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Why an Architect should be hired? We recommend that an architect be appointed for the construction of any house as the professional help would be useful in many ways. One can clearly see and feel the difference in a house designed by an architect and one by a non-professional. The visual appeal of the house is much better, as it is discussed with the client beforehand and is designed by an experienced person. Know how of the spaces and structure before hand is useful. The architect with his experience helps in dividing the spaces more efficiently as required by the client. This also ascertains that the whole space is efficiently used. One gets to know the feel of the place and space functions. The architect is able to explain what the final look and feel of the spaces would be. The architect acts as an invigilator of the construction and helps in reducing costs and clarifies misconceptions and bills by the contractor. The architect helps manage construction within time and cost constraints. A practicing architect helps in designing the house within the constraints of building bye laws thus avoiding any illegal constructions that may create problems at the time of getting the completion certificate. How to get to an architect? Architects are not allowed to advertise. Hence it becomes a little tedious for an enthusiast house builder to get the apt architect. The juice, however, is worth the squeeze. For socialites and brand conscious, one gets enough information in newspapers, yellow pages, journals and magazines regarding upbeat architects. If cost is a major factor then one can help oneself by asking ones friends, nears and dears, whosoevers home one feels is appealing. This is because each architect has his own style and the feel of the spaces created is his own. It is always worthwhile to check out on some of the works executed by the architect before hiring to ascertain that the suitability of the architects style. Architects do, however, adjust to the thinking styles of clients when the clients are certain of their requirements. How to work with an architect? Hire a Licensed Architect to avoid sanctioning problems Sign a contract having commitment from both sides First, briefly discuss the realistic preliminary budget, description of the project. Aesthetic visions Architectural Style Living style Specifications if any -number of floors -number of bedrooms and baths -size of kitchen, living (approx) Prepare a checklist of priorities Let Architect review your ideas Allow the Architect to respond Try to understand language of Architect One can certainly ask for redesign and modifications but after finalising and once construction gets started one should not go for any major changes. What to expect from an architect? Many options till a satisfactory solution is achieved Check for -Does it meet your budget? -Does it suit your life style?

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Can ask for more 3-D drawings, perspectives, models Furniture layout to understand the functioning of a space. Ask Architect to complete all drawings and details before starting construction on site. Through rate-contractor; guidelines for better relationship! Everyone wants to build a dream home but no-one wants the hassle that comes in day-to-day construction work. Through rate-contractors promise the relief yet a lot of facts should be carefully analyzed before a contractor is hired. GharExpert.com explored the factors one should consider before choosing a contractor and the other factors that will help the relationship stays smooth.

Before hiring the contractor: STEP 1: If you want to get the construction work on through-rate-basis done by the contractor who has own labor and materials, the following steps provide necessary support in achieving the best quality in the construction. Obtain required sanctions of all competent authorities before starting the construction work to avoid any obstacle during construction. Complete all drawings and details before allotting the work otherwise there may be a dispute later on. Many contractors demand more money later on if every thing is not settled in advance. Check the availability of good water for construction work through water supply or by doing bore well. Make sure that the bore well water is equal to the drinking water standard or get the water tested in the laboratory. Do not use hard or salty water as it is harmful to construction work. Check the availability of electricity connection to look after the construction work properly. Fix the floor level of the building according to the level of adjoining building, flood level, and road level before making the agreement. The floor level should be 2 or 3 feet high from the road level. In case the height of floor level is not mentioned, the contractor tries to maintain the lower floor level to save the time and material cost and earthfilling hassles. STEP 2: After completing the preliminary steps for construction work, try to contract a good contractor of the area keeping in mind the following requirements. Contact at least two or three contractors of the area because contractors working in the same area are very helpful in construction work in many ways as follows. He is easily available. He knows the problems of the area very well. He can easily employ extra labor in emergency because his labor is usually working nearby. He can pay more attention to the work as he remains in the same area for all the time. It is very easy to know about the behavior, the dealing and the progress of the work from the house owner whose construction is currently going on. You can easily evaluate the quality in work or progress in work if the contractor belongs to the same area. Make sure you sign a contract with the contractor:

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After you have collected the rates from two or three contractors, select one of the contractor keeping in mind the cost, time to be taken, quality of work and the skills of the contractor. 1. Try to make the agreement on lump sum basis which can be calculated from the area of drawing and by the rate given by the contractors. 2. Avoid making agreement on square feet basis because it can create dispute at the time of measurement. The contractor may later on add RCC shelves, balcony, projection and some hidden items of the drawings or designs in the calculations while these items may not be considered extra items for payment according to you. 3. Be watchful of the bad habits of the contractors as some may use sub standard material, demand for hidden or silent items, install less steel bars in the beams and slabs and also minimizes the thickness and size of beams or slabs. 4. Beware of the contractors who try to be very clever and misguides the house owner to get more money. They think that the house owner does not know the construction work or the quality of the material. 5. Make detailed agreement of each construction work in writing with the help of a technical person or friend. Its usually seen that the contractor agrees with you on all the points verbally but he backs out of many points or items later on. Detailed Contract is always better. While you are making an agreement with a contractor, some detailed points and specification should be written in the agreement. These points help to finalize the agreement and provide better quality in the work. 1. Fix the payment schedule on the pattern given below a) 20% on collection of raw materials and tools & plant at site. b) 30% after laying roof slabs. c) 10 % after cement plastering. d) 10 % after laying flooring. e) 10% after fixing door and window shutters. f) 10 % after fixing sanitary wares, electric fittings and door fittings etc. g) Remaining 10% after completion of building including painting, snocem fixing grills etc. in all respects. h) Proper receipt of every payment should be taken; if possible payment should be made through cheque. 2. Quality of the materials must be mentioned in the agreement as follows a) Bricks: Quality of bricks should be first class. The contractor tries to use second class bricks in foundation and in the internal works by justifying that these bricks hold good bond with cement mortar. But this does not happen in practice, so do not agree with this suggestion. b) Coarse sand: Coarse sand should be coarser and it should be washed to make it free from silt. The contractor tries to use unwashed and silty sand. If the house owner objects the the contractor may say that he would wash the sand later on but that never happens. If coarse sand with silt is used, it will reduce the strength of the structure by 20% to 30%. In general these points seem minor points but they affect the strenght of the building greatly. After all your kids and your family would be protected by the strength of this building c) Bazri: It should be of hard and tough stone having a blue color and mixture of 20 mm or 10 mm. Contractor tries to use cheap bazri which is in pink, red or reddish color having kacha stone and also he uses 10 mm bazri which gives more volume. Do not agree with the suggestion as the strength of the structure will be reduced up to 10% because of the low quality bazri. . d) Cement: Write in the agreement that cement should be from reputed factory and steel bars should be from TMT. Write the quality of the wood that should be used and the Ply board type that should be water proof and also write the types of other articles. 3. Specifications/size: The design and drawing should be mentioned in the agreement. Concrete should be mixed into the concrete mixer and it should be vibrated. The ratio of cement concrete should not be less than 1:8:16 in foundation, 1:2:4 in beams and slab, 1:6 in brick work and 1:4 in cement plaster. The foundation beam must be provided at DPC level. Floor level should be 2 to 3 feet high. Rainy water pipes should be fixed in masonry wall. The shuttering of column and beam should be water tight. 4. If designs drawing is not available, the foundation of the walls should not be less than 3 feet wide and deep. RCC
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column should be at 10 feet center to center having at least 6 number 12 mm dia bar with 8 mm dia ring and 6 center to center. 5. If designs drawing is not available, the downward beam should be laid instead of the upward beam. The M S steel bars should not be less than as follows. a) 16 MM dia bars 4 Numbers b) 12 MM dia bars 2 Numbers c) 8 MM dia bars rings at 6 inches center to center. d) The size should not be less than 9 inches x 12 Inches. In RCC slabs the steel bars should be 10 MM dia, 6 inches center to center on both sides. The contractor tries to save M S steel bars by placing the steel bars at more distance than that of the required. In this case do not agree with him. If less steel is used, it will reduce strength of the structure. 6. The type of floor to be laid, glazed tiles in the toilet or kitchen etc. should be mentioned in the agreement. Finishing of the working slab in the kitchen and number of cabinets to be provided in the kitchen should be mentioned 7. The specifications of door and window shutters, grills and cup board shutters with their fittings should also be mentioned in the agreement. Also mention sanitary ware electric fittings, stair railing, and POP and water supply fittings with water tank at the roof in the agreement. 8. The painting or polishing on wood works, walls, roofs and cup boards etc. should be written in the agreement. External finish with designs in plaster and exterior paint finish should be described. 9. Tile tracing at roof height of parapet and mumty etc. should be written in the agreement. 10. Door steps, entrance slope, and plinth protection, rainy water khurra should be mentioned. 11. Generally the house owner feels that after making the contract, the contractor will be responsible for all the safety measures and any type of mishap. This thinking is wrong. If any mishap occurs at the construction site, even due to the mishandling, both the house owner and contractor are responsible for it. The contractor denies giving payment/help to the laborers asking that he has no money and in some cases the laborers abscond from the working site. The compensation to the loss is usually made by the house owner in many cases. If an agreement is made with contractor on the basis of the safety of the persons working at site, he can not deny for any loss and will be responsible for any mishap later on. Some important things you should know before starting the construction work with the contractor 1. Employ a responsible person for supervision of the work. Make sure you find and hire this person yourself. 2. Check the quality of material and of the work. 3. Do not use unwashed coarse sand and bazri or bricks of inferior quality which reduce the strength of the structure up to 30%. 4. Do not let the contractor to use sub standard material. If its allowed once, the contractor will be habitual to use sub standard material again and again. 5. Do not use salty or muddy water in construction which reduces 10% strength of the structure. 6. Pay attention to cure the construction work to gain strength in it. The contractor usually does not cure it to save labor and money. 7. Prepare the mortar according to the measurement as the labor puts cement on some collected sand which is wrong. 8. Mix cement mortar and cement concrete properly. Cement concrete should be vibrated through vibrator. 9. Treat the back of the wooden doors and window frames with anti-termite chemical. Their joints should be fitted with iron sheets. 10. Fill in the hold fast of the door and window frames with cement concrete properly. 11. Apply the priming coat on the door or window frames before fixing them to avoid decay or rusting. Gharexpert can save you money during construction Do you know almost all individual home construction projects in India take more money to complete than what people originally plan? If planned properly, we all can save 10% or more on our home construction projects. The ideas and tricks discussed below will help you to save money in building your dream home! Still if you think we missed some thing, feel free to ask the community in the Forums section.

