Fill the inspection hole in the garage. Inspection pit size

March 24th, 2016 Admin

Car repair is often associated with an extensive range of works. In some cases, access to components and assemblies is possible only from below, which cannot be done without a lift or a viewing hole. The first, due to its high cost and high energy consumption, is used in car services, but the second is quite possible to do in your own garage.

The presence of a hole will greatly facilitate the repair and maintenance of the machine, but to make it, you will have to work a lot. Today we will tell you about how you can independently equip an inspection pit.

How to make an inspection pit in a garage

First, you will need to take a few preliminary steps:

1) Find and study documents about what type of soil in the area of ​​your garage, how deeply it freezes, at what depth the groundwater is located, etc. This data will greatly affect the configuration of your pit (depth and degree of waterproofing);

2) Draw up a detailed drawing indicating the size of the pit and its location relative to the walls of the garage;

3) Determine the necessary building materials, buy them and bring them to the right place, the same applies to tools.

Designing an inspection pit for a garage

At the stage of drawing up a drawing, it is important to decide where exactly the pit will be:

• In the center of the garage, if it contains only a car and the items necessary for it, such as operating fluids, spare rubber, etc.;
• Closer to one of the walls, if the garage is also a storage for various household items, i.e. also used as a barn. But remember, you cannot place the hole too close to the wall, otherwise it may collapse!

Be sure to also provide a plank pit deck that will cover it when not in use.

What should be the size of the inspection pit for a car

1) The length should coincide with that of the car with an increase of 1 m, which is needed for arranging the steps;

2) The width again depends on the width of the car, but it is not advisable to make it more than 80 cm;

3) The depth should be made based on your height. It should be borne in mind that you, standing in the hole, should have 15 cm above your head - this is a comfortable distance that allows you not to reach for the bottom of the car, but calmly reach it.

Having calculated all the dimensions, outline the contours of the future pit on the garage floor and get down to business.

What you need to dig a trench for a viewing hole

At this stage, you will need a shovel and probably a drill. The latter is needed if the soil is stony and cannot be taken with a shovel. The selected soil can be used for agricultural purposes by transferring fertile soil to your vegetable garden (if you have one). Clay and stones are best stacked in a separate pile - they come in handy if you need components for concrete. They can also be used to raise the garage floor.

In the process of digging a pit, do not forget that at the edges of the pit there should be at least 50 cm (this is necessary to create walls), and the depth reserve must be made in the amount of 30 cm (for waterproofing), and do not forget to make an allowance for pit floor, the thickness of which you determine yourself.

We erect the walls of the inspection pit

Before erecting the walls, you need to make a flat floor. The best method is with a concrete screed, but asphalt can also be used.

The observation pit must have walls, otherwise it will inevitably begin to crumble. There are quite a few options for creating walls, the most common of them are considered below:

1) The simplest option is to apply roofing material or foil-insol, on top of which there will be a number of boards "painted" by working off (this slows down the decay process) or slate, but not wavy, but flat.

2) You can plaster the wall by throwing a rough "fur coat" over the metal mesh, and after it dries, remove the smooth walls with a new portion of the solution.

3) If you are determined to build a truly durable structure, and the size of your garage allows you to do this, then the walls are better built from bricks.

The optimal wall thickness is 0.5 or 1 brick. Ideally, they should be new, but if the budget is limited, you can also use used ones. The main thing is that they are even and not burnt. If the bricks are old, they must be cleaned of dirt. It is better to choose a classic mortar for masonry, consisting of cement and sand in a ratio of 1: 3. If you are a beginner, it is better to add liquid soap or more water to the mixture. The mortar will become more liquid and will harden longer, which will give you a lot of time for laying and correcting blemishes.

Naturally, the walls must be made even. To do this, pull the lace before laying. For control during the laying process, use a plumb line or a building level.
If desired, small niches can be built in the brick walls. During repairs, it will be convenient to put tools, spare parts and other small things in them.

Whichever method of building the walls you choose, they must be reinforced with strapping so that the structure is strong and cannot collapse. A steel corner 50 × 50 × 5 mm is perfect for this purpose. It is necessary to weld a contour from it, and in such a way that, on top, you can easily lay the cover of the boards, which was mentioned above.

The finished masonry can be left in its original form or plastered, and then painted in any color. Alternatively, the floor can be covered with wood flooring for warmth.
If you are a resident of the Far North, it is important to take care of thermal insulation. It is better to use 5 cm polystyrene foam as a heater. Despite its small volume, this material has excellent thermal insulation properties.

What to do if groundwater is near?

As mentioned above, when digging a hole, it is extremely important to know where the groundwater begins. If you cannot find the relevant documents, you will have to drill a well or dig a hole. Water appeared already at a depth of 2 m.? Then you cannot do without waterproofing, otherwise in the spring your pit will turn into a mini-pond with melt water. Moreover, it is necessary to do waterproofing, strictly before the start of pouring the floor and erecting the walls.

How to choose a waterproofing material

At the moment, 3 types of waterproofing are most widely used:

• Polymer membranes.

They are considered the most reliable material. The service life is unlimited. In view of such outstanding qualities, the material is very expensive, and not every car owner will be able to master his purchase. In addition, for its application, special equipment is required, which can only be used by specialists. Because of these factors, we will not consider it in detail;

• Rolled materials based on bitumen (roofing material, rubemast, fogezol, brizol, etc.).

They have an affordable price and are very easy to use - no special knowledge is required. But the service life of such waterproofing is limited - 10, maximum, 15 years, after which it must be completely changed.

• Penetrating waterproofing.

A very effective way to prevent the ingress of water. More expensive compared to roll materials, but it has an unlimited service life.

Waterproofing the inspection pit in the garage: stages of implementation

Waterproofing should start from the floor. First, tamp the surface tightly, then pour an even layer of clay on it, sand on the clay, and gravel on it. Tamp each layer carefully. The total thickness of all these layers should be 30 cm.

• Rolled bitumen materials

Before laying them, a special primer (deep penetration) must be applied to the surface in 2 layers. Each of them must dry completely before applying a new one or laying roofing material.

Rolled waterproofing will most correctly be laid in U-shaped strips, giving an overlap of 20 cm. The corners must be tucked so that the strips remain on a flat section of the floor or wall.

The joints are glued with molten bitumen, but you can also use a solvent for bitumen, which will melt the roofing material, and it will set. Take the excess strip along the steps outside the pit - cut it off later. After the 1st layer (up and down), let the bitumen in the joints cool down, and proceed to layer No. 2. In the process, make sure that the joints of the layers do not coincide with each other.

• Penetrating waterproofing

This type of waterproofing is a dry mixture that is diluted with water before use. To prepare a solution, 1 kg. the mixture requires about 0.3 liters. water.

It is very important to stir the mixture thoroughly so that there are no lumps left. The mortar is then applied to the wall in a 1 mm layer. If the walls of the pit are brick, then another layer is required to be applied to the finished wall in order to reliably clog all the pores in the bricks. The principle of operation of the sealant is based on the fact that it, covering the surface with a continuous layer, does not allow moisture to seep through, as if "binding" it.

Together with a waterproof brick wall, it can withstand water pressure up to 20 atm. Its service life is not limited.

