Understand the problems due to incorrect slope in wet areas of your home

Whenever you need to drain the water off your floors, whether it is your bathroom floor or any other wet area of your home,the proper slope at flooring helps to run the water off efficiently. Incorrect floor slope can cause water to run in the wrong direction, instead of gently sloping towards the drain.

Now a question would arise in your mind – ‘What is Slope?’

The Slope of a surface means the surface of which one end or side is at a higher level than another, a rising or falling surface.

When you install tile in wet areas, do you ensure that everything slopes to the drain? If not, let us understand its importance through this content.

Firstly, let us know the areas of home/ office where slope plays a significant role.

Slope requirement in your home or office

There are floor surfaces in an apartment or home that require slope. Each surface given below needs a different slope:

  • Bathrooms
  • Balconies
  • Kitchen
  • Terrace
  • Drains & Plumbing lines

Apart from floor surfaces, window sill and chajja also have a slope requirement. But we would be focusing on the slope at flooring. Slope requirement also depends on two factors, click here1 to know more.

Generally, there can be two cases of incorrect slope i.e slope in improper direction and inadequate or insufficient slope.

Let us discuss what problems can occur due to inadequate slope or slope in improper direction at flooring.

Problems due to inadequate/improper Slope

Due to incorrect slope, floor water will not drain easily through floor drain outlet and will lead to formation of water pocket or accumulation at a corner.

If it is not rectified in time, it can lead to following problems or issues:

  • Damp / seepage related issues in the adjacent wall or floor surface
  • Fungus issue on floor surfaces
  • Strength of Flooring & wall surface will get decreased
  • Unhealthy living conditions in the house
  • Safety hazard

Solution for this issue: We recommend review and if required, floor tiles to be relaid maintaining proper slope towards floor drain outlet and adequate strengthening with requisite type of sealant at floor and wall tile junction.

Ensuring that a proper slope is provided around the drain for water to flow out easily is very important. Good drainage in wet areas like shower area in the bathroom is a key to preventing problems related to damp/moisture, so read content related to recommended slope2 for it by Home guides.

You can also read content on How to slope a floor for drain3.

Lastly, we would like to conclude, Flooring with proper slope is ideal for bathroom floors, balconies terraces etc; floors on which water flows on frequently. You don’t need it much for areas like your living room, drawing room, or any other room that stays dry. The main objective of sloping is to protect the property from damage that is associated with incorrect slope.

We hope this content will be useful in creating awareness about the problems that may arise due to incorrect slope at flooring in wet area.

Reference links used:
1. https://nischinth.com/2016-12-28-slope-requirement-for-various-surfaces/
2. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/recommended-slope-shower-base-84127.html
3. https://www.hunker.com/13402640/how-to-slope-a-floor-for-a-drain

Why Home Inspection Cannot be Guaranteed?

Your kid falls sick (stomach-ache and fever). You take her to the doctor. The doctor prescribes medicines and assures her speedy recovery and staying fit in the forthcoming days only if certain do’s and don’ts are followed to the tee. You come back home hoping that your kid will be fine and she does recover in an expected manner. But some days later, she again falls sick and you discover it was all because of her unhygienic practice of eating lunch without washing her hands, particularly in school. So, the point is, do you get angry at your doctor that she couldn’t guarantee a disease-free, painless future for your child? No. Right? The same thing applies to a service as evidence-based as home inspection.

The team of professionals visiting your home will check each & every corner of it. Based on the current condition of the property and their understanding of the subject will provide you with a detailed report. It may be so they find your home having little or no issues at all. The report may not indicate at any immediate danger also. But will that guarantee a problem-free future for your home? The answer is ‘No’. You may still have problems arising in your home in coming future. That will not make the inspection you had recently any less effective or a failed one.

Following are the reasons why a property inspection is not guaranteed:

1. Natural calamities

Who on earth can predict an earthquake? Scientists all around the world are putting their best efforts into developing a system that can forecast an earthquake, but they are yet to build one. Imagine such a destructive phenomenon hitting your city soon after you have done an inspection of your home. You will be lucky if your home manages to stand upright, unaffected from the tremor but can you really guarantee for its zero damage? Cracks on the wall near the foundation are common in buildings where Richter scale readings are higher during an earthquake. And these can never be predicted in a home inspection.

Leave earthquake, even a ravaging storm can lash your town causing damages of small to big magnitude. Your glass windows can break; a big tree standing right next to your house can get uprooted and crash on your boundary wall causing it to come down; your balcony shade can blow away, and so on and so forth. Worse? After a heavy shower, the exterior paint1 of your house can become dull!

You cannot expect your home inspection report to predict all these things ever. The precaution it can suggest you is to repair an old part of the building or to replace a weak part with a strong one. You follow them and leave the rest of it to Nature God.

2. A Sudden renovation

Human taste gets upgraded with time. Trends tend to influence it in a big way. And what is a better place than one’s own home to manifest it! Yes, you got it right. We are talking about home renovation which is totally need-based (or home remodelling preference-based). In both the cases, you bring about major changes in your home and while doing so you may go wrong with some parts or processes. For example, you decide to replace the old tiles of your home with new, trendy ones. As your tile installer pulls the old tiles out, the waterproofing layer gets damaged accidentally.

Or, say, you gift yourself a new home theatre system for which you need to do an elaborate wall-mounting job. If something goes wrong during installation the concealed electrical wiring system of your house can get damaged. The same thing can happen during the installation of new bathroom fittings; there, you even run the risk of damaging your water pipeline. Result? – Seepage in the wall.

3. Repair work in the upper floor or adjacent flat

You get your flat inspected. And it passes the inspection with flying colours. The technicians do not indicate at any major problem looming large on your property. You are happy that your dream abode is healthy and then, all of a sudden, you start hearing a heavy sound with that intermittent shrill noise of drilling machine. To your utter surprise, you come to know that your upper floor neighbour has undertaken a renovation job! What do you? Nothing! – Because it is their flat and you really do not have any say in how they plan its repairs. But does that repair work affects your unit? Yes, it may. Any elaborate flooring repair can give rise to seepage like problems (that never existed before) in the ceiling of the lower floor.

