For many years, builders have not been able to come to a consensus: some believe that the strip foundation is more reliable and economical, others prefer the slab foundation. Today I will try to talk about the main advantages of monolithic concrete slabs. I think after reading the article, you will no longer have any questions about this.
First of all, I want to say that in the countries of Europe and America, when building small buildings, strip foundations are almost never used. Further we will consider in detail all the advantages of the monolith.
Advantage # 1
Slab foundation suitable for absolutely any type of soil. In addition, before its construction, there is no need to conduct a hydrogeological survey of the soil, which significantly saves the budget of the entire construction. The benefits of a slab foundation are obvious after the first point.
Advantage # 2
Monolithic slabs able to withstand any climatic conditions. You do not need to bury them below the depth of soil freezing. The ground under the slabs will remain warm even when the thermometers drop to critical negative marks. By the way, if there is clay under the foundation, this will not provoke heaving.
Advantage # 3
By choosing such a foundation, you will significantly reduce the amount of excavation. Monolithic slabs are laid directly on the ground. The only thing you have to do is make a sand pillow. However, these costs cannot be called too high.
If you build a strip foundation, you will also not do without arranging a sand cushion. By the way, some builders prefer to replace sand with expanded clay, since it is the best insulation. However, its cost is much higher, which means that the work budget is increasing.
Advantage # 4
Plates are allowed to be reinforced inexpensive composite reinforcement, which is able to withstand large horizontal loads. The advantage is that it is convenient and profitable to transport it, which cannot be said about steel rods. Also, the composite is more convenient to work with.
Advantage # 5
Concrete slabs will act not only as the foundation of the building, but also ground floor floor, and its design will be quite simple. When building a strip foundation, you need to additionally equip the flooring. The monolith prevents capillary moisture from entering the house, which distinguishes them from decking floors. As a result, both walls and floors in the building will always be dry. Agree, quite a positive point!
Advantage # 6
Monolithic slabs differ in their stability. If we compare them with a strip foundation, then the slabs can withstand 10 times more weight. When arranging pile and columnar foundations, it is imperative to carry out calculations under the load, which presumably will affect them. This affects the overall budget of the work, and not for the better.
The slab foundation does not need this calculation. It is performed according to standard norms that have existed for a long time. The only thing to consider is the weight of the future building.
A monolithic slab, 20 centimeters thick, can easily withstand up to 1000 tons of load. Currently, stone buildings, consisting of one or two floors, weigh no more than 400 tons (and this together with furniture). It is quite logical that the calculations can be omitted. All that needs to be done is to choose a suitable grade of concrete, knead it and pour it correctly.
Advantage # 7
To pour a concrete slab there is no need to involve qualified specialists. Installation of reinforcement and tamping of concrete is within the power of even amateur builders. This will once again help to save the work budget.
I also want to mention the advantages of monolithic slabs during operation. They do not need to be regularly serviced and repaired. The design is extremely durable.
I hope I have expressed my thoughts quite clearly and clearly. It turns out that pouring concrete slabs is more profitable than arranging strip and pile foundations.
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