How to ventilate the inspection pit in the garage

The ventilation system in the pit is a thing that is absolutely impossible to do without.

This is especially true for motorists, whose "iron horses" run on liquefied gas, since propane leaks downward (it is heavier than air), which means that it will inevitably fall into a pit.

The hood is built before the waterproofing stage so as not to damage the sealant or roofing material. Proper ventilation consists of 2 parts - supply and exhaust.

The first is a pipe led through the wall to the street. Through it, clean air will enter the pit. The second is also a pipe installed opposite the flow pipe, but it is not led out through the wall, but through the roof. Its upper end should rise no more than a meter above the garage. Pipes can be either steel or plastic, but it is better to give preference to plastic products - they weigh much less, are easier to install and are completely not subject to corrosion.

Lighting the inspection pit in the garage - how to conduct the light

You can work in the inspection pit without stationary light sources, limiting yourself to only a headlamp. However, it gives little light and only in a limited sector. Therefore, it is still better to acquire normal lighting. As with any wiring, it is important to follow a number of rules:

1) If you do not have the appropriate education, it is better to entrust the work of creating an electrical circuit to a specialist so that he does it in compliance with all safety standards;

2) The lighting should be uniform, you may need several lighting fixtures;

3) All switches, fuses and sockets should not be located in the pit - only in the garage itself;

4) If you plan to install a 3-phase power outlet, be sure to ground it securely.

The wire through which electricity will be supplied to the pit must have a cross section of 4 mm2 or more. It is desirable that the material from which it is made is copper. The wire should be intact, ideally double.

Lamps suitable for garage lighting are low and high voltage:

• 12 volt bulbs;
• lamps for 36 volts;
• lamps of various classes for 220 volts.

For the operation of low-voltage lamps, a step-down transformer must be installed next to the meter.

As for the type of lamps, it is better to use fluorescent lamps in the pit itself. Due to their oblong shape, it is advisable to place them in small recesses in the walls, otherwise they may interfere. It is better to purchase such lamps with a protective casing, since an open lamp will not last long due to moisture and dirt.

It is not necessary to use incandescent lamps in the pit. They heat up during operation and can easily burn if touched. The light from them is too bright, which harms the eyes. In addition, they consume a lot of energy, and in case of a voltage drop, they can sparkle and burst, which is fraught with injury and fire.

Fluorescent bulbs are good because they have a wide range of hues, consume little electricity, and last a long time. However, they are not suitable for a pit, since they are sensitive to cold - when the ambient temperature drops below 5 degrees, they become unreliable. They must be disposed of in a special way as they contain mercury.

Energy-saving lamps have all the advantages of fluorescent lamps and almost no disadvantages, with the exception of a higher price and difficult disposal: they also contain mercury.

LED bulbs are the most advanced because they combine all the positive characteristics of other bulbs. There is no mercury in them, but the price is very high, and for good lighting you need several of them, which is not affordable for everyone.

It is also useful to have a portable lamp or mobile 36-volt lamp in the garage. They can come in handy if you need to take a closer look at the place of repair.

When installing wiring and lighting fixtures, strictly follow the fire safety rules! Remember, any flaws in this matter can turn into a tragedy.

For the convenience of performing preventive work and repairing a car from a good owner, the garage is usually equipped with an inspection pit. This is not surprising - the mentality of most of our men is such that almost every motorist prefers to control the condition of the car himself, and, if necessary, to repair it. Having invested in such a garage arrangement once, in the future you can save a decent amount on service maintenance, since you can carry out such simple but necessary procedures as changing the oil or coating the bottom with an anti-corrosion compound, as well as a number of other work related to the bottom or suspension of the car, you can will be on your own.

However, it should be noted immediately that the optimal location of the inspection pit is considered to be a place under a canopy next to the garage, or in the garage, but next to a parking lot, since wet vapors that accumulate between the bottom of the car and the bottom of the pit often contribute to activation of corrosive processes. But, as you know, most often the space in the garage is limited, so the inspection pit is arranged in the middle of the room. Based on this circumstance, it will be further considered how an inspection pit in the garage can be made with your own hands.

In relation to the design features, the inspection pit is:

• complex, consisting of a pit and a cellar;
• narrow, in this case, in order to go down into it, a small enough staircase;
• the recumbent option involves staying in a pit, exclusively in a recumbent position.

In addition, these options differ in various pit modifications. The size of a standard inspection pit in a garage depends, first of all, on the number of people who will be in it, on the size of the garage itself, on the type of car or other equipment that will be in the garage.

If you have several cars, it is better to use the classic version, which assumes the following dimensions:

• the width of the inspection pit in the garage - from 80 to 100 cm;
• the depth of the inspection pit in the garage is about 170-200 cm;
• the length of the inspection pit depends on the length of the garage and is at least 160-200 cm.

Before planning the inspection pit, individual structural features should be taken into account, which will affect the determination of the size and configuration of the pit. The hole is dug with allowances that are about forty centimeters in length and width, and about twenty in height. If it is necessary to carry out wall insulation, the size of the pit should be increased by the size of the material from which the insulation will be made.

The position of the ditch can be different: in the center of the gate or with an offset. In this case, the car stands aside from the underground with its damp air. To inspect or perform any work, you will have to maneuver to drive into the ditch. For a more convenient entrance, the inspection pit in the garage can have an L-shaped configuration. You can go down and up the stairs without rolling the car.

At first glance, having a hole in your own garage is a big plus, but there are also nuances that you need to know about when arranging it. The advantages of the solution primarily include the ability to inspect the above-mentioned parts of the car without resorting to the help of specialists. It's easy, free and even interesting for many car owners.

Further, repair and maintenance without the participation of a professional car mechanic allows you to save quite large sums. If you calculate in a year how much it costs to change the oil and other actions in the workshop, the benefits become obvious. And the repair skill itself will be useful more than once.

In addition, if the pit is spacious enough, repair kits and spare parts for the car are often stored in it. This is especially true for a small garage, in which there is a shortage of free space.

How can such a useful corner not please? The most important danger when building a garage with a pit is the nearby groundwater. In general, excess moisture is the enemy of the car, and if waterproofing is poorly done in the inspection pit, then even in the absence of flooding, water will accumulate on the walls of the structure due to temperature changes during the cold season.

Attention! Any inspection pit can lead to the formation of condensation on the bottom of the machine due to temperature differences at different levels of the building.

However, it is worth noting that the inspection pit will become a disadvantage only if it was made in violation of construction technologies and without taking into account the engineering and soil features of the site.

All work must be done in a strict sequence of steps:

• Before you make a hole in the garage, you need to mark the area. After the pit has been dug, its bottom can be covered with a raised floor or comfortable stands can be built. If the soil is unstable, then it must be strengthened with planks and spacers. Remember that the loosened earth is 25-30% larger in volume than the dimensions of the pit. It should not be removed immediately, since part of the soil will be needed to tamp the space between the pit wall and the brickwork (concrete, metal sheet, boards). Another part of the land will be needed to level the floor in the entire garage.
• At the stage of formation of the pit, it is necessary to take care of equipping niches in the walls. It is convenient to keep lighting devices, tools, materials in them. It is recommended to place the niches at the height of the elbows. You don't have to bend over for the instrument.

