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Dhajji Construction: A Guidebook For Technicians and Artisans
Dhajji Construction: A Guidebook For Technicians and Artisans
Management Authority,
Pakistan
DHAJJI CONSTRUCTION
For one and two storey earthquake resistant houses
© SUPSI 2009
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Copies of this monograph may be requsted from: Coordination, content and layout: Arch. Tom Schacher
Illustrations: Arch. Beniamino Sartorio, Arch. Tom Schacher
UN Habitat Pakistan
GPO Box 1980 Calculation of dimensioning tables: SM Ingegneria Sagl, Locarno
Islamabad, Pakistan Lab research: Prof. Dr. Qaisar Ali
www.unhabitat.org.pk
and
Contact
Director Earthquake Engineering Centre Tom Schacher Professor Dr. Qaisar Ali
NWFP University of Engineering and Technology Architect Earthquake Engineering Centre
Peshawar, Pakistan Piandesso NWFP University of Engineering &
www.nwfpuet.edu.pk 6597 Agarone Technology
www.eec.edu.pk Switzerland Peshawar, Pakistan
Fax: +92 91 921 82 23 tom.schacher@adhoc.ch Phone: +92 91 921 85 69
Contents
Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Site selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Form of building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Site preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Retaining walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Carpentry connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Ceiling / intermediate floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Adding a second storey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Roof carpentry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Flat roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Infills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Plastering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Notes on wood preservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Notes on mud plaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
i
Foreword Acknowledgments
During the Earthquake 2005 most of the buildings in the affected area We at NDMA are grateful for the valuable contribution of Tom Schacher and
were completely damaged and required rebuilding as earthquake resi- Dr. Qaisar Ali in the preparation of this guidebook which would go a long way
stant buildings. This manual provides much needed information on ear- in the construction of safer houses not only in Pakistan but also in other
thquake resistant buildings to Engineers, Technicians, Trainers, Architects, parts of the world where earthquakes take place frequently.
NGOs and House Owners, so as to enable them to ensure safe housing in
We are particularly thankful to the assistance extended by the University
earthquake prone areas.
of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) and NWFP University
I hope that the housing sector and the supervising engineers will take of Engineering and Technology (UET) of Peshawar Applied Sciences (KFH)
full advantage of this manual while constructing buildings and will ensure which facilitated early preparation of this manual and the support of UNDP
that standards prescribed in this manual are followed in letter and spirit and UN-HABITAT for its publication and promotion in Pakistan.
to avoid human losses and suffering in any future calamity like earth-
quakes.
Niamatullah Khan
Senior Member, National Disaster Management Authority
Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed (Retired)
Chairman National Disaster Management Authority
Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Islamabad
ii
Preface Introduction
This manual, and its companion Bhatar Construction, an Illustrated Gui- In the ancient language of carpet weavers, the Old Farsi word
de for Craftsmen, published by ERRA in 2007, are enormously important ‘Dhajji’ was used to describe patchwork quilts. Because of its visual si-
documents. They mark a watershed in approaches to post-earthquake milarity the same term was applied to a traditional building technique
recovery methods undertaken with government support. Where such of the Kashmir mountains. Dhajji construction is made of highly subdi-
efforts more commonly have focused on engineered construction based vided light timber frames with masonry infills. During the 7.6 magnitude
on reinforced concrete and steel, both of these manuals have taken the earthquake of October 2005, traditional Dhajji houses have proved to be
far more creative approach of adapting to modern requirements traditio- surprisingly earthquake resistant while nearly half a million other buildings,
nal know-how refined over centuries of trial and error. These systems have many of them made with modern building materials, have collapsed.
demonstrated a remarkable level of earthquake-resistance, especially
In less than three years over 120,000 rural houses have been rebuilt using
when compared with the many badly executed modern reinforced con-
the Dhajji construction technique. This extraordinary achievement was
crete buildings which collapsed in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.
