TABLE OF CONTENTS
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................................................. 1
1. PROJECT OVERVIEW / DESCRIPTION ................................................................................ 1
2. CONSISTENCY OF WORK ..................................................................................................... 4
1.1. Preliminary Works ............................................................................................................... 4
1.2. Works To Be Executed ........................................................................................................ 5
3. MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................. 10
3.1. Aggregates ......................................................................................................................... 10
3.2. Cement ............................................................................................................................... 11
3.3. Mixing water...................................................................................................................... 12
3.4. Reinforcements .................................................................................................................. 12
4. BILL OF QUANTITIES .......................................................................................................... 14
APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................... 15
Appendix 1: Architectural Plans............................................................................................... 15
Appendix 2: Septic Tank and Soak away .................................................................................. 15
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
These descriptive notes and technical specifications are drawn up for the purpose of execution of
building construction works. These technical specifications are for the use of the execution firm, the
consultant and all other stake holders in the construction of this edifice.
Building materials concerned are generally what is accepted in the construction industry and only
qualified technicians are required to use these materials in the execution of the works. They shall
follow all indications clearly shown in the working drawings as its aesthetics is also very much
dependent on the manipulation of the carefully chosen materials.
The selected site shall be done in accordance to the envisaged structure in terms of geotechnical
studies, structural calculations, atmospheric conditions, topography, sewage disposal, and
automobile and pedestrian accessibility.
1. PROJECT OVERVIEW / DESCRIPTION
Specification’s document describes or gives detailed information concerning the building as
needed by the building owner. Its purpose is to define the consistency and procedure of work. This
project has a goal to shelter a residential building for Mr. MR JOHN SUNDAY ASONGWED.
The project comprises:
Ground floor (2 Apartments)
• Living room
• 2 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• Dining
• Kitchen
• Circulation
First floor (2 Apartments)
• Living room
• 2 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• Dining
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Circulation
The project is situated at WOKOKA VILLAGE IN WOTUTU BUEA SUB-DIVISION. The
project in question here is that of the design and technical studies of a building with regular
habitation practice. These technical specifications envisage nature, the procedure and consistency of
work to be realized in accordance with the related standards as well as the respect of codes of
practice. Regard is also given to general provisions, nature and quality of materials to be used
necessary for the perfect completion of the building.
Description of the Building with Surface Areas
a) Ground floor components (Per Apartment)
Part Of Building Area (M2)
Living room 13.665
Bedroom 1 11.360
Bedroom 2 14.129
Kitchen 7.880
Dining 6.357
Circulation 5.580
Visitor’s toilet 4.080
Internal toilet 5.920
Main veranda 4.590
Kitchen Veranda 1.800
Total Ground Floor Area 75.360
b) First floor components (Per Apartment)
Part of building area (m2)
Living room 13.655
Bedroom 1 11.360
Bedroom 2 14.129
Kitchen 9.860
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Dining 6.357
Circulation 5.580
Visitor’s toilet 4.140
Internal toilet 5.920
Kitchen Veranda 4.590
Stair’s circulation 2.420
TOTAL FLOOR AREA 78.010
2. CONSISTENCY OF WORK
1.1. Preliminary Works
➢ Building Site Installations
The contractor shall set up temporary constructions and facilities needed to execute the works, such as:
Offices of the Contractor equipped with tables, chairs, and lock-up cupboards.
Building site toilet facility (if it does not exist) Store
house for materials.
Removal of temporary work (fences, field office, sheds, signs, etc.)
➢ Connection to Utility Networks
Connect for Water, Electricity and Telephone shall be carried out for easy communication, supply
of electricity/water to the site.
➢ Sanitation
The contractor shall ensure the availability of food, drinking water and toilet facilities at the
works site.
1.2. Works To Be Executed
Site Preparation
• Site clearance: The vegetable soil shall be cleared off. Excavation and leveling shall be carried
out using dig axes, spades and sledgehammer or a front head loader where necessary.
• Earth works: - The foundation walls and footings shall be excavated to the bearing capacity
of the soil as indicated in the project documents.
Blinding concrete.
A 5cm thick lean concrete mix of 150kg/m3 (CPJ 325) will be laid under the foundation walls and
pads for pillar footings.
