Why and how to properly install a curb for a blind area around a house?

Building a strong and functional blind area around your home is essential to preventing water damage to the foundation. The installation of a curb is one project element that is frequently disregarded but is crucial. By preventing erosion and directing water away from the foundation, a properly installed curb helps maintain the blind area.

When it rains a lot, the curb serves as a barrier to keep gravel and soil from washing away. Without it, the blind area may eventually lose its efficacy and become uneven. This may result in water collecting close to the foundation, which might lead to expensive repairs and major structural problems.

Not only does installing a curb for your blind area increase functionality, but it also gives your landscaping a polished, tidy appearance. It gives your yard a defined edge that improves its overall look and gives the impression that it is well-kept and organized.

We’ll guide you through the process of installing a curb for your blind area in this article. Whether you decide on brick, stone, or concrete, we’ll offer installation advice and methods to guarantee a sturdy and efficient finish. You can safeguard the foundation of your house and enhance the appearance of your outdoor area by taking the time to install a curb correctly.

Is a curb needed and why??

The driver’s ability to operate the vehicle is unaffected in any manner by the seat belt not being fastened. However, not wearing a seat belt increases the risk of serious injury in the event of an accident or sudden braking.

You won’t be able to see the negative effects right away if the driveway doesn’t have curbs. But over time, all the beauty that was filled with concrete or paved with tiles will start to fade due to moisture and a continuous mechanical load on the blind area’s surface.

Need for curbs:

1. Preventing the displacement of individual slabs or sliding of the soft blind area. The underlying layers laid under the blind area may begin to slide down due to water. And since the tile is placed on a soft base, it is not clearly tied to the terrain, so it will also move and move apart. The border serves as a barrier that prevents the material from creeping at the seams.
2. Preventing grade shift. Rainwater can wash away the sandy base under the blind area, as a result of which recesses will form on its surface, and water will begin to accumulate in them. This will lead to disruption of the drainage system.
3. Giving the blind area an aesthetic and decorative appearance. Evenly aligned borders give the path a well-groomed, finished look.
4. Outlines of the shapes of individual sections of the path. Curbs allow you to separate different areas of the blind area from each other. For example, one side can be paved with tiles, the second filled with concrete, the third covered with a soft pavement, and the fourth made in the form of a lawn. Each of these areas needs to be divided and divided according to boundaries.
5. Preventing the germination of weeds and grass on the surface of the blind area (especially one that is tiled). Grass can grow through the seams of tiles, gravel, crushed stone or sand. And the presence of an additional barrier in the form of a concrete curb will prevent the appearance of weeds.

The border won’t get in the way of any material used to cover the walkway around the house, including concrete, gravel, crushed stone, stamped concrete, or just tiles.

The curb functions as a barrier to stop the base from moving in the first four examples. Furthermore, in the latter case, the abruptly torn concrete does not look good, so the curb is necessary to maintain the concrete surface’s aesthetic appeal.

For those who have chosen not to install curbs, you must be ready to replace any damaged path sections entirely or in part within a few years. The house path, which is firmly planted in concrete mortar, cannot be left without a storm drainage system around its whole perimeter.

Types of products

A wide range of curbs for blind areas are available from building material manufacturers. These could be goods from:

1. Wood, plastic and metal. The wooden material is treated with a special composition that does not allow the board to rot under the influence of moisture or decompose from the action of insect pests. Metal, wood or plastic curbs, although inexpensive, light in weight and easy to install, have a limited installation area. Basically, they are placed to delineate the boundaries of a path paved with wild stones. Their use as a support for a concrete structure or tile covering is not recommended due to their low strength and instability to mechanical loads.
2. Curb stone – set for blind areas lined with wild stones or stone paving stones. Similar products are poured from a single piece of natural stone. Each individual curb stone must be ground to shape and size so that when placed on the mortar it is level with other stones. Also, each element must be checked for level. Working with curb stones is difficult and time-consuming, plus it’s an expensive pleasure. But such material will serve for centuries; frost, moisture, and mechanical stress have no power over it. It is insensitive to water, resistant to abrasion, and retains its shape for many years.
3. Reinforced concrete – to give strength to the blind area made of artificial stone, concrete paving stones. This is an inexpensive and reliable option. The production uses a steel frame made of reinforcement, which is placed in a special mold and then filled with concrete mortar. The customer can agree with the manufacturer on the production of figured products of different colors (with the addition of dyes).
4. Brick. If you have a limited budget, you can install brick curbs. This material is certainly inferior to stone or concrete, because due to its small size and height of up to 25 cm, the reliability of such a border can be 10 times lower. But a brick curb is better than no curb at all.
5. Concrete – the most popular, universal material. Suitable for blind areas with any surfaces.

It is better to buy vibration-pressed products that are 1 m long for the long sides of the blind area that have right angles, and elements that are 0.5 m long to divide the boundaries between areas of the blind area that do not have right angles.

Pre-made designs come in a lot of weight and are often quite costly (especially for elements that are meter-long).

You can use self-produced borders as a last resort if you have a very limited budget. However, filling curbs by hand only saves money. If not, they are not as good as ready-made goods.

