SDC Bhatar construction

An illustrated guide for craftsmen

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Bhatar (pl. bhateri) is a Pashtoo word for a beam

with a cross section of 3 to 4 inches which is
commonly used to reinforce stone walls.
1. Site selection and form of house
4
YES NO
1. Dont build too 4. The house must
near to a have a simple
steep slope: form. If necessary,
stones might subdivide it into
1
fall on your rectangular parts Max. 3 W 5
house
5. The house must
2. Dont build too not be longer than
near to a W
3 times its width.
precipice: it
might break 6. A light pitched roof
off during an is better for
earthquake. earthquakes than Less
3. Dont build too a heavy flat roof. good
2 near to a 7. Dont build higher
retaining wall: than 2 floors. Better
it might break Second floor can 6
away during be made in Dhajji.
an earthquake

2 floors
Max.
3
7
 2. Basic rules
1. No wall must be 7. The beams
1 longer than 12 (bhatar) in the
Max. 12 ft
feet without being walls act as

Max. 12 ft
Beams =
connected to seismic bands. Seismic 7
another wall. 8. All walls must be bands
2. Wall elements connected to
must be at least 3 each other
feet long. through stone 8
Min 3 ft 2
3. Windows must be masonry and
Min 3 ft

smaller than 3 ft. timber beams.

4. Walls must be at 9. Place through Through
stones every two stones
least 1 feet
thick. feet. They make
Max 3 ft 3 the wall
5. Walls must not be stronger. 9
higher than 10
feet. 10. Use flat or
4
dressed stones
1 feet 6. Choose Blue Pine for your Connecting
Max. 10 feet

(pavich/biar) or stones
masonry. Dont
Cedar (deodar) for use round rubble
the beams. To stones. YES NO
protect forests,
take what is more 11. Use galvanized 10
5 frequent in your nails for all work
region. except inside the
6 house.
 3. Foundations and first seismic band Concrete 5
band
1. Build your house 5. It is better to
1 on soil that is all make the first
of the same seismic band in
quality. Dont reinforced
place one part of concrete instead
the house on infill of wood. It will
Infill soil soil. resist better to
will sag
2. Foundations humidity. 1
should be 2 1/2 6. Take care to 4
Timber feet large and 3 cross the corner 1
3 beam
feet deep. rebars correctly 7
1 ft 3. First seismic band 7. Make sure that all
should be placed rebars are
3 ft 1 foot above the covered with 1
foundation (1 foot inch of concrete. Left rebar
2 above ground). to the right
2 ft 4. The first seismic 2 rebars
band will also in - out
4 pass under the
door! 6

Stirrups
1 rebar Right rebar
out - out every 8 to the left
4. Walls 1. Place the wall beams
Min. 1 ft every 2 feet, except for
Max. 12 ft the first band which is
only one foot above
Max. 10 ft 2 ft ground level.
1 2. Its better to make the
2 lowest band in
First band 1 ft reinforced concrete to
in concrete make it more resistant to
is better water.
3
Max. 3 ft 3. Place cross pieces at a
maximum distance of 3
feet from each other.
First band in
timber is also 4. If your beams are too
allowed short, connect them with
To avoid vertical a long lap joint (see next
joints, raise all
walls together page).
4
5. Dont connect the beams
all on the same vertical
line, but spread the
connection points.
Equally, dont connect
the inner and outer
5 beam in the same place.
6. Avoid continuous vertical
6
joints in the stone
masonry.
5. Connections 1. Minimum size of beam is
3 high by 4 large.
2. Beams must be hooked
together in the corners.
1 Cut a notch of 1 inch into
all four corner beams. Add
3x4 inch nails for more security.
5
1 3. Keep 4 inches of wood
2 4 after the notch for
strength.
4 3 4. Cross pieces: you need
notches only on the cross
pieces, but not on the
main beams.
5. The same for the middle
walls: Notches only on the
beams sticking out, but
Cross Lap joint not on the main beams.
piece 7 at least 1
foot long 6. Lap joints must be 1 foot
4
4
long. Use four 3 nails to
6 secure each joint.
7. Its important that you use
GALVANIZED nails. They
will not rust and keep your
1 ft house save for a long
time.
6. Retaining walls
1 ft
Long rebars
(4 sutar) 4
1 2 ft min. 2 ft
2
max. 2 ft 5 ft
4 Incline
max. 8 ft max. 8 ft
layers
3
Stirrups 5
(2 sutar)
every 8
RC
bands 3 ft
3 ft
Stepped walls: You can choose Inclined walls:
1. Dont make the steps 4. Incline the retaining walls
higher than 2 feet. The towards the slope with a ratio of
higher you go, the 1 to 5, that is 1 ft back for every
smaller the steps should 5 ft of height.
be. 5. Incline the layers according to
2. End each step with a inclined face of the wall.
reinforced concrete band. 6. If you can slightly curb the
3. Dont make the walls retaining wall towards the slope,
higher than 8 feet. it becomes even stronger.
6
 Long rebars
7. Retaining back-wall
(4 sutar)
1. Build the retaining wall
3 ft
together with the house 2
walls. Stirrups
2. Put reinforced concrete (2 sutar)
every 8
bands into the retaining
3 ft
wall, at the same levels
as in the house.
3
3. Let the concrete band Caution:
enter 3 feet into the A retaining back-wall
house walls. is less save than an
4. Prepare notches 1x4 independent
into these concrete retaining wall!
bands to lodge the timber
beams. 4
5. Cut notches in all 3 6
pieces of timber. 1
4
6. Make the house walls 1 ft
higher than the retaining 1 ft
wall so that the roof
beams will not touch the Notches in
ground. every piece

