The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 770 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 13 trips to carry that many people.
Fire! A means of cooking in some remote parts of the world, can be dangerous, if generated or propagated in large quantity. In any building design, fire is one of the factors to be considered, to avoid harvoc.
Here are a few factors to be considered during design stage;
Type of Occupancy.
This is the first point to be put into consideration, when designing. The question is, what is the purpose of this building? Is it residential, or industrial. This will trigger the basics of the design, not tampering with the standard of construction. The number of people that will occupy the space, and the dimension of the building will help a lot.
Building Construction.
This particularly deals with the material types to be specified in the design. There are couples of materials to be used, relative to the durability, resistivity, or non-combustibility of such materials, the designer must choose the best that suites the purpose of the building. The materials must be the type that must, if non-conbustible, be fire resistive.
Cost.
This is funny! But, it must be considered, not all fingers are equal, so, before you decide on which materials to be used, consider your client’s financial stands.
Means of Egress.
This is the most important life safety consideration. This actually deals with the ease and how the occupants will escape from the building, to avoid being consumed by the raging fire. The designer should put into consideration, the travel distance; which is the distance to be travelled before reaching the exit points. Also, the exit width; this deals with the dimensions of the exit points, it must be well dimensioned enough to accommodate occupants.
These are the few factors to be put into considerations, that will harness safety from inferno.
A construction site
Work becomes more interesting, and more energetic, when a site, where such a work, is being carried out is accident free, but, on the contrary, it is always enervating, when it is full of energy sapping, and pain aggravating accidents.
These health hazards, which cause retardation to the rapid pace of site works, and at times, make contractors lose money, are often caused by mistakes and negligence. Meanwhile, for the purpose of those who care about safety, here are some safety tips that enhance safety;
Boots – As a worker on a site, always put your boots on, your work might not be related to nails, but, never can tell, you may want to take a trek, a nail will not inform you about its intent to give you a long, sleepless night of pain. But, if you tread on a nail, quickly make twenty hits on it, with a hammer
Tuck in your trouser – Do not hesitate to always tuck your hard jean trouser into your boots, this actually concerns site managers, surveyors, and architects, going on a reconnaissance survey – a new site with fresh vegetation may be breeding high venom reptiles.
Wear glasses when welding – taking a closer look at the type of materials used to weld, you need to shield your eyes away from those strands of sharp flames.
Helmet – in a case of stories, or hoisting works generally, you need a helmet to shield your head from dropping items, dropping items, ranging from 2” nails, to a hammer, to steel sections. It sounds funny, but, many people have died because of dropping items.
Do not trust temporary structures wholeheartedly – as it sounds, they are temporary, and workers in charge, especially carpenters, try to make them temporary as they can, so, do not trust those structures by leaning on them, you might just see yourself kissing the floor afterwards.
Do not joke with delivery trucks – putting up a “hard-man” mode, or acting like “jet li” when delivery trucks are moving around might be a real deal of catastrophe, especially, when the unexpected occurs. The gist is, move away from them when they are performing their duties.
Watch heights – the essence of this is to let you know that heights can be deceiving, although, some do not have phobia for heights, nonetheless, you have to be extra careful when mounting.
Use your eyes well – in everything you do, use your sense of sight effectively.
Thank you.
Before thinking about laying of your wall tiles, you must have tested all your water pipes against leakage. Since wall tiles are used majorly at kitchens, toilets and bathrooms where water outlets are, water pipes should be tested before tiling.
Unlike floor tiles, the processes involved in laying wall tiles successfully are quite different from that of floor tiles. Taking the picture below as a a case-study:
The processes are explained in the following steps :
i. Sock the tiles in a drum of water. This is a necessity when using ceramic tiles. Why so? Ceramic wall tiles can be so porous that they absorb the moisture content of the cement paste between them and the wall, thereby causing a weak bond between the wall and the tiles.
ii. Take the measurements of the wall to determine if you’ll be needing a cut at the bottom and top or not. If you’ll be needing a cut, then the cut must be equal at both top and bottom. Take your measurements as regards this and take a level at the bottom where you’d start your tiling with whole sized tiles.
