Structure & Design ISSUE 31

ISSUE 31 | 2020

ZWL $150

ZIMBABWE’S LEADING INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MAGAZINE

Driptech’s Pipe Manufacturing Factory on Page 8

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THIRTY-FIRST ISSUE

content MAIN PROFILE

PUBLISHER

08 | Driptech’s Pipe Factory

Structure And Design Media

RESIDENTIAL PROFILE

MARKETING

20 | Looking At A Different Angle, The Beautiful Kinsey House

Clive Mapfumo Newton Musara +263 779 141 137 +263 772 233 086 +263 8644 224 570

RESIDENTIAL PROFILE 36 | A Carefully Polished Little Jewel In The Suburbs

DESIGN & LAYOUT

MATERIAL FOCUS

Tami Zizhou

51 | Home Hardware Tools 55 | Home Security 57 | Painting in Winter

CONTRIBUTORS Michael Nott PHOTOGRAPHY Structure & Design SUBSCRIPTIONS +263 8644 224 570 EMAIL adverts.structureanddesign@gmail.com adverts@structureanddesign.co.zw WEBSITE www.structureanddesign.co.zw FIND US AT 31 Alexander Rd, Highlands, Harare

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All rights reserved. Copyright 2019 Structure and Design M agazine: No Part Part of this magazine may may be reproduced or transmitted in any any form or by by any any means electric or mechanical, including phot ph otocop ocopying ying or recording.

VISIT: issuu.com/structuredesign for the digital editions of every issue

ISSUE 21 | 2019 ZIMBABWE’S LEADING INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MAGAZINE

ARCHITECTS’

YEARBOOK 2018

MAIN PROFILE on Page 8: Building The New American Embassy in Harare.

Our legacy and heritage built the foundation on which we innovate and create new products. We are shifting how the world sees paint with our commitment to quality ever-present.

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In with The NEW

We’re excited to enter this new era of Plascon with you, our valued customers. Thank you for your loyalty to our products, and here’s to an exciting 2020 and beyond!

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MEMO ELCOME TO THE 31st EDITION!!! Join us as we continue to celebrate local infrastructural development and hope that our featured articles are detailed with local practical solutions that you can use as you build great structures. We are all trying to get used to the ‘new normal’ but there are enough projects that are being worked on and uncompromisingly completed in the Covid-19 era.

We went to the new Driptech pipe manufacturing plant situated at 58 Douglas Road in Workington.

Previously they had been manufacturing their piping products at their factory at 7 Douglas Road, but such was the demand for their quality products that they needed to expand their operations. Read more on PAGE 8.

In this issue we have two residential profiles!!!

Coming from a series of extensions that they

deemed mismatching in places, like the pool area, Ant and Cheryl Kinsey were looking for the sense of a cohesive and practical design to their home. They approached Bruce Rowlands from Architexture Spatial Designs to help them resolve their dilemma. Rowlands solution was quite simple but has made a dramatic change.

Rowlands proposed a wedge shaped roof like a giant wing hovering over the verandah. The front edge of the verandah – the roof and the deck would line up with the edge of the pool helping to incorporate the pool into the space. The pool would become an integrated part of the house design rather than feeling like an add-on. Read more on PAGE 20.

create a jewel of a home that caters perfectly to their requirements and their lifestyle. A fascinating collection of their lives and loves awaits on PAGE 36 In our material focus section, we look at ceramic tiles, painting in winter, home tools and their advantages and disadvantages, as well as home security.

Do not hesitate to contact our listed advertisers or consultants mentioned in all our publications as we are a showcase of their great work.

Stay safe and take care of each other, from all of us at Structure & Design Media.

