YOUR HOME STRUCTURAL SAFETY FIRST:

YOUR  HOME STRUCTURAL SAFETY FIRST:

Selecting a safe and trouble free home in urban areas of our country is increasingly becoming a problem for a common man. It is almost importance that amongst the several factors which a common man considers while purchasing his home the topmost consideration should be given to STRUCTURAL SAFETY. However, due to several other constraints this factor is often completely neglected or not given the importance it deserves. Greater consideration is given to other factors like FINANCE, LOCATION, CONVENIENCE, and TIME which are next importance to structurally safety.

MECHANISM OF REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURE:

A high raise multistoried structure is generally constructed using local bearing reinforced cement concrete in its formwork and different types of materials as filler within the voids of formwork. This filler materials protects the persons and their belongings a against wind, rain, sun and other elements of nature and at the same time also protect them and their belongings from their fellow human beings. The reinforced concrete framework is designed and constructed to carry various loads and to withstand various forces. The Reinforced Cement Concrete framework consist of various members such as foundations, columns, beams, slabs etc. They carry their own weight besides the load of the persons, furniture, internal, partitions walls, external walls and all other fittings and fixtures, The RCC frame work, whether in an apartment building or a bungalow must remain structurally strong and stable throughout its life. The RCC framework of an apartment building or bungalow is like the strong backbone of the human body. If it is not properly designed, constructed and maintained, then the buyer is not only putting his hard earned money and property at stack but is also endangering the lives of his family members. Natural calamities like earthquakes or storms often induce additional horizontal loads to act on the structure. These can cause tremendous damage to life and property if the structure is not properly designed or constructed to cater to such loads. Hence STRUCTURAL SAFETY of RCC frame work must be given prime importance.

WHY DOES BUILDING FAIL?

Structures which are loaned, designed and constructed properly should have a very long life. Safety and stability do not get so easily affected in such cases. Then WHY DO STRUCTURES COLLAOSE?. The Gujarat earthquake on 26th January 2001 was an eye opener. Several structures collapsed within a matter of a few seconds . Earthquakes do not kill people, building do.

CASUSES OF BUILDING COLLAPSE

Some important causes which disturb the stability of a structure and can ultimately cause a collapse are generally classified as under:

 Inadequate planning and architectural layout Poor RCC structural design and detailing consideration ductility requirement of RCC framework under horizontal loads (earthquake under wind) or correct

loads and moments. By providing correct quantity of steel reinforcement in concrete , the structure is able to face the horizontal loads as steel imparts ductility to the RCC members’

 Us of poor quality materials, especially steel and cement, with intentions to economies’

 Improper proportion ting of materials in concrete mixes. For example, use of sand having a high sill content and clay ball or use of concrete aggregates (gravel or stone chips ) which are poorly graded not having proper shape

 Weak founding strata on which the building rests or weak foundations or providing wrong type of foundation

 Sub-standard construction particles and lack of or total absence of experienced, trained and qualified supervision during construction

 Poor maintenance of the structure . e.g. leakages, seepages, corrosion etc.

 Structural and non-structural cracks not attended to, causing loss of durability and ultimately loss of strength

 Neglect of general hygiene and cleanliness due to which rodent nuisance and harmful vegetation growth is caused. These weaken the foundation and the superstructure respectively

 Additional loads ( not planned earlier) imposed on the structure by the occupants, for which the structure was not designed . e.g. Additional overhead or lift tanks, terrace gardens, mezzanine floors, swimming pools air conditioning plants, cooling towers, balcony enclosures etc.

 Modification or removal of structural members such as slabs, beams and columns’

 Tampering with structural columns and beams to conceal electrical conducts water supply and drainage/ sewerage lines by cutting into the concrete. This often results in removing or damaging reinforcement steel and causes cracks in concrete

 Deep excavation very close to the existing structure’s foundation and causing undermining and differential settlement

 Landslides’

 Hurricane or storm

 Fire

Floods or soil erosion

 Earthquake

 Explosions/Bomb blasts

WHAT GENERALLY ATTRACTS THE BUYER?

It is observed that if one needs a house in a city then either the person contacts a broker, browses through the various advertisements in a local newspapers or goes by suggestions given by the friends and relatives. A very rosy picture is presented in all attract the buyer. Some of them as they appear in the local newspapers, are categorized below:

 Aesthetic features’

 Payments and cost related terms and conditions’

 Vocational advantages .

