Lightweight foundation for a shed. How to choose and make the ideal foundation for a shed: instructions, tips, nuances. Construction of a columnar structure

It is much easier to build a foundation for a barn than for a house, because its weight and area are much smaller, and it is often not heated. However, even here you need to know some points so that the outbuilding does not collapse and rot in a few years. What kind of foundation can you put a barn on and in what cases can you do without a foundation?

barn without foundation

You can do without a foundation if the building is very light, made of wood or OSB, or is a metal container. For a small shed, the construction of a powerful foundation is not justified either economically or in terms of strength.

You can make a barn without a foundation with your own hands from a metal container. This option is attractive for many reasons. Such a shed can simply be placed on sleepers, wooden beams or concrete blocks, between which crushed stone is poured.

You can make a frame barn without a foundation. Before construction, the land at the site of the future utility block is cleared and covered with gravel. Then the racks, pre-treated to prevent rotting, are buried 60-80 cm into the ground and concreted. In this way, you can build a barn from boards with a pitched or gable roof. To do this, four wooden pillars 3 m long are dug into the ground. For a lean-to barn, two of the pillars are made 10-20 cm lower.

Types of foundation for a barn

The shed can be placed on the same type of foundation as the house. But due to the small weight and size of the building, you can also find more exotic options, for example, from tires or sleepers, they also have their advantages.

The type of foundation should be selected based on the type of soil, as well as the design and purpose of the building. A barn in which animals or poultry are kept requires a different foundation than a woodshed. The cost of materials also matters: there is no point in making a foundation for a shed, which is several times more expensive than the outbuilding itself.

Strip foundation

It is suitable for solid structures such as brick and foam block sheds, for example, in which livestock are kept. Wood is not suitable for the construction of such sheds: it rots, is destroyed during cleaning, and such a structure cannot be called durable. For frame and plank sheds, such a foundation is not economically justified; it will be much more expensive than the building itself and will have excessive strength, which is not necessary in these cases.

The trench is dug no deeper than half a meter. It can be either prefabricated from blocks or monolithic. The second option is suitable for more powerful designs. The advantage of this type is its versatility. A shallow strip foundation can be made on sand, clay, or rocky soil. How to make such a foundation for a shed with your own hands?

1. Dig a trench about 50 cm deep, 30 cm wide than the width of the future tape.
2. A layer of crushed stone (10 cm) and sand (5 cm) is poured onto the bottom. Each layer is compacted well.
3. A formwork made of boards 30 cm high above ground level is installed in the trench.
4. Reinforcement is placed inside - mesh or rods.
5. Concrete is poured into the formwork. After it hardens, the formwork is removed, the tape is coated with waterproofing and the gaps between the tape and the walls of the trench are filled with earth.

Monolithic belt belt

This is a cheaper option for a strip foundation, suitable for a poultry house or barn. It allows you to make a floor on the ground, suitable for non-heaving or clayey soils. In the first case, only with high groundwater will it be necessary to do waterproofing and drainage. On clay soils, concrete waterproofing, insulation of blind areas and the perimeter of the building, and wall drainage are needed.

After marking the site, the fertile layer of soil is removed, then a gravel, sand or mixed cushion is poured 0.2 m larger than the foundation on each side. Drainage pipes are placed in trenches dug around the perimeter in the form of a closed loop with a slope of 4 degrees.

If the soil is clayey, then the perimeter must be lined with polystyrene foam, and the blind area must also be insulated at a depth of 40 cm.

Next, formwork is made from boards, and reinforcement from rods 6-10 mm thick is placed in it. Then the concrete is poured and compacted with a vibrator. After removing the formwork, the concrete is coated with bitumen, mastic or waterproofed with rolled materials.

The floor is poured into the finished base along the ground, it is separated from the foundation using a damper tape.

Block foundation

Such a foundation for a shed is made by laying blocks in a trench. They are placed on a concrete mortar, the external seams are made with a mortar with moisture-proof additives. The laid foundation is waterproofed on all sides. After this, the trench is buried.

You can use cinder blocks. Their disadvantage is their porous structure, due to which they are quickly destroyed by moisture. Therefore, such a base must be carefully waterproofed.

Foam block foundation

The foundation for the shed can be made from foam blocks. They are placed in a trench or pit, but a concrete pad is first made. To do this, a cushion of crushed stone and sand is poured onto the bottom of the trench. Formwork is installed on top, into which reinforcement is placed, and a concrete pad 20 cm thick is poured. Foam concrete blocks are laid on the hardened concrete.

