The Home Improvements Thread (2)

[Tony Stark]

Hi everyone

We recently bought a property in the JHB. Which is nearing the finalisation of the transfer process.

We are currently renting and noticed that whichever way things go, there is going to be a month where we pay both rent (1 month serving notice) as well as bond (1st of the month following transfer/bong registration.

So my wife and I were thinking of taking advantage of the period of time where we'll having access/occupancy to both properties (min 6 weeks) by starting with some renovations on the new house while occupying the current one, in order to minimise the disruption to our lives after we've moved in.

So I just wanted some advice on the following:

1) Is it worthwhile/wise to start with renovations BEFORE you move into a property.

2) How long does it typically take for architect to provide a concept design and drawing up of building plans.

3) How long do building plan approval take? Especially now that this new online building plan approval process was implemented?

4) Currently planning to extend a living room, add a scullary, build a garage and possibly other ideas that could emerge on the back of a conversation with the architect... Is it worthwhile to get a project manager for the constuction? If so who should do the PM work? the Architect, Structural engineer? Or other?

5) Based on the above planned build work, how long can one reasonably expect the project to take?

6) How much % should we budget over and above the quoted project costs?

Would greatly appreciate any advice we can get.

Hi everyone

Wasn't sure if this is the right thread for this question, if not can you maybe point me in the direction of the right thread?

If it belongs here then would greatly appreciate some advice.

 

[furpile]

Morning. Excuse the crude drawing... it's the best I could do

View attachment 1496339

Black lines bottom and right is main house.
Black lines left and top is an open outside courtyard wall.
Blue circle is a washbasin's gully.
Yellow circle is a shower outlet pipe.
Red line is the current piping.

Question: I want to add on a scullery section to the house (dotted black line). I'm assuming I have to re-route the underground sewerage piping so as not to build on top of it, so would the new green line be OK?

I think you could leave it but then the pipe has to be encased in concrete before building over it. Best to get an engineer out. The green line would also need to have sufficient slope for drainage all the way around.

 

[PhireSide]

What pump are you using and how noisy is it?
From the image it looks like a jet pump.

Not the person you asked but I have a 1hp pump in my garage, which is right next to our living room and we barely hear it when it's running. If you leave it exposed it's quite noisy, but what I did was I took an old roughtote, cut the appropriate holes in for the inlet, outlet, power and some holes for ventilation and placed that on top of it, upside down. I then took an old duvet cover and padded the inside of the roughtote with it, leaving room for ventilation.

Been running it like this for about 8 or 9 months now with no concerns, and we use the pump daily as we run on purely rain water at our house.

 

[Getit]

Hi everyone

Wasn't sure if this is the right thread for this question, if not can you maybe point me in the direction of the right thread?

If it belongs here then would greatly appreciate some advice.

Hi, generally no work is allowed on the property until transfer happens. Will be best to engage with an architect already and can get the current plans from the council for the property to start working on it.

 

[ghaye]

Hi, generally no work is allowed on the property until transfer happens. Will be best to engage with an architect already and can get the current plans from the council for the property to start working on it.

I must admit that I was not aware of this. I do know that any improvements done are at your own risk if the transfer does not take place for whatever reason.

 

[Fcon_Vpro]

Not the person you asked but I have a 1hp pump in my garage, which is right next to our living room and we barely hear it when it's running. If you leave it exposed it's quite noisy, but what I did was I took an old roughtote, cut the appropriate holes in for the inlet, outlet, power and some holes for ventilation and placed that on top of it, upside down. I then took an old duvet cover and padded the inside of the roughtote with it, leaving room for ventilation.

Been running it like this for about 8 or 9 months now with no concerns, and we use the pump daily as we run on purely rain water at our house.

Thanks, needed to google roughtote but I have a few of those spare at home if I need to use it.
Which pump are you using?
I watched a few youtube videos from filtershop and some of the pumps sounded very noisy. It was also the only place I could get an idea of the noise they generate. Very weird that very few manufacturers list the noise of their pumps.

The pump is going to be placed about 20m from my house, but its close to my neighbours and I dont want to upset them too much. I was thinking of building a small wood box for weather protection and then lining it with egg carton or something like that to minimize the sound.

 

[PhireSide]

Thanks, needed to google roughtote but I have a few of those spare at home if I need to use it.
Which pump are you using?
I watched a few youtube videos from filtershop and some of the pumps sounded very noisy. It was also the only place I could get an idea of the noise they generate. Very weird that very few manufacturers list the noise of their pumps.

The pump is going to be placed about 20m from my house, but its close to my neighbours and I dont want to upset them too much. I was thinking of building a small wood box for weather protection and then lining it with egg carton or something like that to minimize the sound.

It's a CRi 1hp/750w centrifugal pump, looks like the below:

Takealot

Noise is a very subjective thing and I think a lot of the videos out there do amplify the noise to an extent. So unfortunately you would probably need to see it running in person to gauge whether or not it would be too loud. All these pumps sound the same TBH, and I think most of the noise comes from the regulator anyway. The pump itself is pretty quiet.

