Technology of building blind area. Soft blind area around the house: structure and types

The blind area around the house is a special structure that is designed to remove precipitation and protect the foundation from premature destruction. Also, the blind area is necessary in conditions of heaving soil or in areas with high level groundwater, which can erode the foundation. Let's take a closer look at how the blind area is done with your own hands, as well as which options for its implementation are most effective.

In addition to protecting the foundation, the blind area also performs practical and design functions. Very often it is used as a path, so it must have sufficient hardness and abrasion resistance. When choosing a blind area, you should also take into account the landscape design and exterior of the house. The correct blind area around the house helps to highlight architectural style buildings, make local area more accurate and practical.

The pouring of the blind area can be carried out simultaneously with the construction of the foundation. However, it can be made after finishing finishing works. If you neglect this point, over time, cracks may appear in the foundation, and the thermal insulation performance of the structure will decrease. Thus, the role of the blind area at home should not be underestimated. This is one of the main stages of building a house, which directly affects the quality of the structure.

Construction of a blind area around the house

Before you start building a blind area with your own hands, you need to decide on the materials from which it will be made. Most often, concrete, asphalt, bricks, wood, reinforced concrete slabs or tiles. The correct blind area around the house must have at least two layers. The top layer contains the main coating, and the bottom is a cushion of sand, small crushed stone, grit or clay.

Ideally, the installation of a blind area around the house should be carried out simultaneously with the foundation. The width of the blind area should be about 80 - 100 cm or 20 - 30 cm more than the cornice. The wider the blind area, the faster the water drains. In this case, you should remember the slope, which should be 3 – 7ᵒС. A small drainage groove can be made along the perimeter of the blind area. This will prevent water from stagnating during heavy rainfalls or when snow melts.

How to make a blind area with your own hands

Making a blind area with your own hands is quite easy. The construction process does not require special knowledge and is carried out in several stages:

1. Preparing the base.

Installing a blind area with your own hands begins with leveling the surface, removing plant roots, removing the top layer of soil with a shovel and treating the soil with herbicides. It is necessary to install boundary boards along the perimeter and make sand cushion. To do this, a layer of sand is poured onto the prepared surface, compacted and filled with water. Next, a layer of crushed stone or broken brick is poured.

1. Waterproofing and insulation.

Insulating the blind area allows you to increase the thermal insulation of the foundation, which is especially important if the house has a cellar or basement. Polystyrene, foam glass or penoplex can be used as insulation. The air gap between the concrete layer and the ground can reach 15 cm. The blind area is waterproofed using PVC film, bitumen or roofing felt.

1. Installation of temperature cuts.

Temperature cuts can be made using rain gutters or flat slate. It is necessary to leave an expansion joint between the wall and the blind area by placing roofing material, sealant or bitumen in it.

1. Pouring concrete.

Concrete for a blind area can be made by combining 0.5 shares of water, 1 share of cement, 3 shares of sand and 4 shares of crushed stone. It is better to take grade M-300 cement. Filling is carried out carefully within the boundary boards.

1. Ironing.

15 - 20 minutes after pouring the solution, the surface is sprinkled with dry cement and smoothed with a spatula. Thanks to this technique, the blind area is stronger, smoother and more moisture-resistant.

The installation of a blind area around the house can be made from concrete slabs. As in the first option, the base is prepared for this, after which the finished slabs are laid out and bitumen is poured. also in Lately Profiled membranes are becoming increasingly popular, which are placed directly on the ground, covered with crushed stone and sand, after which any covering is installed.

Alternative options for home blind area

The most popular option in our country is a concrete blind area 15 cm thick. If previously this type of blind area was the most affordable, now a wide variety has appeared building materials, insulation and waterproofing films, with the help of which cost of blind area around the house can be significantly reduced. Let's consider several alternative options for installing a blind area with your own hands.

Soft blind area for difficult soils

A soft blind area is one of the simplest options for constructing a blind area, which can be used for heaving soils. It is performed in several stages.

Blind area with rubemast

Rubemast is an inexpensive waterproofing material made on the basis of fiberglass or fiberglass with bitumen impregnation. Using rubemast, you can build a high-quality blind area, adhering to the following action plan:

Geotextile blind area to protect against weeds

Installation of a blind area made of geotextiles is carried out in several stages:

Construction of a blind area in Finnish

This type of blind area is widely used in construction Finnish houses. It is radically different from the technologies familiar in our area and is carried out according to the following principle:

1. A corrugated pipe with holes is laid around the perimeter of the house.
2. Gravel is poured over the pipe, overlapping foam is installed and covered with soil.
3. Next, the pipe is connected to drain wells.
4. Crushed stone and decorative pebbles are poured at a distance of about 40 cm from the walls of the building.

