Tying wooden supports. How to properly frame a house with timber. Features and purpose

The pile-screw foundation remains one of the most popular solutions for individual construction due to its availability, simplicity and stability even on “floating” soils. However, in order for your home to be even more comfortable and not require repairs for as long as possible, you need to make its foundation even stronger and more durable. To do this, operations such as tying and closing screw piles are performed.

What is the difference between tying a pile foundation and closing it?

Inexperienced builders often confuse tying screw piles with covering the foundation. Although these two stages of the home foundation construction process are related in some way, they have slightly different goals.

Harness involves combining the heads of screw piles already installed in the ground into a single structure along the entire perimeter of the foundation and along the contour where the internal walls of the building will be erected.

The absence of strapping, which is done using timber, boards, channels and other materials, will lead to an uneven load on each pile. The consequence of this will be the rapid destruction of the foundation, which will simply “float”.

Closing screw piles gives the building a more aesthetic appearance and minimizes heat loss. After all, since the foundation is not monolithic and there is open space under the house, the floor in such a building is unlikely to be warm enough.

Many modern materials are used for closure.

Strapping options

Tying piles with timber

Owners of relatively light buildings - wooden or frame-panel - should give preference to this type of strapping. A timber grillage cannot be called very durable, but for such construction it is the most suitable and affordable option.

Foundation tied with timber.

Often, timber made from coniferous wood is used for strapping, since its cost is several times less than similar products made from hardwood, and the differences in performance characteristics are minimal.

Before installing the grillage, special antiseptic compounds must be applied to the beam to prevent the destruction of wood under the influence of atmospheric factors and covered with a bitumen waterproofing layer. The latter gives the timber water-repellent properties.

When tying a pile-screw foundation with timber, do the following:

The pile head is mounted after leveling (cutting) the pile and after pouring concrete inside it (if necessary).

1. Carefully align the installed piles so that the pillars are exactly at the same level.
2. Heads are mounted on the piles.
3. Waterproof the material.
4. On the beam, which falls on the joints of the corners of the house, grooves of the required size are cut out for subsequent connection of the wooden parts with each other.
5. The timber is laid on the pile caps along the perimeter along the entire contour of the foundation so that the joints of the separate parts of the grillage are fastened together on the caps. The joints are laid with a rope for better compaction.
6. Level the grillage and carefully check the angle: it should not deviate from 90 degrees.
7. The timber is fixed to the pile heads using self-tapping screws.

Tying piles with boards

When installing a pile foundation, the boarding has a number of undeniable advantages compared to timber:

1. During work cracks may appear in timber with a cross-section that is too large or it is significantly deformed.
2. For making beams timber longer than 6 m is not suitable because of the serious problems that can arise from doing so.
3. Timber beams are quite heavy, so installing them will require a whole team of workers. At the same time, a beam from boards is made right next to the foundation, which is much simpler.
4. Beams made from boards do not require additional drying and are characterized by increased strength compared to analogues made from timber.

Tying screw piles using boards is performed according to the following algorithm:

1. Between the pile heads and the piping itself, a waterproofing, moisture-proof layer must be made, often from high-quality roofing felt.

The photo clearly shows the waterproofing of the head from the harness, as well as the bed.

There is another way to tie a board. The boards are glued together and additionally secured with screws and nails. If the boards are thin, you can line them with plywood for greater strength. During installation, it is important to separate the joints of the boards into different piles and use the proven “half-tree” method.

Tying piles with a channel (I-beam) or corrugated pipe

Metal grillages make it possible to use a pile-screw foundation when constructing not only wooden buildings, but also one-story buildings made of cinder blocks, foam concrete and gas silicate.

Sometimes, instead of a channel, an I-beam is used, which is highly resistant to compressive loads and provides greater structural rigidity. I-beams with a cross-section of 20 are often used. In the case of a channel, metal beams with a cross-section of about 30 mm are taken for load-bearing walls, for the rest - with a cross-section of approximately 20 mm.

The foundation is tied with a channel or I-beam as follows:

1. The pile pillars are installed at the same height and the metal framing elements are treated with an anti-corrosion agent.
2. Metal beams are placed on the piles so that they meet in the middle of the pile posts. The channel is cut at right angles at the corner joints of the grillage elements.
3. The beams are welded to each other and to the pile heads.