 

[Priapus]

Not an improvement but a grudge purchase. 3 days without water last week and 2 days the week prior. Ordered this Saturday morning from Leroy Merlin and they delivered 4 hours later (on a Saturday) for the princely sum of R43. I kid you not.

Mains feed is done and all valves installed. Now I'm just waiting on the booster pump to come later the week so I can finish it off. There's space further down the wall to fit another tank, so I've already provided for that in the plumbing as I suspect the 2nd one will be needed sooner than I'm expecting.

While I'm at it, I think I should spring for a complete filtration system as well, seeing as I'm doing all the piping and would hate to redo that later. As things are I'm becoming a little suspicious of Ekurhuleni's water quality...

View attachment 1496113

I'll be doing the same. It's not often our water goes off. But it does seem to happen more and more now - we have had just about no water from Sunday - it's still off now.

So, I am over it - going to get a 5000L tank and do the same thing.

 

[AxField]

I'll be doing the same. It's not often our water goes off. But it does seem to happen more and more now - we have had just about no water from Sunday - it's still off now.

So, I am over it - going to get a 5000L tank and do the same thing.

Yeah I've been meaning to do it for some time now, it's just now that "water shedding" has become more frequent that pushed me over the edge. When you have to carry buckets of water from the pool to flush your toilet, "roughing it" starts to lose it's appeal...

Edit: I've seen now whenever the water comes back there's an odd colour to it for the first few minutes. Obviously rubbish in the pipes. So that made up my mind to install whole house filtration as well (Sediment filter, Activated and solid carbon). I can add UV later on but it's not like this is a borehole. What's everyone's take on the approach here?

 

[ShloshMalosh]

Ok I did a thing. Well i plan on doing a thing

View attachment 1491747

Lies! you are now ready to do things... but what things to do.... ?

 

[Priapus]

Yeah I've been meaning to do it for some time now, it's just now that "water shedding" has become more frequent that pushed me over the edge. When you have to carry buckets of water from the pool to flush your toilet, "roughing it" starts to lose it's appeal...

Exactly what I am having to do at the moment.
Reconsidering the size of the JOJO - thinking a 2700L one will do. It's just myself and my wife in the house with a 9 month old. So maybe 5000L is overkill. 2700L should last just under two weeks

Edit: I've seen now whenever the water comes back there's an odd colour to it for the first few minutes. Obviously rubbish in the pipes. So that made up my mind to install whole house filtration as well (Sediment filter, Activated and solid carbon). I can add UV later on but it's not like this is a borehole. What's everyone's take on the approach here?

After speaking with a friend; I've decided to do this as well. Might as well add the filtration now whilst all the other bits are being installed.

First things first, building a platform for the tank.

 

[W@P]

If you have the space for 5000L go for it. The smaller tanks are very close to the price of a 5k L tank iirc. I had a 1000L one installed storing muni water as a backup system. I don't have the space for a bigger one. And I live alone. I am at the very bottom of town as well. So my water comes back first and it disappears last. But i usually don't use the first new water coming back, it's usually dirty. Let my neighbors use the first water. Well, that's what I keep telling myself.

I cycle the water in the tank every few weeks.

It's becoming more frequent in my area together with the LS the pumps kak at the pumping stations or the electricity infrastructure feeding the pumps are kakking with all this LS. So you have no water and no electricity. Dis 'n fokop.

 

[Fcon_Vpro]

Exactly what I am having to do at the moment.
Reconsidering the size of the JOJO - thinking a 2700L one will do. It's just myself and my wife in the house with a 9 month old. So maybe 5000L is overkill. 2700L should last just under two weeks



After speaking with a friend; I've decided to do this as well. Might as well add the filtration now whilst all the other bits are being installed.

First things first, building a platform for the tank.

I'm going with a 2500L africa tank.
I also wanted a 5000L but rotating 5000L is a lot more work if I only have it as a backup.
If I don't water the garden or fill the pool, my usage is 250L daily average, so the backup will last me about 10 days.
I'm just hoping the 10days backup is enough time for them to resolve it.
I haven't been without water for about 18months now, but prior to that I had constant issues.
And seeing a lot of people having issues, I rather want to be prepared.
Might save for a borehole and filter system next to reach a higher "prepper" level.

 

[Priapus]

I'm going with a 2500L africa tank.
I also wanted a 5000L but rotating 5000L is a lot more work if I only have it as a backup.
If I don't water the garden or fill the pool, my usage is 250L daily average, so the backup will last me about 10 days.
I'm just hoping the 10days backup is enough time for them to resolve it.
I haven't been without water for about 18months now, but prior to that I had constant issues.
And seeing a lot of people having issues, I rather want to be prepared.
Might save for a borehole and filter system next to reach a higher "prepper" level.

Yeah, in your case 5000L does sound like a lot.

I am planning a setup where the house draws water from the tank 24/7 - and when there is municipality supply, it just fills the tank. So water won't sit in the tank for long periods at all. I think a turn over rate of 3 times a month.