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1) Make sure you hire an Architect: GharExpert recommends that you hire a full time architect. There are several benefits an architect would bring to the table and the article below discusses all those benefits. It will also tell you what you should expect from the architect. Why an architect should be hired 2) Guidelines to hire a contractor: Hiring a contractor is probably one of the most critical decision in your engagement? The article below tells you about the general negotiation guidelines and roles and responsibilities of each party. Understanding what can go wrong during the execution of the project and the basis on which the contractors charge can help you negotiate a better deals with the contractor. . Through rate-contractor; guidelines for better relationship! 3) Detailed cost estimate can save you thousand of rupees during construction: Delhi Metro and other projects have shown that if planned and estimated properly, the construction projects can be completed on time but these advanced techniques are usually not available to general users building their homes. Now GharExpert.com brings online detailed cost estimates. Send us your architectural plan and we will give you complete step by step cost estimate for your whole building. This will help you negotiate prices better, manage the funds, avoid wastage and theft of raw material by buying the required material at right time. Detailed construction cost estimate can save you thousands of rupees during construction 4) Raw material procurement: It may be hard to believe that sand affects the quality of construction as much as the cement does, even though sand costs very less compared to cement. Find facts for all types of construction raw material including its quality, precautions for storage of material, purchasing guidelines and measuring criteria of raw material and the tricks vendors use to cheat a unsuspecting customer. 4.1) Purchasing bricks and cement: Bricks and cement are very important for building construction. The strength of a building depends on strength of cement. Do you know how strength of cement reduces with storage techniques and it may cause cracks in building. Bricks quality is also much important for a strong foundation. The article below lists many factors that should be considered while purchasing bricks and cement. Purchasing Guidelines for Cement and Bricks

4.2) Purchasing coarse aggregate and coarse sand: Do you know how to measure coarse sand while purchasing it and how to check the quality of coarse sand? May be you are paying more for cheaper quality coarse sand and coarse aggregate. Read the articles below before purchasing coarse sand and coarse aggregate and check the quality of these materials to get more strength in building. Purchasing Guidelines for Fine Aggregate/Coarse Sand Purchasing Guidelines for Coarse Aggregate 4.3) Purchasing timber: It is usually hard to determine timber quality if you do not check closely. Cracks in timber may be filled with putty and the vendor may color them so that they are hard to detect. At the time of purchasing timber you should check whether there are cracks in wood or not. Measurement of wood is another important factor that one may not know. The article below

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helps you to know the things you should check before purchasing timber. Purchasing Guidelines for Timber 4.4) Purchasing marble stone and granite: Are you purchasing marble stone and granite for your home? Before going ahead with your purchase, read the article below to know the defects of marble and granite that can not be found easily. The right measurement of stone can also save your lot of money. Click on the link below to read more. Purchasing Guidelines for Marble and Granite 5) Water Proofing the Basement: Are you unsure about building a basement because you are afraid whatever it will get damaged in rain due to the basement flooding? A better designed basement can reduce this problem. Read the article below that will help you to make your basement water proof. Water proofing treatment for basement 6) Make your home weather resistant: Building a comfortable home that is heat proof or cold proof is every one's dream and simple tricks can help you build a better home! The article below tells you how to maintain an optimal temperature in home during hot summer and cold winters. It will not only help you reduce your your electricity bills but will also make your home more environment friendly. Insulate your home 7) Skylights are beneficial in home: Now a days, several new construction methods are emerging and Skylights are another method available. Though, architects have been using it for some time, it is a good idea that we all understand it so that we can shape our thoughts around it. Skylights will help you to reduce electricity, and will make your home healthy and bug free. Click on the link below to read more. Skylights Ventilation 8) Cracks in building: Cracks look ugly and may also be dangerous for the safety of your home. Even if you have provided best raw material for building house yet you may have cracks for various reasons that may or may not be in your control. Read the article below to understand the reason of cracks in house and the solutions to fix them if they occur.

Detailed construction cost estimate can save you thousands of rupees during construction By:Gunjan Utraja - On Monday, April 13,2009 - 75856 View(s) - 15 Comment(s) At the time of the house construction there are many steps to be followed such as preparation of architectural drawings, structural drawings and obtaining approvals from concerned authorities etc. After doing all these exercises when we start construction work then we have to work on the preparation of budget, procurement of material and hiring the contractor etc and these processes can be simplified if you have a detailed construction cost estimate.

Here are some notes to help you understand the importance of cost estimation: In most of the home construction projects, the money runs out before the home is completed. This happens because the home owners do not have a stage by stage cost estimate. A detailed cost estimate can help you avoid this problem.

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From detail estimate you will get the information about all type of materials required for the work and the information about the actual quantity of all the materials required. You can use this knowledge to make agreement with the supplier in advance to avoid fluctuation in the market. If you do not know the estimated quantity of material required to build your home, the contractor may charge more amount to do the same work. With the detail estimate sheet you can cross check the quotation provided by the contractor.

With the help of detail estimates we can arrange the materials according to the needs at site. This will avoid unnecessary storage of materials, save the wastage of materials and blockage of money. It will also save unnecessary carriage and time. With arranging all the materials according to need it will help in smooth working and to avoid wastage of labor. This will help to arrange funds according to requirement. Detail estimate also give the specification of the material required for the construction which will help in checking of the quality of the materials at site.

If all the materials and labor will be arranged according to need it will help for timely completion of construction work which will save the expenditure spent on storage, watchman etc. Timely completion means timely use of house. Big projects in India such as Delhi Metro were completed on time because they used these estimation techniques to identify the exact quantity required step wise.

You can now benefit from the same estimation technology for your home construction. Use the steps below to order a detail cost estimate. The rate of preparation of detail estimates are as under:Up to 2000. Sq. feet area = Rs.2.50 per sq. feet. From 2001 to 5000.Sq. feet area= Rs.2.00 per sq. feet. From 5001 to 10000.Sq. feet area= Rs.1.50per sq. feet. Above 10000. Sq. feet area = Rs.1.25 per Sq. feet. 1) Have your home plan ready as you will need to upload it while asking for the estimate. 2) Create a question in the Paid question/answer section of this website at the link below.

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http://www.gharexpert.com/Ques_ans/ask_ques.aspx In the question, specify that you need a detailed construction cost estimate plan. Attach your plan and make the payment using the rates above. 3) You will get the detailed cost plan within a week. Earthquake safety tips Earthquake can strike suddenly with very little warning. One minute you may be enjoying your kids company and the next minute the floor begins to shake. You cannot stop nature, but you can learn how to react during an earthquake and being able to save yourself and your family. Here are some tips that may help you to ensure your safety.

Safety before the Earthquake The building should be constructed by taking all earthquake safety measures. Building should not have any crack either in foundation or in structure, if any then it should be repaired with the consultation of civil engineer. Loose and high objects should be fixed on the adjoining walls so that these objects may not harm the persons living in the rooms. Place heavy objects or articles on the lower shelves or on floors. Heavy hanging objects such as head light should not be kept in bedroom, sleeping area and living area. Store all breakable objects, flammable products and pesticides in low closed cabinets with proper locks. Make sure that all the family members know how to respond after earthquake and they should have emergency telephone number of police and fire fighting stations. All family members have knowledge about the location of electric main switch and how to turn off the electric main switch, gas connection to avoid any injury at the time of earthquake. First aid kit, torch, flash light, some food and water, radio with battery should be set aside for the emergency and each family member should know about the storage so that these items would be helpful after the earthquake. Safety during the Earthquake First of all, when earthquake occurs try to get out the house. Never use lift during the earthquake it may harm you. At the time of earthquake if someone is inside the building he should try to take shelter under heavy desk or table or stand under the door ways but away from glass windows, heavy objects such as loose cabinets, book shelves, Mirror and hanging heavy lights etc. If you are in bedroom then take shelter under bed or table or keep pillows on head and move away from electric circuits. If you are outside house at the time of earthquake, move away from electric poles, buildings, electric towers and trees. If you are in car then move the car away from building, trees, electric poles and bridges. Stop car in an open area and wait until the shaking is over. One should remained calm during earthquake. Take any action after thinking its pros and cons with the cool mind. Safety after the Earthquake After earthquake first step is to see all the injurious persons of your family and neighbors and give them first aid. Come out from the building as soon as shaking stops.

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Doors, cabinets and cup board should be open carefully there may be chance of structural damage that may harm you. Ensure the safety of building and look over the building from out side and see whether there is crack or not. Earthquake generally cracks gas pipe lines and electrical wires, if there is any smell of gas open doors and windows of house and get everyone outside the house. Turn off switches of gases, water line, and electrical main switch and do not use flammable material that may dangerous at the time of leakage. Remain out side the building as far as possible there may be any damage in the building after earthquake due to settlement etc. which takes place slowly. Be aware of additional earthquake shocks. One should not go to the damaged area and not stand near any building. Sometimes behavior of pets such as cats, dogs may changed during earthquake, watch animals closely and keep them in fenced yard. Designing a Foundation Foundation Foundation is the part of structure below plinth level up to the soil. It is in direct contact of soil and transmits load of super structure to soil. Generally it is below the ground level. If some part of foundation is above ground level, it is also covered with earth filling. This portion of structure is not in contact of air, light etc, or to say that it is the hidden part of the structure.

Depth of Foundation Depth of foundation depends on following factors. 1. Availability of adequate bearing capacity 2. Depth of shrinkage and swelling in case of clayey soils, due to seasonal changes which may cause appreciable movements. 3. Depth of frost penetration in case of fine sand and silt. 4. Possibility of excavation close by 5. Depth of ground water table 6. Practical minimum depth of foundation should not be less than 50 cm. to allow removal of top soil and variations in ground level. 7. Hence the best recommended depth of foundation is from 1.00 meter to 1.5 meter from original ground level. Footing Footing is a structure constructed in brick work, masonry or concrete under the base of a wall or column for distributing the load over a large area. Width of Foundation/Footings The width of footings should be laid according to structural design. For light loaded buildings such as houses, flats, school buildings etc having not more than two storeys, the width of foundation is given below. 1. The width of footing should not be less than 75 cm for one brick thick wall. 2. The width of footing should not be less than 1 meter for one and half brick wall. Different Processes in Foundation Work The processes executed in the foundation works are given below. 1. Excavation of earth work in trenches for foundation. 2. Laying out cement concrete. 3. Laying the footing in case of raft or column construction.

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4. Laying Anti termite treatment. 5. Laying Brick work up to plinth level. 6. Laying Damp proof course on the walls. 7. Refilling of earth around the walls 8. Refilling of earth in the building portion up to the required height according to plinth level.

Precautions while designing 'Foundation' 1. A foundation should be designed to transmit combined dead load, imposed load and wind load to the ground. 2. Net loading intensity of pressure coming on the soil should not exceed the safe bearing capacity. 3. Foundation should be designed in such a way that settlement to the ground is limited and uniform under whole of the building to avoid damage to the structure. 4. Whole design of the foundation, super structure and characteristics of the ground should be studied to obtain economy in construction work.

