[Sran]

Originally Posted by nidhikapoor

One year for the ground floor? Most houses in Bangalore seem to be finished in 14-18 months for a 3 story structure. Is that all wrong?

Seeing new constructions these days is no less than watching the omen movie for the first time. 14-18 months is too high, you can see a 4 storey builders flat in Delhi being constructed under 4 months and fully done with interiors under a year.

If you are building your own house then there is no need to be in such kind of hurry. Foundations and floor soil needs settling. The earth needs to settle. Damp is the number 1 problem in modern constructions and this is due to lack of watering.
Construction varies from locality to locality. A developed locality or colony where people have been living for 40-50 years and that has all the roads, sewers done have earth settled, whereas a new upcoming colony where the earth is below the road needs a different plan. At the first place not much is needed and one can vary the pace but at the secomd locality one needs to be patient.

For ground floor, construction should be done only at lintel level before monsoon. Work should then be stopped and resumed only after momsoon. This will give enough time for the filled soil to break down and seep to whatever crevice it can and it will save you water and electricity charge. Dig a 8×6×4 foot in size and drown the brick for 2 days before use, if not then water bricks for 2 days before use, but who has time to do all. Masonry work require watering for 7 days and plastering also for 7 days. Masonry work should not go above 4 feet of any side of the wall in a day, it gets heavy and walls deform.

These are ideal scenarios and not everone has time, money and patience. In my city contractor charges vary also on work pace, slow work will be costly.

[nidhikapoor]

Originally Posted by poloman

A thief can break in much more easier through a normal window than through a large toughened glass surface. For privacy any way you will need curtains or blinds.

Is toughened glass really so secure? No need for grills?

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Went with the recommendations from Amitk26 on this thread and got UPVC windows and grills from Madhu's Industries for our flat in Bangalore. The builder provided aluminium window was of the lowest possible quality and the grill work also was not to our liking. Madhu's guys were awesome in keeping up their commitment for measurements, delivery and installation. The windows are of very good quality and the sound proofing is also very good. For the price that Fenesta was asking for, their reviews were middle ground and some not very favorable as well in Bangalore area. This worked out cheaper, better quality and served our purpose of sound proofing as well. Recently there was borewell work in our neighboring building and the windows ensured at least 80% of the sound was lesser when shut. We could practically experience it and were happy with our choice. You can also look at them as an option.

Curious as to how you decided that they were better than Fenesta in quality. Did you actually compare? When I was renovating, I did a LOT of research but found nothing that came close to Fenesta. I found it well worth the premium, and, with regard to sound it's just brilliant.

[dsuman]

Guys one Query - For a G+2 House which cement is better

1. Which grade of cement should be used. 33, 43, 53?
2. Which type of Cement - OPC or PPC? Based on my research only the final setting times vary.

For Pillars and Slabs I have used OPC but for walls I am using PPC

Can you share a reference material/Website for Bricks, Cement, Sand, construction techniques etc.

[Sran]

Originally Posted by dsuman

Guys one Query - For a G+2 House which cement is better

1. Which grade of cement should be used. 33, 43, 53?
2. Which type of Cement - OPC or PPC? Based on my research only the final setting times vary.

For Pillars and Slabs I have used OPC but for walls I am using PPC

Can you share a reference material/Website for Bricks, Cement, Sand, construction techniques etc.

Do you have an architect? Talk to him/her about this. If he does not have much time, talk to assistants or very sternly ask for a meeting with their structural engineer. It is very essential to understand the diagram especially the rebar structure. When you selected the architect did you contracted him for site visit? Some architects charge extra per site visit. Some visits are must; like before casting of foundations, before lintel castings, when roof rebars are being tied and the day before roof casting for final checkup.

I would prefer PPC due to high setting time and low heat of hydration which results in lower crack rates and low permeability than OPC. If the construction is near sea then you can opt to use Portland slag cement(PSG) due to corrosion resistance. OPC 53 dries too fast and is not needed unless roof or pillar is being casted in rainy weather or the work has to be finished in a hurry as it releases high heat. As per my knowledge PPC is equivalent to OPC 33 in strength.

[dsuman]

Originally Posted by Sran

Do you have an architect? .

I would prefer PPC due to high setting time and low heat of hydration which results in lower crack rates and low permeability than OPC. If the construction is near sea then you can opt to use Portland slag cement(PSG) due to corrosion resistance. OPC 53 dries too fast and is not needed unless roof or pillar is being casted in rainy weather or the work has to be finished in a hurry as it releases high heat. As per my knowledge PPC is equivalent to OPC 33 in strength.

Thanks. Sea is 80kms from my place. I am in Guntur so I believe I can safely assume the construction is not near Sea. Architect is available but he has suggested OPC Cement throughout the construction. I have researched and understand the advantages and usecases of PPC Cement. I believe it is waste of money to use OPC throughout, since there is a variation of Rs 35 between OPC and PPC. I have asked him to use OPC for Pillars and Slab and PPC for Wall Masonry.

I have noticed Cement Dealers by default suggest OPC maybe due to more profits on them. Of all the dealers I interacted with, only 1 suggested to use OPC for Pillars and Slabs and PPC for Masonry Work.

