Building a house in Trinidad

[kjaglal76v2]

Guys where would be the best place to buy beams for building a steel frame this is from the foundation to the deck sheet. I heard point fortin hardware in Caroni industrial estate has good prices?
Where else can I check,
Thanks.

Point Lisas Steel Products had some good prices when I bought coupla years ago.

what are the advantages if steel frame over traditional concrete?

[The Raven]

Guys how can you tell the strength of the beams by looking at it, for example if its a 31lb or 26ib beam? is it stamped on the beam?

kjaglal76v2 one advantage is its faster and could be a neater job, price is around the same after labour and material for concrete job.

[DVSTT]

Guys where would be the best place to buy beams for building a steel frame this is from the foundation to the deck sheet. I heard point fortin hardware in Caroni industrial estate has good prices?
Where else can I check,
Thanks.

Point Lisas Steel Products had some good prices when I bought coupla years ago.

what are the advantages if steel frame over traditional concrete?

I would assume that it'll be stronger and faster to assemble. Not sure if it'd be cheaper though.

[The Raven]

..

[Rahtid]

Guys how can you tell the strength of the beams by looking at it, for example if its a 31lb or 26ib beam? is it stamped on the beam?

kjaglal76v2 one advantage is its faster and could be a neater job, price is around the same after labour and material for concrete job.

Your designer/engineer will list your member sizes, your builders will advise you to buy accordingly, but its not u to decide which size is stronger, unless u have the steel designers manual book which is what we would refer to when designing.

[kjaglal76v2]

i noticed d neatness for sure, saw a 2 storey house being made from it, beams were a lil more slender than d ones u see on large commercial building tho, would take a pic!!

[rfari]

Steel beams also offer better resistance to earthquakes than RC beams

[The Raven]

Rahtid, I did not say I was going to size the beams. My question was how would I be able to tell the difference in various beams...so I would know if the person bought the size they said they would.

[The Raven]

Also could you share that hand book?

[De Dragon]

Rahtid, I did not say I was going to size the beams. My question was how would I be able to tell the difference in various beams...so I would know if the person bought the size they said they would.

When they give you the specs, go and order it yourself. If they say that they have transport go with them to order. Call around and get a price range for the specs given, but GO YOURSELF!

[STORM1234]

Rahtid, I did not say I was going to size the beams. My question was how would I be able to tell the difference in various beams...so I would know if the person bought the size they said they would.

When they give you the specs, go and order it yourself. If they say that they have transport go with them to order. Call around and get a price range for the specs given, but GO YOURSELF!

well a w8x24 beam is 8 inches wide at the top (flange width), the "24"means that for every 12 inches of length the beam weighs 24 lbs, there is also a metric equivalent to to w beam sizes.

[Rory Phoulorie]

Beams and columns usually have the size designations cast/stamped into them.

You can use the links below to get the actual dimensions of American produced structural steel sections and British produced steel sections, both of which are sold in Trinidad and Tobago.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ameri ... _1319.html

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/briti ... _1316.html

A layman's way to compare strengths of beams is to compare the moment of inertia. The higher the moment of inertia, the "stronger" the beam.

[The Raven]

Rory, good info,
So to know the type of beams I should see the stamp stating the pounds.
Thanks.

[The Raven]

Guys other that union steel, dansteel, point fortin hardware, pointlisas steel company.
Where else sells I- beams and related steel products?
Does Varma supply steels as well?
I tried calling their number but listed was a wrong number online.
Thanks.

[The Raven]

Thinking about using glass for the second level for the home. Like the commercial buildings.
Who does it what is the cost like. Anyone with experience with glass front homes?
Thanks.

[francis1979]

What is the construction cost for a 1600sq. Fr house using a general contractor ready to move-in with basic granite counter tops, gypsum ceiling, floor tiles

[cherrypopper]

What is the construction cost for a 1600sq. Fr house using a general contractor ready to move-in with basic granite counter tops, gypsum ceiling, floor tiles

I was advised that its around 500psf ...I could be wrong that figure was quoted last year.

[Pyol]

I can give you the gypsum ceiling price. www.ceilings-tt.com

[Fearless]

What is the construction cost for a 1600sq. Fr house using a general contractor ready to move-in with basic granite counter tops, gypsum ceiling, floor tiles

I was advised that its around 500psf ...I could be wrong that figure was quoted last year.

That figure gone up, last I heard it was somewhere like 600-700psf

[The Raven]

Guys, need some advise here. I asked the builder not to drive any backhoe or bob cat on top of the foundation. The foundation brick height is 6. He still went ahead and drove a bob cat on top of the foundation flooring to spread backfill sand. Could this cause any damage to the foundation it self?
Thanks.

[MD Marketers]

Guys, need some advise here. I asked the builder not to drive any backhoe or bob cat on top of the foundation. The foundation brick height is 6. He still went ahead and drove a bob cat on top of the foundation flooring to spread backfill sand. Could this cause any damage to the foundation it self?
Thanks.

Bobcat is ok. Very useful in compacting as well.
If you reinforced with starter bars every 8 inches on the outside & fully loaded all the blocks properly then you safe with the backhoe too. Compaction would be even stronger with a backhoe.

[The Raven]

Thanks MD what are the starter bars?
Also if using deck sheets for the top flooring, is steel needed or just BRC wire? Also how thick is the concrete? 5"?
Thanks.