• When the pit is dug, it is necessary to level and compress its bottom. For this, a tamper is used, which can be built using self-tapping screws, a thick (with a diameter of 100 to 150 mm) and a thin bar (for the handle). To do this, attach a thin one to the end of one side of a thick bar. The design will resemble the letter "T" with the striking part at its base. Pour medium-sized gravel onto the prepared surface, press.
• Then you need to prepare the concrete mixture for pouring the floor. To make the base more durable, it must be reinforced with a metal mesh or rods. The dimensions of the cells in the metal frame should not exceed 15 cm. The grate must not be allowed to touch the bottom of the pit.

• Pour concrete, completely covering the metal frame. It will take 7 to 21 days for the mixture to harden. It depends on the air temperature.
• When the concrete has completely hardened, you can start building the walls in the inspection pit.

Features of the installation of partitions depend on the material used.

Inspection pit made of concrete

Before pouring the mixture, it is necessary to make the formwork. For this it is best to use OSB boards. This material does not allow the poured mixture to pass through and does not deform over time. The plates are fastened together using boards and self-tapping screws so that the distance between them is at least 15 cm.

To keep the shape of the wooden structure, it must be fastened with spacers. The gaps in the joints of the plates should be absent or minimal. A reinforcing mesh should be installed inside the finished formwork.

There is an option of pouring concrete with one-sided formwork. To do this, it is necessary to cover the walls of the pit with a waterproofing material. Further, OSB boards are installed along the inner perimeter of the pit. A metal mesh is placed between them and the waterproofing. Concrete is poured inside this structure.

Inspection pit made of bricks

A waterproofing sheet is laid in the finished pit. It must completely cover the floor and walls. The fabric must be overlapped. To prevent the edges of the material from picking up, they are pressed with boards. On top of the waterproofing, laying "in half a brick" is made. When the wall reaches a height of 135 cm, niches can be made, and then continue the laying to the upper edge of the pit. On the last row it is recommended to install a metal frame from the corner, and it should be welded in such a way that one shelf of each side is parallel to the floor. Thick boards will be laid on it, covering the pit. Next, pour the concrete floor in the garage.

Inspection pit made of metal sheets (caisson)

This design resembles a large box. In its manufacture, the sheets must be joined by continuous welding. The finished structure must be carefully treated with anti-corrosion coatings. The box should be equipped with fasteners. They are welded metal corners that abut against the ground for 100–150 cm. They are attached to the body from four sides. They will hold the box in place. If this is not done, the entire structure will simply float up when the groundwater level rises.

Observation pit made of wooden planks

Wood rots quickly without proper treatment; therefore, the material must be impregnated with special antifungal agents and additionally waterproofed. It is better to take thick boards for walls. The material is installed horizontally. Spacers are fixed along the edges of the narrow sides of the inspection pit.

When arranging a garage with your own hands, you should pay great attention to waterproofing, especially if groundwater is located nearby. It is carried out as follows:

• the waterproofing film is laid on the entire surface of the floor with an overlap of about 15 cm on the walls, while it is important not to damage its integrity;

• only after that you can start concreting the floor;
• with a close occurrence of groundwater, instead of a sand cushion, you can use well-tamped oily clay;
• experienced builders recommend adding water-repellent additives when mixing a concrete solution, which will prevent the destruction of walls and floors under the influence of moisture. Waterproofing must be of high quality, therefore, when choosing materials, special attention should be paid to their characteristics.

It is inconvenient and dangerous to descend into the pit along the ladder. The ladder should be stationary, comfortable and safe. The best option is to make steps simultaneously with the construction of the enclosing structure. With brick walls and steps, it is advisable to make of bricks. Filling the walls of monolithic reinforced concrete, the steps should be cast at the same time. If, for some reason, they were not made at this stage, then the ladder can be made later with your own hands, when the arrangement of the observation ditch will be carried out. The staircase is made of wood - with fastening of steps on bowstrings or kosoura, as well as metal - with treads made of corrugated iron.

Important details when arranging an inspection pit

The work that is carried out in the pit must be safe for humans, therefore, some recommendations should be followed:

• When working on unstable ground, special attention should be paid to strengthening the walls, otherwise in the future they may collapse at the most inopportune moment. Instability will be noticeable even at the stage of digging a hole - the earth will crumble, sag or crack.
• Work should be carried out using personal protective equipment - work boots, durable gloves. When using a grinder, welding machine or jackhammer, wear protective goggles to prevent eye damage from flying particles of metal, soil, stones or dust.

If you follow the detailed instructions, there is nothing difficult in arranging a pit. For the convenience of performing the work, there must be two people. With the correct calculation of the size of the pit and the correct strengthening of its walls, you do not have to worry that there will be no room for the car to maneuver or the floor will sag under its weight.

Your own garage with a viewing hole is the dream of any car owner. So why not bring it to life with your own hands? After all, the garage pit will provide access to important parts of the car, which will allow you to carry out inspection and repair work without contacting the car service technicians.

Why do you need an inspection pit and what should it be?

The garage pit is the main assistant to the car enthusiast. It allows you to carry out diagnostics, maintenance and minor or even major car repairs on your own.

It is worth remembering that the viewing pit is a high source of moisture. This means that the most important task in its construction is waterproofing.

A damp inspection pit will quickly negate the microclimate in the garage, which will certainly entail the appearance of rust and mold.

The dampness coming from the inspection pit dramatically reduces the comfort while in the garage, especially in the cold season. And this is already dangerous to health, so the pit must be kept perfectly dry: oil drips or puddles of water are not allowed.

Before carrying out any capital measures in the garage, you must:

• study the features of the soil under the garage structure and establish the depth of groundwater;
• assess the condition of the foundation.

Based on reliable geodetic data, as well as the requirements of building codes, it will be possible to make a technically competent and economically sound decision.

Attention: when planning the inspection pit, it is imperative to provide material for closing during downtime. This will eliminate the effect of excessive moisture on the underbody and lower part of the car body.

Dimensions (edit)

It is reasonable to place the inspection pit not in the middle, but closer to one of the side walls and in the back of the garage. Of course, it is not worth reducing the already small area of ​​a cramped or narrow room. But it would hardly be advisable to build an inspection pit less than 2 m long.

The optimum depth is taken equal to the average human height (170-180 cm) in total with a small margin of 15-20 cm to increase the viewing angle of the car bottom.

The main requirements for entering the inspection pit are safety and ergonomics. If the garage is short, but wide enough, the entrance to the inspection pit can be made lateral.

The width of the garage pit directly depends on the size of the room and, of course, the dimensions of the car. In private garages, this value is assumed to be 70–80 cm for passenger cars and 110–120 cm for trucks and minibuses.

Attention: it is better to take the depth of the viewing hole with a certain margin. At the bottom of the structure, you can always equip an elevation, which will ensure the convenience of performing certain technical operations, while the passage under the machine placed on the pit will not be embarrassed by anything. In addition, on the walls of the pit, it is worthwhile to provide special niches and recesses in which it will be possible to fold tools or car parts.

Features of waterproofing and thermal insulation of a garage pit

The choice of materials for waterproofing and insulation of the inspection pit is necessary at the planning stage. This will allow you to correctly calculate the parameters of the structure and make a decision on its interior decoration.

