Home Building Tips

Reinforcement bars are a vital component of RCC. It's important to choose the right steel and place it right to prevent cracking or even destruction of the RCC members.

• When purchasing steel, make certain that it comes from a reputable manufacturer.
• Reinforcement bars that are improperly positioned are ineffective and cause RCC elements to fail.
• When joining the bars, ensure that adequate lap length is maintained and that the laps are staggered.
• Check for reinforcement bar congestion and that the bars have an adequate concrete cover.

Weak and unstable centering and formwork may lead to injuries/loss of life in addition to material loss. Here's how centering and formwork should be done:

• The centering should be strong enough to keep the fresh concrete in place until it hardens.
• To ensure stability, centering should be supported at predetermined intervals with adequately braced props.
• Gaps between the centering sheets should be sealed to prevent slurry leakage, which would otherwise result in honeycombed concrete.

Your house will not be considered safe if its walls are not strong and sturdy. You need to adhere to the following tips:

• The bricks or blocks should be placed on a full bed of mortar.
• The joints should be completely filled and mortared.
• Vertical joints should be spaced apart.
• To be strong, the brickwork should be properly cured.

Poor-quality aggregates will result in inferior concrete thus affecting the durability of the structure. Here are some handy pointers you need to keep in mind:

• Aggregates must be hard, strong, chemically inert, and free of hazardous materials.
• When flaky and elongated coarse aggregates/jelly are present in excess, the concrete strength suffers.
• Other types of aggregates are preferred over cubicle and rough textured aggregates.
• Sand should be free of silt, clay lumps, mica, and other impurities.
• Excessive amounts of any of the aggregates have a negative impact on the setting, hardening, strength, and durability of concrete.

Cement is extremely moisture sensitive. It hardens when exposed to moisture. The following is how cement should be stored:

• Cement should be stored in water-resistant sheds or buildings.
• Cement bags should be stacked on a raised dry platform and covered with tarpaulins/polythene sheets for temporary storage at sites.

Infestations of termites can weaken structures and damage wooden surfaces. Begin anti-termite treatment before construction begins. Here's what you need to know to keep termites out of your home:

• Chemicals should be applied to the soil around the foundation up to the plinth level.
• The chemical barrier should be complete and continuous.
• Treatment can be performed prior to, during, and after construction.
• It must be ensured that the chemicals do not contaminate domestic water sources.

• Ensure that the foundations for new walls are properly marked so that they are the correct size and in the proper position to bear the weight of the wall.
• Obtain the layout plan/centre-line drawing from the engineer and use the centre-line of the building's longest outer wall as a reference line between the pegs driven into the ground.
• Mark all trench excavation lines in relation to the wall centre lines.
• Make certain that the excavation is true to levels, slope, shape, and pattern.
• Water and ram the excavation bed to make it more solid. Soft or faulty areas should be excavated and filled with concrete.
• For deep excavations, brace the sides of the excavation with tight shoring work to prevent the sides of the excavation from collapsing.

If the foundation of your building is poor, then the entire structure will collapse or sink. Keep these pointers in mind to ensure a strong foundation:

• The foundation should be placed on firm soil and extended to a minimum depth of 1.2m from the ground level.
• If the soil is loose and/or the excavation depth is greater, the excavation sides should be supported to prevent collapse.
• The foundation's area should be sufficient to safely transfer the load to the ground on which it rests.
• The area of the foundation is determined by the soil's load-carrying capacity. Before excavating, it is critical to mark the location and size of the foundation.