[Hudson]

Folks, currently have a task in hand to change the wiring of my ancestral house. The current wiring is "batten wiring" type with porcelain switches. Since I wish to retain the existing look, I will plan to replace the wires & switches.

I'm attaching a photo of the current wiring which was done in the 1960's.


Folk's, please suggest:
1. Where could I procure hexagonal porcelain "Khosla" type switches? Any brand to look out for?
2. Which wires/brand are suitable for batten wiring. Should have good insulation & be fire/rat proof.

[fine69]

Waterproofing Ceilings when the terrace or roof above is not accessible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aui_5_yO4iU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcSeXXDlaUo

Is this what the likes of Dr. FixIt do in apartments when the resident above doesn't let you break his bathroom floor?

Any idea of tentative cost for a 8 x 8 bathroom ceiling?

I'm worried sick about an apartment deal that I'm planning to make because the bathroom has little seepage in the walls. If I waterproof the walls the water is most likely to accumulate somewhere in the ceiling but if ceiling waterproofing is possible then I'd be willing to take the plunge.

I'm skeptic because if one actually blocks all the microcracks in the bathroom ceiling, does the water remain on the floor above you or ends up finding a way, maybe this time in your bedroom ceiling?

[redcruiser]

I am no civil engineer therefore would like to ask you guys on how to check the quality of the construction by the builder ?
What are the things that I can inspect ?
PS- The building structure is already completed.

[Aroy]

Most probably the civil work was shoddily done and the bathroom plumbing in the floor above you is leaking.

You can seal the ceiling and the walls by injecting waterproofing compound as shown, but then the water will find another route and come out at some other wall.

The best bet is to approach the flat above you and discuss the problem. In case the owner is amenable you can both inspect the plumbing and seal the leaks. Anyway waterproof your ceiling and walls.

As far as I know Dr Fixit and other waterproofing contractors inject the compound in 1m or 1/2m grid and charge per injection with a base cost.

[pramodkumar]

I have a question for the gurus, my cousin has a house in Trivandrum Kerala and is locked most of the year due to him staying abroad with family, he returned yesterday to find out that his entire kitchen was eaten by termites, he had heard of some treatment which is done by filling something in the walls, kindly feel free to shed some light on the topic, I also found some termite in my house and I would really be interested to know if something new is available in the market.

PS: his kitchen is built using marine ply and treated wood which is said to be termite resistant. My modular kitchen is built using a polymer composite which is more like a high compression plastic slab, I hope that the termites wont enjoy that much however I am interested to know if something can be done to prevent any unforeseen termite problem.

Pramod

[Jaguar]

Ask your cousin to get in touch with any local pest control firm. I had got it done for my house in trivandrum some 4 years back and things have been good since. The process involves drilling holes every few feet 6" above the floor and filling with a chemical. This was done though out the house. Need to repaint the house to cover up the mess though.

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Ask your cousin to get in touch with any local pest control firm. I had got it done for my house in trivandrum some 4 years back and things have been good since. The process involves drilling holes every few feet 6" above the floor and filling with a chemical. This was done though out the house. Need to repaint the house to cover up the mess though.

Do you have any contact details?

Pramod

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

Do you have any contact details?

We have used HICARE in the past, they are a godrej company. We have also used PCI pest control India. Both of these were for ants, roaches bugs etc. About 12 years ago, we had done termite treatment for a rental home through a local provider in our locality. Look at your local classifieds. It took about three days and involved drilling deep holes every two feet and pouring a chemical into the wall. It is a messy situation and I had packed off the kids to stay at their grandparents till this was done.

[rishi_kapoor]

Has anybody fitted rainshower with pressure pump? Please advice on brand as well.

Any advice on reputed and good service brand of Jacuzzi in India? appreciate your advice in advance.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by rishi_kapoor

Has anybody fitted rainshower with pressure pump? Please advice on brand as well.

Any advice on reputed and good service brand of Jacuzzi in India? appreciate your advice in advance.

My brother has done so. Rain shower from Grohe and pump from Crompton

[rdst_1]

Make sure the pressure pump only comes on when the shower is switched on.
It might be a bit expensive but it is much better to get showers which have an in-built pressure pump.

[dre@ms]

Our old flat is demolished and getting rebuilt and should be ready in a month or so. Looking for some reliable people/agency for interior decoration, wall mounts/cupboards and modular kitchen. Looking for VFM and quality. Any leads in Chennai, Annanagar area?

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

Looking for some reliable people/agency for interior decoration, wall mounts/cupboards and modular kitchen. Looking for VFM and quality.

My father in law just redid his flat in t Nagar and went with cookscape for his kitchen. For the rest of the woodwork he went with a private contractor who was part of alacrity constructions. Cookscape are reasonable and seeing this my brother is also going with them for his flat on omr. However they will delay and one needs to be ready for that. If you can withhold the payment so that they are incentivised to complete at the earliest, would be best. The fine print says to handover complete payment on final delivery while it should have probably been after installing. They construct the modular pieces in their factory to measurements and deliver it to the site. From a pricing perspective they were the most reasonable.

[dre@ms]

Originally Posted by diyguy

My father in law just redid his flat in t Nagar and went with cookscape for his kitchen. For the rest of the woodwork he went with a private contractor who was part of alacrity constructions. Cookscape are reasonable From a pricing perspective they were the most reasonable.

Any reference from Cookscape?
Enquired couple of my friends/relatives and they too directed to the local carpentries who come with a catalog and we choose the design. Will check and post my queries if any.

[Aroy]

The only difference between a carpenter and factory, is that the laminates in a factory are pressure bonded, which lasts longer and has a better finish. Otherwise a carpenter does a much better job of adjusting the wood work to the space available.

If you can get pre-laminated boards then a carpenter is the best bet.