For any homeowner, pouring a concrete blind area around a private residence is a useful and necessary project. Rain, snow, and other types of precipitation can cause water damage to the foundation, which is why this concrete perimeter helps shield it from such harm. A concrete blind area keeps the ground around the foundation dry and stable by diverting water away from the base of the house.
Adding a concrete blind area to your property will improve its appearance in addition to its usefulness. A well-done concrete border can give your house a polished, tidy appearance that goes well with its overall style. It can also act as a pathway, which makes it simpler to move around the outside of your home without tripping over soggy grass or mud.
A concrete blind area’s longevity is one of its main benefits. Concrete, in contrast to other materials, is resilient to time, severe weather, and foot traffic. This protective barrier can last for decades with proper installation and upkeep, providing long-term savings on potential repair costs as well as peace of mind.
Understanding the procedures involved in pouring a concrete blind area will help you make informed decisions, regardless of whether you’re an experienced do-it-yourselfer or are thinking about hiring professionals. Every step of the process, from setting up the site and selecting the appropriate materials to mixing and pouring the concrete, calls for meticulous planning and execution. You can successfully finish this project and take pleasure in the advantages it offers your house if you take the appropriate approach.
To improve the overall stability of your home and shield your foundation from water damage, you must pour a concrete blind area around your private residence. This easy-to-use but efficient method lowers the likelihood of cracks and structural problems by erecting a barrier that keeps water from penetrating the ground close to your foundation. You can guarantee long-lasting protection and enhance the visual appeal of your property while keeping a simple and affordable solution for home maintenance by carefully planning and carrying out the concrete pour.
What is it for?
There must be a concrete blind area. Its apparatus serves a crucial purpose by safeguarding the foundation. By removing rain and melting moisture from the basement walls, this feature around the house lessens the strain on the drainage system and vertical waterproofing.
You should determine the width of the blind area before creating it with your hands. The extension of the blind area surrounding the house is assumed to be one meter in order to carry out a specific function. You can dependable protect the basement walls with this value. Reducing the width is permitted in certain situations, but only in dire circumstances (such as crowded conditions on the site). Size requirement: 80 cm. An important consideration is the roof eaves’ protrusion. Its ground-surface projection must be at least 20 centimeters smaller than the concrete protection’s outgrowth.
Apart from being waterproof, the blind area serves multiple additional purposes:
- completion of the architectural appearance of the house;
- arrangement of a pedestrian zone around the building (the blind area plays the role of a pedestrian path).
Only single-story, low-rise buildings are permitted to use the blind area as a path, provided that snow and ice are promptly removed from the roof and eaves.It is crucial to keep in mind safety precautions during the winter months because approaching a cornice poses a risk of snow and ice falling on someone.
The blind area needs to be sloped in order for the primary function—water drainage—to be accomplished. As one moves away from the house’s walls, the height decreases.
A minimum slope of 0.015 is necessary for the installation of a blind area surrounding the structure.
This value indicates a 1.5 cm vertical change for every meter of horizontal change. You should determine the blind area’s height in relation to the house’s walls before filling it.
Blind area design and materials
The concrete blind area has a very straightforward design. Even a non-professional can fill a blind area surrounding a single house. The following materials must be ready for the device:
- Adding that you need to do before pouring the solution yourself. The bedding can be made from various materials. The design allows the use of medium or coarse sand, sand-gravel mixture, crushed stone or gravel of a not very large fraction. Do not pour cement mortar over fine sand. Such a base can shrink, which will lead to the concrete for the blind area cracking. It is best to make a pillow from two types of material. The first layer needs to be done in order to compact the base soil and level it. Gravel or crushed stone is used for this. The second layer should be made of sand.
- To increase strength, pouring the blind area involves reinforcement. You can reinforce the element around the house with your own hands using reinforcement mesh. It is recommended to make meshes from reinforcement with a diameter of 6-8 mm, depending on the characteristics of the base soil. The design of the blind area assumes mesh cell sizes of 30×30 or 50×50 mm.
- Before pouring it is necessary to make formwork. It is necessary to make wooden panels around the perimeter of the blind area so that the concrete solution does not spread.To make formwork you will need wooden boards. The width is selected depending on the thickness of the blind area. To hold the solution, it is enough to purchase material with a thickness of 22-25 mm.
- The main material for production is concrete mortar. The most important thing here is to choose the right brand of mixture.The strength class of concrete must be at least B15 (old marking M200).
Higher grade solutions are available, but they are not economically advantageous. Consideration for frost resistance is also necessary when creating a sturdy building element. The frost resistance grade of the concrete used in the blind area needs to be at least F50. The F100 brand is the best option because it will give the element greater resistance to temperature changes. It’s critical to preserve the component proportions when preparing concrete.
Composition of concrete for blind area
In order to perform high-quality manual labor, selecting the appropriate concrete mixture is essential. A filling solution can be obtained in one of two ways:
- purchase at the factory and transportation by concrete mixer;
- self-cooking.
Choosing option number two is the better choice. The following are the reasons for this:
- Buy a finished mixture is always more expensive than cooking with your own hands;
- A small amount of concrete is required for the blind area, and factories sell it with large enough volumes;
- There is no need for transportation costs.
The home master should only appropriately select and monitor the mixture’s components during manufacturing. The blind area’s concrete composition is as follows:
- cement (it is better to use PC400);
- sand (the best option is medium, small);
- large aggregate (crushed stone or gravel);
- water.
Depending on what brand of concrete is required, the amounts of each of these ingredients are determined. The proportion needs to be completed for concrete brand B15, which is ideal for the blind area:
- cement -1 part;
- sand – 2.8 parts;
- large aggregate – 4.8 parts.
With these measurements, you can make 54 liters of concrete mixture out of 10 liters of cement. Ten parts of cement should be used for every six parts of water, based on weight.
If you have to create content for a different brand and you don’t have time to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the details, keep in mind that the proportions generally resemble this: Cement, sand, and crushed stone, in that order, make up 1: 3: 4.
Step | Description |
1 | Mark the perimeter |
2 | Excavate the soil |
3 | Lay gravel or sand |
4 | Install formwork |
5 | Reinforce with steel mesh |
6 | Pour the concrete |
7 | Level the surface |
8 | Let it cure |
9 | Remove formwork |
10 | Seal the edges |
A crucial first step in safeguarding your home’s foundation is to create a concrete blind area around your private residence. This easy-to-implement but effective method aids in preventing water seepage into the foundation, which over time may result in serious damage. You can guarantee a dry and sturdy foundation for your home by diverting rainfall away from it.
A concrete blind area pour is a project that needs to be carefully planned and carried out. Crucial procedures include properly preparing the ground, erecting formwork, and mixing the concrete. To ensure efficient water drainage, there must be a small slope away from the house. Although it is possible to do this task yourself, hiring a professional can ensure a perfect finish.
Upkeep is just as crucial. Maintaining the integrity of the blind area will be aided by routine inspections for damage or cracks. Its lifespan can be extended with minor repairs, giving your house long-term protection. In addition to being useful, a well-designed concrete blind area can improve the visual appeal of your home.
In conclusion, it is well worth the time and effort to pour a concrete blind area around your home. It adds to the overall strength and appeal of your house, protects your foundation, and lowers maintenance expenses. In the long run, it will pay off to make sure this important area is in top condition, whether you decide to do it yourself or hire a professional.