Window frames bear the brunt of bad weather and as a result need regular maintenance. This is especially the case if the window frames are made of wood.

The most commonly used window is the type known as a casement window. This design of window is particularly vulnerable to the weather, simply because casement windows are normally face fixed (flush with the brickwork) and thus have no protection from the weather. The opening sash often distorts slightly with the weather, causing it to rattle and become draughty. One simple solution may be to move the catch plate of the lever fastener, to pull the sash tighter into the frame so preventing the rattle and reducing the draught.

Undo the catch plate from its original position on the mullion or transom and move it slightly away from the sash [a]. Hold the catch plate in its new position, use a bradawl to start off the new fixing holes [b], insert the screws and secure. Having moved the catch plate slightly, when the window is closed, the rattle should hopefully now be eradicated.

Windows can tend to stick after a while, particularly if they are left undecorated. A window will quickly let in moisture, which will make the timber swell, in turn making the window difficult to open and close. When a window sticks, a lot of people force the window either open or shut. Be careful when doing this, as forcing the window can break the mortice and tenon joints, if it is of ‘sash-style’ construction ie. a frame containing panes.

To resolve the problem, use candle wax on both the frame’s window edge and the mullion or transom edge [c]. If that does not work, you may need to plane the edge of the sash to allow the window to operate efficiently [d]. Keep attempting to open and close the window whilst planing, to ensure that you remove only the minimum amount necessary.

After planing the edge, it is very important to paint the raw edge with primer, undercoat and a topcoat of exterior paint as soon as possible [e]. Allow the paint to dry fully between coats, and then shine it with wax.

MUST KNOW

Tools required

• Screwdriver Bradawl
• Hammer
• Craft knife Plane
• Sandpaper Candle wax

Household doors get a lot of use and take a bashing, especially when there are children living in the house. For this reason they tend to need more maintenance than most household items. Basic repairs are relatively easy to effect.

Sticking doors

With the onset of winter and damp conditions, doors may possibly start to stick along their sides and bottoms and might need ‘easing’. However, before you do any remedial work, first check that the hinges are not worn or broken. If the door rocks a bit when pushed and pulled, this is normally a sign that the hinges are worn. In this case, replace them immediately.

Firstly, we will consider a side-sticking door, with sound hinges. Close the door tightly and mark a pencil line down the edge against the jamb [a]. You will see where the door needs easing back from the high points along the pencil line. Use a hand plane to plane off the high points until the edge is the same distance from the pencil line all the way down [b].

Shut the door once more and, using a flat piece of wood - a piece of hardboard will do - scribe a line on the bottom of the door [c]. This will show where you have any tight points on the floor. Remove the door from its hinges and plane off any points.

In some instances you may have to adjust the hinges on the door in order to square it to the frame for a good fit. Alternatively, you may need to pack the hinges out if they have been cut in too deep, which might make the door bind on the frame. These tasks will involve actually removing the door and holding it in position as you work on it, so it may be advisable to ask someone to help you, as doors tend to be heavy and awkward. If you are working alone, remove the door and hinges [d], and wedge the door underneath with small wedges to support it in the open position. Now cut small packers from thin card [e], place the card packers behind the hinges [f] and then screw them back into position. This will adjust your door towards the jamb. You may need one or two pieces of card, depending on the amount of adjustment required. Screw the hinge(s) back into position, replacing only one screw per hinge as you close the door to check for fit. Add or remove pieces of card until you have the right combination for a perfect square fit and no binding, then fix the rest of the screws into the hinges.

MUST KNOW

Hole in one

If you fiddle with the hinges of a door too much, ultimately you will enlarge the screw holes by constantly removing and replacing the hinge screws. This is turn will lead to the door hinges slipping in the jamb, which will see a return to your original problem of a sticking door. Try to get your adjustments right in one go.

If you have a rattling door, this means the door is not meeting the stop or jamb correctly, in which case you will need to remove and replace the jamb in a new position for a good fit.

Take a hammer and chisel and gently tap the joint between jamb and frame to ease the jamb off, using a piece of wood to lever against and ease the jamb away from the frame (this prevents any damage caused by the lever). Remove all nails or just hammer back to the face of the wood for re-fixing. Now close the door. Re-fix the vertical jamb first to allow the door to close firmly but tightly [g] and then the other vertical jamb followed by the top jamb for a perfect rattle-free door.

