How to reinforce a concrete porch with your own hands. Concrete porch

The porch at the entrance to the house is the same important part the entire building, as well as the front door, for example. Often, construction concrete steps performed at a single stage of building a house. But, there are times when there is a need to do this after the house is built.

In such situations rational decision will fill the stairs from. This process characterized by a series of sequential actions, following which you can cope with the task yourself.

The first step is to make a drawing of the project with drawing details. This will facilitate your work, as you will see in front of you a detailed picture of future concrete steps for.

The classic entrance to the building with steps is located on the front side. Its task is to provide a comfortable passage, as well as to harmonious combination from general view the buildings. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right form. It should be not only functional, but also become, to a certain extent, part of the design of the main entrance to the house. Steps in the form of a semicircle or trapezoid look great.

The choice of the shape and size of the structure directly depends on the dimensions of the building. If you have a small compact house, then the porch should be appropriate. A traditional porch in the shape of a square or rectangle is best suited for small houses. Concrete steps and a porch of the same shape and size can be built as an additional entrance to the house from its rear part.

Making concrete stairs

Calculations

The course of construction of the structure depends on the size of your future steps made of concrete. For buildings of this type there are specially prescribed SNiP standards, according to which flight of stairs should be reliable, durable and easy to use.

To make the correct calculation of concrete steps with your own hands, pay attention to a number of rules:

After detailed plan with the calculation of all the parameters will be compiled, you can proceed to work on the construction of concrete steps to the house.

Tools and building materials

If you are planning to buy ready-made concrete mix, you need to know its volume. To prepare the solution with your own hands, it is necessary to proceed from the parameters of the flow rate of the mixture for preparation 1 cubic meter concrete.

You will need:

- 340 kg;
sand - 1.02 m 3;
crushed stone - 0.86 m 3.

Note. To reinforce the structure of the porch, use rebar to create steps.

Materials for the manufacture of steps from concrete:

Sheets and board 2 cm thick and 20 cm wide, to form the formwork.
Bars 40 x 40 mm for installing stiffeners.
Nails for fixing boards.
Metal fittings for strengthening the frame 6.5 - 1 2 mm.
material.
Concrete mortar or components for its preparation.
Decoration Materials.

Instruments:

Vibratory machine for increasing the density of concrete.
Shovel and bayonet shovels.
Concrete mixer.
Electric saw.
Putty knife.
Construction tape measure and level.

Site preparation

If the erection of the porch and the simultaneous installation of concrete steps takes place on initial stage building a house, site preparation will not take much time. It is enough to clear the area of dirt and debris.

If it is necessary to replace an obsolete structure without a foundation with a new one, the following procedure must be followed:

Preparing a hole for the base of the porch. The depth of the pit should be 20 - 30 deeper than the freezing point of the soil. On the different territories these figures are different. The smallest depth for small steps should be at the level of half a meter. The sides of the pit for the foundation should be 25 cm higher than the size of the site for the construction of the porch.
Preparation of a recess in the base of the building for mutual strengthening of concrete steps with reinforcement.
Formation at the bottom of the pit under the foundation of a "cushion" of sand and gravel. Sand is poured in a layer of 15 cm and moistened. Then the gravel is covered with a layer of 20 cm and compacted. At the end, a ten-centimeter layer of sand is again formed. All layers are abundantly moistened with water. This pillow will provide reliable protection steps from the destructive effects of groundwater.
Laying for waterproofing the structure.
Formation of a reinforcing mesh with a mesh size of 10 x 10 cm.
Filling the site with concrete. Upon completion of the coating, the solution must be pierced metal rod to release air bubbles.

Note . In order for the foundation under the porch with steps to get stronger, you need to wait about a week.

Formwork equipment

After completing the work with the sand and gravel cushion, you can begin to create concrete step formwork. It is important to remember that the frame must be strong enough and reliable, given that it must withstand the weight of the concrete solution. The boundaries of the frame must correspond to the dimensions of the planned steps. To create formwork use boards or.

