--- title: "Building: excavation, soling, PCC, brick to plinth" subject: "Estimating and Costing" chapter: 6 key: "semester_7/estimating_and_costing:building-o-framed-4-items" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/estimating_and_costing/building-o-framed-4-items site: BCT Engineering --- # Building: excavation, soling, PCC, brick to plinth Estimating and Costing · Chapter 6: Detailed Estimate - Asked in: 2073 Shrawan, 16 marks - Video: [Estimation for sand filling, Brick 🧱 Soling and P.C.C](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6uzdVlYx9A) — Everything with Civil - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/estimating_and_costing/building-o-framed-4-items - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/estimating_and_costing/chapter-6 ## Question Calculate the following items of work from the attached building drawing. i) Earthwork in excavation ii) Stone soling in foundation and sand filling in floor. iii) PCC for RCC up to plinth beam iv) Brick work up to plinth [Figure: plan 7.90 m × 4.10 m with two rooms 3.5 × 3.5 m, columns 0.30 × 0.30 m, door D 1.0 × 2.1 m, window 1.8 × 1.5 m; wall section 0.35, 0.30, 0.30 m with 0.45 m plinth, 10 cm PCC, 15 cm stone soling, 30 cm sand filling; column footing 0.90 × 0.90 m, footing depth 1.00 m, plinth beam 0.30 × 0.30 m, 10 cm PCC and 15 cm stone soling below footing. Dimensions in metre, not to scale.] ## Short answer Earthwork excavation for six column pits and wall trenches: 9.12 m3. Stone soling in foundation: 1.79 m3; sand filling in floor: 7.35 m3. PCC for RCC up to plinth beam (footings, columns, plinth beams): 4.15 m3. Brick infill walls up to plinth: 3.67 m3. ## Answer #### Reading of the figure Plan 7.90 × 4.10 m = columns 0.30 m + room 3.5 m + column 0.30 m + room 3.5 m + column 0.30 m (and 3.5 + 0.3 + 0.3 across). Six columns 0.30 × 0.30 m on a 3.8 m grid; beams and infill walls form 7 panels of 3.5 m clear (4 along the long sides, 3 across). The sketch is approximate, so these assumptions are made: column footing 0.90 × 0.90 m, 0.30 m thick RCC on 10 cm PCC and 15 cm stone soling, bottom at 1.00 m below GL; 0.30 m thick brick wall panels in a 0.35 m wide trench 0.60 m deep (10 cm PCC + 15 cm soling at the bottom) up to the underside of the 0.30 × 0.30 m plinth beam; plinth top 0.45 m above GL. #### i) Earthwork in excavation | Item | No. | L (m) | B (m) | H/D (m) | Qty (m³) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Column footing pits 0.90 × 0.90 × 1.00 | 6 | 0.900 | 0.900 | 1.000 | 4.860 | | Wall trenches 0.35 wide × 0.60 deep (7 panels, 3.8 − 0.9 each) | 7 | 2.900 | 0.350 | 0.600 | 4.263 | | **Total** | | | | | **9.123** | #### ii) Stone soling in foundation and sand filling in floor | Item | No. | L (m) | B (m) | H/D (m) | Qty (m³) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Soling 15 cm under footings | 6 | 0.900 | 0.900 | 0.150 | 0.729 | | Soling 15 cm under wall trenches | 7 | 2.900 | 0.350 | 0.150 | 1.066 | | **Total** | | | | | **1.795** | | Item | No. | L (m) | B (m) | H/D (m) | Qty (m³) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Sand filling 30 cm in two rooms 3.5 × 3.5 | 2 | 3.500 | 3.500 | 0.300 | 7.350 | | **Total** | | | | | **7.350** | Soling = 1.795 m³; sand filling = 7.35 m³. #### iii) PCC (for RCC) up to plinth beam Column height from footing top to plinth = 1.00 − 0.10 − 0.15 − 0.30 + 0.45 = 0.90 m. | Item | No. | L (m) | B (m) | H/D (m) | Qty (m³) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Footings 0.90 × 0.90 × 0.30 | 6 | 0.900 | 0.900 | 0.300 | 1.458 | | Columns 0.30 × 0.30 × 0.90 (footing top to plinth) | 6 | 0.300 | 0.300 | 0.900 | 0.486 | | Plinth beams 0.30 × 0.30, 3.5 m clear (7 panels) | 7 | 3.500 | 0.300 | 0.300 | 2.205 | | **Total** | | | | | **4.149** | #### iv) Brickwork up to plinth Height below the beam = 0.60 − 0.10 − 0.15 + 0.45 − 0.30 = 0.50 m. | Item | No. | L (m) | B (m) | H/D (m) | Qty (m³) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Wall 0.30 thick × 0.50 m high, 7 panels of 3.5 m | 7 | 3.500 | 0.300 | 0.500 | 3.675 | | **Total** | | | | | **3.675** | **Answer:** Excavation 9.12 m³; soling 1.79 m³ and sand filling 7.35 m³; concrete for RCC 4.15 m³ (footings, columns, plinth beams); brickwork to plinth 3.67 m³. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. Why is each wall trench panel 2.9 m long when the column grid is 3.8 m? A. The 0.90 m footing pits at the ends are already excavated, so 0.90 m is deducted from the 3.8 m spacing B. The trench is shortened by the wall thickness at each end C. Only 2.9 m of the wall is built on the ground D. The trench stops at the plinth beam Answer: A. Footing pits are measured separately, so the trench between them is 3.8 - 0.9 = 2.9 m to avoid double counting. (Key point: Wall trench length in framed structure) 2. Footing bottom is 1.00 m below GL with 0.10 m PCC, 0.15 m soling and 0.30 m footing; plinth is 0.45 m above GL. What is the column height from footing top to plinth? A. 1.45 m B. 0.90 m C. 0.45 m D. 1.05 m Answer: B. 1.00 - 0.10 - 0.15 - 0.30 = 0.45 m below ground, plus 0.45 m above = 0.90 m. (Key point: Column height) 3. Which elements make up the 4.149 m3 of concrete for RCC up to plinth beam? A. Footings, 10 cm PCC bed and stone soling B. Only the plinth beams C. Column footings, columns up to plinth and plinth beams D. Footings and brick wall panels Answer: C. The RCC concrete covers the footing, column and plinth beam; PCC bed and soling are separate items and brickwork is not concrete. (Key point: Concrete items in RCC) 4. Why is 0.30 m subtracted in the wall height 0.60 - 0.10 - 0.15 + 0.45 - 0.30 = 0.50 m? A. The 0.30 m deep plinth beam occupies the top of the wall height, so the brick wall stops under it B. It is the thickness of the wall C. It is the footing thickness D. It allows for mortar joints Answer: A. Brickwork goes up to the underside of the plinth beam, so the beam depth is not counted as brickwork. 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