Strengthening a hinge

Quite often a common problem occurs when a door has been taken off and re-fixed a few times. The screws loosen within the fixing holes, and the door doesn’t operate properly (this can also be a cause of a door sticking or binding). The problem is simply solved by paring down some softwood into dowels. Add PVA wood glue and tap the dowels into the old holes. When the glue has gone off, cut off the excess dowel and re-fix the hinges.

Tools required

• Brushes - medium, fine
• Flour sandpaper White spirit
• Cloth
• Window scraper
• Paint stripper
• Mask
• Safety glasses Protective gloves

Doors and windows present special challenges to the amateur decorator, requiring different preparation prior to painting and a whole set of new techniques during the job.

Varnishing doors & windows

There are many different types of wood varnish, but all need to be applied in the same fashion to achieve a perfect finish.

Your door or window will need to be prepared thoroughly as for painting. If you have bare wood, this should be brushed free of any particles.

Thin the first coat of varnish by 10 per cent to form a sealer coat. Apply the sealer using a brush [a]. Always apply varnish in the direction of the wood grain and allow enough time in between coats for the varnish to dry in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Lightly key the surface with the fine flour sandpaper in between coats [b], and then, using a cloth and white spirit, clean the surface and apply a full coat of varnish. Apply a third coat for a really perfect finish.

Painting doors

Preparation is all-important when painting doors. Remove all the door furniture (and keep the handle in the room with you, just in case). If painting on bare wood, any knots should be treated with knot solution and the door primed. If you are painting the door different colours inside and out, paint the outer edge of the door the same colour as the inside opening face, with each frame matching the closing face of the door.

If you are painting a flush door, start at the top and use a mini roller, working down in vertical sections blending one into the other Lay on the paint, then finish each vertical section with light strokes. Finally, paint the edges using a 25mm (tin) brush to avoid any paint seams running down the door [d].

Painting windows

When painting windows, you will first need to remove the levers, catches and stays and then keep the window open using some stiff wire looped around a nail driven into the underside of the open casement and hooked into one of the screw holes on the frame. Clean the glass before painting the window.

Prepare the surface by sanding and wipe away any residue. Paint the outside of the casement first, always starting on the innermost edge and moving to the outer surfaces. Follow up by painting the fixed window frame from the beading or putty surface, then moving to the face of the frame. You can either mask the edge of your windows with masking tape to avoid getting paint on the windows, or remove any overspill with a window scraper afterwards. Remember, for all painting, use the first third of the brush. Do not overload the brush with paint [e].

Warranties commonly carry conditions and that is understandable. Take your new Merc to a mechanic who puts in generic spark plugs and you violate the terms of that cover. Fair enough. Makes sense. Gina’s case does not appear to make sense. We urge homeowners to check the fine print of assurances very carefully.

Gina is not the only one to tell us about bad building experiences. Unfortunately, there are many unhappy homeowners out there, and many of their complaints relate to finishing. For some reason, Cape Town builders have a reputation as poor finishers. They are fine with the demolition and wet work but when it comes to finishing, they go off the boil. Why? Just because. It doesn’t seem to matter if you are paying a contractor per day, so that it is in his or her interest to carry on working. They just don’t want to finish. Peter from Constantia said that he eventually took leave and did all the finishing himself - skirting boards and all.

Some hidden costs that don’t remain hidden for very long (and expenses that need to be factored into the budget):

• Plumbing, electrical conduits, planning for lights and plugs, TV, computer, phones
• Security/intercom, security gates
• Removing and reinstalling security system
• Telkom lines and computer system
• Removing and reinstalling your entertainment systems, including TV,
  DVD player, etc, and more if you want cabling to different rooms
• Burglar bars for new windows
• Cleaning materials to clean the windows and mess
• Increased water consumption - when cement gets mixed, taps drip and pipes get hit ‘by mistake’
• Endless amounts of rewiring that the electrician will call for - including a new earth spike
• Extra cement, plaster and Cretestone when an extra or different conduit has to be chased into a wall - there is always at least one occasion when this will occur
• Globes for the new lights
• Re-paving of areas damaged during building; re-grassing the garden
• Replacement of glass that gets broken
• New hinges for doors that might get damaged (not cheap - a good set of brass hinges can set you back R150)
• Tea, coffee and refreshments (Gatsbys) for builders
• Take-away meals when you are too tired to cook (all the time)
• Bottles of gin/whisky to calm nerves

It gets worse. In the background, I hear the one builder yelling, ‘Ou Gat, Ou Gat!’ I think he is referring to me and my absolute naivety. Turns out that that is his name. Most of them have learnt on the job from their father/uncle/brother/friend. It is every man for himself (there has not been one woman) and here a spade is a spade. It is not a place for euphemisms.

