Lecture #11 - General Construction Procedure

Question 1

What are the 9construction stages?

Answer 1

1. Planning and design, 2. site preparation, 3. foundation, 4. framing, 5. electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, 6. insulation and drywall, 7. finish work, 8. final inspections, 9. closeout

Question 2

Give a general overview of the planning and design stage.

Answer 2

developing the initial concept, selecting a site, creating drawings and obtaining permits

Question 3

Give a general overview of the site preparation stage.

Answer 3

clearing the site, levelling the land, and setting up temporary utilities

Question 4

Give a general overview of the foundation stage.

Answer 4

Excavating and pouring the foundation, installing drainage, and backfilling around the foundarion

Question 5

Give a general overview of the framing phase.

Answer 5

involves constructing the frame of the building using wood, steel, or concrete

Question 6

Give a general overview of the electrical plumbing and HVAC stage.

Answer 6

installing the electrical, plumbing and heating/cooling systems

Question 7

Give a general overview of the insulation and drywall phase.

Answer 7

installing insulation and drywall to provide thermal and acoustic insulation

Question 8

Give a general overview of the finish work stage.

Answer 8

installing flooring, cabinets, countertops, trim, and other finishing touches.

Question 9

Give a general overview of the final inspections stage.

Answer 9

Obtaining final inspections and certificates of occupancy from local authorities

Question 10

Give a general overview of the close out stage

Answer 10

finalizing paperwork, obtaining warranties, cleaning up the site

Question 11

Who comes together to develop a plan during the planning and design phase?

Answer 11

Architects, engineers, contractors

Question 12

What stage does the success of the project depend on?

Answer 12

planning and design

Question 13

What else happens during the planning and design phase?

Answer 13

feasibility studies, determining project budgets, obtaining necessary approvals from regulatory agencies

Question 14

What affects the feasibility of the project with respect to site selection?

Answer 14

soil conditions, topography, access to utilities and proximity to transportation

Question 15

What do permits ensure?

Answer 15

That the project complies with applicable regulations and building codes and that the building is safe for occupancy

Question 16

What happens if you don’t get the required permits?

Answer 16

fines, delays and even legal action

Question 17

Where might you need to get your permits from?

Answer 17

local, state (or provincial/territorial) and federal agencies

Question 18

How can you save money in the planning and design phase?

Answer 18

Careful site selection, ie selecting a site that is already zoned for the intended use to avoid cost of rezoning. Getting permits in a timely manner can prevent costly delays and keep the project on schedule

Question 19

What is a floor plan?

Answer 19

detailed diagram of a buildings interior, showing the arrangement of rooms, walls, doors and windows. essential document used by architects, builders, and contractors to visualize the layout of the building

Question 20

Define the safety aspect of site preparation.

Answer 20

clearing the site and levelling the land can help ensure that the construction site is free of hazards like trees, rocks or other debris. can help prevent accidents and injuries during the construction process

Question 21

Define the access aspect of site preparation.

Answer 21

can make it easier to access the construction site and move heavy equipment and materials. this can help ensure that the construction process is efficient and on schedule

Question 22

Define the levelling aspect of site preparation.

Answer 22

essential for ensuring that the foundation of the building is level and stable, critical for ensuring that the building is structurally sound and can withstand forces of nature like earthquakes and high winds

Question 23

Define the drainage aspect of site preparation.

Answer 23

levelling helps ensure that proper drainage is established, which is essential for preventing water damage to the building and ensuring that the site remains stable and safe

Question 24

What is the importance of adding temporary utilities in the site preparation phase with respect to construction activities

Answer 24

construction activities like using power tools and heavy machinery requires a reliable source of electricity and also workers need access to clean water for drinking, cleaning and other activities

Question 25

What is the importance of adding temporary utilities in the site preparation phase with respect to worker comfort?

Answer 25

Can ensure worker comfort and safety, for example access to air conditioning during hot weather can help prevent heat exhaustion and other health issues

Question 26

Why does temporary office space require temporary utilities?

Answer 26

Requires electricity and water to function properly

Question 27

What may require temporary utilities? What is the punishment for not complying?

Answer 27

Building codes or regulations, fines and other penalties

Question 28

What is a bulldozer?

Answer 28

Heavy-duty machine used to move large quantities of soil, sand or other materials, often used to clear large areas of land and level the ground for construction

Question 29

What is an excavator?

Answer 29

Versatile machine that can be used for a variety of tasks, including digging trenches, removing debris, and shaping the terrain, often used to prepare a site for foundation work and can be equipped with different attachments like buckets or hammers to perform different tasks

Question 30

What is a backhoe?

Answer 30

Similar to excavator but have a smaller footprint, making it suitable for smaller construction projects, commonly used for digging trenches and removing debris

Question 31

What is a grader?

Answer 31

Machine used to smooth and level the ground, making it ideal for preparing a site for construction, equipped with a large blade that can be adjusted to different angles to create the desired slope or grade

Question 32

What is a roller?

Answer 32

Heavy machine used to compact soil, asphalt, and other materials, used to create a stable base for roads, parking lots, and other construction projects

Question 33

Where may construction begin with grubbing and clearing?

Answer 33

Undeveloped sites

Question 34

What does grubbing and clearing entail?

Answer 34

trees and plants, stumps, large roots, and other surface materials are removed with heavy machinery

Question 35

What happens after grubbing and clearing?

Answer 35

organically rich topsoil is scraped away and stockpiled to one side to await reuse at the end of construction

Question 36

What is excavation necessary for?

Answer 36

basement construction, to reach undisturbed, adequately firm soil for shallow footings, for trenches for buried utilities, and to remove native soils that are contaminated or too weak or unstable to build over

Question 37

What types of machines may be used to loosen and lift the soil from the ground in particulate soils?

Answer 37

bulldozers, backhoes, bucket loaders, scrapers, trenching machines, others

Question 38

What machine should be used if soil must be moved more than a short distance?

Answer 38

dump truck

Question 39

Where is excavation slower and usually more costly?

Answer 39

rock

Question 40

How do you excavate rock?

Answer 40

weak or highly fractured rock may be proken up with power shovels, pneumatic hammers, or other specialized equipment, blasting

Question 41

Define blasting.

Answer 41

explosives are placed and detonated in lines of closely spaced holes drilled into the rock

Question 42

What is used when blasting is impractical?

Answer 42

hydrualic splitters

Question 43

What do hydraulic splitters do?

Answer 43

inserted into closely spaced drilled holes in rock and rely on driven wedges to split the rock