In this photo, the foundation is tied with both a channel and a profile pipe (bottom).

Tying a pile foundation with corrugated pipe is done in almost the same way, however, the resistance of such material to significant mechanical loads may be much less. Among the advantages of the pipe, we note its low cost and low weight.

Tying piles using a reinforced concrete grillage

Monolithic reinforced concrete piping is almost a third cheaper than metal piping, but it has a number of disadvantages, the main ones being the complexity of installation and the impossibility of continuing construction until the grillage has completely hardened. This usually takes at least a month.

Piling of piles using a reinforced concrete grillage: final version.

When tying piles using a reinforced concrete grillage, you must proceed as follows:

1. The pillars of the piles are set to the same level.
2. Formwork is made from planed boards for further pouring with concrete, which is lined with oilcloth on the inside to prevent leaks.

Finished wooden formwork on concrete piles.

How are the pile foundations covered?

A closed pile-screw foundation is reliable protection from rodents and other animals that can live in the empty space between the piles. Also, the cladding and finishing of such a base will prevent heat loss in the home and help create a good microclimate there without excess humidity.

The most popular methods of closing a pile-screw foundation:

• creation of a suspended plinth;
• creation of a shallow tape-type base.

For a suspended plinth, thin and not too powerful composite and polymer materials, as well as wood, are used. In this case, the load on the screw piles is minimal, and the simplicity and speed of installation, coupled with low cost, is often captivating.

A suspended plinth covering the foundation with corrugated pipe piping.

Any type of finishing of the base on stilts requires the presence of two ventilation holes on opposite walls of the house. This will prevent moisture from accumulating on the piles and grillage, which will not corrode or rot (in the case of wood).

However, the pile foundation will last longer when installing a shallow strip plinth, which will become the best protection for the pile frame, guaranteeing its durability.

An option for constructing a shallow base to protect the pile foundation.

Thermal and waterproofing when closing the base

All types of basement finishing require the installation of a heat- and waterproofing layer, which is covered with asbestos-cement slabs, decorative thermal panels mounted on a sheathing of boards or a slate slab, or bricks. All these materials have their pros and cons:

1. Asbestos cement slabs They don’t look very attractive and are highly fragile, but they are inexpensive.

Decoration of the base with decorative bricks.

Tying and closing screw piles is a very important stage in the construction of a house, which determines how soon it will need major repairs.

Tying and closing a pile-screw foundation: how to make the foundation of a house durable?

Due to the availability and the possibility of self-production, tying a house with timber is quite popular. It determines how strong and durable the new house will be. Therefore, it is important to know how to properly tie timber.

The frame is the base laid on the foundation on which the house is installed. It protects the structure from the negative effects of the environment, so it must have high moisture resistance.

Framing the house is also needed to evenly distribute the weight of the building around the perimeter. For columnar and pile foundations, timber piping combines the foundation elements into a single structure called a grillage.

It is better to make the harness from a material made from coniferous wood. It has advantages compared to deciduous species:

• longer service life;
• higher strength;
• less moisture permeability;
• lower cost.

Waterproofing

Due to temperature changes, dampness will form in places where wood and concrete come into contact. This can lead to its rotting. To prevent this phenomenon, a layer of waterproofing is laid between the foundation and the tree. It can be made of roofing felt, roofing felt, or polyethylene film, laid in several layers. Bitumen is used less frequently because its application is more labor-intensive.

Quality of timber for strapping

Strapping beams with a humidity higher than 18% cannot be used without preliminary drying, as they become deformed after drying. Drying is done indoors, as wood cracks in the sun. Larch is considered the best material for the first crown laid on the foundation, since it does not rot and is not afraid of moisture.

The prepared material must be treated with a fire retardant to increase fire resistance. Especially if it is made of pine, which contains flammable resins. Impregnation with an antiseptic will protect against fungal infection and rotting.

Laying and fastening

Even during design, it should be taken into account that tying a house with timber will not last forever. Over time it will need to be replaced. Therefore, it is necessary to provide such a method of attaching the timber to the foundation so that repairs can be made without difficulty after raising the structure with jacks.

