Building a home is a precious dream for many. It takes a lot of emotional and financial planning to build a home that will last for a lifetime. Let us guide you through a well-planned construction schedule for building your dream home that you will proudly pass on to your next generations.

Foundation

The Strong foundation is the most important factor to increase the longevity and safety of your building structure. Here’s a checklist for a strong foundation:

  • It is preferable to get the soil testing done before designing the foundation of the building.
  • The foundation should rest on the firm soil and be taken to a minimum depth of 1.2m from the original ground level.
  • The area of the foundation should be significant to transfer the load safely to the ground on which it rests.
  • The area of the foundation depends on the load-carrying capacity of the soil, it is important to mark the location and size of the foundation before excavation

Layout and Earth Work

A layout is the marking of boundary lines for digging the foundation. Both layout and excavation work should be done as per the drawing. Find some useful tips as given below:

  • Carry out proper surveying to obtain the layout plan
  • Mark all trench excavation lines concerning the centre line of walls
  • Ensure the excavation is done true to levels, slope, shape and pattern
  • Consolidate the bed of excavation by watering and ramming. Soft or defective earth should be dug out and filled with lean concrete
  • Brace the sides of excavation with tight soaring work to ensure deep excavation so that collapsing the sides of the excavation area can be avoided.

Anti-Termite Treatment

Termite infestation can weaken the building structure and damage wooden materials. Some useful tips to keep your home free of termites are given below:

  • The soil around the foundation should be treated up to the plinth level with appropriate chemicals
  • The chemical barrier should be continuous and complete
  • Treatment can be done pre, during and post construction stages
  • Ensure that the chemicals do not contaminate the domestic water sources

Formwork (Shuttering)

It is a temporary structure to support the construction while the concrete work is in progress and to develop the required strength of concrete before releasing the same.

  • The formwork should design and constructed to be sufficiently rigid during placing & compaction of concrete and preferably leak-proof to prevent loss of slurry from the concrete.
  • Use releasing agent for a smooth finish of the concrete.
  • The formwork should be sufficiently clean from the foreign matter before the casting.

Concrete Work

The concrete mix needs to be in the proper ratio and the mixture needs to use within 30 minutes of the preparation time. Mixer machines are required for the best results. The water ratio needs to be proper. Using excessive water weakens the concrete and enhances the cracking potential. Compaction is done with the vertical vibrator. The concrete mix was poured within a height of 1.5 metres maximum to avoid any separation of aggregates. Proper levelling and slope of the roof should be maintained during the placing of concrete to avoid the accumulation of water on the roof.

Masonry Work

Masonry Work

Buildings become safe if the walls are built strong and sturdy. Find the tips below

  • Bricks/Blocks should be laid on a full bed of mortar mixed properly as per the guidance of the Engineer
  • The joints should be fully filled and packed with the mortar of the same mix
  • The vertical joint should be done staggered
  • For block work L/H ratio to be properly maintained and RCC band with stool columns, etc. need to be provided as per IS code
  • The brickwork should be cured well to make it strong

Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) Work

This has to be done by measuring a few steps comprising of

Batching, Mixing & Placing

Use a wooden box of specific sizes for convenient batching and maintain a proper ratio of materials. Always use a mixer machine for the best results. Place all the concrete mix within 30 minutes after preparation. Use water to obtain the required workability. Additional water weakens the concrete and enhances the cracking potential. Use vibrator vertically for proper compaction. Concrete must not be over vibrated. Do not add water during compacting. The concrete should be poured within a height of 1.5 metres maximum to avoid any separation of aggregators. Proper levelling and the slope of the roof should be maintained during the placing of concrete to avoid the accumulation of water on the roof.

Curing

The process of maintaining moisture in the concrete is called curing. During the curing process, the concrete hardens and gets maximum strength. Concrete begins to dry after casting therefore curing should start within 12 – 15 hrs of the casting. So, the parts exposed to the environment should be cured before it gets dry. Usually, 14 – 21 days is the proper curing time for concrete slabs and beams.

For flat surfaces like floors, roofs etc., curing should be done by pond formation. For columns, after the shuttering is removed, they must be wrapped with used jute bags that must be kept wet by the intermittent sparkling of water at least 3 to 4 times a day, for 2 to 3 weeks.

Concrete Mix & Water-cement ratio and material requirement for 1 cubic meter concrete

Concrete Mix Water & Cement Ratio Water (Litre) per Bag of Cement Cement (Bags) Sand (Cubic Meter) Aggregates (Cubic Meter) Steel Rebars (kg)
M25 (1:1:2) 0.35 17.5 11.2 0.40 0.80 80-120
M20 (1:1.5:3) 0.42 21.0 8.0 0.42 0.83 75-115
M15 (1:2:4) 0.55 27.5 6.2 0.43 0.87 70-110

Reinforcement Bars

Elegant is one of the best TMT Bar Manufacturers in India. It is important to choose the right steel and right positioning to prevent cracking or any destruction of the R.C.C. members. Some useful tips are given below:

  • Same grade and quality TMT bar is the best to use for the whole structure
  • Maintain bar bending schedule well in advance before cutting & bending of TMT bar to minimize the wastage
  • Use concrete cover blocks at regular intervals of the same strength as concrete
  • Reinforcement bars to be positioned properly and tightly fixed
  • For the bars joining adequate lap, length need to be maintained and laps should be staggered
Reinforcement Bars
Critical Parameters to Consider While Choosing Reinforcement Bars

Critical Parameters to Consider While Choosing Reinforcement Bars

  • Required tensile strength
  • The consistency of physical properties across the length of the bars
  • Adequate ductility
  • Lower impurities
  • Easy to bend (during fabrication)
  • Bond with concrete

Advantages of Fe 550D TMT

  • Best TMT Bar Manufacturer India
  • Superior tensile strength, yield strength across the full length (much above the required strength as per IS 1786:2008)
  • Superior Ductility (much above the requirement)
  • Consistent technical assistance to customers
  • Manufactured from iron ore with the highest grade of purity and lower impurities like sulphur and phosphorus content. Thus, making it stronger than any other TMT bars in the category.
Advantages of Fe 500D TMT

Plastering

It protects the exposed surfaces and masonry joints from the external environment & provides lateral stability to a wall by binding all bricks or stones together.

Water Proofing

In order to safeguard your precious construction, it is highly important to take strict measures to make your house waterproof. Here are various waterproofs techniques that you can follow during the construction and afterwards:

Few Leakage Reasons and their Remedies

Reasons for leakages/seepages Remedies
Accumulation of water on the roof, etc. Provide drainage, Maintain slope during concreting
Poor quality of construction materials Procure quality materials as per the guidebook
Poor compaction Use vibrator for compaction
Capillary in brickwork Use damp proof course (DPC) at plinth level
Leakage from water retaining structure like water tank etc. Use waterproofing materials for water retaining structure. Ask expert opinion on waterproofing treatment.

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