Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Shifting gears (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/)

-   -   Home Construction / Makeover / Maintenance Thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/100713-home-construction-makeover-maintenance-thread-118.html)

About to finalize the contract for my apartment renovation in Bangalore - a bit worried about the new COVID variant and potential lock downs.

Folks in Bangalore - are you hearing or seeing any localized shutdowns?

Anyone here whose apartment/renovation work got stuck during the previous lockdowns - what was your experience? Is there anything I can do minimize the financial risk in the event of a lockdown.

Note: I was lucky enough to get the next door apartment on rent as the tenants just moved out - we fast tracked our renovation plans as were not sure that we would get an opportunity again where we could supervise the work being done and also not have to deal with a proper "shifting"

During the last lock-down, construction and interior work was allowed by the Govt. Situation is of concern with lots of positive cases reported yesterday, but dont worry

I used Tub Finisher by Rustoleum. But not sure of its availability in India (I mean the genuine products)https://youtu.be/m9m1kBzOjhI

IMO, you are thinking a bit too much. My suggestion - just get the work done right away. You have started to pay rent, and sooner you complete the renovation - the better. You will be right there during renovation - so that's a big advantage.

There are localized cases, but nothing yet to get alarmed about. Containment zone will be first before any large scale lockdown - in case things get worse. But that's something that will affect every one. Hopefully wont get that bad. We dont know the future situation, so my take - let the work start and hopefully it will be done soon and you will be back in your apt.

Question about Bathroom locks - I have one which looks like this

The problem with this is that it sometimes gets locked from inside (probably when the door is slammed shut from outside) when there is no one inside. The key is never used so the keys gets lost before this happens or you can't find it & then you have to either call a key maker or break the lock.

Is there a better solution to this - i.e. some such lock which cannot get accidentaly locked from inside?

I got locked inside the bathroom once due to malfunctioning of this type of locks (got jammed). Scary thing was I was alone at home (locked from inside), had loud music playing, and the apartment block had just few tenants. Door was solid and heavy and all I had was a tiny grooming scissor inside. It took me 45 minutes of to break open the lock.

Oh God! Nightmares due to that lock. My uncle's house used to have these and invariably i used to get locked inside the bathroom as a kid.

Please replace the locks and save yourself the trouble :coldsweat

One solution for this is to have normal handle type locks and door latch at the top or at a height not reachable to small kids. That way no one would get locked inside. Nowadays, the door handle type locks are costlier than the round ones which builders provide normally.

In the case of bathroom doors, it's best to use keyless systems. We have a similar looking door knob, which can be opened using a coin on the outside handle. So in any emergency situation one is able to easily access the bathroom even if it's been locked from the inside.

Godrej Locking Solutions and Systems Keyless Stainless Steel Cylindrical Lock - Silver https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0191SIYY0/...813RPQ6868T0R0

Do you know if these sizes are standard - i.e. will it fit the existing hole in my bathroom?

We still run the risk of getting locked in when we are alone and the lock gets jammed. Been in this situation earlier and was advised to get normal handles with door latch at the top of the doors. These locks even the ones which we can open with coins are still notorious for getting jammed at times making it a pain to open.

Sorry. Can't help you with that, although one would assume they follow some kind of standard. At worst I'd say it shouldn't need much modification to the existing cutouts.


Fortunately we haven't faced any jamming issues in over 5 years using these. Maybe it depends on the quality of the product and brand used.


An internal bolt/latch becomes a barrier to entry in any emergency situation. So I guess it's about weighing up which risk is more worthwhile. An interesting decision to make!

^^

On the subject at hand: Three possible solutions

1. A bathroom with two doors with different locks. Probability of disaster due to Murphy's law is reduced by half.

2. Bathroom window with an emergency exit.

3. A pre prepared paper wrapped on a stone with words " HELP I AM STUCK" with an emergency call number might do the trick.

S.No 2 obviously will not work if you are on the 24th floor.

PS : A more drastic dog movement cutout on the bathroom door is an individual choice. :D

Try using a thin flat screw driver in the slot shown and rotate clockwise. The push button on the other side should pop open. You might need to jiggle the knob while rotating to get it to release.

Bit off topic. There was a movie based on similar situation starring Rajkumar Rao. 'Trapped' is the name of the movie IIRC.

There's only two of us in the house. We very, very rarely happen to barge in on each other in the loo, and simply never lock the doors.

We do not have the push-button type. I come across a lot of those, no longer working in hotel toilets, so I doubt their reliability.

We have Europa handles/locks, and the toilet doors have a turnable latch. The provide emergency "keys" but a simple screwdriver will work just as well.