Order of construction | Item of work |

ITEMS OF WORK

While preparing detailed estimate of a building it is necessary to split the entire building into different items preferably in the order of its construction. e.g.

The load bearing structure to be constructed may be split into following items of work in the order of its execution as:

  1. Site clearance.
  2. Excavation for foundations.
  3. P. C. C. in foundations.
  4.  masonry in foundations.
  5.  C. R. masonary in plinth.
  6. Damp proof course at plinth level.
  7. Plinth filling with hard murum.
  8. Brick Work (or stone masonary) in Superstructure.
  9. Providing and fixing door and window frames.
  10. Lintels over openings.
  11. Flat R.C.C. or sloping roof.
  12. External and internal plastering and pointing.
  13. Providing and laying flooring.
  14. Door and Window shutters.
  15. Water supply and sanitary arrangement.
  16. Electrification.
  • The quantities of the above items of work are calculated from the relevant drawings (i.e. plan, elevation, section and foundation details etc.), the process being termed as ‘taking out’ (i. e. measuring the required dimensions of the items such as length, width, depth or height (or thickness) and ‘squaring’ (i.e. multiplying length by breadth and depth or height if the item is to be measured in m3 or multiplying length by its width or height if the item is to be measured in m2 etc.)
  • The above measurements are then to be entered in a systematic manner in a specified ‘measurement sheet form’.
  • The next step is known as ‘Abstracting’ i.e. preparing the bill of quantities by multiplying the quantities of the above items by the corresponding rates (to be taken from the ‘schedule of rate’ prepared by the P.W.D. organisation of the State or Central Government) and entering them in a specified manner in the ‘Abstract Sheet Form.’

The summation of the cost of all the items of the work is then known as the ‘Estimated Cost of the Work’.

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