7steps

Here you'll learn about the 7 stages of

construction that go into the making of your
dream home. From 'Excavation & Setting Out'
right until 'Flooring'you'll find good practices to
follow, the right proportion of material mixes
and tips on making your home earthquake
resistant.
1 Excavation & Setting Out

This is the first activity in your building

project. It is needed for the foundations and
basement of your house, underground
water tank, septic tank, laying drainage,
water lines & electric cables.

Excavating in black cotton soil?

Good Practice
Pit size for excavation should be minimum of 30
cm larger than the PCC size on all sides.

Increase the pit size as the depth increases.

As the depth increases, the sides begin to crumble

and collapse. Brace the sides with tight shoring
work.

Never start excavation of 2 adjacent pits

simultaneously.

Avoid excavation on rainy days.

Marking

• Insist on a marking plan (also known as Centreline

drawing) from your architect.
• Ensure that the drawing details are diligently
transferred to the ground.
• Have the workers
place pegs on
ground till
foundation work
is complete and
construction of
walls is ready to
begin.
Remember, any mistakes in marking would be
permanent and costly to correct. So take great care in
marking out your house well.
2. Foundation & Plinth

The foundation provides anchor to your

house; and when Mother Earth grips them
tight your structure above the ground
becomes stable. The plinth further offsets
the load from the walls and distributes it
uniformly over the foundation.

Good Practice
No harm in making your foundations stronger
than necessary. After all, your house has to last
for generations! Keep a provision for one more
storey you might add later.

Place the foundation of your house on hard

strata, ensure that you carry out excavation
until hard strata is reached.
 Checklist for plinth work
• Check the distance between masonry walls for room
dimensions.

" Control the mix

of concrete
carry out
compaction
by means of a
vibrator.

• Remove all grass shrubs and loose material from the

plinth area.
• Check and maintain proper sunken levels for
bathrooms.

Make your house earthquake resistant !

 Keep the foundation as you normally would,

with just a steel rod inserted that goes all the
way down into the foundation.
 Package the steel rod with cement-sand
mortar filling all around.
Termite attack? No problem!
Termites rise from the soil and should be eliminated
right there, at the source. Always get anti-termite
treatment done for the foundations. Spray the mixture
on the bed and sides of the foundation trenches, using
5 litres of the solution per square metre area.
Later when the foundation has been raised and back
filling done, spray the solution again on the filled up
ground.

Perfect Mix
Prepare a solution of 0.5% Heptachlor, 1%
Chlordane, and 1 % Chloropyrifos, and mix with
water.
3 Brickwork

Bricks are one of the most common building

materials. To build a strong house, use good
quality bricks. Clay is the most common
material used in the making of bricks.

Make your house earthquake resistant!

 Avoid formation of fault lines i.e. the bricks

should not overlap in a straight line. Keep the
orientation of bricks different for each layer.
 Where should you place doors and
windows? Do not keep doors and
window openings close to
a corner. Keep every
opening, door or window,
at least 2'from a corner.

Keep a minimum distance of 2' between adjacent

openings, such as for example between a door and a
nearby window on the same wall.

Avoid too many openings

on the same wall.
For a 10' room, the total
opening size should not
exceed 4', in a single-storeyed house

 Keep the lintel band

continuous; ideally at plinth
level, at sill level, and at the
level above the doorway.
How to test for a good brick?
Drop a brick vertically from a
height of 1 m. A good quality
brick will not break.
Strike two bricks against each
other. Good quality bricks will
produce a clear ringing sound
on contact.

Perfect Mix
For a 4" thick wall (partition walls in the middle of
the house), keep mortar proportion as = 1:4 •
(cement:sand)
For a 9" wall (outer wall), keep mortar proportion
as = 1:6 (cement:sand)

Good Practice
Begin work at the corners, first to a height of 3 or
4 layers with base extending in steps.

Place all bricks on their bed.

The depression on top
provides space for the mortar
to bond well. Use line-string,
plumb bob, and spirit level for
checking alignment, and to
keep vertical and horizontal
lines straight.
Soak your bricks in water for 8 hours at least
before use, else it will absorb moisture from
mortar.
Plastering protects the surface of the masonry
from the elements, especially rain. It provides
lateral stability by binding all bricks and also
protects the joints.