 Improved ambience related facilities.

 Security related amenities.

 Car parking provisions.

 Health and entertainment related amenities.

 Architectural layout merits.

 Other miscellaneous amenities.

SOME FACTS

Some facts need to be clearly understood by the buyer before he decides to purchase his new home.

IGNORED SAFETY ASPECT:

The above features or amenities are all badly advertised to attract the buyer, No features stressing on structural quality, stability or durability are advertised. This ia because the builders and developers are aware of what the common man wants. Very few developers have been recently advertising that their buildings confirm to resistant design.

So the buyer gets the desired amenities ,at the cost of structural safety. What is end of result? Severe distress in the structure some years later or a collapse triggered due to structural deficiencies or inadequate maintenance. It may be understood clearly that for a safe house, structural design, RCC construction and specifications have to be properly defined and executed.

STRUCTURAL ADVICE:

A buyer will often take legal advice or query the Builder and Developers on the quality aspect of concrete works or structural design. We therefore see no advertisement stating some points which indicate good structural design or good construction practices. It is recommended to take structural advice as for as possible finalizing the purchase.

LOW COST

Cost is the first criterion for selection. Therefore, a buyer is always inclined to buy his house at the cheapest prince available. Therefore are good chances that the builder has cut corners in his structural work by way of using cheep quality concrete materials, inadequate structural design, often compromising on safety aspect if the structure against natural calamities like earthquakes. Deployment of inadequate supervisory force and not exercising quality control of design and construction of RCC work are other cost saving methods which may lead to costly repairs or even a collapse if the purchaser is not careful and wants to buy his house at the cheapest price. All types of methodologies to cut corners are passed on to the buyer by way of methodologies to cut corners are passed on to the buyer by way of cheaper price. Careful observations have to be made before deciding to buy low cost house.

LAVISH INTERIOR AND EXTERNAL FINISHES:

Structural inadequacies are often made up by superficial glamorous looking plaster, stone (marble, granite etc.) work and / or paint. This along with other cosmetic features may increase the cost of the structure but does not help in any way in giving structural stability or safety. However, paying a higher price is also not an assurance for purchasing a structurally safe home. The lavish interior and external finishes as advised lure the moneyed buyer, but if the structural work is badly designed and / or constructed, he will soon realize that beauty is only skin deep. What is within the structure i.e. concrete quality counts more than external superficial appearance. It is the structural frame work which has to be sound and durable and the lavish external finishes and interiors have virtually no contribution to make towards structural safety, stability or performance of a new home. Hence the purchaser must invest his money in a structurally safe building with inadequate structural concrete work.

SAFTY FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED BY PURCHASERS:

In order to avoid problematic situation in future, the common man just seriously consider the following factors before purchasing his flat or bungalow that will become his home. These are very important and must be given full consideration before a final decision is taken to purchase a flat:

1. Structure’s ability to withstand vertical loads as well as horizontal forces like earthquake and wind or any other can be best checked form the structural drawing and architectural layout.

2. It likely that drawings and other information form the Builder or his architect and Structural consultant may not be easily forthcoming. However, to safeguard himself, the buyer must insist on these details even if it becomes necessary to pay nominal charges for the same.

3. If it is not possible to get the above details the buyer can insist on certification from the Owner/Developer Architect, Contractor, Supervising agency and the Structural Engineer as per the formats suggested in Annexure A,B, C, D and E respectively.

4. It will also be useful to have a document from the Builder / Society containing names, address, telephone numbers of all agencies/authorities located. These details can come very useful to the buyer as an individual or society collectively, in case there is need to do maintenance or addition or alterations at any time during the occupancy. The addresses, names and telephone numbers of the following agencies/ authorities would be helpful.

 Builder / Developer.

 Architect

 Structural and Geotechnical Consultant/ Engineer.

 Constructor of both RCC works and other finishing works.

 Supervising agency or Engineer.

 Licensed electrical contractor.

 Agency / Supplier of elevations installed in Local Municipal authority in charge of sanctioning / approving the building.

 Municipal ward office and fire station under whose jurisdiction the plot is located.

In order to cover the factors that influence safety and stability in greater detail, guidance is given to the purchaser in two distinct options:

Option (A) when the building is under construction at the time of purchase .

