For the Juniors: First the base, then the frame

Shot of a young boy, Hugo, speaking to the camera. In the background, a bulldozer levels the ground in front of a house under construction.

HUGO: This is where our house is going to be built. The bulldozer is making the ground flat, because our house is designed to be built on flat ground.

Shot of a trencher digging a long, narrow trench in front of the house. A construction worker manually scoops sand out of the trenches.

NARRATOR: The next job is to dig trenches. The pipes to carry water and gas will be buried in them.

Shot of a worker unspooling a coil of pipes over the trenches. Another worker joins two pieces of plastic pipes.

NARRATOR: Plumbers sort out all the pipes. Clean water will come into the house along copper pipes. Waste water will leave the house in plastic pipes.

Shot of a network of steel mesh over the entire ground surface.

NARRATOR: Before the concrete foundations are poured, steel mesh is laid over the site. This mesh will help to make the concrete foundations strong.

Shot of construction workers pouring liquid concrete onto the ground.

NARRATOR: Concrete is a mixture of sand, cement, gravel and water. It's runny now, but when it dries, concrete becomes rock-hard.

Shot of several workers levelling out the concrete on the ground.

NARRATOR: It has to be spread out before this happens. It's a bit like icing a cake!

Shot of a carpenter working on the wooden framework of a house.

NARRATOR: Hugo's house will be built around a wooden framework put together by carpenters. Each piece needs to be just the right length… so that it all fits together, a bit like the pieces of a jigsaw fit together.

Shot of the carpenter using a heavy-duty nail gun to join pieces of wood in the framework.

NARRATOR: Wood is a useful building material because it's easy to cut and join together. It's also very strong.

Shot of two carpenters having a discussion over some building plans.

CARPENTER: So put… just noggings.

NARRATOR: Everyone looks at the building plans before they do their jobs, otherwise they might put things like doors and windows in the wrong places.

Shot of a carpenter using a spirit level at a windowsill.

NARRATOR: The carpenters check each window is level using a spirit level.

CARPENTER: If you can get it down a touch more, or up the other a touch.

NARRATOR: When the bubble's in the middle, it means it's level and can be nailed into place.