For fixation use:

1. Pins made from reinforcing bars are used on strip foundations or slabs. They are laid during the pouring of the foundation. Blind holes are made in the beams into which dowels will fit 2/3 of the thickness.
2. Threaded studs are also installed when pouring concrete. Their height must be greater than the thickness of the timber so that the nuts can be tightened.
3. Mounting on piles using plate or U-shaped heads also allows you to change the strapping as needed.
4. If the anchor connection is permanent, repair is impossible. When replacing the harness, it will have to be cut out in parts. Laying a new base using the same method will not work.
5. If the fastening is made with nails or construction screws driven/screwed into wooden plugs in the foundation, then this will also not allow replacing the lower crown.

Laying timber on a strip foundation

If there are uneven spots on the concrete surface, they need to be smoothed out or filled with cement screed. Tying a house with timber on a strip foundation is carried out in the following sequence:

1. The foundation is covered with waterproofing. For reliability, it is recommended to cover it with bitumen and put two layers of roofing material on top.
2. At the ends of the beams, nests are made for or in a bowl between each other in the corners.
3. Holes are drilled slightly larger than the diameter of the dowels or studs.
4. The timber is laid on the foundation, and the horizontal level is checked with a building level. Small differences in height are corrected by placing planks.
5. Place gaskets and wide washers on the studs, and tighten the nuts. The protruding part of the thread is cut off with a grinder.
6. At the corners, adjacent elements are fastened together with nails or self-tapping screws and reinforced with mounting angles.

A joint in a paw or in a bowl is also used and reinforced with metal plates.

Flooring logs are installed in a convenient way, but must be supported on the foundation. Since metal elements will not be accessible during operation, they should be coated with an anti-corrosion compound.

When attaching the strapping using wooden plugs in the foundation, a material with a high resin content is selected for them. The inner surface of the holes for the plugs is covered with bitumen/

Laying piping on a pile (screw) foundation

First you need to check the horizontalness of the foundation. If some piles are above the level, they are buried or the excess is cut off. If the difference is small, it is easier to make a cutout in the timber. Gaskets are placed on low supports during installation. By stretching a string between the piles, the evenness of their installation and the squareness of the foundation are checked.

Then the heads are prepared. If the piles protrude more than 0.5 m above the ground, metal plates with holes for attaching the timber are welded to them. When the supports are located low, caps are used made from sections of pipe with a diameter larger than that of the piles. Plates reinforced with scarves are welded to them.

On straight sections it is more convenient to use U-shaped heads made from channel bars. The timber is laid inside and secured with self-tapping screws through holes in the side walls. However, on the corner supports you will have to install plate heads or weld plates bent at right angles. They need to be placed outside the harness.

Depending on the method of connecting the beams, their ends are prepared. After laying the waterproofing, tying the pile foundation with timber begins from the corner:

• lay two adjacent beams, then the rest;
• after connecting all the elements, the horizontality and squareness of the strapping is checked again, and adjustments are made if necessary;
• fix the bars on the heads, first in the corners.

It is advisable to put it in the joints. This will eliminate squeaks during foundation shrinkage and thermal expansion of the material. When fastening with self-tapping screws, they must be positioned along the longitudinal axis of the beam. Otherwise, the load distribution will be uneven, which may cause the harness to break. If it is necessary to splice two beams along the length, the junction must be on a support.

Double tying a house with timber

This foundation is made when it is necessary to increase the reliability of the pile foundation piping. This is: to raise a house due to high soil moisture, to build a cellar, etc. Double piping compared to single piping provides:

• better heat retention;
• high strength, since there is no need to make cuts under the joists, which also makes it easier to replace them if necessary.

For the first crown, a beam with a cross-section of 200×200 mm is taken and laid in the above manner. A second row of material measuring 100×150 mm is mounted on top, overlapping the joints (if any) of the first crown. The elements are installed at the end to form a shelf inside the perimeter. Logs are installed on it and secured with nails.

If desired, the harness can be mounted from boards assembled in a checkerboard pattern. This design is stronger than a solid beam against fracture, since wood defects do not coincide in one place. The boards must certainly be fastened with nails with a bend.