made possible by three factors: an owner driven reconstruction approach,
One may reasonably ask “why advocate the use of systems of construc- accompanied by an extensive training programme directed at workers and
tion that had largely gone out of use with the advent of reinforced concre- house owners, and last but not least the need of the people to make use
te?” For the authors the answer to this question became clear once they of local resources instead of spending their money on costly transport of
started to analyse and understand local construction practice as well as modern building materials.
the local socio-economic environment. Traditional building methods were
However, given the typical low consideration in which traditional architec-
what people could afford and understand, whereas systems based on
ture stands in many parts of the world, no technical documentation was
modern building materials and technologies were too expensive (due to
available to engineers and architects, both in the field and in key offices,
transport costs) and required time consuming training of the workforce.
nor to artisans. And since the technical detailing of Dhajji construction, as
The promotion of earthquake resistant building methods which are in tune observed in the field, frequently did not come up to the standards of good
with a society’s cultural, economic and technical priorities and potentials practise, the need for a proper guideline became imperative.
is a complex art. A society is made up of many players, from home-owners
The present manual intends to fill that gap. It is not only based on the
to authorities, and from illiterate workers to expert engineers, to name
results of extensive lab research at UET Peshawar, including shake table
but a few. The concerns of each of these groups have to be addressed in
tests on reduced scale models, quasi-static tests on full scale walls and
their own particular way: Politicians need time, engineers want formulas,
rigorous nonlinear inelastic numerical modelling, but also on a tradition
technicians ask for explicit drawings and workers learn best by doing.
of good practice in timber construction as well as, and most importantly,
This manual is but one piece of this complex puzzle. It addresses tech- on the priceless experience of the innumerable field trainers who have
nicians and artisans, but it also provides government inspectors with a worked in the Kashmir mountains since the earthquake.
guide to monitoring the reconstruction work effectively. As such, this work
We expect this guidebook to be a valuable reference for future Dhajji con-
is essential in helping empower people in their own recovery in environ-
struction, be this in Kashmir or in any other country with a similar geo-
mentally and economically sustainable ways.
graphical and socio-economic environment.
Randolph Langenbach,
Author of: Don’t Tear It Down, Preserving the Earthquake Resistant Arch. Tom Schacher
Vernacular Architecture of Kashmir, UNESCO, 2009. April 2010
iii
Thanks
The authors would equally like to express their gratitude to the following
organisations and persons which have facilitated the creation of the pre-
sent manual:
iv
Lintel board or Header
Timber boards
Jambs
Joists
Sill board
Wall plate
Horizontal boards
Bracing boards
terminology 1
Corrugated galvanised iron sheet
Purlins
Rafter
Collar tie
Truss
Kingpost (hanging)
Floor boards
Wall plate
Header
Window
Jamb
Sill board
2 T erminology
1. Don’t build on or below a ter-
rain with cracks or where trees
are bending downward in an
un-natural way. These are signs
that the ground is moving.
2. Don’t build at the bottom of a
steep slope: rocks might fall on
1 1 2 your house.
3. Don’t build next to a precipice:
it might break off.
4. Don’t build next to a badly
made retaining wall: it might fall
over during an earthquake.
5. Don’t build on free-standing
posts: they will fall over during
an earthquake.
6. Don’t build near a course of
water: it might overflow and
wash your house away.
3
4 4
6 5
site selection 3
1. Proportions:
A square form is best. Don’t make Good Bad
buildings longer than 3 times their
width.
2. Shape: max. 3L
Keep the shape of the building L
simple. Subdivide it into single 2
blocks if necessary. Best
1
3. Planning:
Start with a simple volume and
Bad
subdivide it into the rooms you
need. Don’t proceed the other way
Good
around, by sticking rooms together
in order to get the final form of the
house.
