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-149.html)

In in Kochi. Honestly, have not heard of this brand. Depending on the amount you spend and the product, take your call. Like in the ₹2k European WCs from brands like Cera or similar (flush tanks extra). Or a well designed wash basin. If spending 10 k or more, I prefer known brands with an outlet for spares. Especially if there are moving parts like flush tank or taps. You don't want to replace a ₹3 k tap when a rubber washer weighing 5 Grammes had written out.
Thanks for pointing pointing the distinction.


Work sites where people have executed or one projects in past are the only reliable "sites" to understand designers, architects, skilled workers and contractors.

Looks like the Livspace success story is unravelling. The company announced 100 layoffs two months ago. Today's Pune Mirror has a story of a city-based architect claiming that Livspace showed him his own designs taken off his Facebook page as potential designs for a project he had contracted with them rl:

You can't make this stuff up!

Looking for some input on terrace roof. I have zeroed on Mangalore tile based roof. But I am not well versed with the current trend. Which is the best in terms of look and benefits? ( like filtering out sun light)

Mangalore tiles are essentially terracotta. Will keep out the heat. The down side is, they accumulate green algae during rains. Most people were used to living with it. But no nowadays, the push towards cosmetic good looks means you'll be compelled to paint it once in a while.

Wondering where you'll find them though.

Need a help - Can we use Aircrete/AAC light weight blocks for boundary wall construction without plastering?

@Latheesh, if you are looking for alternatives to to traditional cement / concrete / mortar, have a look at this thing called Bison Panel. It is essentially n fibre cement board, with wood particles. They have a specific product for this purpose, 40 mm thick and matching slots and channels obn adjacent sides to be slid into. These should be mounted on "C" shaped channels - typically concrete base belt and pillar. The base belt and pillars will have slots into which these panels slide into and then there are matching slots in each piece of panel. Non standard sizes can be worked on using wood working tools. May be, 70 - 80 mm wide board or seconds quality tiles from a ceramic tile shop might help keep moisture away during rains. (think of old 50-80 year old red sand stone and lime mortar wallsv with such toppings). If you don't get the C channel thing, think of the pre cast concrete slab boundary walls.

The block is priced around ₹ 100 per sq. This is NOT the usual 8' x 4 ' board, which too is available in 40 mm format. Grout the joints using cement and stock fiber tape over it then paint as if you are painting a brick / blocks and cement wall using water based cement paint.

Saw this product at their stall at an exhibition. My local dealer says he can deliver against orders in 10 days. You better get in touch with the company (Google for their site) and get the exact details.

Errr ... I definitely am impressed with this, but yet to use it.

I am not sure if this is the right thread to post this query. Mods, please do move it to the appropriate thread

I am planning to change the door lock for our main door to a Digital lock. We live in an apartment and have regular locks only. Secondly, we have a Video phone. Unfortunately, the builder was so dumb that they did not set up the base unit in the interior part of the house. The base unit resides next to the main door. This results in us 1) not being able to hear if we are sitting inside the bedroom or watching TV. Note the house is fairly big and hence this issue. Secondly, every time one has to get up and answer the doorbell. Therefore our use case has become two-fold

1. A Video Phone which can operate wirelessly within the house. The base unit needs to be positioned inside the house and the ringer/video on the outside. If there is a mobile app that can support alerts on the phone, it would be brilliant
2. Digital door lock - need not integrate into the video phone, but it might be good if there is integration

Any brands/models that I can look for? I don't want the really cheap ones at the same time, i don't want to go over the top as well

Please share your recommendations

You can use AAC blocks for boundary walls. Plastering won't be necessary.

But it's an unusual use for AAC blocks, I must say. Most people would just use solid concrete blocks for this purpose. You don't have to use AAC blocks. Another aspect to consider is that AAC blocks are ordered from the manufacturer directly for the most part (although a few hardware shops do stock these blocks); unless your boundary periphery is really long, you may not attain a certain minimum order size with which to place an order with the manufacturer.

I have installed Qubo Video doorbell in my home. There is wireless chimer that you can place anywhere in your home and you can receive the calls on your mobile phone through an app. If you have an Alexa or Google Assistant based device in your home, you can receive the calls on those devices as well. The doorbell is connected to your home wifi and you can receive the call from anywhere, not just your home.

Qubo also makes digital smartlocks, so you can check those as well. But they only support bluetooth, RFID and biometric options. There is no Wifi option as far as I'm aware.

I’ve been using hikvision Vdp 602 for the past couple of years and it’s connected to my motorised compund main door. It has a mobile app to answer the calls and to lock and unlock the main door. It’s compatible with some mechanical locks I’m not sure about the digital ones.

Instead you can buy a digital lock which you can access from your phone for locking and unlocking. I’m using a digital lock from Yale which can even generate an OTP for people to access the lock one time. It has finger print, password, rfid, otp, and unlock using the app.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Dr Alpha. Is there a specific model that one should look at in Yale. Also, there are versions with deadbolts which are more expensive. Is it required to have a deadbolt in your digital lock given that it is in an apartment complex, neither big nor small with good security.

Thanks Newpunter. There are 3 smartlocks in Qubo - regular, elite and ultra. The difference between Elite and Ultra is deadbolt presence plus more number of RFID cards. The price difference is easily more than 6k between both. Is it worth it ? For the VDP, i think Qubo's VDP is good enough

Lastly, for both of you - what is the longevity of the battery in the door unit for the smart lock. Does one need to change batteries quite frequently ? If the battery is dead, how does one open the door. Is there a reserve mechanism just like in cars for fuel ?

Happy to help !!
I’m using 3 models Yale 50 next, Yale 100 next, Yale YDM 7116 A on different doors depending on the security requirements. I’ll always recommend deadbolt for main doors since all it takes to break a normal lock is one kick with right amount of force at the right place. The main thing is your door needs to be of minimum 35mm in thickness to install any digital lock. Regarding price you can negotiate the price much lower than website price in shops.

Regarding the battery - I’ve been using it for 2 years and still the batteries are going strong. If battery is low, you’ll get warings regarding the same. If the battery is dead you can either use the manual key or connect a power bank and use.

I have the Samsung one from US. Has RFID key, but how does the manual key work?

Yale locks have normal lock and key mechanism too. The plug/port to insert the key is present at the bottom which is not visible while standing. One should sit down or bend to access it.

Builder has given us a steel main door (from tata steel). Would I be able to install a digital lock from Yale / Qubo (or similar) on this and if so any special instructions to follow? I have tried to ask around, but no one seems to have a definite answer. Would appreciate any help from esteemed forum members. Thanks