How to lay a strip foundation for a wooden house made of timber + what should be the width and thickness of the structure

Any structure needs a strong foundation, but a wooden house made of wood even more so. The process of laying a strip foundation guarantees your home’s stability and longevity. Here’s a simple how-to for accomplishing this successfully.

First, figure out how big your strip foundation is. The breadth and thickness of the foundation for a wooden house are determined by the soil type, house size, and local building codes. In general, the width needs to be enough to evenly distribute the weight and keep the object from settling. Generally speaking, the foundation should be at least twice as wide as the wall it supports.

After that, level and clear the area where the foundation will be installed. To guarantee a solid foundation for construction, this step is crucial. Clear away any debris, rocks, or vegetation that might compromise the integrity of the foundation.

Prepare the trench by excavating it. The local frost line and the state of the soil will affect the trench’s depth. Digging deep enough to reach compacted, stable soil that won’t move over time is essential. This depth typically falls between 60 and 120 centimeters (2 and 4 feet) below the surface.

It’s time to lay the formwork after the trench has been dug. Formwork, which is typically composed of metal or wood, defines the dimensions and shape of the foundation. Concrete will be poured using the formwork, so it’s critical to make sure it’s level and strong.

If required, reinforce the foundation. To strengthen the concrete foundation, you might need to add reinforcement, like rebar, depending on your local building codes and the state of the soil. By taking this step, the foundation’s resistance to outside pressures and the weight of the house is increased.

Pour the concrete into the formwork at the end. Make sure the concrete is thoroughly mixed and devoid of air pockets by using a mix designed for foundations. Using a trowel, level the surface after evenly pouring the concrete into the trench. Before beginning any additional construction, give the concrete time to cure and set in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

These instructions will help you build a sturdy strip foundation for your timber-framed house, guaranteeing a sturdy base for many years to come.

Types of strip foundations for a timber house

Wooden houses are known for their light weight. Because of the material’s exceptional heat-saving qualities, building thick walls is not appropriate.

Furthermore, the tree’s specific weight is significantly less than that of brick, concrete, or other dense materials.

As a result, the base experiences a much lighter load, allowing the foundation to be built using a lightweight option.

From a bar are appropriate for a home:

• Small -sized strip foundation.
• Seaned strip foundation.

With the first option, you can avoid smaller amounts of earthen and construction work and still obtain a fairly reliable base. Simultaneously, certain limitations are associated with hydrogeological circumstances, the challenging soil composition, and the existence and profundity of groundwater.

For log houses, the second option is deemed irrational and should only be employed in challenging circumstances due to its high labor and financial requirements.

Based solely on the wall material, it is impossible to definitively identify the most successful type of foundation. It is essential to take into account the particular circumstances and variables affecting the tape type selection.

Shallow strip foundation

The shallow depth of immersion in the ground of a shallow strip foundation sets it apart from the classic variant. Immersion below freezing temperature is necessary for traditional type. To do this, dig a trench that is at least two meters deep.

Enlarges the tape, which inevitably results in a larger use of building supplies and financial expenditure. Shallow foundations are submerged to a depth that doesn’t go below the soil’s freezing point.

Although the option seems appealing, it may lead to frost heaving issues, so it is important to investigate the site’s hydrogeological conditions, groundwater depth, soil composition, and other information first.

However, using a shallow strip foundation is thought to be the most sensible option for light-weight buildings.

How to choose concrete

M300 concrete is the best material option. For multi-story residential or commercial structures, heavier grades are utilized. It is not practical to use less durable and dense grades because there are essentially no savings or benefits, and the base’s strength margin vanishes.

As a result, everyone uses a tried-and-true option without giving the decision any thought in reality.

Laying depth

Typically, shallow foundations are submerged between 40 and 70 centimeters. This is an average value; in actual use, the soil’s composition, heaving loads, and other factors must be taken into account. The tape should be submerged as deep as possible in the negative factors.