Option (B) when the building is already completed or occupied at the time of purchase ( or resale)

PURCHASER’S GUIDE

BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE:

Architectural layout-

Properly planned architectural layout plans an important role of the structural stability. If layout is not suitable to the buyer then it should be revised before the building is constructed. If the layout not revised then the latter date the buyer is likely to make some changes leading to introduction of additional loads or change of user which can cause structural stability or damage resulting in reduction of life of the structure (durability)

VASTHU SHASTRA

If the purchaser is staunch believer of VASTHU SHASTRA then ha must get the architectural layout checked by a Vasthu expert and only satisfied, venture to buy the flat. Carrying out modifications or changing the use of various rooms to meet the vasthu requirement at the later stage may create stability or damager resulting in reduction of life of the structure.

BACONIES:

Certain areas like balconies are exempt fully or partly from the calculation of floor space index (FSI). In order to get full advantage of selling more area, the developer exploits such rules of building bye-laws. As a result the architectural layout is prepared to suit needs. Large cantilever ( projecting out supported at one end only) slabs and beams to accommodate such balconies are designed by the Structural Consultant to suit the architectural layout and developer’s requirements. If adequate care is not taken initially during its design and construction and later during is service life, these beams often shows sign of distress. They are also likely to collapse during an earthquake forces. 

BUILDING ON STILTS:

The ground floor is often used for parking cars. This area too is exempted from FSI calculations. Such buildings at the ground level generally have only columns with no masonry or concrete walls in between the columns. The building is therefore termed as “ BUILDING ON STILTS”. The lower story is called “SOFT STORY” Structures which are large cantilever projections on all sides to accommodate balconies have to be designed and constructed with adequate care as they are most vulnerable to collapse during an earthquake. It is advisable to get the design verified in such cases to assure safety of a new home.

DOORS AND WINDOWS:

Large windows and doors are good for air and light entry into a home. Aesthetically also the structure looks good with elegant looking windows and doors. However, large openings between columns reduces the lateral restraint during an earthquake and therefore the RCC framed structure has to be properly designed to clatter to this weakness. Also adequate care must be taken to avoid any opening within 0.6 m from the corner of the building.

SLENDER CONCRETE MEMBERS:

Slender RCC columns, fins, canopies and other members look architecturally good and elegant. Slender columns also occupy less floor space. However, generally slender RCC members are densely reinforced and it is very difficult to place and compact concrete in them. Due to construction lapses, large voids may be formed (honeycombs). These voids causes reduction of strength and also permit moisture, chlorides (if building is close to the sea shore) and other chemicals to enter concrete. Due to moisture and chloride entry into the concrete, the steel in RCC structure is attacked and corrosion of steel commences. Corrosion of steel is like cancer in a human body. It has to be stopped or else it starts spreading, causes concrete crack (spall). Steel (ferrous) When it reacts with water (moisture) and/ or chloride gets conversion causes the steel bar to grow in volume (expand) resulting in spalling of concrete. As a result RCC members having corrosion and cracking problem lose their stiffnessandstrength and if neglected can fail, causing the structure to collapse. Slender concrete members when visually inspected must be free from honeycombs and large voids.

LEAKEGES:

Leakages through roof, walls, toilet blocks are constant source of worry  the occupants. The paint peals off and the interior of the flat looks ugly with wet patches. Besides giving an ugly appearance, the presence of moisture over a long period of time can cause corrosion of steel in the RCC members and reduce their strength considerably.

Good and dense quality concrete is a must. Proper specification and construction can go a long way in preventing such leakages. Waterproofing treatment are a second line of defense and can work satisfactory it and only if the original concrete reasonable good quality. It is therefore necessary to examine the concrete specification, the method of construction, concrete mix design and supervision at site. The buyer should take technical assistance to review such parameters.

Leakage can also occur through through the plaster and masonry during the monsoon. Inspection to the building under construction, during heavy monsoon will indicted to the buyer some area vulnerarable of leakages. Leakages also occur at the junction of masonry (filter material with the RCC frame) and RSS frame work. It should be entrusted that the joints properly packed and sealed prior to plastering. All joints between the course of bricks /blocks must also be to be taken into consideration for masonry and plaster work. A good construction agency and good supervision should be able to prevent these defects.

Ready mixed Concrete (RMC) is available in certain metropolitan cities. RMC plants, under proper control, supply concrete mix to the builder or his contractor as per the specifications given to them by the builder’s consultant or architect.

