Preliminary Works in Construction

April 24, 2020

Preliminary works refer to all the activities that are involved in a construction site before the actual work starts, such as demolition, site clearance, site survey, soil survey, planning, designing, and cost estimation.

Demolition

This is the step in which by means of controlled or pre-planned methods structure is destroying. It can be done before a structure is still healthy to serve. The demolition process is undertaken when a structure is objecting or intervening or lies in the boundaries of a new proposed building. In this stage surveying of buildings, removal of hazardous materials, methods of demolition and safety measures covered.

Site Clearance

It is important stage to remove unnecessary obstructing elements such as vegetation found at the site to prepare for excavation. This process involves grubbing of bushes or trees and removal of topsoil to form the reduced levels.

Site and Soil Survey

This is an essential preliminary step of the design and construction of a project as the superstructure depends on the substructure. The importance of carrying soil survey is to determine the suitability of the site for the proposed project, to determine the suitable and economic foundation design and to determine the occurrence and case of changes in subsoil conditions.

Planning

This is the stage where methods, budgets, flows, ways and all the requirement needed for final satisfactory outcome is decided. This planning helps to minimize the cost by optimum utilization of available resources, reduces irrational approaches, duplication of works, and inter-departmental conflicts, encourages innovation and creativity among the construction managers and imparts competitive strength to the enterprise.

Detailed Designing

A detailed design is the complete and precise physical description of all parts of the structure and how they are fit together, which serves as the basis for the construction phase. It also involves the investigation of the stability, strength, and rigidity of the structure to be built, based upon the physical requirements of the building and an understanding of the structural performance, materials, and geometries used.

Cost Estimation

In this stage, forecasting of the cost for the project. The cost estimation can be carried in different methods by using different tools and techniques of estimation. This process incorporates the direct cost of various items of work, provision for contingencies, direct supervision charges, miscellaneous expenses and labour hutment etc.

After carrying out all above process, the actual process of construction such as setting out, excavation and further activities are executed.

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