Saturday, December 1, 2007

Roof Truss and Rain Water Harvesting





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Sebastian Adukanil
Kanjirappally, Kottayam

1. Please advise suggested space between roof slab and steel truss. This is for tiled roofing set on top of concrete slab, and meant for a single storey house. What would be the approximate cost of such structure?

2. What would be the typical details for Rain harvesting tanks and systems connected to a single storey villa.

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Ans:

1. Please advise suggested space between roof slab and steel truss. This is for tiled roofing set on top of concrete slab, and meant for a single storey house. What would be the approximate cost of such structure?

The space between a Roof Slab and Steel Truss would depend on 3 factors-
a. The Span of the Roof
b. The Angle of the Roof
c. The Type of Steel Truss used

These factors are determined by the Design of the Residence. Given below are images of different types of Trusses and various Pitch Angles. A 7/12 pitch means that for every 12” span, the truss has a height of 7”.




You may decide on the type of truss and the angle of the pitch to work out the height of the Truss and the Clearance from the Concrete Roof.


As for the cost, it would be advisable to show the design and specifications to two or more contractors in your area and get price quotes, and then decide on the best bid.

2. What would be the typical details for Rain harvesting tanks and systems connected to a single storey villa.

Given below are the standard Rain Water Harvesting Details for Residences in Kerala-




Storm water from the Roof is first filtered through a Filtration Tank and then collected in the Rainwater Collection tank. An Overflow Tank is connected to the Collection tank to drain out excess water during heavy rains.

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Architect Shahdad Karim
B Arch MCM AIIA
Askin Architecture & Construction Management
http://www.keralaarchitect.com/

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Pre-cast Door and Window Frames





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Saiju Mathew
Changanacherry

1. What is your opinion about pre cast door frames and window frames?

2. Is Malaysian Teak wood durable?
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Ans:

1. What is your opinion about pre cast door frames and window frames?

If the Company that manufactures Pre-cast Door & Window Frames has strict quality control measures, with proper concrete mix, curing and reinforcement, then Pre-cast Joinery can be an excellent alternative to traditional Wooden Joinery.

Pre-Cast Joinery can be painted with good quality enamel paint to resemble lacquered wood finish. However, if the Concrete mix and Curing is of poor quality, it would result in being a nuisance in the long-term, with brittle edges and cracks.

2. Is Malaysian Teak wood durable?

Being a hardwood, Malaysian Wood is as durable as the timber available in the local market. However, if the wood was cultivated in farms, it would not have the density or pest-resistant properties of natural forest wood.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Three Questions- Plumbing/Timber





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Shanavas
Karaparamba, Calicut

1. What are the advantages/disadvantages of the built-in water tank as compared to the ready made ones available in the market? What is your suggestion?

2. What are the things we should do to get the speed (force full) water supply to the taps?

3. What is the difference in quality of the following wood used in frames/shutters? Rates are almost the same.

a. Irul Wood ("Nadan"/Forest)
b. Irul Wood (Foreign)
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Ans:


1. Branded and Quality Inspected Ready Made Water Tanks are much hygienic than Cast In-Situ Water Tanks. You just have to find a way to hide it from view or blend it with the design. The added advantage is that it can be replaced after a period of time.

2. Height is the factor that Increases pressure in Water Supply taps. If the Top floors do not have enough water pressure as the water tanks are not very high above them, Pressure Pumps are available in the market and can be connected to the outlet from the tank.

3. Foreign (Malaysian/Indonesian) Irul and Forest Irul are two entirely different species of trees. They are both called Irul in our State because of very similar properties. Forest Irul is usually slightly heavier and darker than Foreign Irul. Any variety is OK as long as you get the Core-wood (Heart wood) of Irul without the outer veins (Vella).



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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Low-Cost House: 2 Lakhs budget

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Pradeep
Alappuzha, Cherthala

We are planing to construct a low cost house - Maximum 2 Lakhs budget. Is it possible in the present situation?

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Ans:

We appreciate your effort in trying to construct a house of Rs 2 Lakhs budget. Before you embark on this mission, do prepare mentally for the extra hard work you need to put in planning and budgeting all the activities to be performed right from design stage to completion.

First, what you need is a very cost effective design that incorporates all your requirements without over-utilizing space or structural elements. The design has to be worked and re-worked until it is Cost-effectively Optimized. Take extra time and effort in finalizing the design.

The next step is to decide on the materials to be used. With a constrained budget, you cannot afford to have a margin of error. Find the most cost-effective building materials in your area. It would vary depending on the location of your residence. Eg- Laterite Stones are Cost Effective in the North Kerala Malabar Region. Do research on the most cost-effective wood, flooring, roofing and other materials in your region.

Study your Site Conditions to avoid any unexpected future setbacks. Do make sure that the Site did not previously have wells, ponds or clay fields that were filled without proper soil consolidation. Use the most appropriate foundation depending on the soil condition.

Appoint a Contractor who has previous experience in Low-Cost House Construction. You may contact the local branch of Cost-effective Construction Agencies like Nirmiti, Costford, Habitat etc. Have long and extensive discussions with the Contractor and be very clear about the various stages of construction and the time and cost incurred at each stage.

