Hello everyone, it’s been a year since I posted an article last time, apologies! Fortunately, we have been very busy with lots of projects, opening a restaurant and also welcomed new members in our team!!! Please check our profiles in ‘About’ section.

We are excited to introduce you all our new project.

New build family home for Mr. Y in Yokosuka

–  Building a post and beam house using traditional Japanese construction methods –

Part 1: Ground survey

For any new build, the ground survey is a vital for creating a building that will last the test of time. So what is a ground survey? Well, as the name suggest, a ground survey is the practice of investigating the qualities of the land on which the house will stand. By assessing the topography, soil, history of the ground we can then design and build suitable foundations.

So why is this important? Put simply, building a house is essentially the same as placing something extremely heavy on the ground. If the ground is soft then naturally, the building will sink and inevitably begin to lean. By conducting a ground survey we can determine how soft the ground is and accordingly, what needs to be done in order to strengthen the ground so that it may give stability to a building that can weigh in excess of 70 tons.

Luckily, the ground on which Mr Y’s house is to be built is very strong. If it wasn’t, we’d have to make many improvements and this is never a cheap exercise. This is why it is so important to choose wisely when purchasing the land for your new home.

Two things that you should consider when choosing land are height and history. In Japan high ground is generally the most stable. The Japanese people have known this for countless generations and therefore, it is common to see the remnants of old foundations on vacant land situated on high ground. As the years go by this ground becomes stronger and stronger.

Gravity dictates that water will pool at the lowest point of a given topography and so low ground is generally soft and muddy. In Japan, low ground that is close to rivers and swamps has traditionally been given over to agriculture.

Having said that, it isn’t always true that high ground is strong ground and this is where history is important. Even high ground, when recently excavated is far weaker than ground that has been continually built upon for thousands of years.

To those of you thinking about building a house, my advice is this: while layout and fittings are important, in the first instance, it’s a good idea to give serious consideration to the ground on which the house will be built.

It’s only started, stay tuned on the progress 🙂

こんにちは！前回の投稿から一年以上経ってしまいました・・お陰様で色々なプロジェクトを任せて頂いてる上に、レストランをオープンしたり新メンバーを迎えたり、てんてこ舞いの一年だったのです。

ですが心機一転して、最近始まったこの新プロジェクトに関してこれからリアルタイムでブログにしていこうと思います。チェケラウト！

横須賀市Y様邸新築工事

〜伝統構法で造る木組みの家〜

Part1 地盤調査

地盤調査とはその名の通り家を建てる土地の地盤の状態を調べることです。なぜそんなことをするかというと・・建物自身の重さは数十トンにもなります。建物とはそれだけ重いものが地面に置いてあるのと同じ状態なので、その地面が柔らかければ沈んでしまいます。沈んでしまえばもちろん建物は傾きます。そうならない為にも地盤調査をし、建築可能な土地かを調べます。

今回は幸いにも地盤の強い土地でした。もしこの地盤調査で地盤が軟弱な場合には地盤の改良が必要になってきます。しかし地盤の改良は決して安くはありません。なので、土地探しの段階で、ある程度地盤が強いかどうかを見極めることが大切になります。

地盤の強い弱いに深く関係しているのが、地形の高さや歴史です。高地の方が古い地盤が多くみられます。地盤は年月を重ねるごとに強度を増していきます。また、水は低いところに溜まるので低地の地盤は柔らかい傾向にあります。海、川、池、田んぼなどの土地の近くの地盤も柔らかいことが多いです。また盛り土をした土地や埋立地も地盤が強いとは決して言えません。

何万年、何十万年と経った地盤と、つい数十年前に埋めた地盤とでは強さが違うのは簡単に想像できると思います。最初は設備や間取りなどに気が向いてしまいがちですが、建ててから見えなくなってしまう部分にこそ、初めに視野を向けることがいい家を建てるために必要なことなのです。

次回もお楽しみに！