The Construction of a Building

Man has always been a builder. A modern man spends much time within the walls of some building. Houses are built for dwelling; large buildings are constructed for industrial purposes; theatres, museums, public and scientific institutions are built for cultural activities of the people.

Houses are more than just bricks and mortar. Before any bricks are laid a lot of thinking and planning has to be done. The plot of land has to be chosen, and it is then decided what kind of house is to be built. Quite a lot of people all work together to make the house.

A building is a construction which is raised on foundation and is generally made of woodstone, concrete blocks, bricks and mortar or cement. Many new types of individual houses are made from slabs, rolled gypsum concrete panels or wood sheets. A lot of houses are built of prefabricated blocks (prefabs). The building process takes place under the supervision of formen and engineers. The structure is built up by bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, plumbers, painters, glass-cutters, etc.

In the construction of a house the first step is to make a careful survey of the site and to examine the soil in order to find its bearing power. Every detail of a house must be carefully planned. The working plan itself is called a blueprint. It is from the blueprint that the workman sees where to place the wall, the windows, the doors, etc. The size of the rooms, the width of the doors and the windows, the height of the ceilings are also marked on the plan.

According to the plan the building lines of the house are staked out. Then the foundations are built. Foundations are to keep the floors and walls from contact with the soil, to protect against the action of the frost and to prevent from settlement. The part upon which the stability of the structure depends is the framework. It carries the loads which are imposed on it. To do this work properly and safely the floors, walls, roofs and other parts of the constructions must be correctly designed and proportioned.

The walls of the house are built on the foundations. Walls are constructed to enclose areas and to support the weight of floors and roofs. Brick, stone, concrete and other natural and artificial materials are used for the construction of walls. In case of a brick house the building of a wall consist in laying the courses of bricks and bonding them together with mortar. To make doors and windows a lintel is usually inserted in the wall above the opening.

Storeys are separated by several successive layers: the firestop joists and rough flooring. The regular flooring is placed upon the rough floor, being supported by stringers and girders. The staircase leads to the upper floors which covers the building and protects it from exposure to the weather. It ties the walls and gives strength to the structure.

After the building of the house proper is completed there will be the need to make a number of connections. Plumbers lay water pipes to carry clean water into the house from the water main. They also lay sewers to carry waste water away. The particular part of the work is undertaken to provide the building with gas and electricity. All the wiring is embedded in the walls.

When all the wires and pipes are in place the house is ready to be decorated. The walls may be either covered with wall-paper or only plastered and then whitewashed or painted. The walls of bathrooms are usually tiled with plastic tiles from top to bottom. The joiners finish all the woodwork in the house; the glaziers put glass in the window frames to keep out the wind and the rain. A house is ready for occupation by the new tenants.

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