The second profile is of a house bought in 1983 for the princely sum of just over $47,000 but where the owners’ investment of time, vision and, of course, money, has allowed them to

All Structure & Design content, and much more is available online at... issuu.com/structuredesign or SDMagzim

Structure & Design Team publisher@structureanddesign.co.zw

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pipe factory leads the way… …supplying top quality product and customer service 8

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text: Michael Nott | photos: S&D

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main profile Irrigation has grown to become the leading supplier and manufacturer of everything you need related to moving, storing and pumping water and other fluids. They cater to the agricultural, mining, civil and domestic sectors, supplying booster pumps, solar pumping solutions, centre pivot, drip, micro-jet and overhead irrigation equipment, borehole casings, tanks, civil water and sewer reticulation systems and more. They supply copper and galvanised pipes and HDPE and LDPE pipes in a wide variety of sizes from 20mm up to 500mm.

DripTech are also agents for the well-known brand of DAB pumps, as well as other brands like Tesla and Adelino, all of which are supplied under warrantee. DripTech’s workshop is able to diagnose and resolve any problems with the pumps they supply and they stock a full range of spare parts for whenever maintenance or repairs are needed.

Structure and Design featured DripTech’s new Jumbo tank manufacturing factory in issue 28 and their new retail outlet along Harare Drive in issue 22.

Recently, in 2018, DripTech established their new pipe manufacturing plant situated at 58 Douglas Road in Workington. Previously they had been manufacturing their piping products at their factory at 7 Douglas Road, but such was the demand for their quality products that they needed to expand their operations. The old Adam Beede furniture making factory became available and was suitable for their needs – with some adaptations and renovations. The roof was in a bad state and needed to be replaced and the floor slab needed to be reinforced to accommodate the new, heavy machinery.

The new factory is about three times the size of the old premises and helped to volumes. The factory operates 24/7 and has the capacity to manufacture around 1,200 tonnes per month. Manufacturing was briefly halted for two weeks at the beginning of the pandemic lockdown but was soon deemed to be an essential service supporting industry and property development. (They had a large and rather urgent contract to supply specialised piping to the Bulawayo City Council so they were allowed to resume production.) Lockdown presented some challenges for their staff – especially as they were working in 24 hour shifts – so DripTech has laid on transport to help their staff to get to work and home again safely. They have a 10

staff complement of over 70 people so it’s a fairly large and complex operation to make sure everyone can travel safe and sound.

The factory relies on consistent supplies of electricity and water to keep the manufacturing process going. Disruptions to electricity or water supply means lots of down time as well as production cost increases and some related wastage. Most

STRUCTURE & DESIGN

of the failed product can be crushed and recycled minimising waste and keeping production costs down. It also means that little of the raw material is wasted – an important consideration in our times of reducing environmental degradation and climate change.

To ensure uninterrupted production DripTech has installed 1,1 megawatts worth of diesel

generators as well as water storage facilities and a borehole. The manufacturing process uses around 30,000 litres of water per hour but most of the water is cooled, cleaned and recycled in-house. They estimate that 0.1% of the water they use is lost, mostly due to evaporation, so with minimal wastage. DripTech also has their in the factory in any eventuality.

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The manufacturing process is fairly complex and they also conduct extensive product testing to ensure that all their piping meets SAZ and SABS standards. Their testing laboratory is state of the art and includes pressure testing, an electro thermostatic blast oven, a melt induction, Dumbbell tensile strength sampling and Dichloromethane testing. All these testing processes are designed to ensure the highest quality and most long-lasting and resilient product.

To carry out these quality control tests DripTech employs two attachment including Process and Chemical Engineering students.

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When the pipe manufacturing division moved to 58 Douglas Road DripTech already had machines especially imported to meet their needs. Initially the machine manufacturers sent out staff to train the local operators but soon that became unnecessary as local staff became more familiar with the whole process. And it’s quite a complex process!

Raw materials – plastic powder and pellets – are imported from around the world, including South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea and China, depending on availability, cost and quality.

The raw materials, together with additional chemical compounds, are added to a mixer to determine colour, strength and other HDPE and LDPE pipes are more flexible for above ground irrigation while the blue reticulation and the beige pipes are for sewer reticulation.

The raw material mix then goes through a complex hot and cold process. Initially an auger lifts the raw materials into the extruder. The extruder combines heat and pressure to melt and form the material to the desired dimensions. The stainless steel die head is a highly sophisticated unit of machinery that weighs around 4 tonnes on their biggest extruder.