Wanted to understand what members think of OPC vs PPC.

[Sran]

Originally Posted by dsuman

I have noticed Cement Dealers by default suggest OPC maybe due to more profits on them.

Do not buy cement older than 2.5 months or go to nearby train station where cement rakes are dismbarked and buy fresh and unadulterated cement. Downside is you will have to purchase it in bulk (50-100 bags). The difference will be more than 25 rs/bag than the dealer price if the rake is 15-20 kms from the construction site. Keep it at the temporary room at the site and cover it with plastic.

[Mortis]

I have a full length mirror, approximately 5*2ft on the back of my bedroom door. Over the past year or so the mirror has developed some cloudy pattern all over that looks like it's on the back of the glass (maybe fungus due to temp difference between inside of the room when AC is on and the outside ?)

Now this mirror looks like it's held in place by a wooden frame with a lip that's been nailed into the door.
My question is can I SAFELY stick on a new glass on top of the old glass using 3m mirror mount or VHB tape ? I want to avoid removing the old glass as the whole mirror frame will have to be pried out and the laminate will have to be replaced and exact match won't be available plus new wooden frame will need to be made and polished (too small a job for a polishwala to accept) and lastly the door will need to be dismounted for a few days which I absolutely don't want.

So will multiple double sided tape strips suffice and is it ok to use 2mm glass in 5*2 size (little less to fit in the frame) and should the mirror glass have that backing film or will the film be a point of failure as the tape will be stuck to the film instead of the glass.
Additional note is this door needs to be shut firmly as it has a sealing strip between the door and frame to keep AC air in and also to avoid one annoying whistling noise due to cross breeze on windy days.
Lastly the depth of frame between the outer edge and glass is close to a cm so nailing an overlapping wooden Patti wouldn't help much as there would still be some gap and as such would look ugly without being functional. I could get those 1cm square wood rods and hammer it sideways into the frame to support the glass but might end up breaking the glass with a poorly aimed hammer strike and then will have to deal with removing shattered glass pieces from sticky tape. Again a carpenter may not turn up for such a small job.

Suggestions needed and welcomed

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Suggestions needed and welcomed

How does one even pick up five feet of 2mm glass? Or is it tougher and more flexible than I expect --- which is that it would sag in the middle and break under its own weight?

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

How does one even pick up five feet of 2mm glass? Or is it tougher and more flexible than I expect --- which is that it would sag in the middle and break under its own weight?

I guess I could use 4mm glass too if weight isn't an issue. To be honest I hadn't checked how deep the frame was until I was halfway through typing the post. I thought it was much shallower

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by Mortis

I guess I could use 4mm glass too if weight isn't an issue. To be honest I hadn't checked how deep the frame was until I was halfway through typing the post. I thought it was much shallower

Acrylic mirrors are lightweight, though I haven't found them available anywhere. Check Ikea.

[RaguHolla]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Now this mirror looks like it's held in place by a wooden frame with a lip that's been nailed into the door.
My question is can I SAFELY stick on a new glass on top of the old glass using 3m mirror mount or VHB tape ? I want to avoid removing the old glass

Isn't removing exiting mirror using glass cutter feasible? Any near by glass seller would do it for small fee. or you could do it yourself using glass cutter available in online store. This means existing frame structure still would remain as is. Just measure exact dimension for new mirror, get the same measurements.

We have used this tape to stick mirror on wardrobe door. Its 10 years, No issues so far.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Mortis

My question is can I SAFELY stick on a new glass on top of the old glass using 3m mirror mount or VHB tape ?

Answer: No. It's not a small piece to be held up in place, and permanently by 3M DS sticker. That too a 10 sq ft x 4 or 5mm thick glass.

Suggest to get hold of a carpenter. There is a tonne of laminate designs available. Carpenters will have a better idea of matching designs, and they may be able to get a matching one.

Alternately, get a larger mirror, and screw it in place. Have the mirror shop guys drill holes such that the new mirror is mounted outside the existing mirror. You would need to pad the gap to cover it up.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Suggestions needed and welcomed

Can you post a picture of the door?

[Mortis]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have attached the picture which shows the frame on the door with the mirror tucked underneath so that you get a better idea. You can also see the patchy discoloration of the glass as well.

I couldn't find any acrylic mirrors. Will have to look harder. I'm guessing I'll have to do it the hard way though I'm reluctant to remove the frame because it will most likely result in the laminate getting damaged and cause a mismatch with the other laminates in the room (I have slight OCD lol) and also the door will need dismounting and refitting which I also am reluctant to do.
One of the flats in the building is being renovated, I'll check if they have a carpenter and what he suggests. There is a little bit of play which suggests that the frame may be pried off very carefully and replaced with the new glass which would save me a lot of headache

[Latheesh]

1) You cannot install new one over the existing frame due to size (5'x2'). It will look odd and chance of breaking is high.

2) Show it to the carpenter and see if he can remove side channel (left side), slide in new glass, and fix the side channel back (without damaging the door). You will have to remove tower bolt for sliding the glass in and fit it back later.