Waterproofing materials

As a waterproofing for a garage inspection pit, you can use:

• bituminous materials (roofing material and its varieties, bituminous pitch; service life 10-15 years);

• polymer geotextile (single and multi-layer polymer membranes on a self-adhesive base; service life is at least 50 years);

• penetrating compounds (dry mineral or mineral-organic mixtures diluted with water immediately before use; the service life is equal to the service life of the treated surfaces);

• greasy clay in combination with refined products (in combination with modern materials, greasy clay will increase the operational period of the main waterproofing);

• liquid rubber (emulsion containing latex, polymers and stabilizing agents; service life about 25 years);

The waterproofing of the garage pit must be performed in conjunction with thermal insulation measures. The latter make it possible to reduce heat leakage through the floor and walls of the structure, as well as to minimize the amount of condensate formed due to temperature differences.

Thermal insulation measures

Extruded polystyrene and expanded clay are perfect for thermal insulation of the inspection pit. The first is laid on the waterproofing of the walls of the structure and covered with a vapor barrier film, after which a concrete screed is poured.

Expanded clay is filled up with a sand and gravel cushion, which is arranged at the bottom of the pit. A vapor barrier is installed on the tamped pillow, after which the floor is poured or laid.

Attention: if the height of the groundwater is less than 2.5 m, it is necessary to organize a drainage system with a drainage outside the garage premises.

Lighting and ventilation of the inspection pit

The presence of a lighting system in the inspection pit is a prerequisite for comfortable and safe work. Lighting equipment should have a low power and it needs reliable protection from moisture and mechanical damage.

In the garage pit you can install:

• lamps with voltage up to 36 V (fluorescent lamps);
• low-voltage lamps with voltage 12 V (LED lamps);
• lamps with a voltage of 220 V in a waterproof version (at least IP54);
• rechargeable lamps with a sealed housing.

One of the most popular solutions is 36V fluorescent lamps in a rugged, waterproof housing. They are consume a small amount of electricity, which is beneficial for long periods of illumination. The same can be said about LEDs, the use of which provides a high level of electrical safety.

When lighting the inspection pit with equipment operating under a voltage of 220 V, it is necessary to carry out a hidden laying of electrical wiring with the obligatory waterproofing of the latter, and cover the lamps with shades with a lattice; all metal elements of the system should be grounded from a single circuit brought out of the garage.

Battery-powered luminaires are rarely used to illuminate inspection pits due to their high cost, as well as the complexity of repairing or replacing damaged elements. However, if it is impossible to arrange stationary lighting, such equipment is the most suitable solution.

Attention: sockets and switches must not be installed in the inspection pit. For the convenience of performing certain types of work, it is recommended to equip the garage pit with a portable lamp with a special housing (with a carrying handle, a stand for stationary installation and a hook or clip for hanging) on ​​a protected electrical cord with a length of at least 4 m.

As for the ventilation of the garage pit, in most cases it is left natural.

It is advisable to organize forced air exchange in confined spaces where exhaust gases quickly accumulate, as well as in garages installed in areas with high groundwater levels.

The ventilation in the garage is arranged in the following way:

1. An exhaust outlet protected from wind blowing and rainwater is installed under the ceiling of the garage on the leeward side.
2. The inlet is made at a distance of no more than 50 cm from the floor, preferably closer to the inspection pit, from the windward side.
3. The exhaust and supply ventilation openings are closed with a metal or plastic grill.

Attention: to increase the air exchange rate, the garage ventilation exhaust can be equipped with a small or medium-power fan powered by a switchboard or battery.

We build an inspection pit in the garage with our own hands (with drawings)

The garage pit should be located in such a way that you can park the car on it at a certain angle. This will facilitate access to certain parts of the machine, as well as simplify the performance of many technical operations. The length of the structure depends on the length of the vehicle (taking into account the 1 m reserve).

Project

A thorough approach to the matter when building a garage pit will be helped by nothing more than a preliminary calculation of its parameters. And it is performed based on the size of the car, but with some margin in case of changing the latter in the future. For example, if the length of the Opel Kadett is almost 4 m, then for the Scoda Octavia it is 4.6 m.

Let's take an average value of 4.5 m and get that, taking into account a stock of 1 m, the length of the inspection pit will be 5.5 m.

The depth of the structure should be taken according to the height of the garage owner. With an average of 175-185 cm, the normal depth of the inspection pit for work will be at least 195 cm, and the width sufficient for free movement and performance of technical operations is at least 0.8 m. inspection pit parameters:

• length 5.5 m;
• width 1 m;
• height 1.95 m.

You can transfer the resulting dimensions to paper using an axonometric projection or a flat image.

In the second case, you will need two drawings - for projections of the structure on the vertical and horizontal planes.

When creating a drawing of an inspection pit, it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the hydro, heat and vapor insulation, as well as the concrete screed. This will allow you to more accurately determine the amount of excavation.

Attention: if the garage is used only for storing a car, it is more convenient to place the inspection pit in the center of the room. In the event that the room is used in combination as a mini-workshop or storage room, it is better to move the central axis of the structure closer to one of the walls. When the car is parked in the pit, there will be enough space in such a garage for passage and work behind the workbench.

Tool preparation and material collection

Having approved the construction project, you can start purchasing materials. In order not to waste time, it is worthwhile to simultaneously prepare a tool that will be needed in the process of work. It does not hurt to include in the list of necessary:

• construction tape, marker, knife;
• pickaxe, crowbar, shovel and bayonet shovels;
• building level;
• concrete mixer;
• welding machine;
• powerful hammer drill or bump stop;
• concrete cutter;
• hammer, pliers and a set of screwdrivers;
• circular saw with cutting discs for metal;
• construction trowel;
• electric drill with a mixer for mixing the solution;
• buckets and containers for water, mortar and mortar.
• capacity for heating bitumen;
• a burner for gluing roofing material;
• shaft for laying bitumen;
• grater for leveling concrete surfaces.

In search of manpower and funds for the implementation of the project, one should not forget about the impressive list of building materials. It includes:

• cement, sand and crushed stone or gravel (for the production of grout, concrete and sealing pad);
• expanded clay and / or gravel (as a stabilizing and insulating cushion under the floor screed);
• insulation (extruded foam);
• surface waterproofing (penetrating compound for the treatment of concrete surfaces);
• drainage pipe;
• reinforcement with a diameter of 10–12 cm (for reinforcing the floor of the inspection pit);
• boards, wooden blocks, nails and wire (for the construction of formwork);
• brick (in the case of building walls using the brickwork method)
• vapor barrier film (to prevent the accumulation of condensate on the walls and floor of the inspection pit);
• steel corner 20 * 20 mm (for framing the upper perimeter of the inspection pit);
• boards and beams treated with an antiseptic and waterproof paint (for making a cover for a viewing pit);
• rolled roofing material;
• bituminous resin (mastic).

Attention: the amount of building materials is taken depending on the size of the pit with a 2-10% margin.

Dismantling the garage floor and excavation

To implement the construction plan, the first step is to free the territory. All unnecessary things from the garage will have to be removed for a while, as well as a site outside the premises for storing land should be prepared.