5
8. Drainage of retaining back-wall
1. Retaining walls must have
holes to let the water from
the mountain come out.
2. If the retaining wall is also
the back wall of the
house, this is not possible
because you dont want to
have water in the house. Holes 4x4
every 2 feet
3. Then you have to make a 1 2
channel behind the
retaining wall, with slopes
towards outside.
4. Plaster the backside of the
house with mud to make it
watertight.
5. Fill the space between
house and slope with
stones to let water go
down into the channel. 4 5

3 slope
pe
slo
9. Windows and doors 2
Openings
max. 3 ft
1. Wall parts must
be at least 3 feet
long.
2. Windows and
doors must not be
larger than 3 feet. 3
3. Place the
windows between 1
the beams. Walls
4. If you need a min. 3 ft
bigger window, let
the beams go 5
through.
5. Place anchor
pieces on both
sides of windows
and doors. 6

6. Dont cut the ends

of the beams to
place your door,
but place the door 4
frame against
them. Fill the
remaining gaps
with mortar.
 Pitched roof
10. Pitched light roof with CGI sheets with CGI
sheets

1. Attach the last

pair of beams with
boards to the
second last pair of
beams. 1 2
2. Add the rafters or
trusses and nail
them down with
long nails.
3. You can also
place the
complete trusses
on the second last
pair of beams and
fill up the wall 2 ft
afterwards. 4
4. Take care to link
the last and Complete
wall
second last pair of afterwards
beams with nailed Place
truss first
boards. The same
you must do on
top of the wall. 3
3
 Flat roof
11. Flat heavy roof with earth cover with earth

1. Let the top beams Cut slope

1 to drain
(bhateri) stick out of the away
wall 1 foot on each side. water
Connect them with nailed 2
cross pieces
2. Add the 4x6 roof beams 1 ft
1
and let them too stick out 1 ft
1 ft on each side (also
over the retaining back-
wall if there is) to protect Ask an experienced 5 3
the wall against rain. builder to help you
build the roof cover. 6
3. Nail the planks on the roof
beams leaving a half inch
gap between each. 4x 6 1 to 2 ft
4. Place flat stones along
the edge of the roof to
contain the earth.
5. Add twigs and small
branches in a layer 4 to 6 Max. 10 ft
inch thick.
1 ft 4
6. Cover with earth 4 to 6
inch thick.
7. Avoid to make the earth 1 ft
cover thicker over the 1 ft
years!
12. Flat heavy roof for big rooms 1 ft
4
Pegs Lap
1 NO ! joint
1. If you want to cover a big
room, you dont need an
independent timber structure.
2. Place a beam 5x7 through
the middle of the room and
support it in the centre with a 5
Straps
post.
3. Dont plant the post in the
ground, but put it on a flat
stone. 4x 4 at 1 ft 6
1 or 2 ft
or
4. If the central beam is not long 4x 5 at 2 ft
enough, join it on top of the
Max. 6 ft
beam with a long lap joint
5. Add a capital underneath and 5x 7
fix it to the beam with pegs
and straps. 3
Place the
6. Add 4x 4 top beams if you beams
place them 1 feet apart, or vertically Max. 6 ft
2
4x 5 if you place them at 2
feet. NO YES
13. Adding a second floor
1. It is better to make a
second floor with the
Dhajji method. Dhajji
construction is lighter 1
and better against an
earthquake. All beams
and posts
2. Make the connections 4x 4 3
with great care. The
resistance to
earthquake depends 2
on them.
3. You can subdivide the 8
walls in different ways.
4. Fill the walls with
stones and mud.

4
14. Adding a room
1. Dont make continuous
vertical joints. Your
house will fall apart
during an earthquake.
2. Open the corner where
2 3
you want to add a room.
3. Connect the new
beams through notches
and nails.
4. Fill up tightly with stone,
taking care to make
them go also into the
new wall.
5. If the beams go the 1 Connecting
other way, overlap the stones
new beams by 2 ft and 2 ft
nail them together. Nails Dotted line:
Old corner

4 4
15. Think for your children
1 5 trees planted
Dont forget: 1 tree cut
1. For every tree you
cut for your house,
plant 5 new ones
so that your
children will also be
able to build their
house one day.
2. Trees also protect
your land against 2
landslides: the
roots of the trees
are like anchors in
the ground.
Guidebook prepared by the
Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation SDC
(Tom Schacher, technical advisor)

In collaboration with:
French Red Cross and Belgian Red Cross
(technical research and development)
UN Habitat, NSET and NESPAK
(revisions)
French Red Cross (Translation into Urdu)

Mansehra, NWFP, April 2007