Need advice on choosing brick type.
Re: Need advice on choosing brick type.
Any structure engineer would suggest siporex alias light weight blocks, India should move towards light weight construction.
Re: Need advice on choosing brick type.
Hi,
I completely agree with Kumarraja,
We have to move and change according to the time. AAC blocks are good for today's concepts. This will also bring down major mistakes at site levels and quality of wall masonry will improve over period of time. It will also save some natural resources thus giving eco friendly concepts more value.
Best regards,
Raj
I completely agree with Kumarraja,
We have to move and change according to the time. AAC blocks are good for today's concepts. This will also bring down major mistakes at site levels and quality of wall masonry will improve over period of time. It will also save some natural resources thus giving eco friendly concepts more value.
Best regards,
Raj
Re: Need advice on choosing brick type.
It is time for India to move towards light weight construction, if structure is designed for light weight blocks , it consumes lesser amount of steel, lighter weight makes it easier for labour too.
Re: Need advice on choosing brick type.
Prasad,
I have built my house about a year back with Ultratech Xtralite AAC blocks from L&T. I strongly recommend them, as I have found them superior to other brands like Nagarjuna. True, the cost is higher compared to others, but you can rest assured that you are paying more for a premium product, which will give peace of mind in the long run. I have used L&T blocks for all the floors. But towards the end, I just wanted to try Nagarjuna for a small portion. I have found them to be definitely not on par with L&T. They were causing cracks and even while handling during construction, the edges were chipping off easily.
The advantages are many:
1.Savings in Steel and Concrete as the Structural engineer will factor that the dead load of the building is considerably reduced and hence design the RCC footings,columns, beams, slab accordingly. For this you need to go for a qualified structural engineer. Else, if he does not consider the reduction in dead load, and gives the same RCC design, then your cost will not reduce and you stand to spend more than for a regular construction with red bricks or concrete blocks.
2. Savings in masonry: They are 2 feet long, so the no of joints are reduced, hence the savings in masonry. Also, since the finish is pretty smooth, the joints would be very thin, which is good for the wall/structure. Due to the large size, the construction is faster. The mason can build more area in a day compared to bricks/concrete blocks.
3. They have millions of pores in each block and they help reduce seepage. This point has become controversial some time back in the same forum. I have given my point of view with all evidence/points.
A small side story here. While building my house, I have used 4" blocks for external as well as internal walls so that the carpet area is larger. In order to rule out dampness completely, I have put Kabootar jaali on the wall before the first coat of plastering. This has served me well, and till date there are no incidents of dampness.
4. Sound proofing is ultimate. I have a home theater in my living room, which causes quite a good amount of sound pollution at night while watching movies. But sound is substantially cut off and the children do not complain of sound generally. (I said generally because, if I go overboard and increase the sound too much, they do complain). But overall, the difference is substantial while comparing to walls built with bricks/concrete blocks.
5. Building is cool during summer. The rooms on the last floor in the peak summer are also not hot. People have genuinely felt and appreciated this aspect of thermal efficiency. Since there are lot of pores, the heat/coolness is trapped. So the building is warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
6. Lot of other benefits like better resistance to fire. earthquake etc
7. Ecofriendly: As they use flyash extensively, which is an environmental threat, we can contribute our bit to reduce the pollution. By not opting for red bricks also, we are saving the mother earth by not robbing her of the valuable top soil that is useful for agriculture.
I have built my house about a year back with Ultratech Xtralite AAC blocks from L&T. I strongly recommend them, as I have found them superior to other brands like Nagarjuna. True, the cost is higher compared to others, but you can rest assured that you are paying more for a premium product, which will give peace of mind in the long run. I have used L&T blocks for all the floors. But towards the end, I just wanted to try Nagarjuna for a small portion. I have found them to be definitely not on par with L&T. They were causing cracks and even while handling during construction, the edges were chipping off easily.
The advantages are many:
1.Savings in Steel and Concrete as the Structural engineer will factor that the dead load of the building is considerably reduced and hence design the RCC footings,columns, beams, slab accordingly. For this you need to go for a qualified structural engineer. Else, if he does not consider the reduction in dead load, and gives the same RCC design, then your cost will not reduce and you stand to spend more than for a regular construction with red bricks or concrete blocks.
2. Savings in masonry: They are 2 feet long, so the no of joints are reduced, hence the savings in masonry. Also, since the finish is pretty smooth, the joints would be very thin, which is good for the wall/structure. Due to the large size, the construction is faster. The mason can build more area in a day compared to bricks/concrete blocks.
3. They have millions of pores in each block and they help reduce seepage. This point has become controversial some time back in the same forum. I have given my point of view with all evidence/points.
A small side story here. While building my house, I have used 4" blocks for external as well as internal walls so that the carpet area is larger. In order to rule out dampness completely, I have put Kabootar jaali on the wall before the first coat of plastering. This has served me well, and till date there are no incidents of dampness.
4. Sound proofing is ultimate. I have a home theater in my living room, which causes quite a good amount of sound pollution at night while watching movies. But sound is substantially cut off and the children do not complain of sound generally. (I said generally because, if I go overboard and increase the sound too much, they do complain). But overall, the difference is substantial while comparing to walls built with bricks/concrete blocks.
5. Building is cool during summer. The rooms on the last floor in the peak summer are also not hot. People have genuinely felt and appreciated this aspect of thermal efficiency. Since there are lot of pores, the heat/coolness is trapped. So the building is warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
6. Lot of other benefits like better resistance to fire. earthquake etc
7. Ecofriendly: As they use flyash extensively, which is an environmental threat, we can contribute our bit to reduce the pollution. By not opting for red bricks also, we are saving the mother earth by not robbing her of the valuable top soil that is useful for agriculture.
Re: Need advice on choosing brick type.
Civil88,
Good to hear advantages of AAC blocks over solid block cements.
1. Would you please message me structure engineer details, even we are planning to construct G+4 with semi basement with Siporex AAC or Ultratech Xtralite AAC blocks.
2. What is average cost for this construction.
Good to hear advantages of AAC blocks over solid block cements.
1. Would you please message me structure engineer details, even we are planning to construct G+4 with semi basement with Siporex AAC or Ultratech Xtralite AAC blocks.
2. What is average cost for this construction.
Re: Need advice on choosing brick type.
Do the AAC block walls require two rounds of plastering? I heard they have high moisture absorption rate.
Harish