The process of building a garage from foam blocks, on the one hand, is quite simple, but on the other hand, it requires strict adherence to technology. Therefore, for those who have never encountered such a material as foam block before, but want to build a garage out of it, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the nuances and subtleties of this work. This information will allow you to cope with the task yourself and avoid mistakes.
Project preparation
Why is the project needed?
It is necessary to start building a garage with design. But why do we need a project at all? It allows you to solve several problems simultaneously:
- Determine the nuances of the design and correct them on paper, and not during the construction process;
- Calculate the amount of materials, make an estimate and calculate the cost in advance;
- Obtain construction permits (permission is required only in certain cases).
Therefore, the project is extremely desirable, and sometimes it is completely impossible to do without it.
Types of garages
Before drawing up a project, you need to decide on the type of garage. These buildings differ in the following parameters:
- Number of cars the garage can accommodate. As a rule, private garages are built for one or two cars. Therefore, think in advance about the type of vehicle you are going to store in the garage and its quantity;
- Location of vehicles in the garage. In most cases, garages are made for parking cars in two rows, as they are convenient to use. But if the width of the plot is limited, there is only one way out - to build a garage for parking in one row;
- Number of floors. The garage can have one or two floors. If, for example, you want to combine a garage with a carpentry or plumbing workshop, it makes sense to build it on two floors.
Instead of a full second floor, it is more expedient to make an attic, i.e. roof with broken rafters. This will save on construction costs.
Thus, you first need to think through all the nuances of how you will operate the garage.
Design: step one - determine the dimensions
Having chosen the optimal type of garage, you need to decide on its size. They are selected taking into account the dimensions of the car. One car requires a garage with a width of at least 3.5 m. But to make it spacious, it is advisable to make it at least 4.5 m wide.
For two cars, the minimum width is 6 m. As for the length, the minimum value is 5 m. It is advisable to build a garage with a length of at least 6 m.
You may also want to use the garage as a workshop or utility room. Under additional premises It is also necessary to provide space.
Design: step two - draw up a drawing
The final stage of design is drawing up a drawing of the box. You can also draw the design by hand. The main thing is to indicate on the diagram the dimensions and design features.
It is also necessary to prepare a roof diagram. If the garage is single, the optimal solution is pitched roof. Its tilt angle should be 8-12 degrees. To equip a pitched roof, you just need to make one wall higher than the other.
If the garage is double, it is more advisable to make a gable roof. It is a structure formed by triangular trusses located in increments of 60-90 cm. The optimal angle of inclination of a gable roof is about 30 degrees.
Example drawings
So that you do not rack your brains over the design, we will give a few drawings as an example. The first of them shows a compact building with a pitched roof. Such a garage will not fit an additional workshop or two-wheeled vehicle next to the car.
The second drawing shows a similar garage, but with gable roof. It makes sense to choose such a project if your region receives heavy rainfall in winter.
If you need a garage for two cars, you can use the diagram below as a basis. One entrance of such a garage is enlarged, which allows you to park a large vehicle in it.
Of course, if necessary, you can adjust all sizes.
Calculation of the number of blocks
Now, knowing the dimensions of the future structure, you can calculate the number of blocks. But, for this you need to know what size the gas block itself will be. For example, the block size is 300x600 mm.
If the garage is 6 meters long, then there will be 600/60 = 10 blocks in one row of the side wall. With a height of 2.5m, the garage will have 250/30=8.3~9 rows. As a result, for one wall you will need 9*10=90 blocks. Accordingly, for two walls you use 180 blocks.
Foam concrete blocks for the end walls are calculated using the same scheme. After calculating the number of blocks, you can find out the cost of the box. The only thing is to add the cost of glue to the amount received. On average, one bag of blocks is used per cube of blocks.
A few words about wall thickness
Please note that blocks come in different thicknesses. For a garage, the minimum wall thickness should be 25 cm. But it is advisable to use blocks with a thickness of at least 300 mm. The minimum grade of block for this thickness is D300, but provided that the block is autoclaved and of high quality.
In this case, the structure will be quite durable and at the same time warm.
Construction of a garage
The construction process includes several steps:
Site preparation and marking
Before building a block garage, like any other, you need to prepare the site as follows:
Selection and preparation of the foundation
The type of foundation depends on the characteristics of the soil. If the soil is stable, you can build a garage on a shallow strip foundation. If the soil is heaving, you will need a deep strip foundation.
If the soil is unstable, for example, swampy terrain, the optimal solution is a slab foundation. A metal pile-screw foundation is also suitable for unstable soils.
Related articles:
Construction strip foundation looks like that:
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Trench preparation:
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Reinforcement. A frame made of reinforcement is installed in the trench. It consists of two belts connected by racks and jumpers. Each belt contains two reinforcement rods located at a certain distance. |
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Installation of formwork. Shields are made from plywood, wood or other material and installed over the trenches. Jumpers and spacers are used to secure them. |
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Filling. The trenches are filled with concrete grade M200. Concrete must be compacted. |
If you need a slab foundation, a slab about 250 mm thick is poured. To reinforce it, a special reinforcing mesh is used, which is laid in two layers. To fill such a slab, the soil must first be deepened and the foundation pit filled with sand.
Screw pile foundation involves the use of drill piles that are screwed into the ground below the soil freezing level. The tops of the piles are cut off in one plane, after which a grillage is welded to them along the perimeter. The latter is usually used as a channel.
Preparing the inspection pit
If you are going to repair a car, you need to prepare an inspection hole. It's done like this:
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Digging a hole. Dig a hole in the center of the garage. The depth should be such that you can comfortably carry out repairs while sitting or standing. |
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Reinforcement and installation of formwork:
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Filling. Fill the formwork and the bottom of the pit with M150 concrete. |
To prevent the hole from collapsing, lay a metal corner along the contour.
Laying blocks and arranging an armored belt
Now you can begin the main stage - the construction of walls. The work is done like this:
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Waterproofing. Lay a layer of roofing felt on the surface of the foundation. |
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Laying the first row:
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Laying the second row:
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Reinforcement:
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Arrangement of jumpers and armored belts under the Mauerlat:
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Laying a beam above the gate opening
To create a lintel over the opening, use two corners 100x100x9 mm. After laying on the blocks, the corners must be connected with jumpers to provide rigidity and prevent movement.