The Finnish blind area is quite effective, drains water well and prevents freezing of the foundation.

Russian blind area - cheap and cheerful

This version of the blind area is very unusual and was invented by Russian craftsmen. It is performed using glass bottles in several stages:

1. A thin layer of concrete is poured onto a small sand bed.
2. Next, the usual glass bottles, and the next layer of concrete is poured.
3. After this, reinforcement is performed, and the next layer of concrete blind area is poured. If necessary, the surface is subjected to ironing, i.e. sprinkled with dry cement.

The advantage of this technique is the absence of expansion joints and low concrete consumption. In addition, the bottles leave an air gap in the blind area, increasing its thermal insulation without additional insulation.

In general, there are quite a lot of options for making a blind area around the house. If desired, you can do it different heights, decorate with natural or artificial stone, tiles, cover with pebbles or crushed stone.

Video Blind area device

There is a popular story about formwork devices and blind area pouring.

The device is a mandatory final stage in the construction of any building. At its core, this is nothing more than a small stylish sidewalk that encircles the perimeter of the house. Many people make the mistake of believing that it has only a decorative function; in fact, the structure bears the responsibility to protect the foundation from surface waters. Due to the fact that the blind area is inclined from the walls, it retains and drains water into the storm sewer system.

The width of the blind area directly depends on the overhang of the roof, and it must also adhere closely to the foundation continuously along the entire perimeter of the building.

In most cases, it has a width ranging from 60 to 80 cm and a slope of 3-10°. As experts note, the wider the blind area, the more efficient the sediment drainage will be. The width of the blind area is determined by the type of soil, but despite this, it should always be 20 cm larger than the eaves of the roof. The condition for increasing the blind area is construction on easily compressible soils.

It must be closely adjacent to the base of the structure and be continuous around the perimeter, otherwise water will seep into the cracks between the wall and the blind area. If the house is equipped with warm ground floor or basement, to reduce the depth of freezing, provide. Thermal insulation layer is able to protect basement rooms from sudden temperature fluctuations.

Construction of a blind area: sequence of work

Required tools and materials:

• level;
• bayonet shovel;
• edged board;
• capacity;
• road network;
• sand, cement, crushed stone.

The blind area around the house begins to be built by removing the top layer of soil about 15 cm thick. The depth of the trench is determined by the type of soil and the eaves of the roof. If the house is located on a plot with heaving soils, it must be at least 30 cm.

When excavating a layer of soil, the general layout of the surface should be observed and a slope should be maintained to ensure water drainage in the direction of the natural depression of the landscape. Most effective solution there will be a shallow arrangement drainage system along the outer perimeter, which can eliminate the slightest contact of the foundation with groundwater.

The blind area itself, without additional hydro- and thermal insulation, includes an underlying layer and a covering. Best material used for the underlying layer is clay. When poured into a trench, well-compacted clay is capable of absolutely preventing water from passing through. Clay also functions as a waterproofing agent. However, working with this material is very labor-intensive and painstaking, so in most cases a layer of sand at least 10-15 cm thick is poured onto the bottom of the trench and compacted well. To better compact the sand layer, water it with a small amount of water.

After filling and compacting the sand, a curb is installed along the outer edge. At the next stage, the layer of sand between the wall of the house and the curb is covered with crushed stone, firmly compacting the layer. Complete the process by laying topcoat made of concrete, paving slabs or asphalt.

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Construction of a blind area of ​​a simplified design

The method described below is no less effective, but requires significantly less costs. start with a recess at least 6-10 cm deep. The bottom is compacted manually, and two layers of waterproofing material are laid on top with an overlap of 20-30 cm. The role of waterproofing can be fulfilled plastic film, roofing felt and other non-rotting materials. A sand-gravel mixture is laid on the waterproofing, and on top is a gravel or crushed stone coating filled with cement-sand mortar.

The waterproofing function is carried out thanks to profiled PVP membranes, which are made of dense polyethylene. They are laid on the ground under a layer of crushed stone and sand. Such a blind area can be made in the form of a lawn; to do this, pour fertile soil 30 cm thick onto a layer of crushed stone and sow grass.

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Finish coating for blind area

Covering the blind area can be done various materials, in most cases, preference is given to asphalt, concrete and paving slabs.

