How to dismantle the foundation?

If the house is too dilapidated, or on the site of an old building it is necessary to build a new one, then you will have to completely dismantle the building. And it is necessary to remove not only the walls and the roof, but also the foundation. Such work requires special attention, since it is specific. Dismantling the foundation is not always possible to do it yourself without the use of special tools and equipment. In addition, for such work it is necessary to prepare technical documentation approved by professionals. Consider the features of this procedure in more detail.

Once the structure has been demolished, do not rush to immediately begin disassembling the concrete foundation.First you need to decide on the method of dismantling, correlate costs, clarify what equipment and in what quantity will be needed. And it is also important to take care of the removal of all construction debris and waste, to familiarize yourself with the safety regulations in advance. And already on the basis of all the prepared information to make a detailed work plan. Only after that you can start dismantling.

To date, there are several technologies for dismantling the foundation.

To find out which one is right for your case, you need to take into account several parameters:

• the depth level at which the base of the building is located;

• the type and configuration of the foundation (belt, pile);

• the presence of reinforcement;

• condition of the concrete massif;

• the type and characteristics of the soil;

• availability of groundwater;

• the degree of availability of the object;

• type of material - concrete, brick, rubble;

• remoteness of neighboring buildings and so on.

The most common and obvious methods for dismantling a concrete base are manual and mechanical methods. Many people think that manual disassembly of the foundation is the best and easiest option, because its implementation requires only its own time and effort.However, this method is very long, and not always it can be used. It is important to consider not only the total cost, which will cost the work, but also the energy and rationality of the time spent. At the same time, it is also worth understanding that not the same dismantling technologies are suitable for every site. So, for a country house construction, which is located in a remote area, the type of work will be optimal, different from the methods of dismantling the foundation in a large residential area.

Consider both options in more detail.

This is the easiest and rough method of work. It is quite fair to call it "ancient" and the most non-technological. It does not require virtually any financial costs, which is why manual processing still attracts some homeowners. However, the enormous amount of time and effort that will have to be spent on dismantling is not commensurate with cost savings. And if you can destroy a brick or rubble foundation with your own hands, it will not work at all for a monolithic concrete foundation. Especially if its frame is made with the addition of reinforcement.The same applies to the strip foundation.

If you do decide to dismantle the foundation manually, then arm yourself with a pick and a sledge hammer. And also involve all friends and relatives in the work, but rather hire a team of workers. After all, alone with this just can not cope.

More often, the dismantling of the foundation is carried out precisely with the involvement of special equipment. With the help of it, it will be possible to break even strong reinforced concrete, concrete and pile foundations.

To perform the work you will need the following equipment:

• hydraulic hammer;

• jackhammer;

• perforator;

• hydroclin;

• diamond cutter;

• hydraulic shears and the like.

But also for the implementation of the mechanized method are sometimes involved excavators with hydraulic hammer, cranes, and so on. This is mainly the case when the concrete base has a large area or is deep underground. The crane is used when mounting the base of the FBS blocks, so there is a need to immerse the components for reuse. Hydrohammer is most often used for the destruction of the monolithic concrete foundation.The tool is on the weight and is mounted on an excavator. It is with this equipment that the bridge supports are dismantled. It is worth noting that the cost of work with the involvement of special equipment is quite high. However, the efficiency and speed of this method is top notch.

In addition to the advantages of mechanized dismantling of the base, this technique has significant drawbacks. So, special tools and technology produce a lot of noise. So, permission to carry out such work can not be obtained. This is especially true when the building is located next to a school, kindergarten, hospital or other similar public institution. In addition, working with equipment requires utmost care and caution. It is important to carefully take care of security. You can not come close to the technique, because fragments of the material can be scattered over long distances and cause harm to others.

Since the first two methods of work are not always possible to apply, professionals have developed alternatives.

We list some of them.

1. Explosion. The main advantage of this method is speed - concrete or any other material is destroyed instantly. However, this explosion creates a large amount of noise. So it is also not suitable for all sites. But also this method is not always safe, since fragments of concrete can fly apart over long distances and cause damage to adjacent structures. In addition, the cost of such services is quite high.
2. Corrosive substances. If none of the dismantling methods listed above are suitable for you, you can use the other in a simple but effective way. First you need to drill holes in the surface of the base, then pour there a special solution that destroys materials. At the end of this process will take a lot of time - from 8 to 50 hours. But at the same time there are no restrictions for its use. And even nearby kindergartens or hospitals will not prevent you from dismantling the foundation.
3. Ultrasound. The crushing of the material is carried out by powerful ultrasonic waves, which are sent to the prepared cavities. The base is destroyed by blocks of the required size.This is a very convenient and efficient way, but the price of such works is quite high.

To calculate the approximate amount that will dismantle the foundation, There are several factors to consider:

• features of the selected method

• level of complexity of work

• the number and qualification of employees,

• site release speed,

• depreciation of mechanisms and tools

• the cost of services for the removal of construction waste,

• size of the concrete (or other) base.

The exact cost of the work will be calculated only after a full inspection of the site and its analysis by specialists. But also a considerable item of expenses will be the rent and delivery of special equipment, if the method of dismantling chosen by you assumes its use.

For information on how to dismantle the old foundation using hydroclin, see the following video.