The same corners should be used for racks. The latter are welded to the lintel and the corners that are placed on the opening. The result is a box on which the gate can be hung.
Roof installation
As an example, let's look at how to install a pitched roof:
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Mauerlat installation:
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Laying rafters. Lay 50x150 mm rafters on the Mauerlat in 60 cm increments. To secure them, make grooves in the Mauerlat, and also use a corner and nails or screws. |
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Preparation for installation roofing:
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Laying roofing. The installation process of roofing depends on its type. Therefore, when performing this operation, follow the instructions from the material manufacturer. |
Gate installation
Garage doors can be purchased ready-made or made yourself. To make them you will need a corner or profile pipe. Frames in the form of rectangles with filling are made from it. Steel sheets are welded to the frames.
To install the gate, you must use special garage awnings. The latter are simply welded to the gate posts and frame. The most difficult thing is to set the gate horizontally and vertical planes. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully mark the location of the canopies.
This completes the construction. Now you can start finishing.
Agree that a car, for all its strength and solidity, is a rather vulnerable thing. High humidity, microcracks, dirt - conditions that do not have a positive effect on the iron body of the machine. It’s good if there is already a ready-made parking space for the car, but what if not? The option of buying a garage may last for quite a long time. So, if possible, it is better. For newbies the best option such construction will be a garage made of foam blocks. Why? And you will find the answer to this question by reading the article below.
The modern building materials market offers customers a fairly wide range of products that can become the basis of any construction. However, more and more builders are paying attention to foam concrete, or rather foam concrete blocks.
This building material got its name due to its main constituent elements. These include: concrete (cellular), water, sand, foam.
Compared to other building materials, foam concrete blocks have:
- affordable price category. Foam blocks are 30-40% cheaper than bricks;
- light weight;
- strength;
- low thermal conductivity coefficient;
- ease and speed of installation;
- the structure of the blocks prevents the formation of excess condensation indoors, moisture easily escapes through the pores of the blocks to the outside;
- high degree of fire resistance;
- environmentally friendly material.
Drawing a project
Due to the fact that this building (garage) must have appropriate functional properties, you cannot approach the construction of a garage, at least without a hand-drawn sketch, but it is better to create a full-fledged drawing. Even a hand-drawn garage project made of foam blocks, but with full dimensions will allow:
- calculate the required amount of building materials (foam blocks, glue ( concrete mixture), fittings);
- decide if you need it in your garage inspection hole and what will be its dimensions, is there a cellar for conservation;
- will there be more in the room? functional areas(racks for things, workbench, recreation area).
A mandatory design stage is to study the state of groundwater (proximity to the surface) and soil structure. Do not neglect these indicators, since on their basis the type of foundation for the garage is decided.
Pouring the foundation
Like any construction, building a garage from foam blocks with your own hands begins with pouring the foundation. Since foam blocks are enough lightweight material, it is not advisable to fill a deep and heavy foundation. True, there are several nuances.
In the case of groundwater occurring at a depth of more than 2-2.5 meters, and provided the soil is homogeneous, non-heaving, dense, it is enough to fill a strip foundation with a depth of no more than 0.5 m. If heaving soil predominates on the construction site, the foundation must be monolithic . A monolithic foundation slab will provide the building with strength and will not allow foam blocks to break, since they do not tolerate bending loads well and are easily destroyed.
However, in the case of a monolithic foundation slab, the construction of an inspection hole is impossible. If an inspection hole is designed in the garage, you should build a recessed strip foundation, or, as an option, a strip pile foundation.
Select the size and calculate the number of foam blocks
The choice of foam concrete blocks for building a garage with your own hands is made based on several factors:
- heat capacity and density. The best option for self-construction there will be blocks with a density from 500 to 800 kg/m3;
- the dimensions of the “cubes” can vary from 20x30 to 30x40 cm, the length of all blocks is standard - 60 cm or 600 mm. Depending on how you place the blocks, the thickness of the garage walls will be from 20 to 40 cm.
Having chosen the sizes of future “bricks”, you need to calculate their number based on the thickness of the future walls. For example, with a wall thickness of 30 cm, we make the calculation, taking into account the block length of 60 cm and the height of 20 cm. We find how many “bricks” are needed per 1 m2 of the building wall and multiply by the area of this wall or the garage as a whole. Please note that the calculations do not take into account window openings and gate openings.
Please note that about 5% of the calculated footage must be added to the result obtained, since defects and damage during transportation must be taken into account.
We start with installing the gate
So, our base (foundation) is ready and we can begin to directly “pull out” the frame, building a garage from foam blocks. First of all, it is necessary to lay waterproofing on the foundation - roofing felt, preferably in 2-3 layers. Try to lay sheets of roofing felt overlapping, not end-to-end.
- We install the gate frame, with 40 cm reinforcement rods with a cross section of 12 mm pre-welded to it. There should be at least 8 such twigs, 4 on each side. During welding, try to weld the reinforcement at such intervals that it falls between the joints of the foam blocks during construction;
- apply a primer and then paint the gate leaves;
- Install the gate, checking the level with the appropriate tools as you go.
Walls, subtleties of construction
So how to properly remove the walls of the garage so that the result pleases you? Just follow a certain sequence of operations. You should start by building the corner of one of the walls. Set the angle using pegs and string. Next, lay out the row to the end of the wall. Go to the second row and use the same principle to complete the wall up to the roof. Blocks must be placed lengthwise (600 mm). The role of a connecting element can be:
- special glue;
- a mixture of cement and sand, add a plasticizer to increase adhesion strength;
- cement-perlite mixture.
Please note that the glue will provide the room with better thermal insulation, with little material consumption.
An important aspect when constructing walls is the need to leave openings for normal air circulation in the room. To do this, special ventilation holes are made in the lower row from the foundation, as well as in the upper row.
What to consider when building walls:
- the thickness of the seam between the blocks should not exceed 2 cm;
- After laying, the surface of each row of blocks must be sanded with a plasterboard plane (grater);
- both the horizontal surface of the block and the side face of the adjacent “brick” are coated with glue;
- the second row, and each subsequent one, is laid with an offset of 30 to 50%;
- after the first row, and then every 3 - 4 rows, it is necessary to lay reinforcement (metal mesh).