The width of the trench is the width of the block plus 15-20 cm, the depth is equal to the depth of soil freezing plus 15 cm.

Columnar

A simple foundation for a barn is made from concrete, brick or wooden posts. It does not require equalization of small differences in height; it requires less material than tape. It should not be installed on moving soils - over time, the posts may tilt or move apart, which will lead to the collapse of the entire structure.

For a columnar foundation, it is necessary to dig holes in which the columns will be placed. Pits need to be dug 15 cm deeper than the freezing level of the soil. A pillow of crushed stone and sand is poured at the bottom, well tamped. A metal rod is placed in the middle. The foundation columns for the barn are laid out from concrete blocks, bricks, you can use asbestos-cement pipes, into which concrete is poured. On loose soils, a reinforced concrete foundation is poured into the bottom of the holes so that the building does not sag over time. For brick columns, a thickness of one and a half bricks is enough. The interior cavity is filled with concrete. Brick pillars must be waterproofed - coated with bitumen or mastic. The joints between the foundation and the barn itself must also be waterproofed, especially if the outbuilding is wooden.

If pipes are used as formwork for the posts, they should be reinforced from the inside with reinforcement. Small crushed stone or pebbles must be added to the concrete. After the concrete has hardened, the columns are coated with waterproofing materials.

If concrete blocks are used, then their masonry directly depends on the size. A large block can play the role of a whole pillar.

If the soil is rocky or is coarse, gravelly sand, then you don’t have to deepen the posts too much - deepening them by 2 rows of bricks or 1 row of blocks will be enough. Then the first beam of the structure will play the role of a grillage.

From wall blocks 20*40*40 you can make a type of columnar base on non-heaving soil. On clay soil, you will have to insulate the entire perimeter of the building and make wall drainage or bury the pillars below the freezing level. In this case, the cost of the foundation will increase significantly, so it is better to do it on rocky or gravelly soil.

1. The fertile layer (about 40 cm) is removed under each column.
2. A pillow is poured, sandy (for dry soils) or crushed stone (for wet soils), its thickness should be 20-40 cm. After pouring every 10 cm, the pillow is compacted.
3. Drainage is made from perforated pipes along the perimeter of the base.
4. Next, lay out the columns of blocks.

Pile

A foundation made of screw piles has proven itself well on heaving, loose and other difficult soils. It is quite easy to do it yourself, you just need to buy piles and screw them into the ground using a crowbar or a pipe inserted into a special hole at the top of the pile. Two people are enough to drive the pile; no equipment is required. It is advisable that the third participant monitor the verticality of the support.

Another option is bored piles. Such a foundation can be built by drilling the required number of wells in the ground and inserting asbestos-cement or polyethylene pipes into them. Also, formwork for pipes can be made from roofing felt rolled into a tube, and the seam is glued with bitumen mastic. The pipes are filled one-third with concrete solution, the reinforcement is lowered and filled to the end. Reinforcement for bored piles is knitted from 4 corrugated rods connected by round or rectangular clamps, as in the figure. This foundation is good on clay or sandy loam soil.

Tire foundation

A foundation based on used tires (preferably large ones from trucks) can be quite reliable. Tire columns are filled with soil or poured with concrete.

On heaving soil, tires are placed in holes dug below the freezing level at corners and along walls in increments of 1.5-2 m, filled with crushed stone, which is compacted, then covered with sand.

The disadvantage of a base made of tires is the large size of the wheels, which makes it difficult to make a fence to protect against moisture and rodents, so an imitation base is usually made for a barn. The advantage of tires is their elasticity, which decreases after the concrete hardens, so the first method (with crushed stone) is more preferable. The video shows the process of building a frame shed on a base made of tires.

Sleeper foundation

Concrete or wooden railway sleepers act as a grillage during the construction of the foundation. The disadvantage of this type of base is that sleepers are not always available, so we can recommend it to those who already have this material. You can also build a strip foundation from reinforced concrete sleepers by placing them in a trench prepared, as for a conventional strip foundation. The sleepers are laid in several layers with bandaging (the joint of each next row should be above the whole sleeper in the previous one).

Conclusion

The light weight of outbuildings makes it possible to make different types of foundations for them, including using unusual materials. However, to obtain a high-quality foundation, it is necessary to follow the same construction technology as when building a foundation for a house.

