Setting out your building

Setting out a building is simply the art or science of interpreting architectural drawings and conveying the results on the ground. Simply put setting out is transferring the drawing from the paper to the actual site in order to facilitate construction and is usually amongst the first activities that are performed on site. It is where for example one is able to find out if the building will fit into the plot & exactly how many trees & bushes need to be chopped off in order to accommodate that new house.






The requirements for setting out regardless of the complexity of the structure broadly fall into the following 3 categories.


• Drawings
• Measuring & marking equipment
• Competent personnel


1. Drawings
Whether you have been commissioned to do the setting out of Kenya’s first nuclear station on Migingo Island or to do a humble ten by ten chicken pen in your own backyard, the common denominator is that you must have a drawing. If by chance you happen to find yourself in a frantic activity involving measuring out a building using strides & footsteps with no drawings then, the information contained in this article is not meant for you. Setting out specifically involves transferring the information contained in a drawing to the ground therefore you must have a quality drawing to begin with.



2. Measuring & marking equipment

Just as pen, paper & perhaps a dictionary is required to transfer ones thoughts to paper, equipment is needed to transfer your dream home from the architects blue print to terra firma. Measuring equipment may include tape measures, compass, levels and manila strings. Marking equipment may include pegs, chalk or paint. Equipment required entirely depends on the type of structure and the type of terrain. This brings me to the third and by far the most important requirement for setting out a building; competent personnel.


3. Competent Personnel
Having a qualified professional to do your setting out will ensure that guesswork is eliminated from this very important exercise. It will also save you, the client the hustle of having to buy expensive measuring equipment that might only be used once. Proper setting out also allows the client to visualize the exact position of the building in relation to other objects in the site area and avert encroachment to neighbors property or damage to utility lines like sewerage and water lines. Qualified personnel can be found in our website from the following link:
http://fundimjanja.com/index.php?page_id=7&pcat=17