The surface lined with turf, cobblestones, gravel, looks original. clinker bricks. Each of the above materials has its own nuances of preparation, installation and operation.

The blind area around the house is made of monolithic concrete laid on a sand base compacted to a coefficient above 0.98. The concrete that will be used for the blind area must match the level of frost resistance of road concrete. Before the pouring procedure, reinforcement is laid on the underlying layer, otherwise a monolithic blind area under the influence of precipitation and natural conditions may collapse.

When choosing this type of coating, remember about the expansion joints of the blind area. To form them, you can use a board tarred or treated with an antiseptic with a thickness of at least 15-20 mm, laid on an edge. An alternative this method is the use of wooden blocks impregnated with waste oil, as well as vinyl tapes 15 cm thick; such solutions can save the blind area even in the case of heavy load.

The disadvantage of a continuous fill is that it will crack during the first winter. Dividing slats act as a damper and protect the coating from destructive destruction. Expansion joints are installed in increments of 2-2.5 m.

Often, reinforced concrete slabs measuring 30x30 or 50x50 cm are used for the blind area. The seams are filled with soil and sown with grass. The main condition for laying such slabs is the presence of air space, which reduces the swelling of the soil.

Asphalt concrete blind areas also cope well with moisture. Before laying, the base is compacted with gravel or crushed stone with a fraction of 40-60 mm. Work is carried out only in dry, warm weather at a temperature not lower than 5 °C. performed using a factory-prepared hot mixture with a laying temperature of more than 120°C.

You can approach the house using cobblestones; for this, sand and clay are used. Work begins with laying a clay layer 15 cm thick, then a sand layer 10 cm thick is placed, into which cobblestones are laid.

If we're talking about about laying paving slabs, you will need sifted coarse sand and medium-fraction crushed stone from wild stone without any admixture of coarse cobblestones. Sand is poured over the crushed stone layer and paving slabs or granite paving stones are laid on it. Please note that the tiles should not be laid on the mortar as this will cause them to crack.

On this moment Sandy blind area has gained particular popularity, which performs not only a protective, but also an unusual decorative function. The construction of a blind area is different in that the sand poured into the trench is not covered with crushed stone, but is poured liquid glass and a special hardener solution. As a result, a monolithic sandstone surface is formed that is not subject to erosion. The modern construction market offers a wide selection of special ready-made compositions and semi-finished products that require cooking for 7-8 hours.

A more labor-intensive, but incredibly beautiful and organic “old-fashioned” option is a turf blind area. Construction of the blind area begins with excavation of a layer of earth 5 cm thick, and drainage from coarse sand is laid on the compacted soil of the base. The next layer of installation is crumpled clay, which forms a slope for water drainage. The process is completed with a layer of fertile soil and meadow turf. The blind area requires watering and regular trimming at first. After several weeks, a lawn strip of elastic turf is formed, which is difficult to wash out or trample.

Construction of the house has been completed, but the owners still have a lot of trouble ahead, primarily aimed at ensuring the safety of their new home. Building construction, no matter how durable they may seem at first glance, without proper protection they can suffer significantly from the effects of frost, snow, rain, and winds. This effect on the foundation is especially dangerous, because its deformation or partial destruction can negatively affect the strength of the entire structure of the house. As protective agent It is recommended to build a blind area around the house - it is intended to protect the foundation from the destructive effects of precipitation.

What is the blind area of ​​a private house

The blind area of ​​a private house is a strip of dense material, for example concrete or asphalt, which is adjacent to the foundation, protecting it from moisture. When laying the blind area, the slope angle recommended by building regulations must be observed, which allows melt or rainwater to flow freely; usually it is in the range of 10 to 15 degrees.

The recommended width of the blind area of ​​a private house is from 0.8 to 1.2 - 1.5 m, it is located along the entire perimeter of the structure. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of a blind area for houses with a ground floor or basement: it not only significantly increases the strength of the foundation, but also helps create an additional insulating layer that creates a thermal cushion.

Except protective functions the blind area around the house helps to give the structure a more aesthetic and finished appearance. Practical owners resort to the construction of blind areas not only around a residential building, but also around all kinds of technical and service premises, brick fences, built on the territory of the estate.

Types of blind area

In construction, it is customary to divide blind areas into three types:

• made from asphalt or stones
• classical
• monolithic.