However, if you don’t need a cut, then start tiling with whole sized tiles from the bottom to the top as shown above.
Please note that this depends on the design given.
iii. Unlike floor tiles, we don’t need and obviously we can’t use cement-sand screed on the wall. A mixture of cement and water is prepared in a head pan to form a moderate paste. This paste is then placed on the back of the tiles and slapped gently on the wall.
iv. Continue by repeating step iii. If you are using a spacing arrangement, ensure equal spacing otherwise, close up the gaps perfectly.
v. For a spaced arrangement, fill up spaces at the end of tiling with the paste earlier prepared, tilers call this putty filing.
That’s it! You’ve successfully laid your wall tiles!
Skirting; has a similar process with wall tiles because it’s laid on the wall too. It is done to cover up the edges of the floor tiles, moreso, for aesthetic reasons. However it is important to do the skirting after floor tiles. Some people use seasoned and polished timber in lieu of ceramic tiles, it all boils down to personal choices.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
To be candid with you, picking up a pen at this time of the day to write is really drab, but, it seems I will not have a good day if I do not express my humble mind, and add this to my corpus. Anyway, do not mind me.
“Religion is the opium of the people”, so i heard from a friend of mine studying law in the same university where i am. But, i do not understand, is it because he’s an atheist? I can’t say really.
Then, that reminds me of EGO, ego, ego, ego… This rings a bell in the ears of many, both young and old, it sounds like an everyday radio topic. Going by definition, “ego” is simply a sense of self importance, when one attaches too much importance to oneself. But wait, is everybody not important? Yes, of course, everybody is, but, that should be objective, that should be a reflection of oneself to the public, it should be people’s definition about oneself, not subjective, not trying to show it off to the whole world that you are, not trying to pressurize others, not making others suffer because you want them to feel your importance, we all know that you are important, of course, you are, if you are not, nobody will respect you to that extent, nobody will bow when your presence is underway. Everybody knows you are important, so do not let them fear you.
Many superiors today want their inferior to fear them, because, they believe only fear can bring forth the importance in them, that should not be, for crying out loud, these inferiors also want to see you smile with them, wine and dine with them, they want to secure their safety with you, they don’t want to be fugitives, they don’t want to leave for a reason being you.
Once, I was told by a colleague of mine, “guy, when you see that man, do not try to hide, just run”, is that supposed to be? No, it should not be, people running away when they hear your voice will not pay you, this is not about you maintaining a good standard, it is what they know about you, people already know that you are not capable, so you want them to think you are, that is overkilling, it is more that you trying to immortalize yourself.
Many people have died! That does not absolutely mean “demise, in the real sense”, ordinarily losing one’s self-respect and love connotes death at times. Simple courtesy promotes good human relations, I have met men, men of honour and respect, men with vision, men of accomplishments, men that work so hard to make organizations places of harmony, they are able to do all these with “simplicity, competence, and coordination” simply put, “s.c.c” that’s what you need, as a man, to reach a state of objective importance,
Mr. and Mrs., drop ego, it will not help, many people lost their way a long time ago without knowing, they came back to realize, but it was just too late. Simplify yourself, let others relate with you. Don’t be a hard-nut to crack, that does not mean you are stupid. Be flexible, and stay cool. This is my delivery.
Rules of the Quiz:
i.
The first entry to answer ALL THE FOUR questions correctly wins!
ii. Use Construction terms where necessary.
iii. Don’t use any word capable of sending the judges to the dictionary!
iv. Make sure you have Fun! If you don’t win today, prepare for the next time! Cheers!Answer questions in the comments box.
Quiz Questions
:
1. What is the percentage contribution of the construction industry to the national GDP?
2. Mention two types Insurance which applies to you as a builder?
3. In sequential order, list the stages involved in construction of pad foundation.
4. What Orientation should you give a building to enjoy natural thermal comfort?
When the whole wide world was created, it was empty so i heard, funny right? But i kept on wondering how it got transformed into what we have now, not until i read, and listen to tales.