The piping in a frame house is designed to ensure the joint operation of the main load-bearing structures. The lower one plays the role of a grillage for a columnar or pile foundation, and the upper frame of an individual frame house takes on the function of a mauerlat. Proper installation of these elements ensures high reliability of the building. It is necessary to consider each type separately.

Bottom frame of the house

The bottom trim is most often a wooden beam with a section of 150 by 150 or 200 by 200 millimeters. The section dimensions can be selected by calculation, but they should not be less than the thickness of the building walls. The main function of the lower frame is to ensure the joint operation of the free-standing supporting structures of the house, so it is not needed with a strip foundation.

The grillage can also be made from rolled metal, but this is usually prevented by the following points:

In addition, it is best not to combine wood with steel elements due to the difference in the physical properties of these materials.

When the strapping device can be neglected

In some cases, installing lower trim in the house will become an unnecessary event. These options include:

• construction of houses on strip foundations;
• construction using Canadian-American technology;
• frame-panel construction.

When building a house in the second case, SIP panels (sandwich panels) are used. The system involves quick assembly of a house, similar to a construction kit. The disadvantage of this technology is the impossibility of building a house with your own hands.

Harness requirements

When doing work with your own hands, you must carefully monitor the following points:

• quality of lumber (coniferous wood of the first or second grade is used for load-bearing structures, humidity according to regulatory documents should be 12%);
• compliance with geometric dimensions;
• reliable connection of all piping elements, including high-quality fastening to foundation elements;
• reliable waterproofing in places where the strapping is attached to concrete or metal foundations;
• mandatory treatment with fire retardants (fire-retardant compounds) and antiseptics (prevent the appearance of mold and mildew on the surface of the wood), which is carried out for each element separately before installation work begins.

Material selection

As already mentioned, the lower frame of a frame house can be made of wood or metal. Wood is better suited, but when using it, the problem of choice again arises. There are two options for wood beams:

• solid timber;
• laminated veneer lumber.

The second option is characterized by increased strength and the possibility of use with large loads or spans. The price is higher than for a beam of the same section made of solid wood. To build a house with your own hands, the use of expensive laminated wood is most often not economically feasible, since ordinary timber is sufficient for light frame buildings.

Ultimately, we can conclude that for the construction of an individual house, the best option would be a solid beam as a frame.

Attaching the harness to the foundations

When the foundation of a house is made of concrete or brick, anchoring is used. At the stage of foundation construction, they are provided with anchor bolts with a diameter of 12-16 mm.

The length is selected to ensure sufficient fastening of the strapping beam. It should go into the wood at least 8-10 cm, but it is better to provide through fastening.

The timber is attached through and through to the piles using bolts with a diameter of at least 12 mm. As a second option for fastening elements, you can use metal studs of the same cross-section. It is recommended to treat the fasteners with protective compounds to prevent corrosion.

Strapping beam connections

When doing the work yourself, it is necessary to ensure a reliable connection of the grillage at the corners, at the junction of the external and internal walls. If the building is long enough, the standard length of lumber may not be enough and you will need to connect the strapping beam along the length. Connections can be made in the following ways:

• “in the paw” and “in the floor of the tree” suitable for increasing length;
• "dovetail"(the most airtight, but difficult to implement) is suitable for connecting internal walls to external ones;
• "root thorn" Best used for corners;
• "butt"– the simplest type of connection, characterized by low reliability.

The length of the joints “in the paw” and “in the floor of the tree” is selected depending on the cross-section of the strapping beam. The connection size should be within 2-3 beam heights. For reliable fastening, dowels are additionally used.

Frame house floor

A rational and economical solution would be to use the bottom trim as an element of the floor of a frame house. The timber plays the role of load-bearing beams, between which effective insulation is laid. The first floor floor pie is mounted on top of the frame.

The required insulation thickness is determined depending on the construction area. On average, its size is 150-200 mm. The calculation is made according to the joint venture “Thermal protection of buildings”.

This beam is necessary to evenly distribute the weight of the roof and snow load transmitted by the rafters onto the walls. To simplify DIY work, the upper and lower trims are made of the same material with the same cross-section. The beams are fastened together in the same way as in the previous case.