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Ratio of Cement Concrete and Mortar for Foundation 1. The cement concrete 1:8:16 is generally used in the foundation of walls in construction work. 2. In case of column raft cement concrete 1:4:8 is the best recommended ratio for it in the foundation. 3. For brick masonry cement mortar 1:4 to 1:6 is used as loading condition. In case of column and raft footings up to plinth level cement concrete 1:2:4 or 1:1.5:3 are used. Soil having Safe Bearing Capacity Dry coarse and well graded dense sand have maximum shear resistance and maximum bearing capacity. In general submerged soil and clay have less bearing capacity. Precautions during Excavation of Foundation Work The depth and width of foundation should be according to structural design. 1. The depth of the foundation should not be less than 1 meter in case the design is not available. 2. The length, width and depth of excavation should be checked with the help of center line and level marked on the burjis. 3. The excavated material/ earth should be dumped at a distance of 1 meter from the edges. 4. Work should be done on dry soil. 5. Arrangement of water pump should be made for pumping out rain water. 6. The bottom layer of the foundation should be compacted. 7. There should be no soft places in foundation due to roots etc. 8. Any soft/ defective spots should be dug out and be filled with concrete/ hard material BR>

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Types of Soil and Digging Tools Types of Soil The kinds of soils and their digging tools are given below 1. All kinds of soils (excluding rocky soils) 2. Ordinary rocks 3. Hard rocks All kinds of soils (excluding rocky soils)

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Any Layer or strata such as Sand, Gravel, Loam, Clay, Mud, Black Cotton, Moorum, Shingle, River or Nallah Bed Boulders etc. and hard core, macadam surface of any description, lime concrete, mud concrete and their mixtures. Pick axe, Showels, Jumper, Sacrifiers, Ripper and other digging tools are required for digging application. Ordinary rocks It is a rock which can be excavated (dug) by splitting with Crowbars or Pick axe, Wedging or similar means of excavation not requiring blasting. Examples are Limestone, Sand stone, Hard Laterite, hard Conglomerate and un-reinforced Cement Concrete below ground level. Light blasting may be done for loosening the materials. Hard rock It is a rock which requires blasting such as quartzite, granite, basalt, reinforced cement concrete below ground level is classified as hard rock. Where blasting is prohibited for any reasons, the excavation should be carried out by chiseling, wedging or by any other easy method. Precautions during Excavation of 'Hard Rock' Display red flags for the safety of persons around the area where blasting operations are carried out. Maintain a safe distance of at least 200 meters from the blasting site for all the workers at site. Give audio warning through blowing whistles before igniting the fuse. Do Blasting work under careful supervision Employ a Trained Professional for blasting. Do not let the Blasting happen within 200 meters of an existing structure. Tools for Ground Work The following tools are required for ground work.

1. Ripper 2. Crowbars 3. Shovel 4. Pick Axe Ripper It is a bulldozer equipped with one or more heavy tines for breaking up compacted soils, hard pans, and stumps. It is also used on old grasslands and agricultural lands to break up hard pans. Crowbars Crowbar is a heavy iron lever with one end forged into a wedge. Shovel

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Shovel with wide blade is especially appropriate for lifting snow, coal, or sand. Pick Axe A pick axe is a tool used for manual labor which consists of a hard spike attached perpendicular to a handle.

Purchasing Guidelines for 'Cement and Bricks' PRECAUTIONS WHILE PURCHASING CEMENT Cement is the most important raw material used in a building. You should ensure the quality of Cement using the following guidelines. 1. The cement should be factory manufactured instead of plant manufactured. 2. The cement should be packed in the bags of synthetic jute or polypropylene bags. 3. The cement bags should not be hand stitched. 4. The cement bag should bear manufacturer's name or his trade mark on it if any. 5. The cement bag should bear the grade and type of cement. 6. The cement bag consignment must have identification mark on package. 7. The cement bag should indicate the date of manufacturing. 8. One cement bag should have 50 Kg. weight. 9. The cement bags should not be older than six weeks from the date of manufacturing. 10. Do not purchase cement bags which are partially set due to moisture. Do not purchase if there are small lumps in the bags. 11. Do not purchase cement bags which are pressed or have lumps due to high pressure of stack having more than 10 to 12 bags. 12. Do not take cement bags which are torn by side and stitched in later.

PRECAUTIONS WHILE TRANSPORTING THE CEMENT BAGS 1. Care should be taken to carry the bags in a clean vehicle which is not dustier or on earth etc. It will reduce the strength of the cement. 2. During monsoon season the cement should be carried under covered Polythene or Tarpaulin. 3. Care should be taken that the labor should not tear the bags while loading and unloading the cement bags. WHILE STACKING CEMENT AT SITE Store cement in a moist proof storage area other wise quality of cement will be affected. 1. Cement should be stacked in a shed/fumes which is dry, leak proof and moisture proof. 2. Cement should be placed on dry brick floors, on wooden crates or on the planks. 3. In any case the cement bags should not be stored on the earth. 4. The stack should not be higher than 10 bags to avoid lumps under pressure. 5. The cement bags should not be stacked with outer wall. 6. Cement from different manufacturers should be stacked separately. 7. The cement should be used on first come first used basis.

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8. During monsoon season cement bags should be covered with polythene. 9. The cement bags should be kept close together to reduce air circulation. CAUTION: 1. When construction work is given to a contractor, make sure he takes proper care of the cement. A lot of time contractors do not care for proper storage of the cement at site as it costs them labor time (money). This results in reduction of strength of cement as the table below shows. 2. In some cases it has been seen that after laying the RCC slab on some part of the building, the contractor dismantles his temporary store at the site and places cement on ground floor of the building which is under construction. This is not good as the cement bags may draw moisture from the floor and walls as the new building is wet due to construction work in progress, which results in reduction of strength in cement. REDUCTION IN CEMENT STRENGTH DUE TO STORAGE S. No 1 2 3 4 5 Storage Period Fresh cement Three months old Six months old 12 Months old 24 Months old Reduction in Strength Nil 20% 30% 40% 50%

1. Due to absorption of moisture by cement during storage, cement retards in hardening and reduces the strength. 2. It is okay for cement to absorb up to 1.2% moisture as this level of moisture is acceptable but if absorption exceeds 5%, cement, the cement is destroyed for all practical purposes. 3. Different types of cements should not be mixed while using them for constructional purposes. PRECAUTIONS WHILE PURCHASING BRICKS Before you go to buy Bricks, keep in mind the points given below. 1. Bricks should be purchased from the kilns which are not situated on salty earth and water-logged area. 2. Some kilns owners prepare bricks under size and sell them at cheap rates but these bricks will be consumed more in numbers because the bricks are under sized. So the size of the bricks should be checked i.e. 9 X4-3/8 X 2-11/16. 3. Bricks under size create problems of joints during construction of masonry. 4. Bricks should be first class having uniform color i.e. Cherry red free from cracks and bricks should have ringing sound when these are struck against each other. 5. Bricks should not show appreciable sign of efflorescence (Whiteness). 6. Sample of bricks should be kept at site if the rate and quality suit to your requirements. While accepting delivery make sure whether the delivered material matches the sample agreed upon. PRECAUTIONS WHILE TAKING SUPPLY OF THE BRICKS AT SITE Be careful while taking the supply of Bricks 1. Generally it is seen, if the payment is given in advance, there is a chance for the kiln owners to supply mixed or sub standard bricks. 2. The supply should be taken during the day in the presence of you or person deputed for this job. 3. Some suppliers use the following practices during the supply of bricks. Make sure you keep an eye on these. Sub standard bricks which are not seen at the time of counting are put in the middle of stack while stacking the bricks at site.

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In some cases while stacking the bricks they put some bricks bats or broken bricks in stacks. In some cases while stacking the bricks, labor leaves the gaps in middle in one or two layers at ground and this will affect the quantity of bricks during counting. While taking supply of the bricks give the receipt of quantity after counting the bricks every time. If the supply is not made in your presence, give the receipt of bricks after counting and checking the quality of the bricks properly. While making payments to the supplier, the quantity should be checked from the receipt given by you and take the receipts back after making the payments. Also take proper receipt of the payments to avoid any dispute in later. Thermal Insulation of Home Thermal insulation is a method to reduce the transfer of heat from outside to inside. To make house heat proof, thermal insulation is a good choice. An insulated home is more comfortable as the temperature remains consistent over weather changes. It makes the house comfortable and keeps the temperature of house cool in summers and warm in winters. It is very useful to keep the temperature of the house independent from outside temperature.

General Principles of Thermal Insulation Thermal resistance of an insulating material depends on the type of material and the thickness. Provision of an air gap is very important and useful insulating agent. Orientation of the building has important role in thermal resistance. The building/house design is done in such a way so that entry of solar energy in summer should be minimum and in winter it should be maximum.

Choice of Insulating Materials Choice of insulating material depends on following considerations. Cost of insulating material. Area to be covered for insulation. Standard of insulation to be required. Cost of energy consumed for heating and cooling. Reasonable fire proof Non absorbent of moisture Not liable to undergo deformation Resistant to attack of small insects Insulating Material 1. Rock wool.

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2. Slag slabs 3. Mineral wool slabs 4. Aluminum foils 5. Cement concrete block with lightweight aggregate. 6. Gypsum board 7. Asbestos cement board 8. Clip board 9. ACC cement board 10. Chip board 11. Foam glass 12. Gasket cork sheet, foam plastic etc. How to apply insulating material Apply CPRX compound of Shalimar Tar Products (STP) on ceiling of roof. For fiberglass or glass wool insulation, you can fix 2" thick pieces. For Thermocol or rubber foam, you can fix 2'X2' pieces. These can also be fixed into wooden frames 2' X2' size. Finally, cover the treatment with 24 gauze perforated aluminum panel. How Thermal Insulation is Beneficial Comfort: The temperature of the room remains cool in summer and warm in winter than that of outside atmosphere. Therefore, by providing thermal insulation one feels comfort both in summer and winter season. Fuel saving: Fuel is required to maintain desired temperature of the room. By providing thermal insulation, the transfer of heat/cold reduces between inside and outside of the room.. Hence, it saves fuel. Condensation Resistant: Thermal insulation materials fixed on inside surface of the room walls prevent condensation on interior walls and ceiling. Condensation is deposition of moisture and takes place when warm air comes in contact of surface having temperature below dew point. Thermal Insulation of Exposed Walls The heat and cold radiate through exposed walls of the house. There are following methods of thermal insulation of exposed walls. 1. You may provide suitable thickness of wall. 2. You may provide Hallow wall or cavity wall. 3. You may fix Hardboards or ply board on wooden batten over the wall for creating air space. 4. You may fix Thermal insulating material sheet inside and outside exposed wall to reduce heat/cold transmission. 5. You may construct outer wall with thermal insulating material if you have frame structural building or non-load bearing walls.

Thermal Insulation of Exposed Doors and Windows Outside doors and windows transmit heat/cold through the room from atmosphere. The methods providing thermal insulation are following. 1. The frames of doors and windows are of wood. 2. You should not use Iron or pressed steel frames as they transmit more heat and cold than that of wood. 3. You may fix Insulated glass in glazed doors and windows.
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4. Double glass with air space provided on glazed door will reduce transmission of heat/cold from outside to inside. 5. You may provide sunshade projection on doors and windows to protect them from heat and rain. 6. You may use Curtains, ventilation blends etc. on exposed doors and windows. Thermal Insulation of Exposed Roof The roof of the one storey building or top roof of multi storey building is an exposed roof. Heat/cold transmits through exposed roof in the building. There are two types of treatment for thermal insulation of exposed roof by providing treatment at the bottom or top of roof slab. a) Internal Treatment: 1. You can treat both types of slabs both types of slabs either flat roof or pitched roof. 2. You should provide Air gap for under exposed surface of roof by fixing false ceiling under the roof. 3. Ventilation abutting the roof also helps for passing the heat out of the room. 4. You should install false ceiling with thermal insulating materials. 5. You may paste suitable adhesive and sealers at inside surface of the exposed roof for fixing Light insulating materials. Some insulating materials are glass wool, fiber glass wool, mineral wool, thermocol, rubber foam etc.

b) External Treatment: Suitable shade may be provided on exposed top surface of the roof for reducing solar radiation. 2. Shining and heat reflecting coating may be applied on the top of exposed roof like paint.