The order of subsequent actions will be as follows:

1. On the garage floor, with the help of chalk, a corner and a rule, the outlines of the inspection pit are applied.
2. The resulting rectangle is increased by 10-15 cm on each side, which is necessary for the convenience of performing earthworks.
3. On the lines that turned out this time, the floor is disassembled.
4. If the garage floor is made of concrete, you first have to work with a concrete cutter, as well as get acquainted with the capabilities of the bump stop found on this occasion (in extreme cases, a high-power perforator armed with a chisel).
5. When working with reinforced concrete, you need to remember about reinforcement. In a standard reinforced concrete slab, it is located at a depth of 5 to 10 cm. The metal skeleton of the concrete screed must be carefully cut with a circular saw, for which, first, you will need to expand the cut site with a perforator or chipper.
6. After removing the layer of concrete with reinforcement, it remains to remove the remains of the screed.
7. The disassembled concrete floor opened up access to the ground under the garage, in which it was necessary to dig a foundation pit 195–200 cm deep, 115 cm wide and 5.5–5.6 m long.
8. When performing earthworks, the vertical level of the pit walls and the depth of the latter should be regularly monitored, as well as make sure that there is no water in the pit, and its walls do not crumble as it deepens.

Attention: if necessary, the walls of the pit can be temporarily reinforced with wooden beams. It is advisable to take the land obtained in the process of digging a trench outside the premises, so as not to clutter it up. In the process of preparing the pit, you need to work in warm clothes, since as the pit deepens, the level of humidity will increase, as well as the temperature in the garage will decrease.

Waterproofing a garage pit: important points

No tricks will save the inspection pit from flooding in the event of a rise in groundwater or heavy rainfall, and the garage itself from dampness, fungus and mold, if you do not pay due attention to water drainage. This can be done only with the help of a drainage system: it will provide protection against the penetration of rainwater and soil moisture under the inner perimeter of the room.

Self-installation of drainage

To install the drainage system, you will need drainage pipes wrapped in geotextiles, as well as a piece of PVC pipe with a diameter of 100 mm and connecting elements.

The length of the drain will correspond to the outer perimeter of the separate garage building. The system outlet is set up at a distance of at least 5 m from the garage. It is highly desirable that the discharge is carried out into a nearby ravine or other natural deepening of the soil.

If there is no such on the site, the drainage outlet will need to be brought into a special container, which must be buried at least 20 cm below the drainage level and equipped with a pump for pumping water with a float.

The drainage must be equipped with a viewing well, in the role of which you can use a vertically installed PVC pipe connected to the drainage perimeter. The upper end of the latter is closed with a protective cover.

The installation of the drainage system is carried out in several stages:

1. Around the garage building, at a distance of up to 0.5 m, a trench is dug with a depth equal to the depth of the garage foundation and up to 0.5 cm wide.
2. A 10 cm cushion of sand and gravel is placed at the bottom of the drainage ditch (to protect the system from destruction under the influence of soil pressure).
3. The sand cushion is covered with geotextile film.
4. Drainage pipes are laid in a trench and connected into a closed system with an outlet to a tank or a natural deepening on the ground.
5. The drainage is covered with a pillow of a mixture of sand and crushed stone (gravel), which must be tamped thoroughly, but carefully (so as not to damage the pipe) in the process.

With the installation of drainage, the weakest point in the garage waterproofing system - the sole of its foundation - will be reliably protected from water penetration from outside the structure. As a result, the requirements for moisture protection of the inspection pit will decrease.

Attention: from above, the drainage can be covered with soil, turf or concrete screed (the choice is at the discretion of the garage owner). It is better to install a plastic container for water drainage, since it will last much longer than a metal one, and use the drainage drain for watering the garden, provided that chemicals used when caring for a car do not get into it.

Protection against moisture and dampness

The main construction begins with the waterproofing of the pit. This task is solved in several steps:

1. At the bottom of the pit, a 10-15 cm thick gravel cushion is laid and tamped, which is covered by 5 cm of sand from above.
2. The walls of the inspection pit are laid with a layer of oily (red) clay.
3. Roofing material is spread on the floor surface. This should be done with an overlap of 10-15 cm and with the same margin protruding to the surface of the walls.
4. The overlap lines of the roofing material laid on the bottom of the pit are soldered with a burner or glued with molten bitumen mastic. The latter is laid using a special shaft.
5. In a similar way, roofing material is laid on the walls. The vertical and horizontal corners of the pit are additionally glued with bitumen or soldered using a special burner.
6. On top of the roofing material with the obligatory gluing of all corners and joints, a vapor barrier is laid from a thick polyethylene film.

The floor and walls of the inspection pit with your own hands

If the hydro and vapor barrier of the pit are ready, it is time to proceed directly to the construction. To do this, you need to prepare in advance the construction site, tools and materials necessary for the preparation of concrete, insulation and reinforcement of the screed.

Filling the floor

Construction begins with a floor screed. Its filling is carried out according to the following method:

1. At the bottom of the pit, covered with waterproofing, it is necessary to lay 10-15 cm of rough concrete (grade not lower than M200). The latter is prepared on a concrete mixer in proportions from 1: 3: 4.5 (cement: sand: crushed stone).
2. After partial drying, the surface of the rough screed is leveled with a special trowel made of wood or hard foam.
3. If necessary, the rough screed is covered with a layer of insulation (extruded foam 5 cm thick).
4. Above the thermal insulation gasket or, if there is no such in the project, the rough screed, the reinforcing cage of the floor screed is mounted. To do this, you will need steel reinforcement with a diameter of 10 mm and wire or welding, with which the mesh will be fixed before pouring the screed.
5. On a concrete mixer or using a mixer, a cement-sand mortar is prepared in a ratio of approximately 1: 4, which is poured onto the reinforcing frame so that the thickness of the screed is at least 5 cm.
6. After 2-3 hours after pouring the concrete, its surface is leveled with a grater, after which you can start building the walls of the inspection pit.

Attention: pouring of rough concrete and reinforced screed must be done in 1 step. Therefore, for work, you need at least 2, and preferably 3 pairs of hands. Rough concrete must be allowed to dry completely before insulation, which will take at least 3 days. The same period is required for the upper reinforced screed so that it is possible to walk freely on it during the construction of the walls of the inspection pit.

Building walls

The walls of the inspection pit can be made of either brick or concrete. In the second case, before starting work, you will have to install the formwork. For this, edged boards or plywood and wooden beams are suitable. In addition, it is advisable to reinforce the walls of the inspection pit with a mesh of steel wire or reinforcement.

At this stage, it is necessary to start laying electrical wiring, which, according to electrical safety requirements, must be hidden. To do this, you need to hide the wire in a corrugation, stretch it along the surface of the walls and bring it to the installation points of the lamps, and then fix it on a reinforcing mesh, for example, using plastic ties.

The walls are filled in tiers of 30–40 cm in height. In the process of pouring the walls, the solution should be carefully tamped with a crowbar or a bayonet shovel - this will remove air from the concrete. Before pouring each subsequent layer, it is necessary to allow the previous one to dry, for which you will need to wait about 2-3 days.

When building walls made of bricks, the thickness of the masonry is taken to be equal to the width of the latter. The masonry is staggered with the obligatory binding of the corners and thorough grouting. At the final stage of the construction of the walls, it is necessary to ensure that the latter protrude above the floor screed in the garage by at least 5 cm.This will exclude the possibility of foreign objects slipping into the pit or accidentally driving a car wheel when setting into the pit.

