Expanded clay concrete blocks are produced in several types - solid (as a rule, used in the masonry of external walls), two-hollow, four-hollow and eight-hollow. Depending on this, the weight of one product can range from 6 to 26 kg. Standard dimensions for solid wall blocks are length from 90 to 390 mm, width from 138 to 288 mm, height from 138 to 188 mm. Dimensions of blocks intended for production interior partitions, - length from 190 to 590 mm, width 90 mm, height 188 mm. All these nuances must be taken into account when constructing houses made of expanded clay concrete at the design stage.
Expanded clay concrete stone is very dense (400-1800 kg/m3) and durable (25-150 kg/cm2) construction material. Buildings made from this material do not shrink, and their service life is up to 75 years. It is heavier than, for example, aerated concrete, but much lighter than brick - when building houses from expanded clay concrete blocks, it is worth remembering this in order to correctly calculate the strength of the foundation.
There is also a minus of this material– very poor thermal conductivity, i.e. we can say that this is the most cold material, so walls made of this material simply need insulation. But the material has an excellent water absorption rate (50%), which is second only to ceramic brick. Expanded clay concrete contains only natural ingredients, which means it is able to create a favorable microclimate in the house due to natural air exchange.
The technical characteristics of expanded clay concrete allow it to be used in the construction of country houses higher than three floors. But, nevertheless, the main area of application of this building material is low-rise private construction of houses made of expanded clay concrete.
Expanded clay concrete house is dangerous to health
We have already explained this point above and provided a link to checking the environmental friendliness of the blocks. Among the components for production are only sand, cement, water and expanded clay (essentially it is clay, only burnt). And the blocks do not pose any harm to health. Perhaps this myth concerns cinder blocks, which are made from waste from the metallurgical industry. People often confuse these two materials.
Of course, the buyer may not know what raw materials are used in the manufacture of the block. In this case, ask for the conclusion of the sanitary and epidemiological station or visit to see the manufacturing process with your own eyes.
It's cold in a house made of expanded clay blocks
Here is the opinion of our buyer from the Moscow region, who built a cottage with a wall thickness of 40 cm:
“We don’t live in the house yet, as there is no interior decoration. In winter, every weekend I went to check the cottage from uninvited guests and discovered for myself that the house retains heat even without insulating the walls. Perhaps I’ll save on insulation.”
Of course, the house will have to be insulated, but if everything is done correctly, the house will not be cold. Such negative reviews appear from those who bought low-quality blocks (when the manufacturer saved on expanded clay) or made mistakes when building a house.
We must not forget that it is necessary to insulate not only the walls, but also other structures:
- Floor on an uninsulated foundation can remove up to 15% of the heat from the room. To insulate the floor, you can use 30 cm thick mineral wool. Moreover, it is advisable to install insulation even if there is an insulated basement or ground floor, just use mineral wool 5-10 cm thick.
- Roof without insulation - this is wooden frame and thin roofing with high thermal conductivity. You can save on roof insulation, and then write on forums that a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks is very cold. Some people do this, not knowing that heat loss through the roof can reach 25%.
- Windows and doors also take about a quarter of your home's heat. Try to have big windows on the south side, and on the north provide rooms with small windows (for example, a bathroom or pantry). And, of course, seal the openings well and foam polyurethane foam.
- Communications(ventilation and sewerage) can lead to a loss of another 15% of heat. To prevent losses, use a recuperator (in other words, a heat exchanger). It takes heat from the exhaust air leaving the house and uses it to heat fresh air.
Blocks do not hold fasteners
Firstly, it is worth noting that there are expanded clay concrete blocks with wall thicknesses of 3 and 4 cm. The latter, of course, will hold fasteners better. We conducted pull-out tests, which showed that the anchor in an expanded clay concrete block can withstand a load of 400 to 900 kg (depending on the type of block). How these tests were carried out: at the same time we tested foam blocks and aerated concrete blocks.
House designs made from expanded clay concrete blocks are distinguished by their versatility. It is quite easy to change the layout, location and size of rooms. Moreover, this has practically no effect on the overall construction budget, but it is important that adjustments are made at the approval stage project plan and in the future there was no need to radically redo everything. That is why such work should be entrusted to an experienced architect or choose any standard project, which was initially optimized for the construction of a comfortable cottage.
