The Home Improvements Thread (2)

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TechGirl04 said:
How much does it cost to knock out a wall, roughly? The wall is non-load baring. Separating the kitchen and lounge. There are kitchen cupboards on the one side of the wall that must go. Wall is 3,5m long.
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The demolition would be cheap... It's the making good afterwards that will be pricey.
 
TechGirl04 said:
How much does it cost to knock out a wall, roughly? The wall is non-load baring. Separating the kitchen and lounge. There are kitchen cupboards on the one side of the wall that must go. Wall is 3,5m long.
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Also plan on cleaning out your place 20 times after the demolition. And finding more dust to clean every.single.time.
 
Kung Fu Porkchop said:
How difficult is it to move plugs and light switches? Sorry if it's a stupid question, I don't know jack about these kinds of things :whistling:
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Easy..

Rent a wall chaser to cut a channel in the wall from where the new plug and light switch will be up to the ceiling.. make sure you get a hole through into the ceiling.. chisel out a 4x4 and 2x2 square/rectangular hole for the light and plug switch wall boxes..

Now you can get some 20mm conduit and a 2x2 and 4x4 wall box and pop them in the wall and fill with plaster..

Depending on whether you are moving closer to the DB board, you could use the existing wires for the plug and light switch.. either way, probably best to get an electrician for this part..

Replace wall chaser with hammer and chisel, or a hammer drill with a big masonry bit or a rotary hammer drill with a chisel attachment, as other options for cutting your channels..

Oh, hope you love dust...
 
WAslayer said:
Easy..

Rent a wall chaser to cut a channel in the wall from where the new plug and light switch will be up to the ceiling.. make sure you get a hole through into the ceiling.. chisel out a 4x4 and 2x2 square/rectangular hole for the light and plug switch wall boxes..

Now you can get some 20mm conduit and a 2x2 and 4x4 wall box and pop them in the wall and fill with plaster..

Depending on whether you are moving closer to the DB board, you could use the existing wires for the plug and light switch.. either way, probably best to get an electrician for this part..

Replace wall chaser with hammer and chisel, or a hammer drill with a big masonry bit or a rotary hammer drill with a chisel attachment, as other options for cutting your channels..

Oh, hope you love dust...
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This can be a more challenging bit.

If you're moving closer then all cool, but if moving further you're either going to have to pull a new wire from the DB, or have a junction box somewhere where it will remain accessible. You can't make a connection in the old lightswitch/plug box and the plaster over it.

AFAIK connections need to be accessible.

You could also skip conduits and just use twin and earth wire, plastered straight into the wall. Not recommended though since if someone ever happens to drill into it by mistake then you can't just pull the wire out to replace it.

Either way, as @WAslayer says, get an electrician if you're unsure - but it's honestly not hard provided you are aware of some basic regulations.
 
So Frank and I painted yesterday. Should I sand it a bit to get it smooth?
I want it the same colour as the wall
e07b687c8594b7ede9c89d0781d9ff82.jpg
74d8fe8102f68b587f097e3d2f322323.jpg
 
I chased a new plug point about 2 weeks ago. Was super easy using an angle grinder with a diamond disk and an SDS drill with a chisel.

Cut through like a hot knife through butter.
 
chrisc said:
There is a Plumbing supply place in Wynberg and I was speaking to the owner. It was his opinion that many plumbers don’t like doing repairs. They want to install new stuff as they can mark up the material and charge for fitting it.
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Not necessarily just for markups, but there are times when one guy makes such a mess that it's more of a mission to repair.

The_Mowgs said:
So Frank and I painted yesterday. Should I sand it a bit to get it smooth?
I want it the same colour as the wall
e07b687c8594b7ede9c89d0781d9ff82.jpg
74d8fe8102f68b587f097e3d2f322323.jpg
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I would use a screw driver to pry the paint out of the holes in the plug socket. Use a thin long one and get it as deep as possible to make sure you clean it properly.
 
Smokey mcpot said:
Not necessarily just for markups, but there are times when one guy makes such a mess that it's more of a mission to repair.


I would use a screw driver to pry the paint out of the holes in the plug socket. Use a thin long one and get it as deep as possible to make sure you clean it properly.
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A wet screwdriver works best. Extra lubrication for tough spots.
 
Kung Fu Porkchop said:
How difficult is it to move plugs and light switches? Sorry if it's a stupid question, I don't know jack about these kinds of things :whistling:
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Basically they explained it all about chasing, conduit, connections etc. Not many mentioned the plastering after. Walls have different finishes and your chased spot might stand out when the job is completed.

Something to keep in mind is that some places might have too many plugs on a breaker and there are times when a new breaker would be a good option.

Also look out for water pipes in the ceiling. Sometimes they're under the insulation and can cause an unwanted water feature if knocked.
 
ToxicBunny said:
Yeah not for the most part...

Last time I did it was R350 per day with a R2000 deposit.
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That's a huge deposit though. Normally they ask for double the amount of the day rental rate as a deposit. In other words R700 deposit and then your R350 for the day.
 
Smokey mcpot said:
That's a huge deposit though. Normally they ask for double the amount of the day rental rate as a deposit. In other words R700 deposit and then your R350 for the day.
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Places in DBN know the clients :P

Most of the stuff I've ever hired has been borderline fscked.
 
Can somebody tell me why air bricks have lost their popularity?

I remember them in our old house built in the 70's, but every house I've lived in since hasn't had them. I was always under the impression that they helped with moisture control and to keep the air inside the house fresh so that it doesn't become stale.

Our en-suite bathroom will probably need an extractor fan as the condensation is pretty bad, but it got me thinking that our old house had an even smaller bathroom and it never steamed up nearly as bad as this one does. But that being said, the old house had an air brick or two in every room so it got me thinking.
 
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