---
title: "Building: excavation, brick, paneled door, plaster"
subject: "Estimating and Costing"
chapter: 6
key: "semester_7/estimating_and_costing:building-p-four-items"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/estimating_and_costing/building-p-four-items
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Building: excavation, brick, paneled door, plaster

Estimating and Costing · Chapter 6: Detailed Estimate

- Asked in: 2071 Chaitra, 4×4 marks
- 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-p-four-items
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/estimating_and_costing/chapter-6

## Question

Estimate detailed quantities for the following items from attached building drawing:
i) Earth work in excavation in foundation
ii) Brick work in cement sand (1:6) mortar up to plinth
iii) 40 mm thick sal work wood paneled door shutter
iv) 12 mm thick inside cement plaster (1:6)
[Figure: single room building with front verandah. Room 4.00 m × 4.50 m (as marked), verandah 2.00 m wide, 30 × 30 cm pillars, 30 cm walls with window; door 100 × 200 cm, window 100 × 140 cm, shelf 100 × 170 cm; steps tread 30, rise 15, 1.40 m / 2.00 m wide; wall section: 7.5 cm L.C. over 10 cm R.B. slab, 3.50 m height, 2.80 m and 2.20 m, 2 cm D.P.C., 45 cm plinth, 80 cm foundation with L.C. 10-30 cm layers; verandah pillar foundation 70 × 70 cm L.C. Details approximate.]

## Short answer

Earthwork excavation for wall trench and pillar pits: 12.82 m3. Brickwork in 1:6 mortar up to plinth including footings: 6.33 m3. Sal wood door shutter 40 mm thick after frame deduction: 1.755 m2. Inside plaster 12 mm thick: 44.20 m2.

## Answer

#### Reading of the figure
Room 4.0 × 4.5 m clear, 300 mm walls, 2.0 m verandah in front carried on three 30 × 30 cm pillars (pillar footings 70 × 70 cm); door 1.00 × 2.00 m, window 1.00 × 1.40 m, shelf 1.00 × 1.70 m (a recess, so its plaster surface is not deducted). Foundation taken as 0.80 m wide × 0.80 m deep: lime concrete 0.30 m, one brick step 0.60 m × 0.15 m, 300 mm wall; plinth 0.45 m; clear height 2.80 m.

Centre-line length = 2[(4.0 + 0.3) + (4.5 + 0.3)] = 18.20 m.

#### i) Earthwork in excavation
| Item | No. | L (m) | B (m) | H/D (m) | Qty (m³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall trench 0.80 wide × 0.80 deep | 1 | 18.200 | 0.800 | 0.800 | 11.648 |
| Pillar pits 0.70 × 0.70 × 0.80 (3 nos.) | 3 | 0.700 | 0.700 | 0.800 | 1.176 |
| **Total** | | | | | **12.824** |

#### ii) Brickwork in 1:6 up to plinth
Wall height above the step = 0.80 − 0.30 − 0.15 + 0.45 = 0.80 m.

| Item | No. | L (m) | B (m) | H/D (m) | Qty (m³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brick footing 0.60 × 0.15 | 1 | 18.200 | 0.600 | 0.150 | 1.638 |
| Wall 0.30 × 0.80 to plinth | 1 | 18.200 | 0.300 | 0.800 | 4.368 |
| Pillar brick step 0.50 × 0.50 × 0.15 | 3 | 0.500 | 0.500 | 0.150 | 0.112 |
| Pillar 0.30 × 0.30 × (0.80−0.30−0.15+0.45) | 3 | 0.300 | 0.300 | 0.800 | 0.216 |
| **Total** | | | | | **6.335** |

#### iii) 40 mm thick sal wood panelled door shutter
Allowing 50 mm for the frame at each side and at the head: shutter = (1.00 − 2 × 0.05) × (2.00 − 0.05) = 0.90 × 1.95 = **1.755 m²** (1 no.).

#### iv) 12 mm inside cement plaster (1:6)
| Item | No. | L (m) | B (m) | H/D (m) | Qty (m²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inside walls 2(4.0+4.5) × 2.80 | 1 | 17.000 | 2.800 | – | 47.600 |
| Deduct door 1.0×2.0 | -1 | 1.000 | 2.000 | – | -2.000 |
| Deduct window 1.0×1.4 | -1 | 1.000 | 1.400 | – | -1.400 |
| **Total** | | | | | **44.200** |

**Answer:** Excavation 12.82 m³; brickwork to plinth 6.33 m³; door shutter 1.755 m²; inside plaster 44.20 m² (assumed details).

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Why are pillar pits (3 nos. of 0.70 x 0.70 x 0.80) added to the wall trench in excavation?
   A. Isolated verandah pillar footings are outside the continuous wall trench and must be excavated separately
   B. They replace the wall trench under the verandah
   C. They are part of the wall's centre-line length
   D. They are only for the shelf recess
   Answer: A. The pillar footings are separate pits, so they are counted by number in addition to the continuous trench. (Key point: Pillar pits)

2. Trench 0.80 m, lime concrete 0.30 m, brick step 0.15 m, plinth 0.45 m above GL. What is the wall height above the step?
   A. 0.80 m
   B. 0.35 m
   C. 0.95 m
   D. 1.25 m
   Answer: A. 0.80 - 0.30 - 0.15 = 0.35 m below ground, plus 0.45 m = 0.80 m. (Key point: Wall height above step)

3. With a frame of 100 mm at the sides and 50 mm at the head, what is the shutter area for the 1.00 x 2.00 m door?
   A. 0.90 x 1.90 = 1.71 m2
   B. 0.90 x 1.95 = 1.755 m2
   C. 1.00 x 2.00 = 2.00 m2
   D. 0.80 x 1.95 = 1.56 m2
   Answer: D. Width loses 100 mm from the frame at one side only, per the answer's reading (1.00 - 0.10), and height loses the 50 mm head: 0.90 x 1.95. (Key point: Shutter size)

4. In the inside plaster calculation, which openings are deducted?
   A. The door, window and shelf
   B. Only the door
   C. The door and the window, but not the shelf recess
   D. Only the window and shelf
   Answer: C. Door and window are openings and are deducted; the shelf is a recess whose plastered surfaces replace the plaster, so it is not deducted. (Key point: Plaster deductions)

## Related in Estimating and Costing

- [Two-room building: brick plinth, door shutters, plaster](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Festimating_and_costing%3Abuilding-m-two-room-three-items) — Estimating and Costing, chapter 6
- [Two-room building: excavation, PCC, brick, plaster](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Festimating_and_costing%3Abuilding-h-two-room-fig1) — Estimating and Costing, chapter 6
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- [Building: excavation, soling, PCC, brick to plinth](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Festimating_and_costing%3Abuilding-o-framed-4-items) — Estimating and Costing, chapter 6

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