The chance of such problematic, unexpected guests invading your home increases if the repair jobs are carried out in your adjacent flat. An unskillful drilling or plumbing repair there can make your home susceptible to cracks and seepage also. No home inspection service can warn you about such problems from before. The best way to avoid damage in these cases is going to your neighbour and requesting them to be careful about their repairing process.

4. Real-time basis and Lack of maintenance

Inspection is essentially a real-time procedure. A property is inspected at a given time under a given weather condition. This can vary after a certain time as the weather changes. Accordingly, observations made may also get changed.

One more important factor is maintenance. If you do not maintain your home properly or do not do the repair jobs as suggested by your inspection report it will not last long. Thereafter, problems will arise with every passing day, wrong usage, varying time and changing weather conditions.

5. Security breach

A professional home inspection checks for basic security issues in a home but to what level your property needs security depends on the premises and the locality where you live. For some houses, having a strong main door with an eyehole and proper locking system may be enough. For other properties, even having a CCTV at the main entrance may not be adequate. There might be a need for multiple CCTVs in every floor and sensors attached to the doors.

Times are changing. So, you better take top-level measures for your home because an inspection can never guarantee you zero breach of security.

Home inspection is a non-invasive and visual process. The professionals report what they see and what they understand from the current condition of the areas and elements. Moreover, the scope of the study is so big and they have to take so many factors – internal as well as external, into account and as well as it is real time based. Hence it is not possible to guarantee the soundness of everything over a long term. So, does that make inspection any less necessary? Well, yes, if you think seeing a doctor for the same disease within a short interval is illogical! Look at the bigger picture and you know why inspection is the best thing you can do for your home. For more information, write to info@macj.in.

Reference links used:
1. https://www.bergerpaints.com/products/exterior-wall-coatings/15/exterior-emulsions

Hygiene Caution: Check Before You Eat Outside

Who doesn’t love the aroma of freshly fried samosas on a rain-soaked afternoon? Don’t you just look forward to dining out on your special days? And what about the takeaway that you frequent on weekdays while returning home from work? Saves you the hassle of cooking, right? To be very frank, we are a generation which depends a lot on foods bought from outside. But are we aware of the health hazards that we are inviting to our life? Do we follow all the basic healthy rules while eating out?

Let’s get a reality check.

  • Who washes hands outside?
  • How clean is the eating place?
  • How is the food?
  • Do we get to know how many times the same cooking oil has been used for frying?
  • What is the source of water?

Do we care to do and/or check these things while buying food from outside? If ‘yes’ then how often? And if your answer is a scary ‘No’ then here is a list of cautions that you must pay attention to:

Wash your hands before eating food outside

Most of us don’t, do we? When is the last time you washed hands before putting that paanipuri or phuchkas inside your mouth? Did you go to the restaurant washroom and washed your hands before plunging into the Biriyani? Well, we rarely forget to take a snap of the food and post it immediately on Instagram, but the same doesn’t stand true for a simple and most basic healthy habit – washing your hand.

Do wash your hands thoroughly or use an alcohol-based hand rub to sanitize your hands before eating. When you eat washing your hands1, the bacteria and germs that are left on your fingers and palms can be transferred to the inside of your mouth. This can cause illnesses and infections. When you put your hands on those surfaces, the virus gets transmitted to your body and enters the respiratory tract causing mild to severe illness.

Check the cleanliness of the eating place

When hunger gets the better of you, you do not really care where the outlet you are buying the chaat or phuchka from is situated. Roadside shops are often located just beside big uncovered bins. On a rainy day you will even find the fast food outlets’ floors all muddy and stained. These are never the places that we should collect our foods from. But then again, what if the front is neat and clean and behind the kitchen door, it’s nothing short of hell? Do your brief research and then only gorge on the plate. After all, it’s your health that will be at stake.

Check what you are eating?

Tasty and delicious of course! – But what about its quality? Most of the restaurants heat and reheat a pre-prepared food and serve it to you as you place your order. It is true that heating kills a lot of germs but consecutive heating and cooling and reheating make the matter worse. Be it a fast food outlet or a posh restaurant, reheating is the major cooking process. Ever thought how many pathogenic germs are making an entry into your guts day in and day out?

Is there a way to avoid such food and still deal with your hunger pangs when you are outside?

Well, just be cautious about what you are ordering. Occasional binging on rolls, phuchkas, ghugnis, and chaats is okay but ideally, you should always try to hop by a cafe or restaurant that has proper kitchen setup and order for food like fresh salads and sandwiches with your choice of veggies and cheese. They are, by far, the safest fast food items to eat. You can also try grilled delicacies as they do not require reheating or oil to prepare.

Be careful about the source of water?

Even if we overlook the hazardous substances present in food and have our fingers crossed thinking that cooking kills pathogens, the problem does not end there. What about the water served to you? Where from did it come? If it is not from a sealed bottle, can you vouch for its purity? You can’t. So, carry your own bottle if you are not dining at a proper restaurant that is expected to have a water purifier installed in its kitchen.

Now you may ask that it has been so long that you are having food from outside and you do not experience any distress. Really? Don’t you? Let us correct you and say that you do, but you are not aware of it.

Health hazards and diseases caused by unhealthy eating habits

  • Obesity: Outside food, be it the street food or restaurant-bought or simple fast foods, are always high in carbohydrates and Trans fats. The starchy, complex carbohydrates make you gain weight while fat gets concentrated in the belly and hip regions. A silent killer, this obesity, will grow slowly but steadily and one fine morning, you find your dresses aren’t fitting you anymore. This particular disease makes way for other disorders like cardiac problems, diabetes and so on.
  • Hypertension: With the high-energy density as contributed by the high amount of sugar and fat present in junk food, blood pressure rises and hypertension sets in. Type II diabetes also sets in.
  • Undefined diarrhoea: The unhygienic procedure and surroundings the food is prepared in gives rise to bacteria and protozoa in the food, which, when consumed, can lead to stomach upset and diarrhoeal disorder in human body.
  • Food poisoning: With all the toxic substances in the food present, poisoning “to bantahai”. Manifested in the form of vomiting, nausea, weakness, loose motion, headache – food poisoning is quite common when you are a regular buyer and consumer of food from outside.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. These diseases might be communicable or non-communicable. Heightened levels of cholesterol in blood, increased amount of glucose, and cardiovascular risk are a few of the long list of diseases that will eventually spread inside you.

