In private construction, a columnar foundation is often used. When constructing it, you can use various materials, doing the work yourself or involving professionals. But most often, people who decide to reduce construction costs prefer to build a columnar brick foundation with their own hands. What do you need to know to do this work yourself?
The advantages of a brick columnar foundation are quite numerous:
- Short construction period;
- Low cost of building materials;
- The ability to perform work independently, without the involvement of specialists;
- No need to use specialized equipment;
- The service life of the foundation is 30-50 years (depending on the type of soil, its moisture, and the quality of the material).
So we can say with confidence that brick is perfect for constructing columnar foundations for low-rise residential buildings, bathhouses, garages and other buildings that exert relatively weak pressure on the ground. However, with proper design and construction, a brick foundation is capable of transferring the load from a wooden two-story house to the ground, not to mention frame houses and small outbuildings.
Technology
The technology for constructing a brick columnar foundation is quite complex. It is enough to allow a few minor deviations for it to begin to collapse in just a few years. Therefore, you need to approach its construction very, very carefully.
Surveys and calculations
One of the most important factors that should be taken into account when carrying out preparatory work is the depth of the foundation. This, in turn, depends on the type of soil. For example, on highly heaving soils, it is recommended to use a buried foundation. It rests on a layer of soil that is not subject to heaving, that is, it lies below the freezing depth. The last parameter can be found out from SP 131.13330.2012, knowing the region of construction. It is recommended to lay foundation pillars below this mark - 30-50 centimeters.
A non-buried foundation is cheaper and faster to build. But its use is justified only on soil that is subject to minimal heaving throughout the year.
A shallow foundation is something between buried and non-buried, so you should choose it only taking into account the strength of the foundation, soil characteristics and the dynamics of heaving phenomena.
The number of supports depends on the specific project - the load on the ground and the layout of the building are taken into account.
Marking and excavation work
We dig holes for a columnar foundation.
You should start marking only if you have a ready-made house project in hand, for which a columnar brick foundation will be built. After this, you can arm yourself with pegs, a tape measure and a thin but strong cord. First, mark the perimeter of your house on the ground and stick four pegs around the edges. Pull the cord between them. The next stage is determining the location of load-bearing walls. Having a tape measure and a project, this is not difficult to do. Also mark them with pegs and stretch the string.
The cross-section of the pillars and the frequency of their location are much more difficult to determine - you need to find out the load-bearing capacity of the soil and the weight of the building (along with the roof, furniture, snow and other objects). It is best to entrust the calculation to specialists so that you do not have to seriously regret it later.
All places where foundation pillars will be located should be marked with pegs.
The next stage is excavation work. They can be carried out either independently, using a regular shovel, or with the help of specialized equipment. However, in any case, it is necessary to ensure that the pits are located exactly under the load-bearing walls - the deviation should be minimal. The dimensions of the pit should exceed the cross-section of the pillars by 15-20 centimeters.
Pillow
We pour a sand cushion (necessarily with compaction) and make concrete preparation (5-10cm).
A pillow is placed at the bottom of the holes. The optimal material is a mixture of crushed stone and sand, which allows not only to evenly transfer the load from the structure, but also to quickly remove excess moisture. The layer should have a thickness of at least 20-30 centimeters. After laying, the layer must be compacted and leveled. A layer of waterproofing is laid on top - most often a piece of roofing felt. This allows you to protect the brick from water, thereby significantly increasing the service life of the foundation.
We lay waterproofing in 2-3 layers on the concrete preparation.
But it’s worth remembering that using a pillow is not always necessary. For example, if in a buried foundation a brick rests on a monolithic base, there is no need to place a cushion under the monolith, because The concrete itself will take up all the unevenness in the ground. From the point of view of anti-heaving properties, the sand cushion does not play a role here, because Below the freezing depth, heaving is not observed. If you do lay sand, it must be compacted by vibration.
Sole
We lay the reinforcement frame of the sole.
To increase the strength of the foundation and increase its load-bearing capacity, while at the same time obtaining the most uniform distribution of the load on the ground, experts recommend constructing a concrete base or sole.
Fill the base with concrete.