Mass Concrete
The ground floors and outdoor pavements of this building will be of mass concrete of dosage
300kg/m3 and following the rules and regulations of pavements and done independently and with
finishes as required by design.
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Reinforced Concrete
The skeleton (framework) of the building shall constitute reinforced beams, pillars, and lintels, which
must be cast in-situ or prefabricated and designed according to the rules of the CP 110 and batching
done according to trial batches or Dreux method, by weight or volume. Mixing, transportation, placing
and vibration of all concrete works shall be done manually and mechanically. A percentage loss due to
waste, mixing and settlement has been envisaged in the quantities which is 32%
Load evaluation has been limited to dead, live and service loads of the building external horizontal
and vertical charges due to wind; rain etc. have not been considered which is due to the negligible
atmospheric conditions of the area.
The floors have a thick mass concrete of 300kg/m3 mix APC and will be laid on 8cm layer of
hardcore spread on the bearing surface area.
The aggregates will be of class 15/25 and free from organic impurities and any substance that may
adversely affect the strength and workability of the concrete. Cast concrete shall be cured as required
to achieve its maximum strength.
Reception For Reinforcements
The Contractor shall inform the consultant after assembling of reinforcements for approval the
consultant shall indicate “Good for concreting” on the building site logbook, thereby authorizing the
Contractor to proceed.
Safety of Workers and Others Nails, bolts, or projections should immediately be removed from used
forms if they are to be used again. Otherwise, the forms should be burnt immediately or stored at a
distance from the building site, in a place that is not accessible to the public.
Placing Of Concrete
The concrete should be placed before its initial setting time, and never after it has contained its
water content for more than thirty minutes; storing it in containers for subsequent use after adding
water is strictly prohibited. All concrete should always be thoroughly vibrated using mechanical
vibrators.
All reinforcing rods should be placed in such a way that concrete can be poured from the top of the
structure in question. The Contractor shall take all measures to trim and position the reinforcements
to prevent them from being displaced during concreting. He should also add braces (sleeves, tubes,
pipes, angle blocks, pre-frames, etc.) to keep the structures set up.
Concrete should be transported from the place where it is made to the place of use with concrete
buckets, wheelbarrows, or head pans.
Before concreting construction joints, the old concrete must be thoroughly cleaned of any
rubble using compressed air and repeated to reveal gravel and eliminate deposits of dirt;
this surface should then be washed and scrubbed with an iron brush and thoroughly soaked.
If necessary, admixtures for construction joints can be used, but these must comply with
producers’ instructions. No concreting of construction joints should be done on the visible
parts of structures.
The formwork should be removed only after the concrete has acquired enough strength.
Various proportions of concrete to be respected
DESIGNATION DOSAGE STRUCTURE
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Lean concrete 150 kg/m3 Blinding concrete
Massive concrete 300 kg/m3 Over site concrete
Reinforced concrete 350 kg/m3 Pillars, beams, and footings
MASONRY
The foundation walls shall be done in cement hollow blocks of 20x20x40 where need be while the
walls shall be erected in cement hollow blocks of 15x20x40cm as shown on the working drawings
Locally produced bricks must respect the following conditions:
They bricks must be laid using cement mortar as specified.
PLASTERING
Two coats of plaster of 2cm thick and two coats of (stucco) rendering 2.5cm thick shall be
applied on the walls respectively in cement mortar of 400kg/m3 mix.
CARPENTRY AND JOINERY
Timber will be gotten locally, well-seasoned and shall be free from shakes, defects, insects attack and
dry rods. All doorframes are of hardwood panel timber.
OPENINGS
Metallic Doors
All external doors and windows shall be of high metal quality properly finished respecting the
dimensions on the working drawings. The other doors will be wooden doors indoors. They shall be
received on site by the supervisor before fitting is carried out.
Cluster Windows
All the window openings shall be in concrete cluster blocks of 35cmx35cm as shown on the
working drawings.
PAINTING
The contractor must carefully examine the surface to be painted before work starts. The external wall
surfaces shall be done in advancing hues while the internal surfaces shall be done in receding hues.
Color pigments and lighting systems and their intensities shall enhance the value and intensity of
colors. The first or primary coat shall be done in weak glue (whitewash) and should be applied to
receive the final or finishing coat. Metallic surfaces should be carefully brushed or washed clean
before applying paint.