Does that mean you should stop eating food from outside? Well, certainly not. See to it if you can control the urge of eating food outside. Besides, take the following measures:

A Quick Recap

  • Wash your hand or carry a sanitizer with you whenever you have plans of consuming outside food (irrespective of the food)
  • Only choose shops and outlets with neat and clean surroundings
  • Check if the food feels cold inside and hot outside. This indicates incomplete heating. Ask for thorough heating. It’s better to have it late than unhealthy.
  • Make sure you order sealed bottle of mineral water when eating outside. Even better, always carry sufficient water with you.
  • It is not really possible to give a visit to the kitchen from where your food is coming out prepared. A lot of outlets offer the opportunity of experiencing live kitchen. It will be wise to choose them.
  • Why not bring yourself up to cooking and prepare little something (at least every alternate day) for yourself instead of relying on outside foods everyday? – Saves you money and makes you learn a skill!

Apart from this, If you are fond of eating street food then you can also read some tips for eating street food in India2 and avoid sickness.

Here’s a pro-tip on how to keep your home kitchen clean and germ-free.

Washing hands time and again and whenever handling food items is certainly one way to prevent its contamination. Consume thoroughly cooked food which has been heated at high temperature for at least 30 minutes or more.

Eat healthy and stay healthy keeping contamination at bay. Outside foods have their own taste and flavour which may be homemade food cannot match. Just be a little on the safe side and choose wisely before satisfying your tummy with junk food.

Reference links used:
1. https://www.lifebuoy.co.za/health/infection-and-prevention/health-and-lifestyles/why-do-we-wash-our-hands-before-eating.html
2. https://hippie-inheels.com/tips-on-eating-street-food-in-india-not-sick/

Tips to maintain balcony Railing of your home

Good quality & Safety are the most desired attributes for our homes. When we are standing on the edge of a balcony many of us often overlook the importance of railings.

Although many of us use railings everyday, we do not often stop to consider the significance of it for safety. We like to lean on them, but we often take for granted the fact that our railings are strong.

It is easy to assume that your railings are in good shape until proven wrong, but just like any building material, they can also fail. So today, we are here to share with you its advantages & importance and some tips to maintain them.

Advantages of balcony railings

Using durable balcony railings are crucial for ensuring all-around home safety. Some advantages of railings are as follows:

  • For Balance: When a person loses balance on a platform, they usually cling to the railing. It provide stability – which is important for children and the elders.
  • Prevention: To protect curious children and pets, railings provide a needed barrier which prevents from accidents.
  • Comfort: During wind movement, high platforms can be dangerous. Railings provide enhanced support and allow others to feel more comfortable walking in balconies.

Apart from this, in reference to affordability, balcony railings are considered to be an affordable option in comparison to costly liabilities that occur without them. In this way, these are important.

Some tips to maintain railings in your homes

After understanding about railing, maintaining the railings in your house takes a priority. Mostly mild steel railing is used in home. Some tips for maintaining them are below:

1. Check and repair rusted railing

Rust is not only a visual problem. It is said that rust is like the disease of cancer in the world of metals. It deteriorates the metallic material from inside. When iron comes in contact with air and moisture, it produces iron oxide which is known as rust.

Deposition of rust on railing corrodes the railing further and ultimately causes damages to it. So, the removal of rust or repairing a rusted railing is essential to protect the railing.

Remember, no painting protection will survive long if you do not remove rust from the original metallic surface. Hence cleaning is vital for repairing rusted railings. So for rusted railing, clean and sand off rust from affected surface and apply red oxide primer1 over it along with oil paint.

2. Ensure tightness and repair loose fasteners

After removal of rust on a railing, you should check all joint of railing using screws and bolts. If there is any loose joint, immediately tighten the fasteners with the help of a screw driver. Replace the bolts or screws if they are not sufficient to ensure the tightness of the joint of the railing. If the existing screws are not enough to tighten the joint, you should select a larger screw or a wall anchor to ensure the tight fittings of the joint.

3. Repair paint deterioration

If there is any paint deterioration, clean and repaint the affected part to avoid any type of other defects like rust too. If you feel that if there is requirement of reapplying of primer, then it can be done before applying the paint.

4. Look at the bottom portion of railing

Observe the condition of bottom portion of railing and sill. If there is some damage or cracks, repair them as soon as possible to avoid any future problems.

5. Check the gap between wall and railing

If space between wall and railing exceed more than 4 inches, then it will create unsafe condition for kids. Read: Make your home safe for kids.

Conclusion

Beware of poor quality balcony railings2 at your home or apartments. If railings are not maintained properly, they can cause safety hazard. Our objective was to make you aware about the role of railings in your home and tips to maintain them. It is important to take care of railings as soon as possible the trouble is detected.

Reference links used:
1. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/painting-red-oxide-primer-34873.html
2. https://www.commonfloor.com/news/beware-of-poor-quality-balcony-railings-at-your-apartments-18142

10 Hacks to Make Living Alone Easier for Old Parents

When parents get old, they become somehow dependent on their grown-up kids. Their physical and emotional well-being becomes a serious concern for their children, and taking care of them turns into a round-the-clock duty regardless of whether they stay with them or alone in a separate establishment. Now, it’s an obvious thing that elderly parent care cannot be completely stated. It differs depending on the general health, personal discretion, and available support system at home for the concerned seniors. However, the biggest concern is when they are left alone or unattended at home.

For ensuring safety of the seniors, we can make some arrangements at home so that their living alone becomes easier. Implementing these hacks will help us to trim down the chances of mishaps.

If you are one of those who have aged parents staying alone at home, you can use the checklist suggested here to assess the environment. Also, you can take other necessary steps to make it safer for your old parents.

1. A useful “to do” list to prevent falls

Seniors mostly suffer from balance and reflex problems. As a result, fall-off risk for them becomes a major concern. Making the home fall-safe is the best way to avoid any such accidents. You can try a few safety tricks:

  • Keep the floor free from clutter.
  • Discard the furniture that occupies a large amount of space on the floor.
  • Arrange non-slip footwear for your parents.
  • Don’t use extension cords across the floor.
  • Restrict the use of throw rugs on the floor.
  • Check if the floor tiles are too slippery and find out the reason why they are so.
  • Check for any leakage in the basin areas of the living room or kitchen. Get them repaired soon to avoid unnecessary flooding.

