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The answer to the question “What is a sitting room?” seems very simple and self-explanatory, i.e. a room to sit in. It is a room where one can sit and relax. When we define a sitting room, it sounds very similar to a living room and/or family room. Living rooms in a house or residence can be described as the spaces that are used for the common or social activities of the occupants. They are large rooms, with a formal environment and are also used as an entertainment room. Family rooms are similar to living rooms, but are pretty casual in comparison and used mostly by the residents to hang out or watch movies. A sitting room can be defined as a combination of both living and family rooms. It has all the furniture and items that are placed in living and family rooms, but this room is considered an intimate space for family gatherings and relaxing. It is also sometimes used as a reading space or just a space for the family to hang out.

Now that we have a brief answer to the question “What is a sitting room?” let us discuss how to create the best sitting room space for a residential house.

To create the best sitting room space, we must make sure that the furniture arrangement is done in a proper way. Since it is called a sitting room, the seating space must be arranged appropriately.

Establishing the focal point of the room, and arranging the furniture around it is the first step of proper furniture placement. In certain spaces, the focal point is a fireplace or something with a view like a window, or a glazed wall. In other spaces, the focal point is the television or entertainment unit of the house that is only used by the family.

The seating furniture must be arranged in a way such that they face each other. This helps in creating conversation spaces and making the aura of the house cozier and more comfortable. Sitting rooms are a space for socializing among the family, so, people must be able to comfortably converse with each other without difficulty.

While arranging the furniture, we must never ever forget about movement and traffic flow. People must be able to freely move around without any difficulty and must be able to get from one side of the room to another without the furniture being a hindrance.

Mostly, people love having all the furniture backs touch the walls of the houses. But it is one of the most common mistakes people make in sitting rooms. Showing off furniture must be one of the principles of furniture arrangement, as long as the back sides of the furniture are properly finished. 

Even though, a sitting room usually features sofas and seating items like a living room, its concept is much simpler in comparison. A sitting room can be strictly used as a sitting area, but it can also be used as a home study and library. It houses storage spaces and cupboards where household items can be stored.

Hence, the answer to the question, “What are living spaces?” is a simple one and that is, the sitting area is the space in a residence or apartment where family members can be able to talk, relax, and sit.

The question “What is living spaces?” has a very simple answer. Living spaces in a house or residence can be described as the spaces that are used for the common or social activities of the occupants. It is also known as the lounge room, sitting room, or drawing room. This is the part of the house which visitors mostly see directly. It is an area for relaxing and socializing in a residential house or apartment. The area acts as a showplace and serves a variety of purposes. Activities such as entertainment, dining, recreation, family get-togethers, etc. usually happen in the living area of the house.

Now that we have a brief idea about what is living spaces, let us discuss some more about what these spaces actually comprise. A living room comprises a number of rooms that include firstly, the living area that houses the sofa and other formal/informal seating with mostly an entertainment unit on the front, a dining area where the residents of the house and their guests dine, a foyer area, and recreation space. Some big living rooms also comprise special rooms such as a home office, or a sunroom.

A typical living room in a western area usually comprises furnishings and sofas. It also has chairs, tables, and shelves for various purposes such as keeping books and decorations, lights and lamps, and other such furniture. Depending on the climatic conditions, living rooms also contain fireplaces.

Most people spend the most time in their living rooms as the entertainment units are mostly placed in the living area. People love to spend their day relaxing on their sofas watching television. As the living room is the central point in a house, it should have a good visual impression as it is the place where people meet. It is the first room that one usually views when we enter a house, and so people love to hang pictures and portraits in the living room instead of other rooms in the house.

People usually confuse living rooms with family rooms. Although both have similar definitions and both are meeting spaces, a family room even though is a gathering space for everyone, its furniture setting is mostly informal and kid-friendly. It is a space specifically used by the family to relax and spread out, whereas living rooms host almost all kinds of guests that come into our homes.

Hence, the answer to the question “What is living spaces?” is very simple and that is, living space is the area of a residential house or an apartment where people can sit, relax, and talk.

Brick is an element in masonry construction that is used to make walls, pavements, and other elements.  It is a rectangular block typically made of fired or sun-dried clay. Bricks are usually used to manufacture load-bearing walls. They are sharp with true right-angled corners and their surface are regular and even. For brick to be considered proper, it must have a uniform and bright appearance. The most common color for a brick is red. The color varies from dark red to light red. Very dark red colored bricks are said to be over burnt and if the bricks are of yellowish color, they are under burnt.

