Livable, Loveable House Design

Posted by Ravikiran K.S. on January 1, 2006

Livable, Loveable House Design

  • Easy to enter, easy to move around, easy to adapt to changing needs of now & future
  • Atleast one step-free entrance to enable home occupants to easily enter and exit the dwelling
  • Parking should allow a person to open their car doors fully and easily move around the vehicle
  • Internal doors and corridors facilitate comfortable and unimpeded movement between spaces
  • Light switches and sockets are at heights that are easy to reach for all home occupants

  • Clear space in living room to enable people to move in and around the room with ease

  • House entrace
    • Continuous, levelled, slip-resistant, step-free pathway 1200mm wide
      • From car parking and from street to house (ground floor) entrance
    • Min clear width: 1200mm, Max slope: 1:14, Levelled landing area 1200m excluding door
    • Step ramps where change of height is 190mm or less. Gradient 1:10.
    • Disablity Access door (min 70mm thickness)
      • Min clear width: 900mm, no lip (hostilu), single door, water & termite resistant
    • Sloping of house entrance pathway to gradient of 1:14 to protect water entering house
  • Car parking
    • Min 3200mm (width) x 5400mm (length) x 2500mm (height), Max 1:40 gradient
    • Even, firm, slip-resistant surface. One parking space for each floor + 1 for guests
  • Doors & Corridors
    • Doors to bedrooms/kitchen/bathroom/toilet: Min clear width: 900mm, max lip 5mm
    • Corridors to these doors have min clear width 1200mm (for unimpended movement)
    • Door knob of lever style for children (that automatically locks when door closed)
  • Toilets
    • Min clear 900mm (width) x 1500mm (length). Located in corner of room for grabrails
    • Height of toilet pan 480mm. Toilet pan Max 450mm from nearest wall. slip-resistant.
  • Bathroom/Shower
    • Step-free, slip-resistant, slope gradient 1:3, on corener of room for grabrails
    • Min 900mm (width) x 900mm (length). Clear space of 900mm x 1200mm after shower area
  • Reinforcement of bathroom & toilet walls
    • Grab-rails on reinforced walls to withstand force of 1000N in any position/direction
    • Min thickness of nogging 25mm, Min thickness structural sheet 12mm, total 37mm
  • Stairways
    • Continuous handrail on one/both side of stairways, min clear width of 1000mm
    • Straight design, positioned adjoining a load bearing wall, slip-resistant material
    • Min landing area 1200mm x 1200mm at both top and base of staircase
  • Kitchen
    • One fire-resistant fixed bench towards wall with electrical fitting for stove & appliances
    • Second water-resistant, easy cleanable, bench parallel to first bench (dine, cutting, …)
    • Min 1200mm clearance from fixed bench and second bench.
  • Laundry
    • Slip-resistant floor, min 1200mm clearance in front of washing appliance
  • Bed room
    • Min clear width of 1000mm on each side of the bed
  • Switches & power sockets
    • Consistent location, around 1100mm height, horizontally aligned to door handle level
  • Sink taps, shower taps
    • Two knob design with central spout for water recess. Each tap with safety lock option
  • Living room
    • Provides clear pathway to balcony (min 1000mm wide) from kitchen, toilet, and bedroom
    • Slip resistant surface, opens to balcony/terrace, easy access to toilet/bedroom/bathroom
  • Main entrance (double door)
    • max 5mm lip (hostilu), min thickness 75mm, min 2500mm (width) x 3500mm (height)
  • Windows
    • Provide view of front/back gates, blind view of visitors, access to scenic area
  • Terraces
    • One terrace attached to each bedroom. Min 1200mm x 1200mm, access to windows for cleaning
  • Elevator
    • Elevator access to each floor with landing area clearance of 1000mm x 1000mm
    • Min capacity 200Kg (2 to 3 people), fitted with Emergency landing device
  • Fire safety
  • Water proofing of wet areas inside house
  • Water proofing external house
  • Termite protection
  • Window location & size
  • Floor surfaces in wet areas & stairs

  • Stairways better usage

  • Construction NOC
  • Soil investigation by Geo-technical engineer
  • Charactaristic strength of structure

  • Architect, Structural/Civil engineer, Construction supervisor - Undertaking

  • Costs of Material:Labour:Others should be 60:30:10 in ratio.
    • 10 lakhs : 6 Lakhs for Material, 3 Lakh for Labour, 1 Lakh for Others
  • Item-wise breakup of costs
    • Steel rods : 15%, Concrete : 8%, Boundary Wall/Gate : 2%, Soil : 2%
    • Water : 1%, Excavation : 3%, Painting : 5%, Flooring : 5%, Electrical : 5%
    • Cement : 11%, Bricks : 9%, Sand : 4%, Plumbing & Sanitation : 6%
    • Doors & Windows : 6%, Stone Aggregate : 5%, Architect/Engineer Fee : 4%
    • Others : 3%
  • Stage-wise breakup of costs
    • Excavation, Foundation/Concrete, Plinth : 15%
    • Super structure concrete & brickwork : 30%
    • Roof slab : 15%
    • Water supply, Sanitary fittings, Electification, others : 15%
    • Doors, Windows, Wood work : 10%
    • Pastering, Painting : 10%
    • Flooring : 5%
  • RCC concrete grade (Min. M20 1:1.5:3)
    • Rich mixes lead to cracks during temperature cycles (expansion, contraction)
    • Poor mixes lead to less strengthy structure
    • M25 (1 cement : 1 sand : 2 graded stone aggregate)

http://www.civilprojectsonline.com/building-construction/specifications-for-rcc-construction/