At this point the material is still soft and flexible so it passes into the vacuum chamber to help keep the desired hollow shape, and it’s then cooled with large quantities of cold water. Once the pipe is rigid it goes through the printing machine which applies the brand name as well as the technical specs. At this point the pipes are in 100m lengths so the tubes proceed to the saw machine which reduces the length to a standard 6m size.

One end of the pipe is chamfered and the other end is given a bell shape. This allows the pipes to be joined together easily. To ensure that there are absolutely no leaks a rubber seal is inserted, by hand, into the use and can be loaded and transported either directly to the client or to one of DripTech’s

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DripTech also stocks all the necessary fittings for their different lines of piping. They have an extensive range of elbows and joins as well as a variety of valves including gate valves, ball cocks, pressure regulating valves. They also supply a range of filters starting from ¾” all the way to 200l sand filters with backwash fittings.

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DripTech has a team of designers to help you plan the best system for your needs – the right size and strength of the pipes, as well as the number and type of fittings needed – and the client can then place their order knowing that the optimum solution has been provided. One of the advantages of dealing with DripTech is that they carry an enormous range of stock so, except for highly specialised orders, there’s no waiting time for delivery.

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DripTech has their own installation team but they also have a list of approved installers to help you get the job done.

Customers can provide their own transport but DripTech can also arrange delivery using their own fleet or independent transport operators.

In line with their corporate philosophy of providing great customer service, top quality products and good back up service DripTech are now established as the leading one stop shop for both contractors and end users.

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Looking At A Different Angle 20

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Text: Michael Nott Photos: Structure & Design

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residential profile nt and Cheryl Kinsey and their family have been in their current home for over 30 years and it’s served them well until now. It’s a solidly built house of brick under tile in a sought after area of the Harare suburbs. The house was probably built in the 50s and like most homes has undergone some changes over the years. Cheryl is a keen gardener and has developed and maintained a beautiful tropical themed garden which has been tended and nurtured so it’s now mature, luxuriant and perfectly set out to meet their taste. Luckily the house is set in an area with good water so although they have a borehole the water table is quite high and they can maintain a lush, green garden all year round – with a lot of work! The garden incorporates a pool and a tennis court and loads of outdoor space to enjoy and chill out.

But developing their home has not been without some challenges. A

were located at the rear of the house with exposed solar panels overlooking the pool area – not particularly attractive when entertaining.

originally planted to help drain the high water table, had to be removed to make way for their new garden layout and boundary wall. In a normal season the water table is only about two and a half metres below the ground level. Removing the gum trees has given them a great view from the verandah across the adjoining wetland as well as allowing more sunlight in.

A verandah had been added between the house and the pool with a sort of lean to IBR roof which didn’t really harmonise well with the existing tiled roof of the main house. The verandah space outdoor time with friends and family, or even on their own, is very important. The verandah was predominantly west facing so Cheryl and Ant had added a striped canvas awning to help control the afternoon sun.

The pool, built around 30 years ago, had developed a number of problems and a few years ago a new pool-within-a-pool had to be constructed to solve the matter. The new pool was constructed parallel to the existing boundary wall but at what later proved to be an awkward angle to the house.

In addition a number of extensions over the years had made the back of the house – facing the pool – seem a bit disjointed. There were lots of different floor and deck heights at the back as the site slopes towards the adjacent vlei. The various levels involved some awkward steps and made the area feel fragmented, so there was no easy flow between different spaces. Ant and Cheryl had also invested in an extensive solar power system for the house and the banks of batteries and inverters 22

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All your solid wood furniture under one roof Hotels Lodges Camps Homes

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The floor of the verandah and the surrounding pool deck had been the different levels, made the space feel disjointed. Also there wasn’t an easy flow from the interior to the exterior space. As a result the outside area had become a general combination of different styles and what seemed like disconnected furniture. A row of pre-cast concrete pillars supporting the verandah roof also broke up the view of the pool and the garden and the tennis court was completely hidden away. Perhaps what was most lacking was a sense of a cohesive and practical design.

