 51*51 cm.

First of all, it is necessary that the base is level and solid. You cannot fill the holes immediately before starting work, otherwise the soil will not be dense enough. Then the site is marked.

In selected places, they dig rectangular holes 50-80 cm deep and slightly larger than the thickness of the pillars - leaving a reserve for backfilling.

Geotextiles are placed at the bottom of the pits, and sand or small crushed stone is poured onto it, leveled and thoroughly compacted. Geotextiles are needed to prevent sand from going into the ground. Ruberoid is placed on top - it waterproofs the lower surface of the pillar.

The solution is made from M-400 or M-500 cement.

Then you need to lay out the pillars in the holes. Every 4 rows of bricks, a reinforcing mesh made of 5-6 mm wire is placed.

Each layer of masonry is checked using a level - it must be strictly horizontal, all pillars must be in the same horizontal plane.

Under the intersections of the walls, pillars are made 51*51 cm, in other places - 38*38.

Waterproofing

For brick foundation waterproofing is required. Without her construction material will quickly begin to be destroyed by moisture from the soil.

Roofing felt or more modern ones are used for waterproofing roll materials. You can also coat the foundation with bitumen. Additionally, you can dig a trench and place a perforated drainage pipe in it.

Base

Usually the base of the house is laid out of the same brick from which the foundation was made. Sometimes you can use it for the foundation plinth sand-lime brick, but this is not recommended. You can line the walls and base with brick, then you need to take this into account when laying the foundation and expand it by about 12 cm - this standard thickness facing brick.

The brick for facing the foundation is a special facing or clinker brick. Which brick is better for the plinth, everyone decides for himself; both of these options are durable and have all the properties building bricks, they look beautiful. Cladding can be connected to walls different ways how to do this - watch the video.

Broken brick foundation

Is it possible to make a foundation from broken bricks as an additive to concrete? Indeed, broken brick, for example, from an old house, is used in private construction as an additive to concrete instead of crushed stone, but concrete of a high strength class cannot be obtained in this way. In this way, you can make a foundation for a small, lightweight structure (gazebos, verandas, extensions). To obtain a satisfactory result, the following rules must be observed:

• use only solid ceramic bricks, not sand-lime bricks,
• grind it down
• add it in an amount no more than 1/3 of the volume,
• concentrate the brick in the center of the structure.

It should be noted that in any case, a foundation made of brick or cast concrete will be much stronger and more reliable. Professionals categorically do not recommend making a foundation for a house using old broken bricks.

Conclusion

Thus, a brick foundation is not suitable for all buildings and not for all types of soil, but in cases where it can be used, it is not inferior in properties to concrete. From brick you can make a strip or columnar foundation for both a house and a garage, gazebo, or bathhouse. In order for the base to last a long time, it must be properly waterproofed.

Brick as a building material has been used for many centuries. Broken bricks occur when demolishing old ones brick buildings and engineering structures, as well as when rejecting defective products directly at factories. A small percentage of combat inevitably occurs during masonry.

In any city there are many buildings that have expired, most of the five-story “Khrushchev” buildings, for which only Moscow has so far adopted a housing program for relocating residents with the demolition of old buildings, are also brick. This results in huge volumes of broken concrete and brick. It is unprofitable and impractical to dispose of these raw materials, as was generally the case before, so everything appears more businesses and production facilities where raw materials are crushed using special equipment.

Received recycled material can be successfully used in many areas of construction. Let's consider what recycled brick raw materials are and where they can be used.

Types of recycled brick raw materials

The broken brick retains all the basic properties of the original material. Exist the following types battle:

• ceramic, characterized by low moisture absorption, good performance in terms of frost resistance and high density. Weight m³ of solid raw materials is 2000, and hollow ones up to 1400 kg;
• silicate, has low frost resistance and absorbs moisture well. The weight of m³ of stones made from materials that do not contain voids is 1.8…1.95 t, and the weight of hollow products is from 1.1 to 1.6 t;
• fireclay, characterized by high fire-resistant properties and low ability to absorb moisture.

Based on the size of the resulting pebbles, the broken building bricks are divided into the following fractions:

• small - ≤ 20 mm:
• average - 20...40 mm:
• large - from 40 to 100 mm.

Before separation into fractions using special sieves, the raw materials are thoroughly cleaned of foreign inclusions and debris. In individual construction, uncleaned brick scrap containing parts can often be used. different types brick materials, concrete inclusions and reinforcement.

