Site Preparation and

Setting Out of Works

Engr. Lito I. Mauro

The first work to be undertaken before the actual
construction of a building is to check the dimensions of
its boundaries as soon as the site is made available for
construction.
The vital boundary stones should be in their position and
they should be checked with reference to the survey
plan.
Any difference that may be found regarding front, rear or
side dimensions should be reconciled before the work
started.
Site layout
The site layout for construction consists of access roads,
sheds, etc. and should be made as follows:
Access roads
An examination of the site drawing will determine the
best layout for access roads
Wherever possible, access to the site for lorries and carts
should be the shortest and capable of carrying materials
either to a central place of work or various places of
work.
Sheds
An examination of the site drawing will indicate
where weatherproof sheds must be erected for
storage of materials such as cement, lime and other
perishable materials.
If the cement has to be large, they should be provided
with two separate doors, one at each end – one for
accepting delivery and the other for issue of
materials.
Site clearing
Site clearing means any one or all of the following
works:
 Surface cleaning of grass, trees, anthills, etc.
 Cleaning of obstructions which maybe above or
below the ground level
 Cleaning of obstructions belonging to other
organizations
Enclosing the site
The building site is enclosed for safety of the public.
By enclosing the site, it becomes more secure from
any theft.
It will ensure that the methods of storing materials
are safe.
Water supply for construction
Water is an important building material.
Cost of water comes to about 1 – 2% of the
cost of civil works.
If groundwater is available, it should be tested
suitably for various uses.
Electrical supply
Electricity supply is necessary or modern building
works. The points to be observed are:
• Cables should be of good quality and suitably
supported
• The switch board, etc. must be properly
enclosed and capable of being locked
• The switch board should be about 1.5m above
the ground level
Protection of existing service lines
Provision should be made to protect water, electricity,
telephone and other public distribution lines which
may be running through the property and be affected
by foundation works.
All existing service lines should be marked so that
workers can identify them and can be careful not to
disturb them during the construction.
Initial checks on drawings
Before commencing actual setting out of the building on the
ground, check on the drawing from which the layout is to
be carried out.
• The sum of the intermediate dimensions should match
with those of the overall dimensions.
• The levels of various constructions are shown in the
drawing.
• Check whether the proposed building will actually fit into
the plot with the mandatory distances specified by the
municipal authority.
Setting out of buildings
Two operations to set out of buildings:
• Setting out of center lines – It means establishing
the centers of the walls in case of a building with
load bearing walls, or the center of columns in
case of a framed building.
• Setting out of trenches – establishing the
excavation lines for proceeding with the
excavation.