Our environment has been so perfectly designed, to the extent of accomodating the greatest and the biggest exploit of all time. Our ability to make perfect and complete use of our environmental endowments, makes us live in comfort. Well, as an environmentalist, i believe in some principles that can make us live confortably in our shelters.
‘Man will still be sleeping in caves and treetops, if not for builders, said a colleague of mine, how true is that? Have you ever imagined yourself sleeping on treetops? I mean for real… How comfortable will you find it? But, thanks to those who made shelters a reality. Nonetheless, one should watch how one’s shelter will be, so that too much will not be sacrificed.
There are certain factors to be considered when planning to build, and when constructing a residential building, factors that can make one spend less, and comfortable in one’s building. One of these factors is THERMAL COMFORT. Most building owners do no consider this when planning, and mind you, other stakeholders do not care.
Let’s start by checking up what building thermal comfort is;
Thermal comfort is observed when there is a particular state of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment
Now, on a very long run, there are seasons, year in year out, how do we balance our thermal conditions with this seasonal variation?, there are some things meant to be taken into considerations before going for the first port of call in building construction, which is the setting out.
Here they are;;;
i. Building Orientation
The weather condition, relative to the four cardinal points, is an important factor you need to put into consideration before deciding which orientation to put your building, confused? Okay, let me break it down, first of all, consider the sun, the east brings out the sun i.e. the sun rises from the east, and sets in west. Now, in deciding which orientation to choose for a residential building, in the tropics, the sides of the building must not be parallel with the east-west, because, when the sun rises, it comes through the windows of one side, and when it sets, it comes through the windows of the other side, there by causing too much heat to radiate in the building.
The breeze often move in north – south direction, a residential building whose orientation is west-east will enjoy cool breeze especially when it is hot. This must be taken care of at the pre-construction stage.
ii. Construction materials and Openings’ dimensions
The regions dictate this, for instance, in the tropics, where it’s hot, building elements, like doors and windows must be largely dimensioned, not neglecting the type of materials to be used; the naterials must be types that do not radiate heat into the building.
In the cool-temperate regions, the dimensions of the openings must not be wide, because, it is cold already. This factor must be put into consideration in the construction stage.
iii. Location
The geographical area where a building will be located is very paramount when planning, a building located very close to a steel producing factory will always experience heat, and exhaust from the factory, causing thermal dissatisfaction.
A building is said to be thermally comfortable when eighty percent (80%) of the occupants find it comfortable, therefore, the afforementioned factors must be considered in the pre-construction and construction stage.
As much as i know, there are two affecting factors of the thermal comfort; environmental factors, and personal factors. Now, personal factors are personal, funny right? Do not mind me. Personal factors depend on one’s metabolic and physiological body reactions, but, there are many things to put in place to rectify the awkward effect of the environmental factors.
Tree planting is one of the things to put in place while planning to build a residential building. Trees, apart from the aesthetic appeal, they add to the building, they also serve as wind-breakers, and regulate breezes in terms of quantity that enters a building.
Relative humidity, when high, reduces the evaporative cooling and when low, causes irritation- skin becomes too dry and cracks appear in some membranes, building services equipment like air – conditioner will curtail the effect of relative humidity.
Personal factors, as i emphasized, are based on individual physiological and metabolic body reactions relative to the region one finds himself/herself
The clothing materials used by an individual must be in accordance with his/her body reactions, clothing provides a cheap and clear way of controlling the micro-climate.
A building built unconsciously or consciously against the factors of weather will absolutely make the owner/occupant spend more on his/her comfortability. Endea our to study your environment before nailing on the profile board. Bask in the sun, and dance in the rain. Stay thermally comfortable.
With reference to my last post titled Setting out : The Rudiments, I wish to share the actual construction details of the column bases discussed earlier.
The portions set out are to be excavated to a depth of 1200mm (or more depending on the design of pad foundation but 1.2m is the usual).
The bottom of excavations are then blinded up to a height of 50mm.
Place the reinforcements and cast pad base to cover up the reinforcements’ baskets up to a height of 250mm.
Place the formworks for columns in foundations and set them in alignment using the plywood plates on them and the lines used for setting out their centres as described in the previous write up. Then brace up the formworks together to stop them from going out of place during casting.
