What is Low Cost?

  

Deals with effective budgeting Following of techniques which help in reducing the cost construction Use of locally available materials which suits and blends with the local environment along with improved skills and technology without sacrificing the strength, performance and life of the structure Low-cost housing by no means implies the usage of inferior quality or materials The building construction cost can be divided into : Building material cost : 65 to 70 % Labor cost : 30 to 35 %

THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING



 

Reduction in the supply of affordable housing nationally since 1980 Fast population growth leading to demands for additional housing The dwindling supply and high cost of developable land Rising costs of materials and labor Incomes in most areas have not increased sufficiently to overcome the effects of inflation and escalating home prices

How to reduce the cost

1) Reducing plinth area by using thinner wall concept 2) Using locally available material in an innovative form 3) Use energy efficiency materials like concrete block in place of burnt brick 4) Using environmentally friendly materials which are substitute for conventional building components like use R.C.C. door and window frames in place of wooden frames 5) Preplan every component of a house and rationalize the design procedure for reducing the size of the component in the building 6) Unnecessary components should not be used

Cost Reduction : Adhoc Methods

Adopting Arch foundation in ordinary soil reduces construction cost up to 40%.

Using pile foundation in black and other soft soils is up to 25% economical.

Using brick on edge in place of plinth slab of 4 to 6 reduces the cost by about 35 to 50%.

Using concrete block masonry reduces wall thickness to15 Cms saving mortar, avoiding plaster, speedy construction saving of 10 to 25%.

Using steel section frames in place of wood for doors and windows saves up to 30 to 40%.

Brick jali work and precast components provide effective ventilation and save up to 50% over the window components.

R.C.C. lintels can be replaced by brick arches saving up to 30 to 40%.

Adopting insitu construction practices like filler slab and precast elements in place of 5 thick R.C.C. slabs reduces the cost by about 20 to 25%.

Rat trap Bond Wall

  

 

Cavity wall construction of thermal comfort and reduction in the quantity of bricks Can be constructed in 8 or 9 thicknesses The overall cost saving on this wall compared to the traditional 9 wall is about 26% Aesthetically pleasing wall surface. No plaster required L and T corners in wall must be constructed (see figure)

The Technology
  

First layer of bricks to be laid as brick-on-edge in a continuous row, allowing a space of about between bricks. Height of the first layer be 4 with the ends of the brick facing the outer and inner face of the wall The next row should have 2 bricks laid parallel with each other along the exterior and interior surface of the wall with a cavity between them.

The Technology


The ends of these bricks will be stabilized with the placement of a single brick on edge that spans the width of the wall. From the lintel upward, the standard Rat-Trap bond can be repeated. The topmost layer of brick on walls must be placed flat. Standard (2 x 4 x 8) fired clay bricks can be used

Cost Comparison

COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCKS



Applications of Compressed Earth Block: Foundation, load bearing walls, arches, vaults and domes, etc. Hot or cold climate Dry or humid areas A Local Material for Reducing Imports: CEB production is ideally made on the construction site itself Limiting Deforestation, no Need of Firing: CEB are often stabilized with cement or lime. curing necessary Cost Saving: CEB are most of the time cheaper than conventional materials More Eco-Friendly than Fired Bricks: 5-15 times energy savings 8 times less polluting

PRODUCTION
1. Sieving the Soil
 

2. Measuring
 

Aerate the soil Remove lumps, stones and pebbles

Measure all components directly in the containers Fill the containers with accuracy, as per specifications

PRODUCTION
3. Mixing
 

4. Check the Moisture Content



Pour in order, soil, sand and stabilizer First mix dry, 2 times n Add water and mix wet, 2 times

Drop a squeezed ball from 1m high

PRODUCTION
5. Moulding


6. Quality Control
 

Mould immediately the mix: within 20 minutes

Every block of every mix must be checked Pocket penetrometer for the compression strength Block height gauge for the height

PRODUCTION
7. Humid Curing and Stacking
  

8. Final Curing and Stacking



The pile must remain covered 2 days with a plastic sheet Stacking the fresh block Cover immediately every row with a plastic sheet

Water the pile daily (on top and on the 4 sides), as many times as needed, for 1 month Never let the pile dry for a full month

FERROCEMENT CHANNELS
  

   

 

Thin wall of reinforced cement, where layers of continuous mesh are covered on both sides with mortar Durable, Versatile, Light and Waterproof Precast Longitudinal element of a curved section (often semi-cylindrical). It is using moulds Uses less cement and steel having same strength RCC Used for floors or roofs, but are bad thermal insulators A major cost reduction is achieved compared to RCC Simple and cheap manufacturing set up needed but areas for prefabricating and curing are large Easy to acquire the skill and easy to manufacture Lifted into place and can immediately be joined together in order to provide a shelter

MANUFACTURING THE MOULD

1. Constructing the Body


2. Plastering the Body



Use ordinary bricks and mud mortar

Use a cement sand mortar (1: 3) to plaster the body

MANUFACTURING THE MOULD

3. Finishing the Mould


4. Details of a Mould

Apply cement and smoothen the plaster with a trowel

PREPARING THE MAT

1. Materials Required
 

2. Preparing the Mesh



One layer of galvanized hexagonal wire mesh Mesh: #12 mm x 0.71 mm thick x 90 cm wide ( x 22 gauge x 3) Two bottom rods of Tor steel are needed: 8, 10 or 12 mm diameter, according to the span and the load One top steel rod (mild steel) of 6 mm diameter is needed

Flatten the mesh with a rammer

PREPARING THE MAT

3. Stretching the Mat


4. Fixing the Rods



Stretch the main mesh and add the extra layers of mesh

Tie the rods with binding wire (both sides and centre)

Post and Beam Straw Construction Technique

Step 1.
 