[SMc]

anyone have an idea what would be the average cost to supply and fit a 750 Gallon Septic tank and soak away pit?

[Ted_v2]

I believe is 3500 for the tank itself..

[MD Marketers]

Thanks MD what are the starter bars?
Also if using deck sheets for the top flooring, is steel needed or just BRC wire? Also how thick is the concrete? 5"?
Thanks.

Starter bars are the steel rods that run through the block cores & start in the ground beam.

Deckpan uses brc only for 10' beam spacing.
Anything more than that you need steel rods or thicker deckpan
For unsupported cantilevers you will need steel rods also
Deck pan resting on concrete beams will require widely spaced starter bars for the purpose of locking in the deckpan.
Increase psi by adding more steel and slightly more cement.
With regards to thickness:
Thickness deciding factor are based on a combination of 2 reasons:
1. General Aesthetics based on practical usage
2. Strength of the Structure based on practical usage.

The first one I don't get to choose as a builder. That's the owner's decision
The second one I have to decide based on the owner's intended practical usage.

To do that I need to know the weight of the items that will be supported by the concrete.

In some cases you just need to know the shape of an object and it's material density to determine it's weight.
You can find a list of basic material densities online. Eg. Water, wood, steel, plastic, etc.

Once max weight is determined we can calculate the pounds per square inch of that material and configure our concrete & steel contents to compensate.

Another point to note is that you can vary the concrete:steel ratio based on your budget & still match the psi requirement for the max intended weight.
Minimum is 1% steel to 99% concrete for minimum allowable strength
Maximum is 8% steel to 92% concrete for maximum allowable strength
Anything outside of that decreases strength of the structure to sub standard strength

For general application use this formula to get a 3000 psi mix on concrete:
3 barrows gravel to 1 bag cement.
For 4000 psi use 3 barrows gravel to 1.25 bags cement

Do not add too much water because the concrete cracks when curing causing the steel to be exposed to oxygen & eventually corrosion sets in

[1UZFE]

Good info MD...

[The Raven]

How often should I wet the decking concrete after the cement has been poured?
Is it normal to see some cracks?
What would happen if it is not soaked during the day?

[MD Marketers]

How often should I wet the decking concrete after the cement has been poured?
Is it normal to see some cracks?
What would happen if it is not soaked during the day?

Luckily I took the time to figure this out years ago. Most contractors won't be bothered and just tell you "that's just the way it is".
I find the source of information, not just the solution.
Here is your answer:

Cracking happens when the concrete cures too fast in one section whilst the other section is still curing.

To avoid this the concrete should be kept in motion after being mixed until it is poured in one complete pouring.
Readymix accomplishes this because of the speed of the pouring.
When you handmix if it isn't done in one pouring, & quickly enough, the concrete doesn't cure consistently and cracks.

Water has both negative and positive effects on concrete.

Here is why:
Cement has a binding agent which solidifies when mixed with water.
Concrete has 2 main processes; binding & solidifying.

Binding:
There is a chemical in cement called ferrite which starts the binding process of interlocking cement dust with other particles when mixed with water.
When water is poured the reaction is rapid and the binding process decelerates over time. The chemical reaction slows down & eventually comes to a stop after 20 years.

Solidifying:
This occurs when the concrete remains motionless for too long. Lack of vibrations causes a chemical in the cement to stiffen, resulting in the hardened form of concrete we observe in the end.

Improper timing and ratios of cement, aggregate & water will result in cracking.

To get a proper bind pour the water consistently, fast, start mixing immediately & keep the concrete together as much as you can.
To keep the concrete from solidifying keep the concrete in motion.
Once poured and motion is at rest the concrete will solidify within 24 hours, whilst being binded over time.

Based on the chemical reactions described above we observe that water is the key ingredient to facilitate the binding process. If there is any ferrite that hasn't been properly wet the binding will be weak and cracking is more likely to occur. Contractors wet the concrete after it solidifies in an attempt to stimulate any dry ferrite that has not undergone the binding process. It helps only if there are dry ferrite particles in the hardened concrete.

This is why concrete binds best under water, since it eliminates the chances of dry ferrite, thereby maximizing the binding process.

Heat of the sun only affects concrete when it is being mixed because evaporation can stop water molecules from reaching dry ferrite.

For best mix try this:

Batch out the entire dry mix required to do the entire casting.
Pour water quickly and consistently throughout the mix.
Ensure the mix is well stirred & kept stirred until it reaches it's final destination.
If the sun is baking the fresh concrete, keep it wet for the next hour to ensure the binding agents can get touched by water.

Wetting it the next day won't be necessary if you followed the instructions above.
If you didn't follow the instructions, wetting it the next day will not help much, but every little bit counts.

Please do not add too much water to the initial mix as it is specifically proportioned to get the best results. Adding too much water will thin down the binding agents & wash it away, thereby weakenng the binding.
Stick to the 3000 psi formula!
3 barrows gravel
1 bag cement
3 gallons water

I will add any more interesting concrete facts later if you want.

[The Raven]

Thanks MD.
it was readymix cement ( not the company name readymix).
I notice some surface cracks. I was told it's just surface and does not run deep. The batching was done the same time but required 5 trucks, which was around half hour apart.

The builder wanted to add some water but for fear of reducing the strength of the concrete I did not allow it.
Thanks again.

[MD Marketers]

Water to soft readymix?

Good thing you stopped him