Internal surface shall be done in Pantex type 800 and Pantex 1300 on external walls. Paints shall be in
water and oil base for walls, ceilings, frames etc.
ROOF COVERING
All the timber for the roof trusses shall be eucalyptus and obtained locally, well-seasoned and shall be
of straight grains, without defects and treated against insect attack with carbonyl most of the roof
trusses shall be triangular.
The rafters shall be of (5x12cm) and the purlins2”x4” (4x8cm.) Oblique, horizontal and vertical wind
braces shall be done to secure the truss from possible up heave due to wind pressures. The roof shall
be tied to the building by diameter 6mm extended reinforcement bars. The roof slope, fall direction
etc. is chosen in accordance with the manufacturers (AUBAC) specification, atmospheric conditions
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aesthetic and longevity. The sheathing shall be semi-circular corrugated three (3) m long aluminum
sheets of 0.35, from SCATRAL or AUBAC Douala. It shall be screwed or nailed to the purlins by
carefully chosen qualified and skilled technicians under the close supervision of the architect. The
fascia boards shall be of metal sheets with a finish hue to be determined by the architect in close
collaboration with the client.
CEILING
The ceiling shall be executed with 4mm hard plywood fixed on solidly nailed noggins and
painted as mentioned above.
ELECTRICITY
All the electrical installations i.e., cables, fittings etc. shall respect all norms enforced. The final
connection to the main supply shall be done in collaboration with the electricity company.
GUTTERS
To be excavated, 40cm wide and 30cm deep and to be provided round the entire building. The side
of gutters constructed of concrete and the floor will be rolled and smoothen out with ordinary
cement concrete providing a slop of 10% for the flow of water.
Prefabricated slaps of two (2) meters shall be provided at on pathways.
GLASS WORK
The glazing shall be in transparent reflective, tinted and stained. Insulated glass shall be on the noisy
wing of the house to be indicated by the architect. Windows Tinted glass shall be used for bedroom
windows and stained glass for sitting, doors; parlor windows shall be reflective and transparent
internally. The terraces shall be in steel balusters or in respect of clients’ choice.
SEPTIC TANK.
It shall be set out as indicated on foundation plan and constructed as shown on detail sketch done to
conform to hygienic regulations enforced and the technical specification. It shall be constructed on R.C
slab in solid blocks of 15x20x40cm cement /sand mortar mix of 300kg/m3 internal rendering shall be
done in mortar mix of 400kg/m3 to render it watertight. A 10cm thick cover slab in RC shall be
prefabricated and placed on top of the tank. Connected vent pipe of
63mm PVC shall be raised to a reasonable height above ground level to crater for pollution.
SOAKAWAY PIT
The effluent from septic tank and wastewater from kitchens, and laundry rooms shall drain into the
soak away pit. A soak away pit of diameter 170cm shall be packed with sand stones (white stones) to
improve aeration and support walls from possible collapse. A mass concrete screed shall be placed on
the stones and a reinforced concrete slab on the hole in the middle of the pit. It shall be done to
disappear beneath a thin layer of earth.
INSPECTION CHAMBERS
They are of dimensions 60x60x30cm in 10x20x40cm blocks. Constructed at each change of direction
of drainpipes and immediately before the septic tank and the soak away pit to facilitate inspection of
system. The drainpipes are laid to a 1:60 fall.
PLUMBING, SANITARY INSTALLATIONS.
Water supply pipelines and accessories are in (copper and cast iron) and laid on 8cm thick layer of
sand. But for discharge pipes, all the vertical pipelines shall be in galvanized steel of appropriate
diameter. The supply to apparatus shall in copper pipes with accessories.
The installations shall resist cold and hot water systems. All the apparatus shall be fixed as
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indicated on the plans the WCs etc. will be connected and drained into down pipes by means.
Mitigating the risks on the environment
Focus shall be made on the environmental mitigation measures retain
3. MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
3.1. Aggregates
All crushed aggregate on the building site should be stored in the compartments intended for this
purpose. The only aggregate authorized on the building site is the following:
Crushed 0/5 gravel (river sand)
Crushed 5/15 fine gravel
Crushed 15/25 coarse gravel.