Features of a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks
A brick cottage always turns out to be heavy, and therefore requires the construction of a massive foundation. This leads to additional financial expenses. Therefore, today developers are increasingly choosing another building material - expanded clay concrete. It is not inferior in strength to brick, but at the same time weighs less and, thanks to the air pores inside, receives high thermal insulation characteristics.
A house made of expanded clay concrete blocks usually has a simplified design, and the price of its construction will also be lower. But these are not the only advantages of such country real estate:
- expanded clay blocks can withstand high loads, the load-bearing wall can easily cope with the weight of the second floor and roof;
- construction of a cottage takes less time, since the blocks are large in size, but at the same time have minimal weight;
- expanded clay concrete house With large area it is cheaper to heat than brick, this is due to the porous structure of the material, which reduces the thermal conductivity of the walls by several times;
- expanded clay blocks are environmentally friendly, they contain only natural materials, which do not emit toxic substances during operation.
Our catalog of house projects made from expanded clay concrete blocks will help you choose the best coating option for your dream home in just a few minutes. We present on our website a good choice options are one and two-story cottages, differing in the number of rooms, additional architectural elements and the presence of an attic or basement. They are thought out to the smallest detail, but if the customer wishes, they can always be modified to suit his needs. We offer reasonable prices for our clients project documentation and free consultation from professionals on related issues.
Every developer has one cherished goal - to make quality material, which harmoniously combines both energy-saving characteristics and strength. As practice shows, unfortunately, these properties are opposite to each other. The solution to the problem is a symbiosis or compromise between these characteristics. A good example of this is expanded clay concrete blocks. A house made of expanded clay concrete blocks is much warmer than a simple brick one, and also even lighter.
If you take into account the resistance to loads, you can compare the material with foam and aerated concrete. Expanded clay concrete is even better in this regard. Buildings made from expanded clay concrete blocks have gained particular popularity in Europe, where warmth is very important. If you are thinking of building your house from expanded clay concrete, you need to become more familiar with the material, find out its positive and negative sides, and also consider the technology for working with it. You will be able to see designs of houses made of expanded clay concrete blocks, and also learn how one of them is built.
Let's get acquainted with expanded clay concrete blocks
What kind of material is this? If you don’t already know, expanded clay concrete consists of three main components:
- expanded clay (foamed and baked clay);
- cement;
- quartz sand.
Based on the components of expanded clay concrete, it can be called environmentally friendly pure material, because all elements are of natural origin, without any chemicals in production. Due to the presence of expanded clay in the composition, the weight of expanded clay blocks is much less than their analogues, and its thermal insulation characteristics are superior. high level. The cement in the composition makes the product durable and suitable for building houses. What are the advantages of expanded clay concrete blocks for building a house?
Among all these positive aspects, it is worth mentioning a few disadvantages of expanded clay concrete that you should know:
- despite the light weight, you won’t be able to save money on building a foundation;
- when laying blocks, cold bridges (seams) will form, so insulation of the house from expanded clay concrete blocks will have to be done;
- There are many low-quality fakes on the market that do not meet the stated characteristics.
If we draw a logical conclusion, then everything speaks in favor of expanded clay concrete blocks. And indeed, judging by the reviews of homeowners, they are quite satisfied with the quality of the construction, despite the years they have lived.
Nuances you need to know during construction
To ensure that your expanded clay concrete house lasts a long time, is warm and reliable, it is important to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of construction technology using expanded clay concrete blocks.
The first point is to choose the type of material to work with. For example, if you are planning to build a low-rise building, then the best option for work will be structural and thermal insulating expanded clay concrete blocks, whose density is in the range of 700-1200 kg/m 3 . Less light and dense materials are suitable for insulation, but multi-storey buildings are erected from heavy (structural) blocks.
Important! The lower the density of the material, the better it is thermal insulation properties, and vice versa.
The second point is that it is important to choose the right size of the products. If you want to make your house warm, reducing energy costs, then the walls of the house should have a thickness of at least 40 cm. One of the popular block sizes in construction load-bearing walls- 190×188×390. Walls made of blocks, the thickness of which range from 90 to 120 mm, serve as self-supporting partitions of the house.