Simultaneously, the extent of frost heaving must be considered, since it places heavy loads on the tape’s side surface and necessitates reinforcing the foundation. Reducing the foundation’s depth can sometimes solve an issue by lowering loads and distributing them evenly over the whole belt.

The size of the base must also be considered; it should be at least 30 to 40 cm in diameter.

General installation diagram

Work progress as follows:

1. Preparing the site, removing topsoil and leveling the surface.
2. Marking the trench.
3. Digging a trench to a specified depth.
4. Backfilling the sand cushion.
5. Installation of formwork.
6. Creation of an armored belt.
7. Concrete pouring, curing.
8. Completion of work.

The process of making a strip base is essentially always the same, which improves comprehension and boosts the accuracy of the outcome.

The basic procedures for laying a strip foundation intended for a wooden house constructed of wood will be discussed in this article. We’ll go over the width and thickness specifications needed for this kind of foundation in order to guarantee stability and longevity. Through comprehension of these crucial elements and adherence to our methodical tutorial, you will acquire applicable knowledge on the appropriate design, setup, and building of a strip foundation that fulfills the particular requirements of a timber house building endeavor.

Width of strip foundation for timber

The measurement of tape width needs to be calculated. Without experience and training, it is not possible to obtain accurate results due to the event’s specifics and methodology. The best course of action is to get in touch with experts, but this will cost money and take an unknown length of time to fix.

Usually, using online calculators to get fairly accurate calculations solves the problem, or people just "do what everyone else does" and take the width of the tape to be at least 10 cm greater than the wall thickness. Anyhow, since more loads could appear during operation, it is not advised to make a tape narrower than 30 cm.

Hydrogeological conditions can also be altered, though this requires a margin of safety and stability.

Waterproofing

The purpose of waterproofing is to remove moisture from the concrete strip. This will maintain its normal state and shield the material from wintertime freezing-in damage. Additionally, waterproofing helps to maintain a more favorable microclimate within the home and keeps walls from becoming damp from capillary absorption.

This is crucial for a timber-framed home because the wood rots easily, necessitating more careful waterproofing techniques.

Two varieties of waterproofing exist:

• Vertical. Applied to the side surfaces of the tape, both outside and inside. Different materials are used – impregnations, coatings, rolls, etc.d.
• Horizontal. A lower waterproofing is used, separating the sand cushion from the tape, and an upper one, separating concrete and wood. Most often, in both cases a double layer of roofing material is used.

Choosing concrete and reinforcement

You can utilize M200 concrete, which is a lighter variety, for a shallow strip foundation. The strength of the tape will be less than when utilizing the best option, concrete grade M300, but there won’t be a noticeable difference in cost at the same time. The most durable materials must be used for the foundation, which is a crucial component of the structure.

The width of the tape dictates which reinforcement to use. In actuality, they typically start with a 30 cm width to 12 mm rod diameter ratio. In light of this, 40 – 14, 50 – 16, etc.d. There are usually no issues, but there is a calculation option for those who would like to make their decision more clear.

It is calculated what the tape’s cross-sectional area is. The reinforcement’s overall cross-sectional area makes up 0.1% of the ribbon’s cross-section. Divide the result by four or six, which is the number of functional rods in the armored belt. After that, the SNiP tables are used to determine the rods’ ideal diameter.

Pillow under the foundation

Preparing sand and gravel serves leveling and drainage purposes. Since there isn’t a perfect surface at the bottom of the trench, adding a layer of backfill gives you a level, horizontal surface on which to pour the tape.

When water enters the layer, it moves down into the lower layers where it is either absorbed by the soil or evacuated via the trench’s drainage system.

Sand preparation (10–15 cm thick), a layer of finely crushed stone (10–15 cm), and a layer of sand for surface leveling constitute the standard backfill option. We use pure river sand, devoid of any organic matter.

To achieve maximum density, each layer is meticulously compressed. When walking on the backfill, the absence of shoe marks serves as a criterion for assessing the quality of compaction.

Installation of formwork

Concrete is poured into forms called formwork. It is put together using 25–40 mm thick edged boards. For convenience of carrying and installation, shields are made outside the trench but close to it.

