Cost Effective Construction

Cost Effective Construction Techniques is the most significant need for satisfying everybody’s dream to have their own home with individual needs. Since India is a developing nation, the economy has significance. Along these lines, there are different expense effective strategies of construction.Lots of them are likewise strongly productive and effectively adoptable. Basic prerequisite to human presence is a HOME next to food and clothing. A forward leap for use of cost effective construction advancements for better shelter is a need. There is a requirement for the selection of solid, sturdy, condition inviting, naturally suitable, energy efficient as fell as financially savvy materials and fitting advances in development. Elements influencing building costs include building material expense : 65 to 70 % and labor cost : 35 to 40 %. The smaller the project in terms of scope or in terms of square feet, the more it will cost. Various kinds of projects have various degrees of multifaceted nature and detail.

Factors affecting construction cost are 

• Special Construction
• Project  accessibility
• Labor Rates
• Material Costs
• General Economic Pressures
• Time of Year

This article deals about the reduction of constriction cost using Lime mortar and Filler slab techniques which comes under the category of material costs.

Lime mortar

Lime mortar is one such cost-effective construction technique. Its a blend of lime and sand. Lime stone once utilized as outside mortar around 4000 BC – 6000 years prior in Turkey. Romans utilized in mortars/ Cold nations like Wales and Scotland additionally utilized lime wash for upkeep.

Lime Cycle is the process by which limestone, marble is changed over to quicklime by warming, at that point it is slaked, and returned to limestone via carbonation. Focal points of lime plaster in construction incorporates fume porous, along these lines permitting building to breathe. This diminishes the chances of getting damp which harms the structure. Moisture absorption by the lime plaster, stabilizes internal humidity. Lime plaster consumes less energy than cement. Small scale production of lime is feasible .The porous texture of lime handles the moisture movement, without affecting the adjacent materials.

Advantages of Lime in Construction

• Provides building breathing property
  • The lime was regarded as a material by the society for protection against the depletion of ancient buildings. This material let the building to be vapor permeable, thus allowing to breathe. This reduces the chances of trapped moisture and the damage of the building.
• Renders Comfortable Environment
  • Moisture absorption by  lime stabilizes internal humidity
• Ecological Benefits
  • Lower Energy consumption than cement, small scale production of lime is possible
• Protection of adjacent materials
  • Porous texture of lime handles the moisture movement, without affecting the adjacent materials
• Provides good work ability
• Durability is high
• Beautiful finish for the building
• Self-healing properties
  • Any movement of the building made of lime, creates micro-cracks. Presence of moisture makes the free lime active to precipitate and heal these micro cracks

Applications of Building Lime in Construction

• Masonry Construction- For the construction of the monument, retaining walls. Also, used in load bearing walls.
• Structural Applications like canopies, arches, domes of different size and form
• Used for construction of wall structures like wells, fountains and water channels
• Used for plastering purposes– For different types like decorative, plain plastering
• Used to make intricate patterns as well as geometrical profiles
• Used for finishing works

Disadvantages

• Burns eyes and skins during preparations
• More energy intensive than mud, so mud house with periodical lime wash is best
• Requires some babying
• Wetted once a day for 7 to 14 days normally
• Setting issue in colder regions

Filler Slab

Filler Slab is an innovation where part of slab is replaced by filler material. The fundamental reason is that the concrete in base portion of RCC section need not be  rock solid  it is required in top half part of piece. So this part of concrete is supplanted by minimal effort, light weight filler material like mangalore tile, clay bricks and so on.

Reason to construct RCC slab

• Separate building materials and their individual limitation
• Concrete
  • Good in compression
  • Steel is good in tension
  • RCC slab is a product which resists both compression as well as tensile.

Filler materials

• Placed as not to compromise the structural strength, stability and durability
• Replaces unwanted and non-functional tension concrete, Resulting in
  • Economical use of high energy material consumption
  • Respective cost savings and decreased dead load of the slab.
  • Improved thermal comfort for the interiors
  • Lower dead weight transferred to the supporting elements
  • Foundation to further adds up cost saving in design of these elements

»Not to compromise

• structural strength
• stability
• Durability
• Resulting in replacing unwanted and non-functional tension concrete

MATERIALS SELECTION SHOULD BE BASED ON NEED AND DESIGN

»Light weight, inert and inexpensive materials

• Mangalore tiles
• Burnt Clay Bricks
• Hollow Concrete blocks
• Stabilized Mud blocks
• Hollow Mud blocks
• Clay pots
• Coconut shells

Filler Slabs

Things to be considered while selecting the filler materials are it should be inert in nature to avoid reaction with concrete that has a negative impact on the concrete properties. One of the most important properties that needs to be assessed is the water absorption, to avoid the absorption of moisture from the concrete which increases the porosity and reduces the strength of the concrete potion. The filler materials should be light in weight in order to reduce the dead load on the slab. The cost of the filler materials should be low for economical advantage.The size and cross section should be minimum so that it could be incorporated within the spacing of the reinforcement. Make sure it possess high insulation property to increase thermal comfort of the building and also match with the desired ceiling finish.

ADVANTAGES OF FILLER SLAB TECHNOLOGY

»19% of the total concrete  and 5-10% of your concrete cost.

»If the filler material is just a waste

• 15% on your roof concrete construction cost.

»Building a 25 sq. M slab can save you approx. Rs. 5000 from your concrete cost.

»Mass housing projects and township projects

• High cost saving and also saving in high energy consuming materials

»Better thermal comfort

»The cost of plastering and/or painting also can be reduced.

»Sustainable and environment friendly technologies that incorporates green building features.

Some of the innovative filler slab techniques.