The final stage of wall construction is pouring the reinforced belt. The depth of the belt is about 0.3 m. It is necessary for the normal installation of the roof.
Installing the roof
The roof structure for a garage made of foam blocks can be in several variations:
- single-pitch on an I-beam;
- tent (gable);
- attic type.
The technology of roof construction can be reduced to several operations:
- lay on reinforced belt beams I-beams with an interval of 800 mm. The length of the beams should extend beyond the walls by 200-250 mm;
- lay boards 40 mm thick;
- we insulate the roof by laying roofing felt and pouring insulation (expanded clay, slag);
- pour a concrete screed no more than 30 mm thick;
- we treat the dried screed with a primer and again lay roofing material or other waterproofing;
- we attach the visor.
Floor and inspection hole
Pouring flooring – final stage construction of a garage. The best option for would be cement strainer. It is resistant to mechanical and chemical exposure, does not require special care.
The following operations are required to install the floor:
- level and compact the ground;
- we backfill: 100 - 150 mm of crushed stone, followed by 50 - 100 mm of sand, last layer- 50 - 100 mm of fine gravel. We carefully compact each layer of backfill;
- pour a concrete screed with a thickness of at least 200 mm.
Please note that the installation of the inspection hole must occur before pouring the floor.
For more comfort You can lay boards or other flooring in the work area and in the rest area.
The depth of the hole should be calculated based on:
- depth of groundwater;
- height of the car owner. Add another 30 cm to your height; also take into account the vehicle’s ground clearance.
The bottom and entire perimeter of the pit must also be insulated from excess moisture and cement. Don't forget to install a safety rail.
Foam concrete is a modern building material with universal characteristics and low cost. It is used to build warm and durable country houses, cottages, as well as additional buildings for various purposes, for example, garages. A garage made of foam blocks has many advantages. In this article we will talk about how to design, calculate, build and cover it.
What is foam concrete
Foam concrete is a type cellular concrete. Used as the main wall material in low-rise construction. Its production is based on adding a foaming agent to the concrete mixture. Blocks made by forming foamed mortar in special molds have smooth edges and surfaces.
The main distinctive features of foam concrete, like any cellular concrete, are low thermal conductivity, low weight and ease of use. According to its characteristics, foam concrete is very similar to a natural stone. It is environmentally friendly, since the raw material mixture for its production includes only natural ingredients. Moreover, its shelf life is practically unlimited. It does not rot and cannot be destroyed by insects or fungi. At the same time, foam concrete is much lighter than stone, so it can be used for the construction of buildings in areas with weak soil, with high groundwater levels and on a lightweight foundation.
Still it significant difference from stone - vapor permeability. Thanks to this property, a garage made of blocks has the ability to self-ventilate. This does not eliminate the need to install a ventilation system, but “breathable” foam concrete walls help create a favorable microclimate in the room with optimal level humidity. But this is only provided that the external and interior decoration the garage will also be vapor permeable.
Building with foam concrete is quite easy. This does not require special equipment or complex expensive tools. The blocks are produced in large sizes. But due to their porous structure, they do not weigh much. They can be laid by hand. As a masonry mixture, you can use a special adhesive composition, allowing construction with masonry joints of minimal thickness. And the thinner the seams, the lower the heat loss from the walls.
An important advantage of foam concrete as a material for constructing a garage is that it belongs to the first degree of fire resistance. Another significant difference is that foam blocks can be easily processed using hand tools. They can be sawed without any problems into the desired shape.
Choosing a location on the site
The initial stage of building a garage is choosing a suitable place Location on. Typically, garages are located next to the house or near the entrance to the site. Moreover, the second option is often used in cases where the garage building is planned to be built from cheap and not very aesthetic material. However, foam concrete garages fit perfectly into the overall architectural composition of any cottage. They look good next to the main building.
There must be a minimum distance from the garage to the entrance to the site. The longer the path from the entrance to the garage, the less space there is left on the site for a recreation area, lawn, garden and other elements landscape design. In addition, long paths with turns are inconvenient.
The location planned for the garage should not be located in a low area or above laid communication lines. And, if communications can be moved if necessary, then nothing can be done about the humidity that inevitably forms in the lowlands. And for the construction of a garage made of foam blocks, the humidity factor is especially important, since this porous material can become saturated with moisture.
It is advisable to build a garage in a place where there is space not only for the garage itself, but also for open parking in front of it. Open parking very convenient. It is useful for washing, inspecting and repairing a car. It is also irreplaceable in cases where guests come to the house in their own transport.
Recently, garages are increasingly being built as extensions to the house. If there is such an opportunity, it is worth taking advantage of it, since an extension garage has many advantages. Its entrance can be under one canopy into the house, which is very convenient in bad weather. It may have internal communication with the house. In addition to attached garage it is easier to connect all communications and make it heated.
On our website you can find contacts construction companies, which offer construction services for small architectural forms: gazebos, grill houses, etc. You can communicate directly with representatives by visiting the “Low-Rise Country” exhibition of houses.
Design
Despite the fact that a garage is a fairly simple building, it must be designed by a specialist. During the design process, all structural elements are calculated, the layout is thought out, and the consumption of materials is calculated. Projects for garages made of foam blocks vary in type of layout. They come in the following varieties:
attached and detached;
for 1 or several cars;
with utility unit;
with terrace;
with parking canopy;
with inspection hole.
An attached garage is more difficult to design than a detached garage. It must structurally fit into the overall architecture of the house, and at the same time have additional insulating protection. An extension garage can have several exits, for example, to the street, to the house and to the courtyard. In order to create maximum protection of the house from the car room, a buffer zone in the form of a vestibule, technical room or corridor is usually planned between the garage and the residential part of the building.
The terrace and utility block can be located differently relative to the garage itself. In addition, there are options for garage buildings that are even more complex in design. For example, a guest house may be located above the garage. Often now they build garages combined with a bathhouse.
A separate design stage is the calculation of the garage roof. Typically garages are built with a pitched roof. In this case, it is necessary to properly consider its slope.