3. These coatings can serve dual purpose of water proofing and heat reflection. 4. In case of flat roof you can create air space on top of roof by placing asbestos sheet on brick pillars. 5. The surface temperature of flat roof may be reduced by sprinkling water on roof at regular intervals during hot hours. 6. The surface of flat roof may be kept cool by storing water on roof. 7. Mud Phuska, which is a mixture of clay soil, wood shaving, and water, should be laid on exposed roof acts as thermal insulation. 8. The earth laid under tile terracing on top roof also serves the purpose of thermal insulation and helps in giving proper shape for drainage of rain water.

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1.

Water Supply and Various Types of Pipes Water supply is the process of general requirement for supply of water from public water supply system to individual building and subsequent distribution of water to various parts of the building. The water from public water supply system to individual buildings is supplied through pipes. A large proportion of capital is invested on pipes while designing water supply distribution system. The following factors should be considered in selection of pipes. Strength of pipe Water carrying capacity Life and durability of pipe Expenditure on transporta on Join ng process, maintenance and repairs.

Various Types of Pipes The pipes are available in several types and sizes. They may be classified into three groups according to the material used in their manufacturing. Metallic pipes: the pipes such as CI Pipes, Steel pipes and GI Pipes.

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Cement Pipes: the pipes such as Cement Pipes, Asbestos cement (AC) pipes, cement concrete pipes. Plas c Pipes: the pipes such as Un-plas cized PVC (UPVC ) pipes, Polythene Pipes (low denisity) Cast Iron (CI) Pipes These pipes are mostly used in water supply. They are well suited for pressure and can withstand external load because of their thickness. The pipes are easy in manufacturing, layout and joining. These pipes are manufactured by vertical casting in sand moulds, horizontal casting in sand moulds and centrifugal casting (spun casting pipes).

(This picture is contributed by "Kumar") CI Pipes - Strong and heavy. CI pipes are heavy in weight. Therefore transportation is costlier and they are not suitable for inaccessible places. Due to heavy weight these are generally made in short length. This increases layout and jointing cost. CI vertical casting pipes are not of very good quality and can be replaced by centrifugal casting (spun casting) pipes.

Steel Pipes These pipes are extensively used for water supply. They are best suitable for long distance pipe lines of high pressure and provide satisfactory performance during service. These pipes have excellent mechanical properties and are ideally suited for welding. The pipes are made in length more than twice the length of CI pipes; which saves in transport, layout of pipe and joining cost. There is minimum damage to the pipes in transportation. The pipes being light in weight are used for large diameter pipe lines. Cement Pipes Main advantage of cement pipes in place of metallic pipes is their corrosion resistance. These pipes are bulky, heavy and require careful transportation and handling. The layout process of these pipes is costlier than steel pipes.

Asbestos Cement (AC) Pipes These pipes are light in weight and easy in transportation and layout. They have smooth internal surface and are not affected by corrosion (rust). The pipes are extensively used for water supply systems. Holes can be drilled in these pipes. These pipes are not costlier. Un-plasticized PVC (UPVC) Pipes These pipes are rigid PVC pipes. They are light in weight, tough, resistant to chemical attack and large in length. Due to large in length the cost of handling is much whereas transportation and installation cost is less. Smooth internal surface of pipes provide less friction which results in saving of energy. These pipes are not suitable for the area which is very hot.

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(This Picture is contributed by "Ahmed") PVC Pipes - Light weight still powerfull. Basement Interior Design

The design of basement interior is a specialized skill. In absence of natural light and air, interior design of basement requires more attention and care to fulfill requirement of house owner.

The basement interior design should be highly considered as compared to design of any other room. It is be er that basement interior design should be approved from professional interior designer who knows his job well. A basement is very functional space and can be used to enjoy more fun in different ways. Basement can be used as gym, game room, kids play room, home office, store, pool table space, bar or even home theater. The basement interior design is costly than the space to be designed above ground.

Home Theater in Basement (This Picture is Contributed by "Ahmed") Some problems faced during Basement Interior Design. Low ceiling. Dampness
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Pipelines Sewerage Low level hanging pipes

Gym in Basement (This Picture is Contributed by "Ahmed") Points to be consider while designing basement interior As the basement is situated at the bottom of building and is either built underground or slightly above ground, interior designer should consider some special aspects or steps while doing basement interior design as given under:

Basement Lighting Tips: Arrangement of ar cial ligh ng while basement design to compensate absence of natural light. Workspace ligh ng having separate control should be added where necessary. Basement Ven la on Tips: Installa on of windows towards road/street side above ground up to slab level. Exhaust fan is provided in the space between the ground and roof of basement towards road side. If basement is fully underground, the air is exhausted through duct (pipe) above top roof. Faux windows /open space with duct may be provided to counteract eects of enclosed space. Air condi oning is done in absence of natural air. Vent is provided to give natural ven la on. Other Tips for Basement Interior Design To make independent use of basement, toilet facility is provided with the walls towards road or street. In case of leakage or ood etc. arrangement for pumping water may be provided with outer wall of the basement. The space is designed according to the requirement of house owner. The wall and ceiling are painted according to the use of space. If there is big basement, the space is divided according to the requirement and it should have independent locking arrangement. Electrical pipes, wires and water supply pipes are hidden by paneling with walls so that they can be checked during any fault occurred in the line. In case of large basement area, the number of entrance gate is more than 2 for easy approach and emergency.

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Fire gh ng arrangement is provided while designing the basement. If interior design of basement is done in exis ng building, care should be taken that dismantling is minimum. Suitable space is made for water heater, furnaces and water storage etc.

Water Proofing Treatment for Basement (This article is specifically designed for Indian continent) A dry basement is a fun place to have. Usually home owners do not care for proper design of the basement at the time of consutruction and face tremendous problems later on. If care is taken initially, a lot of problems can be avoided.

Entry of outside water, rise in water level, and seepage from side structure including leakage in pipe and sewer line are some of the problems that one may face.If proper care is not taken for such problems, they may endanger the structure including basement and above floors. These methods can be applied for water proofing of basement during construction. 1. Basement where adequate space is available for excavation. 2. Basement where limited space is available for excavation Basement where adequate space is available for excavation The excavation of ground for basement is carried out in such a manner that working space of at least 60 cm is available around external walls. If water level is high, the excavated area should be kept dry by continuous pumping.

The following operations are executed in water proofing of basement. 1) On dry and leveled ground 75 to 100 mm thick lean concrete is laid to serve as a leveling course for water proofing. 2) The bitumen based primer is applied with brush on entire area at 0.24 to 0.30 liter per sq. meter after cleaning the surface. 3) Bitumen compound polyester membrane is fixed in hot bitumen of grade 85/25 at the rate of 1.5 kg. Per square meter. This layer should be protected by construction of flat brick flooring. 4) After construction of structural slab and walls, water proofing treatment on external face which is in contact with earth is done.

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5) After the surface is cleaned, bitumen primer is applied. 6) Self adhesive S B S rubber bitumen membrane with high density polyethylene film is applied on vertical walls. 7) Before back filling the soil an outer protective wall leaving a space about 100 mm around should be made and the space should be grouted subsequently.

Basement where limited space is available for excavation The following operations are executed in water proofing of basement where space for excavation around basement is limited. 1) The base slab of lean concrete is laid followed by construction of external protective wall. Its internal face is rough plastered. Horizontal damp proofing treatment is carried out. 2) In the same manner as described in above process vertical damp proofing treatment is applied on inside plastered surface of the protective wall. 3) The treatment should be continuous on the wall and the floor. 4) For vertical damp proofing continuous with horizontal a fillet 75 mm ratios of 1:4 cement mortars should be provided at the junction of the slab and outer protective wall. 5) The horizontal and vertical damp proofing is protected against damage during subsequent operations. 6) Flat brick flooring and an inner protective wall are constructed. 7) The space of 100 mm left between vertical damp roofing treatment and internal protective wall is grouted after laying damp proofing membranes. 8) Thickness and reinforcement of RCC structural slab and walls are designed according to depth.

Preliminary Works during Ground Work Preliminary Steps The area should be cleared of bushes, vegeta on, grass, branches, trees and saplings. The roots of trees and saplings should be removed up to the depth of 60 cm below ground level.

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Exis ng structures and services such as power cables, drainage pipes etc. within or adjacent to the area if required to be diverted/ removed, should be diverted or dismantled as per requirement. Archeological monuments should be fenced in the area where the work is to be started.

Clearance of 'Antiquities' At time of working when any archeological article such as relics of antiquity, coins, fossils, or other valuable articles should be delivered to the Government department whereas the other useful material if found should be stacked separately and this material is the property of the Government. Removing Roots during 'Ground Work' The roots of trees should be removed up to the depth of 60 cm below the ground level or 30 cm below formation level or 15 cm below sub grade level whichever is lower. The holes should be filled up with the earth which is rammed and leveled. Filling up the 'Ground' The earth used for lling should be free from all roots, grass, bushes, branches, trees, saplings and wastes. Filling up with excavated earth should be done in regular parallel layers. All lumps and clods exceeding 8 cm in any direc on should be broken. Each layer should be watered and consolidated with iron rammer. The top and sides of the lling should be neatly dressed.

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Periphery of Excavation Area Before the earth work is started, the area coming under cutting and filling should be cleared of shrubs, vegetation, brushwood, trees and saplings of girth up to 30 cm above ground level. The rubbish should be removed up to a distance of 50 meters outside the periphery of the area. Protective Measures during Excavation Excava on should be fenced securely providing proper cau onary signs, conspicuously displayed during the day and illuminated properly with red lights during the night to avoid accidents. Excava on opera ons should not damage adjoining structures or dislocate the services. Excava on should not be carried out below founda on level of the adjacent buildings un l under-pinning, shoring etc is done.

Demarcation/layout Procedure The following procedure is recommended for demarcation of a building. For layout of a building baseline is marked on the ground either from centre line of the road or from any permanent building nearby. This line helps to mark out the front of a building. Side baseline is also marked with the help of side structure or road or it can be marked with the help of first baseline or boundary of the plot. Fix temporary pegs at the centre line of walls/columns on both sides of walls and columns in front and back side. Fix peg at the centre line of walls/columns on both sides of wall and columns in left and right side of front of building.

Check diagonals of the square or rectangle formed after fixing pegs. Construct Burji or marking pillars with pegs at a distance of 1.5 meter to 2 meters and their top surface should be plastered. Mark centre line on the top of Burjis with the help of thread (Soot) or with the Thedolite in big projects and the diagonal and other dimension should be checked. Level Burji on all corners of building and the top level is fixed at a proposed plinth level. Mark the foundation of walls/columns according to drawing on the ground with the help of centerline marked on the Burji. Mark foundation trenches on the ground with chalk powder. Excavate the foundation of the walls /columns up to required level and the excavation must be checked with the help of centre line and level burji to avoid any complication later on.

