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-52.html)

I am thinking of some renovation and furniture stuff @home. One of the goal is to liberate more space.

So looking for ideas for compact/foldable dining table and bed.

Also, the room walls and bathroom walls are regular brick walls, 20cm thick. If they can be replaced with something thinner, it will liberate space which can be utilized for wardrobes, etc. One of the options I came across is Siporex. However, I haven't found any contractor who has done it and is willing to do it. Anyone who has experience with Siporex or any alternative "thin wall" option?

Siporex option: http://www.shirkegroup.com/ProductsServicesSiporex.htm
They say the thickness is 7.5cm to 15cm. So this would free up anywhere from 5 to 12cm of space, theoretically. Is this practically useful and has anyone done it?

My bathroom wall adjacent to the bedroom has no plumbing (all plumbing is in the opposite wall), so I can break this wall and replace with Siporex, and increase the bedroom width by 12cm, is what I am thinking.

Looking forward to suggestions, inputs.

The idea is quite good. The only problem is that it is used in structures where there is a RCC Frame (Beams and columns) which takes care of the structural integrity. Then the walls are non load bearing and can be of any thickness.

First of all check if there are any columns in your house. If not, then this is an old construction, where all the walls are load bearing, hence replacing 20 cm thick brick walls may impinge on structural integrity, and in extreme case bring the roof down.

One work around is to construct a load bearing beam at the roof level. This should be properly designed and rest on the brick walls at the ends. Then the beam takes up the load born by the brick wall.

Your best option is to consult a structural engineer/architect and let them evaluate the drawings (if available), and then go ahead.

Thanks.

Forgot to mention - this is an apartment in a 14 years old building that has 11 floors (mine is on 1st floor), so it's all RCC, not load bearing. The specific wall section that I am thinking of replacing has no columns. The problem is, I am not able to find anyone (architect/interior designer/contractor) who has done this or is enthusiastic to do it (or suggest an alternative).

Since your building is a frame structure you can pretty much knock out any wall you want, but you have to be careful about the following

1. Electrical circuits may need to be rerouted which is a major pain since conduits in the ceiling (RCC) are permanent and are difficult to change.

2. The floor levels between two rooms may not be the same once you remove a wall if you are planning to combine rooms.

Since you want to maximize floor area why even go for a thin wall like siporex, let the back of the woodwork act as the wall. Use good quality MR (commercial ply) in dry situations and BWP (boiling waterproof Ply) or marine ply if you are concerned about water.

If you still want a thin wall, look at Aerocon Partitions that are made of lightweight flyash and start from 2" thick panels.

http://hil.in/birla-aerocon/

Got some Fenesta windows installed over late last year and early this year at home. A new neighbor moved in with 3 big dogs and one or all of them keep barking throughout the day! Repeated requests and verbal spats with the folk over the wall didn't help and so finally took the plunge and installed an additional window on all the windows facing that side. Has made a huge difference. Can sleep, sit in peace at home these days, the windows do a great job of cutting down (but not completely) the sound. I think the insides have become a bit hotter though, but not significantly.

Pricey windows though. But the whole interaction with Fenesta was very good and smooth- measurements, delivery, installation, etc. Was worth it for the peace.

You'll need a significant amount of space on the windowsill to accommodate the window, if you don't want to remove your existing windows. Fortunately mom had the foresight while constructing the house to leave enough sill space on both sides of each window, so we had the option of installing the additional window either inside or outside each existing window.

Good lesson for all new home constructions , always assume the area you are building in will get noisier and leave room for future upgrades. When we moved in in 2002, the locality was deserted and quiet. You could rip on the main road at 80, post 8pm and it was so silent throughout. By 2015, the population density had increased dramatically, there's crawl traffic on the main road till 10 and there's noise throughout the day and night!

Anyone has any suggestions on brand / wattage / other tips on installing LED flood lamps on the exterior of the building?

Our house is on the bottom right corner of the plot, and the back & right perimeters are dark and does not get any light at night.
The front and left however are partially illuminated by municipal LED streetlamps.

Want to get perimeter lighting installed all around the building & portico. Should be low on wattage so that even if we have a power cut, the power inverter should be able to support them for sometime.

Dad had noticed 2-3 miscreants roaming about inside the perimeter of our house at about 3 AM, and they quickly left once my Dad shouted out. Also want to install cctv cameras.

had the same situation and I installed Philips 10W led battens at a height of 12ft on each corner side of the house. I plan to put couple more in between. They cost me about 210rs each from pepperfry. Have 2 in my garage which I originally installed to deter rats running around in the dark and then 5 more about three weeks back. These 7 draw about 61w and I have them running off a timer switch.
The one thing I need to do is build a water proofing cover around them. Plan to purchase some transparent plastic and fit them on top of these tubes to protect them from rain.

Something I have been looking out for - can you pls share details of this ?

Better still use auto movement detection device. Check Amazon.

Thanks a lot! This looks interesting.

1. Yes, I will reroute wiring, that's been noted.
2. The floor will need some work - level matching as well as tile matching, noted.
3. The wall I intend to remove is the bathroom wall. So it can't be replaced with furniture directly.

BTW, of the 3 Aerocon options on this website:
Solid wall panels (http://hil.in/birla-aerocon/aerocon-...d-wall-panels/)
Fibre cement boards (http://hil.in/birla-aerocon/aerocon-...cement-boards/)
SmarBond panels (http://hil.in/birla-aerocon/aerocon-...ing/smartbond/)

Which would you recommend as a replacement for bathroom wall?

Thanks again!

If you use marine ply you can use the back of the unit as the wall. I assume you will be tiling the Bathroom portion, so the tile adds another layer of protection against moisture. You can stick tiles to the marine ply with a combination of Laticrete 290 and Laticrete 333.

I would just use the regular solid wall panel since it is water resistant.

Good luck.

50 mm thick Aerocon panel will work for bathroom partition but ensure that you don't 'load' the wall from either side with anything. Make sure you get the joints properly sealed and painted. These panels need mild steel channels for fixing. Please get the technical details from the vendors and get a good quality fabricator at site.

Ok, thanks!

When you say don't load the wall, do you mean "not to drill holes and not to hang/mount any small furniture on this wall"?

Or fixtures on the bathroom side.

Agree with architect, but you can put a layer of tiles if you want. The 2" slabs are surprisingly strong, I used them to cover the roof of a 4'x4' guardhouse, and to my horror found the mason sitting bang in the middle sealing the joints.

The roof and mason are in one piece.