Tell the contractors that they get their instructions from one person. Establish who the Boss is and then stick to the pecking order. Constantly check with your spouse and make sure that what is being done is correct. It may sound easy but when you are both juggling work and building 24/7, you are not exactly engaging in meaningful discussions with each other. The sub-text here: relationships take strain. Let’s be honest.

Building is all about timing, as has been noted several times. You need to get your orders for next-day deliveries and make sure that there is a flow of materials onto the site. What hasn’t been discussed is the time frame of the entire operation. You don’t want to be racing to the finishing line, like we did, in the first weeks of December. Half this town shuts down from the first week of December. The other half … well, let’s not talk about the other half. Just make sure you avoid them. Orders are closed for blinds, kitchen tops, and so on. We made it, but too close for comfort.

‘Ag, shame,’ commiserated our friends, ‘you’re heading for Builders’ Holiday.’ As it happened, BH was not the problem. Builders in the formal industry accrue their leave so that they can take a paid holiday, which traditionally begins on the 16th. For those in the informal industry, this is not an issue: no work, no pay. With unemployment rates, there is no shortage of people to work. The problem is that suppliers are either shutting down or have simply run out of stock. It is frightening how much building industry material is imported. ‘Oh, sorry, we’re waiting for a container - be here next year,’ one hears all the time. Next year might be only two weeks away, but when you are building, time is money. And we wanted our house back.

The Federal Reserve Bank uses the interest rate as the best government economic stimulating weapon. Are we going to save now? For the sake of future economy real growth, the economy does need everyone’s contribution of savings. But look what is the government doing? Sitting back and cutting the interest rate almost close to zero, they do hope the cutting will stimulate the investment spending, the consumption spending. What we do? Keeping applying the new credit cards to pay the previous ones? That was not the economy asking for.

I know most of us are so disappointed by the CD Rates. I am here not to convince everybody to put their money in the bank. Saving economy and rich our pocket is more complex than what we look at. There are plenty of plain and practical free advices from hundreds of wise investors’ discussion on banktime. Seeking the best solutions for our financial and economic situation is starting from everyone. Do check these more than knowledgeable articles; it is better than financial times.

Gas central heating is by far the cheapest and most effective system available at present. It is a big selling point and refurbishing a house provides an excellent opportunity to install it. We strongly recommend it in areas where it is available.

5. Electricity and water supplies

Again, half doing the job is usually as time-consuming as installing a completely new system; a partly rewired electrical system will only be as good as its weakest components, and that odd section of antique wiring you decide to keep because it’s inaccessible and seems to be working all right will be the first to cause Problems in the new system. As with other items, complete replacement gives you the opportunity to rationalise its layout and bring it all up to a uniform standard, which is just not possible if you try to patch up a system which has ‘evolved’ in a piecemeal fashion over decades of changing technology and building practice.

The same applies to the water supplies and plumbing, including water storage tanks.

6. Floors—the joists

Don’t spend a lot of time and money ripping out floor joists Wh_ol_e.sale just because a couple are rotten. Even if the floor is tiltin_g i_tcan be left as it is—most people are prepared to accept this as p_artof the charm of a period building. As long as the DS agrees that it presents or indicates no structural hazard to the building, a_nyfeature which would, in a new building, be criticised for being ‘out of true’ may well look more in keeping if it is slightly repaired at a jaunty angle rather than removed and rebuilt completely. The further you take the latter operation the more you run the risk of upsetting a sort of ‘harmonious imbalance’ that emanates from an old house in which walls have settled a little and doorways have moved.

It has been suggested by another writer that all the floors in a period property which is being converted should be pulled out and re-positioned to give equal headroom on each storey; instead of the original layout where, as the building is ascended, the ceilings become lower, the new floor positions would give ceilings of equal height on each floor, hence giving every unit adequate headroom. This is nonsense. The expense would be pointless. Apart from the inevitable loss of cornice mouldings on the lower floor(s), impressive ceiling heights of around 13 feet would vanish to make way for an average height of about 7 to 8 feet, with nothing accomplished; it is very rare, even in the top storey ’servants’ quarters’, to find impossibly low ceilings; often, low ceilings can be just as much of a selling point as tall, elegant rooms with ornate plasterwork. To the right buyer they can be more attractive, and dealt with imaginatively give a cheap opportunity to remodel the geometry of the top storey into interesting shapes. This is discussed in 7, but one final point against adjusting floor heights: the original windows will be at the wrong level. It might even not be possible to see out of the top floor windows at all unless you stood on a chair!