Cast the columns in foundations leaving out the threaded part of the reinforcements. These threaded parts are to hold the stanchions’ plates which serve as their bases.
Strike out the formworks after 24 hours.
From this point on, steel workers should take over and erect the H-sections as shown below;
Angle irons should then be bolted to the gusset plates on the H-sections . I-sections are then welded to the top plates of the standing H sections. Then weld the wire mesh across the top of the I-sections. Handrails should also be provided at the top. Below is what the whole process should end up to;
There are no hard and fast rules to the construction of this but to adhere strictly to the engineer’s design.
“docendo discitur”: It is learned by teaching.
The very first step to the construction of any building is setting out. It is important to establish the positions of structural components. It is also essential to ensure that different components assume accurate dimensions.
Take a look at the illustration below:
click on the image to zoom and save.
First drawing on the left shows a typical setting out of column bases for columns carrying water storage tanks, While the other one on the right shows a typical setting out of a septic tank or sockaway pit.
For the first case, column bases;
1. Establish peg 1 at any convenient point according to the plan on the ground.
2. Drive a 3 inches nail 2 inches into the head of the 2 x 2 wooden pegs leaving an inch above.
3. Tie a line to the established peg 1 then take it to the next point to establish the second peg position. Ensure the line is straight by placing a spirit level along the line.
4. Drive the second peg into the ground, drive the nail into it’s head and tie the line to it.
5. Establish peg 3 at any close point as shown in the illustration. Tie the line to it then take it across to establish peg 4.
6. Place a builder’s square at the interception of the lines. Ensure the angle formed at the intercept is 90 then establish peg 4.
7. Measure the desired distance which in this case is 2.4m, between the the centres of the columns to be erected and establish peg 5.
8. To establish peg 6 from peg 5, place a builder’s square at the interception of the lines as in step 6.
9. From the interception of the lines 3-4 & 5-6, measure the required distance from the centre of the columns, which in this case is 4.8m. Establish peg 7 at this point.
10. Take the line across to establish peg 8. Ensure squareness using the builder’s square before driving the peg to the ground.
11. From peg 8, measure the distance between the centres of two columns as in step 7 then establish peg 9.
12. Take the line across to establish peg 10. Ensure squareness using builder’s square at intercepts. Drive peg 10 to the ground and tie the line.
As shown, the interceptions are the centres of the columns to be erected. Therefore, the portions to be excavated are pointed out using dotted lines. In this case, the columns’ bases are 1200 x 1200 mm. Measurements on actual ground are taken from the centres i.e 600mm to the four sides of the midpoint established.
In all we have 6 columns, 2.4m center to centre between two columns and 4.8m between one column and a third one.
PS: These steps explain the setting out for septic tanks and sockaway pits too. The only difference is we establish the portions to be excavated directly using the lines and not from the interceptions.
This is just the basis and amateurs and students should find this helpful but if by any means this has created any confusion please don’t hesitate to ask your questions in the comment box below. Cheers!
“docendo discitur”: It is learned by teaching.
Can you remember your first birthday? No? No worries, let me remind you. It was a bright sunny day on the eleventh day in the eleventh month of the year after you were born. I could remember you had a biscuits box and lots of sweets in a table before you. The cameraman was standing and waiting for you to assume the right posture for a shot but not until mummy came and held you in place, you were too young to put yourself together. Everyone wanted to take a picture with you because you were so handsome, innocent and free of worries. I could remember a very beautiful girl had a crush on you then but poor you, you were too young to notice. Hmmm.
Today, I thank God for me. You heard me right, I thank God for me. For the rare privilege of meeting you, I give great thanks. It’s far beyond ‘sweet words’ or ‘what you want to hear’ but ‘what I want to say and what I mean to say’ you’re more than a friend, you’re a brother. If I’m sure of anything today, I’m sure of you giving me a hand whenever I need it. I thank God for the man you’re growing into. I thank God for your mother, she’s lucky to have you and I’m sure you’re blessed to have her.
Live and live long in comfort and peace. On this path you walk, you shall not stumble…
Allah hafiz.
“docendo discitur”: It is learned by teaching.
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