Bricks are usually used to manufacture load-bearing walls. An ideal brick must provide proper insulation against heat, cold, and noise. The heat and sound conductivity of a brick varies highly with its density and porosity. Bricks that are very dense and heavy conduct sound and heat at a greater rate. Bricks must be properly designed for them to be considered ideal and proper for construction purposes. They must be made in such a way that they are strong, light, and give adequate insulation. Bricks are a very durable and low-cost construction material. It also has high compressive strength and is also fire resistant. It can also resist weathering effects to an adequate level and is of low maintenance.

In the modern world, bricks are the most essential part of the construction industry. Even though burnt bricks are the most common types of bricks used, one can also make their own hand-made bricks using clay. Now, the question is, how to make handmade bricks? Clay bricks, also known as earth masonry, have been on the construction scene for thousands of years, and with the advancement of technology, the process of making such bricks has become easier than before. However, the main process for making clay bricks remain unchanged. The technique only requires a few tools, and items and can be made in any space. This is the reason why clay bricks are still used in making various structures even now. In this article, we will explore the process of how to make handmade bricks or clay bricks.

Finding the right type of soil

To make clay bricks, one must first find soil that is sticky enough when wet. This type of sticky soil is called clay soil and is used in making the required bricks.

Grinding

The second step is to grind the clay soil into a fine paste. Clay soil is usually at the right consistency, but the grinding procedure is important as it helps achieve the best quality of bricks. The grinding can be done by hand using large stones.

Molding

Once the clay is well-grounded, it must be mixed with water to make a thick paste. Previously, clay bricks were molded by hand or using tools made of wood, but today there are various molds available in the market that are used to make such bricks. The molding can be done using any method, but we must make sure to achieve bricks of the same size and shape.

Drying

After molding the bricks in shape, we must leave them all out in the sun for four to five days to dry properly so that the moisture from the bricks is completely removed. After that, we must stand them vertically to let them dry some more, an approximate time period of about four weeks is required for the bricks to dry before using them to avoid flaking. Sun-dried bricks can last more than thirty years but if one wants to increase their longevity, the bricks may also be fired in kilns.

Firing the bricks (optional)

The end products must be fired in a kiln which is an oven for bricks. It helps to heat up the bricks to a very high temperature which binds the clay very firmly with each other resulting in the creation of super-strong solid bricks.

Conclusion

Clay is one of the strongest and oldest building materials found in the construction industry. Not only it is fireproof and durable, but it is also non-toxic and biodegradable. It does not require any costly equipment to make and has excellent insulation properties. It is also water-resistant and the maintenance is cheap and easy. Making bricks using clay may sound easy, but make sure to check all the points required in the process properly, as one wrong step might make the bricks become loose and unusable. It’s better to get some expert advice before starting the process as it is a tricky one.

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Before we learn about sustainable house features, we must understand the meaning of sustainability first. Sustainability is the way to create products and services that are required by humans by keeping in mind the impacts that the product or service might have on the environment. Sustainable design is the process of designing spaces that reduce the negative impacts it causes on the environment. The main objectives of a sustainable design are to minimize waste and reduce the usage of non-renewal resources, thereby creating healthy and productive environments for people to live in. Such designs improve building performances because they consider the health and well-being of the building occupants and the entire environment.

Buildings constructed in today’s world mostly emit carbon dioxide into the air which causes a huge threat to the environment. Global warming is one such threat that is caused by such buildings. Global warming is the long-term heating of the earth which is caused mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels, methane, and other such poisonous gases into the environment. Sustainable designs or Eco-friendly designs are the only way to save our Earth from getting degraded as such designs are energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, built of green/recycled materials, and use alternative energy resources.

So as we can see, sustainable architecture is the future of living on Earth as it seeks to minimize the negative impacts on the environment. The use of sustainable or eco-friendly design is to ensure that future generations do not have to suffer from all the things we have done to our planet in the name of “comfort.” Now, let us briefly look at some of the sustainable house features that can be considered while building a space.

