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UNIT 3
ESTIMATION OF BUILDING

Prepared By:
Er. Prashant Bhatta
Balaju School of Engineering and Technology
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3.1. Data required for preparation of detailed estimate

• Drawings: The drawing is the basis from which quantities of
various items of a work are calculated. So, fully dimensioned
drawing must be prepared showing plans, different sections
and other relevant details for the work.
• Specifications:
i. General specification: In general specifications the nature
and class of work and the names of materials that should
be used are described.
ii. Detailed specification: Detailed specifications .describe
every item of work in the estimate. It specifies the quality,
quantity and proportion of material, workmanship, method
of preparation and execution of each items of works in the
project.
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• Rates: Quantities of different items of work are estimated

from the drawing and these are multiplied by the
rates.So,rates for different items of works are vital factors in
the determination of estimated cost.
• Up dated mode of measurement: For standard deduction or
additions are also necessary to determine the correct
quantities of works.
• Standing circulars: For taxes and insurance,etc.are required
to fix up rates of those items which are not in the schedule
of rates.
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3.2. Principle of units of measurement

The unit of measurement depends upon the nature, size
and shape of work. Therefore, following principles are used
to determine the unit of measurement of work.
• Mass, voluminous and thick work shall be taken in cubic
unit or volume. The measurements of length, breadth and
height or depth shall be taken to compute the volume or
cubic contents.
• Shallow, thin and surface works shall be taken in square
units or in area. The measurement of length and breadth
or height shall be taken to compute the area.
• Long and thin works shall be taken in linear or running
unit and linear measurement shall be taken.
• Piece work,job work,etc. shall be taken in number.
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• Concrete in foundation: The concrete is taken out in cum by

length× breadth × thickness. The length and breadth of
foundation concrete are usually the same as for excavation,
only the depth in thickness differs. The thickness of concrete
varies from 20 cm to 45 cm,usually 30 cm (9” to 18,usually
12”).Foundation concrete consists of lime concrete or weak
cement concrete. The proportions of cement concrete in
foundation may be 1:4:8 or 1:5:10.

• Soling: When the soil is soft or bad, one layer of dry brick or
stone soling is applied below the foundation concrete. The
soling layer is computed in sq. m (length × breadth)
specifying thickness.
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3.3. Units of measurement and payment for Earthwork,

Concrete Work, Soling, Damp Proof Course, Masonry
Works
• Earthwork: Earthwork in excavation and earthwork in filling are
usually taken out separately under different items, and quantities
are calculated in cu.m.Foundation trenches are usually dug to
the exact width of the foundation with vertical sides. Earthwork in
excavation in foundation is calculated by taking the dimensions
of each trench length× breadth× depth. Filling in trenches after
the construction of foundation masonry is ordinarily neglected. If
the trench filling is accounted, this may be calculated by
deducting the masonry from the excavation. Earthwork in plinth
filling is calculated by taking the internal dimensions in between
plinth wall (length×breadth) which are usually less than the
internal dimensions of the room by two offsets of the plinth wall.
Payments are made per voluminous unit.
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• Damp proof course: DPC usually of 2.5 cm(1”) thick rich

cement concrete 1:1.5:3 or 2 cm,(3/4”)thick rich cement
mortar 1:2, mixed with standard waterproofing material, is
provided at the plinth level to full width of plinth wall, and the
quantities are computed in sq. (length × breadth).Usually
DPC is not provided at the sills of doors and verandah
openings,for4 which deductions are made.(One kg of cem-
seal or impermo or other standard waterproofing compound
per bag of cement is generally used.)
• Masonry: Masonry is computed in cu m (length× breadth×
height).Foundation and plinth masonry is taken under one
item, and masonry in superstructure is taken under a
separate item. In storeyed building in each storey as ground
floor above plinth level, first floor etc. is computed separately.
In taking out quantities the walls are measured as solid and
then deductions are made for opening of doors, windows etc.
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3.4. Limits of measurement and degree of accuracy

Limits of accuracy
• If a number or measurement has been rounded, it can be
important to consider what possible values the exact value
could have been. For example, if a kitchen unit is 600 mm
wide to the nearest 10 mm, it could actually be any width
from 595 mm up to 605 mm – so it might not fit into a gap
that is exactly 600 mm wide. To describe all the possible
values that a rounded number could be, we use limits of
accuracy.
• The lower limit is the smallest value that would round up
to the estimated value.
• The upper limit is the smallest value that would round up
to the next estimated value.
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Degree of Mesurement:
Accuracy is the degree to which a measurement or calculation
varies to its actual value; thus estimate accuracy is an
indication of the degree to which the final cost outcome of a
project may vary from the single point value used as the
estimated cost for the project.
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Limits of measurement:
Counting is the only type of measurement that is free from
uncertainty, provided the number of objects being counted does
not change while the counting process is underway. The result
of such a counting measurement is an example of an exact
number. If we count eggs in a carton, we know exactly how
many eggs the carton contains. The numbers of defined
quantities are also exact. By definition, 1 foot is exactly 12
inches, 1 inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, and 1 gram is
exactly 0.001 kilogram. Quantities derived from measurements
other than counting, however, are uncertain to varying extents
due to practical limitations of the measurement process used.
The whole process of measurement is the limits of
measurement.
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3.5. Methods of estimate of building works

• The dimensions,Length,breadth and height or depth are to
be taken out from the drawing-plan elevation and section.
From the study of the drawings, the building is to be
imagined and pictured in the mind and the dimensions are
to be taken out correctly.
• There is no hard and fast rule for finding out dimensions
from the drawing but the dimensions are to be taken out
accurately. Junctions of wall at the corners and at the
meeting points of walls require special attention.
• For symmetrical foundation which is the usual case,
earthwork in excavation in foundation, foundation concrete,
brickwork in foundation and plinth, and brickwork in
superstructure may be estimated by either of the methods
stated below.
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3.6. Long wall and Short wall method

