L-Shaped Kitchen and its Benefits

L-shaped kitchen is made up of two perpendicular workspaces. This creates a natural work triangle with continuous counter space and work stations on two adjacent walls. The versatile L-shaped kitchen allows room for plenty of cooks and onlookers. 

The L-shaped kitchen is one of the most popular plans amongst the Modular Kitchen Designs because it makes efficient use of relatively small spaces. This type of plan fits into a corner, creating a work space that's out-of-the-way. The sink, refrigerator, and stove create a triangle that makes it easy to prepare food with minimal movement.

Benefits:

• Benchtops and cabinets can be customized to length

• Great for corner spaces

• Enables better space utilization

• Easy working triangle

• Perfect for small and medium kitchen spaces

• Can easily divide the kitchen into multiple work sites

Simple tips to follow for electrical installation:

• The very first thing to follow is to buy certified products as the quality of the products plays an important role for your safety.
• Create adequate earthing to prevent electrical shocks.
•  Turn off the mains switch on the consumer unit.
• Ensure that every power board has a separate fuse or Mini Circuit Breaker (MCB) which is a tripping device that is activated during short circuit.
• Do not create extra connections than necessary.
•  Plan the power supply cord away from water, oil and heat.
• For protection against electrical shocks, use Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB)/ Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCG).
• Always get the installation testing done from qualified electricians before using the sockets/plugs etc. 

What is Portland Slag Cement?

Portland Slag Cement (PSC) is manufactured by either inter-grinding in the Portland cement clinker, Gypsum & Granulated Slag or mixing the Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) with Ordinary Portland Cement by means of mechanical blenders.  It is created with a blend of 45- 50% slag, 45% – 50% clinker, and 3-5% gypsum. Portland slag cement is the most suitable cement for concrete paths, mass concrete uses, structures and bases, pre-cast concrete, concrete open to sea water and oceanic use.

All compositions produce high ultimate strength, but as slag content is increased, initial strength is reduced, while sulfate resistance upsurges and heat evolution moderates.  The hydration of slag is initiated when lime liberated in the hydration of Portland cement provides the correct alkalinity; later hydration does not depend on lime.

Physical requirements:

• The specific surface (fineness) of slag cement shall not be less than 225 m2/kg
• Portland slag cement shall not have an expansion of more than 10 mm and 0.8 percent respectively.
• Initial setting time shall not be less than 30 minutes and final setting time shall not be less than 600 minutes.
• Compressive strength should not be less than 16 Mpa after 3 days, 22 Mpa after 7 days, 33 Mpa after 28 days.  

Advantages of PSC cement:

•         High compressive strength
•         High resistance to chloride and sulphate
•        Good workability
•         Good resistance against alkali-silica reaction
•         Low risk of cracking
•     Superior Finish

Applications:

•          Marine and offshore structures
•         Sewage disposal treatment works
•         Water treatment plants
•         Pre cast concrete products
•          Concrete roads and flyovers
•          Bridges and dams
•         Foundation constructions 

Types of Sand Used in Construction

Sand is loose particles of hard broken rock, it comprises of grains from disintegrated rock. The diameter of grains ranges between 0.06 and 2.0mm in size and varies in shades of brown and orange in colour. Sand provides bulk, strength, and other properties to construction materials like asphalt and concrete. It is also used as a decorative material in landscaping. Specific types of sand are used in the manufacture of glass and as a moulding material for metal casting. Other sand is used as an abrasive in sandblasting and to make sandpaper.

Sand is an significantly important material for the construction but this important material must be purchased with all care and vigilance.

Pit Sand (Coarse sand)

Pit sand is classified under coarse sand which is also called badarpur in common language. This type of coarse sand is procured from deep pits of abundant supply and it is generally in red-orange colour. The coarse grain is sharp, angular and certainly free from salts etc which is mostly employed in concreting.