The assembled panels are put into the trench, spacers are used to secure them, and they are aligned along the axes. They establish the tape’s width. Stops are also used to guarantee the formwork stays stationary during the concrete pour. The panels are fastened from the outside using vertical strips hammered into the ground.

Reinforcement

The inability of concrete to withstand axial tensile loads is what makes it unique. Although the material can withstand high pressures, it breaks instantly when the load vector changes. An armored belt made of metal ribbed rods is installed inside to reinforce the tape.

The rods that make up the frame are vertical (auxiliary) and horizontal (working). Working rods carry all the weight and maintain the integrity of the belt, just like an armored belt would.

Because vertical reinforcement is only required to hold the working rods in place while the concrete is being poured, it is thinner. Useful rods are smooth ones. A unique soft wire is used to assemble the frame, but welding is also permitted.

Fill

Concrete mixing is a labor-intensive and time-consuming task that you can perform yourself. Buying the necessary quantity of ready-made concrete, which will be delivered straight to the job site and poured from a mixer, is simpler and more accurate.

In any case, industrial equipment will yield material of a higher quality than concrete that is made by hand. Additionally, pouring concrete from a mixer is more convenient because it is quicker and produces a uniformly high-quality concrete strip in any location.

Concrete cannot be poured in one spot and then hoped to spill over the formwork. It is necessary to approach it from various angles and to evenly pour the material. You’ll be able to get a casting with the same characteristics by doing this.

Following the pouring process, the casting needs to be watered every four hours for three days, and then three times a day for a week. After ten days, the formwork can be taken down, but final hardening takes place after twenty-eight days.

Final works

Applying waterproofing, filling in gaps, and other tasks using the completed tape constitute the final steps of the work. Foundation insulation (the appropriate brand of EPS) is frequently installed in addition to waterproofing.

It is best to use clean sand to fill the sinuses in order to guarantee water absorption and quick drainage through the drainage channel.

Useful video

You can find out how to build a strip foundation for a wooden house using the following video:

When building a wooden house, it is important to build a solid foundation. Because it can disperse the weight of the house uniformly throughout the ground, the strip foundation is a dependable option for these kinds of constructions. Take into account elements like the weight of the house and the type of soil when determining the strip foundation’s width and thickness. In order to prevent settling, a strip foundation for a wooden house should typically be wider than the walls it supports.

The foundation trench’s width ought to be double the breadth of the wall it supports. This guarantees the foundation can support the weight and gives enough room for concrete to be poured. The frost line in your area determines the foundation trench’s depth; it must be below this line to avoid frost heaving, which over time can harm the foundation.

Consider the weight of the structure when determining the foundation’s thickness. The foundation of a wooden house is usually between 12 and 24 inches thick. For larger buildings or in areas with unstable soil, thicker foundations are required. To strengthen the foundation, reinforcement bars, or rebar, may also be added, particularly in regions where ground movement or earthquakes are common.

Make sure the bottom of the foundation trench is level and clear of debris before adding concrete. Make sure the soil is properly compacted to avoid settling later. To achieve the desired strength, use high-quality concrete that has been mixed with the proper proportion of cement, sand, and gravel. To prevent cracking, let the concrete cure slowly and cover it with plastic sheeting or damp burlap to keep moisture in.

You can guarantee longevity and stability for your timber house by adhering to these guidelines and laying a strong strip foundation. A strong foundation provides a stable base for your building project by protecting the structure above from weather and shifting soil in addition to supporting it.

Video on the topic

Shallow strip foundation

Foundation of a wooden house. Bathhouse foundation. All about the foundation

HOW TO MARK A FOUNDATION WITH YOUR OWN HANDS / HOW TO FIND DIAGONALS OF A FOUNDATION / HOW TO SET A RIGHT ANGLE /

Strip foundation – secrets of manual pouring

FOUNDATION FOR ANY HOUSE / SHALLOWED FOUNDATION ALL THE NUANCES / HOW TO MAKE A FOUNDATION FOR A HOUSE