Sustainable house features

Energy Efficiency

In cold places, people use an abundance of heaters and other means of technology to keep the interior of their houses warm so that they can live comfortably. Similarly, in warm places, people use air conditioners to keep the interior of the buildings cooler in comparison to the outside weather. These kinds of technologies, even though are helpful for us to achieve our desired level of comfort, such technologies are not exactly termed as eco-friendly. They use a lot of electricity, which in turn causes a lot of damage to the environment.

To achieve a more sustainable built environment, for example, instead of using heaters for cold places, one can always install a high-performance building envelope during the construction of the building. The building envelope includes the exterior covering of the building that consists of walls, doors, windows, etc. Installing these things will help as an insulator to the building which will, in turn, prevent heat loss, thus achieving comfort for the people living inside.

Building Placement

The placement of the building plays a huge role in the making of a sustainable building. When a building is positioned on a site, keeping in mind the airflow and sun path for that reason, it acts as a huge energy-saving mechanism.

Also, when a building is built in an isolated place, for example, in the middle of the woods, or on a lonely hill, it causes more harm than good to the environment. Suburban Sprawl is caused by such structures that require more energy consumption due to their isolated nature. To avoid such problems, careful zoning of a city must be done segregating all its parts into commercial, residential, and industrial areas.

Usage of renewable energy

Models such as the passive house have been being used for generations, and are one of the ways to achieve the state of ultra-low energy usage. Passive houses reduce the ecological footprint of a building. The most important point in sustainable architecture is to ensure that a structure is energy efficient throughout its entire lifetime. It depends on the designer on how they reduce the energy needs of the structures and increase their ability to generate their own energy.

Saving water

Saving water is one of the main points of building an eco-friendly home. This can be achieved in simple ways such as using low-flow water fixtures, using alternative water sources such as greywater for flushing toilets, and watering gardens, and strictly using high-quality filtered water for essential tasks such as drinking and cooking.

Stormwater management

Have you noticed that city areas get flooded mostly during the rainy season more than village areas? That is because of the use of impermeable surfaces such as tiles and pavers that do not allow rain to go into the soil to be stored as groundwater. Areas with more plants and soil absorb the rainwater, slowing down the flow and thus preventing floods. While planting trees is one of the ways to manage stormwater runoff, green roofs are also an effective solution. It helps prevent stormwater runoff from the roofs of buildings in urban areas and also, helps maintain a cooler temperature beneath the roof. Installation of permeable surfaces such as pavers that can absorb water can also help in soaking the water and taking it deep into the soil.

Eco-friendly materials

While selecting materials for constructing a building, the materials should be selected keeping in mind the level of sustainability it possesses. The looks at the extraction, processing, construction, and the waste it will generate, everything should be calculated before the selection of material. Also, the materials should be purchased from a local supplier if possible as it supports local businesses, and reduces the environmental impact that is caused by the greenhouse emissions associated with transportation.

Management of waste

The solid waste generated should be managed from the construction phase of the building to the completion. The materials that can be composted or recycled should be properly disposed of so that they can be reused again. Wastewater generated by a building must not be left open. Wastewater should flow from the site to a septic tank or a working sewage system. Treating wastewater onsite helps reduce the load on infrastructure by minimizing the waste amount required to be treated.

A concrete block is a building material that is used to build walls. It is a pre-cast concrete product that is used in the construction industry. Pre-cast means that the blocks are made and hardened before they are brought to the construction site. Concrete blocks are standard-sized regular blocks that are used to make walls. They are also known as “Concrete Masonry Units (CMU).” These blocks usually have one or more cavities and their sides may be smooth or may have a certain design. There are different types of concrete blocks available in the market.

Concrete blocks are made in plants that specialize in the manufacture of such blocks. Some of these plants are automatic while others are manual. Manually operated concrete block-making machines can be installed at the project site itself. With manual machines at the site, the transportation charges for the concrete blocks are. Concrete blocks are manufactured in four steps:

Selection and Proportion

Concrete blocks are made up of fine and coarse aggregates, cement, and water. The ingredients are firstly selected according to the requirement which will give the desired strength to the concrete blocks. The careful grading of aggregates will depend upon the strength, texture, and economy of concrete blocks. Aggregates used in the making of concrete blocks include crushed stones, gravel, furnace clinker, etc. which are selected depending on the weight, texture, and composition of the unit desired. The cement that is used for making such blocks is ordinary Portland cement and the water Is normal potable water.