Perfect Mix
Outside plaster = 1:4 (cement:sand)
Internal plaster = 1:5
Roof plaster = 1:3

Good Practice
Keep the wall slightly wet before starting the
plastering. Dry walls absorb plaster, this leads
to shedding of plaster after some time.

Do not prepare entire mix for the day at one

go. Prepare in small quantities so that it is used
up in an hour's time.

Use chicken wire mesh for plastering joints

between concrete and brickwork.
Ensure continuous curing for 10-14 days.
 This is a commonly followed roofing practice,
and refers to laying a slab of Reinforced
Cement Concrete (RCC) on the supporting
walls, columns, beams of the house.

Make your house earthquake resistant!

Provide for a band with

steel rods at plinth level,
i.e. just where the wall
starts above the foundation.

Provide for a band also at lintel level i.e. above

door/window level, running all through the building.

1
Strengthen all corners and
junctions with steel rods
going down into the
foundation.

Perfect Mix
The composition of concrete for slab casting works
should be = 1:1.5:3 (cement:sand:coarse aggregates) •
How to avoid leakage in the roof?
• Use concrete in the correct proportion with water•
proofing compounds also added in the mix.
• Compact the concrete well with an appropriate
vibrator (surface/plate vibrator) to free all air pockets.

Good Practice
Use cover blocks (tied to the steel bars) to keep the
bars in place, and to prevent them from exposure
to air.

Treat the face of formwork

with form release agents,
a mix of diesel and grease
for example.

Keep the surface continuously moist for 10-14

days.

Keep the formwork tight

and leak-proof, to prevent
cement-sand-water from
leaking.

Steel rods should be free of rust, oil, paints, or

mud.
 13 Waterproofing

6. Waterproofing

Waterproofing maintains the appearance of

the building and increases the life of the
structure. For good water-proofing work,
selection of quality material and
workmanship is important.

Waterproofing your terrace? Here's how

Prepare the surface
• Chisel away the extra mortar gathered on the terrace
using a chisel and hammer.
• Clean the terrace thoroughly with water.
• Add 1 bag of cement to 100 litres of water, stir the
mixture to get a consistent cement slurry.

• Spread the slurry on

the terrace and allow
it to penetrate uniformly
over the cleaned surface.

Brick bat coba coat

• Fix brick bats in cement mortar layer of 1:6 proportion
with water-proofing compound in a slope of 1:150.
• Fill cement mortar in 1:4 proportion with water-
proofing compound in the brick bat joints.
• Ensure a rounded lining near the rain water pipe.
• Cure for 7 days.
Final coat
• Spread cement mortar in 1:4 proportion with water-'
proofing compound over the brick bat coba, and level
surface with a wooden float.
• Apply thick cement slurry over leveled surface, along
with water-proofing compound for a smooth finish.
 • Make a tile pattern 1' x V of 3 mm thickness, to
prevent cracking of the top layer.
• Clean and cure the final coat for 21 days with at least
6" water standing on the water-proofing.

Water-proofing your chajja? Here's how

• Clean the top of the chajja, and chisel extra mortar if

any.
• Apply a thick cement slurry over the top of the chajja.
• Apply 1:1.5:3 metal screed coat over the slurry.
• Ensure a rounded lining near the rain water pipe.
• Cure for 7 days.
• Apply a finishing coat with cement mortar in 1:4
proportion with the water-proofing compound.

Pre-monsoon precautions! Avoid leakages before

the rains set in

• Clean all rain water pipes.

• Clean terrace and do not allow any organic material to
remain on surface.
 Perfect Mix
1:6 (cement mortarrwater-proofing compound) for
laying brick bats. •

1:4 (cement mortar:water-proofing compound) in

brick bat joints.

Remember!
In your enthusiasm to damp-proof your house, do not exceed the
dosage quantities. Excessive quantity of the water-proofing
compound or admixture will have a negative effect on quality of
concrete.
 Flooring 16

flooring
The floor of your house is the basis for its
residents, the furniture and equipment; in short it
provides a horizontal surface for your lifestyle. All
floors should provide strength and stability,
resistance to dampness, excellent appearance,
and should be free of maintenance.