The sequence of steps for creating formwork is as follows:

In order for the formwork to be able to withstand the weight of the concrete solution, reinforce the sides of the frame. The beam is excellent for the role of stiffeners. With the help of boards that repeat the size and shape of the riser, formwork is assembled. Nails act as fasteners. The bottom edge of the boards is formed under a slope to ensure a flat concrete surface.

Formwork for the manufacture of concrete steps is created near the base of the house at a distance of 1 cm. Spacers are used to fasten the structure, and stakes are placed so that it does not move. Fasteners are immersed in the ground by at least 25 cm with an installation step of 45 - 50 cm. The gaps must be covered with earth and carefully compacted.

Note . Plywood formwork is formed at a level of 30 cm above the height of the flight of stairs.

Before you start pouring concrete into the prepared foundation pit, you need to cover it vapor barrier material, which is roofing material, after which a sealant is applied. Formwork is treated with a lubricant with a special composition to prevent concrete from sticking to boards and plywood.

Reinforcement of concrete steps will help ensure the strength of the structure and extend its life. Metal rods are cut to certain sizes and fastened with wire. The length of the rods should not exceed the width of the steps, but, on the contrary, be 4–5 cm less. The reinforcement installation step is 15 cm. In order to save concrete consumption, stones and crushed bricks are used, which are laid between the reinforcement.

To make the process of building a porch near the house faster, use the service of ordering a concrete mixer. It is necessary to pour concrete mortar from the bottom step. Very important point is the need to use the solution immediately after preparation. This is done in order to preserve its original properties. Each subsequent poured layer must be tamped in order for air bubbles to come out. Otherwise, the concrete structure will begin to quickly collapse.

Bricks and stones that protrude above the surface are sunk inside with a shovel. The quality of the work on pouring concrete will be checked using a building level. The next layer of concrete mortar is poured only after the previous layer has completely hardened.

Upon completion of the work, the formwork is left for a week, until the structure is completely solidified. If the work process takes place in the summer heat, the concrete solution must be moistened with water in order to avoid the formation of cracks. Use a hammer to remove formwork. To do this, gently tapping, disconnect the plywood and boards. If necessary, steps for a concrete porch can be polished.

How to finish steps from concrete on a porch?

Finishing the steps of the porch can begin a month after the formwork is removed. During this period of time, the solution will completely seize and harden.

There are such design options for concrete steps for the porch:

Coloring. This is the easiest and surest way to make a flight of stairs attractive.
Pebble laying. This option looks very nice. From pebbles, you can lay out any patterns that your imagination is only capable of. You need to do this at the stage of pouring the concrete solution.
Porcelain stoneware or clinker tiles. The best solution, experts in this field, consider clinker tiles, which have high strength, resistance to various damages, and also have an anti-slip coating.

Whatever design you choose for the steps of the porch, it is important that it blends harmoniously with the exterior of the house.

A concrete porch is a special external extension in front of the entrance to the building, which consists of concrete (concrete blocks, expanded clay concrete blocks, aerated concrete blocks). This is a significant element of any residential building, contributing to the easy, comfortable movement of a person from ground level to the level of the floor plane of the house, which is slightly elevated.

Concrete Porch Picture Present Photo

Since the basement of the house cannot be level with the ground, steps are an integral part of the porch. There should be a special platform in front of the front door to the house, which can easily accommodate at least two people (leaving, entering the house). To finish the structure, you can use paving stones. Above it, you can build a special canopy that will protect it from rain and snow.

Example finished work with a canopy shown in the photo

Design features

The main feature of a concrete porch is that steps of almost any complexity can be poured on the basis of concrete (not only standard rectilinear, but also curvilinear, round). You can also use it to decorate different materials(paving stones of different types).

Often the porch is built from expanded clay concrete blocks, foam blocks, slag blocks.

A concrete porch is a monolithic, durable, reliable, universal structure, the construction of which is a rather laborious process consisting of successive stages.

Stages of building a concrete porch

Calculations and drafting of a future construction project, land works, pouring, finishing the structure - the stages of erecting a concrete porch.

Calculations and design design

It is ideal to lay the porch of a private house at the beginning of the design of the future house and to fill the structure during the construction of the foundation for the house. In the event that the house has already been built, and the porch was not provided during its construction, then it can be correctly and without much difficulty attached to the house later.