One of the first buildings on a country plot is a barn. A necessary and functional structure even before building a house, because you always need to store tools, firewood and other auxiliary utensils somewhere.

It is possible to independently approach the construction of a utility block. The main requirement for the reliability of future construction is a high-quality foundation base.

Features of building a foundation for a barn

For light change houses for equipment, the absence of a base is allowed. If the building is more massive, then the base must be completed.

The foundation gives the building:

• Strength.
• Durability.
• Thermal conductivity.
• Frost resistance.

First of all, you need to correctly determine the location of the future shed. Place it so as not to damage the landscape design of the site, for comfortable use or on soil unsuitable for planting.

Then you can start choosing the type of base.

Reinforcement mesh for foundation

Dependence of the type of foundation on the type of building

The choice of foundation type depends on the design features of the future barn, as well as on the purpose of the utility unit. Will it be a room for keeping livestock or a room for tools along with a workshop. All these functions performed will entail the choice of the type of base. Thus, lightweight buildings do not require powerful foundations, while capital structures will require a reliable, rigid foundation.

If the choice fell on a classic outbuilding made of timber with a gable or pitched roof, any foundation will do. Most often, columnar or screw ones are chosen due to their low cost and relative ease of installation.

A solid structure made of brick or foam blocks will require the installation of a more preferable monolithic tile or block base.

Shed foundation depth

The depth of the base is selected according to the type of foundation, as well as taking into account the local level of soil freezing. Important: trenches are dug 15 cm more than the soil freezing depth.

Since a barn is most often a small-sized building, a shallow foundation will do just fine. Equally well suited for buildings made of wood or timber on clay or sandy soils. In this case, the hole is dug to a depth of about 60 cm.

For a more massive structure, for example, made of brick, as well as under unfavorable soil conditions, it is worth placing the foundation to a depth of up to 100 cm.

Which foundation to choose for a lightweight building?

When choosing any type of plinth, it is worth taking into account the main characteristics of the soil at the construction site.

The following soil properties are taken into account:

• availability of groundwater;
• soil compressibility;
• presence of quicksand;
• type of soil.

Based on the type of soil that predominates on the plot, the following types of plinth are selected:

1. On sandy soil, which can “float” under high humidity conditions, it is more advisable to build a screw or columnar foundation. The freezing characteristic of such soil is usually 40–70 cm, this should be taken into account when deepening the base.
2. The worst option for construction is sandy loam and loam. Such soil has a high degree of freezing (up to 2 meters), the ability to swell and contract, and often forms quicksand. For such soil it is worth choosing a screw base.
3. Gravel soil is much less susceptible to freezing, is not subject to deformation and destruction, and is not subject to erosion. Here it is allowed to use both ribbon, columnar, and block views.
4. The most favorable option for a construction site is rocky soil. It will not sag, will not freeze, and will not float. The only disadvantage of this soil is the labor intensity of processing, so any foundation can be installed except a screw one.

Required materials and tools

To save working time, as well as high-quality construction of the foundation, you should prepare in advance a set of materials and tools from the following list:

• water;
• cement with sand or a specialized building mixture;
• concrete mixer - in a pinch, you can get by with improvised means, but it will significantly save labor and time for mixing the solution;
• bricks;
• metal fittings;
• asbestos pipes;
• waterproofing - polyethylene film or roofing felt;
• metal piles;
• Bulgarian;
• boards or plywood for formwork;
• foam blocks;
• Master OK;
• cord or twine;
• building level;
• pegs;
• rule;
• buckets and shovels (scoop and bayonet);
• roulette;
• tamper

The list may vary depending on the type of base and the preparatory work process.

Construction technology

Construction technology– a set of measures aimed at creating a structure that meets the requirements of the selected type of structure. Construction as a whole consists of several sequential operations.

First of all, this is preparation of the site. The selected area is cleared of grass, small bushes, stumps, and a 10 cm layer of soil and carefully leveled. It is important to place the foundation on a flat surface to avoid further distortion of the structure.

Slab foundation

Detailed step-by-step instructions from marking to finished foundation

The first stage of construction is the same for all types of load-bearing structures - marking and routing. To do this, use a tape measure and wooden pegs to mark the corners of the future utility unit. The stakes are driven into the ground, a rope or cord is pulled between them and leveled to adjust the horizontal. Right angles must be checked.

