Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Choosing the Right Balusters for Construction

Constructing a building is a technical process that requires a lot of collaboration. It is the cooperative work of an architect, who draws up the well needed blueprint, the real estate owner who has the vision of what exactly is desired and the builders who actually make it happen. It takes a lot of time and effort and, if done properly, it can bring lots of joy, satisfaction and pride to the hearts of architects, builders and real estate owners alike.


The foundation of any building is a critical element that determines its worth and strength. This is what determines the overall strength of the structure. Much time is spent by professional builders to ensure that the foundation upon which a building will stand is firm and durable. One of the tricks to ensuring that a foundation is solid is to dig far below the surface of the ground before starting to secure the frame. Cement and cement blocks are frequently used to ensure that the frame upon which the building will stand holds firm in pretty much all situations.

Most contractors and real estate developers favor wood as the preferred material for building homes. This is so as wood is easier to manipulate than most if not all other resources and is considered better for the environment. Builders and real estate owners have to be careful though, to ensure that they use only properly treated wood for their projects. This is because a termite infestation can do severe damage to the entire building in a very short time. Infestation is one of the key items that home inspectors look for when called in to check out the quality and safety of the structure.

The installation of additional or smaller building enhancers is usually the final phase of the construction process. Things like hand rails for stairs, windows, doors and balusters are considered the icing on the cake for building constructors across the globe. Hand rails are usually made using steel or wood and their shape and design depend heavily on the architect’s design and the client’s theme. The strength of the hand rails is enhanced with the installation of balusters.

Balusters can function as support. A strong set of balusters can be used to support a concrete table built into a gazebo. Of course concrete or steel balusters are best suited to this kind of project. For gazebos that are elevated or perhaps built at the top of buildings they can function in a dual role. They can work as safety devices, preventing dangerous falls or they can function as a part of the decorative appeal of the gazebo. They are popularly used on stairs as support for hand rails. There are a number of methods that can be used to install these decorative safety devices on stairs. For the most part though, wood balusters are designed to fit into grooves created in the floor to accommodate them. They are usually held in place by industrial strength adhesive.

Mankind has been in the business of construction since prehistoric times. This started with the adaptation of caves to create homes and later the building of cottages and similar structures to provide for one of the most basic needs-the need for shelter. As time progressed the methods were refined and adjusted until they evolved into the methods that exist today. An appreciation of the many intricacies involved in the construction process, though, can best be achieved by actually witnessing it firsthand. Even from a distant view though, it is obvious that this is no simple process.

Ron is an architect by profession at http://www.woodstairs.com/ . He dabbles in freelance writing for time to time. He enjoys watching a unique and well done construction project move through its many stages from inception to finished product. This is why he plays an active role in the two builders’ clubs that he has joined.

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