The foundation is the basis of any building, since the quality of the whole house will depend on it. Unfortunately, no house will stand for a long time without it. Therefore, the issue of the foundation must be approached with particular seriousness.
But it is not enough to build the foundation correctly, it still needs to be properly insulated. There are several different types of foundations, but the most famous is columnar. This is due to the fact that such a foundation is built quite simply, while very little time is spent on it. And the cost of building such a foundation is very acceptable even for families with a small budget.
Experts warn that in order to better retain heat in the cold season, the foundation will need to be insulated.
Choosing a method of insulation
There can be two ways to insulate the foundation: outside and inside. In order to determine which method of insulation to choose, it is necessary to clarify the quality of the insulation materials. After the method of insulation and the material have been chosen, you can proceed to the procedure itself. But before that, you will need to do some more preparatory work. If the owner of the future home finds it difficult to do all the work on his own, then for this it will be possible to contact a special company.
In order to close all the gaps in the foundation, it will be necessary to make the so-called pick-ups. They are needed so that precipitation does not fall inside the foundation, which can spoil it. If external insulation was chosen, then in this case it will be necessary to find out another important question: is it necessary to waterproof the base?
So, what should be done if the foundation is insulated from the outside? According to the majority of professional builders, this method of insulation is preferable. It will help protect concrete from the effects of all adverse factors that are in nature, including moisture, and fluctuations in external temperature will be well "extinguished" with the help of an external insulation. In addition, the cold will not be able to get into the house through the foundation under any circumstances.
The internal method of insulation is used much less often. And there is every reason for that, because in this method there are an order of magnitude more negative qualities than positive ones. He, of course, will be able to protect the basement of the house from condensation quite well. In addition, there will be a constant and comfortable microclimate. But at the same time, concrete will be practically unprotected from the effects of negative environmental factors. A sharp temperature drop will simply lead to the fact that the foundation will quickly crack and deform.
Therefore, before choosing a method of warming the foundation, it is necessary to take into account all the advantages and disadvantages of both one and the other method. In addition, it is necessary to take into account other parameters, such as, for example, the properties of the soil and how deeply the groundwater lies in this place.
Insulation material
In order to choose the right insulation, you need to pay attention to some of its characteristics. The most important of them is the thermal conductivity coefficient. The lower this coefficient, the more effective the material. You also need to pay attention to the density of the insulation. The greater its density, the greater the load will fall on the foundation.
An important fact is the flammability of the material itself. The safety of not only the foundation, but also the whole house will depend on it. Experts recommend choosing a heater with the highest flammability class.
Well, one more parameter, which also needs to be paid special attention to. It is called the moisture absorption coefficient. It should be as low as possible, since in this case the owner of the house will have fewer problems with constantly emerging mold.
We insulate the foundation with our own hands
After the pillars are installed, a deep trench must be dug. Its depth should be no less than 20 or even 40 cm. After that, sand and gravel will need to be poured there by about a third. After all this, you will need to fix the timber with pre-prepared grooves. They are needed in order to install the boards. The specifics of their installation can be explained in detail by a specialist.
Polyfoam is the most suitable material for insulation. It must be thoroughly cleaned before this. This especially applies to the side that will be adjacent to the foundation. It is necessary to start insulating from below, having previously got rid of all cracks and irregularities. Glue must be applied to the sheets, then they must be glued to the base, pressing them well. The sheets can be fixed using special dowels. After that, you need to install a reinforcing mesh. Then you need to apply a layer of putty.
Expanded polystyrene is another type of insulation that can be installed without any difficulty. After the waterproofing has been carried out, you can begin to install the insulation.
It is attached from the bottom up, but the bitumen that is needed must be preheated to 55 degrees. Instead, you can use special mastic. The slabs are pressed against the heated bitumen, and the insulation is ready.
There are some other methods of insulation, but the procedure for them is similar to the ones described above.