Column Foundation

Future pillars are marked in each corner of the barn when building a simple structure. If the project is more complex, then it is necessary to install pillars every 1 - 1.5 meters of the perimeter of the structure. Using a garden drill, holes approximately 40x40 cm wide are dug in the designated places. Afterwards, a cushion of sand and crushed stone 20 cm thick is poured onto the bottom of each hole.

• Brick– the pillars are laid out with a standard one and a half brick masonry to the required height.
• Concrete blocks– this can be one large block or small blocks held together with cement mortar.
• Asbestos pipes– the required size is installed in holes and later filled with concrete.
• – in this case, concrete is also poured into the prepared cavity. After drying, the formwork is removed.

For strength, reinforcement rods are fixed inside the pillars whenever possible. Upon completion of the work, a layer of waterproofing is laid on top to prevent destruction by moisture.

Screw foundation

This design will not require additional soil preparation, because can be installed even on the most difficult types of soil. Here special metal piles with a sharp tip and cutting blades are used. Installation locations are outlined similarly to the columnar view.

The piles are screwed vertically into the ground by two to three people . To make work easier, there is a hole for crowbar at the top of each pipe. Be sure to check the entire structure vertically. Excess parts in height are cut off with a grinder. To give greater strength, it is recommended to fill the pile cavity with concrete.

Monolithic foundation

The most expensive and labor-intensive, but the most durable and durable type of base. To build it, you need to dig a pit the size of the proposed barn. A layer of sand and a layer of crushed stone, 10–20 cm each, are placed on the bottom. Everything is carefully compacted. Next, you need to build formwork 10–15 cm high above ground level. Connecting reinforcement or mesh is laid, and the space is completely filled with concrete.

Strip foundation

This type is intended for the basis of wall structures. According to the markings, a trench up to 50 cm wide is dug along the perimeter. It is important to maintain right angles. The bottom is covered with sand and compacted. Next, a formwork is constructed, rising 20 cm above the ground. A reinforcement frame is made using reinforcement and wire. Then the entire tape is filled with concrete mortar.

Block foundation

Installation of blocks in this design occurs on a monolithic base. If we are talking about a budget version of the base, then it is allowed to use concrete blocks on a specially prepared pad. In this case, a hole is dug to the size of the utility block, a layer of sand is poured, spilled with water and compacted.

Then a layer of crushed stone is also carefully compacted. Concrete blocks of the required size are installed on the constructed site along the perimeter and leveled horizontally.

Construction of a strip foundation

Before pouring the supporting structure, it is necessary to prepare a good, tenacious mortar from a mixture of cement, water, sand and gravel. The following rules will help you do this correctly:

1. When purchasing dry cement or building mixture, you should definitely pay attention to the production date. Regular Portland cement will work here.
2. To save cement, you should choose gravel of different diameters with large and small stones. In this case, the fine gravel will serve as a connecting link for the coarse gravel and less cement will be needed.
3. Crushed stone should not contain debris or various impurities.
4. Clean water should also be used, preferably drinking water.
5. The sand must be free of clay and silt.
6. The classic recipe for mortar: 3 parts sand, 5 parts crushed stone, 1 part cement - pour everything with water, mix until a thick, homogeneous mass is obtained.

barn without foundation

Some lightweight buildings will not require a base at all. This includes chest-type sheds or a combined greenhouse. They mainly store equipment, tools, garden supplies, germinate plants, root cuttings and other household needs.

Due to their small area and limited dimensions, such structures have low pressure on the ground, and accordingly they can do without a foundation.

Another modern innovation is the prefabricated plastic shed. Every summer resident can build such a structure. Assembly is carried out like a children's construction set, without the use of special skills and complex fastenings.

This building is a metal frame, the walls, roof and floor of which are made of durable frost-resistant plastic. Thanks to the built-in floor, the structure of the barn is protected from groundwater. It will always be comfortable to work in it, especially if there is well-designed ventilation. This design will withstand even harsh winters and heavy snow.

The undoubted advantages of this type of utility unit are:

• assembly time - if you have no experience, everything will take about three hours;
• such a structure can be moved from place to place;
• does not require routine maintenance - with careful operation it will last up to thirty years;
• Easy to clean with running water from a hose.

A reliable foundation for a shed is half the way to a functional structure that can last for decades. Doing it yourself will not be difficult. It is only important to conduct a soil study to correctly determine the type of foundation, as well as to decide in advance on the design, design and purpose of the future building.

Most people believe that building a foundation for a shed with your own hands is simply simple and does not take much time. For this to be the case, it is necessary to carry out complex construction. After all, it needs to be done in such a way that the building does not collapse in two or three years.

