What Happens During Footing, Plinth and RCC Work?
A plain-language walk through the structural stages of a home — excavation, footings, columns, plinth beam, slabs — what is being built, why, and what to check at each.
The structural stages are the least visible part of a finished home and the part that matters most. This is what is happening on site between the first excavation and the last slab, and what each stage needs to get right.
Excavation and PCC
Footing pits are dug to the depth in the footing schedule — usually 1.2–2.0 m for isolated footings in firm soil, deeper in black cotton soil, which shrinks and swells with moisture. The pit base is compacted, treated against termites, and a 75–100 mm layer of plain cement concrete (PCC) is laid to give a clean, level base. Check: depth matches the schedule; soil at the base matches the report.
Footings
The footing spreads the column load over enough soil area. Reinforcement mesh is placed on cover blocks, the column starter bars are tied in position, and concrete (M25 for anything in contact with soil) is poured and vibrated. Check: bar sizes and spacing against the drawing; column starters plumb and correctly located; cubes cast.
Columns to plinth and the plinth beam
Columns are cast up to plinth level, then a plinth beam ties all columns together just above ground. It resists differential settlement, supports the walls and sets the finished floor level. Plinth filling — soil or murrum compacted in 150–200 mm layers — follows, then a damp-proof course. Check: beam reinforcement and cover; filling compacted in layers, not dumped; DPC continuous.
Superstructure: columns, beams, slabs
Each floor repeats a cycle: columns are cast, beam and slab formwork is erected and levelled, reinforcement is placed with cover blocks and chairs, electrical conduits and sleeves are laid in the slab, and the slab and beams are poured monolithically. Curing follows — a minimum of 7 days for OPC and longer for blended cements; we hold slab props for the periods IS 456 specifies. Check: formwork line and level; top steel held up by chairs; conduits in place before pour; curing actually happening.
| Element | Typical size (G+1/G+2 home) | Typical concrete |
|---|---|---|
| Isolated footing | 1.2 – 1.8 m square, 300–450 mm deep | M25 |
| Column | 230 × 450 mm to 300 × 450 mm | M25 |
| Plinth beam | 230 × 300–450 mm | M25 |
| Floor beam | 230 × 450–600 mm | M20 / M25 |
| Slab | 125 – 150 mm | M20 / M25 |
The reinforcement checks for each stage are listed in How Much Steel Is Normally Used?, and the concrete checks in How to Check Concrete Quality.