Classic blind area usually has a width of 80 cm, is constructed along the entire perimeter of the structure, its slope is about 10 degrees. However, the width of the blind area should be chosen taking into account the protrusion of the roof of the house; at least 20 cm should be added to it. The width may also depend on the type of soil in the area where the house is located: the easier the soil is compressed, the wider the blind area should be made. If there is a basement in the house, it is recommended to insulate the blind area using heat-insulating material.

It should be noted that the blind area, no matter what material it is made of, will be subject to destructive effects if the drainage from the roof is not done correctly or is missing.

Clay can be used as the basis for a classic blind area. The procedure for performing the work is as follows: a shallow (about 10 cm) trench is dug around the perimeter of the house, wet clay is poured into it and compacted tightly. After drying, the clay forms a dense mass that can provide the proper level of protection from moisture.

The boundaries of the blind area are curbs; they should be dug into the ground up to half the height.

On top of the clay layer, crushed stone of the middle fraction is poured and compacted tightly. Concrete or concrete is used as the last layer cement mortar, reinforced or monolithic, a composition of asphalt and artificial filler. Using popular in urban housing construction Asphalt concrete in a private home may not be practical: laying it requires the use of professional equipment and compliance with operating standards. In addition, laying asphalt concrete should be carried out at a material temperature of about +120 degrees and an air temperature of at least +5 degrees.

For styling stone blind area you will have to stock up on enough cobblestones and stones. In this case, the trench should have a depth of about 30 cm. Gravel is laid at the bottom of the trench, compacted, then clay is poured in and compacted. To provide protection from moisture, a layer of insulating material - roofing felt - is laid below and above the clay layer. Next, they begin to construct the decorative layer: selected stones are laid on the cement mortar.

Most quality option experts believe monolithic type of blind area. A monolithic blind area at home can be done with your own hands if the owners are familiar with the technology for performing such work. In addition, it will require serious financial expenses. In order to fill the trench, only clean sand is used, it is compacted and filled with a layer of concrete 6 to 8 cm thick. The concrete must be of good quality and resistant to freezing. The structure must be strengthened with reinforcement laid on the base before pouring concrete.

We should also not forget about the need to create an expansion joint in the monolithic structure. For this purpose, carefully selected and treated resin and by special means board. Preference should be given to boards with a thickness of more than 15 mm. Temperature seam will prevent cracking of the monolithic coating, increase its resistance to mechanical loads with sudden changes.

How to properly make a blind area at home with your own hands

Now let’s look in detail at how to make a blind area at home using reinforced slabs made by yourself. Making them is not very difficult. To create the slabs, you will need to make a formwork measuring 60x60 cm. It is recommended to make it on two slabs located next to each other. The height of the slab is 3 cm. The formwork boots are assembled in such a way that after hardening sand-cement mortar they were easy to take apart.

For increase quality characteristics It is recommended to reinforce the slabs; for a 3 cm thick slab it is very important to provide additional rigidity. Any mesh with a cell size larger than 8x8 cm can be used as a reinforcing component. Cells that are too large will lead to a decrease in strength and rigidity. finished product. Any metal products can be used as a reinforcing component, for example, cable or wire, but must be cleared of insulation.

After making the formwork, you can begin making the slabs. The base of the formwork will need to be covered with polyethylene. The film should be carefully leveled. Next, the formwork is filled 2/3 in height with a solution prepared from 3 parts sand and 1 part cement, the prepared reinforcing mesh is laid, and the rest of the solution is added until the desired height is obtained.

To improve the setting process, the surface of the tiles is covered with burlap. The formwork can be removed after 3-4 days. Slabs made in this way can be used even if the drainage is not properly organized. Plates laid on a prepared base will last a long period; moreover, their service life can be extended by periodically rotating the slab 90 degrees.

In addition, self-made slabs will help improve the area around the house and give it a more decorative look: if desired, you can add dyes of different shades to the solution - the slabs will turn out colored.

Blind area made of paving stones and paving slabs

Today, the construction market is saturated with all kinds of paving slabs and paving stones, their prices are quite affordable, so often, instead of making pavement slabs with their own hands, they resort to buying ready-made finishing. Industrially manufactured slabs have their advantages:

• they are very easy to install,
• if necessary, damaged fragments can be easily replaced with new ones,
• Such tiles are resistant to high loads, moisture and low temperatures.

It is quite possible to construct a blind area at home with your own hands. In order for the blind area to last for a long time, you will need to properly prepare its base. A trench about 40-50 cm deep is dug around the house, a layer of drainage is laid in it: gravel, crushed stone, coarse sand with a thickness of 25 to 35 cm. The recommended slope of the paving slab blind area is from 5 to 10%, this is done at the stage of installing the drainage system . The minimum slope value is 1.5%, i.e. about 8 mm for every about.5 m of blind area.