Mixing

Once the selection and carefully matched proportion of the material is done, the second step is to mix all these materials together. The mixture of water, cement, and aggregates should be done in a proper way and it is better to mix these ingredients in a mechanical mixer. If mixed using a hand, one should be extremely careful while doing so.

Molding

After the mixture is made properly, the concrete mix is poured into the mold box up to the top level. Filling the box up to the top level is compulsory. The vibration of concrete is done inside the mold box until the concrete has finally settled in the box uniformly. The excess concrete is removed from the face of the mold box and leveled by using plywood. For general construction purposes, the concrete mixture for concrete blocks contains a higher percentage of sand and a lower percentage of gravel and water. This produces a very dry, hard, and stiff mixture that has no problem holding its shape when it is removed from the mold block.

Curing

After the block is cast, it is watered for about one day. The curing process is done for a minimum of seven days and a maximum of twenty-eight days. The longer the concrete blocks are cured, the better will be the quality of the block.

Different types of concrete blocks

There are different types of concrete blocks available in the market today. Concrete blocks are generally divided into seven categories which are as follows-

Solid Concrete Blocks

These concrete blocks are heavy in weight and have a solid appearance. These blocks are made using dense aggregates, are very strong, and help make the structure very stable. Hence they are preferably used in load-bearing walls. The sizes of these blocks are also much larger than the sizes of bricks and hence construction using such blocks takes very little time. Solid concrete blocks are very similar to concrete bricks but are costlier and heavier in comparison to bricks. That is why they can withstand more forces than bricks.

Hollow Concrete Blocks

These concrete blocks contain voids that are greater than 25% of their entire area. The solid area of the brick should be more than 50. They are made using lightweight aggregates and hence are very lightweight. They are also very easy to install and the voids are filled with lightweight mortar as well while making a structure.

There are a total of eight types of hollow concrete blocks which are:

Stretcher Block

Corner Block

Pillar Block

Jamb Block

Partition Block

Lintel Block

Frogged Brick Block

Bull Nose Block

Aerated Autoclaved Concrete Block (AAC)

These types of concrete blocks are usually compared with bricks and are very different in a lot of ways. These concrete blocks are larger and lighter versions of bricks. They are usually made using the same ingredients as bricks but with a different composition. Due to this, these blocks are way cheaper than bricks. According to recent studies, these blocks have helped reduce the overall steel and concrete consumption by 15% and 10%. These blocks also, take less construction time in comparison to bricks, are fire resistant, and can adapt to various surfaces well.

Concrete Bricks

Concrete bricks are mainly small blocks that are rectangular in shape and arranged together to create a rigid wall. These bricks are usually made of cooked clay or concrete. Some use only concrete to manufacture such bricks while others play with the cement and aggregate ratio for cost-cutting purposes. These bricks are usually used in facades, and fencing as they are lightweight and give a very slick look.

Paving Blocks

These blocks are just rectangular or square blocks that are manufactured using reinforced concrete. They are mostly used for paving purposes and must be painted with high-visibility concrete paints so that people using vehicles can easily notice the blocks. Also, these blocks must be strong and rigid enough as they must be able to withstand vehicular and passenger weight.

These were the different types of concrete blocks that are usually used today.

Advantages and disadvantages of concrete blocks

Advantages

• Concrete blocks are more fire resistant and provide better thermal insulation and sound absorption in comparison to bricks.
• Concrete blocks save the land of farmers and are usually used for brick manufacturing plants.
• The making of concrete blocks takes less time, is easier, faster, and is stronger in comparison to bricks.
• The perfect shape of the concrete blocks makes the masonry work very simple.
• Plastering is not needed really in concrete blocks.
• Concrete blocks are very environmentally friendly in comparison to bricks.

Disadvantages

• Wider and larger cracks occur in structures made using concrete blocks in comparison to bricks.
• Sometimes shrinkage occurs due to the movement of moisture in concrete blocks.
• Plumbing issues arise in concrete blocks in comparison to bricks.

Conclusion

Concrete blocks are slowly being used heavily and they are in fact replacing bricks and steel structures. Once we can overcome the disadvantages, it is not very far that concrete bricks will be used everywhere as they are a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option.

A house is a space built for human habitation. When man began to leave their nomadic lifestyle about 10,000 years ago, he slowly started thinking about making permanent spaces for him to live in. Previously, man settled mostly in caves or made spaces out of animal skin and tree leaves to protect themselves from the sun, rain, and predators. Later, when he started to settle in places where there was food in abundance and water sources nearby, he thought about making permanent residences for himself and his family to live in.

