Building a Hazard-Resistant House : A Common Man\'s Guide

Contents: Preface. Acknowledgement. Abbreviations. I. Understanding the guide and the local hazards: 1. Introduction. 2. Know natural hazards in your area. II. Before starting construction: 3. Basic rules for planning a hazard-resistant house. 4. Constructing your house with load-bearing masonry walls. 5. Building masonry with cement mortar. 6. Building masonry with cement mortar. 7. Building masonry with mud mortar. 8. Understanding and purchasing of the basic materials of construction. 9. Appointing a contractor for construction. 10. Important rules for masonry construction. 11. Special care to be taken during construction. III. After the construction in complete: 12. How do you make the interior of your house safer? 13. What other preparations do you and your family need to make? 14. What should you do during and after a disaster? 15. Affordable alternatives which are environment-friendly. Appendices. 

From the Preface: "The book is primarily meant to help the house owner to get constructed a safer house to live in, and to ensure the safety of his family in case of a likely future disaster. This guide will be useful especially where the house-owner does not seek the guidance of an architect or an engineer, and depends fully on the technical services of a local contractor or artisan, starting from preparation of the house design, selection of the technology to be used, and execution of the construction without supervision by a third party. No doubt, the guide gives tips on the non-technical aspects such as material procurement, appointment of a contractor and the like, but the major portion of the book focuses on various technical aspects that have a direct bearing on the performance of the structure in case a disaster strikes."