Ready-made monolithic foundation for a barn

Before considering the types of foundations for a barn, you should decide on the type of structure itself. The following are distinguished:

The type of foundation being built directly depends not only on the strength of the future building, but also on the type of soil on which it is built.

Let's look at the types of foundations for a barn that you can build with your own hands.

Poured foundation

Before laying a poured foundation for the shed, it is necessary to make a bedding that will serve as an elevation above the ground by about 100–200 mm.

Then a monolithic slab is installed: it will be the floor for the building. Such a floor will ideally cope with any loads and protect the structure from all kinds of rodents.

Column Foundation

An ideal and simple option for constructing light buildings. On such a foundation, you can make a building from foam blocks, but before you start construction, you need to examine the soil composition: if it is homogeneous and compacted, then it is possible to make a foundation from bricks or foam blocks.

It must be remembered that building a foundation with your own hands is a job that requires patience. It is best to make a columnar foundation using poured foundations or using brick or concrete blocks, simply installing them in the corners and in places where the corner elements of the walls are located.

To build a columnar foundation, you will need to do the following:

Block foundation

A foam block foundation is the best option for outbuildings. It is the most common because it is easy to use, suitable for installing a base for all types of buildings, and can be installed quickly.

The not very high cost of a foam block foundation makes this building material even more popular. Moreover, it is quite lightweight compared to other materials.

To make a foam block base correctly, you first need to mark the area. Next, drive in the stakes and stretch the cord between them. Then start digging a pit approximately 600 mm deep.

When calculating, you should take into account the width of the foam blocks themselves, increasing the width of the trench by 200 mm.

Pour crushed stone and sand bedding onto the bottom of the trench, install formwork, and fill everything with concrete mortar 200 mm high. Then, after waiting for the concrete to dry completely, you can install the required number of foam blocks and continue work.

Strip foundation for a barn

When building sheds, strip foundations are no less popular, as they can withstand different loads, are cheap, stable and allow you to build a basement inside.

This type of base is used on any soil and for any buildings.

Screw foundation

Although it is a relatively new technology, it has managed to gain popularity in low-rise construction. Such a foundation is affordable and durable on almost any soil.

Rapid construction technology includes:

• Vertical installation of piles at marked points - the vertical is measured with a level. If the pile is deflected even by two degrees, it must be unscrewed and installed correctly in another place, since the density of the soil has already been lost in this area;
• The piles are driven to the calculated depth using a crowbar or pipe in the corners and under the walls of the building. This will not cause many problems: the screw piles are equipped with a sharp end and thread, which make it possible to perfectly cut through any soil except rocky soil;
• All piles need to be measured and brought to the same height using a grinder;
• For strength from the inside, the pile is filled with concrete mixture. The foundation is ready, you can lay the slab.

Cinder block foundation

Cinder block is a cheap material that consists of slag, crushed stone, sand, cement and other components. As a foundation, it is perfect for small-sized buildings.

But a cinder block foundation has its drawbacks:

• Hygroscopic due to the porosity of the structure;
• Has high thermal conductivity;
• Not resistant to frost.

The construction scheme for a cinder block foundation includes the following steps:

Important! To ensure that the foundation lies evenly, reinforcement is installed in the corners and a rope is pulled over it. In the future, masonry is carried out at this level.

Tire foundation

Recently, among summer residents, foundations built from used material have become widespread. Sleepers or tires can be used for this.

Advantages of a tire foundation:

• Saving on materials;
• Rubber provides excellent waterproofing;
• Tires are a strong and durable material;
• Tires can serve as a “cushion” in areas of seismic activity;
• Easy to manufacture.

An important nuance is that the tires must be located at the same level to avoid misalignment.
The foundation of tires can be erected as either a strip or a columnar type. To build it, you need to clear the area, level the soil, lay the tires in two layers - the best would be to use truck tires. Then soil is poured into the column to the extent of 80% of the tire volume.

Roofing felt should be laid on top to ensure a smooth surface and waterproofing. After which the concrete can be poured. To increase the strength of the structure, you can use concrete instead of backfilled soil.

In addition to this, it is possible to use tire reinforcement for the foundation.