It is always desirable that our parents do not have to climb stairs to get some fresh air. They should have the privilege to enjoy nature in their balcony or lawn garden. If that is not feasible in your case then make sure the staircase has strong handrails to give support.

2. Keep emergency numbers reachable

Keep the mobile phones of your parents up to date in terms of saving the phone numbers, whom they should call in case there is an emergency in your absence, and that they never run out of balance. These numbers must include the contacts of the local police station, electric supply call centre, doctor’s number, phone numbers of the nearby home delivery food centres and similar other utility service providers including yours in the emergency dial list.

Arrange for them in an easy-to-operate basic mobile phone that they can handle easily. The handsets must be sturdy as well as offer longer battery standby time.

3. Maintain fire safety measures

A fire accident can cause severe disorder at home and it is highly traumatic, especially, for the seniors. Some of the prevention you must ensure are:

  • Use appliances with the best safety features. Get the servicing of AC machines, geysers, kitchen appliances, etc. done by authorized service centres at regular intervals. That will help you stay worry-free about their optimum functionalities.
  • If possible, install a fire alarm, where the smoke detector will keep your parents and the immediate neighbours alert.

4. Take care of the bathroom

A slippery and difficult-to-access bathroom is a real-life hazard for senior people. If you want to minimize the bathroom hazard for your aged parents, few safety measures will surely work.

  • Use non-slippery marble/ tile flooring.
  • Install grab rail beside the toilet seat and near the shower so that the users can maintain their balance better.
  • An exhaust fan or dehumidifier will help keep the bathroom floor dry.

Again, check for any leakage in the plumbing line to avoid constant dripping of water from taps and resultant flooding of the bathroom floor.

5. Take care of the bedroom

You may not have the idea that in your absence, your parents spend major time in taking rest or enjoying napping. Therefore, you must make their bedrooms safe enough. Some of the suggestions are:

  • Change the soft mattress into a hard one on bed. This will help in managing their joint pain.
  • Install a night bulb in the bedroom. Some good bedroom lighting options are wireless motion sensing lights, touch lamps, automatic night lights, etc. For advanced lighting solutions, click here1.

6. Arrange lights for safer movement at night

The arrangement of lights is important for the easy and safe movement of the seniors inside the home, especially at night. Check these points:

  • Use bright lights, because your parents may not have a bright vision.
  • Always stay alert for the lights in the rooms of the seniors. If you have a care taker for them, then get batteries and bulbs checked at regular intervals. If any of the bulbs or tube lights are not working properly, get it changed immediately. Trying to light a bulb and failing to do so might make them nervous. They may also collide against a wall and hurt themselves.
  • Preferably make them two-way switch arrangements.

Additionally, if possible install a high-capacity inverter as a backup plan for power cut.

7. Modify the kitchen

In the kitchen, keep things within the reach of the elderly people. Some of the suggestions are:

  • Keep hazardous materials away from general access.
  • Arrange for a microwave oven for heating foods. The use of a gas oven may not be safe for your aged parents.
  • Install easy-to-operate faucets in the kitchen so that they can open and close the taps without putting too much effort into it even in your absence.
  • Keep adequate storage of foods and that too within easy access; aged people may feel the urge of having foods/ snacks in odd hours.
  • Check & Discard food items with an expired date, at least, once in a month.

8. Take care of the overall safety

This is crucial for stay-alone seniors. The main entrance should be absolutely secured, preferably with a double guard system in the form of a collapsible or grill gate fitted outside the wooden door. The lock system, the eye-hole everything should be in place and functional. Please click click to get more useful tips on safety enhancement at home.

9. Ensure electrical safety

Electrocution can be another dreadful accident. Keep your aged parents safe by following these electrical safety suggestions:

  • Check for any fault in the concealed electrical wiring system, switches, and fuses. How do you do that? Hire a professional electrical inspection company. They will warn you if something is wrong in the line.
  • Always use shockproof fixtures.
  • A damp house welcomes a myriad problems. Dampness near a switchboard or big electrical appliances can be a major source of accident. So, get your homes inspected and find a solution for damp.

10. Keep communication

Regardless of your frequency to return home, call your parents at least 2-3 times a day. Also, always attend their calls as a priority no matter how busy you are. It is advisable to keep handy the phone numbers of their nearest neighbour, a caregiver at home, or the security person of the building.

Also, make a few habits like

  • Taking care for their banking needs.
  • Taking regular care for their laundry so that they can feel relaxed.
  • Explaining them about the recent scams possible on the phone: once they will get to know the problems, they will not respond to any scam call.
  • If you have any outside assignments, communicate with them frequently so that they stay emotionally pacified and worry-free.
  • Arrange for their regular health check-ups so that your parents stay fit.

Check the availability of their regular medicines at home and keep a first-aid box ready with SOS medications.

Well, these are a few 10 hacks you should maintain to keep your aged parents safe and worry-free at home even in your absence. Sometimes, a situation may demand some more precautions. In that case, you have to enhance the security & safety system of your home. In general, precise care about the daily amenities and sincere care towards their well being can keep your parents happy and protected.

Reference links used:
1. https://www.lighting.philips.co.in/consumer/home-lighting-innovations

Working Parents – Better Beware of These Home Safety Matters

We all cherish the delight that our home is sweet, but how of many of us are sure about its safety? This is a reason for constant worry among working parents, especially those who have to leave their children at home in their absence or under the supervision of grandparents or paid caregivers. If you are one of them, let us check the issues you should be careful about so that you can make your sweet home a safe house also.

Fall off is a major risk

When you are not at your home and your workplace is far off, an accident is the most disturbing issue you may have in your mind. This accident may happen in many ways. The injuries due to falls are one of the most frightening problems applicable to elderly as well as children. In fact, in your absence, the problem of slip off can be a dreadful thing. Some safety measures can be pre-arranged:

How can you try to prevent a fall?