Material calculation
The number of blocks must be calculated by the designer or qualified builder. This can be done using a special online calculator. Calculations can begin only after the designer, together with the customers, have decided on the type of foam blocks. To make the garage warm enough, it is recommended to build it from blocks with a thickness of 200 mm or more.
In order to pre-calculate the consumption of foam blocks, it is necessary to take into account their dimensions and the parameters of the garage. First you need to divide the height of the garage walls by the height of the blocks. The result will be the number of rows that will need to be laid out during construction. After this, the perimeter of the garage is divided by the length of the block. The result is the number of blocks in one row. Next, the number of blocks in a row is multiplied by the number of rows.
This way you can calculate how many blocks are required. But before purchasing, you also need to subtract the size of all window and doorways, as well as the gate. You need to purchase material taking into account the battle and defects. Experts recommend purchasing 10% more material than was calculated.
This might be interesting! In the article at the following link, read about it.
Marking
Marking the site begins with pegs being driven into the corners of the future building. Next, string is stretched between the pegs. To build a garage made of foam blocks that will meet the highest requirements, everything should be done accurately and without errors even at the marking stage. The length of the parallel threads stretched during marking should be the same. The angle of convergence of perpendicular threads is strictly 90 degrees.
Foundation
Since the blocks have minimal weight, there is no need to construct a complex and expensive building from them. buried foundation. However, in addition to the characteristics wall material When calculating the foundation, it is also necessary to take into account soil conditions.
If the site has good, non-heaving soil, and the groundwater depth is quite low, you can build a garage on a strip foundation, up to 50 cm deep. But if the soil is heaving, it makes sense to build monolithic foundation. The fact is that the blocks are characterized by low resistance to bending loads. Without a firmly fixed base, they can break, and this leads to the destruction of the entire structure.
When arranging a strip foundation, certain stages of work are performed.
A trench is dug to the required depth and width to match the width of the foam block.
The bottom of the trench is compacted.
A sand cushion of approximately 100 mm is poured onto the bottom.
Crushed stone is poured onto the sand; it should be slightly less than sand.
The formwork is being installed.
Pre-prepared metal carcass.
The trench is filled with concrete, which needs to be thoroughly vibrated.
Inspection hole
This is an optional, but very convenient element of the garage. Arranging a viewing hole may present certain difficulties. So, in an area where water occurs at a depth of more than 2.5 meters, everything can be done easily and quickly. But if the water flows higher, then the inspection hole must be provided with a drainage system.
First, a hole is dug for the hole. This takes into account the desired depth of the finished pit, as well as the thickness of the drainage, waterproofing, sand cushion and finishing screed.
A layer of gravel (100 mm) is poured into the bottom of the hole and compacted.
A layer of sand (50 mm) is placed on top and compacted too.
A trench is dug along the perimeter of the finished pit for drainage.
Then geotextiles are laid with overlaps of 80 cm on each side.
The pipes are covered with gravel and covered with geotextiles.
The floor of the pit is covered with clay.
Lay waterproofing.
Formwork and a reinforcing frame are installed at the bottom of the pit.
The bottom is filled with concrete with the addition of waterproof components.
Another layer of waterproofing is laid on the dried screed.
The walls of the pit are also treated with clay.
The walls can be lined with brick or monolithic concrete. The second option requires formwork and reinforcement.
The finished surfaces of the walls and floors are covered with cladding. Any option of the owner's choice will do.
A metal frame must be laid along the perimeter of the upper edge of the finished pit.
A safety rail is placed on top of the frame to prevent the car's wheels from accidentally falling into the pit.
Gate installation
Installation of a gate or frame under a gate is often carried out even before the construction of walls begins. At the place where they are installed, roofing material is first laid on the foundation in several layers. The gate is fixed wooden blocks. In order for them to end up being built into a foam concrete wall, pieces of reinforcement must first be secured to them. They must then lie in the masonry joints of the wall, so the height of their location must be correctly calculated. The gate is fixed at the top using a beam with a metal frame.
Walls
The walls are laid from the corner of the building. Foam blocks are placed with the long side along the wall. A rope is stretched between the laid out corners, which serves as a guide for aligning the masonry vertically. The outer blocks across the row are sawed using conventional hand tools. When working, it is necessary to use devices to check the level of the masonry.
It is better to lay blocks not on cement mixture, but on the adhesive composition. This speeds up the construction process and improves the quality of the wall. Laying upper layers carried out taking into account the roof slope. To withstand the slope, some blocks need to be reshaped by sawing. To give the building greater strength and reliability, the walls are reinforced.
Roof
The roof can be arranged different ways. Consider the option of using an I-beam.
First, beams 800 mm thick are laid across the future roof. with allowance for slopes. They are built into the plane foam concrete walls. Slopes are needed so that a garage made of foam blocks with a pitched roof is protected from precipitation and wind.
Then the roof structure is supplemented with 400 mm thick beams, which are laid in smaller increments.
Ruberoid is laid on top, the edges of which should protrude by 10 cm. The edges are folded.
The roofing material is covered with a dry heat insulator, for example, expanded clay.
A cement-sand screed is laid on top, which after drying must be covered with liquid mastic.
After all this, sheets of rolled soft roofing are fused, overlapping. The top sheet should cover the edge of the bottom sheet.
This might be interesting! In the article at the following link, read about.
Floor
The floor in the garage should be as durable and reliable as possible. With a strip foundation, it is laid on the ground, which must be compacted well. Next, waterproofing is laid, and then layers of crushed stone, sand and gravel are poured. Each layer should have a thickness of about 100 mm.
A concrete screed is poured on top with a layer of 200 mm. In the garage, the floor can remain concrete. But it can be decorated with a durable coating. For example, the floor in a garage can be painted, covered with a special rubber-containing material or PVC tiles. But experts consider self-leveling flooring to be the most successful option.
Video description
Concrete floor in garage
Ventilation
In a garage made of foam blocks, as in any garage, it is necessary to equip a ventilation system. It can be natural, forced or combined. Natural system ventilation is the simplest and economical way get air circulation in the car room. When choosing this option, it is necessary to provide 2 ventilation holes in the walls of the garage at the design stage. One should be located at the bottom of the room, and the second near the ceiling. They should be located in opposite walls.
