class note for 6th semester Civil Engineering, estimating -II

CLASS-1

CHAPTER 4: SPECIFICATION:
Specification describes the nature and the class of work, material to be used in the work,
workmanship, etc. and is important for the execution of the work. The cost of the work depends
on the specification. Specification should be clear. From the study of the specification one can
easily understand the nature of the work and what the work shall be. The combination of
drawings and specifications define the structure. Drawings and specifications form important
parts of contract document.

During writing specification attempts should be made to express all the requirements of
the work clearly, in a concise form, avoiding repetition. Specification should be arranged in the
same order in which the work will ne carried out. In writing specification the words “shall be” or
“should be” are used.

Specifications depend on the nature of the work, the purpose for which the work is
required, strength of the materials, availability of materials, quantity of materials, etc.

Specifications are of two types-

1. General/ brief specification and

2. Detailed specification.

General or brief specification: it gives the nature and the class of the work and materials in
general terms, to be used in the various parts of the work, from the foundation to the super
structure. It is a short description of different parts of work specifying materials, proportions,
qualities, etc. General specifications give general idea of the whole work or structure and are
useful for preparing the estimate.

Detailed specification: the detailed specification of an item of work specifies the quantities of
materials, the proportion of mortar, workmanship, the method of preparation and execution and
the methods of measurement. The detailed specifications of different items of work are prepared
separately, and describe what the works should be and how they shall be executed and
constructed. The detailed specifications are arranged as far as possible in the same sequence of
order as the work is carried out. It forms an important part of contract document.

1. General specification of a first class building

Foundation and plinth- it should be of I-class brickwork in lime mortar or 1:6 cement mortar
over lime concrete or 1:4:8 cement concrete.
Damp proof course- DPC shall be 2.5cm (1ʹʹ) thick cement concrete 1:1 :3, mixed with 1 kg of
Impermo per bag of cement or other standard water proofing materials as specified and painted
with two coats of bitumen.

N.B.-Impermo – it is nothing but a water proofing material used in damp proofing.

Super structure- it should be of I-class brick work in lime mortar or 1:6 cement mortar. Lintel
over doors and windows shall be of RCC.

Roofing- roof shall be of RCC slab with an insulation layer and lime concrete terracing above,
supported by RCC beams or RS joists. Height of room shall not be less than 3.7 m.

Flooring – drawing room and dining room floors shall be of mosaic flooring. Bathroom and
WC floors shall be of mosaic flooring. Floors of bedroom shall be colored and polished of 2.5
cm cement concrete over 7.5 cm lime concrete.

N.B.-Mosaic flooring – it is a type of flooring, where floors are made from small round pieces
of stone. They form design pattern and give a beautiful look to the room. Most of the ‘mosaics’
are made of small, flat, roughly square, pieces of stone or glass of different colors.

Finishing – inside and outside wall shall be of 12 mm cement lime plastered 1:1:6 (cement:
lime: sand). Drawing, dining and bathroom- inside shall be distempered and others- inside white
washed in 3 coats. Outside should be color washer in two coats over one coat of white washing.

N.B. Distempering: it is the type of paint where chalk is used as base and water is used as
carrier. It is available in powered form, so they are to be mixed with hot water before use.

Doors and windows – Chaukhats should be seasoned teak wood. Shutters should be of teak
wood of 4.3 cm thick paneled glazed or partly paneled and partly glazed as required, with
additional wire gauge shutters. All fittings should be of brass material. Doors and windows
should be varnished or painted with two coat of high class enamel paint over one coat of
priming. Windows should be provided with iron grills.

Miscellaneous- rain water pipes of cast iron or of asbestos cement should be provided and
finished painted. Building should be provided with 1st class sanitary and water fittings and
electrical installation. 1 m wide 7.5 cm thick Cement Concrete apron (1:3:6) should be provided
all around the building.

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