5 Renovation Devils
Please
take this blog seriously before you try attempting a house make over or any
repair work which you may think is a kid’s job (total myth).
Let
me get you introduced to 5 renovation monsters, with out whom you cannot think
about moving into a lavishly done palace/house/flat (whatever your capabilities
and day dreams are!)
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| Plumbing |
Plumber: Are you
dealing with constant leakages at your place; then this is the man to blame!
Plumbers are never taken seriously but they will give you lifetime pain. Make sure you ask this monster no 1, everything in
detail; right from your kitchen platform slopes to washing machine water outlet.
Ask him each and everything in detail because these people are mostly silent
killers....(In short, they think you are fools who would not understand anything except the word plumber.) They will never explain you anything and you will only
understand your own mistake when the things are done and now can't be changed
for at least 5 years (unless you are Ambani or Tata who won't be bothered
paying double cash for the same work which has gone wrong) I realized his (this man's ) worth when
my kitchen platform started leaking on the first day of my usage and now I am
left with minor white cement touch ups (which look terrible on the beautiful black shiny granite) which I will have to do after every 3
months because I don't want one more notice from the people who are staying downstairs,
exactly below my flat. Take plumbers
seriously, they are more important than your time. This is a top ladder work, if you are prioritizing.
Tip:
observation is the key. You can’t correct these things.
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| Socket fittings |
Electrician: when you
are done with the amazing experience of using your neighbor's wash room for good 2-3 days; here comes the second devil that
can screw your life if you are an avid reader or you have 4 out of 5 spectacled people in your house. Light arrangements are the most important functions
especially when you are living in match box type house and you are jumbling between
natural lights and LED's. These people will generally land up without anything
in hand except screw drivers and drilling machines. Ask them to give you a list
of what all material they would need, right from fixing your false ceiling
lights to ambiance lights (which we generally forget at the first go). Ask him
to check the material himself with the necessary brands and choose a nearby shop to buy all related stuff
so that you can exchange sockets, plugs etc.
Tip:
This work needs to be done in sink with the plumber but before painting.
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| Flooring Tiles arrangement |
Builder: Don't
mistake him for an architect. He is the one who will replace your old
flooring to glaring new Italian marble (which you generally see in ads). These
people work in two different manners; 1. Contractual basis (wherein they will
give you estimates including all the material cost) and 2. Labor basis (wherein
you will have to purchase or order materials which they want on a daily basis).
Now, if you belong to a mid economy level and you have a trustworthy person at
home who can take the headache of all the purchase orders; second working
condition suits you the best. But if you absolutely do not have anyone for
support, please go for contractual basis. In the first mode also, you can save
money if you take little effort. You can personally go with the contractor
when you are selecting things like flooring, bathroom tiling etc as these are
the things which will change the look of your house completely. You have to
keep an eye on this person, because he is the one who will take maximum time
and will give you extremely logical excuses for not completing the tasks on
time. Give him a time frame and tell him to apply at least 4 workers on a daily basis
so the process gets paced up.
Tip:
do not keep any other worker hanging inside the house when this person is
working because the ultimate result of both will get screwed up.
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| welding at workshops |
Welder: These
people make your window panes and grills. This is usually outsourced job with
measurements taken and work done in their work shops. Very few people know
that, welder is not the person who will mount your grills to windows; there are
different people hired for this job.
Tip:
It’s best to get them colored from the workshop itself and then mount.
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| Stencils by artist |
Painter: When noisy
repairs are done and you think that you can finally relax without the music cutting
and wending sound; here comes 5th devil, who will gift you 10 extremely annoying
fragrances which will make your nose confused for a pretty long time. You got
to do a lot of homework before this work starts. This requires at least 8-10
days, if your colors are already finalized. Color departments get totally
confusing when you see that there are 110 ways to decorate your house but now, as
your furniture and flooring is already done you are left with fewer options.
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| ready made plastic or acrylic stencils |
Always
keep googled images of everything in your phone as painters are creative but
clueless at imaginations. Always show them the final effect before you ask them
to use some color. Nowadays, you can use wallpaper, wall decal (stickers, murals),
textures, stencils (designs) and glow colors to jazz up your house.
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| Wall mural or sticker |
There
are various types of effects which you can give to your walls but learning and
understanding each is where you need a lot of home work. for ex. Wall stickers
and wall stencils will give a similar effect but stencils are done by artist
with permanent colors and Stickers are pasted by anyone but they are temporary
ones which will fade within a year. Consider durability also when you are
choosing any particular effect. Textures need high maintenance, plus if you
want to replace the wall with another one, its a tedious task to remove the
original.
Tip:
Don’t keep anything pending before colors, as it can easily change the effect
which you initially wanted to give.
All
in all, what is important is proper planning and keeping a check on the work
which is happening daily. If things get missed out because of your own ignorance,
you have to blame yourself.