CONSTRUCTION:

Selection of good quality and correct type of concrete materials. Adoption of proper Concrete Mix Design, providing site laboratory for testing materials and concrete, having good concrete production, placing and compacting equipment are hallmarks of a good constructor. Proper quality assurance methods along with a good, experienced, well trained and properly qualified supervisor will ensure stable and durable structure.

The buyer can visit the construction site as frequently as possible and observe if the captivities as stated above are being implemented. 

IF THE BUILDING IS ALREADY COMPLETED AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE:

ARCHITECTURAL PLANS/ LAYOUT AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN VERIFICATION

The following points to be considered.

■professional reputation and standing of the builder, Architect and Structural Consultant must be investigated before purchase. Alternatively their previously designed and constructed structures may be visited for inspection.

■The seller may be requested to give copies of architectural layouts/plans and structural drawings for having these checked by a consultant.

■The structural design can be got checked by the structural Engineer for adequacy against earthquake as in case of 9 . 1 . 3 . 9 . 1 . 4 . 9 . 1. 5.

■A copy of the plants of the building approved by the local authorities should be obtained and checked if the work has been carried out as per approved plans.

■Regarding Vasthu Sahastra would also be applicable here.

REPAIRS, ADDITIONS AND ALTRATIONS:

The following points need serious consideration.

■Past history about structural repairs must also be investigated. If the structure has been repeatedly repaired if is advisable not to purchase the flat in such a building.

■If there are any additions or alterations made in  the building deviating from the orginal drawings, it is advisable that the same are checked by the Structural Consultant. Most of the time occupants carry out several structyral changes out of ignorance and negligence causing building collapses. Hence this aspect require serious thought before puachase.

GENERAL CHECKS”

It is essential to check the following:

■Damp patches, leakages, cracks etc., not only in the flat one desires to purchase but also in other parts of the building should be checked out. If there are several damp patches, leakages, and cracks, purchase should be avoided. If there are minor problems, it is advisable to investigate if the neighbors will cooperate in repairs specially when leakages is from the flat above adjoining.

■Leakages in water supply drainage, sanitation lines should be checked and if required these could be attended to before occupation. This would be an additional cost over the purchase price.

■Ensure that leakages from the flat or terrace above are stopped before the purchase of flat. If not done, at a later stage such leakages can create considerable nuisance and even endanger the structural safety.

■The leakages and damp spots in the flat located below should also be examined. This can cause a problem at a later stage after occupation. If leakage exists, rectification before occupation is necessary. This would mean an additional cost to be included to the purchase price.

■Internal layout of concealed electric wiring, plumbing and drainage systems must be obtained from the seller and examined by competent persons for their adequacy.

■If in doubt, a technical opinion b efore procuring the flat should be obtained as stakes of investment are very high. Besides it can cost one’s life as well as the lives of family members, if the structure is sevely deteriorated or not adequately designed.  

AUDIT/STATUS REPORT:

This is an important aspect the purchaser needs to atted to. An audit report from a Civil Engineer covering various repairs necessary and their cost will help in negotiating the orice with the seller.

ELECRICAL WIRING:

Certain precautions are also necessary to be taken in this regard. They are as follows

■It is essential to have as built layout concealed electrical conduits. This must be insisted upon by the purchaser. A licensed electrician can be appointed by the buyer to get the entire electrical system inspected properly.

■Many serious fires are caused due to poor jointing wires or under capacity wiring. This can result in short circuit and causes fire.

■It is always preferable ti have the overload tripping device installed in each home with a separate trip device for each room.

■Layout and location of switches should match the buyer’s requirements and should be such that they can easily maintained. This must be finalized before the construction. Many times electrical conduits are concealed in RCC columns, beams and slabs causing damage to the structural member. In order to accommodate large conduits or cluster of conduits, reinforcement steel bars are also often cut or removed. This can prove to be very dangerous. The structure can collapse.

■At times it is observed that leakage water enters the embedded electrical conduits and travels to the electrical fittings and fixtures. This is extremely unsafe for the occupants. This must be attended to before the buyer occupies the flat.

FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM

It is essential that certain precautions are taken in this regard by the purchaser.

They are as follows.

■For high-rise structure (above four stories) it is mandatory to install a fire fighting system.

■It should ensured that the fire elevator and fire escape staircase with fire resistant doors are provided besides other equipments insisted upon by the Chief fire Officer (CFO)

■It should checked if all installations and layout of fire fighting systems as given in the no objection certificate issued by CFO are complied with. The safely of the structure depend on this.