A gap of a couple of centimeters should be left between the foundation and the blind area, otherwise when negative temperatures The tile, expanding, will create additional pressure on the foundation, which is extremely undesirable. The gap can be filled with sand or polystyrene and closed with several layers of roofing material.

After the drainage layer, a layer is constructed reinforced concrete, pour in the dry mixture, level it and compact it, lay tiles on it. An attractive factor in the use of paving slabs can be considered the variety of their shape, size, and wide range of colors.

When choosing optimal option When making a blind area around the house, you should definitely take into account not only the financial side of the issue and external attractiveness finishing material In order for the blind area to serve for a long time, first of all, it will be necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the soil structure on the site, its geographical location, quality of the house roof drainage system.

The blind area is a strip of any external covering along the entire perimeter of the house, which is adjacent to the foundation or plinth and is located on a slope that performs the function of draining water. Any owner of a private house wants his house to last as long as possible, did not require repairs and, accordingly, additional investments of money. Plays a primary role here preservation of the foundation from external climatic influences. One of these important elements is to protect the foundation around the house from the penetration of surface water, so-called.

In addition to its main function, it simultaneously serves as an element of external improvement of the house, and also serves as a decorative path. The installation of a blind area must be approached with all responsibility, and in no case should you neglect such an important stage in creating reliable protection for your home.

the main task

It performs several functions, but the main one is still protective. She creates the so-called hydro barrier. With her help, melting and rainwater are set aside from the foundation of the house. This, in turn, eliminates damage to the foundation due to frost. The fact is that water, freezing in winter time years, increasing in volume.

This creates a large lateral load on the foundation and, as a result, distortion occurs, which can ultimately lead to significant damage to the house. So, making a blind area around the house is an elementary necessity in order to avoid many problems in the future. Of course, it is done around the entire perimeter of the house, otherwise there is no point in doing it at all.

Its main purpose is to drain water from the foundation.

The next and important factor is its insulation function. If you put insulation under it, it, in turn, will prevent the foundation from freezing, which will ultimately affect the reduction of heating costs for the house. Again, if it is insulated, it creates a layer of unfrozen soil next to the foundation, which provides uniform lateral pressure.

Further we can say that it also performs a protective function. It prevents grass and plants from growing close to the foundation, thereby preventing excess moisture from the foundation. And finally she brings purely practical benefits, since it does role of the footpath and at the same time gives the house finished aesthetic look.

Device principle

No matter what it will be general device blind areas around the house, it consists of a protective coating and an underlying layer. Its device is not complicated. A trench is dug close to the foundation along the entire perimeter of the house. Next, an expansion joint is made between the foundation and the future blind area. The next step is laying the flooring in the trench waterproofing coating, followed by backfilling and compacting layers of sand and crushed stone. The final stage is the installation of an external covering.

At its core, the blind area is divided into 3 types. The first type includes hard, consisting either of asphalt, or cement-filled with subsequent ironing of the surface. The next type are semi-rigid: they are a multi-layer cushion followed by laying paving slabs, cobblestones, porcelain tiles, etc. And they come last soft: they are poured from crushed stone over a multi-layer cushion.

Based on these considerations, it may contain a different structure of layers of sand or crushed stone, as well as different kinds coatings. But regardless of this, there are some elements that should always be present.

1. The blind area must have a slope away from the house.
2. Between the foundation and protective coating an expansion joint must be present; it is also called an expansion joint.

Substrate

The blind area technology involves the creation of an underlying layer.

Its main task is to create a compacted and level base for further laying of the top covering.

The underlying layer is layered cake. Crushed stone, sand and clay can be used; gravel or native soil can also be used. Ultimately, the choice also depends on the top coating used.

Crushed stone and sand fits as a rule on normally draining soils. To do this, sand is first poured, followed by pouring water and tamping. Next comes a layer of crushed stone, which is also compacted.

If, however, your area is dominated by loam or clay, then in this case you can go two ways. First- this is to use native soil. In the second option, if you still lay gravel and sand, then there will always be water near the house.

The fact is that the density of clay is higher than the density of the underlying layer of gravel and sand and, accordingly, water will accumulate under the blind area. Exists the only and effective way How to solve this problem. Along the entire perimeter of the bedding fits The disadvantage of such a device will be an increase in the amount of work and material costs. But we must still admit that compared to repairing or replacing the foundation, these are not costs worth saving on.

