Building construction principles and practices : The motivate/ Compiled by Denis Walton

Previously published in 1995.

includes bibliographical reference and index

Health and safety. Working safely. The building team. The client. The design team. The construction team. Working together. The site investigations. Considering the suitability of the site. Surveying the site. Drawing up the site survey. The construction documents. The working drawings. The specification. The bill of quantities. Preparing the site. Setting up the site. Clearing the site. Setting out the building. Setting out the building outline. Fixing the corners in place. Setting up a site datum for vertical levels. Excavations. Removing the topsoil. Digging a trench for strip foundations. Supporting the sides of an excavation. Excavation plant. Working safely in excavations. Foundations. Foundation loads. Types of foundation. Designing strip foundations. Designing pad foundations. Walls. Types of wall. Characteristics of walls. Building materials for external walls. Technical words used in bricklaying. Openings in brick walls. Lintels. Arches. Technical words for parts of arches. Cavity walls. Stone walls. Block walls. Non-load-bearing external walls. Non-load-bearing internal walls. Fireplaces and flues. Technical words for parts of fireplaces and flues. The dimensions of brick fireplaces and flues. Building a fireplace and flue. Floors. The oversite concrete slab. Concrete ground-floor slabs. Laying an oversite concrete slab. The raft foundation slab. Curing the concrete. Building a suspended timber floor. Timber flooring. Upper floor construction. Reinforced concrete first-floor construction. Making a hollow pot reinforced concrete floor. Roofs. Technical words for parts of a roof. Pitched roofs. The structure of a timber pitched roof. Connecting the trusses. Using tiles as roof coverings. Using roof sheets as roof coverings. Flat roofs. Building a reinforced concrete roof. Waterproof roof finishes. Insulating a flat roof. Wind effects on flat roofs. Scaffolding. Technical words for parts of a scaffold. Types of scaffolding. Regulations and recommendations for scaffolding. Stairs. Technical words for parts of staircases. Staircase materials. Staircase layout. Assembling a timber staircase. Doors. Technical words for parts of a door. Staircase materials. Staircase layout. Assembling a timber staircase. Making a concrete staircase. Doors. Technical words for parts of a door. Door construction. Flush doors. Panelled doors. Ironmongery. Door dimensions. Door frames and linings. Windows. Technical words for parts of a window and frame. Building regulations for windows. Types of window. Window height. Glazing. Excluding water from timber windows. Using metal windows. Making window cills. Fixing windows to openings. Keeping out intruders and insects. Drainage. Technical words for parts of a drainage system. Principles of soil drainage. Types of drainpipe. Excavating the drain layout. Testing drains. Building a manhole. Septic tanks. Discharging the effluent. Above-ground drainage. A single-stack plumbing system. The sanitary fittings. Rainwater disposal. Water supply. The cold water supply. Hot water installations. Pipes and fittings. Electrical installations. Simple electrical theory. Electrical wiring. Finishes. Plastering. External render. Painting. Floor finishes. Finishes on concrete subfloors. Wood finishes on concrete subfloors. Laying tiles on concrete subfloors. Finishes on timber floors. Wall tiling. Concrete technology. Materials used to make concrete. Concrete mixes. Making concrete by volume. Adjusting the water content of damp sand. Grading coarse aggregates. Testing concrete and its materials. Reinforcement in concrete. Concrete mixers. Soil technology. Load-bearing capacity. Timber technology. Softwood and hardwood trees. Making timber from trees. Timber sizes. Joining timber. Structural loads. Compression loading. Reactions and moments

Designed to assist construction students as part of their technical education, this text aims to provide an understanding of the materials used in buildings, and the results of applying technology. It covers the basic aspects of building construction together with how to apply them on site.