Choose your floor finish

Cement concrete floors

Wears well, and is easy to clean and maintain. For lesser
floor thicknesses, use aggregate upto 1/2"size.

Perfect Mix

1:1.5:3(cement:sand:coarse aggregates)

Terrazzo/Marble chips f loori ng

Marble chips are laid on a layer of cement concrete. The
topping (also known asTerrazzo) is laid while the under
layer is still plastic, but has hardened sufficiently
enough.
Perfect Mix

Under layer = 1:2:4 (cement:sand:coarse

aggregates), 1" thick
Top layer = 3:1 (cementmarble powder); 1.5:1
(marble chips:binder)
 Tile Flooring
Tile flooring makes for a beautiful appearance, and can
be executed quickly. Ceramic and vitrified tiles are very
popular; they don't require grinding or polishing and
are strong.

Perfect Mix
1:6(cement:sand)

Laying tiles?

Good Practice
Immerse tiles in water 3-4 hours prior to laying.

Aminimumof7 days of curing is recommended

after tiles are fixed.

Lay your tiles after the

bedding has been sufficiently
levelled and lightly
compacted.

Flooring for your balcony?

Good Practice
Give a proper slope to allow water to flow through
the spout.

Fix the spout 10"away from the side wall to prevent

water from stacking inside the balcony area.
 Know your Materials

Brick
Bricks are one of the most common building
materials. To build a strong house, use good
quality bricks. Clay is the most common
material used in the making of bricks. You'll
find 2 kinds of bricks in your neighbourhood -
country bricks and wire cut bricks. Wire cut
bricks are costlier than country bricks.To give
a fair idea of the cost, wire cut brick are
costlier to country bricks by 25-30%.

How to test for a g o o d brick?

Strike two bricks against each other. Good quality bricks
will produce a clear ringing sound on contact.
Drop a brick vertically from a height of 1 m. A good quality
brick will not break.
Keep a brick immersed in a water tank for 24 hours and
then check its weight. If there is more than a 15% difference
between the dry and wet weights of the brick, it is not fit
for use. E.g. Assume the weight of a dry brick is 2 kgs.
After soaking in water for 24 hours, if it weighs 2.3 kgs or
more, the brick is not fit for use.
Building a wall?

Good Practice

Ensure the bricks have been soaked in

water for 8 hours before beginning work.
Place all bricks on their bed.
The depression on top
provides space for the mortar
to bond well. Use line-string,
plumb bob, and spirit level for
checking alignment, and to
keep vertical and horizontal
lines straight.

Begin work at the corners, first to a height

of 3 or 4 layers with base extending in steps.

Joints should be raked and finished with

a trowel.
Build to a maximum of 1 m wall height daily.

Remember!
Keep systematic bond throughout the brickwork, vertical
joints should be staggered and not continuous.

For a 4" thick wall (partition walls in the

middle of the house), keep mortar
proportion as = 1:4 (cementsand)

For a 9" wall (outer wall), keep mortar

proportion as = 1:6 (cement:sand)
These are small pieces of stone gravel
which give strength to the concrete.
Generally, they come in 2 sizes- 20 mm and
10 mm. Stone dust is used as fine aggregate
and stone pieces as coarse aggregate. They
make 70-75% of total volume and give body
to the concrete.

Good Practice

Ensure that the pieces do not contain clay,

mud or dirt particles.
The space between big pieces of aggregates
should be filled up by small pieces. The
vacant space between small pieces should
be filled up by sand. This makes the
concrete dense.
Generally 20 mm and 10 mm aggregate ratio
of 60:40 and 70:30 offers best results.
Buying aggregate? Remember.
Suppliers will quote the price of aggregates per cubic foot
or cubic metre or even per truck. At the time of delivery do
measure the quantity.
Do not procure aggregates of uniform size, they tend to
leave voids in between, which reduces total weight.

Watch Out!

If the content of 10 mm stone is lowered,

sand requirement goes up and will
consequently require more water. In turn,
water quantity per bag of cement will
increase, leading to late setting and poor
quality of concrete.
Steel
Although concrete has good compressive
strength, it does not withstand tension or
bending stresses by itself. To overcome
this, steel rods are placed inside concrete
to provide strength. It forms the basis of
the concrete structure and is generally laid
out in a circular cross section called
Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC).

