[srishiva]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

Thanks!

Apologies for the late reply, I thought I had pressed the submit button, but I guess it didn't go through.

I got quotes of labour rates of about 25-30k per 10'x10' square by contractors. I have no idea how to negotiate with regards to payment schedule & work quality.

Haven't gone to any architect as I'm not sure what my dad may decide WRT construction.

Talk to multiple contractors and get rates from them. For payment, they will still charge every week. It will be based on number of workers per week multiplied by each of their daily wage. Even then you will be within the total contractual amount. But you can keep an eye on that.

[RahuKetu]

Originally Posted by srishiva

It will be based on number of workers per week multiplied by each of their daily wage. Even then you will be within the total contractual amount. But you can keep an eye on that.

I suggest to take measurements of the work done per week/fortnight and then workout the amount. Since you have given work on item rate basis so you can easily get the exact amount of work done by multiplying measurements with unit rates. Hold 10% amount for rectifications & to ensure that the contractor doesn't run away leaving incomplete work.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by RahuKetu

I suggest to take measurements of the work done per week/fortnight and then workout the amount. Since you have given work on item rate basis so you can easily get the exact amount of work done by multiplying measurements with unit rates. Hold 10% amount for rectifications & to ensure that the contractor doesn't run away leaving incomplete work.

The quote is for complete work involving foundation, wall, roof, plastering etc for 10x10 area. That's the unit. You can't take percentages for daily work leading to that 10x10 area.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

Thanks. I have purchased based on weight & the 10 wheeler truck unloaded it.

The seller was pushing for "air washed", ie unwashed M-Sand! Luckily I didn't agree & insisted on washed M-Sand. After which he increased the price of the compressed Solid Blocks citing unavailability.

Even branded cement prices have been increased sharply (by 30%) citing unavailability due to lockdown. Next time I'm sure to atleast go through some construction material aggregator.

I would recommend materialtree dot com. Have transacted with them a few years ago when we were constructing our home and found them to be pretty professional. They are based out of Jayanagar 4th Block. They cater to all areas of construction raw materials

[Simhi]

Hi Friends, need advise on electrical problem being faced in my flat.

In the month of March, during lockdown, within a span of a week, there was electrical surge in the flat twice. On one occassion, 2 bulbs in bedroom exploded. In another instance, a plug point exploded. In both the cases, the switch was not ON. I suspected high voltage surge and called up the MSEB lineman who after checking the society main board said that everything was fine at their end (did not expect much from them anyways).

The problem occurred in 3 flats at the same time. In one flat they lost the doorbell. In another flat, laptop and washing machine. To safeguard equipments, we have been unplugging them when not in use.

Recently, I consulted our society electrician who mentioned that if the switch was not ON and still it exploded, it means power was coming in the neutral line. He mentioned about installing a protection device but did not specify which one.

What sort of protection device can help from such surges?

[hondafanboy]

Originally Posted by Simhi

What sort of protection device can help from such surges?

Perhaps you need a surge protector. Something like this
https://www.amazon.in/Belkin-Essenti.../dp/B0083T231O

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Simhi

Hi Friends, need advise on electrical problem being faced in my flat.

In the month of March, during lockdown, within a span of a week, there was electrical surge in the flat twice. On one occassion, 2 bulbs in bedroom exploded. In another instance, a plug point exploded. In both the cases, the switch was not ON. I suspected high voltage surge and called up the MSEB lineman who after checking the society main board said that everything was fine at their end (did not expect much from them anyways).

The problem occurred in 3 flats at the same time. In one flat they lost the doorbell. In another flat, laptop and washing machine. To safeguard equipments, we have been unplugging them when not in use.

Recently, I consulted our society electrician who mentioned that if the switch was not ON and still it exploded, it means power was coming in the neutral line. He mentioned about installing a protection device but did not specify which one.

What sort of protection device can help from such surges?

I suspect that some where in the circuit there is a malfunctioning device that is sending the surge through the neutral line and not earth. As it will be difficult to trace the culprit, a protection device is called for.

1. On line and neutral a surge suppressor.
2. On earth an earth fault detector.

You can browse the web for the type of device required and their prices.

[Simhi]

Originally Posted by hondafanboy

Perhaps you need a surge protector. Something like this
https://www.amazon.in/Belkin-Essenti.../dp/B0083T231O

I was looking for complete home protection. Something like this - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B019QFDCTU/...v_ov_lig_dp_it

I have raised question to check if it provides protection against reverse power via neutral.

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

I am looking at fitting a basic filter system for my water tank.
I have a 2000L water tank and the water is pumped from the well (normal ground water well - not bore well) in our Complex direct to the tank via a 1 inch PVC pipe. There is no filtration whatsoever. I would like to fit some sort of simple filter but have been quoted Rs. 13,000 for 2 filters - 1 coarse and 1 fine. Looks a bit like an Aquaguard filter but much bigger. Is there no cheaper option available on the market. I don't mind opening it to clean the filter every week or as required.

