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Not sure if this is the right thread to post, move if inappropriate.

Has anybody bought sofas/recliners from Homecentre. Their collections are super comfy and a delight to sit and relax. Have visited their exclusive showroom in Citi Centre where the offers are at 70% discount.

In the market for a 3 seater and 1 recliner.

Hi All!
I am going to do interior of my 2BHK flat. It would be a green field project. The million dollar question is, should I use the services of an interior designer or should I do it on my own. Also my job entails lot of traveling!
The location is Pune.
Suggestions are welcome! Also any references which will help me to save time.
Thanks in advance!

That is a million dollar question ! Balancing your likes, your ideas with the experience that an interior designer can bring in. Do engage one, share your ideas and be involved. If the carpenter / installers says something cant be found ( a specific shade etc), then go out and search - you can actually find the stuff.

I was in a similar situation till a couple of months ago and I usually am out of town (Mumbai) for a month at a stretch. Had also thought of buying the materials and asking for labour charges only from the designer cum contractor. After getting quotation from three different parties for various work like carpentry, masonry, plumbing, false ceing etc., finally gave it on a turnkey basis to the company mainly to have better control of the whole execution process since I would not be available to monitor it on a daily basis.

I did both my houses and work place myself. The first time was challenging sourcing the materials and organizing the work. Took me a lot of time as well.
My latest, house project was exciting since it a complete makeover for the resale flat. Did 3 bhk in 6 months.
Started work with laying cables for security cameras, wifi, electric wiring, false ceiling, Carpenter, wall paper, sunfilm on windows, AC, invertor, waterproofing, tiling, plumbing, led lights, sanitary fittings, window blinds, fabrication of security doors, sofas, dining table and chairs, polishing wood, paint, mattresses, mirrors and finally the name plate at the entrance.
I got lots of ideas from my Carpenter and POP person as they had worked previously with big interior designers.
I was involved from sourcing the materials to planning, design and overseeing all the work. It was tiring sometimes, but the end result was great.
Most importantly, I saved a lot of money (as compared to quotes given by architects and interior designers) and used top notch quality materials.
Trust me, it's worth the effort, if you have the time.
Iam based in pune. Would pm you references, if interested.

Thanks for replying. I will be grateful to you for references. Thanks in advance!

One more question to the professionals here, is POP safe? Or should I go for some other material.
Also how the interior designer charge, is it on square foot basis or the value of work done.
Thanks in advance!

Looking at a 1HP water pump. Should I go with Suguna? This is in Bangalore. Also looking at Kirloskar and Crompton. I dont want to spend over 5k.

POP is such a commonly used material that such a question never occurred to me. So I Googled and found that handling (mixing water to its powder form) can be dangerous. However there is no mention of any hazard after it solidifies.

I doubt there is any danger. If you find any contrary information it would be interesting to know.

The main door of my house has teak wood veneer.
The Glossy Polish on it's surface has scratched at a few places.

Can I do some DIY to touch up the scratches? (Some thing like WoodKeeper)

Doooood.😁.. Doctors have been applying POP casts for factures since ages.

POP as discussed has been used since time immemorial for both medical, Art and construction. The only danger that I see is that it heats up when water is added to the powder, so you must mix water slowly. Apart from that it is used as a surface finishing agent (walls and ceilings) in billions of homes around the world.

Both methods are popular. The problem with the Percentage of Work Done method is that clients always suspect you of jacking up the cost of the work to increase your fees.

The best way is to finalise a Scope of Work and budget and then fix a lumpsum fee. Be very clear of deliverables, stages of payment, etc. etc.

Lastly, the scale of works for a house (unless we are talking of fancy luxury houses) almost never justifies the fee paid to a good interior designer and his time. You will either pay a disproportionately high fee or get a low-balling interior designer. So if your budget is not huge or you find the (good) interior designer's fee disproportionately high, just go it on your own.

Has anyone over here gotten a Lightning Protection system installed at their house. Is there any known vendor/installer who is known for their product and expertise in this area.
If not, does anyone know what are the minimum basic requirements/components/guidelines to get such a system installed.
I know about air terminals (installed on top points of the roof), a thick copper conducting wire and ground rods made of copper installed deep in the ground. We have the ground rods installed for earthing long ago and I don't think that work was done professionally by people with the know how.
I have read that the ground needs to be prepared in auch a way ao it's resistivity remains low, but not a lot of idea how to check that. Have seen a company selling a filling compound for such holes, but thought I'd ask over here before I contact them.

Also, is there any issues using the same ground rods for the electrical earth connection for the house wiring.

A)
Basically the system is same as that used for domestic ground. To reroute lightning strikes to the ground :

. Dig a pit about 1 meter deep. The soil should be sandy and not rock
. Place a large copper plate in the pit
. Connect the Plate; about 500mm each side and 3mm thick; (soldered or bolted tightly) to a copper strip. The normal dimensions are 15mm wide and 3mm thick.
. Fill the pit with salt-charcoal mixtuse till the plate is covered. Top up with soil. Pir water and consolidate the soil, topping up as it settles.
. Bolt a steel rod; pointed at the top; at the highest point of the house
. Connect the steel rod to the copper plate using copper strip - 15mm x 3mm

As copper is expensive, some replace it with steel plate, but that will require regular replacement as steel rusts and corrodes away.

B) To prevent damage to to lightning surge
. Use surge protectors which are installed between Live and Ground of the supply. These have a voltage threshold, beyond which they breakdown and short the mains, there by tripping the MCB as well as rerouting surge current to Earth.
. It is best to have two or three of them in parallel to ensyre redundancy.
. The rating of the surge protectors should be able to conduct large cirrents generated due to lightning surge.

http://www.electrical-installation.o...on_Device_(SPD)
https://www.havells.com/en/consumer/...on-device.html
http://www2.schneider-electric.com/r...ices%20SPD.pdf