Attaching the harness to the frame posts

Fastening can be done using notches or steel angles. When using the first method, it is necessary to calculate in advance the height of the racks, taking into account the cutting.

In the strapping beam, special grooves are provided for each rack, and they must coincide with the grooves for fastening the racks in the lower frame. Additionally, the structure is fixed with nails. When fastening with your own hands using the corners, the racks are fixed with self-tapping screws.

Attaching rafters to the top frame

The Mauerlat absorbs vertical and horizontal loads from the rafter system. He distributes the horizontal one evenly on the walls. The horizontal load is the thrust.
Fastening is most often done by cutting. After which the structure is additionally fixed with two nails on both sides. It is possible to provide for fastening using corners.

When tying a frame structure with your own hands, it is imperative to control the quality of the source material and the reliability of the connections.

This guarantees the reliability and durability of the structure. If the technology is followed, the timber will reliably connect all the free-standing frame elements into a single strong system and ensure the stability of the wall posts and the uniform distribution of the load on the foundations of the house and on the walls from the roof.

The method of tying screw piles with timber is gaining particular relevance in modern construction. Pile foundations are increasingly used in country house construction. Additional strapping reinforcement of the structure is an important measure to protect against various negative factors. This technology is not a labor-intensive process. It is necessary to strengthen the entire structure and maintain the technical characteristics of the pile foundation. Experts recommend using strapping for buildings with low weight loads.

Strapping functions

Piles are pillars embedded in the ground, which without additional strapping manipulations do not exclude the occurrence of deformations. To avoid problems with the floor of the house during operation, it is imperative to use timber to tie the screw piles. The pillars are connected to each other and a strong and reliable foundation is obtained that can withstand the planned load. The binding of the piles is called a grillage.

The screw elements of a pile foundation are hollow tubes made of high-quality steel. The ends of the pole have conical blades with which the product is screwed into the soil. There are special holes in the pile. Before construction, the walls must be framed with timber on screw piles. Then the entire foundation structure turns into a single strong system that can withstand the load intended for the foundation.

The posts are also tied to protect the structure from the negative effects of the soil. The grillage is made using calibrated durable timber.

Kinds

Before starting the process, the strapping technology is carefully selected. Piles can be fixed using:

• threads;
• welding;
• clamps

It is possible to make a harness with screws attached if wooden poles were used in the construction. They should be quite dense and thick. With this technology, correctly calculate the thread. Fastening screw piles with timber is applicable in the construction of wooden, frame, block and brick houses.

Welding installation of base elements is used if the piles are metal. Tying the foundation using welding will be the best option and will allow all parts of the structure to hold firmly.

Using clamps– a variant of strapping technology for piles made of dense wood. Clamps can be used when the thickness of the posts is small. The installation method is chosen depending on the characteristics and parameters of the piles.

Tools

To complete the work you will need the following tools:

1. level;
2. machine for welding reinforcement;
3. rolled roofing felt impregnated with drying oil;
4. anchor;
5. self-tapping screws;
6. metal corners;
7. hammer.

Before you start tying the screw piles with timber, you need to perform calculations of the wood elements. Work begins with preparing workpieces and selecting the type of connections. The grooves for the ceilings should be prepared.

Laying timber

It is better to use larch or durable coniferous wood for tying the piles. The material is placed above the ground, so moisture will actively influence it. When wet, larch acquires greater strength, so experts recommend using this particular wood in the construction of structures.

Work must begin from the corners. The flanges are laid with insulating roofing felt. It is important that the wood does not come into contact with the metal. During operation, the timber will condense and absorb moisture, so it must be isolated from the metal.

Special attention should be paid to the following points:

• the first adjacent structural elements must be joined and aligned. Their connection is checked using a square;
• the workpiece is additionally adjusted and fastened with self-tapping screws;
• During the work process, it is important to correctly calculate the geometry of the perimeter and compare its diagonals. They must be equal. After checking, you can continue installation work.

Tying a pile-screw foundation with timber is not difficult. The equal length of the beam allows you to precisely fasten all the elements together and build the entire structure end-to-end. The beam is secured with a bracket or metal plate. It is then coated with mastic to seal the material.