Any advice would be welcome.

Regards,
SS

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

There is no filtration whatsoever. I would like to fit some sort of simple filter but have been quoted Rs. 13,000 for 2 filters - 1 coarse and 1 fine. Looks a bit like an Aquaguard filter but much bigger.

I have a 3M water softener setup at my home and it includes a 50 micron steel mesh pre-filter followed by a 5 micron fabric or paper filter. This is for a borewell setup where the TDS is about 3000. I was changing the 5 micron filter once in six months and performing auto clean of the 50 micron once a week. The water is pretty dirty that when i was traveling for a month, my wife did not clean the 50 micron steel filter leading to premature death of the 5 micron filter in 3 months.
The cartridge costs about 2750 while the housing with one cartridge costs about 16k-18k or so. The steel mesh filter with auto clean is called a backwash filter and costs about 15k or so. These are connected in the delivery line. The 3M product is well engineered and can withstand the rigors of frequent open and close for cleaning. Before the 3M backwash filter i had purchased a similar product from the US for about 50$ but that did not last more than three open and close for cleaning due to which the housing developed a leak. You need to be wary of the fact that this setup or similar needs regular maintenance and if the product housing, gasket and threading is not of good quality, you will end up damaging the product during maintenance and cause yourself headaches with leakage and replacement costs.
Attached pictures of the setup first with the ispring steel filter (hidden in first pic), then me replacing it with the 3M backwash filter four months later.

[suzuki san]

Originally Posted by diyguy

I have a 3M water softener setup at my home and it includes a 50 micron steel mesh pre-filter followed by a 5 micron fabric or paper filter. This is for a borewell setup where the TDS is about 3000. I was changing the 5 micron filter once in six months and performing auto clean of the 50 micron once a week. The water is pretty dirty that when i was traveling for a month, my wife did not clean the 50 micron steel filter leading to premature death of the 5 micron filter in 3 months.

Hi diyguy,

In an ideal world, this is the setup I would like to have. Sadly, I do not have the space for this. I can just about fit a small cleanable filter.
Thanks a lot for the advice. Much appreciated.

Warm Regards,
SS

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

Even branded cement prices have been increased sharply (by 30%) citing unavailability due to lockdown. Next time I'm sure to atleast go through some construction material aggregator.

Go through cement wholesaler you will get 10-15Rs less than aggregater . First two lot of Cement I purchased from a website and 3rd lot got number of actual seller from person who dispatched from godown. You will be surprised last year rate of cement was really high and between local shop and wholesaler the difference was 70Rs per bag and between agreegator and wholesaler 15rs.

Do not go by cement brand as long as it is well known brand all cements are same (leaving substandard brands/stuff aside)

Biggest component of price difference is transport. In bangalore Dalmia works out best followed by Coromandal King as plant is within 200KM. Birla Shakti ( Vasavdatta) also comes from somewhere in AP and rate works well. For other 2 brand Birla Super and Lafarge the plants are faraway.

Biggest thing to check in cement is that it should not be old stock.

For Cement you can talk to Sambhavnath Cement V.V Puram contact person Gautam +919986876702.
They can deliver in any part of Bangalore , Cement comes directly from factory godown.

I have never visited this shop but ordered only on mobile and payment through bank transfer on delivery. Till now I have purchased around 900 to 1000 bags and will buy probably 100-200 more.

For Slag sand already posted contact and details here.

Steel also I went to wholesaler of JSW and found rates to be better then secondary producers like A1 Gold , Tirumala, Indus etc. Here also JSW comes from Bellary and in case of 5T or more comes directly from factory.

SAIL and VSPK are other govt. primary producers however getting cooperative dealer for smaller quantities was challenging for me.

Tata Steel comes from Jamshedpur and is costlier by 3-4k mainly due to transport.
I would say avoid brands other than Tata, JSW , SAIL , Rashtriya Ispat ( Vizag) as only these primary brands pass both chemical and physical tests for big projects like metro construction.

[fiestarry]

What are the construction costs today ?
I understand that it will depend a lot on the type of finish and fittings; there must be some standard industry numbers under various categories.
I am contemplating buying a parcel of land in the countryside and building a getaway home

[kishgator]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

Thanks!


I got quotes of labour rates of about 25-30k per 10'x10' square by contractors. I have no idea how to negotiate with regards to payment schedule & work quality.

Haven't gone to any architect as I'm not sure what my dad may decide WRT construction.

Whenever you are ready to construct, PM me and let me know so that I can give you some guidance, since I have enough experience in this field

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

What are the construction costs today ?
I understand that it will depend a lot on the type of finish and fittings; there must be some standard industry numbers under various categories.
I am contemplating buying a parcel of land in the countryside and building a getaway home

There can be no standard figure depends on type of construction, design, material and the city. Labour rates for various items varies a lot as per place

For ballpark estimate budget consider 2000 Rs per sq feet for normal residential house.