Good
4. Balance:
Good
Evenly distributed inner walls en-
sure equal strength of the buidling
in all parts. Therefore don’t place
all small rooms on one side and
all big rooms on the other side of
the house. 3 5
5. External walls:
External walls without openings
are strongest. Windows and veran-
das weaken the walls. Keep them
to a minimum. Acceptable
Bad
6. Shop window front:
Avoid having a ‘shop window front’
taking up an entire side fo the
building. This side of the house Bad
will be weak and collapse quickly,
leading to the collapse of the rest. 4
Good Bad
Avoid a ‘shop window front’
4 F orm of building
Good Good Difficult 1. Roof types:
Hipped roofs (4 slopes) are
stronger than pitched roofs (only
2 slopes) because they don’t fall
1 2 over.
Braces
2. If a pitched roof is used, it must
Hipped roof Dutch gable roof Pitched roof be braced inside.
3. Maximum heights:
Height per storey: max 10 ft.
Height of house: max 2 storeys
4. The length of a wall must not
exceed 15 ft. If the wall is longer,
Insert a
max. 2 storeys max. 15 ft max. 15 ft it has to be braced in between,
buttress
either by a buttress wall or a
wall
beam well connected to another
3 wall in the same direction.
max. 10 ft 5. Distance to retaining wall is at
least 3 ft. The ground shall be
shaped as a watertight drainage
channel with a slope towards the
4 sides of the house.
max. 15 ft
6. If space is limited, the retaining
Connection wall may be put at 18” (which
beam still allows a person to pass). In
this case however, it must be
lower than the house wall, and
the upper part shall be closed by
min. 3 ft Close gap a panel to avoid snow drift.
18 “
with panel
or sheeting 7. The least favourable solution is
using the retaining wall as a back
wall to the house. In this case the
5 6 7 H retaining wall must be very well
max 1/2 H
built and not be higher than half
Avoid of the height of the house wall.
Great care must be taken with
Drainage channel Drainage channel Drainage channel the drainage channel.
F orm of building 5
1. Windows and doors are weak
points. make as few as possible.
2. Smaller windows are better than YES YES
big ones.
3. Avoid placing all windows and
doors in the same wall.
4. Keep windows and doors at least
2 ft from the corners.
1 2 3
5. Verandas should not be deeper
than 1/3 of the depth of the
building. NO NO NO
Too many windows Windows too big All openings on same side
NO YES
4
2 ft
2 ft
Openings too near to the corner
5 6
YES
NO
YES
6 openings
1 2 1. Build a shed to keep cement,
steel and tools out of rain. Keep
b cement bags off the ground. Add
a 2a drainage around the shed.
2. Trace the area to be excavated
c (house outline plus 3-4 ft on
either side). To ensure right
angles, there are two methods:
c a a) Make sure that the opposing
b sides a/a and b/b are parallel
Cement bags off the ground and have the same length.
5 Then verify the diagonals c/c:
Drainage canal 3
2b they must be exactly the same.
b) Make a triangle with sides of
4 EXACTLY 3’, 4’ and 5’. For a
bigger triangle use 6’, 8’, 10’.
6 3. Clear this area of vegetation and
debris. Then remove the topsoil
4 and store it nearby for later use.
S ite preparation 7
1. Start the retaining wall 3 ft below 1/5 H 1 ft
vegetable soil and prepare a 2 ft
base half as wide as the finished
wall height.
2. Maximum heigth of a retaining H 5 ft
wall should not exceed 8 ft. The Example
2
lower the wall, the stronger it will
4
be. H
3. Incline the front of the wall in a max 8 ft Stones at 3
ratio 1:5. That is, for every 5 ft of right angle
height, go 1 ft back.
Slope of front 1/5
4. Incline the stones at a right angle
to the front. 2 ft
Vegetable earth 2 ft
5. Place as many ‘through-stones’
as possible, but at least every
3 ft
2 ft along the height and length
of the wall. 2 ft
6. If mortar is used, leave 4”x4” 1
drainage holes in the lower part ½H
of the wall, every 2 ft. 5 6
7. Instead of making one high wall, Through-stones Drainage holes
subdivide it into several lower
walls, stepping back each time
the same distance as the heigth 7
of the lower wall. min 3 ft
8. Keep the building away from the min H (better h)
retaining walls.