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Advantages of Layout with the help of Burjis It saves time for measuring and setting of point again and again at the time of construction. It increases the efficiency of mason and foreman for doing their jobs. Accuracy can be checked at any time at any step. If any mistake is found, it can be easily be rectified at early stage. It is very difficult to rectify the mistake in later. Cross check can be done by senior engineer in minimum time. A qualitative work is maintained. Disadvantages for doing the work without layout At some sites of work the contractor brings steel pieces, erects the same on the ground and start the work of excavation. In due course these steel pieces are just discarded. Thus no proper reference point is available while doing further jobs. It involves extra time for measuring the offset again and again. Accuracy can not be checked at early stage and it will be very difficult to rectify the same in later stage. It involves wastage of time and money while doing rectification. This also leads to bad quality of work. Materials used during Setting up of Layout 1. Leveling Instrument

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2. Balli 3. Long Nails 4. Hammer 5. Right Angle(Guniya) 6. Steel Tape 7. Thin Cotton Thread 8. Bricks 9. Cement 10. 11. 12. Screen Sand Lime Powder Theodolite

Purchasing Guidelines for Coarse Aggregate Bazri is a very important part of RCC and concreting. The strength of the structure depends on the qualities of Bazri. When you take the supply of Bazri, you should ensure that the quality should be according to the specifications which can be obtained by the laboratory test. Generally Bazri should be of hard, tough dense stone or from river bed single pit gravel. It should be free from vegitable matter, other impurities, deleterious substances etc.

Quality of Bajri Generally you can judge the quality of Bajri in the field as mentioned below. 1. Bazri should be free from lumps of earth, grass, decayed vegetation, silt and sand particle etc. 2. In some Quarries there is Katcha stone in Bazri which generally has reddish or yellow reddish color. When you rub these Bazri particles, the particles are easily broken. This material is cheap in the market. 3. Bazri should be screened having minimum sand contents or fine material. 4. Bazri should be free from mixing with earth. This happens in rainy season when the Bajri gets mixed with earth or has slush coat on it. 5. You should be cautious as the supplier/truck owners have tendency to supply inferior quality or less quantity of the material.

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Loss in Material/Bajri: The Loss in material may be in two ways which are mentioned below. 1. Lose in strength due to low quality material 2. Loss due to ignorance (Monetary Loss) Lose in strength due to low quality material The Supplier/Truck owner may supply Bazri below the specification such as Katcha stone Bazri, unscreened, mixed with earth, other impurities and slush coating. This type of Bazri is cheap at Quarry site/source of supply. The strength of RCC may reduce by 10 to 30 % if the Bajri below specification is used in construction. Loss due to ignorance (Monetary Loss) The following precautions should be used while procuring the material from the supplier. These may help you save upto Rs.1000 or more per 1000 Cubic feet truck. Precautions while Unloading Material: Watch out for the sub standard material. Even if the supplier tells you that he has carried the best material you should check the quality using the guidelines above.

Precautions while Purchasing Coarse Aggregate a) About Rate: You should collect rates from around 3 to 4 suppliers. You should also collect the rates from few truck owners who stand their trucks full of material at the early hours of the day in every city/town. This exercise will not only help you get good quality material but will also help you figure out the prevailing rates. b) About Measurement (Wrong Calculation): The supplier or truck owner may try to used incorrect calculation method while calculating the final payment. For example if the measurement is 3 feet 6 Inches, he calculates the payment by multiplying 3.6 to the rate where as he should have used 3.5. Precautions for Measurement (Wrong Measurement): The suppliers measure the height of the truck while calculating the material quantity being supplied. a) You should measure the height of the truck from 2 to 3 places and then take an average b) Never take the measurement of the material at the ground after unloading as this will distort the calcualtions and you will end up paying more money. d) Try to get the material in cash terms and make the payment after measuring the height, length and breadth. As the truck driver/owner usually charge less rates on cash payment but don't forget to get a bill. Even though Bazri is cheaper compared to cement, it still is very important as far as the strength of the structure is concerned. Hopefully these guidelines will help you get the best out of your suppliers

Purchasing Guidelines for Fine Aggregate/ Coarse Sand The following precautions can help you save money and gain quality and quantity of coarse sand/material during the purchase. The three types of materials/ coarse sand is found at Quarry Site. Each material has different impact on the strength of the building.

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1. Screened and washed material: This type of material is the best for use in construction work and gives full strength of mortar. 2. Screened but unwashed material: This type of material is cheap having more silt. This is generally 10% cheap 3. Unscreened, unwashed material: This type of material is cheaper having more silt/clay and un-graded material. This is generally 20% cheap.

Caution:The following precautions help you can save Rs.2000 to 3000 if you get coarse sand 1000 Cft Truck. Precautions while unloading fine aggregate The supplier/truck owner carries sub standard material of above two cheap qualities of Coarse Sand at the cheap rate and he tells house owner that carried material is the best material because house owner does not know much about the quality of material. If the owner has some knowledge about sand and asks for the quality of Coarse Sand and objects about silt contents in coarse sand, the truck owner or supplier asks to sprinkle some water on sand and assures that the material will be the best material. Precautions while purchasing coarse sand House owner must be very careful while purchasing Coarse Sand. He must have latest knowledge about quality and quantity of the material. House owner has to pay more money for a. Cheap quality of the coarse sand. b. Labor to sprinkle water on the coarse sand. c. Quantity which is less after washing coarse sand because silt contents are washed away from the sand. In this way the quantity of the coarse sand is reduced. d. Rates because house owner has not much knowledge about market. e. Measurement which the house owner generally does not know. The supplier tells a lie by saying more quantity of the material and unloads the truck. Usually he unloads the truck during night or in early hours of the day in absence of house owner. In some cases he produces false receipt of Quarry Site.

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Precautions for the purchase of material a) About Rate: House owner should collect rates from more than 3 or 4 suppliers. He should also collect the rates from few truck owners who stand their trucks with full of material at the early hours of the day on prescribed place in every city/town. b) About Quality: When you take the supply, check the quality of material. Never accept fine and silty material because this material is harmful as stated above. c) About Measurement: Where the supplier or truck owner suspects that the house owner may measure the truck in day time, he applies following methods to befool the owner. He stops the truck at some distances from the site and gets the material loosen by spade and sprinkle water on sand in the truck. Due to spading and the water sprinkled over sand, the sand becomes bulky and it gives more height. Hence he charges on more quantity. He also tries to make the house owner fool in calculation for example if the measurement is 3 feet 6 Inches, he calculates it as 3.6 but actually it is 3.5 feet. He also tries to measure the height at the backside where the height is raised with the help of spade. Precautions for measurement a) When one takes supply of material, he should measure the height of material in the truck. If the material is pressed by your feet when you climb on the material in the truck, you should think that the material has been made loose with spade by truck driver; you should reject the material. If the material is not pressed by your feet, it is O.K. b) You should take the height with the help of iron rod by inserting it into the sand, but care should be taken if the truck driver takes measurement of the height, he can take the other height from low place and takes average of 2 or 3 points in heights. Take the length and width of truck after unloading of the material. c) Never compromise on the measurement of the material at the ground after unloading as this will give more quantity. d) Try to get the material in cash terms and payment made by you after measurement of the height, length and breadth as the truck driver/owner charges less rates on cash payment, direct from house owner as compared to the supply taken from suppliers. Purchasing Guidelines for Marble and Granite Stone (This article is specifically designed for Indian subcontinent) Marble Stone Marble stone should be hard, sound, dense, and homogeneous in texture with crystalline texture. It should generally be uniform in color, veining and be free from stains, cracks, decay and weathering etc. Precautions while Purchasing Marble Stone 1. Check the quality of marble stone and compare the available quality in your area with the quality of stone available in any other reputed market near your area. . 2. Try rates from three or four shops. The rates may vary in following two ways. According to quality of the stone According to size of stone slab as the smaller the size of stone slabs is, the cheaper the rate of stone slab would be.

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3. Make sure that the stone being offered is hard. This can be verified by pressing the stone with some hard object forcibly. In case of katcha stone the chips of stone will split from stone slab. 4. Make sure that the stone slab gives clear ringing sound when struck. 5. Verify that the stone is free from any stain i.e. deep cut or mark on the surface. 6. Confirm that the stone has uniform color without any spot. 7. Check the thickness of stone pieces and take supply of only those pieces that have the same thickness. 8. Check stone pieces thoroughly because it is generally observed that the shopkeeper place superior pieces on the top of stack and inferior pieces below. 9. Measure the stone by smallest rectangle at the time of payment. The broken piece should not be measured.

10. Make sure that the loading is done in your presence as the labor at the shop may also load inferior or rejected pieces instead of superior pieces of the same size in the vehicle. 11. Get the pieces of stone laid vertically; not horizontally in the vehicle. If loading is done in horizontally , the stone slab may break during transport.

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Precautions While Purchasing Granite Stone Granite is a stone that is gaining popularity because of its hardness, ability to take good polish and wide variety of colors available in it. The following precautions should be taken while purchasing granite stone. 1) Check patches on surface of discoloration, hairlines, cracks, deep pin holes on the surface. These signify a weak slab and will cause problem. 2) Check artificial coloring as it is a huge problem with stones now a days especially the black granite. Stone merchants rub industrial oil on the surface to intensify the color and creates a deep black and rich polish that wears off in matter of weeks. 3) Verify artificial color by rubbing with cloth dipped in kerosene oil or white petrol. If cloth brings black color then it is a fake color. 4) Also check the back of the slab for circular mark. These are made by kerosene cutter which is used to cut the block of granite slab. This shows that the cutting process is wrong. The granite slab should be water cut having no circular mark on the back of the slab. Bad

Purchasing Guidelines for Timber Wood Work Wood work is the single and most costly item in building constructions and much contribute to the beauty and appearance of the building. Timber generally used in construction is solid wood or ply wood products such as ply panel, block board particle board etc. Door and windows frames and shutters are generally made of solid timber. The wood is also used in structure in hilly areas.

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Timber Timber should be of first grade and be from the heart of a sound tree, the sap wood being entirely removed. The timber should be free from decay, fungal growth, boxed heart, pitch pocket or streaks on the splits of exposed edges and cracks. The timber should be free from dead knots, warm holes and warps and be well seasoned. The timber which is used in building construction is classified below.

1. Teakwood: It is of outstanding merit in retention of safety and durability. The teak wood is one of the most naturally durable woods of the world. It is usually remained immune to white ant attack and insect attack for very long period. Taken as a whole teakwood is of very good quality and is a durable wood. It is relatively easy to saw and work upon. It can take polishing well and be finished to a fair surface. It is generally used for making furniture and all important timber constructions. 2. Deodar wood: It is the strongest of Indian conifers. Its weight and strength is 20% less than teak. It is easy to saw and work upon for a smooth finish. It is not however a suitable wood for polish. It is used for building house. 3. Sal wood: Sal wood is about 30 % heavier and 50% harder than teak. It is 20 to 30% stronger than teak. Its heart wood is naturally durable wood and has less effect of attack by white ant and fungi for a long period. It is a rough constructional wood as compared to a carpentry timber. It can be used for various purposes such as beams, rafters; tool handles picker arms and tent pegs etc. 4. Kail Wood: It is not very durable wood. It is easy to saw and work upon and is usually very popular in workshops. It can be brought to a fine smooth surface, but it is more suitable for paint as compared to the polish work. It is useful for small joinery works, light furniture and house fitments. 5. Hard Wood (Non Coniferous) Timber Other Than Teak: This wood is not so durable unless treated properly. It can be readily treated with wood preservative. It can be finished to fairly good surface but needs careful filling before it is polished. It is used for building house. It gives good results when it is used after kilns seasoning. 6. Ply Board: Ply boards are formed by gluing and pressing three or more layers. Ply wood should be of BWP grade or BWR grade as per IS 303. It is available in various thicknesses from 3mm to 25 mm. 7. Particle Board: Particle boards should be of medium density and are manufactured from particles of agro waste, wood or lingo- cellulose i.e. material blended with adhesive and formed into solid panels. The particle board should be flat pressed with single or three layers.