The third point is that the foundation for a house made of expanded clay blocks must be made strong and deep. The depth of the foundation is selected taking into account the type of soil, freezing point and placement groundwater however, it is not less than 1 m. Be sure to make a sand cushion with a layer of 20 cm, and also pour a reinforced concrete belt of 20 cm. In this case, the frame consists of 5 or 6 reinforcement rods Ø18 mm. If the soil settles, the walls and foundation of a house made of expanded clay concrete will not crack.
Fourth point- it is better to do the insulation and finishing of the building at the same time - this is beneficial in order to save money. That's why you need to choose in advance facing material and insulation. You can sheathe the walls of the house with siding, blockhouse, facing brick or facade plaster. Suitable as insulation mineral wool or polystyrene foam.
Advice! To prevent the formation of cold bridges through the seams, when laying a house, use jute tape. It is laid in the middle of the masonry, preventing cold from passing through the solution.
Fifth point - the laying of expanded clay concrete blocks must be reinforced. This is done once every 3 or 4 rows using reinforcement rods, Ø12 or 14 mm. Grooves or grooves are made in the blocks, where the rods are laid. After which everything is sealed with cement mortar.
Advice! Armopoyas in mandatory This is done before installing the floor slabs, if the expanded clay concrete house is two-story, as well as before installing the roof.
Selecting blocks for building a house made of expanded clay concrete
Just before you start building your dream home, you need to prepare the material. The basis of construction is blocks of expanded clay concrete. Above we mentioned a little about their varieties, but we want to dwell in more detail on the choice of products. According to their intended purpose, expanded clay concrete blocks are:
- Thermal insulation type (500-700kg/m3)
- Structural type (1200-1800 kg/m3).
- Structural and thermal insulation type (700-1200 kg/m 3)
Which one is suitable for building a house? If you want to build a cottage, then choose structural expanded clay concrete blocks. And when your goal is a small warm house, then choose structural and thermal insulation blocks. They are quite durable and have excellent thermal insulation properties. Now that you have decided on the type of expanded clay concrete blocks, let's look at where the construction work begins.
The first necessity is designing a house
Whatever one may say, it all starts with this step. For the project you need to pay a lot to a specialist, however, without him, it will be impossible to build either an expanded clay concrete or any other house. This is the same as traveling from Russia to Africa without a map. And they won’t give you a building permit without documents. Therefore, the first thing you should do is order a construction project from a specialized company.
Together with you, the architect will create not only exact dimensions the house, its structure, and other details, but will also be able to draw up an estimate. It indicates the amount of material, its type and the cost of all work. Only after this can you start building a house from expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands.
The basis of the foundations is the foundation of a house made of expanded clay concrete
When you have required amount materials, detailed plan, ready plot and communications completed, you can start working. The foundation for a building is everything! It determines how durable a house made of expanded clay concrete will be and how long it will last. It is not surprising that almost half of all funds, if not more, are spent on building the foundation. So what is your task? Let's look at the process step by step. The basis will be tape monolithic foundation, ideal for building such a house. The device instructions are as follows:
A strip foundation for a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks will take about a month to dry. It is better to protect him during this time. After 10 days you can remove the formwork.
Advice! If the weather is hot, the concrete can be moistened periodically to prevent cracking.
We build walls from expanded clay concrete blocks
When the foundation of the house is dry, it can be waterproofed using mastic. Now everything is ready to start building the building box. What is the construction technology? Everything is quite simple, here are the instructions step by step:
That's all, the house box made of expanded clay concrete sides is ready. All that remains is to make the roof. If before this everything was done using technology, then you will not have any problems.
Conclusion
If you have built a box, this does not mean that the house is built. After all, you still have a lot to do: make the roof, complete interior work, make the floor, conduct communications, etc. In addition, you should pay Special attention exterior decoration and insulation of a house made of expanded clay concrete. Although the building is warm, it needs additional insulation. And to give the home a decent appearance, upgrade it. There are many options for this purpose, which can be chosen according to taste.
Everyone who wants to build a house dreams of not spending large quantity funds, but at the same time get a durable structure, moreover, without compromising heat conservation. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. But there is great option is a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks, which is lighter and warmer than the alternative.
