Stable foundations are essential in structural engineering because they are the first part of any building project and determine the durability and resilience of the entire structure. Superstructures consist of floor and roof decks, and horizontal and vertical components that support the building above the foundation. Estimating foundation and superstructure quantities is vital for planning, selecting suitable construction materials, and determining the right technology to execute a construction project.

In this free online civil engineering course, you will discover the advantages of cost planning and estimation, including how they help project planners determine the feasibility and scope of a project. Learn how to estimate the quantity of work, labour, materials and other costs for any building foundation, including strip, individual footing and raft foundation types. We will also analyse the general costs, and you will learn to determine construction costs for low-rise and high-rise buildings.

Further, we explain sloped and stepped footing concrete quantity calculations, plinth beam PCC estimations, and plinth backfilling quantity estimations. You will learn to measure the costs for the ground and first floors, and roof, including those for the column shuttering, slab centring, beams, concrete and slabs. Likewise, we will show you how to determine the costs of concrete and shuttering for staircases in your building projects and civil engineering contracts. Start learning now: registration and course completion are free.