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Purchasing Guidelines for Timber In building construction door and window frames are required for fixing in the masonry wall. After making decision for the type of wood to be used in the construction work, the frames can be obtained in following two ways. 1. By purchasing timber 2. By purchasing door and window frame

Precautions While Purchasing Timber from the Market 1. Verify the rates from the market before purchasing the timber/wood. The rates of wooden pieces vary according to length for example the same quantity of wooden piece having length 7 feet is cheaper than that of wooden piece having length 10 feet. 2. Try to purchase from reputed dealer after verification of rates. 3. Purchase wooden pieces according to the length required. This saves in cost and unnecessary wastage. 4. Try to purchase log of wood which has more width and thickness as thicker piece has good quality of wood. 5. Make a detail estimate for requirement before purchasing the wood for example

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Eight pieces of 10 feet long, size 3 inches X 5 inches Ten pieces of 7 feet long size 3 inches X5 inches Twenty pieces of 7 feet long size 3es inch X 4 inches Eighteen pieces of 3 feet long size 3 inches X 4 inches etc. This exercise will help you to minimize the wastage. 6. Purchase exact quantity required or 5% less and repurchase balance actual required pieces after consumption of first lot. If you purchase more than requirement, the carpenter makes more wastage by not making exercise to get required piece with minimum wastage. 7. Take care for the pieces left after making frames should be stored with care as they can be used any time for any item. Precautions about Quality 1. Check if wooden piece has any dead knots, cracks, decayed portion and fungi etc. 2. Beware of the shopkeeper who generally color wooden pieces and fill up putty between cracks and in decayed portions to hide the defects. He sprinkles water on wooden pieces daily so that the cracks are not widening in summer season or due to evaporation of moisture. 3. Identify any suspected spot by rubbing with any hard piece or key of your vehicle. If the portion is filled in with putty, it will come out from wooden piece. 4. See the corner of wooden piece is at right angle while selecting the pieces. If it is not at right angle, the size of the piece remains less than that of required at the time of the finishing. 5. Check warping of wooden piece. Do not purchase wooden piece which has warping. Precautions at the Time of Measurement Make measurement cautiously as width and depth of piece have more effect in quantity than length. At the time of loading you should be more cautious as trained labor of the shopkeeper change selected piece of wood by defected piece. Additional Precautions While Purchasing Manufactured Door And Window Frames. 1. Check the size of door and window frames design according to your requirement. 2. Confirm the width and breadth of the member cautiously as some dealers charge for more size because they say that the size becomes less due to sawing and planning of wooden piece. 3. Ensure the right angle of the frame and also the width of door and windows at top and bottom. 4. Verify the joints of the frames, generally manufacturers use less length of member at top and bottom and the joint remains half filled and becomes weak. 5. Notice that the joints are fitted with bamboo pin not by nails. 6. See that bottom spot is fixed at the bottom of the door frame. 7. Check the finishing which has not any warm holes dead knots etc before making the payment. Precautions while purchasing door and window shutters 1. Check the quality of the wood as stated above. 2. Do not keep the thickness of the door and window shutters frames less than 30 mm. If the thickness is less than 1 mm, you will have to pay 3% more to the shopkeeper. 3. Make sure that the thickness of ply panel is not less than 12 mm. 4. Check that the door shutter frame is 8 wide at bottom, 6 wide at middle and 4 wide at side and top. 5. Verify the width of the shutters is 3. 6. Check the ply is of BWR grade with IS No.303 in case ply panel. 7. Ensure the flush door shutters are according IS No 2202 part-I. Skylight Ventilation

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Skylight or roof lighting is a good device to enjoy natural light and fresh air which refreshes body and mind. The sunlight helps to fight depression, increases working efficiency and provides healthy atmosphere in homes, reveals recent scientific researches.

An innovative method of lighting: Skylights allow natural sunlight to come from rooftop down through a reflective tube, and diffuse the light at ceiling throughout day. These skylights capture direct light and provide superb illumination in early morning or late afternoon in cloudy days. Some skylights have combined electrical lights so that the fixture can give light in day and night.

Skylights Dome (This Picture is Contributed by"Sunder") The skylight lets natural light to enter the house approximately 8 times more than wall windows do. The skylights are installed into the roof according to requirement, space and size available at roof of the house. While fixing skylights, ensure that proper sealing is made to prevent leakage through windows during rain. Sometimes roof windows are also known as roof lights, skylights or glazed opening in the roof. Provide healthy atmosphere and can save on your electricity bill! So a skylight or sunlight provides healthy atmosphere for occupants of the house. It reduces electricity bills and darkness in the house. Researches reveal that suicide rates are higher in those parts of the world where sunlight is very limited in any quarter of year. The mind and body function well in natural light and people perform better. Also the skylights enhance value and beauty of the house. Many homeowners benefit from natural lighting from skylights as follows. Bene its of Skylights Health Sunlight helps people improve their working efficiency and health as well. It can also help curative process in hospitals as studies have proved that the recovery of patients is increased where enough natural light exists. In winters the lack of sunlight can make people feel sick.

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Soothing music below natural lights (This Picture is Contributed by"Arun")

Education Recent research exposes that good sunlight in classrooms improves students performance in their studies. In natural light students concentrate be er, gain in their health and therefore increase their class a endances.

Business Sunlight boosts up concentration in working environments; be it factory or office and increases productivity of the organization. The research suggests that sales can be increased in naturally lit environments in which colors are brighter and true, making goods look eye-catching and encouraging customers to purchase. Recreation People prefer to enjoy in brightly lit environments while entertaining in leisurely movements. Sports and recreational facilities maximize natural daylight in their building so that more people may take pleasure from their services.

Legal Requisites Revised building regula ons have made basic requirements of sunlight or roof lights in buildings to provide healthy

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atmosphere to the occupants and contents of the building. It recommends minimum 10% roof light area in residen al buildings and 20% roof light area in industrial and commercial buildings. Why Natural Lighting? Natural light reduces the amount of electricity required for illumina on. It may save up to 50% of energy spent of ligh ng in commercial or ins tu onal buildings. Naturally-lit environments have psychological eects on people because they say to work and perceive eciently in sunlit areas. Sunlight pays big dividends to the occupants and protects environment also. Day lit buildings reduce the use of fuel and carbon dioxide emissions concerned with global warming. More Benefits of Sunlight Provides sunlight and natural ven la on in the house. Oers fresh air and remove polluted air out of the house. Reduces the cost of energy/electricity and ceiling in the house. May be used to exit in case of re or in any emergency in the house. Porch Designs A porch is really a place to sit, spend some time with family enjoying outdoor beauty. A well designed porch may add value to house. A porch can be open, screened and sunroom. Read this article to find out porch design ideas.

Open Porch Design An open porch is a deck covered by roof structure thats supported by pillars. This porch is one of popular designs of porch. Open porch in front yard of your house can be decorated by placing plants in containers. Cane and bamboo furniture can also be placed to sit there. Use sculpture, outdoor swings or hammock in your porch.

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Screened Porch Design A screened porch is a wonderful way to enjoy outdoor beauty. This porch is a room with perimeter walls of large panels that allow fresh air and sunlight in the porch and help to keep out mosquitoes and bugs. You can convert your lounge into a porch with indoor plants. You can use wood patio furniture and swings for comfortable sitting.

Sunroom Porch Design A sunroom porch is a perfect way to enjoy outdoor inside the house. A sun room is generally located at the back of home and has big windows. You can open these windows to enjoy the breeze in summers. Sunrooms are often used for relaxation and to enjoy reading. The best way to decorate sunroom is to place outdoor furniture and plants that look great in sunroom and flourish well because of natural light. You can use curtains and blinds in Sunroom.

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When you choose a porch style, you will have to keep in mind available space and design of your house. If you have a small house, you can not think about a screened porch or sunroom. Open porch is a good option for small apartments. If you want a porch where you can sit with your family and friends and want to avoid mosquitoes and bugs, the screened porch is good design. A sunroom is ideal for spas and hot baths.

Layout of Building The real meaning and purpose of setting out (layout) is to transfer the plan, length and width of its foundation on the ground so that the foundation can be excavated for construction of purposed building as per drawing. The following preliminary works should be executed before actual planning of layout for the house.

Clear the site from all grass, bushes, trees, etc. Record spot levels of the ground. Construct a permanent bench mark in construction area. Base Line For setting out /layout, the most important requirement is to establish a baseline. This is marked on the ground as per site plan requirement with the help of offsets which are taken from the existing road or existing building. Centre Line Centre line divides the plan into two equal parts. This can be marked in the field with the help of baseline. This line is very necessary and useful for layout. This line should be transferred to Burjis and be kept up to the completion of foundation work.

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'Burjis' and its' Distance Burji or marking pillars are masonry pillars constructed with bricks and cement mortar. These are constructed on both ends of walls /columns and center line should be marked on the top surface of the burjis with the help of base line. Burji is also constructed for indicating the plinth level of the building. Burjis are very useful for the layout. Accuracy of the foundation can be checked with the help of Burji at any time during construction. Burjis should be kept intact till completion of foundation work.

Electrical Fitting and Cable Wiring In construction of a house/ building house owner should focus on electric works also; which need a lot of attention while laying wiring as well as quality of wiring, specification of electric appliances and cables/wires. Due to carelessness or lack of knowledge by electrician fatal accidents may occur in later and take up more money in repair. Thus every care should be taken while doing electrical fittings. Here are given some tips on how to lay wiring. Electrical cables/wires are laid inside walls and RCC slab which may require dismantling if any problem/defect arises in later. Dismantling is very costly as compared to getting it rightly fixed first time.

Always choose standard quality wires and cables (This Picture is Contributed by "Ahmed")

In case of defects in electrical wires they can cause fire in house and may even take human life in some cases. So make sure you do the following to ensure good electric works. 1. A professional or good electrician should be hired for electric works. All electric works and installations should comply with latest Indian Electricity Acts and Rules in all respects. 2. All materials used in electrical fittings should be of approved and from a reputed manufacturer as per ISI specifications.

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3. Make sure that electrician has calculated total load from various items that would be used in the house. Whether he lays wires that are capable of taking total load. 4. It is seen that a lot of times electricians are careless while putting right load bearing wires for a purpose and these wires get burnt at the movement when entire load is put on wires. House Wiring Rules as Per ISI Specification The wiring should be carried out on distribution systems with main and branch distribution boards to convenient centers and is without isolated fuses. All conductors should run, as far as possible along walls and ceilings, so as to be easily accessible and capable of being thoroughly inspected.