Width, thickness and slope

The width of the blind area is determined based on the type of soil on the site and the extension of the roof overhangs. There is such a thing as soil subsidence. So, on subsidence soils the width is usually greater than on normal soil. According to the rules, on normal soil the optimal width is not less than 80 cm. But in any case, it should be 20 cm more overhang roofing material towards load-bearing walls. If subsidence soil is present, then it should be not less than 60 cm. from the roof falling out. The main point here is to protect the foundation of the house as reliably as possible from the destructive effects of moisture.

It should also be noted that ultimately choice width depends and from pure practical side affairs. For example, you will only walk along it, or you plan to drive a car to the porch of the house. Or maybe you want to build a gazebo or terrace. The thickness or height should be not less than 7 cm., considered optimal 10–15 cm. Here you need to take into account that it must rise above the ground by at least 5 cm. By the way, for the car zone you need to choose the most durable external covering, but this also applies to the pedestrian zone too.

Without going into percentages and degrees, tilt angle is usually 1.5 – 2 s m per linear meter. This is enough to perform its main function of draining water away from the house. You can, of course, make the slope of the blind area greater, but this risks the fact that the water, picking up speed, will destroy the outer edge. In addition, it becomes uncomfortable to walk on it, especially in winter when there is ice.

And yet, in order to guarantee complete water drainage and ensure a completely “dry mode”, you will need to make a blind area about 3 meters wide, which is not always possible. In this case, what is popularly called “storm drainage” or drainage will help.

Expansion seam

It is also called deformation. This is the gap between the wall and the blind area, as well as transverse seams from the wall of the house with a step width of 2 - 3 meters, depending on its width.

His direct assignment is to compensate for movements from the effects of frost, thereby preventing the destruction of the wall and cladding.

Based on practical experience, it has been proven that if we neglect this element, then all previous work on the construction of the blind area will go to hell since it will begin to collapse after the first winter season.

It is made thick 1 - 2 cm. and is filled with sand, or a heat-resistant sealant that can withstand temperature fluctuations - 100 + 100 degrees or polystyrene foam. At the same time, a warm seam is formed by laying roofing felt to the vertical surface of the wall (there can be several layers), or with a sheet of insulation.

First of all, it must meet the following necessary requirements:

1. Wear resistance.
2. Frost resistance.
3. Resistant to leakage and damage from water.

There are several types of external coatings:

1. Concrete coating: is rightfully considered one of the most reliable and durable.
2. Asphalt concrete: also very reliable, the only drawback is that it requires special equipment to lay it.
3. Paving stones, paving slabs: Today, in order to make a blind area for a house, there is a huge selection of paving stones and paving slabs on the market. These types of blind areas have many different shapes and colors, so you can safely choose according to your taste and style. The only prerequisite is also the thickness of the material; it must be at least 6 cm in order to withstand harsh operating conditions. There are also other types of coatings. We have already briefly mentioned them, or rather types, at the beginning of the article.

Conclusion

Making a blind area around the house is, in principle, not difficult. The technology is extremely simple and unpretentious. The main thing here is to comply with the necessary rules and regulations. The point here is also in a slightly different aspect.

If you still have a question whether to do or not to do this much-needed procedure, then the answer here should be unequivocal and positive. Otherwise, later, very unpleasant “surprises” related to the foundation, and the house too, may await you. As the saying goes, “Forewarned is forearmed.”

In contact with

During construction, it is very important to properly make the blind area around the house. It allows you to reduce the amount of splashes of dirt during rain, which reduces contamination of the facade. However, poor design can lead to waterlogged foundation walls. There are several opinions among specialist builders about how to make a blind area around a house correctly with your own hands.

Some believe that making a moisture-proof blind area, for example from concrete, will effectively drain rainwater from the wall. Others argue that this element is built purely for aesthetic reasons, serving as narrow “sidewalks” along the façade.

The third popular opinion is that the main function of the blind area is to keep the house clean, as it helps to avoid contamination during rain.

So, how to make a simple blind area around a house from stone, tiles and other materials, what to pay attention to, how to prepare the base and what materials to choose - this will be discussed in the article.

Blind area around the house - how to do it correctly and what is it for?