■It should be ensured that the fire pump installed is always in good working condition. Do not allow fire fighting tanks to be misused or remain empty.

■It is important to note that fire-fighting system should be capable to fight the fire in the initial period before fire brigrade arrives.

■Telephone numbers of the closets fire station and the central control room of the city fire brigade should be kept handy and displayed at proper locations in the building.

■Fire escape staircase and passages should be kept free from obstructions and not used for storage purposes.

■Buyer and his family members must acquaint themselves with the layout of the escape routes, staircases, refuge areas and the locations of the fire alarms.

PLUMPING< DRAINAGE AND SANITATION WORK

Proper plumbing, drainage and sanitary work are required as most of the leakeges and subsequent structural damages take place due to the defective materials and workmanship. The following points must be noted by the purchaser.

■Layout of plumbing and drainage system should be such that it can be easily maintained in case of any problem or defect.

■Proper jointing and protecting of concealed water supply, drainage and sanitation lines help to avoid leakages in future. Piping and drainage as built layout from the builder should be insisted on.

■It is generally observed that the leakages from toilets and bathrooms are due to defective joints between the pipes and fittings rather than joint between the tiles. Hence all joints the tiles. Hence all the joints between the plumbing lines /fittings must be properly tested for leakproofness before concealing them. Similarly all joints between sanitary lines, fittings and fixtures must be properly sealed before they are concealed in the sunken portion or in the walls.

■Leakages should also be observed around the locations of nahani trap outlet.

INTERSTING INFORMATION ABOUT CONCRETE:

Concrete is an extremely durable material provided it is designed, specified and constructed correctly. However, if not specified and produced correctly it can give serious problems. Two types of defects generally occur in concrete.

a)      Micro defects not visible to the naked eye but having a long term effect on durability (life to structure)

b)      Micro defects visible to the naked eye and having both a short term and a long term effect on durability.

MICRO DEFECTS:

These are generally small capillary pores and fine cracks. As long as they are discontinuous thet do not pose any problem. However, due to wetting and drying, loading and unloading cycles, climates and various other reasons, that get interconnected causing environmental pollutants like water (moisture), chlorides, carbon dioxide and sulphates to enter concrete and chemically react with steel(water and chloride) in concrete or with concrete itself ( carbon dioxide and sulphate) causing chemical reaction like corrosion carbonation ( acidic action on concrete) and eltringite ( chemical which expands and cracks concrete ) formation which reduce the rigidity of the concrete and make it weak.

These micro defects are generally caused due to the following reasons:

■Inadequate structural design can cause very fine cracks.

■Additional load over and above those anticipated in structural design, will cause fine cracks.

■Modifications done on the structural member will causes cracking.

■Use of high water to cement ratio in the concrete mix during construction will cause fine capillary pores ( porosity)

■The practice of hacking freshly placed concrete can result development of micro cracks. This must be totally avoided. Hacking of concrete is done on the surface to give good mechanical bond to the plaster which is applied subsequently.

MICRO DEFECTS:

These are large defects seen with necked eye and result the poor strength and cause very rapid deterioration, posing problems to the stability of the structure. They are generally seen a large voids ( honeycombs) visible cracks, large capillary pores, joints between two subsequent concrete pours or cold joint caused due to time gap between two layers of concrete during the process of concrete pouring.

The micro defects are generally caused due to formation of the following:

HONEYCOMBS:

Honeycombs are cause due to the following reasons .   

■Use of learn watery concrete mixes.

■Inadequate proportion of fine material ( cement+ fine sand) resulting in non-cohesive (harsh) concrete mix.

■Inadequate mixing of concrete materials.

■Segregation (separation of concrete mix constituents) while transporting placing and compacting concrete.

■Poor quality of formwork (mould to retain concrete till it sets and gains adequate strength)

■Dense reinforcement steel due to which placing and compacting of concrete becomes difficult.

■Over or under vibrated concrete can cause porosity in concrete. Vibration of concrete should be done with a proper mechanical vibrated concrete can cause porosity in concrete. Vibration of concrete should be done with a proper mechanical vibrator only. Many builders still use the traditional bamboos for concrete compaction, which is absolutely inadequate. Mechanical vibration of concrete results in removal of entrapped air from concrete and densification of concrete.