7. Ceilings

If the ceilings on the top floor of the main part of the house or of the extension are in bad shape, don’t just replace them in the same lay‑out as before. You have now a good opportunity to ‘open up’ the ceiling.

Often the rafters upon which the old ceiling was supported can be cut away, and a new ceiling fixed to the sloping rafters which support the external covering of the roof itself, the slates or tiles. The shapes which this can produce look very pleasing. They also effectively increase your room sizes (check that the proportions ,work’ though—you may find that the resulting rooms will look too tall for their width) which makes the whole dwelling look more spacious than before.

The possibilities don’t end there: you can install roof lights, _which are small windows set in the roof itself. Apart from making _an interesting feature in the room they can be opened to give more _ventilation as well as more light. A good point with roof lights is that they are now available cheaply—the smallest ones for as little as £30 each—from a variety of manufacturers. Most of them come with flashings and soakers and all the paraphernalia which used to make fitting them such a headache already attached. They are an outstanding bargain.

Your ceiling can be finished in plasterboard and plaster or the attractive and inexpensive alternative of tongued and grooved boarding, which is easy to fit and can be clear varnished or oiled to give the ‘Scandinavian’ look.

All these refinements need cost little more than a replacement for the wet, sagging ceiling which had to come out anyway. One word of warning— don’t forget to put your wiring and insulation between the rafters first! The air space in the original loft will have provided a measure of insulation against heat loss. That cushion is effectively removed by opening up the ceilings, so you must compensate for it by increasing the new insulation accordingly.

1. The roof

The roof will probably be suffering from several longterm leaks and the resultant damage and, in a house of 100 to 150 years old, it is worth considering re-roofing rather than patching up. A new roof, although not necessarily even seen by the prospective buyer of the property, is a good selling point. For instance, a new slate roof not only looks impressive on the surveyor’s report (easily visible from the upper storeys of the house if on a single-storey rear extension, for instance), but the effectiveness of a patched slate roof is always extremely hard to judge (due to the means by which slates are fixed on the roof battens). The surveyor’s eye can see at a glance if a new roof is weather-proof, hence he is much more likely to give it a clean bill of health. One of the problems with patching up is that the disturbances caused by the repairs can start new leaks in unreplaced sections; adjacent slates can get cracked when walked on, and flashings and soakers which have become porous over the years are prone to splitting.

We recommend that of any work which you decide to contract out, the roof should be given the most care. A good, reliable roofer will save a lot of aggro later in the job; leaks from a badly repaired roof have an unhappy knack of showing some time after corn, pletion of the work — tell-tale symptoms such as bubbling paint and crumbling plaster can be relied on to appear overnight just when you are about to show a prospective buyer around.

It will be useful to get the building weather-proof and give time for rain-damaged timbers and walls to dry out in the early stages of the project before some of the more delicate operations such as plastering, second fixings and decorating have to be carried out. Your roofer can be at work while you are getting the rest of the job moving. In fact he, along with the damp-coursing contractor, can be set to work as soon as the tracks have been cleared for starting the whole job (ie cash, and if necessary, planning permission and grants). If he is worth his salt he will be able to advise you on any structural work needed on the roof or if re-slating or re-tiling is sufficient. Leaks may have damaged the timbers, or old age might have caused them to sag.

A good way to check out your roofer if you have a slate roof is to observe his reaction to the suggestion that you should re-roof with tiles. This is a perfectly feasible thing to do, but tiles are much heavier than slates, and in almost all cases the roof would need to be strengthened to take the extra weight. If his answer takes this into account and he doesn’t simply jump at the chance of making a quick buck by tiling on the existing timbers, it’s a reasonable bet that he won’t be the kind to take short cuts.

Don’t be afraid to have a look at what he’s doing up there from time to time; even if you don’t understand it all, it shows you’re concerned enough about the workmanship to keep tabs on even the most inaccessible parts of the property.

2. The damp coursing

This is the second most likely candidate for an outside contractor. The best companies give a guarantee, often of 25 years, for the work, and will deal with timber treatment for rot and woodworm at the same time. The quality of the service varies greatly between different companies.