• On the lower side at least the 9
same distance as the heigth of
the wall.
• On the upper side at least 3 ft h h
from the retaining wall.
9. Curved retaining walls are H
stronger. 8
8 retaining walls
3 Rough stone Smooth cement 1. Depth and width:
Slope finish is better finish with slope Foundations must be at least 2 ft
deep in solid ground (except on
rock) and at least 2 ft wide.
For 2 storey buildings, founda-
1 ft 2
tions should be at least 2’-6”
wide.
4
Top soil 2. Add a plinth of 1 ft on top of the
foundation to keep the base
Anchors are important. plate away from the ground.
They hold the house in
1 place during an earth- 3. Finish the outer part of the top
min 2 ft
quake so it doesn’t fall off surface of the plinth with a slope
the foundations. towards outside to drain water
away from the base plate.
4. It’s better to keep the top sur-
face of the foundation irregular
min 2 ft to avoid water getting trapped
under the base plate.
Washer 5. Don’t use straps or rebars placed
in the plinth.
6. If available, use galvanized
6 anchor rods with a thread. If
galvanized rods are unavailable,
2 ft paint the rods before use with
anti-corrosion paint.
NO YES 7. Place the anchor rods while
6 ft
making the foundation and make
sure that the rods are embed-
ded in 1” of mortar all around
8
(cement mortar protects against
rust). Fill in mortar by and by
while raising the foundation and
compact well.
8. Keep the first anchor rods 2 ft
5 7 from the corner and place the
following less than 6 ft apart.
3” void for mortar
foundation 9
1. For the main frame use only the 2 Main frame 4 Secondary subdivision
best timber available. The base
plate should be in rot resistant
wood (e.g. cedar) or be treated
with wood preservatives (read
suggestions on pages 24-25).
max 9 ft min 4”x 4” @ 2 ft
2. The posts of the main frame are
2”x 4”
3
5” Ground floor: min 4”x 5”
4” 3 @ 3 ft
3 ft 3 ft
10 walls
5 Final subdivision
24” 12”-18”
13”
A B C
17”
16”
12” 7
E F
walls 11
1. To fix the posts on the base plate,
a mortise and tenon joint ensu-
res the strongest connection. For
additional strength, the joint may
be secured with two 6” nails.
1 2
2. To secure the joint against
vertical movement, nail a strap
or boards on both sides. Straps
must not be thinner than 1/10”
or 13 SWG (2.5mm) and should
go all around the base plate.
3. If no mortise and tenon joint is Blocking pads 6” nails for main frame 1/10” Straps 1”- 1.5” Boards
used, blocking pads must be
added on both sides of the post.
4” nails
4. Secure the joint with two 6” nails 4” 10”
against lateral sliding.
5. Secure the joint against vertical
movement by adding a strong 2” 5
3
strap or short timber boards
inside and outside.
6. For all blocking pads or boards 4
use 4” nails. To secure straps 3”
nails should be used.
7. To join base plates or wall plates,
use a nailed lap joint. The laps
should be at least 18” long. Fix
it with three 4” nails on both the
upper and lower sides. To avoid 4” nails
7 8
splitting of the timber, take care 4” nails
to keep the nails 4” away from 18”
the ends.
8. A scarf (or Kashmiri) joint may 4”
also be used. It’s advisable to
secure the joint with 4” nails. 18”
4” (Length of a nail)
s
8”
an
6 walls. This distance is called
Sp
span.
5
2. For the same reason, place the
joists vertically.
3. With the help of the table below,
choose the joist size according
to the length of the span and the
7
distance between the individual
Blocking pads joists.
4. Treat the joist ends with wood
4 preservative for a depth of 1 ft
A B (see page 25).
5. Place the joists on top of the wall
plates. Let them stick out 8” on
both ends.
1 ft 8
6. Fix the joists with 6” nails.
7. For additional strength, add the
Yes No blocking pads and fix them with
2 4” nails.
8. Joists are jointed with mortise
Place joists vertically and tenon and secured with
straps (A) or with wedges (B).
