THOKOZANI MAHLANGU, 2128324
PRACTICAL
EXPERIENCE III
BUQS1993
Practical Experience Time Sheet & Self Reflection
Student name: Mahlangu Thokozani
Student number: 2128324
Date
Activity
Hours claimed
11/07/2022 Drilling with a Jackhammer
8 hrs
12/07/2022 Pouring Concrete into the foundation
4 hrs
13Building a partition wall
14/07/2022
16 hrs
15/07/2022 Plastering
8 hrs
19/07/2022 Finishes paint
8 hrs
20/07/20
6 hrs
Wiring and cleaning
Total Hours
50
Self-Reflection:
Making a foundation trench through the concrete.
The project was inside a house we had to be incredibly careful when using the sledgehammer to avoid debris
Flying out and damaging the existing wall and windows that was the hardest part when creating
the foundation trenches.
Step 1: Check the area where you would like to cut the trench.
Before you proceed to the preparation of the materials you need and planning, you must check the area first
where you will cut the trench. If available, obtain the mechanical blueprints of the area. Check if there is any
electrical or plumbing underneath the concrete slab especially if there is any radiant in-floor heating,
accidentally cutting the coils can destroy the entire system.
Step 2: Determine the best equipment for your project.
Identify the best saw that will do the job effortlessly and successfully based on the thickness of your concrete.
Residential concrete floors are commonly about 101 mm thick and contain steel reinforcement in the form of
steel mesh and steel rebar. The best equipment to cut residential concrete floors is with the use of a diamondblade wet concrete/asphalt saw. Also, you need to prepare a small sledgehammer and a narrow blade shovel
handy.
Step 3: Dust management
Cutting concrete means that the job will get dusty. Before proceeding to cutting a trench or channel drain in
your concrete make sure that you have proper dust management especially if you are working indoors. Jobs that
require indoor operation can accumulate dust inside that can be dangerous to your health and can damage
appliances or other equipment in your house. Common way to manage your dust is to use plastic sheeting and
duct tape to seal off the space before cutting.
It is also preferred to use a wet saw in doing the job to reduce the amount of air borne dust in your area. Wet
cutting involves pouring water into the mix effectively reducing the amount of dust up to 85% as compared to
dry cutting.
Step 3: Prepare safety clothing.
Since you will be dealing with dust and you will use heavy duty, sharp, and noisy equipment like the
sledgehammer and the wet saw, make sure that you have protective and safety clothing to wear while doing the
job. Prepare safety glasses, filtration mask, steel-toes boots, hearing protection, gloves, and knee pads and shin
guards.
Step 4: Mark the cut you need to make in your concrete.
Using tape measure, measure the length and width you need for the trench. Then mark them using a pencil or
chalk outline each the perimeter of the trench you are to cut. When using chalk, it is better to strike the lines
repeatedly making the mark thicker and bolder as possible so it will be easier for you to identify the mark. In
creating a cut for your trench in which the purpose is for drain lines make your configuration as simple as
possible. Avoid sharp corners, twists, and turns whenever possible to reduce the possibility of clogging.
Step 5: Create a guide cut
Set your equipment and wear your protective gear for it is time to get the work. Create first a guide cut, do not
proceed on cutting the concrete deep already. This can be dangerous because concrete debris may fly, and it can
damage your circular saw. Adjust the depth of your saw blade to cut to just approximately half an inch deep.
Cutting a shallow line will help you to estimate the hardness of the concrete allowing you to adjust the saw
accordingly. It will also be easier to control your saw when you first cut a shallow line. You can do this for not
more than 45 seconds because the blade can get hot fast due to friction with the concrete.
Step 4: Cut the concrete
Cut the concrete as based on your guide cut, rotate the depth handle to lessen the blade sharpness if needed.
Slowly push the saw forward until the first edge of the trench is cut. Raise the blade then pull the saw back to
the end of the trench and cut the second edge like what you did with the first edge.
Step 5: Dig the soil underneath.
Once done cutting use a sledgehammer to carefully break the concrete strip into chunks then remove the
concrete pieces exposing the sand or soil underneath your concrete slab. Remove the sand or soil by digging the
remaining trench. You can also use jackhammer, this is better for larger jobs, however, this is more expensive
than the sledgehammer.
Day 2
Day two we filled our trench with premix concrete the reason behind using premix concrete it comes up in
Small bags that you can easily manage since we were working in a small environment inside a residential
house. Trench fill foundations are a type of shallow foundation that avoids bricklaying below ground level by
instead, completely filling the trench excavation with concrete. Typically, concrete is poured to within
150 mm of the surface ground level but we poured to within 75 mm since it was an interior foundation. This
type of foundation minimizes the excavation required as when laying the bricks, you do not require to access
the Trench. This process took four hours to complete.
Bricklaying is considered one of the more approachable construction skills, so many self-builders want to give
it a go. But it is not a task to be taken on lightly, especially if you are building structural walls.
Step 1: Start your brick wall at the corners
Firstly, lay out the bricks at both ends of your wall where the pillars will start. This should be done after any
necessary foundations have been prepared. Using your string line, make a straight guideline at brick height
between the two outside bricks.
Step 2: Mix the mortar
Following this, heap five shovels full of sand and one of cement on an old board. Turn shovel to mix to a
consistent colour. Form a central hollow, pour in water and mix. Repeat for a smooth, creamy texture that is
wet but not too loose.
Step 3: Lay the first course of bedding mortar
Next you should lay a 1-2cm mortar bed along the string line. Starting at one end, lay the first brick and tap
slightly to ‘bed in’. ‘Butter up’ one end of the next brick with mortar and abut it to the first. Repeat using string
line as a guide.
Step 4: Create the brick pillars
At the point where you want your pillars to start, place a brick side-on to the end of the wall. As you build up
the wall, each consecutive course of pillar bricks must be laid in the opposite direction.
Step 5: Cutting bricks
When building pillars, at certain courses you’ll need to lay half-bricks. To make a cut, place the brick on its
side, locate the bolster at the split point and strike the head firmly with a club hammer. It should split cleanly
first time.
Step 6: Keep the pillars one course ahead
Always build at least a course higher on the pillars than the rest of the wall. Move the string line up as you
build, bedding it into the mortar on the pillars. For a stretcher bond, the end of each brick should be over the
center of the one beneath.
Step 7: Make sure you are sticking to 10mm mortar joints
Horizontal and vertical mortar joints should be 10mm thick. With standard bricks there should be 75mm from
the top of each brick to the top of the one beneath. If your bricks soak up moisture fast, you may want to ‘joint
up’ (step 10) as you go.
Step 8: Add a coping stone
You may want to add a coping stone to finish when you reach the top of the pillars. Alternatively, you could
create a pleasant effect at less cost by bedding bricks into the mortar on their sides
Step 9: How to finish the mortar beds
To finish the beds, use the rounded edge of a brick jointer to scrape mortar into the joints. Start with the
horizonal lines and follow with the vertical – it’s easier to remove any excess mortar this way
Step 10: Clean up
Lastly, give the finished wall a gentle brush over and clean up any mortar that has fallen onto the floor before it
dries. You can use water to wash cement away from the floor but be sure to keep it away from your newly built
wall!
Overall doing renovations requires patience, working at an already existing building you can damage the other
parts of the building without knowing for example using the drill bit to drill into the existing wall can cause
some cracks into the existing masonry wall.