The thermal conductivity of all varieties considered is characterized by similar values.

The increase in demand for scrap is due to the following reasons:

• constant growth is already enough high cost aggregates (crushed stone, gravel, natural sand, expanded clay and others);
• during the masonry process, brick breakage is always formed;
• on many plots acquired for individual construction, there are old buildings that have expired, which interfere with new construction and must be dismantled without fail. It is easier to use the obtained secondary raw materials than to incur additional financial expenses on its removal from the site;
• constant growth within the city limits of buildings subject to dismantling.

Available pros and cons of use

Advantages:

• bargain price after dismantling brick buildings with your own hands and significantly lower compared to other fillers when purchasing ready-made scrap;
• quite high strength indicators, higher than that of cellular concrete and wood;
• good heat, sound insulation and frost resistance;
• non-flammable and does not support active combustion;
• Possibility of use regardless of weather conditions;
• brick fight provides good drainage;
• environmental friendliness due to production from natural ingredients, ensuring 100% safety for human health and the absence negative influence on environment;
• light weight of the material, which does not require the use of special technical means and ensuring ease and speed of delivery to the installation site.

Disadvantages: it can be used for laying walls, but the work is highly labor-intensive and time-consuming; each brick will have to be cleaned of the remnants of the old mortar. There is also a significant increase in the consumption of new mortar and mandatory reinforced masonry reinforcement to avoid cracks.

What can be made from recycled material

1. Installation of heat and sound insulation backfill when constructing well masonry walls. Silicate chips are often used.
2. During the construction of local roads, as a base for the main surface, especially in swampy areas. Granite crushed stone is poured on top of the scrap, on which asphalt is laid. On such roads, it is permissible to add purified fractional crumbs when preparing the asphalt mixture. in winter and late autumn temporary roads in rural areas can be built entirely from broken bricks.
3. Filling roads to suburban areas with ceramic chips, filling holes and potholes during the repair of a constructed existing road.
4. Strengthening the soil on steep slopes.
5. Use as drainage layers in swampy soils, as an underlying layer in trenches when laying utility lines.
6. Used when pouring blind areas around the perimeter of buildings.
7. Temporary road made of broken bricks to construction sites. Such an entrance will last for several years, and then can be used as a base for laying a permanent coating.
8. Large pieces of ceramic products are good for various landscaping projects. Can be built alpine slide, using a crowbar as a reinforced base, arrange garden beds, the banks of a dry stream or garden paths. Small fractions are used to fill paths, and medium and large fractions can be laid out original patterns and compositions, compacting the crumbs into a compacted sand preparation or cement-sand mortar. In this case, you can use only clinker, hyper-pressed or high-quality scrap ceramic bricks, which guarantees the durability of the coating.
9. A durable road to the site, which can last more than 10 years in the absence of significant loads, can be obtained by using fragments of clinker material.
10. Fireclay material crushed into various fractions is used as a filler in fire-resistant mortars.
11. For the manufacture of gabions - rectangular boxes made of steel mesh filled with rubble and broken bricks.
12. Replacing part of the crushed stone with broken bricks when preparing concrete mixtures. It will not be possible to obtain high-class concrete, but for non-critical structures such a mixture can be used subject to following conditions:
    • Only ceramic scrap is suitable:
    • be sure to break the pieces with a sledgehammer to medium grinding;
    • it is permissible to add no more than 1/3 of the volume of crushed stone;
    • Concentrate such concrete in the middle of structures to reduce moisture absorption.
13. It is unacceptable to build a foundation made of broken bricks for residential buildings, but it is possible for various outbuildings for non-essential purposes, fences, recreation areas, gazebos, etc. Broken bricks are often used when installing fence posts. To do this, after installing the pillar, in a hole with installed pole broken bricks are filled in, compacted and poured cement mortar. This is a simple, reliable, durable and cheap solution.

In conclusion: secondary brick raw materials, due to the low cost of the material, can be rationally used, but only in the construction of structures without mandatory compliance with the requirements of GOST and building codes and rules.

The foundation is the foundation of any building, which is why this stage of construction requires special attention.