Important ! If the porch is added after the construction of the house, experts do not recommend firmly connecting the base of the concrete porch to the foundation of the building.

This is due to the fact that these structures are characterized by disproportionate weight, different loads, different shrinkage, as a result, with strong subsidence of the soil, the structure can deform or crack along the seam.

According to the rules fire safety, the upper part of the concrete porch (platform) should be 5 cm lower from the threshold front door
According to ergonomics and comfort during operation, the depth of the steps should be equal to 30 cm, height from 12 cm to 18 cm
If the height of the concrete porch does not exceed 50 cm, and the width does not exceed 1.5 m - the railing can not be mounted
If there is a need for a railing, the optimal parapet height is from 70 cm to 120 cm
The main constituent elements of any concrete porch are a special upper platform, a staircase to this platform
The site can be of any size (from a very small to a full-fledged terrace)
The depth of the platform has limitations: this parameter must be no less than 1.5 parameters of the size of the width of the entrance doors

For comfort, an unpaired number of steps is being constructed.

Depending on the free space near the house and the front door, it is determined what shape the concrete porch is (in relation to the site, steps can be built on the sides, perpendicularly, in a circle)

To eliminate shortcomings in the construction of a monolithic concrete porch, you must first transfer the plan of the house to a piece of paper and draw a diagram of the future porch, taking into account all its dimensions.

earthworks

Before building concrete porch earthworks are being carried out. The area allocated for the construction is cleared of stones and debris. Pre-drawn drawings are transferred to the cleared area. The perimeter of the future building is marked with pegs. A special base-depression is made (shallow depth from 20 cm to 30 cm or medium depth from 50 cm to 70 cm).

preparatory draft work shown in the photo

Pouring a concrete porch

Before pouring the foundation, the top fertile layer is removed from the soil, a pit of the required depth is dug and equal to the perimeter of the area of \u200b\u200bthe structure with the addition of 10 cm in a circle.

Pit construction

The bottom of the base - a recess (pit) is compacted with a 10-30 cm layer of medium-sized crushed stone, 20-30 cm of a layer of sand. The last layer is watered and compacted. This cushion of crushed stone and sand will protect concrete from the adverse effects of groundwater, the aggressive influence of the soil. Pillow shelter waterproofing layer from roofing felt or geotextile.

The construction of the pit under the porch shows a photo

Important ! If there is not enough integral waterproofing material for the area of the entire excavation, the joints this material it is necessary to overlap 10-15 cm.

Formwork construction

The basis for the formwork can be unedged board 15 mm thick or special impregnated plywood. The side parts of the porch are built on the basis of a cardboard sample, then several boards are knocked down. On the wooden shield the sample is transferred, the steps are cut out. Finished side parts are mounted parallel to each other at the bottom of the pit. From the outside, the side parts of the formwork are fixed with pegs and, in order to prevent the loss of geometry dimensions and its collapse, when pouring with heavy concrete mortar, they are additionally reinforced with special supports. Correct vertical arrangement the sides are checked by a special building level. Further, with the help of jumpers, the side parts are pulled together in several places.

Upon completion of mounting the side elements in the formwork, the outer limits of the steps are fixed to the cutouts. As limiters, an edged board is used (the height of the steps and the boards must be equal).

Important ! If a semicircle shape was chosen for the future porch, schematic circles are drawn on the pillow before it is poured, then paired piles (reinforcement) are inserted into the soil every 20-30 cm along the entire length.

Formwork strips (plastic) are inserted between the piles. The height parameter of the strips must be equal to the height parameter of the steps.

Formwork construction is shown in the photo

reinforcement procedure

For stability and strength concrete structure the reinforcing body answers. In this regard, it is necessary not only to outline the reinforcement, but to build a full-fledged metal structure. The future concrete porch is reinforced with special ribbed rods, cleaned of greasy stains, rust, which have a cross section of 8 mm to 10 mm.

Important ! 10 cm*10 cm - 20 cm*20 cm - optimal parameters cells.