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Ant and Cheryl approached Bruce Rowlands from Architexture Spatial Designs to help them resolve their dilemma. Rowlands solution was quite simple but has made a dramatic change.

Rowlands proposed a wedge shaped roof like a giant wing hovering over the verandah. The front edge of the verandah – the roof and the deck - would line up with the edge of the pool helping to incorporate the pool into the space. The pool would become an integrated part of the house design rather than feeling like an add-on.

The roof design also included an open slatted section near the dining

room to make a warm and sunny spot for al fresco lunches in winter. At the widest end of the wedge the high A-frame roof would frame a view of the tennis court – with some sensitive reworking of the garden layout and the judicious repositioning of a few plants. The ceiling of the verandah follows the A-frame line of the roof giving a more open and spacious feel and allowing for some stylish lighting details.

Rowlands also proposed raising the different floor and decking heights to create a single level which would be in line with the interior floors. Both the lounge and the dining room open out to the verandah so it was important to incorporate the verandah into the interior space and blur the inside/outside distinction. A new set of doors replaced the windows from the dining room making access smoother and easier. The doors help to open up the dining room so it’s not completely cut off, making the verandah an extension of the inside.

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A single wide set of steps leading down to the pool would be more elegant and coherent. A kind of built in cupboard would hide away the clutter of the batteries and inverters and make the space feel simpler and cleaner. A single ring beam supporting the roof structure meant that pillars could be kept to a minimum further opening up the view.

Rowlands worked on the conceptual design with assistance from his team – Garikayi Mushambi came up with the technical working drawings while Oliver East worked on the 3D drawings. Ant and Cheryl engaged local construction company Trotters P/L, specialists in McLauchlan acted as main contractor while Liam Wright took on the hands-on job of project manager. And although extending a verandah Smith from ECE (Emmanuel Consulting Engineers) made an essential ISSUE 31

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About a month was spent demolishing the old verandah and decking, building up the retaining wall by the pool and levelling the ground level for the new slab. Because of the high water table and unstable soil it was necessary to sink piles about two and a half metres deep to support the new structure. In order to maximise the view Rowlands has kept the number of pillars to a minimum, so a fairly heavy ring beam was needed to hold up the roof. The new roof is clad in concrete roof tiles and together with the complex roof trusses the weight becomes considerable.

The A-frame roof obviously has a double pitch but it also slopes up towards the gable end furthest from the dining room, so it was particularly complex. Halsted Timbers manufactured the trusses but it was a bit of jigsaw puzzle putting it all together. In addition a specially engineered valley gutter needed to and the main house with four custom made downpipes for the rain water runoff. (As an added bonus the new roof helps to conceal the solar panels on the main house.)

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the pool, the tennis court and the landscape beyond the boundary wall. Cheryl has also been responsible for most of the dÊcor with custom furniture from Revolta’s Roots in Ruwa and her own design details.

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The contemporary furniture matches with the dĂŠcor theme in the lounge, and the verandah can now easily accommodate up to 20 people for entertaining, while, through thoughtful grouping of the seating, it can still feel intimate and friendly for smaller groups. A clever dĂŠcor detail was to continue the same ceramic floor tiles from the lounge on to the pergola so the spaces flow more seamlessly. Cheryl has taken advantage of the high ceiling to add some delightful lighting details so the verandah can still be enjoyed at night.

The whole project started in September 2019, and including a month of ground work, it was completed at the end of November. Ant and Cheryl enjoyed the verandah this last summer extension. Although the idea of changing the orientation of the roof might seem simple the implementation was quite complex, but the result has made a remarkable improvement to the layout, appearance and function of the place.