The pile binding made at the top and bottom is considered more reliable. To secure the screw elements as much as possible, take a 200 mm beam. At the second level, 150 mm wood is used. To install the second row, you do not need to make a special cut under the joists.

To lay the rows of timber as accurately as possible, a wedge is used. It is placed in the place of installation or washed down. Svf can be reinforced with metal elements. To tie the foundation on screw piles, you can use glued boards. This alternative to timber will cost less in construction and will save money.

Self-tapping mounting

The wood is secured to the posts using self-tapping bolts. The contact area is laid with roofing material oiled with drying oil. The elements are mounted to the bottom of the structure using through fastening or an anchor. The block must be securely attached and secured with a hammer. As an additional way to enhance the strength of the structure, metal corners and fastening spikes are used:

• It is advisable to use corners in corner connections of elements;
• the design detail is selected according to the exact dimensions of the pile corner section;
• The element is secured with strong self-tapping screws.

It is better not to leave untied places in the structure. Using the corners, you can process all the necessary areas. This will strengthen the entire foundation.

Reinforcement with reinforcement

The base of the building can be tied with steel reinforcement. A welding machine is used for this. The reinforcement is folded into a mesh and firmly secured by welding. This method is rarely used in construction, since after welding the steel loses its high technical strength. The reinforcement may become more flexible and cause deformations.

An alternative to welding is the manual method of steel strapping. The reinforcement is tied with strong wire and fixed with special hooks. Wire is tied around the joints and twisted tightly. Instead of wire, you can use special fasteners that do not twist.

Tying with clamps

Planting on clamps is carried out by planting. The block is placed on the top of the pile and the area is secured with self-tapping screws. The wooden elements are tied with clamps. For foundations on screw piles, welding can also be used. The plane of the beams should be as flat as possible. This parameter is checked by the building level. The clamps should be installed perfectly accurately and evenly along the entire perimeter of the structure:

• between the beams, U-shaped bars are placed on a horizontally laid beam;
• fix the elements end down. This block gives better strength to the entire structure;
• the pile posts are connected with self-tapping screws.

Metal corners are used to strengthen the structure. Using this technology, the entire foundation is laid out; after fixing the clamps, construction can continue.

• Before starting work, you need to look at all areas and make sure that the columns are the same height. The success of the entire construction depends on this. The height of the piles must be perfectly accurate, otherwise it will be impossible to do further work well. If any pillar is higher or lower, it should be leveled. Otherwise, in the future there may be a strong distortion of the floor in the house.
• The strapping connection must be made exactly in the center of the area. It is in this place that the screws are fixed. The installation of fasteners makes the entire structure as strong as possible, so this issue should be treated with great attention. Fixing the screw in the center of the beam will prevent the wood from cracking.
• Before installing the timber, it is important to check that the length of the elements is correct. The wooden block that will be mounted horizontally should be twice as wide as the pile. Only then will the entire structure be especially strong and reliable.
• It is better not to experiment with new technological methods during the construction of the structure. Properly performed work will provide the necessary technical parameters to the entire foundation of the house. If the master does not have confidence in his own abilities, it is better to call specialists to perform a high-quality grillage.
• Compliance with all rules and recommendations of specialists will ensure high strength of the structure. In order not to redo the grillage in the future, the beam must be accurately aligned horizontally. Use impregnation compounds that will protect the material from moisture.
• Tying a pile foundation requires a complete understanding of all stages of the process. Firmly fixed structural elements will allow you to correctly distribute further load on the building, save the house from destruction and extend its service life.

In many cases, a pile foundation is preferable to other types of foundations, especially in the field of low-rise construction, as it allows significant savings on its construction. The stage of tying screw piles with timber is mandatory and is one of the most difficult and responsible. But before considering the procedure for carrying it out, it is necessary to understand why this needs to be done and how important quality is.

What is a pile? A hollow pipe made of high-quality steel, which has one cone-shaped end with welded “blades”. After it is screwed into the ground, only part of the “trunk” rises above the surface, on which there are diametrically drilled holes (technological). After finishing and preliminary leveling, the “tops” are cut off. How to mount the walls of a house on them? That is why, before starting their construction, craftsmen install a kind of “layer” between the base and the structure itself.

