How To Estimate Building Materials For Home Construction?

Material estimation for constructing a building plays a major role because they act as the foundation of the entire procedure. The cost price depends on the quantity and quality of material used and therefore for a rough idea of making a budget – it is important to prepare a list of required building materials.

However the cost price estimation on many different factors such as labour cost, total surface area, raw materials, plumbing, wood, iron, bricks and other unique factors that may vary from work to work.

The process of estimating various quantities such as cost and amount of material used in a particular construction project is known as ‘Estimation’

For building a home, RCC work plays a crucial role and all of the construction work depends on RCC quantity estimation.

Step 1 Survey of the constructional location by civil engineer and experts

  • To evaluate the necessary matter for building a home, the location needs to be examined properly.
  • This way the engineer can decide the further elements required in the construction.
  • Experts check the topography of the site and determine the natural factors, sources and applications present nearby.
  • All the required data is recorded for future estimations and architecture purpose.

Step 2 Excavating surface to make the foundation

  • Excavation is done at the very beginning of a constructional work to remove the unwanted presence of things from the surface and to loosen the soil.
  • Vegetation, trees, rocks, stumps, pipes, and extra objects need to be cleared before excavation for making a smooth & strong base for the structure
  • The ground level filling with the required type of soil is done according to the square feet area of a site.
  • Heavy machinery may be required if a particular area has an open and larger area.

Step 3 Construction of Footing for building the base for a building

The next step for establishing the base for a building is known as ‘Footing. This is the bottom of a building on which the whole part rests. For this you need –

  • Manpower for labour work
  • Machinery for construction and digging purpose
  • Sand, Reinforcement, cement
  • Aggregates and Concrete

The amount of given data depends on the total constructional area and the structural design of a home.

Step 4 Level the foundation for a proper base settlement

  • Once cleaning and excavation are done – level the surface by adding an extra amount of needed soil.
  • In many cases, clay, gravels, sand and cobbles can be utilized for making the surface harder and stable.

Step 5 Beams and Columns

  • Beams and columns form the pillars of the home and from the total number of beams, you can make a usual estimate related to the material of construction.
  • Beams and columns require reinforcement, concrete, aggregate, slabs and soil.
  • At the bottom part, a more thick and massive material may be required and by going with the height the size of each item keep on varying.

Step 6 The estimation for Binding Materials

  • Another main factor that contributes to deciding the number of materials used is – the binding process. This refers to connecting the constructed portions of the block to block.
  • Here, boulders, cobbles, cement, mortar, gypsum, water, gravel and lime mortar are the main elements used as binding materials.
  • Each element depends on the atmospheric conditions and structural design of a building as used as per requirement.

Step 7 The process of Shuttering

  • The next important step in constructing a building is shuttering which gives a structure to the building and it must be well built to withstand the load of external building matter.
  • Precast concrete, timber, steel, fibreglass, aluminium are primary materials that are used in the process of shuttering.

We have read all the factors that need to be considered for estimating the cost and quantity of construction work for building not only a home but any kind of structural design. These are the basics steps followed by every builder.

Building Layout and Drawing for a Structure

If you have a detailed drawing of the complete structure including

  1. Flooring Plan
  2. Center Line layout
  3. Slab beam drawing
  4. Exterior and interior wall sections
  5. Elevation points
  6. Trade drawings
  7. Utility structure and plans

These factors help to a greater extent for making an idea to have a clear estimate for the cost and material type and quality.

BOTTOM LINE

The cost and quantity estimation cannot be conveyed to a customer or builder 100 per cent accurately. However, a rough idea can be made by using various logical and basic techniques. Location type, constructional surface area, size and time contribute to making an entire calculation for building a home or any other kind of structural design.