Method B: By tying the upper plate Method B: Tie by nailing timber boards to the plates Upper plate
to the lower wall plate through nailed
timber boards.
4. Place the upper plate.
5. Nail 1” vertical timber boards 4 5
against the upper plate as well
as the lower wall plate in order to
tie them together. This should be
done both inside and outside.
Wall plate
5
7
Rain board 8
18 roof carpentry
Two rafters held 1. Where rafters are to be fixed on
together by a tie 5 the upper plate, start with nailing
beam (or bottom short vertical boards against the
chord) constitute Collar tie Kingpost joists on both sides of the upper
a TRUSS. plate.
2. Place the rafter (with a notch)
Boards as and nail it down with a long nail
6 bottom chord (length = thickness of rafter plus
3 to 4 inches).
3. Let the rafters protrude 2 ft from
1” the wall. In high wind areas, this
distance may be reduced to 18”.
2 ft
4. Then nail the vertical boards
against the rafter. These vertical
boards ensure a stiff connection
between the rafter and the joist.
7 5. Assemble the rafters at the top
by using a kingpost and collar
ties (1-2” boards).
6. Trusses can also be made by
1” Boards nailing long boards to both sides
of the rafters and the kingpost.
7. To fix rafters agains posts, use a
long nail and secure the connec-
tion with boards nailed on both
2 Long nail sides.
1 Notch 8. Never nail rafters against the
head of joists. Such a connection
is very weak.
NO !
2 ft
4
3
Boards nailed to joist Upper plate Boards nailed to joist 8
roof carpentry 19
In general, pitched light weight roofs
are preferable. However, local habits
and needs might require flat roofs.
Also, flat roofs as shown on this page
have a better thermal insulation
thanks to the layer of twigs and the
top layer of mud. 7
20 F lat roof
1. For the infills, use flat stones or
bricks. Never use round stones
2 1
as they will fall out quickly.
Good: 2. Pack the stones neatly into the
3/4 stones, gaps with mud or lime mortar.
1/4 mud, The mortar layers should be
stone flakes Good Bad around ½” thick and the propor-
tion should not exceed one quar-
ter of mortar for three quarters of
stones. Fill remaining gaps with
stone flakes.
3. Excessive amounts of mortar
3 should be avoided.
Don’t use
cement mortar!
Temporary boards
or CGI sheets
infills 21
Plastering
1. For increased strength and to
secure the stones against falling Wire mesh
out, a galvanized wire mesh can 1
be nailed to both sides of the
wall. Make sure that enough Mud plaster 4
nails are used for fixing (every
4-6 inches).
22 plastering
Finished floor at 1. To keep off humidity coming from
same level as plinth the ground, place a bed of verti-
cal stones on the natural soil.
2. Then add a layer of stabilized
earth which is a mixture of earth
and cement or earth and bitu-
2” men. Ask for local experience for
the best mix.
NO
floor 23
Irregular suface: YES
A3
Inner darker part: Heartwood
Example:
Base plate in
heartwood
Use spacer if the
B2 surface is smooth Treat board with oil or paint B3
Slope Spacer
B2 B3
For 10 litres of solution, mix the For 10 litres of solution, mix the following ingredients:
following ingredients: 1. Use 5 litres of PROPYLENE GLYCOL (Car anti-free-
1. Mix 1 kg (2.4 lbs) of borax ze liquid). Do not use anti-freeze containing any
with 0.7 kg (1.6 lbs) of boric amount of ETHYLENE GLYCOL. Ethylene glycol is
acid. toxic and can be fatal.
B4 2. Add this mixture to 7.5 litres 2. Heat until gentle boiling. This should be done
of water in an oversized outside or in a well ventilated room.
container (e.g. 12 litres) 3. Add 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) of borax and stir.
3. Stir until the powder has 4. Add 2 kg (4.5 lbs) of boric acid and stir until
dissolved. everything is disolved.
4. Add a final 2.5 litres of water 5. Add 5 litres of water .
and stir.