Lay the foundation As the walls are not load bearing, a concrete foundation of 6 inches depth is sufficient Dig at least 24 inches holes to set the treated poles and pour concrete for strength and stability

Post and Beam Straw Construction Technique

Step 2.
 

Build the frame work Fasten rigid fence material (not chicken wire) to the posts and create a 9 inches to 12 inches cavities.

Post and Beam Straw Construction Technique

Step 3.


Fill the cavities with straw or other waste materials like carpet padding, shredded paper, and Styrofoam packaging materials

Post and Beam Straw Construction Technique

Step 4.


Plaster the inside and outside of the walls with mud dug from the foundation Let it dry for a couple of days

Pre-fabricated Wall Panels

Step 1.


Make a 3'x5' frame using 2"x6" lumber

Pre-fabricated Wall Panels

Step 2.


Fasten the wonder board to one side of the 3'x5' wooden frame

Pre-fabricated Wall Panels

Step 3.


Fill the cavity with loose straw, carpet padding, shredded paper, or Styrofoam package materials Cover the exposed side with another 3'x5' wonder board using appropriate screws.

Pre-fabricated Wall Panels

Step 4.


Use pre-fabricated panels to build walls. Different sizes of panels are required near door and window openings. Conventional roof methods used to complete the building

Just Fit It Technology

      

Minimum of skilled labor and off site materials Plumbing and electrics can be fitted by an unskilled laborer. The door and window frames just slot in No Mortar, No reinforcement and No off - site It features an interlocking dry stacking stabilized earth brick design High stability, sheer strength, insulative properties. Summer months the homes stay cool and in the winter months, cost very little to heat

Stages of Construction
1. The soil is crushed in the LCH crusher to reduce the particle size and aid the absorption and reaction of the Brick Stabilizer

Stages of Construction
2. After treating the soil is loaded into the brick making machine to begin the cycle of compacting and extruding the brick 3. After compaction of the Stabilized Earth Brick, a cycle begins to extrude the brick from the machine giving a durable and waterproof brick for building

Stages of Construction
Finished bricks stacked for curing for a short period of time then building commences

4.

Foundations are made using the same bricks building then commences above floor level by dry stacking the bricks one on top of the other

5.

Stages of Construction
Rammed earth base is then made to act as the floor of the building which can then be covered with a thin screen of concrete if required

6.

If the earth is unstable, then a viable solution for stabilizing of the soil for the base of the house

7.

Stages of Construction
  

Mortar is only used to stick the first row of bricks to the concrete base Bricks are laid one by one in rows In high risk areas, reinforcing bars may be along the bricks to increase stability in case of earthquakes, typhoons or hurricanes

Stages of Construction
  

Interconnecting walls are made by a pair of reinforcing bars at right angles At this point the electrical conduits and outlets may be installed The Just Fit It Technology allows the conduits to flow deep inside the walls and provide flush fitted outlets inside the house

  

Once the shape of the house starts to form, the windows and doors may be fitted This may be done by completely unskilled labor Then the construction can continue all the way up to the roof which can be conventional

Finished Examples

ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY LOW COST DEMONSTRATION MODEL HOUSES BY CWHR, KARACHI (1980-2006)

CONSTRUCTION OF A LOW COST HOUSE USING RICE HUSK ASH AND LIME AS PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT

 

Husk Ash and Lime used as cement in the fabrication of hollow, load bearing blocks and for mortar in plaster Prefabricated Roof consisting battens tiles Portland cement replaced by Rice Husk Ash to the extent of 30%. The foundation and base course are made up with soil stabilized with cement

CONSTRUCTION USING GROUND GRANULATED BLAST FURNANCE SLAG AS PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT


 

Load bearing walls made of lime-slag-soil stabilized blocks consisting 30% lime and 70% slag. The blocks contain 10% of this mixture and 90% of soil by weight. The roof is prefabricated and consists of battens and tiles. 30% Portland Cement has been saved in the tiles by replacing with it with slag. The mosaic floor constitutes the mixture of slag, lime, cement and marble chips.

CONCLUSION
 

The above list of suggestion for reducing construction cost is of general nature Varies depending upon the nature of the building, budget, geographical location, availability of the building material, good construction management practices etc. Good planning necessary and design methods shall be adopted by utilizing the services of an experienced engineer or an architect for supervising the work It may be cost effective to an extent of 25% in actual practice.