The Home Improvements Thread (3)

[W@P]

OK, so down the hole we go. Again, this time, it's for the holiday home.

12kw Deye single phase
2x Hubble Am-2 batteries



I never thought I would buy another Hubble but here I am. At R29.9k for both, it is a no-brainer IMO.

 

[W@P]

Regarding panels, this is what I have to work with. The roof is in a bit of a state. Will be sorting that out in due course.
These 2 sides of the roof gets minimal to almost 0 shade. Got the dimensions so will draw out a layout plan.

 

[Off-The-Chart]

water back-up solution question:

would the assumption that, you can basically put a pump+tank setup anywhere on your water line be correct?
(like even at the furthest end point)

as long as you make sure to obviously put the proper valves and stuff where they should be

@W@P roof doesn't look that bad, but got to love the angle of some of the screws in that first pic

in the 2nd pic, does that bottom roof that is overlapped by the top, quite far underneath it?

 

[delta66]

OK, so down the hole we go. Again, this time, it's for the holiday home.

12kw Deye single phase
2x Hubble Am-2 batteries

View attachment 1804118

I never thought I would buy another Hubble but here I am. At R29.9k for both, it is a no-brainer IMO.

wow man! nice spec for the price. where did you get if may ask?

 

[Steamy Tom]

water back-up solution question:

would the assumption that, you can basically put a pump+tank setup anywhere on your water line be correct?
(like even at the furthest end point)

as long as you make sure to obviously put the proper valves and stuff where they should be

@W@P roof doesn't look that bad, but got to love the angle of some of the screws in that first pic

in the 2nd pic, does that bottom roof that is overlapped by the top, quite far underneath it?

The configuration that makes the most sense is to put it inline with the incoming, so meter to tank to house, with a bypass

 

[W@P]

water back-up solution question:

would the assumption that, you can basically put a pump+tank setup anywhere on your water line be correct?
(like even at the furthest end point)

as long as you make sure to obviously put the proper valves and stuff where they should be

@W@P roof doesn't look that bad, but got to love the angle of some of the screws in that first pic

in the 2nd pic, does that bottom roof that is overlapped by the top, quite far underneath it?

Yea man those screws are scew AF. Some of them are out of line so they missed the brandering or whatever completely.
The overlap onto the almost flat roof is far enough yes. The valleys bother me.

 

[W@P]

wow man! nice spec for the price. where did you get if may ask?

Voltex has a special on the Hubble batteries.

I actually drove to JHB to pick up the inverter and the batteries. Only to find they loaded my batteries onto the delivery vehicle coming my way to deliver it free of charge without letting me know. So they allocated another 2 different serial number batteries to my order and gave them to me. The ones on the delivery vehicle just came back to them later the day.

I had to go to JHB anyway so did not drive there just for that.

 

[Off-The-Chart]

Yea man those screws are scew AF. Some of them are out of line so they missed the brandering or whatever completely.
The overlap onto the almost flat roof is far enough yes. The valleys bother me.

valley pans underneath them at least?

lol the guy that did the screws on the ridge cap may have had a little too much to drink that day

almost completely missing the cap at that 1 side

 

[delta66]

guessing i'll have to have that unit installed with COC.. still need cable, sundries to tie it all in. how much roughly extra you think should factor for? 10K

Voltex has a special on the Hubble batteries.

I actually drove to JHB to pick up the inverter and the batteries. Only to find they loaded my batteries onto the delivery vehicle coming my way to deliver it free of charge without letting me know. So they allocated another 2 different serial number batteries to my order and gave them to me. The ones on the delivery vehicle just came back to them later the day.

I had to go to JHB anyway so did not drive there just for that.

 

[kolaval]

Let's talk white paint.
I need to do the walls and ceiling of a 50 sqm shop, so quite a lot of paint.
Prices go from R300 to R1,400.

Is there any benefit to the more expensive paint?
Is there any draw back to the R300 paint and can I use it on both the walls and ceiling?

 

[WAslayer]

Let's talk white paint.
I need to do the walls and ceiling of a 50 sqm shop, so quite a lot of paint.
Prices go from R300 to R1,400.

Is there any benefit to the more expensive paint?
Is there any draw back to the R300 paint and can I use it on both the walls and ceiling?

View attachment 1805431

View attachment 1805432

View attachment 1805433

View attachment 1805438

Stay very far away from acrylic PVA.. you look at a wall dirty that's painted with acrylic PVA and it turns brown and you cannot wipe it clean without wiping the paint off the wall.

Stay away from Dulux rockgrip too.. super thin, takes many coats to get a nice even finish..

You don't specifically need an enamel paint, though it's the best..

I can recommend Dulux luxurious silk brilliant white.. really nice paint and cleans super easy without rubbing the paint off the wall too..

 

[kolaval]

Stay very far away from acrylic PVA.. you look at a wall dirty that's painted with acrylic PVA and it turns brown and you cannot wipe it clean without wiping the paint off the wall.

Stay away from Dulux rockgrip too.. super thin, takes many coats to get a nice even finish..

You don't specifically need an enamel paint, though it's the best..

I can recommend Dulux luxurious silk brilliant white.. really nice paint and cleans super easy without rubbing the paint off the wall too..

At R2,400 ?!

 

[WAslayer]

At R2,400 ?!
View attachment 1805443

Both Brights and Mica have it for 1799.. just do a bit more research than the first Google result..