For building your house you would need

6 to 20 mm diameter bars. Thermo-
mechanically treated (TMT) bars with
added features (twisted or ribbed steel) are
also available. Every bar is of 11 m length
and weighs 0.64 kg/m.
Lap length (the overlap between a bar and the next
extension) should be 50 times the diameter of the bar.
Stagger the laps for even distribution of strength; a maximum
of 50% bars should be lapped per section. If required lap
length is not available at the junction due to space/material
constraints, use couplers or weld properly. Anchorage length
(extra length of steel from one structural member into
another at the junction) should generally be equal to Lap
length.
Sand
Sand is an ingredient of mortar for plastering
brickwork, and is also used as aggregate to fill
voids while concrete is made.

How to check for quality?

Take a handful of sand and press it in your palm. If there is
mud, dirt or any other contamination, it will stick to your palm.
Such sand has too much silt and clay to be of use in
construction.
Try this simple test. Fill a glass container with sand upto half its
capacity and pour clear water three quarters full. Shake it
vigorously and let it settle for half an hour. Clean sand will
settle at the bottom immediately. Clay or silt in the sand will
make the water muddy and will settle slowly on top of the
sand (add one teaspoonful of sand to quicken the process). The
thickness of silt/clay layer should not be more than 4% of the
sand layer. If higher, the sand must be washed before use.

Good Practice
Clean sand through a wire mesh so that mud pieces,
shells and other impurities are well isolated.

Watch Out!
Wet sand can cause problems! Sand that contains moisture
before mixing causes the particles to increase in volume. This is
called Bulking. For example, sand with 6% moisture content
shows around 30% bulking. This means you need to add
approximately 30% extra sand. You would therefore also need to
correct the volume of water in the mix.
Construction labourers tend to add a lot of water, sometimes
more than required. If the sand being used is already wet, then
more water will weaken the mix. If you find the sand being used
is already wet, instruct your contractors to add water judiciously.
The sand you use should have no clay, dirt, mica, or sea shells!
Cement
Cement is a binder, which along with water
binds together a mixture of sand and
aggregates to make concrete. Proper selection
of cement guarantees a strong and stable
construction.

Cement types- what to use and when?

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)

Available in grades like 33,43, 53. Good for brick
joining, plastering.

Blended cement
Also known as Composite cement, or Pozzolona
cement. Good for all general construction, such as
concreting, brick joining and plastering.
 Why use Blended Cement?

It gives concrete better strength and durability.

Reduces leaching (washed up lime that comes
out and weakens construction.
Prevents crack formation as less heat is let out
as it sets.
Resists chemical attacks from elements in
ground, air or water.
Requires less water to prepare concrete. In
comparison to OPC, it uses 10% less water.

Did you know?

What 33,43 & 53 grades if cement mean?

33,43, and 53 grade means that at 28 days, the cement
mortar cube has a compressive strength of at least 33,
43, and 53 MPa {Mega Pascals) respectively.

Does the colour of cement have bearing

on its quality?
No, quality is determined by the colour and quantity of
raw materials used.

Does a higher grade of cement ensure

better results?
The grade only indicates its compressive strength at 28
days! But cement continues to increase in strength
beyond that period of time for much longer. Blended or
Composite cements render higher strengths for a
longer duration.
How can I store cement safely?
Water is enemy no.1 of cement during storage.
Ensure that cement is kept free of moisture while
storing. Storage area should have concrete floor
raised at least 150 mm above ground level, with
airtight doors and windows. At site, cement
should be kept on a raised platform and covered
with a tarpaulin.

Should I use cement that sets quickly?

Quick setting of cement depends not only on the
quality of cement but also on the quantity of
water used in preparing the mix. Wait that little
extra for your cement to set slowly and gain in
strength. Do not look for premature results, give
concrete adequate time to set properly and attain
full strength.

deteriorate. So move cement in and out of

the store in a first-in-first-out method.
Use cement within 2-3 months from the date
of manufacture.

How to test for good quality cement?

Take a little cement and make a paste adding 1/4th
quantity of water. Make little cubes of 50 x 50 x 20
mm size. Leave aside for a day. Test the blocks to
see how easily they break. If the cement is of good
quality the blocks will be firm and will not crumble
or break if you try to crush it with the pressure of
your lingers.