To do this, a mesh, welded or knitted from reinforcing rods with a thickness of at least 8 millimeters, is laid at the bottom of the pit. The mesh is filled with concrete. The optimal layer is 20-25 centimeters. Concrete gains maximum strength in about a month, but bricklaying can begin within 2-3 days. By this time, the concrete will set and gain sufficient strength to withstand such loads.
Pillars
We lay out brick pillars.
After completing the previous stage, you can begin laying bricks. Most often, the pillar consists of four bricks laid in half a brick. The result is a pillar with a square cross-section and a void in the center. In some cases (with a significant decrease or increase in load), a different number of bricks may be used. A solution is used as a binding material, the basis of which is high-grade cement - M-400 or M-500.
The strength of the pillars can be increased. To do this, they are reinforced with reinforcing mesh. The wire should be no thinner than 4-6 millimeters. The frequency of laying the mesh is between every 3-4 rows of bricks. To obtain a perfectly level foundation, it is necessary to use a level - each laid row of bricks is checked. It is not advisable for the deviation to exceed 2 degrees. This may affect the reliability of the foundation and, accordingly, the safety of the house.
Brickwork continues until a suitable foundation height is reached - the pillars should rise 15-25 centimeters above the edges of the pit.
The strength of the structure can be increased by filling the voids in the pillars with concrete. The space is pre-reinforced with several reinforcement rods 8-12 millimeters thick.
We fill the voids in the brick pillars with concrete, pre-reinforcing them with reinforcement and laying anchor pins for subsequent fastening of the grillage.
When the solution has set (you should wait from 5 to 8 days, depending on the ambient temperature), the void between the pillars and walls is filled with gravel, crushed stone or slag. This not only improves the removal of moisture from the foundation, but also reduces the impact of seasonal soil fluctuations.
Then all the pillars are covered with pieces of roofing felt for waterproofing. The grillage will be laid on top of it. The vertical walls of brick pillars must be covered with coating or adhesive waterproofing.
We cover the pillars and the sole with waterproofing.
Separately, it should be said about the choice of brick. After all, the durability of the foundation depends on its strength and frost resistance.
So, only solid red fired clay brick is suitable for work. It has low moisture permeability and high strength. If you provide high-quality waterproofing, such a brick foundation will serve you for many decades.
Use only solid fired clay bricks.
Pay special attention to frost resistance. For example, a brick with frost resistance F35 can withstand 35 freeze-thaw cycles without harm. Consequently, the foundation will remain strong for about 35 years. In general, the higher this indicator, the better.
Make sure that the brick has no internal or external damage. External ones are easily identified by visual inspection. Internal ones can be detected by lightly hitting the brick with a metal object. The sound should be ringing, not dull.
Hollow and sand-lime bricks should not be used when constructing the foundation. They have less strength, frost resistance and moisture resistance, which can be seen by studying GOST 530-2007 and GOST 379-95. As a result, the foundation collapses much earlier than the owner would like.
Grillage
We backfill and arrange a grillage.
The last stage of work is the installation of the grillage. This design connects freestanding pillars into a single unit. And it is on it that the walls of the house rest.
The grillage itself is assembled from ready-made reinforced concrete products. They are durable and strong enough to cope with the task assigned to them perfectly. The gaps between the products are filled with concrete.
But the cost of such products seems high to some people. In this case, the grillage can be poured on site - it is enough to have suitable removable formwork, concrete and reinforcement. The formwork is installed on bricks, after which reinforcement is laid in it and concrete is poured.
But most often a wooden grillage is erected on such a foundation, because a brick foundation is more suitable for light houses. A wooden grillage can be secured to the pillars by first laying the embeds (studs) and pouring concrete into the central empty part.
It is necessary to ensure that the grillage is at a height of at least 10-15 centimeters from the soil. In this case, it will be protected from possible frost swelling of the soil under the house.
The calculation of the load on the grillage should also be entrusted to specialists. They will take into account the load and will be able to determine the optimal power of the structure, allowing you not to spend extra money on construction and at the same time guarantee sufficient strength.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in building a columnar brick foundation. All work can be carried out without the use of specialized machinery and equipment. The builder does not even need to have significant experience in the field of construction - it is enough to carefully study the theory and be as careful and attentive as possible during the work.
