To protect the foundation and walls of the house from destruction due to high humidity, it is necessary to ensure the drainage of upstream water from the area immediately adjacent to the building. The paving area not only successfully solves this problem, but also ennobles the house, emphasizing its style features. In addition, when installing a paving area around the house, a hard surface area appears that can be used as a path, a place for storing garden equipment and in other useful ways.
Building Paver Walkways around the House
Basic requirements for the blind area
First of all, it must successfully fulfill the main task – to divert the riding water from the foundation. To do this, she needs to have a certain water resistance. The degree of this waterproofness is determined by the materials and technology that are used when installing the blind area.
The width of the paved surface can vary from 1 m (on sandy, slightly swelling soils) to 2 m (on loamy, heaving soils).
The blind area around the house made of paving stones must necessarily have a slope directed away from the building. Its value is assumed to be 1.5-2%, which is 15-20 mm per 1 m of the paved surface width. This is enough to ensure a guaranteed drainage of water from the building.
Between the blind area and the foundation, it is necessary to provide a gap of 1-2 cm wide.Its need is caused by the fact that in winter the soil adjacent to the building swells and makes small vertical movements, while the foundation remains stationary. To exclude the destruction of the waterproofing of the foundation by covering the blind area, there must be a gap between them. Usually it is filled with sand, but other material that does not injure the waterproofing can be used. For example, expanded polystyrene or several layers of roofing material.
The height of the blind area affects the height of the base. It is recommended to choose the thickness of the blind area layers so that the height of the basement is at least 30-50 cm.
The choice of paving stones for the blind area
Depending on the requirements for the operational and design properties of the material, and the size of the budget allocated for this operation, stone, clinker or sand-cement paving stones can be used for paving the blind area.
Of course, a blind area made of granite paving stones or clinker is an excellent solution that can add chic to any home. But if we proceed from the fact that the movement of transport on the blind area is excluded, and the load on it will be small, it is economically expedient to use less expensive paving stones for this. In addition, the latter provides a wider choice of shapes and colors. Whatever design the facade of the building has, it will not be difficult to choose a suitable color composition from paving slabs for it. And it will be vibrocast or vibropressed – it completely depends on the preferences of the owner. As for the thickness of the paving stone, it can fluctuate in the range of 40 … 80 mm.
Blind area device
The technology for creating a blind area from paving stones may vary somewhat depending on the materials used. From time immemorial, clay was used in the construction of the blind area. It was she who formed a waterproof layer, which was a barrier to the penetration of moisture into the soil. Clay is still used today, but not as often as before. If necessary, you can do without it.
Structurally, the blind area consists of several layers of various materials laid in a trench dug along the perimeter of the house directly near the foundation. The depth of the trench is usually equal to the thickness of the fertile soil layer – 20-30 cm.The width, as already indicated, is from 1 to 2 m.
The bottom of the trench must be well compacted. Then a layer of clay (if used) is laid on it with a mandatory slope from the house. On top of the clay or soil, a layer of gravel 10-15 cm thick is laid, on it – a layer of sand 5-10 cm. The latter will serve as a substrate for paving stones.
Sometimes gravel is not used, replacing it with a thicker layer of sand. But it must be borne in mind that gravel is the material that practically does not swell. Therefore, its presence has a positive effect on seasonal soil movements that occur at subzero temperatures.
So that the water flowing down the facade during rain and snow does not fall into the gap between the foundation and the blind area, an ebb tide is installed on its way in the lower part of the wall, which diverts water from the wall.
If a water-cut-off clay layer is not used, it is advisable to lay a cut-off roll waterproofing in the blind area. It is a sheet of some kind of waterproofing material (roofing material, for example), the upper edge of which is attached under the wall cladding, and the lower one fits into a sand cushion. Thanks to him, water that will penetrate the paved surface will be diverted away from the foundation. If the outer surface of the latter is waterproofed (treated with bitumen or other waterproofing material), roll cut-off waterproofing can be dispensed with.
Laying paving stones
Laying paving stones around the house is practically no different from paving other surfaces. This operation is within the power of anyone who likes to work with their own hands. The masonry goes from the wall – with a deviation of 1-2 cm from it. The position of each stone is adjusted with a rubber mallet. It is necessary to ensure that the paving stones lie tightly, buried in the sandy pillow. And, of course, we must not forget about the obligatory slope to the edge. The gaps between the stones are maintained 3-5 mm.
Useful advice. The paving area around the house works very effectively in conjunction with storm drainage. Arranging the latter is not difficult. In a small trench dug along the edge of the blind area, drainage concrete or plastic trays are installed, covered with a lattice on top. All the water flowing from the blind area will be diverted by these trays into storm wells. As a result, the soil adjacent to the foundation will be in a drier state.
Along the edge of the site, a curb is installed flush with the surface of the blind area. It will not allow the extreme row of stones to go to the side and will give the blind area a more neat look. At the end of the laying, the gaps between the paving stones are filled with sand screenings.
In conclusion, it is advisable to tamp the surface with a vibrating plate with a rubber or polyurethane lining. This will compact the blind area well and give its surface absolute evenness.
