The first step in house construction is building the foundations. What is important in the building of foundations? What are some of the materials and equipment that are used?
After watching these three short videos you should be familiar with some of the different stages in building foundations and be able to communicate about this in English.
Watch the First Video
Important words here are:
- pipe
- drain
- level
- footing
- ground surface
- unstable/stable
- foundation
- water infiltration
- intact
- essential
Watch the video once more and then see if you can translate the words.
Watch Videos 2 and 3
Tasks and Activities
Vocabulary
Look at the word list from Video 1. Make a similar glossary of words from Videos 2 and 3.
Comprehension
Work in pairs:
Make 2 or 3 questions for each video and try them out on another pair of students.
Measurements
The footings in video 1 are 24 inches thick and 12 inches high. Convert these measurements into the metric system.
Discuss
Is this procedure for building foundations the same as that used when building a house in Norway? Describe the differences.
Make Instructions
On the basis of your discussion about Norwegian building procedures, make instructions for one of the stages in the building of foundations for a typical Norwegian house. You will find information about how to make instructions here:
Make a Video
Make your own short video of building foundations or a similar practical task you do at school or work. Use your phone or video camera to film the stages in the process and describe what is happening as you go along. Remember it is important to be clear and precise and to present the process step by step.
