No matter how easy the garden gazebo may seem, it cannot do without a reliable foundation. Even treated wood is still afraid of dampness. In addition, sharp temperature fluctuations affect the soil, causing swelling. However, the simplest foundation for a gazebo will allow you to build a reliable structure.
Varieties of gazebos
Many summer residents seek to organize a place to relax on their site. With a lack of space, they make an extension to the house – a veranda or a terrace adjacent to the building, and a patio area is set up in the backyard. But if the site is quite spacious, it is better to build a gazebo.
Traditionally, it is made of a closed type, equipped with glazed windows and entrance doors. It turns out a miniature mansion, in which, with good heating, you can stay even in winter. Such a structure needs a reliable strip foundation capable of holding a capital structure.
More summer options are open gazebos that do not have windows and walls. Several columnar supports make up the frame of the building on which the roof is held. The structure weighs a little, therefore, on the basis, you can save some money by getting by with a columnar foundation.
A simple version of the gazebo is an openwork structure with lattice walls entwined with grapes or ivy, the so-called gazebos. They are light, but it is also desirable for them to organize a reliable foundation by monolithically concreted the lower platform before laying the flooring.
Often a portable barbecue is installed inside the recreation area or even a full-fledged barbecue stove is built from bricks. The gazebo acquires the function of a summer kitchen. In this case, a reliable foundation must also be taken care of, as required by fire safety standards.
Video “How to build a gazebo alone”
From this video you will learn how to build a wooden gazebo with your own hands.
Types
The construction market offers several types of foundations that differ in engineering design:
- columnar;
- pile;
- tape
- slab.
Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. When choosing, first of all, pay attention to two factors:
- weight of the future structure;
- soil characteristics at the construction site.
Consider the most common types of foundation in more detail.
Tape
It has a complex structure, therefore, for bookmarking it requires a lot of effort and building materials. The basis is reliable, designed for permanent buildings made of concrete or brick.
For wooden arbors, a strip foundation will also work. It is worth resorting to it if it is planned to build a solid gazebo made of brick or stone, which will require a reliable concrete belt.
The laying of the foundation of the tape type is carried out according to the following scheme:
- On the site along the perimeter of the future building, a trench is being dug 40-50 cm deep.
- The bottom is covered with a sand cushion 10 cm high.
- A formwork is being built over the trench.
- All voids are filled with a reinforcing cage – a structure made of metal bars.
- The trench and formwork are poured with concrete.
The material needs about a month to harden. After setting, the construction of the walls of the future gazebo begins. Before this, the concrete base is covered with a waterproofing material, for example, roofing material.
And digging a trench, and building a formwork – all this takes time and effort. Also, a considerable amount of cubic meters of concrete and building reinforcement is consumed for pouring. It is not surprising that the strip foundation is considered one of the most expensive.
Pile
Although the use of concrete structures in the laying of the foundation seems to be a reliable option, there is a fundamentally different approach. A pile (or pile-screw) foundation involves the use of piles – pipes that have several varieties. They differ in wall thickness and trunk diameter, designed for different weights of buildings. Each pile is equipped with helical blades, with which it is screwed into the ground.
This method has a number of advantages:
- all work can be completed in one day;
- construction is possible even in winter;
- gives the building a light and airy look;
- suitable for the most “bad” sites for construction: hilly and uneven, with strong elevation changes, with swampy and peaty soils;
- the cost is 40% lower than the construction of a tape analogue.
The solidity of the pile foundation allows it to be used not only for the construction of light wooden arbors, but also for the construction of a residential building, outbuildings, etc. Buildings can be built even on a slope, simply by adjusting the height of the piles by one level.
Installation of the pile foundation is carried out as follows:
- Select piles of the required type.
- They prepare the site for construction: garbage is removed, the top layer of soil is removed to avoid the appearance of weeds.
- Based on the plan, places for the installation of piles are outlined.
- Screw piles are screwed in at selected points. In depth, it is necessary to reach solid ground, which will reliably hold the future structure.
- A sand cushion 50–60 cm thick is organized throughout the site, another layer of crushed stone of the same thickness is placed on top. Such an embankment will not allow grass to grow, at the same time it will serve as a drainage system.
- The upper part of the piles must have special square sole plates. If not, they are welded, making sure that everyone is in the same horizontal area. If necessary, before welding, the pipe is cut to the required length.
- Holes are drilled in the plates for mounting the lower trim of the future building.
Before starting the construction of the building itself, it is recommended to cover the soles with waterproofing material – roofing material, etc.
Columnar
Instead of building a continuous concrete belt around the entire perimeter for light buildings, you can get by with deepening several support pillars into the ground. This approach significantly reduces the cost of construction.
The pillars are made square or round, they must be placed at the corners of the future structure, as well as in the middle between the corner ones. However, if the building is planned to be made too large, the number of pillars will have to be increased.
Here is a step-by-step instruction for laying a columnar foundation:
- According to the existing drawing, the required number of holes are dug on the site. The depth depends on the properties of the soil – for loose and clay, you have to go deep as much as possible. Wooden structures do not require massive foundations; for a brick gazebo, pillars will need more solid ones.
- A sand cushion 10 cm deep is built in the pits, then a layer of stones or gravel is poured – another 10 cm.
- Poles can be made from different materials. Sometimes a formwork is built over the pit and poured with concrete, sometimes it is assembled from bricks, or even ready-made concrete blocks of the required length are simply dug in. Often different approaches alternate: the pit is concreted, a column of bricks is laid on top.
On the finished columns of thick timber, the lower trim is mounted, which will already serve as a support for the construction of the entire frame. This approach is suitable for light wooden arbors, but it is not suitable for a brick structure – the material is heavy, the supports must be tied with a full-fledged concrete belt.
Other solutions
For most light and heavy structures, a monolithic foundation is also suitable. Designed for heavy loads, it is a flat concreted area that completely covers the entire area under the building. A monolithic slab will require the construction of formwork and concrete pouring, so this method cannot be called easy and cheap. However, thanks to him:
- can be built on any soil;
- the weight of the building is evenly distributed throughout the site;
- it is possible to avoid deformations and distortions of the structure in the future.
A more budget option is to use ready-made concrete blocks as a foundation. They are installed in those places where otherwise it would be required to mount concrete columns. Dig a little into the ground to trim the same height.
Domestic craftsmen suggest using old car tires when building gazebos in the country. They are filled with crushed stone, stones and pieces of brick, covered with earth, then the lower trim is mounted on top, having previously placed metal reinforcement.
The foundation is an important basis for any reliable building. For home construction, you can use any type, the main thing is to perform all the actions correctly, be sure to follow the required safety rules.