• In this method,the wall along the length of room is
considered to be long wall while the wall perpendicular to
long wall is said to be short wall. To get the length of long
wall or short wall,calculate first the center line lengths of
the individual walls.
• Then, the length of long wall(out to out) may be calculated
after adding half breadth at each end to its center line
length.
• Thus the length of short wall measured in to in and may
be found by deducting half breadth from its center line
length at each end.
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• The length of long wall usually decreases from earth work

to brick work in super structure while the short wall
increases.
• These lengths are multiplied by breadth and depth to get
the quantities.
• This method is most practicable under all circumstances
and is generally followed in the P.W.D. for computing the
quantities of various items.
• This method is illustrated with example below:
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3.7. Centre Line method

• This method is suitable only if the offsets are symmetrical
and the building is more or less rectangular in shape.
• The center line of the building is determined carefully after
doing deductions for repeated measurements.
• The center line acts as length for the complete calculations
of the estimate.
• If the deduction is not cared for the results of estimates may
be wrong. All the walls should have the same section.
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3.8. Estimating quantities of materials in Building works

( One Room, Two Room Building)

• The quantity estimate of one roomed building and two roomed

building both can be calculated by either of the method i.e.
center line method and long wall short wall method.
• The calculation of quantities are illustrated in the numerical
section.
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3.9. Earthwork in excavation and filling

• Earthwork: Earthwork in excavation and earthwork in
filling are usually taken out separately under different
items, and quantities are calculated in cu.m.Foundation
trenches are usually dug to the exact width of the
foundation with vertical sides. Earthwork in excavation in
foundation is calculated by taking the dimensions of each
trench length× breadth× depth. Filling in trenches after the
construction of foundation masonry is ordinarily
neglected. If the trench filling is accounted, this may be
calculated by deducting the masonry from the excavation.
Earthwork in plinth filling is calculated by taking the
internal dimensions in between plinth wall
(length×breadth) which are usually less than the internal
dimensions of the room by two offsets of the plinth wall.
Payments are made per voluminous unit.
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3.10. Brickwork ( Foundation and Super Structure)

• Brickwork: Brickwork is computed in cu m (length×

breadth× height).Foundation and plinth brickwork is taken
under one item, and brickwork in superstructure is taken
under a separate item. In storeyed building in each storey
as ground floor above plinth level, first floor etc. is
computed separately. In taking out quantities the walls are
measured as solid and then deductions are made for
opening of doors, windows etc.
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3.11. Stone works

• Stone is an essential and more permanent building material
in construction than other natural building materials. Based
on the type, stones can be used in buildings for flooring,
soling roofing, masonry, paving and also as aggregates for
concrete.
• Stonework is computed in cu.m. Foundation stone work and
plinth stone work is taken under one item, and stone work in
superstructure is taken under a separate item.
• Stone work volume is the total dry volume of stone used and
the volume of mortar filled in the spaces between stones.
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3.12 Plastering and Painting works

Plastering usually 12mm (0.5”) thick is calculated in sq.m.For
walls the measurements are taken for the whole face of the
wall for both sides as solid, and deductions for opening are
made in the following manner:
• No deductions is made for ends of beams,posts,rafters,etc.
• For small opening up to 0.5 sqm. (5 sq. ft.)no deductions is
made and at the same time no additions are made for
jambs ,soffits and of sills of these openings.
• For openings exceeding 5 sq.ft. but not exceeding 3sq.m.
(30 sq. ft.)deductions is made for one face only, and the
other face is allowed for jambs,soffits and sills which are not
taken into account separately.
• For openings above 3 sq.m.(30 sq.ft) deductions is made
for both faces of the opening and the jambs,soffits and sills
are taken into account and added.
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• Painting:
• Painting or varnishing of doors and windows are computed in
sq. m., the dimensions should be taken for outer dimensions
of the doors and windows.
• No separate measurements is taken for the openings inside
the chowkhat, the area is same as the area of wall openings.
• For both faces of doors and windows, the simple area as
measured above is multiplied by appropriate number as
below:
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3.13. PCC / RCC Works

• RCC or PCC work may be in roof or floor slab, in beams,
lintels,columns,foundations etc. and the quantities are
calculated in cu m.
• Length, breadth and thickness are found correctly from the
plan, elevation and section or from the other detailed
drawings. Bearings are added with the clear span to get the
dimensions.
• The quantities are calculated in cu m. exclusive of steel
reinforcement and its bending but inclusive of centering and
shuttering and fixing and binding reinforcement in position.
• Usually 0.6% to 1% of RCC work by volume may be taken for
steel, if other details are not given.
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• RCC works may also be estimated inclusive of steel and

centering and shuttering for complete works, if specified.
• Centering and shuttering(form work)are usually included in
the RCC work, but may also be taken separately in sq. m of
surface in contact with concrete.
• In RCC work plastering work is not taken separately, but the
exposed surface are finished with thin rich cement sand
mortar plastering to give smooth and even surface, which
usually is not taken into considerations.
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3.15. Metal works

• This is computed in weight in kg or quintal and the quantities

are calculated correctly by multiplying the weights per
running meter by the length.
• The weight per m can be obtained from the steel section
book (steel tables are followed as per IS standard)
• For steel joint the length is equal to the clear span plus two
bearings, the bearing may be taken ¾ thickness of wall or 20
cm to 30 cm (8” to 12”)