Clanwilliam - Success in building Fi comes down to proper planning.
I picked this up from The Global Construction Review: The water-filled foundations of what was supposed to be the world’s tallest building are now being used as a fish farm, two years after the project broke ground.
Construction of the 838m tall Sky City in Changsha, China began in July 2013. But work stalled soon after, amid reports of failures to obtain the required state approvals.
How many debris-filled foundations do we have around our city because proper planning – whether it be financial, design or approval – was never obtained?
Water wastage should be ‘a criminal offence’
Barbara asks: I am a trustee at a complex of 15 units in Kenilworth, Cape Town. Two of my neighbours have overflow pipes that drip regularly during the day and night. I am particularly aware of it as both houses have covered patios that these drips fall on before running off into the gutters.
Is this actually wasting water? We have a communal water account so it would impact on that if it does mean that they are wasting water that we all are paying for.
Answer: This is definitely a waste of water and if the overflows are running continually a very expensive one. I had a situation at one of my properties where my water account was so high and I couldn’t understand it. I had chatted to the tenant who assured me that they were not wasting water and that he could not see anything running. On a visit to town I popped in to investigate and noticed that the ground water channels were very wet. A quick trip up the ladder revealed that the hot water cylinder overflow was running like a tap, but had not been spotted as it discharged into the gutter. Once it was fixed the water bill was drastically reduced – I am talking about more than R1 000 a month.
All hot water cylinders will drip occasionally but it should only be for a short period. If you have a continual drip, get your plumber in to check and fix the problem. Nine times out of ten it is just dirt in a filter, but it could be the start of a leaking cylinder and something you need to have fixed before you end up with a flooded house.
Water is fast becoming an expensive and precious commodity, and in my opinion any wastage should be treated as a criminal offence. If you notice any water which appears to be coming from a piped system please report it to the relevant authority. But start by ensuring that nothing is leaking at home. This is easy to check. Ensure that every tap is turned off and then go outside to your water meter and write down the reading – if you have a serious leak you might even see the numbers moving. Now leave everything, including toilets, off for a couple of hours. Check the reading again and if there has been movement you know you have a problem.
Anne asks: Please provide contact info to purchase “plastic wood” garden furniture.
I seldom mention companies by name as it is unfair to companies in the same field that don’t get similar publicity. Simply Google “plastic garden furniture” and your area, and up will come a list of four or five. I’ve heard no bad reports of any of them.
Check: Does your insurance cover damage caused by falling trees?
I have been involved with two cases this week which I think are worth a mention.
Firstly, and especially in times of gale-force winds, check the trees around your home. Also check your insurance policy – some insurers do not cover damage caused by falling trees, others cover it but the cover does not apply to dead or rotten trees. To be on the safe side, regularly check the state of your trees and have them cut back or removed if you think they are potentially dangerous.
From an environmental point of view, get rid of invasive species which consume huge amounts of water. The more I drive around the more trees I see being removed by farmers as the protection they offer from wind is offset by the amount of water they are sucking up from vineyards and the like.
Secondly, check who is really working for you when you employ a contractor to confirm that you are actually employing registered labour. Many contractors sub-contract the work out. So you may think that you have employed Mr Right to build your extension, but Mr Right has probably just become a labour broker and has sent Mr Wrong to carry out the work.
This is becoming more and more common, and I have just been involved in a situation where Mr Wrong actually sent Mr Incapable to carry out the work. You may be lucky and still get a good job, but if something goes wrong either from a quality or labour law point of view, trying to get the situation rectified becomes a nightmare.
Firstly check that your contractor is properly registered and compliant and then write into your contract that all labour on your site can be properly identified. Insist that the workforce wear overalls with the company logo and that everybody has a name tag. Chat to the men on site, ask them who they work for, etc. Notice what vehicles arrive on site – as soon as you see the “team” arriving in a clapped-out bakkie you know that something is amiss.
* Please keep your questions or comments coming to don@macalister.co.za or sms 082 446 3859.
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