CRACKS:

Some causes of concrete cracking are given below:

■Due to high ambient temperature, low humidity and/or wind, water from surface of the concrete evaporates causing cracks. This can be avoided by covering the freshly placed concrete with plastic sheet.

■Curing of concrete is the process of spraying water on freshly set concrete continuously for at least seven days. If curing is neglected, water on freshly set concrete surface and pores evaporates causing shrinkage c rakes and also causing strength reduction.

■Concrete materials like sand, stone chips and at times even water are stored in the open. Due to high ambient temperatures, they get heated. Hot materials if used in concrete causes concrete temperatures to rise and subsequently evaporation loss will take place from concrete surface causing cracks

■Water concrete mixes due to less cement or water can result in excessive evaporational loss of water after concrete is set. This will result in cracking of concrete surface.

■Excess of fine materials like silty sand, cement or mineral admixtures and can cause cracking.

■Concrete in pathways, pavements and slabs have large exposed surface and therefore have greater possibility to lose moisture or water from its top surface and inevitably crack. The top surface is therefore given groove or cut at certain intervals, so that cracks appear at the desired location of the groove/cut and not at random. If the spacing between groove/cuts is not adequate concrete will also crack in between.

■If structural design is different, concrete in beams and slabs will defect and crack.

JOINTS:

As concrete structure is cat step by step, joints re formed between the concrete poured earlier and concrete poured subsequently.

If the joints are not carefully designed and constructed, there will be esy access to moisture from outside which can create corrosion problems for steel in concrete. It is advisable to have minimum number of joints in a RCC frame work. However, in order to minimize the number of joints the Constructor must have adequate equipment and compact without any delays or stoppages in between.

The quality of joint depends on the following :

■Preparation and cleaning of earlier placed concrete at the point location.

■Planning an sequencing of concrete power along the joint.

■Segregation of concrete mix at the point.

■Quality of form work at the point.

■Compaction of concrete at the joint due to dense reinforcement.

■Workability of concrete placed at the joint resulting in poor compaction.  

CONCLUSION:

IT IS EXTREMELY COMPLICATED TO COMPLETE ALL FORMALITIES FOR THE PURCHASE OF A FLAT. THE COMPLICATIONS START FROM ARRANGING FINANCE, OBTAINING REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO GET THE LOAN SANCTIONED, NEGOTIATION WITH THE SELLER AND ARRIVING AT THE TERMS OF PURCHASE AND ULTIMATELY OBTAINING THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING SOCIETY.

THIS DISCUSSION HAS GIVEN SOME GUIDELINES TO THE PURCHASER. IT IS UPTO THE PURCHASER TO DECIDES THE EXTENT TO WHICH HE DESIRES TO FOLLOW THESE DUIDELINES. HOWEVER, THE PURCHSER MUST MEMBER THE FAMOUS SAYING APPLICABLE TO A HUMAN BEING “ HEALTH IS WELTH”. IN CASE OF BUILDINGS TOO THIS IS APPLICABLE. IF THE STRUCTURE IN WHICH YOU BRESIDE IS NOT HEALTHY AND IS WEAK NEEDING CONTINUOUS AND ENDLESS REPAIRS, IT WILL DRAIN AWAY ONE’S RESOURCES AND ULTIMATELY ONE MAY LAND UP PAYING MUCH MORE FOR REPAIRS THAN WHAT HAD BEEN PAID TO PURCHASE ONE’S NEW HOME,

IF ONE DOES NOT SPEND ON REPAIR THEN HE IS TAKING A RISK. THE STRUCTYURE CAN COLLAPSE. THIS MEANS THAT LIVES ARE AT STAKE. THERE ARE ALSO GOOD CHANCS OF CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF PERSONAL BELONGING AND ONE MAY HAVE TO START LIFE FROM SCRATCH ONCE AGAIN. HENCE, WHILE SELECTING A HOME ONE MUST GIVE TOP MOST PRIORITY TO STRUCTURAL SAFETY AND GIVE LESS IMPORTANCE TO OTHER CONSIGERATIONS. A HOME IS AS PRECIOUS AS LIFE AND THE LIVES OF FAMITY MEMBERS. SO BUY A “ STRUCTURALLY SAFE HOME” .

AFTER PURCHASING A STRURALLY SAFE HOME, IT IS ALSO INPORTANT TO LOOK AFTER IT AND MAINTAIN IT PROPERLY.