3.Solid floors

Any concrete or ceramic tiled flooring at ground level will have to be proven to be damp-proof to the satisfaction of the District Surveyor. In most cases, in this kind of property it will have been badly laid, or it will be uneven, worn and broken. You may well find the easiest thing to do is to pull the lot up, lay a concrete slab of 4 to 6 inches deep (consult the DS) on appropriate damp-proofing — pvc sheeting, or tanking of asphalt or similar material, and finish it all with a 2 inch screed of concrete. It usually costs as much to half do the job as to do the lot; if you need to mix more than 2 cubic metres of concrete, use ready-mixed^—it is cheaper than mixing on site, much cleaner and less space-consuming (no lorry-loads of sand in the road for days, no bags of cement to ‘go off’ before usable), and much faster, sometimes a little too fast for comfort, in fact. You can get the delivery driver to pour it down a chute if, for example, you are flooring a basement, or if the site is not adjacent to the road, a pump can be provided by the firm supplying the concrete. Screeding can be done by hand-mixing or ready-mix, and should be done after the slab is dry enough to walk on and after any gas, water and electricity services have been laid on the surface of the main slab.

to be continued

We both have two eyes, but it doesn’t mean we perceive the same world. Not matter myopia, hyperopia, boopia, I think we both desire a better eye sight. I have been myopia patient for years. I knew the feelings of wearing different kind of eyeglasses.

Eyeglasses are important tool to correct the light entering into eyes. What kind of imagines we receive behind the eye balls depends on how the eyeglasses work on the lights. For example, we had our eye prescription from our doctor. But that is the first step to get better eye sight. The second one, we have to try to look for a pair of perfect eyeglasses. There are so many shops and so many brands out there waiting us to explore. Many of us pursue the style; I think the most import thing is taking care our eyes.

The experienced professional advice is vital. Like I said, so many shops, so many brands. Most time, too expensive or too cheap is not a good idea. I quite favor glassesshop. They are the most reliable glasses shop online. They have the best eye profession and wide selection of eyeglasses to look after eyes. Each time, I sent my prescription. They sent back a list of options of the frames and lens which customized for my eyes and lifestyle. I use computer a lot. The fist time, they gave a few pages of questionnaire to let me fill in. They offered a pair of lens which especially for the computer users. I was very happy with all the eyeglasses I had from glassesshop.

If your draughts person/architect says, ‘Leave it to me, I’ll follow up,’ it is certainly your prerogative to let them continue walking your plans. You’re paying them, why should you stand in the queue? If time is on your side, go for it. However, we did not have time on our hands.

The plans went in. One of the inspectors was ill and the Council was short staffed. Be patient, advised our man. I had been told not to call for a progress report before four weeks had elapsed after submission. Four weeks went by and then six and we got anxious.

Having plans passed is a bit like natural childbirth without an epidural (been there and done that - afterwards you forget the pain and insist that it wasn’t that bad). We were sweating bullets. Rent was being paid on the house across the road, and still our plans had not moved through Zoning.

With the clock ticking, one fine Monday I called our local Council and requested an update on our plans. (You don’t need to be an expert to do this. You simply need your reference/erf number and off you go.

The very polite official said that I could call on Friday as he still had a way to go before he got to our number. I hung up. Something niggled. What happens if our plans are incomplete? Are we then likely to be shunted to the back of the queue? Will we have to wait another week before our number comes up again?

I called the nice official, no doubt interrupting him from his work yet again. Did he have everything he needed? He checked our file. Actually, no he did not. The engineer’s report had not been included. As the registered homeowner I had not signed a certain blue form and measurements were missing from one of the elevations. The Council office was closing in twenty minutes but if I raced there, I could sign the form. I did this and he kindly wrote in the measurements, which I signed.

And so the plans were able to move out of his department. Apparently, plans are often sent in incomplete, or with incorrect dimensions. I discovered this in the following two weeks when I made several trips to the Council as the plans moved from department to department. I interacted with many homeowners who were walking their plans through.

Too many people blame councils for dragging their feet, but having been there and watched what goes on, I think we can all endeavour to do our bit and make sure that our plans are ship-shape. That would save the Council wasted effort scrutinising plans and sending them back for amendments, often for things that the draughts people should really get right the first time. One day, I saw a gentleman provided with coloured pencils because his architect had not coloured in his plans. That is customer service.