Natural or crushed sand 0/5 (the quantity retained on a 5 mm sieve must be less than 10 %. Crushed
aggregate at the site shall be subject to prior approval of the consultant. The latter must approve the
origin of the aggregate. The aggregate should come from rivers, quarries or crushed stable rocks, free
of foreign bodies, organic material, dust, mud, and clay, whether it sticks to grit or not. With respect
to particle distribution, the following shall apply:
Sand (Fine Aggregate)
Sand shall have the characteristics specified in the tables of approved tests. Sand must be fine, clean,
hard, and sharp and must not stick to the hand. It must be free of any soil or limestone, wastes, debris
and wood. It should, if need be, be sieved and washed. The sand must come from approved quarries
or from rivers. It must not contain more than 5% weight of grit passing through a sieve with 900
meshes per cm2 and must not contain particles, whose biggest dimensions exceed the following
limits:
For mortar 0/2 mm
For reinforced concrete 0/5 mm
For non-reinforced concrete 10/5 mm
Cleanliness: The sand must have sand equivalent (SE) higher than 75.
3.2. Cement
Cement shall be true Portland of standard brand and manufacture to CPA 45 or CPJ 35 type or
equivalent.
The cement used should be artificial Portland cement 215.325 P.15.302 Standard. It should be
supplied to the building site in six ply paper bags. Any humid cement shall be rejected and
immediately removed from the building site.
The Contractor must inform the supervisor that he has received his supplies.
Random samples could be taken from each lot and tested in an approved laboratory using the
AFNOR P.15.301 Standard, at the contractor’s expense.
The lots that do not meet the standards must be removed from the stock and taken away from the
building site.
The bags must be in good shape, at the time they reach the site, and should be stored in a covered and
completely dry place, and on a raised plank surface that is at least 10 cm above the ground.
3.3. Mixing water
The water employed for the mixing of the mortars and concretes will have to:
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• Contain less than 2 grams/liter of suspended matter;
• Contain less than 2 grams/liter of dissolved salt, to be free of organic matter and chlorine.
• The water used for the mixing of the concrete must be clean.
3.4. Reinforcements
All reinforcements or meshes must comply with BAEL 91 specifications. Iron rods must have
French AFNOR 35.001 standard characteristics or similar. All reinforcements used in the
construction project must be of the Fe E240 grade for smooth bars and the Fe E400 grade for high
bond rods. The rods must be cut with shears.
The rod should be bent cold, either manually or mechanically. Hot bending may be allowed for high
adhesive rods of a diameter equal to or larger than 32 mm, on condition that a control apparatus is
used to avoid overheating, and on the approval of the Project Manager’s representative.
The diameter of the tube benders used for bending must comply with BAEL 91 rules and approval
records. Anchor tabs shall be normal 45-degree elbows at right angle or double knee anchoring.
The metal used shall be clean and free from calamine. Bars with defects such as blisters, cracks or
hairlines that can affect tensile strength shall be rejected.
Concrete reinforcements shall be assembled to the exact dimensions indicated in the drawings
provided by the consulting firm or the Contractor.
Reinforcements must be assembled in the workshop at the building site. They should never be
assembled inside the form box if the cheek boards have already been put in place.
The space between the walls of the formwork and reinforcements should be at least 2.3 cm for
elevation concrete and 4 cm for foundation concrete. These spaces should be obtained using
prefabricated concrete or plastic shims, whose dimension should match the results to be obtained.
The concrete shims should have wires to be used in tying them to the reinforcements. There should
be enough shims and mounting bars to prevent the reinforcements from being deformed during
handling and concreting.
If there are any doubts as to the quality of the iron rods supplied to the project site, the supervisor or
his representative could, ask for tensile strength tests on the samples taken from the batch. Such tests
would be done at the contractor’s expense. The tests should be carried out by an approved body.
For floor beam frames, all measures should be taken to keep the bars raised and properly
positioned around the supports. Enough vertical stirrup rods should be used to prevent any
deformation. All overlaps should comply with BAEL 91 prescriptions.
Frames with traces of non-adhesive rust should be thoroughly brushed off before being placed in the
forms. The reinforcements, whether assembled or not, should be stored on boards and not on bare
ground.
The iron rods used must be supplied by a reputable and approved manufacturer with guaranteed and
stamped production quality. The 6 mm diameter iron rods could be used for circles with diameters of
200: Ø.
The iron rods supplied must be at least 11 m long.