Once Construction starts, stick to the schedule without a break in the work. Any delay may further increase the cost and material wastage. In short, constructing your residence on a tight budget requires meticulous planning and execution.

To get a Cost-effective Design for your site, send us your Site Plan and List of Requirements as in>> http://www.keralaarchitect.com/designstudio.htm


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Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Product of the Week






In this Section, we look into New and Innovative Products and Aspects of House Design.

SOFA SETS

HOME THEATRE

BONSAI TREES

TOILET ACCESSORIES

HARDWOOD FLOORING


More links on Products-



Roofing






If you decided to do roofing by yourself you should get enough information to be sure you know what you are doing. To install new roofing is not an impossible process, but it requires some specific knowledge. You can order roofing materials from a retailer, but first you should have the exact idea of what you want to order.

You need to know the size of the roof and choose a roof shape. The last one is basically dependant on the area you are living in. Some roof shapes are not so good with the water that will stay for months on top. The standard roof shapes are hip, gable, canadian and victorian.

Next you should decide which one of the tile options you would like to have. Practically, you can have whatever style of your roof you want. As an idea, you can check up dakota, citadel and harmony terracotta options.

Roof color is also a decision you have to make. It is pretty much does not matter what kind of terracotta tile option of your roof you will choose, you still have options in colors. The most practical, and therefore popular, colors are: terracotta, brown and grey.

Now you are ready to place an order. There are a lot of companies selling roofing. You do not have to limit yourself only to your area. Make an order in another city. The advice we would want to give you is to hire professionals that will do roofing for you. You don’t want to have any problems in the future because of poor roofing installation. Mangalore Pattern Terracotta Tiles now do come with Weather-proof Coating, Exterior Grade Acrylic Paints and also Ceramic Coated Tiles. Lafarge Roofing; Comtrust Tiles, KAP India etc are some reputed Tile Manufacturing Companies in Kerala.


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Home Theatre






Home Theatre is considered to be the ultimate in Home Entertainment; at least among Modern Kerala Home Builders. Many even consider a house to be incomplete without a dedicated space for a Large Plasma TV and Surround Sound features.

Television viewing, now being an integral part of the Malayali culture, like elsewhere in the world, optimal Viewing Angles and Acoustics add value to the time spent watching Movies, News and Favourite Television Series.

From Custom-Assembled Sound Features connected to the Television Set- to Branded Complete Solutions, the Home Theatre market has a wide range in terms of both quality and pricing. You could make costly mistakes by not knowing how to start or where to look for the Home Theatre System that most suits you.

If you are one of the many people around the world who loves the sound quality of watching movies in theaters but hates the hassles (crying babies, people talking, cell phones ringing, etc) of actually going then I hope you are seriously contemplating the value that a home theater or surround sound system could bring to your movie enjoyment. In fact, a good surround sound system cannot only improve your overall enjoyment of blockbuster hits but also your favorite music and video games as well. Surround sound is far more than a tool for watching movies at home, it is an entirely new way to look at and listen to your television in general.

You do not have to begin your home theater or surround sound experience with a top of the line piece of equipment. It is quite possible to start small with a surround sound system and build a better system as you go. In fact, I seriously recommend that people invest heavily in speakers from the beginning and sacrifice the number of speakers in favor of better quality speakers. In addition to this there are many box kits out there that are designed for almost any budget on the market. You can find box kits for everything from basic surround sound systems to home theater in a box. If you are seriously considering the enjoyment this can bring into your home there is no time like the present to start checking out your options.

I never recommend simply walking into the store and purchasing the first kit you find though you are certainly welcome to do just that. I feel that you might walk away from the experience a little jaded however and highly suggest that you go to a local retail center that has sound rooms set up in order to listen to the many options that are currently on the market and compare the sound and the quality of the sound within those items in your price range. I suggest that you start on the low side and work your way up rather than starting at the high end and working your way down.

When you find the quality of sound you are most comfortable with, this is the system I recommend you go home and research. Compare prices online to see if you can find any major values and bargains. The Internet is usually full of good deals for consumers that are willing to sort through many companies that market online. While the Internet is the land of opportunity for some, I also recommend that you take the lowest price you find online to your local retail store and see if they can match it or throw in a few perks to sweeten the deal. You could find some interesting deals by doing this and it costs nothing to try and could save you money in the long run.

The point is to get the best system your money can buy (without sending you to the 'poor house' in the process). Once you have decided on the system you want all bets are off when it comes to finding the best price. We live in a consumer driven marketplace and as a consumer you do have control over where your money is spent and whether or not you are willing to pay the price of spending your money elsewhere.

You know the quality you expect, as you've listened and compared in the stores, and you know the price that you are willing to pay for that quality. Most consumers are learning this fact and willing to make concessions in order to compete with those companies that operate online. See what your local retailers can offer you and if they can't match what you've found online you should be willing to go with the online service. This is a great way for you as a consumer to know what you are getting and feel as though you've gotten a good deal in the process. More importantly you get to bring the theatrical experience you love so much into your very own living room. Now the only kids crying over your movie will be your own.


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