But I am telling you, do not go cheap on paint.. it's an instant regret.. My mother decided to paint the inside of her house, didn't bother asking me first and she bought 20L PVA for R 300.. it's 3 coats in and the walls still look unpainted... Now she is going to buy more R R 300 paint....

 

[UnicornFinder]

So they want to also do the fabrication and install both which I have already got sorted so not going to work.

Just need someone to do the energy efficiency calculation and spec either the right glass or a solution that can be applied to the glass to bring the performance inline with regulations.

From what my architect says, getting the right glass is moer expensive and the cheaper solution is normally to pay an engineer to spec an affordable solution.

Not sure if it will assist, but have you tried Maizey Plastics, they have a branch in Stikland and I think one in Paarden Eiland as well. They supply sandblast/glazing vinyl that you can apply to the glass yourself, may be the cheapest option.

 

[UnicornFinder]

If anyone needs a reliable builder/contractor, please contact me directly.
We have a standard rate guide, any prices not in the rate guide are either special orders or the prices fluctuate.
We have also made our process more efficient where we are able to provide provisional quotes based on photos.
We offer an after sales service, something I found lacking with most companies, so if you are not happy we will go back to site. We work in Cape Town and surrounds, including outlying areas (West Coast, Grabouw, Struisbaai, etc)

 

[acidrain]

Not sure if it will assist, but have you tried Maizey Plastics, they have a branch in Stikland and I think one in Paarden Eiland as well. They supply sandblast/glazing vinyl that you can apply to the glass yourself, may be the cheapest option.

Thanks. It's been quite a lengthy back and forth between the glazer, architect, energy consultant and AAAMSA.

Architect said the glass had to conform to energy requirements which kick started this whole debacle. In the end, it turns out that achieving energy efficiency does not come down to only the glass and can be achieved in other manners (such as roof insulation etc).

Consultant said I can stick with plain clear safety glass and will be able to sign off the building as compliant with it. Quite a relief because interestingly low-e coatings are not allowed in coastal areas for compliance purposes as per SANS 204 so the only option would have been double glazed which the glass alone was just over R30k.

I'll still be putting mirror vinyl on as we have it on our other windows and the temp difference is night and day, but it doesn't have to be approved.

 

[W@P]

guessing i'll have to have that unit installed with COC.. still need cable, sundries to tie it all in. how much roughly extra you think should factor for? 10K

Really not sure.

I got quoted around R13k for the installation and COC. The installer is a local in the area, he also lives inside the estate, and, he is the one who sorted all my borehole issues. I have a permanent worker at the place who sorts out the gardens, and he keeps the house neat, clean, and tidy.

The 2 of them have become friends by now. Anyway he will be doing the panels for me as well.
This project snowballed with me but I am already halfway there. Might as well bite the bullet and get it all done in one go.

 

[W@P]

I got so much shiit going on.

The holiday home at the coast is undergoing a new roofing project. Replacing all the roofs in the complex with new aluminium sheeting etc. This then allowed for an opportunity to extend my current roofing of the penthouse and build an extra roof as well.

The main patio roof is around 35 sqm and will be replaced.
The roof in front of the bedrooms is around 10 sqm and only covers half the patio to the drip line so when it rains that area is wet obviously. This roof will be extended to the drip line so the whole patio will be undercover and cover roughly 20 sqm.

Then there is another part of the patio that has no roof. That is about 20 sqm. Here they will build a new roof to cover the whole area. When it rains this area is obviously of no use and depending on the winds, half of the main patio would also be of no use and a wet story.

After all is done the place will have gone from about 45 sqm undercover patio to about 80 sqm. So no exposed patio anywhere.
And then the plan is to close off the main patio area with aluminium stacking doors and windows. Doing this will give me an extra 35 sqm of "indoor" space.

I have not been there in quite a while. Will post pics when done.
The body corporate will be covering about 40% of the costs. They are obviously liable for the existing roofs, all the extensions and new roofs are for my account.

Did the payment in the week. They plan on completing the project before the easter weekend.
Some drawings of what the end result will look like.

 

[MarmiteMonster]

My mother decided to paint the inside of her house, didn't bother asking me first and she bought 20L PVA for R 300.. it's 3 coats in and the walls still look unpainted... Now she is going to buy more R R 300 paint....

Had a similar situation to this i had to apply 7 coats to get a decent finish. It was plascon true color fresh white. Never buy paint that is under R800.
Edit: R800 for a 20L

 

[MarmiteMonster]

So since it seems like winter is slowing approaching, i will need to do my annual trip up to the roof to do a bit of waterproofing.

So seems like every product i have used only lasts about 1 winter, this might be due to user error or just a sh!tty product.

I have used S-26 Storm Seal HD rubber waterproofing ( not the cheapest at R1045 for a 5L or R4300 for a 20L ) and it seals and adheres really really well but, give it about 5-6 months of son and its f@cked.

So i require a topcoat that adheres to rubber i have thought about using this product ,but I don't know if it will adhere to rubber. Or any other waterproofing product that is good and does not cost R5000 for a 5L.

Sidenote S-26 works really really really well underground on foundation walls and walls where the exterior ground level is higher than the interior level causing dampness. I used it on the exterior of a wall under the normal soil level to seal the wall to stop moisture from going through the wall and it lasted a solid 13 years with no maintenance.