The concrete most commonly used for pouring has various brands, on which strength depends. When broken bricks are added to the foundation, the class of materials used decreases and, accordingly, the strength of the foundation decreases. This factor will not affect the construction in any way if the construction of small buildings, cabins, garages, bathhouses is planned, but when constructing a cottage or multi-storey building It’s worth thinking about the possible consequences.

Main types of foundations

Depending on the structure, the materials used for its construction and methods of further operation, there are several main types of foundations, differing in design or type of manufacture:

Tape. Closed loop, made of reinforced concrete, brick or rubble concrete, which takes on the load of load-bearing walls.

Columnar. Pillars made of wood, brick, stone or concrete are driven into the ground and connected to each other by beams.

Slab. Distributes the load evenly over the entire surface, as it represents monolithic slab, filled to a certain depth.

Pile. Metal, concrete or wooden rods driven into the ground and united on the surface with a special slab.

Despite different technology, area and size, all types of foundations are united by the possibility of using concrete, rubble concrete (with the inclusion of stone) or brick materials.

Ways to save on pouring a foundation

The most common material for making strip beams, posts or slabs is concrete. For the most part, a product that is already prepared in production is used, which is delivered by large mixers to the place where the foundation is directly poured.

Often the cost of the services offered does not fit into the budget and builders try to find ways to save money that will not negatively affect the final result.

One of the options for reducing the cost is mixing cement, sand, crushed stone and water yourself, but here it is necessary to strictly observe the proportions in order to obtain a high-quality mixture.

The second way to reduce costs involves adding pieces of rubble stone to the concrete. To fill the foundation, you need to use durable, resistant to external influences materials. Most often, crushed stone is added, but the possibility of using broken bricks is not excluded. It is important that the brick be ceramic with high frost resistance, since silicate brick is susceptible to destruction in the ground.

Broken bricks should be concentrated in the central part of the foundation, avoiding protrusions at the edges. Otherwise, the stone that has absorbed a large number of moisture can be subject to destruction, which leads to weakening of the base.

You should not add sand-lime brick or sandstone to the foundation.

Is it possible to add broken bricks to the foundation?

Broken bricks should not be thrown into a landfill if you live outside the city and continue construction, repairs or landscaping. Broken bricks can be used for a number of jobs and below we will tell you how and where this can be done. By using combat, you can save a lot of money, so don't miss the opportunity to keep your wallet tight.

Application of brick fighting

Broken bricks can be used in next works :

1. — Preparation of concrete,
2. — Backfill under the screed,
3. — Improvement of paths,
4. — Filling gabions,
5. — Road alignment,
6. — Landscaping territories.

Let us immediately note that you can use a combination of red and white brick, while white scrap is more durable, it is not so afraid of moisture and does not crumble into construction dust under its influence.

Bedding and concrete

Fight is an excellent substitute for gravel in concrete production, the proportion of broken bricks in the mortar can be from 5% to ¼. Such concrete can withstand loads well, does not crack or delaminate under the influence of temperature and humidity changes.

You can also replace broken bricks with expanded clay when adding under the screed. In this case you won't have to order additional material and you can save money. When using scrap for backfill, it is important to reinforce the screed with a metal mesh, which is laid on top of the bedding, under the screed. Mesh cell size from 20/20 mm.

Paths and roads

With the help of combat, you can level the road near your house. To do this, broken white or red brick is poured into road potholes and compacted manual tamper. Such “patches” will preserve the health of the car, and you won’t have to remember “fools and roads” when leaving the cottage.

Fighting can be used to strengthen and decorate paths in the territory country house. To do this, the path is first trimmed, 3-7 cm of debris is poured on top of the soil and it is compacted. If you have broken brick of two colors, you can mix it and sprinkle the path with this combined material - it’s beautiful and practical, because walking in the autumn slush on a hard path without puddles is more pleasant than on a swampy path.

Broken brick perfectly allows moisture to pass through, and after compaction it becomes an almost monolithic hard layer.

Gabions

Broken bricks can be used to fill gabions, that is, constructions different shapes which are made from metal mesh with cells of different diameters. On suburban area gabions are used to create enclosing structures near swimming pools, flower beds and even fences.

Broken bricks are poured into a gabion with a fine mesh until the structure is completely filled. Before backfilling, you can sift the waste, after which large pieces are sent to the gabion, the fines are used in concrete works and for decorating paths.