River Sand

Pit sand is classified under coarse sand which is also called badarpur in common language.This type of coarse sand is procured from deep pits of abundant supply and it is generally in red-orange colour. The coarse grain is sharp, angular and certainly free from salts etc which is mostly employed in concreting.

Crushed Stone Sand / Artificial Sand

It is a substitute for River Sand, it is also known as fine aggregates which is manufactured by crushing either granite or basalt rock using 3 stage crushing process by some companies. This sand is manufactured in conformance to IS Codes and is an effective alternative to river sand.

Building Materials Required for Construction

A list of building materials are required before you start your construction project whether it is home, industrial or for commercial purpose. The basic construction materials list includes cement, steel, sand, ready mix concrete, binding wires, coarse aggregates, fine aggregates, bricks, blocks etc. Any material used in building construction has to be selected carefully to ensure safety and long lasting life of the building.

All the building construction materials come in different grades, sizes and brands which are used for different purposes in construction based on their functionality and strength.

The construction materials list and their uses are listed below:

Cement:

Cement is a material that sets, hardens and can bind together all other building materials. The different grades of cement are 53 grade cement, 43 grade cement, PPC cement, PSC cement, etc. All these different grades of cement are manufactured by a number of brands in India. Some well-known cement brands in India are zuari, ACC cement, birla super cement, ramco, Ultratech cement, Dalmia etc.

Cement in Bangalore is available from Rs 330 Per bag – Rs 425 Per bag. 

TMT Steel:

TMT stands for Thermo-Mechanical Treatment which is a metallurgical process to produce high strength steel bars from low carbon steel. It plays an important role in giving structure to a construction project.  

TMT steel comes in Fe 500 grade, Fe 500 D grade and Fe 550 grade which signifies the strength of the steel in ascending order as mentioned here. Some famous Steel brands in India are Tata Tiscon, Kamdhenu, Jindal Panther, Aone Steel, Bhuwalka, Primegold, Sail, and Indus etc.

TMT prices start from Rs 34000 per ton – Rs 45,000 per ton. 

Sand / Fine Aggregates:

There are two types of sand available in India; River sand and Manufactured river (Also known as Robosand).

River sand is extracted from river bed and manufactured sand is made artificially. The manufactured sand also well-known as the M-sand is gaining popularity due to the recommendation from the government and its fineness and dust free quality and also due to the fact that river sand is scarce in nature and is unavailable and costly.  Besto, Thriveni, Robo silicon, Espee etc. are a few known brands manufacturing M-sand.

Msand starts from Rs 800 Per ton – Rs 1800 per ton depending on the quality and purpose.

Ready mix concrete:

Ready mix concrete is readily available concrete as it is manufactured in a factory and directly delivered at the construction site. It is preferred over the on-site concrete mixing use to the precise mixture and reduced work at site.

Based on its functionality and use RMC is categorized into M-20, M-25, M-30, M-35 etc.

Binding wires:

Binding wires as the name suggests is used to bind the TMT Steel bars and help in providing proper structure to the construction due to the stability of the TMT Steel Bars.

Coarse Aggregates:

Fine aggregates consist of River sand, M-sand or the Slag sand used for construction. Coarse aggregates are the fillers in concrete mixes. It is offered in 6mm, 12mm, 20mm and 40mm sizes in India. Coarse aggregates is also recognized as blue metal, jelly and crushed stone. The purpose of the coarse aggregate is to act as the main load-bearing ingredient of the concrete.

Coarse aggregates start from Rs 650 per ton to Rs 900 per ton depending upon the quality. 

Bricks/Blocks:

Bricks and Blocks are used for building walls. They come in different shapes, sizes and strength based on different construction requirements. High strength bricks and blocks are mainly used for load bearing walls as they have the capacity to withstand the pressure due to the load.

Clay bricks start from Rs 5.5 per bricks and concrete block start from Rs 30 per block in Bangalore. Check concrete block brands and their prices here.

