DIY blind area repair

The destruction of the blind area around the building, the appearance of cracks and the germination of vegetation in them under the influence of time is a common occurrence. Especially if the coating was laid in violation of construction technology. If the problem is obvious, then repairing the blind area near the house with your own hands or with the involvement of competent workers must be carried out promptly, since the blind area has an important role to play - protecting the foundation from the penetration of precipitation and the formation of damage during severe frosts.

A blind area is a covering around a building with an average width of 80 to 150 cm, which protects the foundation from moisture and freezing... It is equipped with a certain slope to ensure the drainage of rainwater from the house. According to construction standards, the slope should be 5-10 cm for each meter of the blind area, while the edge adjacent to the wall of the house should rise, and the opposite should be level with the ground.

The lathing for pouring concrete during the repair of the blind area begins to be made from the lowest place, that is, from the point where the water is drained.

Then they move to the opposite side of the house, constantly monitoring the level of the slope.

The materials used to equip the protective structure with your own hands are:

• concrete;
• cement;
• artificial and natural stone;
• paving stones;
• asphalt;
• tile.

To repair the coating around the house with your own hands you will need:

• shovel;
• bucket;
• wheelbarrow;
• puncher;
• materials for heat and moisture insulation;
• building level;
• sand;
• crushed stone;
• fittings.

Step 1. Preparation for pouring the solution.

Before carrying out the main work, the surface of the old coating should be cleaned from dust and dirt. Expand cracks and remove completely destroyed areas. Prime the edges of cracks to improve adhesion. To close the gaps that have formed, to save cement mortar, you can use pieces of the old destroyed blind area. To do this, they are laid out there before pouring.

The stage of preparing the blind area for pouring the solution

Step 2. Preparation of the solution.

For this, the following ingredients are used: sand - 2.6 parts, cement M500 or M400 - 1 part, crushed stone - 4.5 parts, water - 125 liters per 1 cubic meter. ready-made solution, as well as other additives. The shelf life of the finished mixture is about 2 hours.

Preparation of a solution for repairing the blind area

It is better to start pouring concrete from the highest point, periodically monitoring compliance with the planned slope. Repair of large areas of damaged blind area should be carried out using a reinforcing mesh.

The third step is pouring concrete.

After pouring, the concrete is compacted and leveled.

After completion of the work, the surface is covered with a damp cloth and left to dry gradually, occasionally sprinkling with water, so that the concrete does not dry out too quickly and does not crack.

After complete drying of the concrete, the formwork is removed.

1. Lack of a waterproofing layer. This is an important structural element that separates all other layers from the ground and prevents the penetration of moisture from the outside.
2. Poorly compacted, uneven backfill. Insufficient thickness of the top layer.
3. Construction work under unfavorable climatic conditions. According to the technology, it is impossible to carry out such work on the eve of frost, in the heat, before the onset of rains. All these factors will have an extremely negative effect on the quality of the coating, disrupt the process of solidification and germination of cement crystals.
4. Lack of expansion joints. Multiple temperature changes throughout the year lead to expansion, compression, frost heaving of the soil, which increases the likelihood of destruction of the concrete structure. To prevent this from happening, expansion joints should be placed in it, which can partially compensate for these phenomena. Usually they are placed every 1.5-2 meters in order to distribute the emerging vibrations, but less is possible.

The strength and durability of the foundation, as well as the absence of unplanned spending of time and money for repairs, depends on the quality of the concrete structure, made in compliance with the technology. It is easier to do everything once with your own hands in accordance with the established norms than to deal with the consequences of incorrect laying of the coating all the time.

The foundation of the most solid and solid house without proper protection can sag, freeze through and be flooded by flood and rainwater. A protective role against these problems is played by the blind area - a continuous sidewalk around the house adjacent to the basement.

The blind area is made of a leveling bedding layer and top coat. Sometimes it is performed only from a 5-10 cm layer of clay mixed with sand or crushed stone. Factors such as heaving soil or a climatic zone with severe frosts justify the additional laying of heat and waterproofing.