Features of expanded clay concrete
As the name implies, expanded clay concrete blocks consist of expanded clay, sand and cement. The first component is foamed baked clay, which promotes better heat retention. And due to its porosity, expanded clay concrete material is lightweight. The process of producing expanded clay concrete can be simply described as follows: expanded clay is mixed with other elements and poured into molds. It remains there until it dries completely. Only natural components are used for the blocks, so the material can be called environmentally friendly. Due to this and its other characteristics, expanded clay concrete is now very popular. Its properties:
- Low hygroscopicity. This means that the material does not absorb moisture and can be used in conditions of high moisture content. Thus, the water absorption rate of expanded clay concrete is 18%.
- Frost resistance. Depending on the brand of blocks used, from 15 to 200 cycles.
- High density and strength. The strength of the material is directly dependent on density, which is also quite high. Therefore, expanded clay concrete can withstand significant loads.
- Elimination of any interaction with fire and absence of combustion.
- Durability.
- Low thermal conductivity. The indicator varies from 0.14 to 0.45 for products in a dry state. At natural humidity it increases a little.
Advantages of houses made of expanded clay concrete
From all the listed features of the material, we can conclude that it is perfect for the construction of private houses. Using expanded clay concrete, the owner receives a structure that has advantages over structures made of similar materials. Moreover, the list of them can be significantly expanded and include, in addition to the mentioned qualities, also:
- Elimination of rotting, damage by insect pests, and corrosion.
- High vapor permeability, due to which the correct microclimate will be maintained indoors.
- Easy to install due to its low weight and the ability to build it yourself.
- Elimination of shrinkage. This indicator makes it possible to immediately begin external and interior decoration without waiting for shrinkage to take place.
- The need for less mortar for masonry compared to brick.
- Low cost of material, which allows you to save on construction.
- Excellent sound insulation.
- It is impossible for microcracks to appear on the walls if the foundation and masonry are done well.
- Availability of material.
Flaws
Despite the mass positive aspects, expanded clay concrete also has its disadvantages:
- Possibility of purchasing low-quality products. Due to the simplicity of production, there are now many makeshift workshops whose workers rarely follow the technology.
- Difficulty of processing. So, for example, special equipment will be required for cutting.
- A large number of seams in the walls due to small size source material. Elimination of cold penetration into the room is achieved through external insulation.
- The fragility of materials with medium and low density.
- Small range of standard sizes. Manufacturers offer standard blocks 390*190*190 mm or semi-blocks.
These negative characteristics can be called subjective. After all, with proper selection of materials, poor-quality purchases are eliminated, and additional equipment construction site special equipment will solve the problem of cutting blocks. In addition, when building a house, almost any masonry material requires insulation. Only by taking into account all the pros and cons of expanded clay concrete can you create a high-quality and reliable house.
Calculation of the quantity of materials
The construction of houses from expanded clay concrete blocks begins with the creation of a project and calculation of materials. You can calculate the number of blocks using an online calculator or yourself. Experts do not recommend the first method, because due to their primitiveness, such programs do not always produce correct results. At independent calculation necessary:
- supplement the calculation with the number of blocks needed to complete the gables;
- take into account that internal and external walls are not always constructed from the same block structures;
- take note that the thickness of block walls may decrease if brick cladding is planned;
- add spare elements, since packages can often contain blocks unsuitable for construction;
- Keep in mind that blocks may be smaller than the sizes stated in the standard.
In the price lists you can see rounded data 40*20*20. The exact dimensions of expanded clay concrete blocks are 390 * 190 * 188 mm, and calculations must be made based on them. For a better understanding, it is necessary to consider an example. So, the main material in this case will be 0.4*0.2*0.2 blocks, taking into account the masonry joint. It is necessary to calculate the amount of material per cottage. We will count by the area of the walls. This requires data from the project, which is always drawn up before construction. So, the calculation is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Calculate the perimeter of the building and the area of the floor walls.
- Calculate the area of windows and doorways and wall area excluding openings.
- The number of blocks per 1 m² is determined by dividing the unit by the height and width of the block multiplied (0.2 and 0.4, respectively).