3 phase conductor wires (This Picture is Contributed by "Ahmed") In any case wiring should not run above ceiling. Circuit on opposite side of three wires system or on different phases of three phases system is kept as far apart as possible in all cases; the minimum distance should be 7 feet. Medium pressure wiring and all associated apparatus should comply with specification. The numbers of points in light circuits should not exceed 10 or the total load on circuit should not exceed 800 watts. One circuit can be explained as one connection from electrical meter or main fuse circuit. For power wiring circuit the numbers of points in a circuit should not be more than 2 and the size of wire is 1.5 mm square for copper and 2 mm square for aluminum. Switch boards should be fitted at a height of 1.5 meter. Horizontal run of wiring should be at a height of 3 meter. Earth wire should be 14 SWG in case of copper and 4 mm square in case of aluminum. Fuse wire should be connected to phase wire only. Connect a neutral link in neutral wire. Connect all switches in phase wire. All conductors should be of copper and have a cross section less than 0.0020 sq. inches, nominal area (3/0.029 inches) and every such conductor should be stranded. Minimum size of earth wire for light circuit is 1 mm square for copper and 1.5 mm square for aluminum. Oak Flooring Oak flooring is a very beautiful and an excellent choice to enhance the warmth of your house. This flooring is hygienic, non allergic, hard wearing, and easy to clean. It gives nice feel even under bare feet and offers fragrance just after the floor is polished and cleaned. Actually oak flooring is a type of wooden flooring which consists of layers of fiberboard or plywood. It includes natural oak flooring, white oak flooring, and natural dark oak flooring. Oak flooring is wear resistant and long-lasting if looked after properly. This flooring may be susceptible to dents and scratches. Hence it is not the best option for high traffic areas such as hallways without a rug.

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How to protect oak flooring? Using felt pads on furniture such as sofas and beds is a good way to protect oak ooring. This ooring should not be exposed to moisture. It should not be installed in bathrooms and kitchens where lots of moisture and water exists. Where to install oak flooring? Oak ooring is most suitable for the rooms with low trac volume such as bedroom, dining room or living room. It is an ideal choice for bedroom and can add elegance to any room. Oak ooring is usually laid as a oa ng oor. It should be ed properly both for func onality and durability. Manufacturing of oak flooring The core and top layer of oak ooring are manufactured by laying cross layers on one another. This method ensures that the ooring will not change into its shape by shortening, lengthening, warp due to moisture, humidity changes or exposure to radiant heat. This feature of oak ooring allows it to be installed in areas where tradi onal hard wood ooring is laid. Installation of oak flooring 1. Laying base coat before installing oak looring Step 1: Compact the earth properly: Compact the earth properly by watering and ramming. Do sand piling to make sure proper compaction of the earth under floor. Step 2: Ensure the base coat is fully compacted: Lay 100 mm thick fine sand on compacted earth. After laying fine sand, lay 100 mm thick cement concrete in ratio of 1:8:16 and ensure that the base coat laid is fully compacted by hand rammers or with surface vibrator. 2. Leveling concrete in proper slope A layer of at least 25 mm thick leveling concrete should be laid. Cement concrete in of 1:2:4 ra os should be laid in proper slope and in level. It should fully be compacted and be cured for 7 days. 3. Store looring material at room temperature Store the floor material at room temperature at least 24 hours before starting installation. If sub floor is of concrete, hard panels should be fixed with nail or glue. Also place insulation layer over entire surface of sub floor to insulate it against moisture, heat and noise.

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4. How to install oak looring? Step 1: Clean and level the surface: Keep the surface clean, dry and in proper level before laying oak flooring. Step 2: Start laying oak flooring using wedges: Begin laying engineered oak flooring boards along longest straight wall in the room and use wedges to maintain 10 mm gap between boards and skirting board or wall. Step 4: Ensure proper joints in rows of boards: Make sure that the joints or offsets do not coincide in the rows instead they are staggered. To obtain staggered joints, use full length of board in first row, start with 2/3 length of board in 2nd row and begin with 1/3rd length of board in the 3rd row. Repeat this pattern throughout the room. Step 5: Do finishing and fit boards properly: Cut the ends of boards at walls allowing a gap of 10 mm. To fit boards around corners or odd shapes, draw a cardboard template and trace outline of the template on board and use jigsaw to cut out the shape. To fit engineered oak flooring under a doorframe, use handsaw to cut thin slice from the bottom of doorframe allowing boards to slide under it. Step 6: Cover gaps with matching molding: Once you have fitted all boards, cover the gaps at walls with matching molding. Make certain that you fix molding with skirting board or wall; not with flooring so that floor can be easily dismantled. Note down: After completing installation process, the surface should be cleaned and polished. Tools required for installation of oak flooring Jigsaw with 2.5 mm wood blade Handsaw Mallet Measuring tape Bench Miter Pencil etc. Benefits of oak flooring Beau ful, elegant and sophis cated Extremely durable since it lasts for long me Adds to the value of your home Complements to any design of your home. Available in a variety of colors and styles Be installed in living room, bathroom or bedroom, family room etc. Drawbacks of oak flooring Very expensive and usually unaordable. Requires a lot of maintenance and care Fades in the sunlight as suscep ble to extreme temperatures May be damaged, get scratches or dent if any sharp objects are placed on it.

Orientation of Building Orientation of building is to design building in such a way as it receives maximum ventilation and natural light in all climatic conditions. It provides comfortable living conditions inside the house/building and saves energy bills also. The orientation can defend undesirable effects of worse weather. While planning to build a new house, ask your architect to design building in such a way that energy loss is minimum.

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Climatic Implication Orienta on of building determines the amount of radia on the building receives. The orienta on with respect to air pa erns aects the amount of natural ven la on as much as possible. Benefits of building orientation Energy saving Orienta on of building is energy ecient approach as the building orienta on saves hea ng, cooling and ligh ng cost. You can take op mal benets of the sun by maximizing southern exposure. It lowers cooling cost by minimizing western exposure where it is most dicult to provide sunshade. Breeze/Natural Air Orienta on of building provides breeze is in warm and humid climates. On the other hand, the orienta on prevents hot winds in hot and dry climates. Natural ventilation Building orienta on provides natural ven la on and light which is benecial to the health of inhabitants of the house. Factors Affecting Building Orientation 1. Solar radiation and temperature The intensity of solar radia on depends on the direc on of sunrays. The temperature of a structure and living space increases due to sun radia on and aects environment of the house. Solar radia on acts in two ways. Sunrays directly come to the house through openings Radia on comes indirectly through walls and roof of building by absorbing heat. For comfortable living particularly during summer season, radiation, temperature and treatment of room are considered. From solar radiation point of view, the best orientation is that which receives maximum solar radiation during winter and receives minimum solar radiation during summer season. The South faade has advantage of receiving more solar radiation during winter than that of receiving during summer. Even for openings on south facade, small overhang such as curtains can cut off direct solar penetration during summer and allows it during winter. Obviously, this is most beneficial aspect, not available on any other faade.

How to minimize solar heat in south faade? In fact the incidence of ground reected radia on on human body from southern sun in south facade causes great thermal discomfort and visual glare. In northern India the South wall of a building or house receives least solar radia on during summer. To minimize reected solar heat, grassy lawns should be developed in front of south faade. How to minimize solar radiation in western faade? The eastern and western faade receive nearly equal amounts of daily solar radia on throughout the year. The only dierence is when the sun shines on eastern faade, the building or house is compara vely cool and air temperature is low. On the other hand due to higher air temperature in a ernoon, the heat ows indoor through western faade. To minimize the aect of solar radia on in western faade, the sunshade on openings should be constructed. 2. Clouds and Rains Clouds and rains have compara vely less importance in orienta on of building. The areas with low clouds cover sky largely and determine the eect of both incoming solar radia on and outgoing terrestrial radia on. Glazing and
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opening should be designed keeping in view the direc on of rain, bea ng the building because the direc on of rain is generally same as that of prevailing wind expect in case of storms. If due to architectural view glazing is provided, it should be covered by proper sunshade etc. The walls of lesser thickness should not be designed in the direc on of heavy rains. 3. Humidity It depends on weather condi on of the area and has li le role in orienta on of building. The movement of air and use of prevailing wind are very important during periods of high humidity. Humidity can be classied into four categories i.e. Very dry Dry Humid Very humid When humidity is low, dry or very dry, it is easy to take advantage of evaporative cooling in summer. When it is humid or very humid it is desirable to regulate the rate of air movement either artificially with aid of electric fan or with help of prevailing winds. 4. Humidity design consideration The comfort in rela on to humidity becomes complex. In humid environment there is very warm feeling when there is no breeze and air temperature is 30 0C. On the other hand if humidity is low, one may feel cool even if the temperature rises up to 32 0C with li le breeze. It will be cooler at the same temperature if there is reduc on in rela ve humidity. And if there is breeze in high humidity area, the building should be designed in such a way as it has more natural air and ven la on. 5. Prevailing winds Prevailing winds help create natural ven la on in a building and give more comfort during high humidity. During orienta on of a building and designing doors and windows openings, the direc on of wind ow should be considered. Fix windows and ven lators at proper loca on in building to provide maximum air and light. The height of windows has much concern about ven la on. Maximum air and ven la on can be obtained if the level of opening is at the level of occupancy. Consider velocity and direction of wind for orientation For the purpose of orienta on, it is necessary to study velocity and direc on of the wind at par cular place throughout the year. It is be er if the ow of wind is more in building during humid period than rest period of the year. Close openings to avoid heat and glare in summer One should take appropriate ac on during orienta on of building so that the building provides maximum comfort. Where there is extreme heat in summer and it becomes necessary to close openings to avoid heat and glare, it would be helpful to orient buildings to face winds during humid months instead of facing prevailing wind which comes from some other direc on. Note: Ideal or desirable orientation may not be possible in each individual case due to various factors in every situation. In this age of advance technology in materials and mechanical aids, the lighting and ventilation can be obtained for living and working after deciding on orientation of building. Bedroom Styles Bedroom is a place where you feel relaxed from the worries of the world. But you have to choose your bedroom style according to your needs and personal taste whether it is modern, traditional or transitional. The bedroom style should be comfortable and soothing that will rejuvenate your body and mind in a perfect way. A medley of different styles turns your boring bedroom into a fantastic place where you will enjoy every moment.

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Options for Bedroom Styles Style of your bedroom tells how modern and traditional you are. Here we will discuss various styles of bedroom and you can choose the best one as you will like most. Modern or Contemporary Bedroom Style: A Clutter Free and Cozy Atmosphere with a Classy Mood For a clutter free look, it is right to choose the modern bedroom style. The modern style gives a sober look but it will grab everybodys attraction while entering in the room.

(Modern or Contemporary Bedroom Style)

(Modern Style Bedroom- With Modern Furnishings) Here a few points about modern bedroom style are given: Simple bedroom furniture with low height beds offers a clutter free and organized look to your modern bedroom style. Platform beds are the perfect choice for contemporary and modern bedroom suites as they have straightforward bed elevation with modest aesthetic. Modern bedroom furniture suites with matching armoires, dressers, retro chaise lounge and a designer mirror gives you the comfort with a cozy look. If you place innovatively designed night stands adjacent to the modern bed sets, it will absolutely make your bedroom a cozy haven. Use bold colors such as red or yellow palate over the white color theme for a long-lasting effect. Different hues of brown color go well with the modern day furniture pieces. Simple rugs and fabrics, various geometric patterns such as squares, circles-even amoeba shapes incorporated with the modern bedroom style.

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Dark tones of wood boost up the modern bedroom style dcor. Traditional Bedroom Style: A Splendor for Generations to Generations Traditional bedroom style offers elegance and timeless beauty from generations to generations.