Reinforcement is fastened manually, with the help of wire. If the height parameter from the bottom of the pit to the top of the step is up to 20 cm, then 1 tier is made for the lower step. When exceeding 20 cm, a structure of 2 horizontal tiers is constructed. The reinforcing body is poured with concrete mortar from all sides by 5 cm. In this regard, before installing the reinforcement, it is necessary to lay special pebbles (stands) on the bottom of the pit.

Visually, the reinforcement procedure provides a photo

Concreting procedure

It should be noted that the future concrete porch will be constantly affected by loads of a mechanical plan, difficult conditions environment: looseness of the soil, ground water with impurities of acids, alkalis, temperature differences. In order to withstand these adverse conditions, the concrete mortar must have a special composition: cement-sand-crushed stone, respectively, 1 hour - 2.2 hours - 3 hours. The solution must be ideally mixed with shovels, but best of all with a concrete mixer.

The concreting procedure is clearly shown in the photo

To exclude the formation of cold bridges, seams, it is necessary to completely, simultaneously fill the porch with concrete mortar. After filling the formwork with concrete mortar, to prevent the formation of voids, air is released by frequently piercing the entire mixture with reinforcement.

After a week, the concrete completely melts into the required place, hardens, and the formwork is removed. The foundation is waterproofed on the sides with the help of tar, roofing material, after which the soil is backfilled.

Finishing

After 4 weeks, the concrete completely hardened, gained strength. On the this stage start finishing the concrete porch. In summer, hot weather, monolithic concrete it is necessary to cover with a polyethylene film, moisten daily with water.

Choice is based on design preferences. facing material. To do this, you can choose paving stones different kind, just beautifully neatly cemented.

The finishing procedure is clearly shown in the photo.

Thus, a concrete porch is a structure consisting of steps, a platform of a certain size, which contributes to the comfortable movement of a person from the yard to the house, which is located on a small hill. The porch can be constructed from various materials, but concrete is one of the most reliable, durable. It can also be built from concrete blocks, expanded clay concrete blocks, slag blocks, foam blocks.

A visual image of the finished concrete porch presents a photo

For more information about the concrete porch, see the video

Or concrete. The latter does not rust or rot, and therefore the structures made from it are the most durable. In addition, the construction of a concrete porch is not a very complicated operation.

In order to build it, no special skills are needed and no expensive equipment is required. All that needs to be done is to knock down the formwork and knead cement mixture suitable composition. But let's talk about everything in order.

Preparatory work

Cement porches are usually made rectangular. Sometimes their shape is also semicircular. Both options are filled in exactly the same way. Only the methods of making formwork differ. The cladding of the structure can also be different - from stone, tile, wood, etc. In any case, the procedure for erecting and finishing a concrete march should be carried out carefully and slowly. And then you will get a very beautiful concrete porch with your own hands. For example, such as in these photos:

Design

How to finish a concrete porch with your own hands. Photo of a tiled structure

How to choose the right tile

For facing the porch of a private house, you should choose non-slip tiles with a rough surface. Finishing is carried out using only a frost-resistant option. It is not necessary to make the march monophonic. You can buy tiles of different colors and lay out a real mosaic on the steps. Note: Concrete porches look very nice, the steps of which are finished with plain tiles, and the risers are ornamented to match.

It is not necessary to finish the porch with plain tiles

Cladding technology

You need to glue a concrete porch with tiles using the following technology:

All dirt and dust is removed from the surface of the porch;
The adhesive is applied to both tiles and concrete. Don't just make the layer too thick;
The tile is pressed tightly against the surface of the porch;
Spacer plastic crosses are installed between the individual elements;
The next day, the joints are grouted with a special grout matched to the color of the tile.

The procedure for laying tiles on the steps

Finally, we suggest you watch a video on how to make a porch and save on cement:

We hope we have given a more or less detailed answer to the question of how to fill the porch with a semicircle or rectangle. As you can see, the main difficulty in the manufacture of such structures is the assembly of reliable formwork of the required shape and the knitting of reinforcement.

Very often, when building a house for the most different reasons make a high base, which determines the presence of a porch. Also, the development of individual entrepreneurship in our country, with the organization of shops and cafes in the apartments of the first floors of our high-rise buildings, has radically increased interest in the construction of a concrete porch.