- The number of blocks is calculated by multiplying the resulting number by 1 m² by the area of the walls without taking into account openings.
The number of blocks per garage is calculated using the same principle. Afterwards, these values are added up and the final amount of material required to build a house with one floor from expanded clay concrete blocks is obtained. This indicator will be obtained with a thickness of half a block, that is, 20 cm. If the thickness is needed 40 cm, then the quantity is multiplied by 2.
Making the foundation
If the groundwater level is normal, and the soil itself is sandy or sandy loam, then an excellent option would be columnar foundation. It must be supplemented with a grillage. A shallow tape type of base is also possible.
If the soil is not stable and you plan to build two-storey house, then deep-seated strip foundation or base on screw piles.
Within the framework of this material, the execution algorithm will be considered strip base. First of all, you need to stock up on a concrete mixer or trough, shovels and buckets, as well as a vibrator. The technology of the base device itself is as follows:
- Removing the fertile soil layer.
- Marking the area in accordance with the project using a tape measure and string on the trench. But they should be a little wider for formwork.
- Laying gravel and sand on the bottom in a layer of 20–30 cm, watering it with water and compacting it.
- Formwork installation and knitting reinforcing mesh.
- Laying the reinforcing mesh into the formwork and pouring the concrete in one go. If the volume is large, it is better to order ready solution with a concrete mixer.
- Processing the poured concrete with a vibrator to get rid of air bubbles inside.
- Constant moistening during the process of concrete hardening.
Step-by-step construction instructions
A month after pouring the concrete, the foundation will finally harden, and you can build a house on it using expanded clay concrete blocks. Here the work is divided into construction stages that need to be completed one after another: laying walls, insulating the base and forming the roof. Expanded clay concrete blocks can be laid using either glue or cement mortar. Moreover, the first type is used for blocks that have the correct shape, and the second can also be used for those that have visible defects. The installation process follows the given technology:
- Covering the foundation with waterproofing film.
- Installing corner blocks and stretching the control thread between them.
- Applying the solution to the foundation, as well as to the lower and lateral surface block, its fastening.
- Check the horizontal position of the installation with a level and, if necessary, adjust with a mallet.
- Laying the second row with an overlap of half a block.
- Reinforcement of every third or fourth row with a special mesh. In addition, this mesh is installed under window opening 90 cm on each side.
- Creating a lintel over openings by pouring it yourself or laying a finished block.
- Laying the floors of the first floor.
It is best to insulate the base with extruded polystyrene foam due to its ease of installation and non-hygroscopicity. If the foundation does not have a basement, then it can be easily secured using dowels.
If the base was waterproofed in advance, then this should under no circumstances be done. You will have to dig a trench to create a blind area 30 to 40 cm deep and 1–1.5 m wide and insulate it. After this, compact the sand cushion. The following are laid on it: waterproofing, polystyrene boards, metal grid reinforcing type, and everything is filled with concrete.
The blind area should have a slope away from the house so that water does not enter the basement.
The choice of roofing for your home should be approached responsibly. The simplest design would be gable roof. You can assemble it yourself step by step:
- Mounting the Mauerlat - supports for the rafters on the last row walls.
- Assembly rafter system on the ground and securing it at a height.
- Laying waterproofing and fastening it with counter-lattice to the rafters.
- Installation of sheathing and roofing material.
Insulation and finishing
Almost any material can be used to insulate a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks. This can be mineral wool, polystyrene foam or penoplex. The last option is the most modern and preferred. Here is a short algorithm on how to properly insulate and clad a facade:
- Surface cleaning and preparation.
- Kneading adhesive solution. Its type can be selected based on the material used for insulation.
- Applying glue to the wall surface.
- Consolidation heat-insulating material. You need to start with bottom corners and go in a circle. Be sure to check the evenness using a level during the process.
- Additional fastening of the material is carried out using umbrella-type dowels.
- Reinforcement of the layer with fiberglass mesh by attaching it to an adhesive composition.
- Plastering and final painting of the surface.
- Application of a fixing varnish to eliminate contamination and make the cladding more resistant to external influences.
Expanded clay concrete has a large number of advantages that allow you to build a house with your own hands in the shortest possible time.