We build a house from expanded clay concrete blocks

When building a house, it is important to choose high-quality material that would have not only strength, but also impeccable performance. Today, expanded clay concrete blocks are very popular among developers. They allow you to quickly build buildings, are affordable and provide the premises with excellent thermal insulation.

Expanded clay concrete blocks are a versatile building material that is made from sand, cement and crushed expanded clay. The strength of the blocks depends on the fraction of expanded clay that is part of them. The larger it is, the less high-quality the product is obtained, since it loses the properties of thermal conductivity and resistance to external influences.

Expanded clay blocks are produced in accordance with GOST 613399 standards and are divided into the following groups:

• for the construction of load-bearing structures, which have dimensions of 188 × 190 × 390 mm;
• for the construction of partitions, whose dimensions are 188 × 90 × 390 mm.

In addition, the material can be with the presence of voids, corpulent, front and ordinary. Front blocks are usually used for structures that do not require additional cladding, and ordinary ones need to be decorated with trim. Hollow products are chosen when it is necessary to reduce the weight of the structure.

Unlike corpulent ones, hollow ones have special holes that increase the thermal insulation properties of the material, but the second option has low strength and does not withstand loads well. The main feature of such blocks is that they often have inaccurate dimensions, but such deviations are permissible in construction, if the value differs from 10 to 20 mm in length, height and width.

Performing construction work with this product is practically no different from building a brick house. To get a warm and stable structure, the walls are made 0.65 m thick and a waterproofing layer must be applied.

In some cases, reinforcement is also laid around the entire perimeter of the house, which increases the strength of the structure. For one-story buildings, lighter blocks with insulation are used, and for multi-story buildings, products with a density of up to 1200 kg / m3 are preferred. An equally important point for houses made of expanded clay blocks is the choice of a reliable foundation, which is deepened by 1.2 meters in order to protect against uneven soil settlement and the appearance of cracks in the walls.

Expanded clay, which is part of the blocks, is a light material that is produced from ecological raw materials without adding harmful components, therefore it is often used for the construction of houses.

The main advantages of the product can also be attributed.

• Low hygroscopicity. Despite the fact that cement is considered the main component of expanded clay concrete, the blocks have a high resistance to moisture.
• Frost resistance. This indicator can be different. Depending on the type of unit, the number of freezing and defrosting cycles ranges from 15 to 200.
• High strength and density. Buildings made of expanded clay concrete, as a rule, operate up to 65 years.
• Fire safety.
• Resistant to decay processes, rodents and insects.
• Low thermal conductivity. Houses from such blocks turn out to be warm.
• Good vapor permeability. The material "breathes", therefore, provides the structure with an optimal microclimate.
• Ease of construction. All work on the construction of the structure can be done independently, without the help of specialists.
• Low weight of the product. Due to this, shrinkage is not observed.
• Affordable price and solution saving. To lay blocks requires half the concrete mix than in the construction of brick buildings.

As for the shortcomings, there are few of them.

• The construction of structures is carried out on a solid foundation. For the foundation to be reliable, you cannot save on it.
• Cold bridges (seams) may form during the laying of blocks. They need to be repaired and the walls additionally insulated.

Building a house begins with drawing up a project, for this you first need to think over the layout of the premises and prepare the appropriate documentation. First of all, they pay attention to the architectural part and determine the number of floors of the building, draw drawings and sketches for the arrangement of the facade. Then the diagrams of the foundation, floors and block masonry are drawn up. At this stage, it is also necessary to include in the drawings the conduct of communications such as sewerage, water supply, electrical wiring and gas supply. The design ends with the calculation of the estimate, which takes into account the cost of all building materials.

One-story houses are considered the most economical, so their projects are very popular. Thanks to the competent planning of expanded clay concrete blocks, you can create comfortable, cozy and inexpensive housing. To erect such a building does not require special construction equipment, and the cost of the material will be small.

One-storey houses can also be additionally equipped with a small thermae and a terrace. The interior wall decoration is recommended to be made of wood or drywall, and for the exterior cladding it is best to use plaster. It looks attractive and does not cost much. If financial possibilities allow, then you can opt for a two-story cottage project. Thanks to the large area, it will be possible to uniquely equip the space using modern stylistic options. The layout in this case may consist of several bedrooms, a spacious living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a nursery. In addition, in such a house it is easy to allocate space for a library, study and billiard room. A luxurious swimming pool will also become a "highlight" of housing.

Wooden beams can be used as a material for floors, but it is best to give preference to reinforced concrete floors, since they are much stronger. As for the base, for a multi-storey building, a shallow strip foundation is considered an ideal choice; it is inexpensive and reliable in operation.

Recently, most developers build houses from expanded clay concrete blocks, as they are characterized by low cost and reliability. In order to improve the operational characteristics of such buildings, it is important to choose the right foundation and lay it qualitatively, since the slightest mistake can lead to a house settling, as a result, deformation and cracks will appear on the walls.