After laying the brick walls, it is necessary to wrap the waterproofing and vapor barrier inside the structure and backfill the soil from the outside of the walls. In this case, the soil should be carefully tamped.

Attention: when laying brick walls or pouring them out of concrete, do not forget about auxiliary niches. In order to make them in concrete walls, you will definitely need to build formwork inserts of the appropriate size from the boards. When working with bricks, there is no need for such inserts, but with them it will be much more convenient to lay bricks around a niche. After the completion of the concrete walls of the inspection pit, the formwork can be removed no earlier than after 6-7 days. Brickwork can be considered ready for further work in 4–5 days.

How and with what to close the inspection pit?

Even before starting the pouring or laying of the walls of the inspection pit, it is necessary to prepare the foundation frame. It will crown the side of the structure - the latter is set up a little higher than the garage floor or flush with the latter.

To make the frame, you will need a pre-stocked steel corner, a circular saw with cutting discs for metal and a welding machine with electrodes.

The size of the frame is selected along the inner or outer perimeter of the walls - the corner should stand as required by the cover sheet. By the way, if it is planned to equip the inspection hole with one, the frame must be turned downward.

Fixing a metal structure is best done with anchors or dowels, for which you will have to make appropriate holes in concrete or brick, as well as in metal. Finally, so that the frame does not rust during the operation of the garage pit, it must be treated with emery, primed and painted before installation.

Various materials can be used to make the pit cover. For example, you can make it sectional from metal frames covered with a steel mesh, or in the form of a wooden board made of edged boards with a thickness of 35 mm or more.

It should be remembered that the thinner the canvas is, the easier it is to lift it, so you should not take too thick wood or shields with a heavy frame.

You can make a cover for the inspection pit in the following way:

Attention: when closing the pit, the outer edge of the cover leaf contacts the embedded frame. Therefore, often the structure is additionally sheathed along the edges with steel or plastic tape. The thickness of such a sheathing will have to be taken into account even before cutting the canvas, and to fix it in advance, buy special fasteners. By the way, the cover can be equipped with special mechanisms that will allow partial opening of the inspection hole.

Video: step-by-step self-construction of a garage pit

Building an inspection pit in the garage is not an easy task. Therefore, their solution should be proceeded with thoroughly prepared and, preferably, having consulted with those who have experience in such work. A competent layout, as well as an attentive attitude to the issues of thermal and waterproofing of the premises, antiseptic finishing and electrification will ensure comfortable operation of the cellar and will expand the volume of home food supplies. With the correct organization of work, the construction of a viewing pit should take no more than 10 days, while for the construction of a cellar it may take about a month with a schedule of average density.

It so happens that an inexpensive garage is bought, but there is neither a cellar nor even a viewing hole in it. Many consider such a car home to be inferior. But the situation is easy to fix if there is an assistant and basic construction skills. Consider the procedures for constructing clandestine structures in the garage with your own hands.

Functions and necessity

The function of the inspection or vegetable pit is unambiguous: the use of the usable space below the floor level. Moreover, in one garage both a cellar and a repair site can be combined. The need for these tricky rooms is obvious. After all, our garage has always been associated with the possibility of hand-repairing a car, as well as with the need to store vegetables.

It is clear that if there is a house for a car, and it is expensive to maintain it in a car service, and there is nowhere to store a summer cottage harvest, it is a sin not to equip a garage for these needs! We will provide detailed instructions for arranging a viewing pit and a cellar, as well as show examples of calculations of the necessary materials.

How to make an inspection pit in a garage

Calculations and drawings

The first thing to do in this process is to calculate the area and sketch. As for the size of the pit. Usually, the width of the niche for working under the car is taken to be about 70 cm. This is quite enough for a person of average build. But most importantly, this size allows even small Matiz cars to maneuver when entering the garage. After all, there is still a distance of about 20 cm from the wheels of such a "baby" to the edge of the pit.

The length of the niche can be taken equal to the corresponding size of your car. Usually this value is from 3 m to 4 m. After all, it is possible that in the future you will need access both to the rear of the car, where the exhaust pipe and shock absorbers, and to the very front, where the bumper and oil pan.

An example of a typical layout of an inspection pit in a garage

The depth of the repair cavity is assigned approximately equal to the height of the car owner. For example, if a person is short, 170 cm, then this is exactly the height and you need to dig out the earth. Taking the width to be 70 cm, it is also necessary to add the thickness of the planned pit walls and the natural slope.

The latter is obtained after digging. Practice shows that the difference in the width of the pit at the very top and the very bottom is usually about 5 cm. The thickness of the walls is taken to be 10 cm. It makes no sense to simply make the walls thicker for a repair niche. It turns out that if the width of the finished structure is 70 cm, then for digging the corresponding size is taken equal to the sum of the indicated components: 70 cm + 5 cm + 10 cm + 10 cm = 95 cm.

Knowing the thickness of the walls, it is easy to calculate the amount of cement if it is decided to finish the entire niche with concrete. For example, in our case, the height of the pit is 170 cm, the length is 300 cm, and the width is 95 cm. Let's calculate the approximate volume of the mortar to be poured if the walls are 10 cm thick.

We find the area of ​​the walls as the product of the pit perimeter by the height: S = (3 m + 0.95 m + 3 m + 0.95 m) x 1.7 m = 7.9 x 1.7 = 13.43 m2. The volume of concrete required for the walls is obtained from the product of this area by the thickness of the walls: V = 13.43 m2 x 0.1 m = 1.34 m3.

But we also need to add to the resulting value the amount of solution for pouring the floor. Its volume is equal to the product of the area of ​​the bottom of the building by the floor thickness, which is also 10 cm. We get: V = (3 mx 0.7 m) x 0.1 m = 2.1 m2 x 0.1 m = 0.21 m3. Total volume V total. = 1.34 m3 + 0.21 m3 = 1.55 m3.

To obtain concrete, we will mix cement with sand and crushed stone in a 1: 1: 1 ratio. This means that we will have to purchase equal shares of each building material. Total we get: 1.55 / 3 = 0.516 m3. Therefore, we acquire 0.6 cubic meters of cement, 0.6 cubic meters of sand and 0.6 cubic meters of crushed stone. This calculation is approximate, but all values ​​are taken to the maximum. Therefore, we will not have a shortage of components.

The material for the walls must be determined immediately. There are different options here. Let's list the main ones.

• Boards.
  Wood is a relatively inexpensive material that makes wall mounting easier. However, it should be borne in mind that without proper treatment, after a few years, the boards will begin to rot.
• Iron.
  The same goes for the iron walls. Steel is susceptible to corrosion, and in a garage with outdoor temperature extremes, with high soil moisture, rust appears much faster.
• Brick or cast-in-place concrete.
  The most successful material for the walls in this case is brick. However, its laying is fraught with additional difficulties. You will have to constantly prepare the mortar, and you cannot do without an assistant, not to mention the skills of a bricklayer. But monolithic concrete walls are somewhat easier to build, and they will cost less than brick ones.

There are other alternative options, say, sandwich panels or some kind of free plates. But we will describe the process with the construction of concrete walls. And at this stage, you can still build a sketch.