6. Use within 24 hours.
5. Use this mixture within 24
hours. Apply with a brush on 7. This solution is toxic to plants. Cover plants, root
all timber surfaces. systems and surrounding soil with plastic to avoid
contamination.
6. This amount will be sufficient
for 500 sqft of wood surface. 8. This amount will be sufficient for 500 sqft of
B4
timber surface.
C: Treatment:
3. Protect the base plate with a Wood can be treated by applying given above. viously. Apply twice on the front
CGI sheet or a weatherboard a water repellent or by using a parts of the beams as these do
3. The wood preservative solu-
which should be painted or chemical which will kill fungi and absorb more.
tions proposed here are NOT
treated with oil. repell insects.
water-resistant and will be 5. Use gloves and protect plants
4. Do also protect any joist ends 1. Apply old engine oil to all tim- washed out if the treated and soil during treatment.
sticking out of the walls. This ber parts exposed to rain. Oil timber is exposed to rain. An
6. Apply treatment before con-
can be done with slightly treated timber can’t be painted additional protection against
struction!
bigger blocking pads or a afterwards. water is therefore needed.
weatherboard. 7. If borates solutions are used,
2. Better: Apply a proper wood 4. Apply these liquids with a brush
timber can be painted for
5. Painting of timber elements preservative. It can be prepa- on every face of the timber.
further protection.
will also help to protect it. red according to the recipes Timber must be cleaned pre-
Distance btw
3. Look up the weight of the snow
Snow load beams Span in ft in table 1.
d 5' 6' 7' 8' 9' 10' 11' 12' 13' 14' 15' 16' 17' 18' 4. Go to the table with the roof
20 psf 2' 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 6x10 6x10 6x11 7x11 7x11 7x11 slope that corresponds best to
2'-6" 3x6 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x9 5x9 6x9 6x11 7x11 7x11 7x11 7x12 7x12 your roof:
3' 3x6 4x7 4x7 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x10 6x10 7x11 7x11 7x12 7x12 7x13 7x13 • Table 2 for flat roofs,
30 psf 2' 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x9 5x9 6x10 6x11 6x11 7X11 7x11 7x12
• Tables 3, 4 and 5 for pitched
2'-6" 3x6 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x10 6x11 7x11 7X11 7X12 7X12 7X12
roofs.
3' 3X6 4X7 4X7 5X8 5X9 6X9 6X10 6X11 7X11 7X11 7X12 7X12 7X13 7X14
40 psf 2' 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x9 6X9 6x10 6x11 7x11 7x11 7X11 7x12 5. Select the row corresponding to
your snow load.
2'-6" 3x6 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x9 6x9 6X10 7x11 7x11 7x11 7x12 7X12 7x13
3' 4x6 4x7 4x7 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x10 6X11 7x11 7x12 7x12 7x13 7X13 7X14 6. Select the row corresponding to
50 psf 2' 3X5 3X6 4X7 4X7 5X7 5X8 5X9 6X9 6x11 6X11 7X11 7X11 7X11 7X12 the distance between your roof
2'-6" 3X6 4X6 4X7 5X8 5X8 5X9 6X9 6X10 7X11 7X11 7X12 7X12 7X12 7X13
rafters or joists.
3' 4X6 4X7 4X7 5X8 5X9 6x10 6x10 6x11 7x11 7x12 7x13 7x13 7x14 8x14 7. Select the column with the length
60 psf 2' 3x6 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x11 7x11 7x11 7x11 7x12 7x12 of the joist or rafter you need.
2'-6" 3x6 4x7 4x7 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x10 6x11 7x11 7x11 7x12 7x12 7x13 7x13 8. Pick the corresponding profile for
3' 4x6 4x7 4x7 5x9 6x9 6x10 6x11 7x11 7x12 7x12 7x12 7x13 7x14 8x14 your beams or rafters.