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Private construction involves the construction of various foundations for housing, depending on the total weight of the structure.
Many consider the most affordable solution to be a columnar foundation made of brick, which is suitable as a support for a frame country house, and even a two-story one, a veranda, a gazebo, a garage and other light summer cottage buildings.
This type of foundation has been tested in practice and attracts the attention of homeowners with its practicality, reliability, economy and simple construction technology.
Due to the fact that a brick foundation is not able to withstand heavy buildings that exert strong pressure on the ground, it is recommended to calculate the weight of the house and study the characteristics of the soil in the region before starting construction. After all, height differences of up to two meters at the construction site and weak, mobile soil can lead to the fragility of the foundation. 
In the form of columns it has the following advantages:
- Low price of building materials;
- Possibility of carrying out work independently, without hiring special teams and renting equipment;
- Short construction period;
- Long service life - up to 70 years;
- Possibility of replacing individual fragments in case of partial destruction of the base;
- Lack of heavy structures and elements, etc.
The main thing when building a foundation is to follow the technological process of construction work.
Brick selection
For high-quality foundation masonry, the correct selection of building materials is of great importance. Builders strictly recommend using only solid wood, which must be burnt. The main reason for such a serious selection is to eliminate the moisture content of the material, achieving low moisture permeability and high density. 
Burnt red brick is endowed with all these properties. Therefore, the foundation will be strong and reliable for decades, resistant to destruction.
Another positive characteristic of solid brick is excellent frost resistance, which allows it to withstand sudden temperature fluctuations. Repeated freezing of the soil and its thawing in the area with the building will not affect the overall structure of the foundation and will not lead to its deformation.
Using the frost resistance index F (which is checked in the store when purchasing a brick), you can find out how long the product is guaranteed to last without obvious signs of destruction. The higher F, the longer the duration of operation of the foundation.
Before starting construction work, it is desirable to carefully select red brick - no cracks and a clear sound when struck. It is better to give preference to grades M-150, M-200 and beyond, and not to use brick grades M-100, M-125. You can use used material, but provided it is not too worn out.
Attention! Experts remind you that the use of lightweight hollow or sand-lime bricks for the construction of brick columnar supports is not permissible.
What tools and materials are needed
Before starting construction, it is necessary to provide the necessary materials and tools in advance. 
It is advisable to use what remains from previous cases:
- Burnt red brick;
- Asbestos cement pipes;
- Building stone;
- Logs, etc.
And also purchase:
- Sand;
- Cement;
- Crushed stone;
- Ruberoid;
- Gravel;
- Bitumen mastic;
- Bitumen-polymer membranes;
- Reinforcing mesh.
The basic work of constructing the foundation can be easily done independently, without the involvement of builders, by preparing individual tools in advance:
- Kirk;
- Shovel;
- Hammer;
- Plumb;
- Cord;
- Master OK;
- Joining;
- Level;
- Pegs;
- Roulette.
Site marking and excavation work
Construction includes several stages:
- Marking the territory;
- Digging soil;
- Preparation of the base;
- Brickwork;
- Final works.
It is better to mark the site if you have a ready-made house project. To do this you will need pegs, a tape measure and a thin but strong cord. 
Mark the perimeter of the future building on the ground, stick 4 pegs along the edges.
Pull the cord between them.
Using a tape measure and the project, determine the location of the load-bearing walls.
Mark with pegs and tighten the cord.
The frequency of column placement must be calculated taking into account the bearing capacity of the soil and the weight of the building, but at a distance not exceeding 1.5-2 meters from each other. If the walls are heavy, the pillars need to be placed more often. All places where they are installed must be marked with pegs.
Excavation work starts manually or using special equipment and is aimed at arranging recesses for brick pillars. Their dimensions are taken into account. about 0.7 m, then at the bottom of the pits (their size should exceed the cross-section of the columns by 15-20 cm) a 10-15 cm sand-crushed stone cushion is laid, which is reliably compacted.