You can now buy all the building materials online in a single package and save time and money-Visit www.materialtree.com

Construction Labor Rates in Bangalore

Construction Labor in Bangalore

The construction labor rates in Bangalore currently range from Rs. 260 / Sft –Rs. 300/ Sft. The scope of works covered depends upon the civil contractor in Bangalore.  Footing , Structure and Masonry works are part of this civil labor. 

Find the list of works generally covered in civil labor:

• Plain Cement Concrete for foundation bed.
• Size stone masonry for foundation footing
• Plinth Beam Concrete
• Interior floor PCC
• Wall Work using clay bricks or concrete blocks. Generally labor rates are higher for brick wall labor.
• Door and Window frames fixing with z clamps
• Window lintels concrete
• Roof Concreting ( You need to pay extra for the concrete gang men in case of site mix. RMC does not cost you additional labor.
• Wall Plastering (Interior walls, Exterior wall and Ceiling Roof)
• Inside Loft and shelves concreting

What’s NOT part of the Civil Labor Rates:

• Markings
• Earth Work/ Excavation
• Balcony
• Flooring (Granite or Vitrified Tiles)
• Portico
• Outside Projections and Wall Cladding works.
• Staircase (Inside and Outside)
• Para foot wall
• Sump Tank (Generally charges per litre basis)
• Compound Wall and Plastering
• Fabrication Fixing (Gate, Security Grills etc, Railings etc..)
• External Concrete and finishing
• Roof waterproof muddy
• Concrete gang labor
• Scaffolding materials / Roofing

It is a better approach to ask a list of works NOT part of the labor rates. This helps in forecasting and avoiding last minute conflicts which may delay the project execution

Types of Sand Used in Construction

What is sand ?

Sand is a granular material composed of broken rocks and mineral particles and it is formed in a  longer period of time through a natural process where the rocks get broken into small parts. Having a nature of the textural class of soil, sand is finer than gravel and coarser than slits. Sand can be contained either silicon dioxide or calcium carbonate.


Why is sand required in construction?
Sand is the prime component in making the concrete along with the cement in construction. It adds extra strength and durability of  the concrete and gives better finishing.


River Sand
River sand is made due to the natural disintegration of rock which has been moved or placed by streams and glacial agencies or obtained from pits.It is the purest form of sand collected directly from the river banks.For example, Trichy river sand is very well- known and highly demanded in the southern states of India.


M - Sand
M - Sand is an  artificial sand used as a substitute for river sand. The non availability of river sand and ever increasing requirement of sand brought  the concept of M - Sand. M-Sand is the crushed aggregates  of granite stone which is washed and prepared in the cubic size.  It is prepared by using vertical shaft imp actor method. M- Sand is used for all kinds of concrete works ranging PCC and RCC works. The advantage of the M- Sand is that it contains no impurities and its cubicle particle shape and perfect gradation providea better advantage compared to river sand.

Different grades of sand
Generally, Sand particles range from 0.0625 mm to 2 mm. Sand grain particles range from 2mm to 64 mm.  Slit is smaller than 0.0625 to 0.004 mm.ISO 14688 grade sand has the characteristics of fine, medium and coarse with ranges 0.063 mm to 0.2 mm to 0.63 mm to 2.0 mm.  IS 2386 (part 2): 1963  makes sure that the clay,slit and dust in the sand should not exceed 5% by weight. There should not be any organic impurities accordance with IS 2386 

Buying Cement Online: New Trend

Buying cement online seems to be a new practice for some, but this is what is going to be the new revolution in the time to come. The reason is that the e-commerce has taken up all the sectors of the business. To buy cement online in Bangalore. materialtree.com is the best online platform. There is much demand for online business followed by the offline business since the technology has developed. Any kind of buying and selling and other transactions are carried out through online. Building materials are necessary for any kind of constructions and the demand for building materials are increasing day by day. At the same time, there is a shortage in the availability of them. So, getting quality building materials at the best price is not that easy.

