BUYING BUILDING MATERIALS Building a new house, or making additions to your existing house can be an expensive project. Y need to plan carefully where you ou will find suitable and affordable materials closest to your plot.
STEPS TO FOLLOW BEFORE SELECTING BUILDING MATERIALS Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 3 Step 4 Prepare a plan for your alteration or addition. Use your plan to list what building materials will be needed for the job. Workout the amount (quantity) of each type of material that is needed. Workout the cost of your building works using the list of the materials and amounts (quantities).
Decide what materials you will get second-hand.
Your plan can be a rough sketch. However, a formal building plan will make it easier to workout the exact amount materials needed and can save you money in the long run. A formal building plan is drawn up by an architect-technician or draughtsperson. Once you have your plan you can ask an experienced builder or a materials supplier to tell you what materials you will need and how much you will need. A materials supplier can also give you the costs for the materials.
CHOOSING SUITABLE BUILDING MATERIALS
Ask experienced builders and home-owners what materials are most suitable.
• What affordable, commonly-used, good-quality materials are available locally?
• Which materials suit the local weather and temperatures? Will they stand up to the heat, cold, wind and rain?
The Essay on Green Architecture Materials Building Construction
Green Architecture Green architecture is an approach to building which has become more popular in the last 25 to 30 years. Also known as sustainable design, green architecture is a method of design that minimizes the impact of building on the environment. Once thought of as unconventional and nonstandard, both regulatory agencies and the public alike are quickly accepting green architecture as a ...
SAVING ON COSTS
Add the cost of the materials to the costs of transporting the materials and the builder’s labour. This will give you an estimate for the whole project. If this does not fit your budget you can consider the following ways to reduce the costs: • Reduce the size of the building or rooms. • Use cheaper or fewer finishes and details. • Compare prices of building materials or buy when there is a sale. • Buy good quality second-hand building materials. • Ask experienced homeowners and builders for advice on how to save on the costs of materials and labour. • Negotiate a better price for labour with the builder and see if you and your family can do some of the work yourself. • Groups of home-owners can form savings clubs to buy building materials in
larger amounts, share transport and negotiate discount prices.
THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE IS
· Select good quality building materials that suit your needs and conditions corr
· Workout the corr ect amount of materials needed
· Estimate the costs of the materials, check your budget
TIPS:
· Treat second-hand wood with PCP (Penta Chloro Phenal) to kill possible termites and beetles.
· Avoid buying any second-hand asbestos products such as ceiling boards, roofsheets, gutters and down pipes. These cause health problems.
SECOND-HAND BUILDING MATERIALS
Using second-hand building materials is a good way to save costs. The following materials can easily be obtained second-hand and are safe to use: • Bricks • Timber window and door frames (check the wood for rot and beetles) • Steel frames (check that there are no kinks in the frames as this will lead to rust) • Structural timber for floors, roofs and ceilings (check the wood for rot and beetles) • Kitchen sinks
The Term Paper on Metallic Construction Materials Building Concrete
... space in the building. The second type of a construction is made of sheet materials. Timber, concrete and some plastics ... to form framed structures. The spaces between the rods can be filled with light sheet materials. Building materials are very ... factors include availability (13), cost, physical properties of materials and others. Practically, all buildings materials have their advantages and ...
ALTERNATIVES:
There are many alternatives to commonly-used building materials. Some of these are cheaper or are better for the environment. Below are some examples that could be considered:
BUILDING PART COMMONLY-USED MATERIALS
FOUNDATION 600 x 200mm concrete strip footings (in foundation trench dug down to solid bearing ground).
140mm concrete block walls with Damp Proof Course. DPC is placed 150mm above finished ground level and brickforce over windows and doors. Blocks are filled with concrete below floor level. 75mm concrete slab on DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) on soil compacted in layers of maximum 300 mm. Mild steel window frames with 3mm glass, meranti timber door frames (or Clisco window/door frames with surrounds).
SA Pine purlin-rafters or trusses with purlins for roof sheets. Corrugated iron (zinc), fibre cement (asbestos) on 228 x 38mm purlin-rafters, or 76 x 50mm purlins. Rhinoboard (gypsumboard) nailed to underside of purlin-rafters, or 38 x 38mm brandering. Cement-sand mix, with acrylic / or PVA paint. Pre-paid electricity meters with incandescent or fluorescent light fittings, electrical geyser, stove and heaters.
ALTERNATIVES
Reinforced concrete raft floor slab, or ground beams on unstable soils. Brick wall, cavity brick, compacted earth bricks, soil-cement bricks, panels, sand bags in timber frame. 100mm concrete slab + steel mesh reinforcing on filled / compacted soil. Treated SA Pine, meranti timber or aluminium window /door frames. SA Pine trusses or ridgebeam and rafters with battens for tile roofs. Concrete roof tiles (on 38 x 38mm battens).
Masonite hardboard, timber, corrugated cardboard with wire, Isoboard Cemcrete, BreatheCoat. CFLs (compact fluorescent lights), solar water heater, gas or paraffin.
WALLS
FLOORS
WINDOW AND DOORFRAMES ROOF STRUCTURE ROOF FINISH
CEILING
PLASTER AND PAINT ENERGY
PAMPHLETS ABOUT: ALSO SEE OTHER PAMPHLETS ABOUT:
• Making the best use of your plot
• Making home improvements
Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst
EUROPEAN UNION
Published by the Development Action Group 101 Lower Main Road, Obser vatory, 7925 Tel: (021) 448-7886 • Fax: (021) 447-1987
Design & Layout: AMAZON MEDIA
The Essay on Soil Profile
Soil forms the surface layer of the earths crust. The development of soil is a constructive process in where disintegrated material resulted from weathering of rocks and minerals get converted into the soil body. Soil profile is the vertical section of soil showing the various layers from the surface to the unaffected parent material. The soil contains three main layers. The surface soil or that ...
BUYING BUILDING MATERIALS
I’m not sure what building materials to buy for the alteration we’re planning.
You should work out what you need so that you don’t waste money.