If you have skills in drawing programs, you can make a spatial sketch, as in this example.

Tools and materials

Let's take into account that two people will be engaged in the work. Then you will need the following tools and accessories:

• two shovels,
• two buckets for earth,
• concrete bucket,
• rope for lifting a bucket with soil,
• shovel for mixing concrete,
• hammer and hacksaw for formwork installation.

From the materials you will need the following:

• cement,
• rubble,
• sand,
• OSB board for formwork, we take its quantity according to the previously calculated wall area, i.e. we need 13.43 m2,
• nails,
• reinforcing metal mesh, its total area is equal to the sum of the areas of the walls and floor: 13.43 m2 + 2.1 m2 = 15.53 m2,
• for framing the top of the structure - a metal corner 50 x 50 of such a total length, which we calculate based on the perimeter of the finished pit: L = 3 m + 0.7 m + 3 m + 0.7 m = 7.4 m.

Instructions for the construction of a viewing pit

1. We start directly with digging work. We pre-mark the future cavity, combining its center line with the middle of our room for the car. That is, we divide the garage in half along the short side, mentally draw the middle line, retreat 1 m along it from the gate, and so we find the middle of the short side of the pit. We draw a rectangle with the dimensions of the pit with an iron bar on the ground. We insert the pegs into the corners of the planned cavity.
   It is good if there is no floor in the garage, otherwise it is necessary to open part of the cover according to the dimensions of the pit.
2. When the ground is in front of us and the markings are visible, we take the shovels and proceed. First, we open the soil to the depth of one bayonet over the entire planned excavation surface. You should immediately decide where to collect the excavated earth and clay. It is better to allocate a place near the garage, if it does not interfere with the neighbors. Subsequently, a heap of loose soil of almost 5 m3 will have to be removed somewhere.
3. We continue digging in such a way that we consider convenient for ourselves. Each time you can go deeper with one bayonet over the entire planned surface, or you can dig a hole in parts to the full depth. The main thing is to remember about the possibilities of landslides.
   

   Advice. The preliminary installation of a simple winch will greatly facilitate the work. For example, it is enough to hang a roller in the garage, say, an old V-belt pulley, and attach a handle with a shoulder to it. After that, lifting the buckets with the ground will not be difficult. The digger fills the container and hooks its sweetheart to the hook of the cable, rolled along the rim of the suspended disc. The one at the top rotates the roller by the handle. This is how light lifting of the soil is carried out.

   Digging a viewing hole in progress

4. After the completion of the digging, it is necessary to trim the resulting floor, and also sprinkle it with rubble. Crushed stone should be filled in at least one layer. Then we carefully ram all the stones.
5. Now is the time to think about walls and flooring. As already indicated, we use concrete as an example. We start with the walls. First, we erect the formwork. The material can be an OSB board, later it will be useful for other needs. We simply install the OSB sheets vertically along the dug walls, retreating from them everywhere 10 cm, and fix them by driving in pegs. At the corners of the slab, we fasten it with nails. We pour concrete of a simplified composition into the equipped cavities (a bucket of cement, a bucket of sand, a bucket of rubble). Be sure to install a reinforcing mesh when pouring.
   

   Advice. During the operation of the inspection pit, some kind of handy niches are often needed to fold the tool. It is advisable to provide such small cavities at the stage of formwork construction. For example, install iron boxes in several places, which, when pouring concrete, will remain inside the walls. At the top of the formwork, small cylinders can be provided for installing spotlights.

6. After two to three days, necessary for the concrete walls to harden, the formwork device can be dismantled and, if necessary, backfill with the earth.
7. After the walls have solidified, we proceed to pouring the floor. Having laid out a similar metal mesh over the entire surface of the rubble, fill the bottom of the pit with concrete of a simplified composition (a bucket of cement, a bucket of sand, a bucket of rubble).
8. On the floor of the garage, it is advisable to trim the perimeter of the pit with a metal corner. It is better to immediately weld the contour of rolled products with a flange of 50–60 mm and install it after concreting, securing it with anchors. Such a structure will additionally strengthen the walls, and it will become an obstacle to the slipping wheels of the car.
   Now our observation pit is ready. But we still have to take care of its waterproofing, as well as how to close the cavity when the car arrives.
   

   In the photo, the upper part of the niche is trimmed with a metal corner

A few words about sealing against groundwater and moisture

In the future, groundwater can become an unconditional danger for a niche built in a garage. If their level in a given area is high, as you can find out from the owner of a garage cooperative, then you should take care of waterproofing in advance.

It is even better to check the availability of groundwater before buying a garage!

There are two different methods here. Either sealing is done before the walls and floors are erected, or after. The first method is preferable, it is better to think about waterproofing in advance, even at the design stage of the inspection pit. It's just easier and more reliable that way. Therefore, during work, it is additionally necessary to perform manipulations with roll or film materials. The latter are laid on the ground before pouring concrete with overlapping paths. Roofing material, butyl rubber can serve as waterproofing gaskets. In fact, these materials are also a large expense item, however, the dryness of the pit is more expensive.

Another thing is when waterproofing works take place after the construction of the cavity. Then you need to stock up on a large amount of mastic, warm it up and just smear all the walls and joints with the floor with it.

When the groundwater level is close to critical, when every spring water fills the earthen floor of the garage, there is only one way to build a viewing hole. After digging out the required volume, insert a metal container, carefully welded at the joints. It is she who will serve as both the walls and the floor of the inspection pit. The main rule in this case: the installed metal box must be connected to the walls of the garage with a concrete floor. Otherwise, one fine spring day, the whole box, like the cork of a bottle, will float above the floor level. At the same time, drainage should be provided for water.

Than to close

Thick boards can be used for decking over the inspection pit. If the car still "misses" when entering the garage, then at least it will not fail, if the wooden floor is strong. Another type of flooring is metal corrugated sheet. Unlike boards, it is easy to move it to the side, and it will also support the weight of the car, although it will bend slightly.

For clarity, we attach a video from a person who has already created an inspection pit in his garage.

Step-by-step construction: the experience of building a niche (video)

How to make a vegetable pit

Calculation of dimensions and drawings

Here, the design approach is somewhat different. It is necessary to rely on the planned volume of vegetables for storage, the depth of freezing of the soil in the region, and also provide for free space for the person storing the bags. In addition, the cellar should be equipped with shelves for jars of pickles. The location of our underground space is in any case directly under the car, so it is very important to design a solid floor.

Based on all these considerations, the approximate dimensions of the vegetable pit are laid in the following ranges. The width should be at least one and a half meters for freedom of "maneuver". The cellar is usually two to six meters long. As for the height: a person of small stature should be able to straighten up in the pit. That is, we take a minimum value of 170 cm.Considering that it will take about 20 cm to overlap, then the total height from the bottom of the pit to the garage floor, equal to 190 cm, is quite sufficient to avoid freezing vegetables even in Siberia.

Be sure to draw at least a sketch before starting work. In the drawing, it is necessary to take into account the dimensions of the opening for the hatch and draw a ventilation pipe. That is, the opening for a person's entrance, closed by a hatch, must have dimensions that make it easy to get up on the stairs and start going down. Experience shows that the minimum such dimensions are half a meter by half a meter. The ventilation pipe should provide air from the garage to the pit.