Bottom hole in natural ventilation needed for air flow, and the top serves as an exhaust hood. This type ventilation works due to the difference in temperature indoors and outdoors. Therefore, natural ventilation is effective only in the cold season. In addition, it cannot cope with the fumes of toxic substances and exhaust gases. This means that natural ventilation can only be used separately standing garage. In the design of a country garage made of foam blocks, which will be attached to the house, a forced or combined system must be provided.
Video description
Natural ventilation in the garage
With a combined hood, air flows into the room naturally and is removed using fans built into the exhaust duct. When air is blown out by fans, pressure builds up in the room. The lack of air is naturally compensated through the lower supply channel. In this case it is better to have ventilation holes on the same wall, but at different heights.
Forced ventilation is the most reliable and efficient. Its work is based on the fact that all processes are controlled by special equipment. Air flow is provided by fans, filters and electric heaters. The outflow is carried out using two fans connected to each other by an air duct. Such a system can be fully automated, it does not depend on weather conditions, and can completely replace heating system in the garage.
Video description
Ventilation system option in the garage
Insulation and finishing
Walls made of foam blocks retain heat well. The main thing is to protect them from moisture finishing materials. If there is a need for insulation, this can be done using ecowool, mineral wool or polystyrene foam.
As exterior finishing It is best to use mineral plaster. It should be applied along a grid fixed to the wall. Without such protection, foam concrete will gradually collapse under the influence of precipitation and wind.
The inner surface of the foam block wall should also be protected. For this purpose I use plaster for interior work. It can be coated with paint.
Video description
Internal plastering of foam concrete walls
This might be interesting! In the article at the following link, read about.
Conclusion
A foam concrete garage has many advantages, including reliability, durability, and high thermal insulation qualities. Moreover, it can be quickly and easily built with minimal costs for the purchase of material.
Building a home for your car is a responsible task. Not many materials are suitable for constructing a garage: wood, brick, foam concrete, aerated concrete. And if you choose one that is “both cheap and cheerful,” then the bottom line will be foam concrete. This modern material very easy to install, does not require special skills to work with it, and is also relatively cheap compared to other materials. In this article we will discuss the question of how to build a garage from foam blocks with your own hands, and we will dwell in more detail on the stages of work and the features of foam concrete.
Why foam block
The main reason why of all available materials choose foam blocks, is that the garage is made of foam blocks the price is the lowest. The second reason - a light weight of this material, which entails less waste on foundation construction. Wherein strength foam concrete is more than enough to provide a reliable home for the car. So, the savings are obvious.
Another important advantage of foam concrete is its low thermal conductivity. This means that wall insulation will not be required.
easy to install, building a garage from foam blocks will not take much time and will not require the use of heavy equipment.
But not everything is so rosy; foam concrete also has quite significant disadvantages, which are caused by the use of a foaming agent and its properties.
Firstly, foam concrete doesn't "breathe". You may argue that this is not so important for a garage, and you would be wrong. Excess moisture and condensate for the car in in a closed room worse than if he stands outside in any weather. Imagine driving a hot car into a garage after a long trip. Close the garage and leave. At this time, the car cools down and condensation appears. Where should he go? In brick garages, steam escapes through the walls and the simplest ventilation is made using holes in the wall at different heights: the bottom for air supply, the top for exhaust. To keep a car in a foam block garage, you must at least equip supply and exhaust ventilation using an electric cooler. This entails unnecessary costs and minor inconveniences.
Secondly, despite the fact that the surface of foam concrete is resistant to fire, in the event of a real fire, the entire structure can burn to the ground. In this case, during combustion they will emit extremely toxic substances.
However, all of the above disadvantages do not cover the advantages of foam concrete associated with cost-effectiveness and ease of installation. That is why it is chosen for the construction of garages.
Garage design and material calculations
Any construction begins with design. The first thing you need to do is find out at what depth the groundwater is at different times of the year, as well as the features of the soil structure. The type of foundation and the garage design as a whole will largely depend on these indicators.
You can create the project yourself in ArchiCad or another similar program. There you can easily calculate how many foam blocks you need for a garage by entering the dimensions of the foam block and the thickness of the wall. Creating a project yourself will allow you to realize any ideas and calculate the nuances of individual construction.
If you decide to build a garage from foam blocks with your own hands, first of all, decide what tasks it will perform, besides storing the car. For example, is there a need for an inspection hole, a basement for food storage and preservation in winter time, tool rack or other work zone. The garage design, type of foundation, width and length, as well as the height of the walls will depend on all this. Average garage dimensions: width 3 - 3.5 m, length 4.5 - 6 m, height 3 m.
You can use ready-made garage projects made of foam blocks, downloaded from the Internet, only if they fully take into account your individual conditions: soil structure and water level.
Marking the area for the garage
We mark the area where the garage is planned to be located. In the corners we insert pegs at least 50 mm thick. Between them we stretch a construction or nylon cord along the contour. At the same time, we check that the angle between the threads is strictly 90 °.
In fact, we must transfer to the terrain what we drew in the project.
After you have marked the corners with pegs and pulled the thread, stand on the side of the future gate. Try to imagine them opening. See if anything is in the way: a tree, a building, a fence, or something else. If all is well, you can begin excavation work.
Foam block garage foundation
Due to the fact that foam block is a lightweight material, it does not require heavy foundations. But the weight of the wall material is not the only criterion that affects the type of foundation. More important factor is the soil and its properties.
Under optimal construction conditions: the groundwater level is below 2 - 2.5 m, the soil is homogeneous, dense and non-heaving, it will be sufficient light strip foundation 40 - 50 cm deep.
If the soil is heaving, you will have to make a foundation for the garage from foam blocks in the form monolithic concrete slab . The fact is that foam blocks are a material that does not tolerate bending loads well; it simply cracks and collapses. To prevent the garage walls from cracking in the event of ground movements, it is installed on a slab that “floats” in the ground with the garage as a single unit.
If you plan to install an inspection pit and a basement in the garage, then a monolithic slab will not be suitable as a foundation; you will have to make a recessed strip foundation or a combined pile-strip foundation.
To make a strip foundation for a garage made of foam blocks, you need to do the following:
- Filming upper layer soil to a depth of 70 - 80 cm in the form of a trench. The width is equal to the width of the foam block plus 10 - 15 cm.