The Persian pompous word “shed”, meaning both “palace” and the name of the capital of the Golden Horde, the Russian people habitually simplified and adapted to the name of the simplest outbuilding. When purchasing a property, sheds are usually the first to be built. They store tools and equipment for building a house and working in the garden. And then they can be used not only as a storage room, but also as an enclosure for animals, and as a workshop for the owner of the house. Building a shed is easy. You don't need any super skills to do this. And any construction project needs to start from the foundation.

Features of the base for a shed

Of course, a barn is a lightweight building compared to a house. But it also does not have the weight of a toy; it is susceptible to soil movements, rising groundwater, freezing, and rotting. Therefore, a foundation is necessary, at least the simplest one. It is a fundamental part of any building. And any foundation is bad and does not fulfill its functions if it is built inconsistently with the purpose and incorrectly.

A barn with the right strip foundation will last a long time

Foundation (from Latin fundamentum - base) is an underground or underwater part of a building (structure), which receives loads and transfers them to the base. There are strip foundations (including those made from cross strips), columnar, solid, and pile foundations. There are monolithic and prefabricated ones. Material - concrete, reinforced concrete, stone (rubble), wood.

Big Encyclopedic Dictionary (BED)http://slovari.299.ru/enc.php

There are not many types of foundations, and they all have common features. These are penetration into the soil, a cushion of drainage material (crushed stone, sand, pebbles), the foundation itself and waterproofing. Only pile foundations do not have a cushion - and only if they do not have a buried grillage. And for lightweight structures, completely shallow foundations are used. There is a strict connection between them and the type of soil and the weight of the structure.

Classification of soil on the site

Before designing a house, it is better to order a professional survey of the site (and it is advisable not to use the results of your neighbor: sometimes even nearby sites have very different soil conditions). But by the time you get to the point of building a house, a lot of time will pass; building a shed does not require such precision, so before building a shed, you can do a soil study yourself: use a garden drill to drill a two-meter hole, removing and studying the soil from different depths.

There are several simple tests. Water is mixed into the soil, you try to roll it out like dough and roll it into a ring. If this is successful, then two-thirds of it consists of clay or loam. If soil is poured into water and it begins to dissolve before our eyes and the water becomes cloudy, then this indicates loam; sand and clay precipitate.

Scheme of sedimentation in a solution of soil in water

According to the reference book “Soils. Foundations. Choosing the optimal foundation” There are three types of soils:

non-rocky:

The contact area of ​​the foundation with the soil must correspond to the load, taking into account the expected resistance of the soil. The maximum resistance (reactive pressure) of the soil is determined experimentally based on the principles of soil mechanics, and state building codes provide tables of permissible soil resistance for certain geographic zones.

Collier's Encyclopedia

Groundwater

The groundwater level is also the most important indicator, on which not only the foundation “model” depends, but also the depth of its foundation.

The structure of groundwater in your area is very important information

Soil freezing

In addition to the composition of the soil, you need to know to what depth it freezes in winter. In our “latitudes” the freezing depth is usually from eighty to one hundred centimeters, but with certain rare types of soil it can be more or less.

The base of the foundation should be below the maximum freezing depth of the soil to prevent swelling of the soil when freezing. The safe depth depends on annual temperature variations, the type and range of local soil variations, and the normal groundwater level. In addition, seasonal changes in the volume of clay soils are sometimes observed, which should not be allowed under a foundation laid on a natural foundation.

Collier's Encyclopediahttp://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_colier/6886/%D0%A4%D0%A3%D0%9D%D0%94%D0%90%D0%9C%D0%95%D0%9D %D0%A2

Since the barn is light, very simple and extremely economical types of foundations are often used. But sometimes in difficult soils you need to strengthen them.

Types of foundations suitable for a barn

Slab

Excellent for unstable or subsiding soil; in addition, it is often used if the barn is heavy. Pros: solidity, reliability. Disadvantages: labor intensive, lack of underground, high cost.

An example of a monolithic foundation - such a foundation for a barn is, of course, too solid

Tape

The best option is a shallowly buried strip foundation. It can be made from ready-mixed concrete, cement mortar, or concrete blocks with mortar. Pros: comparative simplicity and financial accessibility of its construction. Disadvantages: it cannot be placed on unreliable soils with close soil water, on clay and sand. But almost one hundred percent of the experts will recommend it to you, even if your site consists of unfavorable soils - but with amendments to the design: it will be necessary to make the “ribbon” of the foundation wider and deeper.