To protect the bricks from possible groundwater, a layer of roofing material is laid on the cushion.
It is advisable to strengthen the columnar foundation from destruction by constructing a concrete foundation. Its minimum thickness should be from 0.15 to 0.2 m, and the hardening period ranges up to three days in order to gain sufficient strength.
We begin construction
Depending on the depth of the foundation, the following types are distinguished:
- Shallow-buried, used for sandy and rocky soils, depth 0.4-0.7 m;
- Recessed, with a fairly low level of groundwater, depth 2 m.
The construction of the foundation begins with the preparation of pits for supports, which must be made with a margin, taking into account an additional 10 cm. 
The bottom of the grooves is covered with sand, and roofing felt is placed on top or filled with cement. These actions are necessary to protect the posts from water.
Proper brick laying
Columns of four bricks are placed in rows, the laying of which is carried out in half a brick. The result should be supports with a square cross-section and a void in the center. Sometimes a different number of bricks may be used. As a binder, builders recommend preparing a concrete mortar from cement grades M-400 or M-500. 
Strengthening the pillars is done using reinforcing mesh through 3-4 rows (wire with a diameter of 6 mm) and pouring concrete.
The horizontal evenness of each laid row of bricks and the vertical slopes of the pillars (exceeding 2 degrees) are checked using a level. The laying must be carried out until the columns begin to rise 0.2 m above the edge of the pit.
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It will take a week for the solution to set, and the free space between the pillars and walls is filled with crushed stone or gravel. The final stage is waterproofing - covering the pillars with pieces of roofing felt.
It is not so difficult to build a columnar foundation made of brick with your own hands. First of all, you need to level the area as much as possible. Then mark it in accordance with the design of the future building and indicate the locations of future pillars.
The marking is done using a strong rope. It is stretched in accordance with the lines of the load-bearing walls parallel and then perpendicular. The pillars of the future foundation are placed at the places where the threads intersect.
The pillars are erected along the line of load-bearing walls and also at their intersections, since it is the load-bearing walls and intersections that will bear the main weight of the structure.
The foundation can be shallow - the height of the pillars does not exceed 50 - 70 centimeters and deep - the height of the pillars is up to 2 meters. It all depends on the soil on which construction is carried out.
The difficulty in constructing a columnar foundation lies in the fact that it is inconvenient to lay masonry in the prepared hole. In such cases, a wide trench is dug in which it will be possible to lay out a brick pillar with a void in the middle of the pillar.
After the pillars are erected, the lower part, which is located in the ground, is finished with waterproofing, to avoid destruction of the brick by moisture and groundwater, the trenches are filled up and leveled with the rest of the ground.
The easiest way to make brick pillars is to make a small square box from boards as a template for the pillars, which is placed in the place of the future pillars, having first made a flat area of concrete mortar.
Place a template on the cooled area, lay several rows of bricks around it, after removing the template, the internal space of the pillar will remain for pouring concrete, and continue laying bricks to the desired height.
Reinforcement with a cross-section of 10-12 mm is inserted into the empty space of the finished pillars so that the reinforcement protrudes 15-20 cm above the pillar to connect with the foundation plinth, and is filled with concrete. When leveling the posts at the same height, use a water level; it will more accurately indicate the height of the posts.
The space between the pillars above the ground is also bricked with vents for ventilation. Or the formwork is installed as in a strip foundation, reinforced with reinforcement, and filled with concrete.
Before concreting, plastic sewer pipes with a diameter of 110 mm are inserted into the space between the formwork to ventilate the space under the house and drain communications.
These constructions between the pillars are in no case connected to them or to each other, in order to avoid breaking due to subsidence or any other natural phenomena.
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30% of the total amount goes to the so-called zero work, which includes laying the foundation. So why pay more if you planned “light” housing, a frame house, for example? Such a dwelling will perfectly support a columnar foundation.
Not the most complex, but quite reliable design, and also financially profitable. Excellent foundation option for construction not only frame houses, but also all country houses: gazebos, summer houses, verandas, baths.
Why is he chosen?