So, we need to build a porch with our own hands. We choose the material, dimensions, determine the functions. And it is with the functionality of the object that you need to start. If this is a device that provides a comfortable lifting of a person to the height of the entrance to the house, then you just need to calculate the number of steps with a lifting height of 15 to 20 cm, the dimensions of the platform for comfortable opening of the front door and thus determine minimum dimensions porch.

Another thing is if the functions of the porch are connected to the terrace or, in addition to the utilitarian purpose, it is designed to solve additional aesthetic, architectural tasks.

In addition, you need to take into account that:

the porch to a public place must have a ramp;
if there are more than 3 steps, a handrail is required;
anti-slip coating of the porch is a requirement of safety standards.

In this article, we will consider the construction of a concrete porch, as the most common design of such a structure.

Concrete porch - basic requirements and mistakes when doing it yourself

Despite the monumentality of this type of porch, they are the easiest to build, and subject to simple requirements, one of the most durable. First of all, let us outline these requirements and note the most common mistakes leading to undesirable consequences.

Ideally, when the foundation of such a porch is carried out together with the foundation of the house and tied with it with a single armored belt, it is laid to the same depth and, as it should be, waterproofed. At the same time, he, together with the foundation of the house, will resist the forces of frost heaving, and prevent the transfer of moisture from the ground to the concrete mass of the porch. In this case, the separation of the porch from the house with the destruction of the foundation will not occur. But it is to such consequences that a violation of the construction technology of this engineering structure can lead.

In our country, often, when starting to build a new house and breaking down the process of its construction into stages, they forget about the porch, and then you have to decide additional tasks. And they are the same as in the case of adding a porch to an existing house, and this is first of all:

arrangement of a separate foundation;
providing waterproofing;
arrangement of the armored belt of the platform and steps;
device of a deformation (damper) seam.

About each stage separately

It is better to lay a separate foundation at the same depth as the foundation of the house. This minimizes the inevitable mutual displacement of the porch and the house in the vertical plane in winter time. A deformation seam is also called upon to compensate for this effect. It is filled with thin polystyrene foam, basalt wool, foamed polyethylene, at worst - roofing material, with closing in the upper part with some kind of elastic water-repellent frost-resistant sealant.

I personally do not support numerous tips on tying various extensions to the house, including porches, for one simple reason: I do not know of a single case when a crack would not form between them. At the same time, the stronger and more reliable you try to provide a bunch, the more damage you can do to both structures. Let them live their own lives, and you will not notice their constant seasonal mutual displacements of 2-3 mm.

Waterproofing a concrete porch, and as thorough as possible, is due to the fact that concrete perfectly absorbs moisture, which, at the boundary temperature conditions repeatedly passes into a solid state - ice, expanding at the same time, which leads to a fairly rapid destruction of the porch. And if in total mass this process, although it takes place, is less noticeable, then in the places where the elements of the porch trim (ceramic and paving slabs, natural stone, etc.) it flows at an accelerated pace, which can lead to its complete destruction in a few years.

About the reinforcement. Separate elements of the porch - steps - periodically take on a significantly greater load than the entire structure as a whole. The armo-belt contributes to its better distribution. And it is desirable to make it spatial and uniform for the entire structure.

Now let's talk about each of the stages. self construction concrete porches.

Preparation of the base for a concrete porch (foundation)

Above the freezing depth, you can lay the foundation for the porch only if the house itself has either a floating or shallow foundation. Otherwise, no expansion joint will be able to compensate for the difference in the differences in the linear values of the displacement from the frost heaving of the porch and the house. This requirement is especially important to comply with if the house is located on heaving soils. As a rule, the foundation for the porch is made in the form of a tape or on poles, if the porch itself is not very large and heavy.

It will also not be superfluous to worry about drainage filling under the foundation of sand, crushed stone, or a mixture of them.

If you decide to make your porch in the form of a single concrete structure, buried below the freezing depth, then worry at this stage about its serious waterproofing. To do this, lay geotextiles on the drainage layer and waterproofing film, and on the side parts of the porch, which are below ground level, after stripping, apply bituminous waterproofing, or better, stick a special waterproofing material and fill the gap not with earth, but with sand for better drainage.