A strip concrete foundation in this design is also redundant for a light barn

Columnar

One of the easiest types to perform independently. Suitable for light wooden or frame structures. Such a foundation can also be shallow, but this is more suitable for gazebos and barbecues - for a house it is too ephemeral. It is placed in pits (on a bed of drainage material) made of factory-made concrete blocks. Pros: ease of implementation, low price, suitable for any soil. Cons: not suitable for heavy structures; It practically eliminates the presence of an underground floor, and the space under the shed will be poorly insulated.

Columnar foundation is very suitable for lightweight structures

Pile

It dampens movements well and is made from asbestos-cement pipes, which are concreted into pits with drainage filler, and sometimes from ordinary metal and screw piles. Pros: suitable for unstable soils and slopes, resistant to subsidence and landslides; asbestos cement is also cheap. Cons: pile-grillage with a metal grillage is very expensive due to the cost of metal for a heavy grillage and requires welding.

A pile-and-grillage foundation with screw piles is wonderful, but too expensive for a cheap shed

But there are also a lot of foundations that are combined in design and depth.

Photo gallery: examples of foundations suitable for a barn

The screw piles are camouflaged here. A barn made of logs on a columnar foundation. A barn on screw piles - an expensive solution
A strip foundation for a barn is sometimes very heavy and too redundant A barrel barn on a slab foundation made of wood A shed with a wood shed on a slab foundation made of rubble stone
Shed with an old boat roof on a strip foundation in Wales Plank shed on a post foundation Designer shed can be installed on any foundation; made in Russia

Video: types of foundations for construction

What to build from and how: review of materials and methods

In order to have a good idea of ​​what we will encounter when building a foundation for a barn, we will briefly describe how the most common versions of such foundations are made.

From large section timber

From blocks and bricks

Such a foundation is quite difficult to implement.

Strip concrete foundation

Piles and grillage made of timber

Concrete piles

We'll talk about the columnar foundation made of concrete blocks in more detail later.

Preliminary preparation for choosing a barn and grounds for it

It involves very few actions.

Selecting a location

It is very important to place the shed so that it is not exposed to strong gusts of wind or does not end up in a wind tunnel between two buildings (otherwise its parts will be subject to unnecessary stress). In addition, it should not be located under the slope of the roof of the house, so as not to be covered with additional snow; on a slope so that it does not flood; in the shade so that the snow does not remain on its roof for a long time; near large trees so that the roof is not pierced by branches and covered with leaves in the fall. And most importantly: the ground at the construction site must be suitable and level.

Choosing a location for a shed is a responsible matter; choosing the right location will make construction and further operation much easier for you.

The right place for your shed will greatly facilitate its construction and further operation.

Design selection

Here you have complete scope for creativity. It all depends on your needs, capabilities and skills.

A barn in the form of a trailer from the beginning of the 20th century - decoration of the site

The barn can be anything.

But we will focus on the simplest small lean-to frame shed, standing separately, for which you will need the simplest foundation of all possible.

Scheme of the future barn on a columnar foundation made of blocks

How to make a foundation for a barn with your own hands

If your goal is only to protect your structure from rotting and moisture, and not to create a full-fledged underground floor, then your path is a shallow columnar foundation made of foam or expanded clay blocks. Moreover, we will place the blocks not in a checkerboard pattern, 4 blocks per column, but one on top of the other - two per column. Our design is lightweight.

An example of blocks in the pillars of a shallow columnar foundation

Selection and calculation of material

But on any site (unless you have just arrived on a virgin piece of field) there are always leftovers: pieces of roofing felt, a pile of sand or crushed stone, several blocks or a hundred bricks. So, most likely, you won’t need to buy materials. But if necessary, you can display the following numbers.

Table: calculation of the required material and its approximate cost, based on average prices

If you replace the timber with a board, then the already low cost will be even lower.

It is done in the most primitive way.

Tools needed

Step by step process

Video: how to design a frame barn and install a block foundation for it

A columnar, shallow foundation made of blocks with a grillage made of timber is the simplest and cheapest way to create a good foundation for your shed. And it will be quite reliable. Dare!

As a rule, owners do not take the arrangement of the foundation of a barn seriously, since a barn is considered a light outbuilding. However, doing this is strictly prohibited, because the service life of the shed in the future depends on the quality of installation of the base.

Features of the foundation for a barn

There are certain features of the operation of a barn that need to be taken into account when choosing a foundation for this type of building:

• It is not recommended to install a columnar foundation on clay soils, since soil heaving will simply push these pillars out or overwhelm them;
• when installing the foundation, it is worth considering that the light weight of the barn will not be able to withstand the force of heaving;
• the foundation will always be affected by precipitation, in particular, melt water, rain, which, when frozen, will destroy the foundation reinforcement.