Pillar foundation has a number of advantages in front of his “brothers in the shop”:
- Budget. Construction of a columnar foundation (if you do it yourself, without the help of specialists) costs half as much as construction of any other type of foundation. But even if you had to hire a professional, the savings are still significant: building materials are half as much; time - approximately the same.
- The technology for installing such a foundation is so simple, that anyone can understand it and cope with it, even those who do not have a construction specialty.
- As building materials for foundations You can use used bricks. But it is important that the material used is not too worn out.
By the way, many developers choose a columnar brick foundation as the best option because of its availability and durability– if properly constructed, it will last at least 100 years.
ATTENTION! If the material for a columnar foundation is brick, take its choice very seriously. You can get a high-quality foundation only from solid red fired bricks, which have high density and low water permeability.
Basic materials for a columnar foundation
Home construction differs from professional construction in that it is based mainly on the principle: “The richer you are, the happier you are.” But this is rather its distinctive feature than a disadvantage. Therefore, as the main foundation materials, you can use everything you have left from the previous construction:
- asbestos-cement pipes;
- brick;
- building stone;
- logs
You, as a prudent owner and strict foreman, are only required to carefully monitor the quality and strength of the material, especially if it is second-hand.
Basic nuances of construction. Preparatory work
The first step of preparatory work is the plan, carefully calculated and thought out to the smallest detail. The plan should indicate everything: the depth of the foundation, the size of the future building, places for pillars.
The next step: clearing the area around the building. The task is to prevent the riot of unnecessary vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the future home (gazebo, bathhouse). To do this, count two meters (on each side) from the perimeter of the future building and remove the top layer of soil in this area - 10-30 cm will be enough.
And the third stage is preparing the work site. The main requirement for a construction site: it must be as level as possible. If there are bumps in the place where you are planning to erect a new building, level them; if there are depressions, fill them up. It is advisable to level the entire area planned for the building by pouring a layer of sand or crushed stone, and only then start digging holes for the pillars.
And if a foundation on pillars made of pipes or logs cannot support a two-level building, then a columnar foundation made of bricks can easily cope with this task.
ATTENTION! Poles need to be erected in all corners and at all points where a large load is predicted, at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from each other. The heavier the wall, the closer the pillars.
Foundation depth
The depth of laying the columnar foundation, first of all, depends on soil characteristics and construction features(size and weight of the future building, climate of the region in which construction is planned).
The first thing that is important to study on the eve of planning is the soil. You should know everything about it, down to what depth the groundwater is and how many centimeters it freezes in winter. And one more thing: when starting work, remember that a columnar brick foundation should not be used in areas with height differences and on weak horizontally moving soils.
If you are going to build a high-quality and durable foundation that will last for centuries, the simplest “ask your neighbors” scheme will not work. It is necessary to study special documentation on construction climatology and soil conditions that are specific to this particular site. And only after this determine the type of foundation based on depth: shallow (40-70 cm) or buried (0.3-0.5 m below the freezing depth) - which one is suitable for the planned structure?
Construction of a brick foundation
Installing a columnar brick foundation is not very difficult, but it differs from similar structures in some features.
Holes for a brick pillar need to be dug with reserve– you will need an additional 10 cm during laying, for convenience.
The bottom of the hole must be filled with sand, and on top, at your discretion, either put roofing felt or filled with cement to protect the brick pillars from moisture.
The strongest pillars, two bricks long, should be placed in the corners of the building and at the intersections of walls; at other points the building will be supported by pillars of one and a half bricks.
If you have enough strength, time and desire, you can strengthen the foundation with reinforcing mesh every 3-4 layers of brickwork.
Each column should be removed from the ground by 20-30 cm and coated with hot bitumen, and covered with roofing felt on top.
Columnar foundation rules
- If you managed to build the foundation in summer or autumn, do not leave it “light” for the winter, be sure to load it with concrete slabs or something else heavier so that frost cannot push the pillars out of the ground. Or try to construct the main structures of the building before the temperature drops below zero.
- To ensure heated floors in your future home, provide a place for pickup between the foundation pillars. It is necessary to prevent cold air from entering under the floor.
- Using bricks to build pillars, pay attention to its frost resistance indicator. The higher the number, the longer the foundation will last.