As an illustration:

1. Laying tiles can be done already on the 3rd day after placing the finished curbs. Homemade products must first harden, and this will take about 3 weeks.
2. It takes a lot of time to make homemade borders – you need to set up the formwork, make reinforcement, prepare a solution, pour concrete, wait for it to dry, remove the formwork, and grind it. Ready-made elements can be installed in a few hours.
3. Ready-made structures are much stronger and more reliable than homemade ones.
4. The finished material allows you to make a path of any shape with different bends. This is very difficult to do with homemade formwork.

Materials and tools

Make sure you have the following supplies and equipment before beginning any work:

• curbs;
• sand, cement, crushed stone – for mortar;
• clay – for filling;
• bucket and trowel – for storing and applying the solution;
• tape measure – for measurements;
• shovel – for digging trenches under curbs;
• fishing line and pegs – for leveling products;
• level – to check the plane of the elements;
• mallet – for tapping elements and placing them on the solution;
• gloves (rubberized) – for working with solution and material.

Installation technology

If you follow these simple guidelines, you can install the border by yourself without the assistance of experts:

1. Marking and defining boundaries. A fishing line is stretched along the entire perimeter, which is fixed at the desired level with pegs (taking into account the slope). The fishing line should be positioned so that the curb completely touches it on one side.
2. Digging trenches. Concrete elements cannot be installed on the fertile soil layer, so it must be removed so that no plants or roots remain that could grow again. The depth should be such that it is possible to make a backfill layer, install the curb and the top of the curb after installation is not higher than the surface of the blind area. The width of the trench should be approximately 2 times greater than the width of the curb, so that the product can easily move and be fixed. The greater the depth of the trench, the better the curb will act as a barrier for the blind area. But its depth should not be greater than the height of the curb.
3. The bottom of the trench is filled with sand (10-12 cm), which is then carefully tamped.
4. Concrete solution is laid out on the underlying layer with a shovel or trowel.
5. Individual elements are placed on the solution, which are aligned along the fishing line and level by tapping with a rubber hammer. Curbs are mounted end-to-end. If the blind area is made with a smooth radius, then individual elements must be placed without trimming the end edges. If there is a sharp turn, then the ends are trimmed so that when the elements are placed, their edges are adjacent to each other.
6. After placing the products, you need to carefully apply the solution to the bottom of the material about 5-7 cm in height to fix it in place. The concrete mixture is carefully smoothed so as not to knock down the set level.

The video provides more thorough installation instructions for curbs:

Possible errors in operation

Setting curbs may not involve many errors. For instance, the concrete won’t be as strong and may crumble or crack under even the smallest load if the proportions of the concrete mixture are ignored and the components are measured by eye.

An incorrect order of work can also be the source of the issue. The line along the edge of the blind area may end up crooked and the curb cannot be installed straight because some people lay the tiles first and then install the curb (or it can be installed straight, but then there will be a different gap between the covering and the curb).

In summary, the curb is put in place before the covering is poured or laid.

Occasionally, even though the borders were arranged according to calculations, there are not enough of them during the working process. It is crucial to remember that some curbs might be broken or inexperienced workers could drop and break multiple elements or cause damage. Thus, in addition to ordering materials based on the entire length of the blind area, an additional 10% must be added (to account for errors and damage).

It is imperative to install a curb for the blind area surrounding a house in order to prevent water damage to your foundation and to improve the overall appearance of your property. Rainwater is diverted away from the foundation by a curb that is installed correctly, reducing soil erosion and possible basement flooding. Make sure the curb is positioned correctly in terms of height, angle, and alignment to accomplish this. To securely fasten the curb, use long-lasting materials like stone or concrete and adhere to simple instructions. This useful addition gives your landscape a tidy, polished edge while also protecting your house.

Prices for materials and installation

In the Russian Federation, natural stone curbs typically cost 900 rubles per meter, whereas products made of reinforced concrete cost 70 rubles and concrete curbs 90 rubles.

Each piece of plastic costs 200 rubles, while metal elements start at 350 rubles.

In St. Petersburg, the cost of installing curbs is approximately 300 rubles per meter if you hire specialists; in Moscow and the surrounding area, the cost starts at 400 rubles per meter; in Omsk, it is 150 rubles per meter; in Nizhny Novgorod, it is 320 rubles per meter; and in Orenburg, it is 150 rubles per meter.

This section compiles the most significant and practical information on blind area construction.

A vital first step in safeguarding your home’s foundation is installing a curb for the blind area surrounding your property. It lessens the chance of water damage and soil erosion by helping to divert rainfall away from the walls. When installed correctly, a curb can increase the blind area’s strength and usefulness, ensuring that your house will last for many years.

Choose a material that will work well for your curb first. Stone and concrete are common options because of their aesthetic appeal and longevity. After that, precisely measure and mark the area around the curb. After preparing the ground with excavation to form a sturdy base, apply a gravel layer to aid in drainage. As you firmly place your curb materials, make sure they are level and oriented correctly.

To stop the curb from moving over time, it must be secured. Place the components in place using mortar or concrete, filling in any spaces to produce a seamless barrier. Its efficacy will be extended with regular maintenance, such as looking for cracks and making sure the curb is level. These are the steps you need to take in order to create a curb that both protects and beautifies your home.

Video on the topic

How to install a curb quickly and efficiently… Installation of curbs.

Curb, How to install a garden curb, What you need to consider when installing a curb.

INSTALLATION CURBINGS FOR THE HOUSE BLINDS