Landscaping works

If there are a lot of uneven areas in your suburban area, then they can be leveled with broken bricks. In this case, there will be no subsidence of the soil at the work site, the area will become smooth, like an alpine lawn. It is important to place the brick in such a way that there is still room to put it on top fertile soil– nothing will grow on baked clay.

It is best to control the accuracy of site leveling work laser level, it will also help to divide the site into separate landscape zones.

Don’t forget to get rid of broken bricks if, by the will of fate, you have one. This material can be used in many ways when carrying out landscaping, construction or repair work.

Broken brick foundation, pros and cons.

The foundation is an important part of any construction. The strength of the foundation determines how long the structure will last. Because if the foundation collapses, the entire building will collapse.

Often during construction there is a lot of broken brick left, and, naturally, you want to use it somewhere, so as not to waste the goodness. In this connection, many people have a question: is it possible to add broken bricks to concrete? Let's look into this issue.

Is it possible to add broken bricks to the foundation?

Material such as brick has long been used not only for the construction of various buildings, but also as a foundation. This option has become widespread in the construction of private houses with a height of no more than 3 floors.

In addition, when pouring a brick foundation, the following points should be taken into account:

• The soil must be hard, dry, not heaving or friable.
• The groundwater level should be low.

But, even if the soil is slightly mobile, a brick foundation can be laid, but you will first need to pour a reinforced concrete base.

If groundwater lie high, then in this case additional special components are used, added to the solution to prevent the destruction of the material from moisture.

Only when deciding to use brick for the foundation, it is worth considering that its service life compared to concrete option, significantly less.

In this case, you may be interested in the question: “Is it possible to add broken bricks to concrete?” This is what will be discussed in this material.

What is a boot and how to use it

Rubble, or, in other words, broken brick, appears as a result of the demolition of various brick structures, for example, houses, outbuildings and other objects. Also, secondary brick raw materials are obtained during the production of bricks directly at factories.

It is inevitable that you will receive broken bricks in the process of laying brickwork.

The use of recycled brick raw materials is very diverse.

It is used:

• To strengthen the soil on steep slopes.
• As a basis for road surface during the construction of local roads, especially in marshy areas.
• Fireclay brick scrap is used as a filler when mixing refractory mixtures and may have other uses.

Is it possible to add brick to the foundation?

The rubble can also be used when pouring the foundation. But only when constructing small, one-story buildings. However, this option is not advisable to use if you plan to build a house.

Even if you decide to replace part of the crushed stone with broken bricks, during production concrete mixture, it should be understood that such a foundation will be less strong than one made of solid brick or concrete. In addition, the service life of a foundation made from broken bricks will be significantly lower.

Also, there are several nuances when using rubble in masonry:

• For the production of a concrete mixture with the replacement of part of the crushed stone with rubble, only medium-fine ceramic scrap is suitable.
• Of the total volume of crushed stone, broken bricks can be no more than 1/3 of the part.
• The concrete mixture using rubble should be concentrated in the center of the foundation of the future building in order to reduce the level of moisture absorption.

Broken brick foundation, masonry options

To create a foundation from broken bricks, you can also use another masonry option:

• Having dug a trench under the foundation, first a 10 cm mound of sand is made, which will serve as a cushion.
• Next, a 10-centimeter layer of concrete with reinforcement is poured. It is desirable that the reinforcement be completely covered with concrete.
• Next, a rubble of red, burnt brick is poured in an even layer. In this case, it is allowed to use it as a solid secondary brick material, and debris of medium or small size, up to crushed stone.
• Next, a new layer is poured with liquid concrete. The fact is that gaps inevitably appear between brick fragments. And the smaller they are, the stronger the foundation. Therefore, in this case, liquid concrete is used, which is able to fill these gaps to the maximum.
• After pouring liquid concrete You should wait a little time for the gaps to be filled with the compound and only after that can the rubble concrete be compacted.
• Then the base is re-reinforced using reinforcement rods. In this case, it is preferable to use a frame made of reinforcement for this layer.
• Next, concrete is poured again and rubble is backfilled.

Layers should be alternated until the basement formwork trench is completely filled.

Conclusion

When wondering whether it is possible to add brick to the foundation, then in principle this option is quite feasible to use. Only in this case it is necessary to comply with certain conditions.

This applies to both masonry and pouring techniques. In addition, the use of broken bricks is not recommended when constructing residential buildings higher than one floor. Since the strength of such a foundation will be significantly lower than a reinforced concrete one.

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