By Things to be Considered in Housing Purchase
How Do You Check Your Building?
The real test should be done by competent and authorized persons. However, you can also get an idea of the risks by checking the following criteria.
If you answer yes to 5 or more of the questions below, your building is at high risk of damage in a possible earthquake and should be checked by the authorities.
- Is your building built without a ground survey / taking into account local ground conditions?
- Are the lower floors of your building used as a shop?
- Was your building built before the 1999 earthquake?
- Is your building built according to an old earthquake code?
- Are there protrusions in your building?
- Are there visible cracks, especially in columns, curtains and beams?
- Is there dampness, especially in the basement?
- Is there any rust on the irons in columns, curtains and beams?
- Is the contractor / company that built your building a company that does not have an authorization certificate?
- Is the number of floors allowed in the project exceeded?
- Is there an additional floor in your building?
- Is the concrete class that is not allowed to be used in the earthquake zone in your building, used?
Your answers to all of these can provide the first step in the robustness test of your building. For the most accurate information, you should have your building checked and certified with an approved document.
How is the Quality of Concrete Measured?
For Turkey, which is at the forefront of countries that are or will be affected by the earthquake, the quality of concrete is an issue that should be taken into consideration at an undeniable rate.
The quality of the concrete is monitored by determining its strength by breaking the cube or cylinder samples taken while the concrete is fresh after 28 days in the pool. Necessary tests are carried out by taking both concrete producer, building inspection and Ministry of Environment and Urbanization inspection samples from the same concrete and it is determined whether it is suitable for the required strength.
Today, samples taken in ready-mixed concrete production are thrown with chips and these samples are controlled by electronic tracking systems called EBİS. With this feature, it would not be wrong to say that the building material whose quality is the most closely followed is concrete.
Concrete quality is vital, cannot be ignored or risked and a problem experienced in terms of quality reaches irreversible points. The durability of concrete becomes evident 28 days after the concrete is poured, and this shows how important it is to choose a manufacturer.