In cases where columnar or strip foundation made separately, it should be separated from the concrete part of the porch with two layers of roofing material, preferably on a bituminous primer. Prevent its contact with the ground with a layer of reliable waterproofing laid on a small sand cushion so that it does not draw moisture from the ground.

Porch formwork installation, concrete preparation and pouring

After you have taken care of waterproofing the porch, you can proceed with the installation of formwork for pouring concrete. One note: if you decide not to make a foundation at all, and this may be justified in the case when you make a small porch at the exit from the house to the garden or backyard, arrange a trough with sand under it and the same waterproofing. In this case, it is also possible to lay a layer of thermal insulation (polystyrene foam at least 5 cm).

In formwork, except for dimensional accuracy in the case of cladding standard materials, it is important to ensure that its configuration remains unchanged under the pressure on its walls of a large layer of heavy concrete. Provide material thickness and stops with a sufficient margin of safety initially. Believe me, driving in additional wedges and placing additional stops after pouring concrete, when under its weight the formwork begins to bend and bulge, is a thankless task and practically deprives you of the chance to get a porch with exact dimensions.

Already at the stage of formwork installation, you should worry about expansion joint. Make it a little protruding beyond the dimensions of the porch - then it will be cut and compacted.

Having made, setting up and aligning the formwork, proceed to the formation of the armored belt of the porch. You can not do it only if your porch is a platform with one or two steps, which has sufficient thickness in the narrowest place, although even in this case I would have laid at least one layer of armor mesh.

Cut the reinforcement so that its ends do not reach the formwork by 2 - 3 cm, connect them together with a knitting wire, I do not recommend welding. In general, in any place, the reinforcement must be protected by at least one and a half centimeter layer of concrete.

If you order ready-made concrete, then make sure that its grade is not lower than M200, and if you hammer it yourself, then add up to 2 buckets of sand and the same amount of crushed stone to 1 bucket of 400 cement, preferably 2 different fractions.

Well, if you don’t skimp on polypropylene or basalt fiber at the rate of: a small handful per pear of a concrete mixer, and pour 80-100 grams of liquid soap into the same pear, you will get a material more perfect than the one offered by concrete factories.

Concrete porch finishing

One of the most advanced porch finishes in Lately became press concrete. It is also called decorative or top concrete. Such a pleasure is quite expensive, but only if you order it from a specialized company. You, with the help of our recommendations, will be able to perform its simple types with your own hands.

With this option for finishing the porch, we simply do not add concrete to the top level of 2 - 3 cm, but prepare a slightly reinforced composition and lay it immediately on fresh concrete. Thus, only the surfaces that we will mold will have a different concrete composition. The composition of our press concrete is as follows:

1 part of cement M500;
1 part white river sand;
3% (by weight of cement) plasticizer C-3 or similar in properties, which, however, can be replaced by a similar amount (by weight) of liquid soap;
polypropylene or basalt fiber, at the rate of 600 g per 1 cubic meter. concrete.

I think you noticed that there is no gravel in this composition. And it is right.

Above top concrete, carefully work with spatulas and trowels, slightly additionally iron with cement and wait for the setting to begin (the finger leaves a smooth, clear dent). Mold with polyurethane or silicone stamps that are simple in texture - there are a lot of offers and prices on the Internet. You can also make them yourself.

Before starting molding, sprinkle the surface of the concrete with a separating layer, which can be the same talc or iron oxide, if you want to lightly tint your porch, but frankly, it's better to do this later by tinting it entirely.

A little more difficult with the risers and side wings of the porch, if any. In this case, it is better to provide for the possibility of applying an additional layer of such plaster and molding under the same conditions with the same stamps, processing their surface liquid soap for a better section.

You can paint all this with simple compositions that are not difficult to make yourself by adding dyes to the primer deep penetration, or you can buy expensive-fashionable ones and get almost the same effect.

Tip: make a piece of surface with press concrete somewhere on the side before pouring the porch. You will test everything, on it you will experiment with colors, mixing them. Get a unique pattern with a marble effect.

And about other ways to finish the porch, read on our website.

Dear readers, if you still have questions, ask them using the form below. We will be glad to communicate with you;)