- We compact the soil in the trench.
- Fill the sand in a layer of 10 - 15 cm and tamp it down.
- We fill the crushed stone with a layer of 7 - 10 cm, and also compact it.
- We install the formwork for the foundation.
- We weld the frame from reinforcement. We insert it into the trench - this will reinforce the foundation.
- Preparing concrete for pouring the foundation. Fill in one go.
Further work can only be done after the foundation is completely dry.
Garage Door Installation
Before you start building the walls of the garage, you need to install the gates, since during the laying process they will be partially embedded in the walls.
First, we waterproof the foundation around the perimeter of the entire building so that capillary moisture does not rise into the walls. This can be done using roofing felt in 2 - 3 layers.
We weld 40 cm long rods from reinforcement with a diameter of 10 - 12 mm to the gate frame. There should be at least 4 of them in height on each side. Try to calculate so that the rods are located at the junction of two foam blocks. Before installing the gates, we prime and paint them.
We install the gate strictly vertically in the opening intended for this purpose. We control the position with a level and plumb line. We fix the position with wooden braces on both sides.
We build a garage from foam blocks: walls
We always start building walls from the corners. For a garage, a wall thickness of 200 mm will be sufficient. Therefore, we select the dimensions of the foam blocks so that their width is 200 mm; we will install them with the long part along the walls. This way, less material will be used and there will be less work.
For the construction of a garage from foam blocks, the price largely depends on the brand of foam blocks chosen, their size and masonry option. To simplify installation, you can purchase special corner foam blocks; you do not have to carefully check the angle during laying.
To fasten foam blocks we use either cement-sand mortar or special glue. The consumption of such adhesives is not high, and they provide much better thermal insulation.
First of all, we set the corners. Then we stretch a cord between them, along which we will lay the walls. We alternate the laying of corners and walls. Every two rows of foam blocks we reinforce the masonry with a special mesh.
We embed the rods welded to the gate frame into the masonry between the foam blocks.
The most difficult moment construction of a garage is the installation of a lintel over the gate and further laying of the upper part of the front wall. To make a lintel, first we weld a frame from a 50 mm corner that follows the dimensions of the gate. We install it from the inside of the garage against the inside of the wall of their foam blocks. We fix it with cement mortar. Then we take a beam in the form of an I-beam and install it on top of the gate and frame. The edges must extend into the masonry walls at least 20 cm.
You can continue laying foam blocks on top.
The cost of a garage made of foam blocks depends on the type of roof that you plan to build. Most cheap option- pitched roof.
Important! Please note that if you are going to make a pitched roof, which is most common for garages, the walls must be made not even, but with a slope from the gate to the rear wall of the garage. With each meter the height should decrease by 5 cm.
The task of erecting walls made of foam blocks with a slope is quite simple, since foam blocks can be easily cut even with a regular saw.
If you're going to do gable roof, think about what material you will use to cover the front and back walls of the roof. To do this, you can use the same foam block, simply continuing to lay the walls upward. Or you can use wood.
Garage roof
Foam blocks are a lightweight material, so the arrangement of the most common garage roof in the form of concrete slabs laid on top of the walls and covered with several layers of roofing material will not suit us.
We have already decided that the roof can be made in two ways: single-pitch or gable. Let's take a closer look at the single-pitched one:
- We install I-beams across the garage walls 20 - 25 cm longer than the width of the walls. We make the distance between the beams 80 cm. All beams must be embedded in the walls.
- We lay 40 mm thick boards on the lower flanges of the beams. We try to move them as tightly as possible.
- We lay roofing felt on top of the boards, bending the edges 10 cm up.
- We pour any insulating dry material onto the roofing material: for example, expanded clay, slag or another.
- The future roof should protrude onto the garage walls on all sides by at least 20 cm. This will protect the walls from precipitation.
- We make a screed of concrete mixture on top of the insulation. A thickness of 2 - 3 cm is sufficient.
- When the screed is completely dry, treat it with a primer.
- Then we waterproof it with roofing felt, either by fusing or using bitumen mastic. We glue the roofing felt across the garage, starting from the bottom. So that each subsequent sheet is overlapped, this will allow water to flow down.
The final touch is the canopy over the gate. Today the market can offer many ready-made inexpensive designs.
Garage floor
The construction of a foam block garage is not complete unless a durable floor is installed. After all, the car puts heavy loads on the surface. The only durable garage floor option is a concrete floor. But in the pedestrian area (working area, extension) you can also install a wooden floor.
Don't forget about the powder under the concrete floor:
- Crushed stone 10 - 15 cm;
- Sand 5 - 10 cm;
- Gravel 5 -10 cm.
We carefully compact each layer. Pour a concrete screed with a thickness of at least 20 cm on top of the gravel.
Very often in construction it is necessary to use large-sized equipment, in the manufacture of which a gearbox is used.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the purchase of the foam blocks themselves for the garage will amount to only 25 - 30% of its real cost. Most of the money will be spent on laying out the foundation, related materials, installing the roof, and calling out heavy equipment as needed. However, a foam block garage remains the cheapest option.
Building a garage is a responsible undertaking. It is very important that as a result it becomes reliable protection for your car. Can be used for such work different materials, for example, brick, wood, aerated concrete and foam concrete. Next, we will consider the technology of constructing a garage from foam blocks. About distinctive features You will learn this material from this article.
First of all, you need to pick up a piece of paper and a pencil to plan future construction. Having a project will allow you to make a rough analysis of the consumption of building materials and, accordingly, financial resources. Moreover, it is necessary to analyze the soil, namely at what depth the groundwater is located. Also determine the peculiarities of the soil structure. Based on the information received, it will be possible to decide what type of foundation will be erected.
A garage project made of foam blocks can be completed using special computer programs. However, you can do it yourself. So, you can take into account the features of your area in the project and make a layout at your discretion.
Among other things, it is worth deciding whether the garage will perform other functions besides storing the car. For example, think about this:
- will there be a viewing hole?
- is a basement necessary for storing canned goods and other products in the winter;
- will tool racks be installed;
- Do you need an additional work area, for example, a table, workbench, etc.