First of all, it’s worth understanding how rainwater affects external walls building. When it rains, water soaks into the ground (through the lawn or permeable strip around the house made of crushed stone, tiles or other materials). Some of the water will be absorbed to the groundwater level. However, some of it will rise up through the soil capillaries and evaporate from the surface, which is sometimes called “self-draining” of the soil. If a waterproof blind area is made, for example, from concrete, a constantly wet zone of soil may appear directly under the house, in contact with the foundation walls. In practice, this will have an adverse effect on the foundation walls; moisture can penetrate into the building and contribute to the development of fungus, especially if the house has a basement.

How to properly make a blind area around the house - video

In recent years, many experts have recommended insulating foundations using a waterproofing membrane film. Diffusion film membranes allow the walls to “breathe” and better drain water from the foundations (through a system of channels in their structure). This is only true if there is a place for the water to pass through to evaporate. If we place a membrane film under a waterproof blind area, it will not do its job.

In this case, the blind area must be made water-permeable, for example, from decorative stone or tiles laid on sand, gravel or gravel mixture (concrete or cement-sand bedding cannot be used). The border of the blind area must also be made, for example, a concrete rim or a plastic rim.

Functions of the blind area

According to most experts, the blind area of ​​a house performs two main functions:

1. First of all, it allows you to leave the facade clean, since rainwater splashes, bouncing off tiles or stones, which leads to mud splashing the walls.
2. The second function is to improve the aesthetics of the building (of course, this is a matter of taste for each of us).

This is not the only possible application. This building element can also serve as an auxiliary path around the house, as well as a support for stairs or scaffolding for façade maintenance or window cleaning. Every year it becomes more and more important because wide use mechanical ventilation is acquired, during which non-opening windows are often installed in the house. In this case, the only access to them is the outer wall of the building.

How to choose the correct blind area width?

In order for the blind area to perform these functions, it cannot be too narrow. However, the most commonly used width is 40-60 cm, it will be enough to complete the main task, but it will not work in any of those listed above additional functions. A width of 80 - 90 cm will make the blind area relatively comfortable. For the passage of two people, this width increases to at least 120, but better to 150 cm. As for the “path around the house” function, in practice it does not have much practical use, since it is much more convenient to move along paths built directly in the garden than on the narrow sidewalks at the front.

It should be borne in mind that paths leading to the entrance of the building located too close to the wall will lead to significantly more rapid pollution facade. For the same reason, you should not connect the blind area to the group of the main communication line. If there is enough space, it is better to separate it with a narrow strip of greenery from the sidewalk. This will greatly improve ease of use and help maintain cleanliness.

Finally, the width of the blind area is selected to match the module of the selected tile or stone format. For example, we decided to use 18.2 x 18.2 cm tiles - then there is no point in creating a 70 cm wide strip, because this means cutting out almost all elements and significantly increasing labor and waste costs. Instead, it is better to choose 55 cm (18.2 × 3), 73 cm (18.2 × 4) or 91 cm (18.2 × 5). This will reduce the amount of waste to almost zero (tile elements will be laid whole or cut in half). For the same reason, when choosing trapezoidal tiles or other uneven-sided shapes, it is better to place them along the facade.

How to make a blind area around the house with tiles or stone?

We already know how to choose the shape of the blind area and what functions should correspond to it. Therefore, the only question is how to properly make a blind area? This is not particularly difficult, since it is structurally no different from other sidewalks and paths made of stone or paving slabs.

Best choice is a blind area made of paving slabs or stone; it can be made of decorative stone, pebbles or the more popular paving slabs. The main function of this design is to protect the facade from dirt and slush, as well as protect the foundation from moisture.

The most popular blind area natural stone, gravel, paving slabs.

Work begins with a trench (it is important to remove all humus, which is quite simple to do), then a foundation, a leveling pad and a surface of tiles or stone are made. However, there are some additional rules.

First of all, you need to make sure that the level of the planned strip will be below the top edge of the vertical foundation insulation. Otherwise, the walls of the building may become damp. To protect against snow, it is recommended to perform vertical insulation at least 30 cm above the level of the blind area.

Second important point– slope. It must provide drainage from the building. For normal conditions the slope should be 2%. This means a 2 cm height difference for a strip width of 1 m. It is also important that the top edge of the curb does not protrude above the plane of the tile. It should be flush with its bottom edge.

1. External wall of the building.
2. Border of the blind area.
3. Tile, stone.
4. Priming.
5. Vertical building insulation.
6. Sand bedding.
7. Bedding with a slope.
8. Foundation of the building.

This design is very simple to implement and does not require precise compliance with height differences. This is due to the fact that water penetrates very quickly through the stone layer into the soil. What is the best way to make a blind area around a house from decorative stone? The top layer can be made using decorative stones or coarse gravel. The most aesthetic solution is white stone, but at the same time it can quickly become dirty.