The durability of the blind area depends on the chosen design and type of coverage. To solve this problem correctly, you need to analyze:

• soil characteristics: bearing capacity, heaving and freezing depth;
• experience in the operation of neighboring houses built about 5 years ago;
• operational requirements for the track.

Building codes prescribe the requirements for various designs and sizes of the blind area.

The width of the protective barrier should be 20-30 cm wider than the protruding eaves of the roof and varies:

• for stable soils - from 0.8 m;
• for medium porous - over 1.5 m;
• for clayey - up to 2 m.

Repair technology for minor damage

The arrangement technology provides for the mandatory creation of:

1. A slight slope of 3-10 degrees in the opposite direction from the house. The concrete layer needs to be tilted 3-5 degrees, and for cobblestone or rubble an angle of 5-10 degrees is required.
2. Laying a concrete gutter or sawn along the pipe along the outer edge of the blind area for water drainage.
3. Along the edge adjacent to the wall of the house - an expansion (temperature) seam 1-2 cm thick from a damper tape, double-folded roofing material, sealant, sand, bitumen, foamed cellophane or polyurethane foam.
4. When removing the waterproofing of the basement of the house at the level of the blind area, the blind connection is unacceptable, otherwise it cannot be avoided with subsequent shrinkage of the shedding of the finishing material.

Stages of construction of a blind area resistant to thermal deformations:

1. Around the house, dig a ditch 30-50 cm deep and treat its surface with a herbicide that destroys the roots of weeds.
2. Mount a curb or removable formwork along the outer edge of the ditch.
3. Fill in a 15-20 cm trench with leveling drainage: crushed stone, gravel, clay, sand or pourer, compact it tightly with a tamping machine.
4. Lay the decorative moisture-proof and waterproof material: clay, concrete, small cobblestones, paving slabs or asphalt.

The waterproof blind area is fast and easy in the way of the device. It consists of an underlying layer covered with geotextiles, which is covered with crushed stone, pebbles or expanded clay of non-uniform size to a height of 10 cm. Such material is difficult to compact, therefore, the disadvantage is inconvenient use as a path.

The upper 10-15 cm clay layer is applied to a well-compacted mixture of sand and cobblestone 10 cm thick.

The cobblestone cover is laid on a bed of fine gravel or sand. The height of the layer is 4-10 cm. The slots are filled with sand.During the repair, moistened gravel or crushed stone is tamped at the bottom of the cut damaged areas, poured with cement milk and a clean cobblestone is installed in it. The slots along the basement are covered with mortar or bitumen.

Asphalt concrete is laid on a 15 cm compacted layer of crushed stone. Asphalt is more often used for multi-storey buildings, since it has 2 significant drawbacks: technically complex installation and the release of substances harmful to health in hot weather. For repair, damaged areas must be cut down and cleaned of dirt.

Pour the inner part of the pothole with liquid bitumen, fill it with fresh asphalt concrete and compact it with a hand roller from the edges to the center of the plot. Moreover, for a high-quality connection, the new layer must rise above the previously laid one.

Decorating surfaces made of piece materials are common due to their aesthetic appeal, long service life and ease of replacing damaged elements. Concrete paving stones of various shapes are very durable and resistant to temperature extremes.

Rounded corners prevent edge chipping. Beautiful, but not uniform in color, natural stone paving stones are more expensive than concrete ones. Its granite and marble varieties of the sawn or chipped type are widespread. Paving slabs are used mainly with a thickness of 6 cm.

During installation, it is better to do a multi-layer bedding drainage: successively clay, waterproofing, sand and crushed stone or cobblestone, placing a clamping bar adjacent to the foundation. The gaps between the elements are filled with sand.

To prevent cracking of concrete in frost, the underlying layer and reinforcement are made with expansion joints. To do this, across the strip with a distance of 2-3 m, wooden slats with a thickness of at least 5 cm, lubricated with bitumen, are installed on the edge. Then, taking into account the slope from the house, it is evenly poured with concrete to the level of the upper part of the battens.

For better moisture resistance, concrete can be ironed by sprinkling cement on a moistened surface and smoothing it with a trowel. Then cover with a damp cloth and water periodically for a week. And you can decorate with pebbles or paving slabs.