Based on this, you should complete a project that will correspond to the purpose of the garage. Accordingly, determine the type of foundation, its length and width, as well as the height of the walls and ceiling. If we take as an example the standard dimensions of such a structure, they are within the following limits:
- Width 3–3.5 m.
- Height 3 m.
- Length 4.5–6 m.
At the end of this article, a number of projects and drawings for building a garage are provided. If you are satisfied with a particular project, then you can use it. But at the same time, be sure to take into account the features of your area: the level of groundwater and the structure of the soil.
Typically, blocks of size 600×300×200 mm are used for construction. In this case, the thickness of the walls can be made either 200 mm or 300 mm simply by turning the block over. As for an unheated garage, a wall thickness of 200 mm is sufficient. To determine the thickness of the walls of a heated building, local climatic conditions must be taken into account. If the project is already ready, then it is quite possible to make a calculation required quantity block. To do this, follow these steps:
- For example, let’s take the dimensions of a garage of 5×6×3 m. Now we calculate the length of the perimeter of the walls and, accordingly, the number of blocks in one row: (5+6)×2 and divide the length of the block by 0.6 m. As a result, we get the following action: (5 + 6) × 2 ÷ 0.6 = 36.6 (37 pieces).
- Next we determine the number of rows. In our case, the height of the garage will be 3 m. This means that it should be divided by the height of the block 0.3 m. It turns out like this: 3 ÷ 0.3 = 10 rows.
- Based on this, you can easily determine how many blocks will be needed for the entire construction: 37 pcs. × 10 row. = 370 pcs.
- But it is also important to take into account the size of the gate, door and window, if any. If the walls are laid with a thickness of 200 mm, then on average 1 m2 of gates and windows includes 6 foam blocks. Based on the size of your gates and windows, determine the total area of the openings and multiply the resulting amount by 6. When standard sizes, on average it turns out from 40 to 50 blocks. As a result, you need to purchase 300 - 320 foam blocks.
Using this scheme, you can calculate the number of blocks for a garage of any size.
Be sure to take into account the following nuances: during transportation, there may be damage to the material, and in such calculations we did not take into account the thickness of the seam. For this reason, add 5% to the resulting amount. Otherwise, you may not have enough blocks to finish laying the walls.
Upon completion of the preparatory work, as well as after purchasing everything required material, you can start marking the garage. Drive pegs into the corners of the future building. Stretch a string around the entire perimeter between them. Be sure to check the angle between the threads. It should be 90°. Or you can carry out axial marking - this is much simpler and more accurate. If the length of the thread is the same, then it will definitely be 90º. When marking, strictly adhere to the dimensions specified in the project.
When the markings are completed, stand near the future garage door and make sure that nothing will prevent them from opening. It could be a tree, a building, a fence, or anything else. If there are no serious obstacles, you can begin making the foundation.
Foam block is a relatively lightweight material, so there is no need to build a deep and heavy foundation. But not only the weight of the material influences the choice of one type of foundation or another. More important criterion is the type and properties of the soil at the construction site. For example, if the groundwater level in your area is below 2–2.5 m, and the soil is non-heaving, homogeneous and dense, then you can build a lightweight strip foundation up to 0.5 m deep. A completely different situation arises with heaving soil , because you will have to build a monolithic foundation. This is explained by the peculiarity of the blocks, which do not tolerate bending loads well. As a result, the foam block bursts, and the building itself is destroyed. To avoid this, the walls are laid out on a monolithic slab, which “floats” in the ground along with the entire building.
If the project involves the construction of an inspection pit, then the foundation option with monolithic slab disappears. In this case, it will be necessary to construct a buried strip or combined strip-pile foundation.
For example, consider the construction of a strip foundation with a depth of 0.8 m. The work is carried out in the following order:
- A trench is dug 0.8 m deep. The width is equal to the foam block (200 mm) and add 150 mm, resulting in a foundation thickness of 350 mm.
- The bottom of the trench should be thoroughly compacted.
- After this, a sand cushion is poured, consisting of 100–150 mm of sand and 70–100 mm of crushed stone. Each layer is also compacted.
- Install formwork for the foundation.
- A reinforcement frame welded or connected with knitting wire must be placed in the trench. As a result, you will make a frame for the strip foundation.
- Next, you need to fill the foundation with concrete, one at a time and thoroughly vibrate it.
While the concrete is drying, you can begin making an inspection hole, if this is provided for in the project.
Let us remind you that when constructing an inspection hole, it is necessary to take into account the depth of groundwater. If the depth is more than 2.5 m, then there is no need to make drainage. If less, then drainage is accordingly necessary. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the process of making an inspection hole in which you need to make drainage. You should also make calculations based on its size. The length is chosen taking into account the size of the car, usually 2 m is enough. As for the depth, it should be such that it is convenient to move in it. So, you take into account the height of the car owner, adding 30 cm to it and the vehicle’s ground clearance, which is from 120 to 175 mm. As a result, the approximate depth will reach up to 1800 mm. (30 cm is a lot - you can’t reach the car. The ground clearance of cars is different and this must be taken into account in advance, taking into account the performance of the existing car.
The work on making an inspection pit looks like this:
- First executed earthworks. In this case, take into account the thickness of the finishing floor screed, cushion, waterproofing layer and drainage.
- The bottom of the pit should be covered with gravel, a layer of 100 mm, and then sand with a layer of 50 mm. All this is rammed one by one.
- Trenches are dug along the perimeter of the pit to organize drainage, up to 500 mm deep.
- The bottom of the trench is covered with geotextile. It must be wrapped 80 cm onto the trench wall.
- Next, a 50 mm layer of gravel is poured, and a drainage pipe. You can use perforated pipes made of plastic, asbestos cement or ceramics. When laying the pipe, do slight slope for their functionality. At 1 m, a 1 cm slope will be sufficient.
- After this, fill the pipe with a 20 cm layer of gravel and wrap the geotextile. So, the drainage is ready.
- The future floor of the pit is covered with a small layer of clay, which must be compacted.
- The next layer is spread roll waterproofing, for example, roofing felt or polyethylene film.
- Afterwards, the formwork for the floor is made, a reinforcing frame of rebar is laid and poured with concrete. It is recommended to add “Dehydrol” or “Betonoprav” to the concrete mixture to produce waterproof concrete.