 

[rodga]

Morning. Excuse the crude drawing... it's the best I could do

View attachment 1496339

Black lines bottom and right is main house.
Black lines left and top is an open outside courtyard wall.
Blue circle is a washbasin's gully.
Yellow circle is a shower outlet pipe.
Red line is the current piping.

Question: I want to add on a scullery section to the house (dotted black line). I'm assuming I have to re-route the underground sewerage piping so as not to build on top of it, so would the new green line be OK?

You can encase the existing pipes in concrete but no bends or connections allowed. If you are doing a scullery I assume new sink and dw outlets so I would just get those existing items attached to the new piping of the scullery.

 

[AxField]

Exactly what I am having to do at the moment.
Reconsidering the size of the JOJO - thinking a 2700L one will do. It's just myself and my wife in the house with a 9 month old. So maybe 5000L is overkill. 2700L should last just under two weeks



After speaking with a friend; I've decided to do this as well. Might as well add the filtration now whilst all the other bits are being installed.

First things first, building a platform for the tank.

Currently my tank is only 2200L - I had to go for the slim version (making it more expensive) due to the narrow passage I have available for it. No way I would be able to fit a 5000L tank in there, nor would I want to as that would be unsightly. But I’ve already prepared the feed piping to allow for another identical tank to be fitted further down the wall should I need to.

The biggest problem I had was that I didn’t want to end up with thousands of litres of standing water for backup. So I opted to go for a buffer system where it’s part of my supply all the time. That required me to go for a better pump. Thing is, the pump would kick in every time someone opens a tap for a glass of water or brushing their teeth. This would mean a lot of surge starts during the day and with a 1HP pump connected to my 5kVA inverter that would be a lot of spikes I’d rather not have. Then I found a Pascali Jet pump that comes with a 24L vacuum tank. This maintains pressure in the system for all those short water spurts, drastically reduces the amount of starts that happens during the day (or so I’m told) and it’s designed for the use I’ve got in mind.

Because there is always a chance of rubbish ending up in the tank from when municipal water goes away and comes back, the last thing I wanted was end up with thousands of litres of spoiled water. So yeah, going for a 3 stage filter. There’s the expensive Jojo system that kills everything (at R7k plus), or a system that‘s cheaper but caters for most of the typical rubbish that you’re likely to find in municipal water, which is is the route I’m opting for. If I get really nervous I can always add a 35W UV tube to the system to kill bacteria and this would still be cheaper than the JoJo setup.

Anyway, this is all theoretical till I have it working. Time will tell if it’ll all work like I’ve been told it will

 

[Sheppard_za]

Does anyone own a laser level and do you think it is worth it to get one? I'm looking at an entry-level Bosch green laser level for diy jobs around the house, or do you think a long (1.2m) level would suffice?

 

[aleksandar]

Does anyone own a laser level and do you think it is worth it to get one? I'm looking at an entry-level Bosch green laser level for diy jobs around the house, or do you think a long (1.2m) level would suffice?

I have both and every now and then laser one really makes my life easier.

 

[ghaye]

Currently my tank is only 2200L - I had to go for the slim version (making it more expensive) due to the narrow passage I have available for it. No way I would be able to fit a 5000L tank in there, nor would I want to as that would be unsightly. But I’ve already prepared the feed piping to allow for another identical tank to be fitted further down the wall should I need to.

The biggest problem I had was that I didn’t want to end up with thousands of litres of standing water for backup. So I opted to go for a buffer system where it’s part of my supply all the time. That required me to go for a better pump. Thing is, the pump would kick in every time someone opens a tap for a glass of water or brushing their teeth. This would mean a lot of surge starts during the day and with a 1HP pump connected to my 5kVA inverter that would be a lot of spikes I’d rather not have. Then I found a Pascali Jet pump that comes with a 24L vacuum tank. This maintains pressure in the system for all those short water spurts, drastically reduces the amount of starts that happens during the day (or so I’m told) and it’s designed for the use I’ve got in mind.

Because there is always a chance of rubbish ending up in the tank from when municipal water goes away and comes back, the last thing I wanted was end up with thousands of litres of spoiled water. So yeah, going for a 3 stage filter. There’s the expensive Jojo system that kills everything (at R7k plus), or a system that‘s cheaper but caters for most of the typical rubbish that you’re likely to find in municipal water, which is is the route I’m opting for. If I get really nervous I can always add a 35W UV tube to the system to kill bacteria and this would still be cheaper than the JoJo setup.

Anyway, this is all theoretical till I have it working. Time will tell if it’ll all work like I’ve been told it will

Just out of interest. Do you have a bypass for the system for when the pump fails/needs maintenance?

 

[AxField]

Just out of interest. Do you have a bypass for the system for when the pump fails/needs maintenance?

Yessir. A ball valve for each tank supply, one for the feed from the pump and a bypass for the whole lot - 4 in total. Then there's a ball valve from each tank to the pump, so another 2. That's what took so much time as that was finicky.

In other news, the pump came this morning and so did the filters. Hopefully I can get this all done tomorrow without any issues.