The base of lightweight aggregate concrete buildings must meet the following requirements:

• have high bearing capacity;
• have water resistance;
• provide the building with low heat loss.

Today, the following types of foundation are most often used.

• Tape. The choice of a monolithic base is well suited for projects of houses with a basement floor. This type of foundation is laid on flat areas with dense soil. The base must be equipped with heat and waterproofing. In some cases, a prefabricated strip foundation is also made, its structure is similar to a monolithic one, and the blocks are laid directly on cement.
• Pile with grillage. It can be installed in areas with any type of soil, since bored piles with a buried grillage are used. Such a base is durable, economical and reliable. The only thing is that pile foundations are not recommended for the construction of buildings from lightweight blocks.
• Plate. It has no restrictions on the type of soil and the weight of the structure. This base is reliable, but expensive and not suitable for building areas with difficult terrain.
• Columnar. It is a combination of posts made of brick, stone or concrete. It is usually laid for light structures placed on heaving soils. There are no downsides to the base, since it combines an affordable price and high quality.

It is not difficult to build a house from expanded clay slabs with your own hands, the main thing is adhere to certain rules in construction work, which include the following stages:

• foundation construction;
• masonry walls made of expanded clay concrete;
• arrangement of the roof;
• insulation;
• facing.

For beginners, step-by-step instructions will help with this. First of all, the foundation is laid, its technology depends on the composition and structure of the soil, as well as the level of placement of groundwater. After a detailed analysis of the soil, a more suitable type of foundation is selected.

In order for the building to stand on a solid foundation, a trench is being dug, whose depth must exceed the level of freezing of the soil. The bottom and walls of the trench are carefully leveled and the formwork from plywood boards or edged boards is prepared for installation. After that, a mixture of sand and crushed stone is poured, its thickness is evenly distributed and rammed. It is also necessary to assemble a reinforcing frame; for this, the rods are attached to each other using knitting wire or welding.

Next, a concrete mixture is prepared. The solution consumption per 1 m3 is determined depending on the volume of work. The finished composition is poured into the trench so that air bubbles do not appear. The surface is well leveled and covered with plastic wrap to maintain moisture. When the hardening process is completed, the formwork is removed, now you need to put in waterproofing and insulation.

The next step is to lay the blocks and form the box at home. Experts recommend attaching the material to a special adhesive. In order to correctly perform the laying of the first row, work begins from the corner zone, monitoring the horizontal position from the inside using a level.

When the walls are ready, you can start arranging the roof. Before that, a suitable material is selected to cover it. It must be strong, resistant to external influences and durable. In addition to the roofing material, you will also need a wooden beam with a section of 150 × 150 mm, an edged board, a dowel and hardware for fastening. First of all, the crate is prepared, the rafters are nailed to it, the material is put. Then the house is insulated.In order to constantly maintain a comfortable microclimate in the premises, thermal insulation is laid both outside and inside the building. Mineral wool, foam or cladding panels are best suited for these purposes. External cladding is carried out depending on personal preferences, the main thing is that the house harmoniously fits into the landscape design of the site.

The cheapest and easiest way is to cover the facade with polystyrene foam blocks, they are made up to 50 cm thick and therefore can insulate the building well. The blocks are laid on a special solution and fixed with dowels. After that, a reinforced mesh is installed on them and polymer cement is applied. Finishing in this case can be both facing tiles and decorative plaster.

Before you start building a house from expanded clay concrete on your own, it is important not only to draw up a project correctly, but also to study the reviews of the owners of such housing. Expanded clay block is an environmentally friendly material, but sometimes during operation, hidden problems may appear in it. Therefore, the blocks are best purchased from well-proven manufacturers that provide quality certificates for products. You will receive a guarantee that the material is not hazardous to human health.

During construction, it is worth considering the following recommendations of specialists.

• After the foundation shrinks, its surface may become curved. To eliminate this, you need to level the solution, controlling the evenness with the level.
• High-quality waterproofing will help to increase the life of the house. Therefore, after the concrete hardens, several layers of roofing material are laid on the foundation, and mastic is placed between them.
• The expanded clay block (like the foam block) is first laid from the corner, forming the first row. Then they lay the next rows, checking the evenness of the walls.
• If double walls are being erected, then two rows of blocks are laid out simultaneously, making a bond between them from a sand-cement mortar.
• When constructing a two-story building, the walls of the first floor must be reinforced with a reinforcing belt. Due to this, the weight loads are evenly distributed to the blocks both from the side of the walls of the second floor and from the floors themselves. Such a belt is made of reinforced concrete blocks or bricks. The reinforcing belt must be additionally insulated.

In the next video, you will be laying walls made of expanded clay concrete blocks.