  • You should stabilize the staircases. This is easier said than done, especially, if the steps are too steep. Installing handrails is the easiest way to minimize accidents in that case and maintain gaps between railing properly. Further, the staircases should be cleaned regularly so that they don’t get greased due to regular use.
  • The fall-off accidents may occur in your bathroom also. Generally, it is a moist place, and constant access to water makes it more accident-prone. Try to keep the area dry as much as possible. Install anti-slip marble or tiles on the bathroom floor, and if budget permits, install a shower cubicle so that the entire area of a bathroom does not get moist.
  • Repair leakage if any in the bathroom or kitchen so that the floor is kept dry as always.
  • Ask your kids and their caregivers not to keep the toys scattered. The scattered toys can sometimes become the trigger behind a fall off.
  • An unattended rooftop/ terrace/ balcony can be dangerous for kids. If your kids stay at home in your absence it is advisable to restrict their entry to these areas. Keep the terrace/ balcony gate locked and place the key out of their access.

Minimize the risk of fire accidents

A fire accident can be really fatal. It may happen for many reasons. Therefore, you must build your home in a way where the chances of fire accidents get minimized.

  • Keep matchboxes and gas lighters away from your kids’ access.
  • Keep knob of the gas cylinder off after cooking, so that it protects them from accidents.
  • Keep all the appliances unplugged when not in use.

These safety measures will help you to reduce the risk of fire hazard, at least, in your absence.

Keeping them safe from strangling and choking

Kids often watch television shows and movies of superheroes and in the absence of their parents try to attempt those heroic stunts alone. These trials can be extremely fatal for the playing kids. Some of the precautions you may implement are:

  • Do not keep any type of cords within the access of the kids.
  • If there are blinds in the room for decoration, try to wrap them up, where kids cannot access them by their effort.

Choking hazard is another nightmare that keeps troubling parents of toddlers when they are away for work. You must instruct the caregiver at home to strictly put the items that may cause choking away from the reach of your children to minimize the chance of such hazards.

Door locks should be child-safe and secured

In most Indian homes, nowadays, two-way locks are used so that the working couples can enter the home safely and easily. But care should be taken in installing the lock in such a way that the children can open it and they cannot tamper it. Also, train them adequately so that they do not lock themselves outside, while the keys are left inside.

Also, you must explain to them about the danger of allowing strangers inside the home when parents are not around. Ensuring the safety of the entry door is one of the crucial safety protocols you have to maintain at home.

It is always wise to buy good quality locks. You can buy both the window as well as door locks. Also, make sure that the windows have grills so that the kids do not fall while leaning on them.

Check Window Size for Safety

Windows of long size with low window sill height can create a safety hazard for kids. Read the post to know more about this and its solution.

Prevention from electrocution

Electrical safety is paramount for any home, whether you are leaving kids alone at home or not.

You should service your electrical wiring and appliances periodically so that there is the least chance of short circuits. It is even better if you get an electrical inspection done because you never know what is wrong inside the concealed wiring of the house. The presence of moisture inside it can lead to horrific accidents. Using branded switches and plugs and circuit breakers in the electrical wiring system can minimize the risk of electrocution and/or fire hazard to a significant extent.

Install security camera surveillance

If possible, you must install a CCTV camera surveillance system in your home, especially, if you have to stay away for a long time and on a regular basis. You can integrate the camera with your phone so that you can monitor your home remotely.

These are the general safety tips for your home. Implement them and check their functioning from time to time. In addition to all these safety features, you must also maintain regular communication with your kids and the rest of the people at home, so that they can immediately inform you about any irregularity.

Regular maintenance of the safety arrangements, proper training for your kids about the importance of security, and regular communication with them can help you in preventing any untoward incidents. A thorough check of every corner of your home will put all your worries to rest. It is rightly said that a stitch in time, saves nine. Awareness about these issues can help you keep your kids safe at home when you are away at your office or traveling for work.

New Home? 7 Things You Must Do During the First Week

The joy and excitement of moving into your new home is something different. The mere feeling of living in your very own heavenly abode is enough to cause butterflies in the stomach! While the whole moving in process is a lot of fun indeed, it is not devoid of tonnes of to-do tasks, all of which are necessary things to be done before you can even begin to enjoy the feeling.

Here we bring to you 7 most important tasks to complete in the first week of your moving in so that you can relax and live happily ever after.

Things to Do in the First Week of your New Home

1. Turn on the Utilities if not done yet

You should have arranged the connection of the main house utilities before the move as it is an important step, but if you have not done yet for some reason then do it without delay. Naturally, the first utility companies to call are the power and water providers – things will look much brighter, easier and smoother once you have electricity, gas and running water in your new house.

2. Get a TV, Telephone and Internet connection

Let us face it electronic media is now a part-n-parcel of our life. You would need them particularly if you have kids, to engage them while you unpack and arrange items in the house. Even otherwise, they are a good way to relax after a few hours of tiring yourself out. And telephone and internet connection are also important for communication and you can shop through the internet, pay your bills etc.

Again, be careful about where you are installing the TV set or other. There will be walls adjacent to bathrooms and other areas with possibilities of damp or moisture intrusion. Avoid those places to reduce any chances of electrical hazards in the near future.

3. Share your new address and check security essentials

Once you are sorted on getting all the essential utilities in place, it is time to update your new address in all the important places it needs to be. Do not forget to share it with all your loved ones too.

Coming to the home itself, assess how do you find the security facilities there? Are the main gate of the building and entrance of your flat in their desirable states? Check for any issues in the door locks, doorbell, and other small things like an eye hole. To ensure further safety and prevent intrusion of any kind, you may consider installing CCTV cameras, motion sensors etc.

Pro tip – Remember to change the locks: This is very important if you are moving into a resale apartment. You never know who all has the key to this house. Your safety in new home is primary. Even if it is a new apartment, the keys may have been with the builders’ staff (painters, construction workers), so why take a chance? Also, now is a good time to call a locksmith before you begin your new life.

4. Sort out what you need and don’t need

Believe us, now is the best time to do it – you may never find time again once you settle down and start your everyday routine. It may be anything from clothes, kids’ toys, utensils, or even important documents (some of them only seemingly important). Set aside the ones which you think are not needed anymore and arrange the rest of the documents neatly in files and folders. Label and organize them so that you can find them easily when needed.

5. Clean up or hire professionals

A new house is not necessarily free of dust or stains. You will need to tidy up the place and make it suitable to start living in. If you find it difficult to manage everything yourself, hiring professional cleaners might be a good idea. They will take care of every wall, cabinet, and bathroom, damp stains there and literally spruce up your place to turn it to brand new.

