BUILDING THE FOUNDATION WALLS

Mortar mixes

 Mortar is a mixture of sand and lime or a mixture of sand and cement with
or without lime.
 Proportioning of the materials can be done by weight or by volume.
 The effect of lime is to make it more workable. As the lime content
increases the mortar’s resistance to frost decreases.
 Workability of the mortar may also be improved by including plasticizers
which entrain small bubbles of air into the mortar and breaking down the
surface tension.
 Mortars should never be re-tempered and should be used within two hours
of mixing.

Typical mortar mixes

a) Cement mortar 1:3 (cement: sand)

 Suitable for brickwork in exposed conditions such as parapets and
foundations
b) Lime mortar 1:3 (lime: sand)
 For internal use only.
c) Gauged mortars (cement: lime: sand)
 1:1:6 suitable for most conditions of severe exposure.
 1:2:9 suitable for most conditions except those of severe exposure.
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 Functional requirements of mortars

 Have adequate strength but not greater than that required for the design
strength.
 Have good workability.
 Should be able to retain plasticity long enough for the bricks to be laid.
 Must be durable over a long period
 Bond well with the bricks, stones or concrete blocks.
 Should be able to be produced at an economic cost.
 If the mortar is weaker than the bricks, shrinkage cracks will tend to follow
the joints of the brickwork making it reasonably easy to repair.
 If the mortar is stronger than the bricks, shrinkage cracks will tend to be
vertical through the joints and the bricks thus weakening the fabric of the
structures.

Types of walling units

a) Un-burnt bricks
b) Burnt bricks
c) Concrete blocks
d) Stones
e) Sandcrete blocks

Batching and mixing mortar

 The mortar making materials are batched by volume or by weight.

 The materials are mixed manually or by use of concrete mixers.
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 Building the foundation walls

 A foundation wall is a wall below ground floor which transfers the weight of
the building to the strip foundation.

Tools

i. Spirit level.
ii. Hammers.
iii. Chisels.
iv. Trowels.
v. Builder’s line.
vi. Plump bob/plump rule.
vii. Mallet.
viii. Tape measure.
ix. Metal karais/wheelbarrow.
x. Bowl of water.
xi. Shovel/spade.
xii. Mortar boards.
xiii. Pegs.
xiv. Builder’s square.

Transfer of face line from profiles to foundation

 The strings are tied onto the nails previously fixed on the profile boards.
Plump bob or plumb rule is then used to transfer the wall face line from the
setting out strings onto the concrete strip.
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 After the plump rule has been made steady and the plump bob stood still
along the line marked on the plumb rule, then a mark is made on the
concrete strip.

 Marks are made at each corner of the building. The mortar is spread on the
concrete strip and the first block is set. It is now possible to build the first
course of the foundation wall.
  The string is stretched from one corner to the next and remaining part filled
with walling units.

Procedure of building a foundation wall

i. Use profile lines to locate an external corner of the strip foundation.

ii. Use builders level held vertically or a plump line to mark the position of the
external corner with wet mortar.
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 Repeat steps i and ii for all four corners.

iii. Stretch a line between the corners to provide a position for the first course
of bricks.

 Secure the line by wrapping it around a brick and putting another brick on
top. Remove the line after the first course of bricks is laid.
 iv. Lay the bricks in a row. Adjust their positions by tapping the brick s with a
trowel.

 Check that they are level horizontally and vertically with a builder’s level.

v. Build up the corners by racking the bricks back for 4 or 8 courses

 Check your accuracy with the builder’s level. Use a gauge rod to control the
height.

vi. Insert pegs in the mortar joints in the corners for each completed course of
brick work.

 Stretch a line between the pegs so that it is flush with the surface of the
brickwork to provide a guide for the next course of brickwork.

vii. Continue checking horizontal and vertical levels.

viii. Form the joints while the mortar is soft.

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