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Quantity method for load bearing brick building

Short answer

For load-bearing brick buildings, quantities are taken by either long wall–short wall method (long walls out-to-out = c/c + width; short walls in-to-in = c/c – width; quantity = L×B×D at each level) or centre-line method (total centre length minus half-width per T-junction). The first suits varied wall thicknesses, the second uniform sections.

Write down the general method of taking out quantities in a load bearing brick masonry building with their suitability.

In a load bearing brick masonry building the walls carry the load and the foundation is a continuous strip below them. The quantities of earthwork, PCC, foundation masonry and superstructure are taken out for each wall by one of these methods.

1. Long wall - short wall method

  • Choose the walls running in the longer direction as long walls, the others as short walls.
  • Length of long wall (out-to-out) = centre-to-centre length + half the foundation (or wall) width at each end, =Lc+b= L_c + b.
  • Length of short wall (in-to-in) = centre-to-centre length - half the width at each end, =Lc−b= L_c - b.
  • Quantity = length x breadth x depth for each wall at every level (trench, PCC, footing, plinth, wall), because the widths change with depth.
  • Suitable for: buildings with several rooms, walls of different thicknesses, and where the foundation has different widths for different walls.

2. Centre line method

  • Find the total centre-line length of all walls (main and partition).
  • Deduct for the junctions: for each T-junction deduct half of the wall width; a cross-junction counts as two T-junctions, so one full width is deducted.
  • Quantity = corrected total length x width x depth of each section.
  • Suitable for: buildings having walls of the same section throughout, rectangular rooms, quick estimates. It is not accurate where the sections differ.

Procedure for both

  1. Mark the walls on the plan with their centre lines.
  2. Calculate the length of each as per the chosen method.
  3. Take out earthwork, PCC, masonry up to plinth, DPC, then superstructure masonry.
  4. Deduct for the openings (doors, windows, ventilators), lintels and beams, to get the net masonry.

In Nepal both methods are accepted; the centre line method is quicker, and the long wall-short wall method is preferred for exactness.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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