Now here is a catch – if you come across any damp spot or seepage in any corner of your house, be alert. Is it just a simple water stain? Ask yourself. Removing the stain can certainly be a good idea but you must try to know the cause behind it. And for that, you must rely on a professional who are experts in damp inspection.

6. Arrange for help in unpacking

You will surely need one if you have kids around but even if you do not, it is fun to call friends and family to help you unpack. Doing it together helps you all bond up and makes things easier on you too, allowing you to take a breather and not tire yourself out unnecessarily.

7. Get a home inspection done

A professional home inspection is always a better idea to proceed. This should be the one of significant task on your checklist because it is extremely important to ensure that your new house is healthy. You have already spent a huge amount of time, effort, and money on home buying. Why spend more on fixing it up later? Home inspection would identify the exact problem areas so that you can get them rectified by the builder itself if it registered under RERA, before even moving in. These issues can be related to any corner of your home, any component, and of any magnitude. There can be a persistent damp problem, an error in the slope of floor, poor quality window and door frames and locks, rust-prone bathroom fittings, or a problem in the circuit breaker etc. From inspecting electrical wiring system and switches to checking lofts and balconies, plumbing systems, a home inspection does everything that is crucial for your hassle-free living.

Curious, how a home inspection can save you time and money? Here you go.

If there is any concealed leakage/ seepage problem, you can hire professionals who are expert in thermal imaging technology.

Additional tip: If you are planning to do interior designing of your house, start doing the research now. But before hiring an interior designer, don’t forget to get your house inspected professionally for better results. Only a healthy home can showcase a good decor perfectly.

The professional home inspectors will come over, inspect your property and help identify any potential damage. They will check for damp or other issues your house may become a victim to a few years down the line. In the case of resale properties, an inspection is a must because you don’t know how the earlier owners would have maintained the property. But don’t ignore inspections in new homes too as problems start surfacing there only after a few months.

Conclusion

Our objective was to make you aware about the important things/ task to be done in the first week of your home.

Moving in can be quite cumbersome but enjoy the fun and don’t forget to maintain your home well.

Primer : Is it necessary to apply it before Painting?

Painting any surface basically serves two purposes. It enhances the beauty of walls/ structure and also protects the surfaces of the structure. Before painting any surfaces, the application of primer is recommended. Some question arise, like – Why primer is required? Can’t we do away with primer by applying one more coat of paint? For a layman, the difference between the two is not easily understood as both look similar.

Before painting any structure, you should know the difference between primer and paint. Paint and Primer both are different products, though they look like same. They have a different purpose, function and constituents. We would first explain the primary difference between primer and paint.

Difference Between Primer and Paint

Primer

Primer is paint but without pigments, it primarily consists of resins. Primers are designed so that they create a bond with the sub surface and also with paint, to create a uniform surface which is suitable to receive the paint.

Function of Primer

Primer penetrates in the porous surface and seals the surface to ensure better coating and adhesion. It also hides imperfections and provides an even, smooth, and stable foundation for the paint. It is a problem solver providing good coverage.

Paint

Almost the major constituents of paint remain same as a primer, plus paints contain pigments, which provides the colour. Paints contain different types of additives than primers. These additives perform a different function like providing bond and adhesion, quick drying, durability, etc.

Function of paint

Paints add colour and shininess to the surface. They make the surface finished and provide protection. Pigments in paints also help in hiding the surfaces. There are many constituents added in the paint so that it dries quickly and it gives durability, i.e. life to the paint.

If the paint is applied to an unprimed surface, it may crack, peel off within few months. For paint to last long, priming the surface with the right primer is important.

Now, We jump into a commonly asked question i.e. Is it necessary to apply Primer before painting?

The primer as the name suggests, is the primary layer that is ready to receive paint. It is nothing but paint without pigment. It improves the adhesion of paint and thereby increases durability and life of paint film. Apart from this there are other uses of primer:

Primer before paint is like the base of your paint job and can be used on wood, plastered wall, concrete, etc. Applying primer coat over new surfaces reduces the amount of paint being absorbed by the basic surface. The primer will help you in hiding joints and other small defects, when it is applied to surfaces. Basically it is paint without pigment, it serves all the functions of the paint at a lower cost, as it is the pigment which increases the cost of paint. If primer coat is not applied, you might have to apply one more coat of paint, which of course will increase the cost. It increases covering capacity of the paint and thus decreases the overall cost of painting.

If suitably applied, primer will enhance the life of the paint, and also improve the appearance. Therefore primer before paint is absolutely necessary.

Some tips for Primer Application

  1. It is essential that the primer should only be applied to dry and clean surfaces. Before the application of primer coat, the surfaces are smoothened by sand paper and dust is removed.
  2. After the primer coat application, to ensure proper drying of the primer, the surface should be painted after a few days.
  3. The surfaces that have deteriorated should be cleaned properly before the application of primer.

And follow the instructions as per manufacturer’s specification.

Proper interior and exterior surface preparations combined with primer will build an effective barrier against stains and moisture and promote full adhesion of the paint. Primer is thus very useful as it reduces the cost of overall painting and also increase the appearance and life of the paint.

How Home Inspection Can Improve Your Property Value?

Who doesn’t dream to own a home? In India, around 69% households in urban areas are found to be living in owned houses. In rural areas, this percentage is 95%. On an average, around 86% of households live in owned houses. A humble, two-storied house, a large bungalow, or a 2BHK flat in a housing society – they may vary in shapes and sizes. But, owning a home is largely common in Indian society.

In a lifetime, no purchase is as important and as big as buying a home. Buyers are exceptionally cautious about spending their hard-earned money as a huge amount of financial transaction is involved here. It is not enough if the house is only beautiful. A property with the facility of “ready-to-move-in” is mostly preferred. Options that involve less investment of money, time and effort top the list of preferences. Buyers need assurance that the house of their choice is in good shape. They do not want their investment to go into something that would need a repair here, a brush-up there every alternate day. If as a seller or developer you can give such an assurance then, automatically your credibility increases and you can quote a higher price for your property. A home inspection is just what you would need.

Before we explain to you the positive effect of home inspection on property value, here is what the service is all about – What is Home Inspection? Learn the Basics of It..