70 psf 2' 3x6 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x10 6x11 7x11 7x11 7x11 7x12 7x12
2'-6" 3x6 4x7 4x7 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x10 6x11 7x11 7x11 7x12 7x12 7X13 7x14
3' 4x6 4x7 5x7 5x9 6x9 6x10 6x11 7x11 7x12 7x12 7x13 7x14 7x14 8x14
n
spa
7
1
26.5° Table 3: Timber profiles for 1:2 roof slopes ( 26.5°)
2
Distance btw
Snow load beams Span in ft
d 5' 6' 7' 8' 9' 10' 11' 12' 13' 14' 15' 16' 17' 18'
20 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6
2'-6" 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7
3' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7
4' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7
5' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8
30 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7
2'-6" 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7
3' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7
4' 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8
5' 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 5x9
40 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7
2'-6" 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7
3' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8
4' 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 5x9
5' 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x9
50 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7
2'-6" 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8
3' 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x8
4' 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 5x9 6x9
5' 3x4 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x9 6x10 6x10
60 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7
2'-6" 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8 5x8
3' 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 5x9
4' 3x4 3x5 3x5 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 6x9 6x9 6x10
5' 3x4 3x5 3x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 6x9 6x10 6x10 6x11 6x11
an
sp
an
sp
Table 5: Timber profiles for 1:1 roof slopes (45°)
7 1
Distance btw
Snow load beams Span in ft
d 5' 6' 7' 8' 9' 10' 11' 12' 13' 14' 15' 16' 17' 18'
45° 20 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x5
1 2'-6"
3'
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
2x4
3x4
3x4
3x5
3x5
3x5
3x5
3x5
3x5
3x6
3x5
3x6
3x6
3x6
4' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7
5' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7
30 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6
2'-6" 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6
3' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7
4' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7
5' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7
40 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6
2'-6" 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7
3' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7
4' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7
5' 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8
50 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7
2'-6" 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7
3' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7
4' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8
5' 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9
60 psf 2' 2x4 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7
2'-6" 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7
3' 2x4 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7
4' 2x4 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8 5x8
5' 2x4 3x4 3x5 3x6 4x6 4x6 4x7 4x7 5x7 5x7 5x8 5x8 5x9 6x9
ERRA (2008: Compliance Catalogue: Guidelines for the Construction of ERRA (Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority) Pakistan:
Compliant Rural Houses, Version March 06, 2008, Earthquake http://www.erra.pk/sectors/housing.asp
Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority, Islamabad, Pakistan
UN Habitat Pakistan: http://www.unhabitat.org.pk/newweb/Publications.
Götz K-H. et al (1983): Construire en bois, Presses polytechniques roman- htm, with all material published by UN Habitat and ERRA for the
des, Lausanne reconstruction after recent earthquakes in Pakistan.
Houben H. and Guillaud H. (2006): Traité de construction en terre, CRATer- Traditional-is-Modern Net: Vernacular Architecture and Traditional Con-
re, Editions Parenthèses, Marseille struction around the World, http://www.traditional-is-modern.net/
LIBRARY.html, find in particular the original training slides used in
Langenbach R. (2009): Don’t Tear It Down, Preserving the Earthquake Re-
Pakistan, under ‘Basic Training on Dhajji Construction’
sistant Vernacular Architecture of Kashmir, UNESCO, New Delhi,
http://www.traditional-is-modern.net/KASHMIR.html World Housing Encyclopedia: http://www.world-housing.net, see in parti-
cular: “Historic braced frame timber buildings with masonry infill
LIGNUM (1946): Normalisation du bois équarri, Section du bois de l’Office
(‘Pombalino’ building)”, search under ‘Portugal’ or ‘others’.
fédérale de guerre pour l’insustrie et le travail, Union suisse en
faveur du bois, Suisse Half-Timbered Houses stock photos and images: http://www.fotosearch.
com/photos-images/half-timbered-houses.html, an inspiring
LIGNUM (1960): Documentation bois, projets et execution, Tome 2: assem-
collection of images of a closely related building technique in Eu-
blages et éléments de construction, Lignum, Le Mont sur Lausan-
rope.
ne,
Home Improvement Books: http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement,
LIGNUM (2005): Table pour la construction en bois TCB 1, Manuel pour le
an amazing collection of old books on carpentry and woodworks
dimensionnement, Lignum-Cedotec, Le Mont sur Lausanne,
from the beginning of the twentieth century, such as “Elementry
USDA (2006): Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment for Borax, Principles of Carpentry” by T. Tredgold.