The choice of foundation for a shed depends on many parameters

That is why it is very important to take into account the structure of the soil and its type.

There is a great way to determine how a pile foundation will behave on your site. You can do a test screwing of the screw pile. This will allow us to determine the level of groundwater and the depth of the bearing layer. In order for heaving forces to be completely eliminated, the layer must lie well below the soil freezing level. This procedure is recommended to be carried out regardless of what type of foundation has been chosen for construction.

The type of foundation depends on the type of soil in the area under study:

• coarse sand, rock, gravelly soil - a columnar foundation made of bricks or a buried wall block;

  Columnar shallow foundation suitable for sandy soils

• sandy loam - columnar foundation with insulation, drilled piles with roofing felt made from asbestos or polyethylene pipes;

  Drilled piles can be used on soils prone to heaving

• loam, clay or high groundwater level - pile foundation.

A monolithic columnar or strip foundation is very rarely used for a barn, since their construction will cost much more than installing a frame barn.

The simplest foundation for a shed

The simplest and cheapest foundation for a shed is the so-called bored foundation. The technology for its arrangement is as follows:

By choosing this type of foundation for a barn, the owner will only pay for the cost of materials, although some of them may already be available.

You can save a little more if you use ordinary car tires instead of asbestos pipes and roofing felt, and on non-heaving soils you don’t even need to go very deep into the ground. It is necessary to fill the tire cavity with sand, and then fill the surface with cement mortar.

Video: foundation made of tires

DIY foundation for a barn

If you have the opportunity to increase the budget for arranging the foundation, then you can choose a more solid type of foundation.

When choosing piles for the foundation, it is necessary to take into account their load-bearing capacity, which varies significantly for each manufacturer.

Table: bearing capacity of screw piles

Since the mass of the entire structure of the barn rarely exceeds 2 tons, with certain calculations one can come to the conclusion that it is necessary to use only screw piles. However, for greater reliability (remember that the lumber or rolled metal used for the grillage has the ability to sag under its own weight), it is recommended to install the piles at a distance of 1.5–2 m from each other. The work must be carried out according to the following plan:

When installing this type of foundation, the barn requires covering the underground with decorative material, but you should take care of the ventilation holes.

Video: do-it-yourself pile foundation

Column Foundation

This type of foundation can only be used on soils where heaving is excluded. For pillars, you can use a wall block measuring 40*20*20 cm.

If the site has clay soil, the installation process needs to be slightly modified:

1. Make wall drainage, which will eliminate the main cause of heaving, insulate the sole with polystyrene foam along the entire perimeter.
2. Bury the pillars below the freezing level of the soil (if the height of the block is not enough for this, you can fill it with sand or crushed stone).

For pillars, you can choose either wall blocks or bricks

These methods significantly increase financial and energy costs, so it is recommended to consider other options for arranging a columnar foundation on a flat surface:

• arrangement of pits - under each pillar it is necessary to remove a fertile layer of soil 40 cm thick;
• sand or gravel cushion depending on soil moisture with compaction with a vibrating plate every 10 cm;
• drainage in the form of corrugated pipes along the perimeter of the blind area, which must be filled with crushed stone and covered with geotextiles;
• brickwork of pedestals on which wooden grillage beams are laid.

The work occurs in the following sequence:

1. Carry out markings. The pillars should go deep below the soil freezing layer or you can use one of the above methods. If the first method is chosen, then dig holes about 1.5 m deep or more and 1.2 m in diameter.

   If necessary, the fertile layer of soil can be removed

2. Place a sand cushion (if the soil is wet, it is better to take crushed stone) on top of the geotextile.
3. Make a screed from lean concrete, which will additionally level the base.
4. Lay a drainage system using corrugated pipes.
5. Lay out the pillars from wall blocks (foam concrete, cinder block, brick). Secure the blocks with cement mortar. To strengthen it, you can put reinforcement in the center of the post.

A columnar foundation must be waterproofed and drained

6. Install the grillage. If it is buried, then the wooden beams must additionally be protected from moisture from the ground. You can use polystyrene foam for this.

   For a barn, you can use wooden beams as a grillage

Video: DIY columnar foundation

You can always choose a way to build a budget foundation for a shed and make it yourself. This will allow you to significantly save on the construction of the utility block.