It is recommended that the top layer of stone has a thickness of about 15 cm. The stones should be scattered on an even layer of sand about 10-15 cm thick. This solution will ensure that the flow of rainwater quickly penetrates into the ground, as well as the rapid drying of the substrate.

The structure should be surrounded by a concrete or granite border. The lack of a border will quickly lead to the rocks "spreading" into the garden. However, any stones that fall on the lawn can damage the lawn mower.

For a gravel and stone strip, install a curb so that it protrudes about 2 cm above the level of the stones. This will protect the blind area from stones or gravel falling onto the grass. At the same time, you need to make sure that the lawn behind it is also about 2 cm lower, which will prevent dirt from being deposited on the layer of stones.

To keep the side stable and ensure a constant width of the blind area for many years, it is worth strengthening it from the outside with concrete, or building a support. In addition, this design will allow you to later work in the garden directly near the house (for example, digging a trench for drainage or laying cables, etc.) without damaging it.

Paving slabs are much easier to maintain than stone structures. In the case of stones, after a few years it is often necessary to replace their top layer (about 5 cm) with new, clean stones in the desired color (usually white stones). At the same time, we must not forget that it is undesirable to use concrete pouring or a cement/sand mixture, as this will interfere with the free movement and evaporation of water.

You can use paving slabs or granite 4-6 cm thick for the blind area of ​​the house. There is no need to use road tiles(8 cm thick) since there is no traffic or other extreme exposure.

Geotextiles can be laid under paving slabs and sand. The cost of creating such a structure depends mainly on the material of its top layer.

In terms of functionality, both solutions are similar. Therefore, it is better to make the choice mainly by considering the decision from the point of view of financial issues, since the cost of sand and sand-gravel mixture in each region is different, as is the availability of any of these materials in construction market.

In the case of paving slabs, it is important to maintain the proper height difference between the blind area and the lawn. It is recommended that this difference be 1-2% or even 2-4%, which means with a strip width of 0.5 m, the difference in levels will be 1-2 cm. You cannot tilt the angle of the height difference to the wall of the building so that the water does not stand along walls and foundations (water penetrates into the cracks between the tiles much more slowly than through a stone path).

When laying tiles, it is very important to thoroughly compact the layer of sand bedding, since if the sand is not compacted, the tiles will settle unevenly. If the blind area is made of decorative stone, careful compaction of the sand is not necessary (only slight compaction of the surface is required).

The tile must be limited by a side. In the case of a concrete border, it is recommended that it be slightly lower than the tiles (0.5-1 cm), which will improve the drainage of rainwater onto the lawn.

Border for paving slabs - concrete, granite or plastic?

In the case of a decorative blind area made of stone the best solution there will be a concrete sidewalk curb 6 or 4 cm thick. A granite option is also available. In turn, in the case of paving slabs, you can use both concrete and plastic curbs for paving slabs.

Laying geotextiles in the blind area of ​​a house

Placing geotextiles (or so-called permeable agrofiber) under a layer of sand will limit the growth of weeds and other vegetation. However, it is important that the fabric is permeable in both directions (top and bottom). Sealed insulating films must not be placed in this location.

Geotextiles can be laid out along the entire length of the blind area of ​​the house, with an overlap of subsequent strips of about 30-50 cm. This material will not completely limit the growth of vegetation, but will significantly reduce the scale of this phenomenon. In practice, this will make it easier to maintain good appearance designs.

To improve the appearance, you can mark between the elements of paving slabs or stones lighting, diversify the design with flower beds and other garden decor.

When it comes to aesthetic issues, color is of paramount importance. It should be remembered that the blind area around the house is not the most important element whole, therefore should not dominate environment. It should be harmonized with the facade, but it should merge with it, since this can greatly spoil the proportions of the building. If we don't have much experience in choosing colors and we're afraid of experimenting, “safer” will be a little more dark color than the facade of the house. It is also good if it is made of a material and color that matches garden paths around the house.

Building a house is a complex process. It consists of several main stages, most often obvious and necessary. But there are a few things that can be overlooked that, if done, will greatly improve the aesthetics and comfort of the building. These include the blind area around the house. First of all, she will protect bottom part facade from dirt, and will also provide an aesthetic separation of the house from the garden. However, in order for the architecture of the building to be complemented and not spoiled, it is important to carefully consider the project and choose the appropriate material.