Final Report, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Arling-
ton, USA
Websites:
Alsnetbiz (?): Borate wood preservatives: commercial and home-brewn,
Al’s Home Improvement Centre, http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimpro-
vement/homemade.html
Bearfortlodge (2006): Making home brew wood preservative,
www.bearfortlodge.com/bearfort_lodge/2006/12/log-home-re-
pair-restoration-replacing-chinking-and-fixing-logs-part-vi-home-
brew-wood-and-log-preservative/#more-93
Graymont (?): Benefits of Cement - Lime Mortar, http://www.graymont.
com/applications_benefits_cement_lime.shtml
31
Related works by the same authors
Ali Q. and Naeem A. (2005): “A critical review of Seismic Hazard Zoning for Schacher T. (2009): Confined Masonry for one and two storey buildings
Peshawar and Adjoining Areas”, in Journal of Earthquake Enginee- in low-tech environments: A Guidebook for Technicians and
ring, Vol. 9, No.5 (587-607), Imperial College Press, London Artisans, NICEE, Kanpur, India, www.nicee.org
Ali Q., Naeem A. et al. (2005): Reconnaissance Report on the 8th Schacher T., Ali Q., Stephenson M. (2010): Mainstreaming of Tradtional
October 2005 Earthquake, Earthquake Engineering Research In- Earthquake Resistant Building Methods: The Example of the Dhajji
stitute EERI, USA, www.eeri.org Method in the post-earthquake Reconstruction Process in Pakistan,
Ali Q. (2005): “Unreinforced Brick Masonry Residentlal Buidlings”, World UNESCO Chair International Scientific Conference on Technologies
Housing Encyclopedia, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute for Development, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne,
EERI, USA, www.eeri.org Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Qaisar Ali, a structural engineer by profession, Architect Tom Schacher works on a regular basis as a
is currently Professor and Director at the Earthquake En- ‘technical advisor on site’ to the Swiss Agency for De-
gineering Center of the NWFP University of Engineering velopment and Cooperation. He was responsible for its
& Technology Peshawar. He is author of numerous re- Rural Housing Reconstruction Training Programme in
search publications published in refereed Journals and NWFP, Pakistan in the aftermath of the 2005 Kashmir
conferences and has delivered several talks at various earthquake. Since 1997 he has been working in huma-
institutions around the world. He has also developed nitarian rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes in
manuals on seismically safe construction for individuals various African and Asian countries, with a special focus
involved in the construction industry. on earthquake engineering. He obtained his Master in Architecture in 1982
at the Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, Switzerland, and an MSc
Qaisar Ali is consultant to various government and non-government national
in Project Planning and Management from the University of Bradford, UK.
and international organisations on earthquake related issues. He is mem-
ber of various professional bodies including a core group working on the His current work focuses on the rediscovery, development and promotion of
Building Code of Pakistan. He is on the editorial list of several publications earthquake resistant construction methods in tune with the material, eco-
including the World Housing Encyclopedia, EERI, USA. nomic and technical resources of local societies, as well as on appropriate
means of communication of such techniques through the development of
His research interests include seismic risk assessment of important struc-
training material for technicians and workers.
tures such as dams, long span bridges and Nuclear Power Plants, non-linear
experimental and numerical studies of masonry, timber and reinforced con- Tom Schacher prepared the present manual while working as a senior
crete structures, repair and strengthening of masonry and RC structures, researcher at the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland.
and effective use of Industrial and natural pozzolanas as partial replace-
ment of cement.
33
NWFP
University of Engineering
& Technology Peshawar