House Building 101

When you go on a site tripping, the real estate agent will show you a feast for the senses. There is a thorough explanation of in-house facilities, a grand tour of the model house, and an emphatic discussion on closest off-site amenities such as hospitals, churches, schools, etc.

But does it ever cross your mind if the house you want to buy is as sturdy as the wall of Jericho?

We at Dolmar believe in the power of information and educating our clients about the property that they dream of purchasing. This article is a discussion on the basics of house building

Dolmar still believes in the conventional way of consruction – mainly hollowblocks and metal. Wood is used scarcely to prevent termites from inhabiting houses, hence the concreting of the house. There are four stages of construction in the form of percentages – 20-40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%. It may look Greek to most people, but in layman’s terms, here’s what they all mean:

20-40%. Excavation for the foundation is done as the first part of house construction. As we know, all houses start out with a solid foundation. A good foundation basically means that the walls and columns are fortified with steel bars, concrete. (All of your walls have columns to ensure sturdiness of the house.) Start of the brick/stone/concrete block-laying also happens during this time. The rafters (or the roof’s skeleton for the imaginative), battens (a flat and long strip of metal or wood that is mainly used to hold something in place)and the window steel frame/casement sums up this stage.

If the unit has a 2nd floor, the whole 1st floor column is put to concrete and beams are already put in place. The toilet and bathroom beams and slabs are also set in concrete. The 2nd floor’s roof beams, slabs, rafters and battens will conclude this phase of construction.

60%. For this next part of house creation, the roof is installed. At the same time, plastering of walls, ceiling and partition installation (for rooms and specific areas of the house) are also done. The steel casement for windows are also checked here, but still no glass installed since there are still a lot of things that need to be done to the house.

80%. We are almost nearing the endgame of the house. But before that, the carpentry work is done (for the walls and the doors.) The tile-men then come in to install the partial tile setting of the house floors. The stairs are also partially installed.

100%. Finally, all finishing touches are done at this stage. Painting everything that needs to be painted, check. Installation of all electrical and plumbing fixtures is also a check. Tile works completed, another check. The lot is cleared of unnecessary debris, a check yet again. And the installation of the concrete electric meter post completes the process.

Voila! The house of your dreams is finally complete.