Benefits of a pre-sale home inspection

For a Homeowner/ Seller

1. Identify the repair needs before selling. Result – A more alluring property
It is very much true in real estate that the first impression makes the last impression. To make sure that your house is at the top of the priority list of your buyers, you have to make it “the best” in the market. A beautiful house is definitely enough to attract attention. But, it needs to be in perfect condition as well. How can you ensure that without inspecting it in the first place?

Getting a third party perspective, in this case, proves to be even more helpful because, after all, it was your home; you are unlikely to see any real defect in it. Professional home inspectors can identify the underlying problems with your home and also make out its potential in an unbiased manner. Additionally, attending the problems would add to the aesthetics which further enhances its appeal to the buyers.

A home inspection is likely to find out some common issues you might be experiencing the outcome of. Plumbing and fixture problems, electricity issues, problems of walls, floor, and roof, damage due to moisture intrusion, leakage in the roof, etc are common outcomes you get to know about after a successful home inspection. You would think – “but these are costly to repair!” You are right. But then, why would anyone want to buy a property with so many issues at a high cost? Automatically, the perceived value of your property gets lowered.

A home inspection gives you the scope to attend the problems and mend them in a time before you put your house up for sale.

With the tendency of buyers to incline more and more towards choosing “ready to move-in” properties, it is less likely they will care even a tad bit about repairing before moving in. So, if you leave the issues unattended, the number of potential buyers will automatically become less. Once you repair them, the aesthetics and ‘liveability’ quotient of your house increase manifold and you get more buyers.

Now as a seller, you may not have the required amount of time to attend all the issues the home inspection points out. No worries. Try fixing as many issues as you can. Fix the electrical problems, mend the leaky pipes, treat the roof, ceilings and walls for dampness, and replace the locks of doors and windows. These will improve your property condition a lot and deliver a feeling to the buyer that you do care about your house. Quick and easy selling with high selling price guaranteed.

2. Lesser chances of price negotiations. Quicker and smoother selling process
You will be amazed at the issues home inspection will point out to you, many of them you were completely in the dark about. You can attend them once you get the report within a few days.

If you leave it upon the buyers to call for home inspection, be prepared for 3 consequences, any of which would follow. The buyer might fix the issues, negotiations for lower selling price will come up or no deal will take place.

Pre-sales home inspection will eliminate any surprise elements for the buyers. You, the seller, know them beforehand. You can either fix them at your cost or disclose them to prospective buyers and reduce the selling price. But don’t make the mistake of hiding them, as truth will be revealed eventually.

Early disclosure of the problems would eliminate buyers’ suspicion. Price concession negotiations will not come up either. Altogether, you will have more selling power to you and the entire process will become faster.

3. Pre-listing home inspection helps generate more number of genuine leads
To list your house on property listing websites and marketplaces1, you need to log in as an ‘owner’, ‘agent’, or ‘builder’. After that, you have to fill up the online form there with complete details of the property and post its pictures. Upon verification, your listing is made visible to your prospective buyers.

Only a good property listing – complete with all the information and pictures showing various parts of the house helps you draw more eyeballs. So, to make your property picture-perfect, you must get a thorough home inspection done and clean and repair everything that looks shabby and damaged in it.

In a nutshell, if you are a seller, try to consider everything from a home buyer’s perspective. See with a buyer’s eyes and you will know the true value of your property.

To give you a clearer idea, here are our 5 reasons to get a home inspection before listing your property for sale.

For a Developer

1. Improved trustworthiness & better business
How often have you heard marketers saying “Don’t sell a product, sell trust?” In today’s scenario, this is the ultimate truth, especially in real estate. A developer or realtor who promises a home inspection before handover and gets that heard through proper channels and promotion earns additional points. His credibility increases manifold and he can set a higher price for the property he is intending to sell.

Buyers too feel safer to enter into deals with real estate brands that promise them better service and take care of their interest. Business growth and stronger customer relationships are a natural outcome.

Click here to know more for further details.

2. Home inspection and property value: How is a buyer benefitted?
Today’s home buyers are much aware and cautious about what they are buying. They bank on information and genuine reviews before making an investment decision. So, when a seller or developer gives them the assurance of a pre-sale home inspection, they feel safe about that deal. Because, home inspection for a buyer comes with a bunch of advantages:

  • It gives buyers a protection against the unknown hazards
  • A timely inspection and rectification of issues save their money and valuable time
  • Safeguards them with RERA2
  • Gives them health and safety assurance against moisture, damp, and electrical issues
  • Allows them to forecast future repair/ replacement costs
  • Educates them about prolonging the life of their property

Above everything else, a home inspection gives buyers peace of mind that comes from knowing the fact that the home they are buying has a solid foundation. It is not just a construction that looks good from outside. Its health has been checked and ‘Okayed’ by a team of experts. This very thought helps to increase the perceived value of the property in the buyer’s mind and the deal reaches its completion smoothly.

Hence, the property value is definitely increased by home inspection. If you are planning a buy a new home or planning to put your home up for sale, do make sure you opt for the service or else you will get to face unwanted issues, a complete ‘un’-match for your dream abode. Call for it now and schedule a home inspection.

Reference links used:
1. https://www.makaan.com/rent-sell-property-online
2. https://www.bankbazaar.com/home-loan/rera-act.html

Office Inspection: For a Safer Workplace and Happier Team

Almost on every weekend you spend time fixing something or the other in your home, right? You make it safer, more secure, eliminate any chance of damp – in simpler words, you strive to make your home more ‘liveable.’ But have you ever wondered the same issues may also be present in commercial spaces as well? If work is worship for you, your office must be your temple. Unfortunately, we do not pay the same attention to the health of the building where we spend almost 9 hours daily, working, and completely skip office inspection – well, almost, in most cases! It is high time we became aware of the attention commercial properties need. It will cumulatively make our life in and outside our home much safer and beautiful.

Quite similar to home inspection, office inspection also covers a wide range of services. To get an idea of what all comes under the umbrella of this so-called ‘inspection,’ read this article on Diversity of Home Inspection.

Major services under office inspection

Maintaining health and safety at the workplace is of utmost importance. Hazards can take place due to plumbing issues, electrical issues, and leakage or damp problems. All of them need individual attention when it comes to inspection. In fact, none of these issues can be left for them to arise in the future. The concerned authority must be proactive about checking every facility at regular intervals so that the chances of faults and failures can be reduced and any downtime due to them can be avoided.

