The construction innovation is the Swedish stove - the foundation, whose technology is of European origin. The foundation is the support of any building. It is with its installation that the construction of the house begins. Today, many technologies are used to equip the foundation, but the search, improvement of new developments never stops. A relatively easy technique for the execution of the Swedish plate does not require the involvement of serious construction equipment, it is quite do-it-yourself.
You will not need to carry out additional work on filling the screed, leveling the floor, since the stove itself is a rough floor. Laying the flooring on top is all that is required of you at the final stage.
Such a foundation is optimally suited for summer or low-rise construction. The use of modern technologies, building materials allows in a short time to lay a quality foundation, in which all the required communications will be located. Arranging such a foundation (Swedish plate) takes much less time than installing a strip or pile foundation.
Do-it-yourself swedish plate
In the process of work, pipes for heating the floor (“water floor” technology) are laid in this foundation, and the sewage system and water supply system pass under the insulation layers. A characteristic feature of this foundation is thermal insulation protection (polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam), which fits both the bottom and the sides of the entire foundation. Thus, the insulation repeats the form of the formwork, and after dismantling it remains in place.
The Swedish foundation consists of layers:
- crushed stone (or gravel);
- sand;
- roofing material (or thermoplastic film);
- extruded polystyrene foam;
- reinforced frame;
- pipe systems;
- re-layer reinforced mesh;
- concrete formation.
The insulated Swedish plate is perfect for erecting houses on marshlands or on the ground with a close location of soil water. This kind of slab foundation has also worked well on weak heaving and bulk types of soil. This foundation is not afraid of any manifestations of chemical aggression of the soil or frost heaving, thanks to the chemically inert polystyrene foam that protects it from all sides.
Swedish plate - technology:
- The boundaries of the future foundation are preliminary marked, then the foundation pit is rummaged. The removed layer of earth is approximately 45-60 cm.
- The bottom of the pit is leveled, grooves for sewer and water pipes are prepared.
- Pipes are stacked.
- A formwork is mounted around the perimeter.
- If possible, then at the bottom you can pour a layer of clay (about 15 cm), carefully tamp it. Clay will act as an additional waterproofing.
- This is followed by a layer of gravel (or gravel), approximately 5 cm. It is also densely compacted.
- Sand (10 cm) is poured onto gravel and is also rammed.
- A ruberoid or waterproofing film is placed on top of the sand cushion (lap).
- Now you can put polystyrene foam, the minimum thickness of the material should be 10 cm.
- A reinforced grille is mounted on the insulation layer, the mesh sizes should be approximately 10 × 10 cm. Reinforcement with a diameter of 12-16 mm is recommended.
- On top of the reinforced mesh, a warm floor system is laid. In this case, approximately 15 cm should be retreated from the side walls and pipes should be laid in the form of a “snake” or “snail”. The step between the pipes should be 10-25 cm. The smaller the laying step, the warmer.Closer to the walls, the pipes are laid more tightly than in the center of the room. The heating circuit should not be longer than 100 meters along its length (in order to avoid active hydraulic resistance).
- A reinforced mesh is placed on top of the pipes.
- Pipes are connected to the collector, crimped. Before pouring concrete, it is highly advisable to pump the water floor pipes with air - this will not allow them to deform under the weight of the concrete mass.
- Concrete is poured at a horizontal level (10 cm layer). For concrete compaction, a vibrator must be used. It removes air bubbles from the concrete mass.
- The concrete surface is leveled 2-2.5 hours after pouring.
- The formwork is dismantled after the concrete slab has completely hardened.
In the process of solidification, it is necessary to moisten the concrete periodically so that it does not crack. After all the actions taken, you will get an energy-saving foundation "insulated Swedish stove" - USP in abbreviated form.
House on a swedish stove - pros and cons
In any construction process, there are pros and cons. Setting the foundation is a serious stage, so you need to have an idea of the nuances that you will have to face. After weighing all the pros and cons, you can make the right decision, calculate your capabilities.
Swedish plate - pluses:
- Such a foundation has excellent energy-saving indicators, in fact, it is the heat storage of your home. At any time of the year your floor will be warm.
- All communication systems are installed in the base of the slab - this optimizes the construction process of the house as a whole.
- There are no shrinkage and temperature seams - an important aspect is the guarantee of "longevity" of the foundation.
- Such a foundation is an ideal base for laying any floor covering. The surface for the final floor will already be flat, as concrete is poured in level.
- On such a foundation, you can erect a structure of any type. Frame or panel house, block, stone, brick buildings, log houses - any residential structures with a maximum of 3 floors.
- Depending on what size the house will be, the construction time as a whole is significantly reduced. Such a foundation is being built quite quickly. After about a month, you can begin to build the walls of the house.
- If you have a warmed-up Swedish stove as the foundation, the problems of dampness and various fungi will not affect you. The foundation with heating is not only a comfortable integrated solution, but also a rational one.
Using the built-in "water floor" system will provide heat not only inside the house, but will not allow the soil to freeze under it. The thermal conductivity of such a foundation is 3-4 times lower than that of a standard base.
A warm stove is a foundation with many advantages, but it will be fair to highlight the so-called disadvantages of this technology. It should be borne in mind that most of the disadvantages described below also apply to other foundations of the slab type.
The first thing that comes to mind is the cost of building the foundation, but they can’t be defined as a minus, because in the long run the incidental costs of installing heating, they more likely look like a plus.
Swedish plate - cons:
- This type of foundation is designed for construction on a flat plot of land. If the terrain has a slope, then all the construction stages will result in a large amount.
- Almost all types of soils are suitable for such a foundation, but soil with very low bearing capacities (for example, peat) is not suitable for such a foundation.
- If your future home is supposed to be large and a complex construction project, then to attract to the work you will need skilled craftsmen with experience in similar work. A really good master, as you know, is not so easy to find.
- Be prepared for the fact that the floor level will be equal to the ground level behind the wall of the house.If the monolithic Swedish plate is on average 30-40 cm, then with such a foundation you will have a low base.
- The cost of modern, mainly imported materials.
- It should be remembered that this type of foundation is not designed for large, heavy buildings.
- Access to repair of communications - this factor cannot be excluded, despite the fact that the operational terms of many modern communication systems are quite large. No matter how reliable, well-thought-out the insulated Swedish stove is, the problems of sewage and water supply, alas, can occur. The search for access to integrated engineering communications, ways to solve the problem will result in a considerable amount.
Getting to the construction of such a foundation, calculate all the nuances and construction stages. Use only high-quality materials, because we build houses not for a couple of years, but for many years.
The Swedish stove is a modern and warm foundation, it will provide an ideal microclimate inside, eliminate the appearance of dampness, and the house itself will not precipitate, it will not crack.