(Traditional Bedroom Style with a Poster Bed) (Traditional Bedroom Furniture) Here a few points about traditional style bedroom are given:

Symmetry is one of the important features of the traditional style bedroom. Poster beds and sleigh beds go match with the traditional style. In traditional style bedroom, woodwork with stunning craftsmanship offers magnificence to your bedroom. The wonderfully engraved bedposts with intricate designs look extremely superb in your bedroom. It will give you a royal feeling when you sleep. The edges of traditional bedroom furniture are smooth and soft which gives a welcoming feel to your bedroom. Traditional style gives a casual feeling with less expensive accessories. Traditional style represents arranged and conventional settings. Classic and matching furnishings give a simple look with consistency. A pair of bedside tables is placed adjacent to the bed gives you a simple style. Try to avoid displaying art pieces and stainless steel furniture in the traditional style bedroom. Classy upholstered furniture looks practical, plain and comfortable with flat edges. Add a touch of warmth with traditional bedroom furniture with royal patterns and designs. Transitional Bedroom Style: A Medley of Traditional and Contemporary Style When you are in confusion that what style you want to pick, then transitional style solves your problem. Transitional style is the right choice for those persons who like splendor as well as simplicity in their bedroom. This is the medley of two styles where you can use traditional style along with the contemporary style. You can use transitional bedroom style for any setting.

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(Transitional Bedroom Furniture) Here a few points about transitional bedroom style are given: Use of heavy carvings furniture with sleek metal furniture maintains a harmony in the traditional bedroom style. The transitional bedroom style has furniture with fancy curves and natural wood finishes with sleek and brushed metals. Simple color scheme with hues of taupe, beige, and tan create a soothing and unsophisticated environment in transitional style bedroom. If there is monochromatic color scheme in your bedroom, then use minimum accessories for creating the transitional style. Modern chunky glass vase with a single beautiful stem looks simply gorgeous in the bedroom. You can display artwork and photos with simple frames or on the basic white mats. It is a good idea to choose brushed nickel or silver for the frames, accessories, and fixtures. Country Bedroom Style: A Cozy and Welcoming Trend Country bedroom style has a timeless appeal that can be adapted to almost any home.

(Country Bedroom Style) Here a few points about country bedroom style are given: Country style bedroom has become one of the popular styles of the today market due to its casual and modest appeal. The country bedroom furniture style offers a blend of rustic and romantic flavor with graceful curves. The furniture used for country style gives you an everlasting pleasure including detailing, molding, and the artful use of woods in each frame, nightstand, armoire and dresser.

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For a breathtaking look, you can use plain sheer curtains or print or checked drapes. If you really want to compliment your country style, then try pieces with pine stain or a painted finish. Plain overhead lighting with bedside table lamps looks interesting in country style bedroom. You can try paint with wallpaper borders on the walls for a unique country style.

BRICK WORK IN CEMENT SAND MORTAR In brick work when cement sand mortar 1:7 ratio is used means 1 part of cement and 7 parts of sand. This mortar is low in strength and is recommended for the following works : Single story building. Light weight wallshaving no load of beams. 1:07 Semi permanent structure. Temporary structure. Toe walls. In the brick work where cement sand mortar 1:6 ratio is used means 1 part of cement and 6 part of sand. This mortar is of medium in strength. And is recommended for the following works: Important building. 1st class brick 3 story building. work1:6 Heavy weight wall having load of slab and beams. In heavy and frequent rain zone. In case of multistory building, on the upper floors of the building such as in case of 3 story building on 1st and 2nd floor in case of 4 story building 2nd and 3rd floor. In this brick work when cement sand mortar 1:4 ratio used means 1 part cement and 4 part sand. This mortar is high in strength and is recommended for the following works: Multi story building. Heavy weight /load bearing wall. 1st class brick When there is more vibration due to heavy traffic or factory. work1:4 In earth quake zone. Boundary wall, courtyard wall parapet wall and other free end wall . Brick pillars. In case of multi story building ground floor in 3 story building and ground + first floor in 4 story building. Mortar richer than 1:3 are not used in masonry because of high shrinkage and no appreciable gain in Note strength of masonry also mortar strength itself may increase. Penetration testing guide Introduction Penetration testing is an often confused term. Through this guide Corsaire, a world leader in information security, provides a broad means, why you would want it, and how to get the most out of the process. What is a penetration test?

Much of the confusion surrounding penetration testing stems from the fact it is a relatively recent and rapidly evolving field. Additio organisations will have their own internal terminology (one man's penetration test is another's vulnerability audit or technical risk ass

At its simplest, a penetration-test (actually, we prefer the term security assessment) is the process of actively evaluating your inform Note the emphasis on 'active' assessment; the information systems will be tested to find any security issues, as opposed to a solely th audit.

The results of the assessment will then be documented in a report, which should be presented at a debriefing session, where questio corrective strategies can be freely discussed. Why conduct a penetration test? From a business perspective, penetration testing helps safeguard your organisation against failure, through:

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Preven ng nancial loss through fraud (hackers, extor onists and disgruntled employees) or through lost revenue due to un systems and processes.

Proving due diligence and compliance to your industry regulators, customers and shareholders. Non-compliance can result losing business, receiving heavy nes, gathering bad PR or ul mately failing. At a personal level it can also mean the loss of y and some mes even imprisonment. Protec ng your brand by avoiding loss of consumer condence and business reputa on. From an operational perspective, penetration testing helps shape information security strategy through:

Iden fying vulnerabili es and quan fying their impact and likelihood so that they can be managed proac vely; budget can b correc ve measures implemented. What can be tested?

All parts of the way that your organisation captures, stores and processes information can be assessed; the systems that the informa transmission channels that transport it, and the processes and personnel that manage it. Examples of areas that are commonly tested O-the-shelf products (opera ng systems, applica ons, databases, networking equipment etc.) Bespoke development (dynamic web sites, in-house applica ons etc.) Telephony (war-dialling, remote access etc.) Wireless (WIFI, Bluetooth, IR, GSM, RFID etc.) Personnel (screening process, social engineering etc.) Physical (access controls, dumpster diving etc.) What should be tested?

Ideally, your organisation should have already conducted a risk assessment, so will be aware of the main threats (such as communic e-commerce failure, loss of confidential information etc.), and can now use a security assessment to identify any vulnerabilities that threats. If you haven't conducted a risk assessment, then it is common to start with the areas of greatest exposure, such as the public sites, email gateways, remote access platforms etc.

Sometimes the 'what' of the process may be dictated by the standards that your organisation is required to comply with. For exampl standard (like PCI) may require that all the components that store or process card-holder data are assessed. What do you get for the money?

While a great deal of technical effort is applied during the testing and analysis, the real value of a penetration test is in the report an receive at the end. If they are not clear and easy to understand, then the whole exercise is of little worth.

Ideally the report and debriefing should be broken into sections that are specifically targeted at their intended audience. Executives and possible solutions clearly described in layman's terms, managers need a broad overview of the situation without getting lost in d personnel need a list of vulnerabilities to address, with recommended solutions. What to do to ensure the project is a success Defining the scope

The scope should be clearly defined, not only in the context of the components to be (or not to be) assessed and the constraints unde be conducted, but also the business and technical objectives. For example penetration testing may be focussed purely on a single app server, or may be more far reaching; including all hosts attached to a particular network. Choosing a security partner Another critical step to ensure that your project is a success is in choosing which supplier to use.

As an absolute fundamental when choosing a security partner, first eliminate the supplier who provided the systems that will be test create a conflict of interest (will they really tell you that they deployed the systems insecurely, or quietly ignore some issues). Detailed below are some questions that you might want to ask your potential security partner: Is security assessment their core business? How long have they been providing security assessment services? Do they oer a range of services that can be tailored to your specic needs?

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Are they vendor independent (do they have NDAs with vendors that prevent them passing informa on to you)? Do they perform their own research, or are they dependent on out-of-date informa on that is placed in the public domain What are their consultant's creden als?

How experienced are the proposed tes ng team (how long have they been tes ng, and what is their background and age)? Do they hold professional cer ca ons, such as PCI, CISSP, CISA, and CHECK? Are they recognised contributors within the security industry (white papers, advisories, public speakers etc)? Are the CVs available for the team that will be working on your project? How would the supplier approach the project?

Do they have a standardised methodology that meets and exceeds the common ones, such as OSSTMM, CHECK and OWASP

Can you get access to a sample report to assess the output (is it something you could give to your execu ves; do they comm issues in a non-technical manner)? What is their policy on conden ality? Do they outsource or use contractors? Are references available from sa sed customers in the same industry sector? Is there a legal agreement that will protect you from negligence on behalf of the supplier? Does the supplier maintain sucient insurance cover to protect your organisa on? Standards compliance

There are a number of good standards and guidelines in relation to information security in general, for penetration tests in particular, certain types of data. Any provider chosen should at least have a working knowledge of these standards and would ideally be excee recommendations. Notable organisations and standards include: PCI

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Requirements were established in December 2004, and apply to all Members, merc providers that store, process or transmit cardholder data. As well as a requirement to comply with this standard, there is a requirem prove verification. ISACA

ISACA was established in 1967 and has become a pace-setting global organization for information governance, control, security and IS Auditing and IS Control standards are followed by practitioners worldwide and its research pinpoints professional issues challeng CISA, the Certified Information Systems Auditor is ISACA's cornerstone certification. Since 1978, the CISA exam has measured e IS auditing, control and security and has grown to be globally recognized and adopted worldwide as a symbol of achievement. CHECK

The CESG IT Health Check scheme was instigated to ensure that sensitive government networks and those constituting the GSI (Go Intranet) and CNI (Critical National Infrastructure) were secured and tested to a consistent high level. The methodology aims to ide vulnerabilities in IT systems and networks which may compromise the confidentiality, integrity or availability of information held on absence of other standards, CHECK has become the de-facto standard for penetration testing in the UK. This is mainly on account o certification process. Whilst good it only concentrates on infrastructure testing and not application. However, open source methodol following are providing viable and comprehensive alternatives, without UK Government association. It must also be noted that CHE required when the assessment is for HMG or related parties, and meets the requirements above. If you want a CHECK test you will penetration testing results to CESG. OSSTMM

The aim of The Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM) is to set forth a standard for Internet security testi a comprehensive baseline for testing that, if followed, ensures a thorough and comprehensive penetration test has been undertaken. client to be certain of the level of technical assessment independently of other organisation concerns, such as the corporate profile o provider. OWASP

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is an Open Source community project developing software tools and knowle

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documentation that helps people secure web applications and web services. It is an open source reference point for system architect consumers and security professionals involved in designing, developing, deploying and testing the security of web applications and W

The key areas of relevance are the forthcoming Guide to Testing Security of Web Applications and Web Services and the testing to development projects. The Guide to Building Secure Web Applications not only covers design principals, but also is a useful docum by which to assess vendors and test systems. Glossary

Listed below is detailed glossary of penetration testing terminology. Inclusion here does not imply any form of endorsement on the b link is supplied for your convenience only. h p://www.ee.oulu./research/ouspg/sage/glossary About Corsaire

Corsaire is a market leader in information security consultancy and vulnerability research. Privately founded in 1997, we provide a r assessment services to help organisations measure their security posture and build a thorough compliant security program to suppor We operate on an international basis with a presence across Europe and the Asia-Pacific rim. Our clients include some of the world' multinationals, many of whom are listed on the FTSE, DAX and Fortune 500 stock indices although we also have a selection of UK and agencies and mid-range organisations. Most of our clients have been drawn the e-banking, finance, telecommunications, insuran sectors. They are all mature buyers, operate at the highest end of security and understand the differences between the ranges of sup market place.

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