Following are the major service categories that ensure complete safety of an office building:

1. All-over inspection

Professional property inspectors conduct a non-invasive, visual examination of all the accessible areas of an office complex using modern technology and specialized tools and look for issues that require immediate but long term resolution. They even help to identify areas that may become problematic in the long run. After inspection, they generate software-driven reports (with relevant images) mentioning issues observed and deemed critical. Some of the major areas that come under the scanner include:

  • Exterior walls
    • Are there any cracks, efflorescence, or plants growing on the walls?
    • If the paint condition is good or not.
  • Basement/ driveways: Water stagnation, peripheral drainage blockage, etc.
  • Floor
    • Slope
    • Tiles – hollow tiles, joints grouting, dampness, slip resistance, etc.
  • Stairways: Condition of the handrails, height of the risers, slip resistance of the steps, lighting, etc.
  • Ladders, ramps, and guardrails
  • Roof: Covered or not, slope, drainage system, stagnant water, cracks, seepage problem, etc.
  • Plumbing system: The overall condition of the external as well as concealed piping system, leakage or blockage in the pipes, piping material, etc. Also Leakage or loose fittings in any component of the washrooms, tank, blockage in the basins, the functionality of the showers, etc.
  • Overall sanitation of the washrooms and pantry
  • Doors and windows
    • Locks and latches – Crucial for ensuring security
    • Sliding/ swinging door operability
    • Door and window frames – if there are any gaps in between them – pathways to water seepage
    • Proper opening and closure
  • Interior walls
    • Cracks
    • Paint condition – popping paint or other paint deterioration
    • Dampness/ seepage
    • Wall tiles
    • Wallpaper condition
  • Ceiling: Watery patches due to excessive condensation or leakage, paint condition, etc.
  • Electrical system: Concealed wiring, switches, plugging points, lights, and machines and appliances, safety issues, etc. Checking all these things come under electrical inspection which is further explained below.
  • Fire handling equipment
  • Furniture, material storage, and other equipment

An exhaustive list – isn’t it? Inspecting all these for issues, small or big, is crucial for maintaining basic working conditions in an office. Faults in any of these systems may otherwise lead to unexpected downtime and loss in productivity.

2. Damp Assessment and Inspection

Damp can deteriorate a complete building – be it the private property or commercial space. This can be a result of faulty roofing, low-quality building materials, lack of proper ventilation or plumbing issues. Leaky pipes and fixtures are also responsible for dampness. With a proper damp assessment and inspection, you will save not only the office building but also the occupants. Damp assessment will list down the issues found in the building and inspection will reveal the sources – all with the help of advanced thermal imaging technology & tools that the inspection professionals carry with them.

Damp issues if ignored can severely affect the health of the workers as well as the building. How? Read Moisture / Damp / Seepage – The Invisible Silent Killer: Unsuspecting Criminal.

3. Electrical Inspection

Imagine a day at work when suddenly the lights went out and the computer monitors in front of the employees went blank. Reason? Short circuit, maybe. Of course, you can always call an electrician and mend the wires after it happens. But what about the loss of money and time and data when an electrical problem makes its way in?

Imagine electrical issues of a more serious nature. A short circuit can be as big as a fire break-out also and you know the consequences of it, right? To avoid any such untoward phenomenon that may also cause casualties, you must invest in a timely electrical inspection for it is a preventive maintenance function that reduces labour and material cost while reducing the amount of reactivity to failures.

To learn more about the differences between preventive and predictive maintenance, click here1.

4. Checking fire safety

As already mentioned, a thorough inspection of the office building will invariably cover the aspect of fire safety. An office building is a commercial hub where many individuals come and work for long hours on a daily basis. So, there can be numerous risks of fire – some due to wrong habits like smoking in an enclosed area other than the designated zone, using ovens with LPG cylinder for cooking inside the canteen, and others due to electrical hazards.

In India, the National Building Code (NBC) published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the basic model code for building construction and fire safety2. For ensuring compliance under this code, commercial buildings need to use equipment/ installations that are duly certified under the BIS Certification Marks Scheme. Plus, they must also meet other quality requirements. An office inspection checks the fire safety controls and points out issues that may turn out to be hazardous in the long run. Some key areas that are looked at for ensuring fire safety include:

  • Smoking zones
  • Fire exits
  • Kitchen equipment
  • Malfunctioning appliances
  • Electrical sockets
  • Flickering lights
  • Fire safety equipment

Why office inspection so important?

It would not be exaggerating to say that office inspection is the ultimate necessary thing for your office. The inspection would eliminate a number of issues which would add to your cost and human health on a recurrent basis:

  • Safety hazards arising from faulty wiring system, non-functional switches, and unsafe working practices will be managed.
  • Unhealthy conditions inside the office, growth of fungi, microbes, and pests lead to a myriad health problems. Be it plumbing issue or faults in the designing, damp assessment and a thorough inspection would eliminate any such possibilities from the commercial space.
  • Excessive condensation problems in the building which may arise due to issues in AC installation/ maintenance and its continuous use can be checked.
  • Hazards may occur due to uneven distribution of electricity as many equipment and appliances run simultaneously in an office. With office inspection in place, all possibilities of such hazards will be eliminated.
  • If inspection points out civil issues, it will help the office authority financially also. Repairing can be done before they become severely damaged and replacement becomes the last option.
  • Though not direct, but indirectly it affects employee satisfaction also. With a safe workplace and an office regularly inspected, employees develop a feeling that the management and authority are concerned about their overall well-being. And you can never deny that satisfied employees would mean improved productivity, achievement of objectives, and increased profitability; can you?

So, there you are. Starting from the exterior environment to work stations, all come under office inspection. When qualified inspectors give your office a visit, they will point you out where attention needs to be given more. A proper office inspection covers the parking lot, storage areas, wet areas (kitchen/ bathroom units), amenities, elevators – in a word, the entire workplace.

Office inspection informs the management about the risks of any level – mild, severe or moderate. You can control the threat and continue your work-life peacefully. As much as you care about the work, give attention to the office also because it is where you spend nine hours of your day, five to six days a week. Office inspection will provide you with multiple benefits. Be proactive and reach out to a trusted home inspection service provider.

Reference links used:
1. https://www.onupkeep.com/learning/maintenance-types/preventive-predictive
2. https://www.isrmag.com/fire-safety-regulations-in-india/