In all this time, the human race has evolved into the most intelligent species on the planet. And with them, the house-building materials evolved as swell. The evolution of architecture is also something that we must look into, as this field has evolved tremendously in all these years. New-age building materials and technologies have changed the way humans live completely.

In this article, we will learn about some of the best building materials for a house that man has been using for generations. These materials are considered to be the best building materials for a house as man has relied on them to make walls, houses, temples, and whatnot and they have also been modified to be able to use properly in today’s day and age.

Some of the best building materials for a house are as follows-

Stone

Stone is one of the oldest and most popular building materials in the world. Throughout history, humans have used stone to build a number of spaces for human settlement. Our ancestors have also used stone in their buildings which are considered monuments and national treasures today.  However, not all stones can be used to build structures. There are a lot of points that are required to be ticked off before a regular stone can be considered a building stone. Some of them include structure, durability, strength, appearance, color, texture, fineness of grains, weight, etc.

Stones are not only used to create habiting spaces but are also used to create hydraulic structures such as dams and bridges, retaining wall masonry, road metal in road construction, concrete in the form of coarse aggregate, etc.

Brick

Bricks are usually made of clay and have been used since ancient times in structures like the Great Wall of China, the Pantheon, etc.  The earliest recorded bricks were made by the Sumerians and even though those bricks were crude, uneven, and made of silt, it was the first time humans developed a decent building material.

Now, bricks have advanced and are one of the most widely used building materials in the world today. There are a few requirements to consider before determining whether a brick is suitable for construction or not. Firstly, the color of the brick must be red, copper, or of some uniform color, the bricks must be well burnt in kilns, the brick surface must be even and free from cracks, and the edges of the bricks must be sharp.

Bricks are used to build a variety of structures such as wall masonry, brick lintel, foundation work, etc. They are durable, are of low cost, possess good strength, are easily available, and are also lighter in comparison to stones.

Timber

Wood has been used as a building material since the beginning of our civilization. It is a very versatile material that can be used as a primary material or blended with another building material or can also be used as a decorative element. Wood is a lightweight material in comparison to stone and can last a long time once it is properly seasoned.

There are a few requirements for timber to be used in construction. Some of them include uniform texture and color, should be dense, must be workable, and have good machinability. There are two types of timber that are used in the construction industry today which include Natural Timber (babul, oak, pine, teak, etc.) and Industrial Timber (veneers, plywood, fiberboards, etc.).

Timber is not only used for home building but also bridges, railway sleepers, furniture, decorative pieces, doors, partition walls, etc.

Concrete

Concrete is created by a mixture of cement/ lime, sand, crushed rock, and water. It is a very flexible material and can be formed on the site and poured into the required molds where it hardens in a specific time. It has been used as a building material for a very long time but not like today. Today concrete is the most widely used building material especially reinforced concrete where the reinforcement increases the tensile strength of the concrete. There is a wide variety of concrete available in the market which includes Plain Cement Concrete, Reinforced Cement Concrete, Precast Concrete, and Prestressed Concrete.

Concrete has great workability, and strength and is a very durable material. It also has dimensional stability. Reinforced concrete is heavily used in the construction of slabs, walls, beams, foundations, etc.

Steel

When man first discovered the art of building structures with different floors, building materials had to improve to a great extent, as the higher a building goes, the more structural stability it requires.  Steel is the perfect material for making such buildings as steel is strong without being heavy which makes it ideal for large, multi-story buildings.  

Steel can be used to make wide-open structures while maintaining the structural integrity of the structure being made, in comparison to masonry. Steel can also play a dual role in the construction industry as it can be embedded in concrete for support or can become the foundation itself. Steel installation takes much less time in comparison to masonry, and it can be welded and bolted as per our comfort. It is strong, cost-effective, and most importantly, it is recyclable.

Steel has changed the way architecture works in the world today and expanded new ways for us to imagine solutions for our building worries in the world today.

Building materials today are not like those materials found in the olden days. They are much stronger and can last a lifetime if properly maintained. All building materials have their own pros and cons. What we must do before choosing the best building materials for a house, we must learn to compare the positive and negative points and then choose the desired materials.

Since choosing the best material for your house is a huge decision, one must consult with a trained professional or an architect/civil engineer.