We need to take a deep thought on the subject that we are dealing with. As infrastructure is getting improved time to time, the demand for building materials is increasing too. So, there is and increased requirement for construction materials such as cement, TMT steel bar and river sand. They are always demanding more in the metro cities since the fastest growing development taking place. As a result, the cost and quality differ since the demand is increasing. A Lot of business tries to make more money out of it by creating illegal hoarding and creating artificial scarcity.

As everyone looks for a quality building material. Most of the customers are either confused or have lack of knowledge in choosing a quality product. Sometimes, they are forced to pay more prices for a product than its actual price. In the other case, customers are brainwashed to buy more than what is really required. This happens customers do not have much knowledge about the quality product and the price ranges in the market. Most of these issues are going unnoticed.

When you purchase cement, you take a lot of trouble of finding out the shop and checking out the quality of the product and agreeing with the price offered by the seller. A lot of time, energy and money are wasted. Apart from these, some customers are cheated so badly by paying high prices for a poor quality product. Today, there are many companies in the production of cement and the range of quality and quantity offered varies. So, this competition to capture the market helps the customer to buy good cement at the best price in the market. Some cement is in superior in quality and price than other cements.

More interestingly, the world market has changed from geographical space in the digital space. Today digital marketing is a thriving industry and everything comes in this new digital marketplace. Building materials like cement, bricks and blocks, TMT steel bars sold and bought through online.
Materialtree.com is an e- commerce platform for building materials online. You can buy all the building materials online at the best price in the market. You can easily visit the respective site and inspect the entire details of online purchase of cement and other building materials. You can order for the product after inspecting the quality, quantity, brand and price of the cement by clicking on the website. Cash on delivery is the other important advantage that the customer enjoys. Nowhere high quality cement can be bought at the best price in the market with the choice of the customer. A Variety of brands and multiple price ranges offer a greater advantage to the customer when they go for online purchase of cement from materialtree.com. For buying, building material to build your dream house materialtree.com will be your best choice.

TMT Steel Bars Buying Guide

TMT Bar Grade

Fe-415, Fe-500 and Fe-550 are the grades available in the Indian market. Higher the grade number, higher the strength of the TMT Bars

Technology

TMT Bars should be manufactured using Cold Twisted Technology which increases its strength and flexibility.

Bend-ability

TMT bars are most preferred because of their flexible nature. A good quality TMT steel bar will not get traverse cracks after bending through 180 degrees.

Elongation
Elongation is the ductility of the steel. Higher the elongation rate, better savings and reduced transportation costs.

Transverse Ribs
Transverse ribs or lugs of the TMT bars should be sharp and well connected strips as it aid strong bonding with the cement

Company and Certification
The company should be ISI or ISO certified. Buy reputed brands in the market though they may cost you more. Buy from the company authorised dealers.

Weighing TMT Steel
The weight of the TMT Steel per meter should be in comparable range of the IS Standards. TMT Bars are weighed either in the shop or on a vehicle weigh scale (Steel Weight = Weight of Loaded Vehicle - Weight Unloaded Vehicle)

Price
Generally Sold in Tonnes i.e., 1000 Kgs. Steel prices are daily fluctuating and you should check prices at least from 3 to 4 outlets.

Naked Eye Test
Every meter length of the TMT bars should bear the company seal. TMT Bars should be free from Rust or Ferrous coating and look new. Ends of the each bundle should be of equal length. Each steel rod in a bundle should bear the company seal.


Check Updated TMT Steel Price List on Different Brands.

Tata Tiscon TMT

Sail TMT Bars

Vaizag TMT Bars

JSW TMT Steel 

Kamdhenu TMT

Sunvik TMT Bars

Meenakshi TMT Steel

Bhuwalka TMT Steel

VRKP TMT Bars

Indus TMT Steel

Jindal Panther TMT Steel