Archi Texture P/L (Bruce Rowlands) Revolta Lighting World Ece Africa P/L Trotters P/L Union Hardware Heyneck Electrical Longden Steel C.A.A.P.S. King Bricks P/L Halsted Timbers Chris Tiles Coventry Road Plasterers ISSUE 31

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material focus

ceramic tiles around the world. Ceramic tile is also a great choice for walls, backsplashes, for you and your home. To name just a few advantages of ceramic tile: it’s

BENEFITS OF CERAMIC TILE Environmentally friendly content. Ceramic tile can also help to reduce your energy use (and bills) by keeping your house cooler in the summer. They even add some insulating qualities to your home for the winter.

Low maintenance there is no special maintenance involved.

Easy to clean Ceramic tile makes excellent kitchen floors as it can be easily wiped and disinfected from spills. If the grout gets dirtier than you like, you can use a specially formulated grout cleaner to help get the dirt off.

Cost detailed the design, the more you’ll pay.

Repairable Endless style and design options The selection of shapes, colors, styles, designs, and textures is vast.

Increased home value Scratch resistant Allergen reducing from dust-related allergies.

Moisture resistant water if desired. Unlike wood floors, ceramic tiles are not damaged by liquids.

Resistance

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Any colour you can think of!

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HOME OFFICE SCHOOL KITCHEN HOME OFFICE OFFICE SCHOOL SCHOOL KITCHEN KITCHEN HOME

BEFORE and AFTER Old Mutual Project BEFOREand andAFTER AFTEROld OldMutual MutualProject Project BEFORE

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residential profile

A Carefully Polished Little Jewel In The Suburbs

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text: Michael Nott photos: Structure & Design and the owners

house in the suburbs it had been a little unloved and there was no garden to speak of. It was, however, a solidly built house of brick under a corrugated iron roof with three bedrooms, one bathroom with a separate loo and a narrow verandah on two sides. The new owners had the foresight to see the potential – which many might have missed – to fashion what is now the ideal home for their needs. They bought the house in 1983 for the princely sum of just over $47,000 but their investment of time, vision and, of course, money, has allowed the owners to create a jewel of a home that caters perfectly to their requirements and their lifestyle.

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The house was probably built in around the 1930’s, most likely one of the original farm houses in the area. The house is set on an acre of land and there were some other outbuildings included – a separate, selfcontained cottage and domestic quarters.

(Workshops and other outbuildings were added over the years – including a greenhouse for organic vegetables for the table.)

The house was originally a family home for the owners and their two children, however since the children have spread their wings one bedroom remains as a guest room and cottage – now extensively renovated – serves as the perfect accommodation for when their children return home for a holiday or there are other visitors. The house is now the ideal, manageable size for the couple. The owners travel a lot so they’ve installed two very good property totally secure whether they’re at home or away. It’s the perfect ‘lock up and go’ solution.

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The whole property can function totally off grid with solar systems set up for the house, the cottage and the domestic quarters, for power and hot water. There’s even a solar system to heat the swimming pool! The owners originally started setting up the solar systems around 15 years ago, long before solar became mainstream, and they’ve continued to upgrade over time. The system can now run just about everything including the borehole, the workshop machinery, and even appliances, like the dishwasher and the washing machine, as well as the internal cooling and heating arrangement. There is however a large generator as back up for when there are a number of cloudy days in a row, and there’s the option to switch back to the ZESA supply in emergencies.

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for their electricity supply the owners are also not dependant on the council water extensive system to harvest rain water for the house, the garden and the pool. They have even used a special lead free paint on up to make sure that their harvested water is clean and pure. The borehole gives them the opportunity to maintain a manicured, lush garden all year round. They have installed an underground irrigation system so there’s no water wastage. They’ve chosen an organic approach to the whole garden, including their vegetables and herbs, avoiding the use of any rely on their compost heap and a dilution of manure from their resident chickens, to keep the garden healthy and thriving. As a result of their eco-friendly approach they enjoy an abundance of bird life, as well as fruit bats (and other indigenous wildlife) in their little patch of heaven.

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The cottage was renovated and updated by knocking out walls to open up the kitchen and living space. An interesting feature is the big slabs of teak timber used as lintels. The a very comfortable bathroom and bedroom.