- When the floor screed has dried, waterproofing is carried out again.
- If the groundwater is located high to the ground level, then the walls of the inspection pit are also covered/rammed with clay.
- To build walls, you can use brick or make monolithic concrete, having previously made waterproofing and constructed formwork with reinforcement. The last option is most relevant when high level groundwater.
- A waterproofing layer is laid on the walls, which is connected to the waterproofing of the floor. Carefully process all joints, cracks and edges. After this, concrete is poured.
- When the walls are dry, you can make finishing walls and floor of the inspection pit.
- The walls can be plastered and lined with tiles or fiberglass boards.
- A safety rail must be installed on top of the pit. It is needed to prevent cars from accidentally falling into a hole. For its manufacture, a 60 mm metal corner is used. The frame is welded according to the size of the pit. Having laid it on the pit, the frame is concreted. Upon completion of construction, it will be possible to lay boards (40 mm thick) on the corner to cover the hole.
This stage of work can be performed both immediately after pouring the foundation for the garage walls, and after they are erected.
Before starting to build walls, it is important to install gates. They will be partially embedded in the wall. Before installing them on the foundation, it is necessary to lay a layer of roofing felt waterproofing in 2-3 layers. Weld pieces of reinforcement 40 cm Ø12 mm to the gate frame. On each side you need to weld 4 pieces. The rods must be positioned so that they fall on the seam of the foam blocks. And before installing the gate frame, they should be painted with a preliminary primer. Gate installation must be carried out strictly level. Therefore, in this process it is necessary to use a level and plumb line. You can fix the gate using wooden blocks, installing them diagonally.
Beam over the gate opening
To ensure that the gate has a reliable base, a beam is made above it. To do this, you can make a metal frame and fill it with concrete. But keep in mind that the length of the beam must be at least 0.2 m greater than the length of the opening on each side. As an option, you can install a finished beam similar to an I-beam. In this case, from metal corner 50x50 mm weld the frame to the size of the gate. It should be installed so that from the inside of the garage it is flush against the wall. The corner is fixed with cement. Next, install the I-beam on top of the frame and gate.
If you plan to build a second floor, then an armored belt is constructed around the entire perimeter to hold the floor slab. For a garage made of foam blocks, it is necessary, as it will hold the entire structure together and will be a reliable support for the roof.
It is better to start building walls from a corner. The blocks are installed with the long side along the wall. Foam blocks are laid on special glue or cement-sand mortar. If we talk about glue, it provides much better thermal insulation. Therefore, its use is more effective. Moreover, the glue consumption is relatively small.
So, having set the corners, pull the rope between them. The walls will be laid along it. Every two rows the masonry should be reinforced. To do this, a special mesh or masonry reinforcement is laid in the seam. The rods that you previously welded to the gate are embedded in the masonry between the blocks. When you reach the floor beam, you carry out the laying without moving the block. If necessary, trim the block so that the ligament of seams is not broken.
If the project involves a shed roof, then the walls are laid immediately at an angle to the rear wall of the garage. For 1 linear meter, a 5 cm slope is sufficient.
To make a slope, foam blocks are simply cut with a special hacksaw. The situation is completely different if the roof is gable. Then it is important to think about how the roof gables will be closed. As an option, you can continue the masonry from or use another lightweight material, for example, lining.
Reinforced belt for foam concrete
Build formwork 0.3 m high along the perimeter of the walls. A reinforcing metal frame made of reinforcement is placed in it. All this is concreted. If it will be used to cover the roof beam floor, then the need for the construction of such a powerful armored belt disappears and, as a result, there is also no need to install formwork. It will be enough to lay a layer of thick cement on the wall on top of the reinforcing bar and then re-layer the cement. If necessary, use a trowel to remove the remaining mortar. It is important to control the thickness of the solution here. It should not be in such a state that it flows down the walls or should not be too thick, which will crumble in an instant.
The most common option for arranging a roof is to install a concrete slab, which must be covered with several layers of roofing felt. But when constructing walls from foam blocks, this technique is not suitable, since this material itself is relatively fragile and can be pressed under the weight of the slab. Let's look at an example of manufacturing a pitched roof using an I-beam:
- Install beams across the roof in 800 mm increments. The length of the beam should be 200–250 mm more wall, i.e. This is exactly how much the roof will hang on both sides. This will protect the building from precipitation. The beams are embedded in the wall.
- Lay out 40 mm boards on the bottom shelf as tightly as possible.
- Spread roofing material on top of them. Bend the roofing material at the edges by 10 cm.
- After this, cover the roofing material with slag, expanded clay or other bulk dry thermal insulation material.
- On top of the insulation, make a thin cement-sand screed up to 3 cm.
- When the screed has dried, treat it with liquid bitumen mastic, for example, "Primer".
- After this, using the fusing method, spread the roofing material across the garage in the direction from the bottom point of the roof upwards. Each sheet is laid with an overlap, which will ensure rain and melt water drains without seeping into the roofing “pie”.
Finally, all that remains is to make a canopy over the gate. You can make it yourself by welding it from a corner and covering it with polycarbonate or other roofing material or buy ready-made.
Floor arrangement
When the walls have already been erected, the roof has been installed and an inspection hole has been made, you can begin making the garage floor. A durable floor should be installed here, since the car will put a large load on the screed. That's why ideal solution there will be production concrete base. Directly in the pedestrian zone you can perform wood flooring, this is especially effective if you plan to have a work area and install tables. It will be more comfortable to be on a wooden floor than on a concrete one.
So, the soil is leveled and compacted. Each subsequent layer is also compacted, consisting of:
- crushed stone 100–150 mm;
- sand 50–100 mm;
- gravel 50–100 mm.
Finally it is poured concrete screed layer of at least 200 mm. After this, all you have to do is finish the walls, carry out the necessary communications and bring your car into its new, reliable and dry “home”.
It is worth noting that the purchase of foam blocks from the total cost of the entire project is about 30%. Most of the money goes to the construction of the foundation and roof. However, even despite this, a garage made of foam blocks is considered one of the cheapest. If you already have experience working with this building material, then write comments at the end of this article. Your experience can help newbie masters.
Video
Want more information about building a garage with foam blocks? Watch the video:
Blueprints