Sketch of the cellar in the garage with forced ventilation

According to the schematically indicated dimensions, it is easy to determine further the amount of material that is necessary for the construction of walls and a ceiling. For example, if in the drawing the width of the cellar is 1.7 m, the height is 1.7 m, and the length is 2 m, then the following calculation will turn out.

We find the area of ​​the walls as the product of the perimeter and the height: S = (1.7 + 2 + 1.7 + 2) x 1.7 = 12.58 m2.

According to building codes, for 1 m2 of wall one brick (25 cm) thick, 102 pieces are required. bricks. This means that we need the following number of bricks on all walls: 12.58 m2 x 102 pcs. = 1283 pieces. Adding to the battle, let's take a value of 1300 pieces. At the same time, according to building codes for every 400 pieces. about 0.25 m3 of solution is needed. This means that for 1300 pieces we take 0.25 x (1300/400) = 0.25 x 3.25 = 0.81 m3 of solution.

But we still need concrete to cover the cellar. Its volume is equal to the product of the pit perimeter by the floor thickness, which is usually 10 cm: V = (1.7 + 2 + 1.7 + 2) x 0.1 = 0.74 m3.

Tools and materials

Before starting work, we prepare the following tools also for two people:

• digging tools (listed above),
• shovel for mixing cement mortar,
• brickwork trowel,
• welding machine,
• hacksaw.

We also need the following materials:

• bricks, counted,
• cement and sand for preparing 0.81 m3 of mortar (approximately 0.27 m3 of cement and 0.54 m3 of sand),
• cement, sand and crushed stone for overlapping in equal proportions (0.74 m3 / 3 = 0.25 m3),
• thick boards,
• four logs 1.7 m long.
• channels, fittings.

Instructions for building a cellar

1. Digging is carried out in the same way as in the previous case of the construction of an inspection pit.
   

   An already dug hole for the cellar

2. When the cavity is fully formed, it's time to tackle the walls and floor. The best design in this case is brickwork, although many craftsmen simply order a steel box from the factory according to their own drawing. Such a tank should already have a manhole and a hatch, as well as an outlet for ventilation. We will consider the option with brickwork.
3. The thickness of the walls is usually taken as one brick. Before you start laying out the bottom row, it is necessary to coat the earthen vaults with bitumen for waterproofing. The masonry must be of high quality, with reinforcement, with a good mortar, preferably with the assistance of a professional bricklayer. If this is not possible, we do the work ourselves.
   It is almost impossible to explain in words how to make brickwork correctly. We propose to study this process visually, therefore, we present a training video (see below after the list).
   And here is a photo of the bricked cellar:

   The photo shows the decoration of the walls of the cellar with one brick masonry

4. At the next stage, after the appearance of brick walls, the ceiling of the cellar is mounted. This process must be approached with the same seriousness as the work of a bricklayer. After all, a lot depends on the quality of the ceiling of the hole: will the vegetables freeze, will the car fail? To begin with, we lay out, leaning on brick walls, edged thick boards tightly to each other. The length of each board should be equal to the width of the cellar. Then we support the boards with standing logs, that is, we set at least four logs vertically. This is a kind of support until the cement hardens.
5. Further along the perimeter of the pit, we lay the channels. We attach reinforcement to the boards, after which we install a square opening from the corners in the corner of the cellar, there will be a hatch. You just need to first determine its exact location so that the car in the garage does not interfere with opening the cellar. In the next step, we install a curved pipe, one end of which goes through the ceiling into the cellar, and the other rises slightly above the garage floor. We carefully weld all the iron by welding.
   

   Advice. Subsequently, it is better to take the ventilation outlet outside the premises and install a protective umbrella on it. This prevents odors from the cellar from entering the car house. It is also necessary to provide a damper that can block the access of cold air through the pipe in severe winter frosts.

6. At the end of the process, fill the resulting floor frame with concrete (1 bucket of cement, 1 bucket of sand, 1 bucket of rubble). We must try to make the floor of the garage even after this operation, otherwise you will have to make a screed later. After the described stage, we wait two days for the concrete to set, then remove the supporting logs.

Video: DIY brick laying

Waterproofing and insulation

If waterproofing has not been done before the brickwork, then you can do it when the walls and ceiling have already been erected. To do this, you need to smear all joints and cracks with mastic.

If the region where the work is carried out with cold winters (for example, the North or Siberia), then it is better to insulate the ceiling and walls inside the cellar. Simple styrofoam works well for this purpose. It is easy to fix it with ordinary self-tapping screws with washers or metal strips. Additional decorative panels can be installed on the sides of the pit.

In this photo, the cellar is insulated using foam and decorative panels.

Our cellar is now ready. It remains only to mount a metal hatch, which should also be insulated with a sheet of foam plastic. The ladder can simply be bought and lowered inside the pit.

Video: how to make monolithic walls of the cellar correctly

We reviewed the instructions for creating a viewing and vegetable pit, but it should be noted that some practical owners build "two in one": their repair niche is the entrance to the cellar. As a rule, such a structure is laid during the construction of the foundation of the entire structure, and in a ready-made garage it is too difficult to make "two in one". But this, in fact, is possible if we put together all our recommendations.

TO Which motorist knows how sometimes inspection pit in the garage! It happens, a nonsense breakdown, to eliminate it in one piece, but try, get it. Or changing the oil - five minutes of business, but you have to trudge to the service station and pay an amount that is completely incommensurate with the work. It's worth it, perhaps, to shed a little sweat, work a few weekends and get rid of such difficulties forever. You will find out how to make an inspection hole in the garage with your own hands here.

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Video version of the article

Getting started. Inspection pit marking

As for everyone, even the simplest structures, we begin the construction of our pit with marking, that is, with determining the outlines and dimensions of the future pit. This is necessary, especially since we will arrange a pit in an already built, or even existing one. That, you see, complicates our task, if only because of the cramped working conditions.

We will mark the pit on the basis that the soil forming the walls of the pit will have a certain slope, while the dimensions of the inspection pit must be kept within the limits that make the work convenient.

This is on the one hand. On the other hand, while parking, the driver should not be drenched in cold sweat for fear that the car will fail. For insurance against slipping, we will take certain steps, but more on that later.

Based on all the above requirements, we will determine the width of the pit "clean" (that is, by the width of the working space) at 70 cm. This is enough for comfortable work, and even for the Daewoo Matiz crumb (128 cm track) there will be room for maneuver of the order 20 centimeters (between the pit and the wheel). And for "Zhiguli", with their track of 132 cm, the width can be made even larger. About five to ten centimeters, but that's not bad either.

The length is determined based on personal concepts of the convenience of work, as well as the size of the garage, but making it less than two meters is hardly justified.

On the floor of the garage, draw (or mark with pegs) a rectangle of our pit, then add the thickness of the walls on all four sides and, guided by the qualities of soil stability, give an approximate margin for the slope of the earthen walls. For dense loams, this value is approximately 20-30 cm.

The depth is determined from the requirements of ergonomics, and in relation to your beloved. It is clear that bending over, or standing on tiptoe, you will not gain much. Therefore, we calculate our pit in such a way that there is a distance of 25-30 cm from the top of the head to the bottom of the car.