Why do you need a harness?

It solves several problems:

• rigidly connects all installed piles into a single structure;
• allows for more accurate alignment of their upper cuts in one plane (horizontal), since it is difficult to avoid technological errors in the process of screwing in supports, especially if the work is done independently;
• evenly distributes the entire load on the foundation around the perimeter;
• partially protects the walls from soil exposure.

Various methods are used for strapping (for example, the construction of a grillage is one of its varieties) and materials - logs, channels (shown in the figure).

But still, the best option is to frame it not just with wood, but with timber, since it has a rectangular cross-section, which somewhat simplifies the work of installing it (including fastening the lower row of walls).

Single harness

The most effective method is a combined one, which combines two methods - fixation with self-tapping screws (anchors) + clamps (corners, plates).

Installation of heads

Such elements are attached to the “tops” of all piles. As a rule, these are metal plates that are welded at the ends of the supports.

But in the case of tying with timber, given its strict dimensions, it is advisable to install flanges (the letter “P” upside down). The distance between the “legs of the letter” depends on the parameters of the workpieces, since they will be placed between them (the minimum cross-section of the timber for strapping is 150 mm). Naturally, the holes for fasteners are prepared in advance.

Preparation of blanks

Cuts are made at their ends, and the master decides which type of timber connection to choose. It is clear that the first one is much simpler and does not require much experience, but it is less reliable. Additionally, grooves for the logs are prepared.

Laying and fixing timber

The first thing to do is to lay all the flanges with waterproofing material (the cheapest is roofing felt). As an option - bitumen + P/E film. The task is that the wood should not come into contact with the metal. If only because during operation moisture will condense on it and gradually be absorbed into the timber.

Work always starts from the corners. The first 2 adjacent beams are preliminarily joined, leveled, after which the compliance of the 90º connection is checked (using a square). After additional adjustment, the workpieces are fastened with hardware. Self-tapping screws are much better than nails, since they are easier to remove if necessary to make repairs. The rest of the corners are similar.

After this, the correctness of the perimeter geometry is checked (by comparing diagonals). And only after making sure that they are equal can you continue installation.

Laying the timber on the sides is not difficult, given that all products have the same (calibrated) length. From the point of view of maintainability, it is advisable to make their connections end-to-end. They are fastened together with metal plates and brackets (possible options are shown in the figure).

Inside the perimeter, the technique differs little from the above (example in the figure).

All joints, in order to avoid the appearance of “cold bridges”, must be insulated (for this it is advisable to use jute tape).

Trimming processing

As a rule, the timber is covered, on top of which waterproofing material is applied. After this, you can begin the next stage of construction.

Feature of double strapping

It is considered more reliable and maintainable.

The technology is not fundamentally different, but there are several nuances:

• for the 1st “level”, a 200 mm beam is taken;
• for the second – with a section of 100 x 150; in this case, the laying of the 2nd row is carried out by installing the blanks “on the butt” (smaller side);
• in the 2nd level, no cuts are made for the joists;
• The joints of the beams in the rows should be spaced apart.

• For tying, a timber made of coniferous wood is recommended. The best option is larch. Since the material will be located directly above the ground, it will be intensively affected by moisture. Its influence is reduced by various impregnating compounds, but they also have a shelf life. The peculiarity of larch is that this tree only becomes stronger when wet.
• After completing the welding work, it is advisable to treat all areas exposed to temperature with an anti-corrosion compound. The fact is that the piles have a protective coating, which is damaged by welding.
• To more accurately align the beam horizontally, a wedge is placed at the place where it is laid on the flange, or a small cut is made.
• In the absence of a grillage, you can further strengthen the foundation with metal “jibs”.

There are recommendations on how to make a “glue” (like a beam) from boards for strapping. And the argument is made that it will be cheaper. No matter how skillfully the text is written, no matter what advantages of such a technique are cited - it's not worth doing this. Perhaps “homemade products” will be useful somewhere else, but when it comes to the foundation, it is better not to experiment - any alteration will be much more expensive.