Time selection in building waterproofing

In our society selection of right time for any important work is observed for the generations. Our ancestors termed it Muhurat and took the help of celestial system for the reference. However some of us go by their own way without considering the happenings in surrounding and land up in troubled waters. In large number, many of our folks wake up to get the buildings waterproofing work done, just before the beginning of the rains. Most of the time, what they get is unsatisfactory work and a feeling of cheating. In depth probe into these failures reveal that the root cause is the selection of wrong time for the purpose.

When the monsoon is just across the corner, hectic search begin for calling the contractor, quotations, etc. At that time before giving the work, no ability of contractor is taken into account; no system of waterproofing is weighed on all its pros and cons. The contract is awarded hurriedly merely on the basis of cost consideration and contractor is asked to rush up with the job. The contractors with performance and repute are fully occupied with the job in hand and are not in a position to accept any new job.

The irony is, that the waterproofing is the most important factor in the maintenance and long life of the building and the general approach is “fill the cracks, coat the surface with some chemical and do away with waterproofing. What is so big in it?” The apprehension is that the waterproofing work can be done easily at short notice by any laborer without any knowledge of the subject. After all it is just the application of chemical!

The good thing is that slowly the misconceptions are being replaced by awareness and knowledge. The importance of proper waterproofing of structure is being realized. Leakage is a universal problem and lot of research work is going on around the world. New techniques and materials evolve to get rid of menace of the leakages and improve the life of structure in economical ways. That is way there are so many chemicals in the market, so many methods and specialized systems are available for the purpose. Almost all of them are problem or location oriented and it is absolutely essential to know their effect when the product or material is in use.

The period from end of January to end of September is not suitable for undertaking the work of major building repairs or waterproofing. The two major factors have their influence over the activities during the period, material and labour.

It is the time of shortages and period of opportunities to the unscrupulous hoarders. The discarded sand during the rest of the year is pushed in to the market during this time and buyer is left with almost no choice as he is desperate to complete the job before monsoon. The demand for cement increases tremendously during this period. Wagons and wagons of cement load is digested with constant shortage in the market. Every week the rate increases by Rs.1 or Rs.2 per bag. The list of shortages also includes water and electricity. The usage of equipments working on electricity depends upon the erotic supply, which includes water pumps, hand tools etc. One has to also consider fiscal budget during the period which can create drastic impact on the economics of the entire work.

The second important factor that influences the work is the man power. Civil work demands labour on a large scale and it comes from the remote rural areas of our country. The labour migrates to cities on temporary basis. By end of January these workers begin their travel back to the villages or to the places from where they come. Around month of February marriage season starts. This is also time to sort out long outstanding land deals, house repairs, attend to the family requirements and to many other personal works. By month of April, May pre-monsoon showers begin and so with it the farming activities like preparation of land etc. begins. These activities go on till the crop is reaped, that is till October. Normally after Diwali once again they make headway to-wards city.

During January to May there are few indirect reasons which hamper the progress of the work such as Children’s exams. Parents bring pressure to slow down the work and jobs wherein breaking is involved or tools such as grinders are to be used, it becomes difficult to go ahead with the work. Many flats remain closed due to vacation and certain places access becomes problem. The weather is harsh and brings down efficiency. The list goes on and on but the inference remains that had it been little earlier then the job would have been little more to the advantage than to be accepted as it is.

At no point it is suggested that one should rest and relax during the period in question, on the contrary he should work much more to raise the fund, to receive the quotations, to decide up on the system, to zero on right choice of a contractor. To execute building maintenance project involves substantial work and also the amount. To get the proper work done a substantial amount has to be spent and to raise it in short time is some times difficult. So all this exercise can be done leisurely at everybody’s convenience during this period and can be fully prepared to begin the work at right time.

Now which is that right time? To decide that it is essential that first the work involved is assessed; the amount of money and the time to complete the job is also estimated. Thereafter, the consideration of all aspects of the work are planned to begin it at any time from October to December in such a way that it is comfortably completed before monsoon without much of stress.