In fact, it’s so well set up that the owners camped out there for a while during some renovations on the main house.

The swimming pool was added about 30 years and is really an integral part of the home now. The pool has recently been resealed with a product called Poolcrete in the pool (and the mosaic bench outside the cottage) were created by Ingrid Tucker.

The pool was designed to be as close to the main house as possible, unlike other pool additions where the pool is often far away from the main entertainment area. Its right outside the master bedroom, separated only by a generous verandah, so the owners get maximum enjoyment of the facility and the patio is ideal for al fresco dining and entertaining. On warm summer evenings or early mornings the pool’s literally just a few steps away. Well-known landscape designer Graham Williams designed and built the unique wavy wall that separates the pool from the driveway and garden and adds a kind of quirky charm.

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At the front of the house the old narrow verandah, that ran across the front and down the west side, was adapted and redesigned. The front verandah is much deeper now, forming a second outdoor lounging space and also a kind of welcoming portico beyond the front door.

Its roof is supported by solid Cypress columns (not laminated) the same as the verandah on the pool side. (The Cypress columns were supplied by Justin Rorke.) On the west side the verandah has been separated and enclosed and now functions as the dining room,

complete with a new floor, new ceiling, new window frames and bespoke furniture. The floor here is Cypress tongue and groove on top of the old red oxide cement floor, and the ceiling is now neat that used to open out to the old verandah have now become open archways successfully incorporating the dining room into the living space. A cabinet, designed by the owners and built by Adam Seager

In the lounge the coffee table and side tables were designed by the owner and made up by the late Tony Stephens, who also made the

from the old Noel Wesson’s, so each piece has bit of history.

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The external footprint of the original house has not changed much, apart from the addition of the verandahs, and the internal layout, besides the kitchen, is largely still the same. But the kitchen has been radically re-imagined and a new room fashioned from the old tiny kitchen, the pantry and a passageway all combined to create a stylish and functional working space. Cabinets, made to order by Romeo Kitchens, provide ample storage and granite counter tops from Home Improvements make for an elegant, uncluttered feel. There’s a centre island with wooden bar stools for informal meals or for a sociable spot for guests to sit and chat while the cooking is going on.

A lot of the ceilings in the house have been replaced with modern plaster board and most of the floors have been replaced, apart from the original parquet in the home the front door have Cyprus strip floors while the lounge has modern ceramic wood look tiles. But the owners have maintained some of the old fashioned farmhouse charm by stripping off layers of paint from the old Oregon pine doors and frames and in some places replacing the door panels with hand blown, slightly imperfect, glass panels.

Throughout the home personal family photos, original artworks and beautiful objet add interest and character.

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The owner is keen restorer of vintage cars and also an avid all round handyman so he’s built himself a large workshop to cater for his many hobbies. The workshop is meticulously ordered and very comfortable.

He also has all the machinery and equipment necessary to while away the hours indulging in his various pastimes. It’s a little home away from home that reflects the owner’s personality well.

Careful attention to detail and good vision has helped to polish what was a slightly rough-hewn house into a polished gem that precisely accommodates the owners’ needs and lifestyle.

Graham Williams Romeo Kitchens Home Improvements Kalamain Trotters Al Graham – Woodwise One Stop Solar

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home tools hand tool is any tool that is operated by hand instead of a motor or electricity. Examples of basic hand tools

*

They are lightweight and can allow for easy transport: Due to the smaller and more compact nature of the hand tools, they are portable.

striking tools, screwdrivers, knives, saws, snips, clamps, etc.

Disadvantages A power tool is any with an electric source or battery that enables it to work automatically without manual intervention.

Examples of power tools include band saw, impact wrench, air compressor, impact driver, chainsaw, power screwdriver, jointer, etc.

Advantages and disadvantages of hand tools

you can maneuver hand tools while working, they provide a high degree of precision. That is to say that you are fully in control of the operations.

*

The manipulation in their usage is done by the user: A person with a little knowledge of about them may not be able to handle them and get the desired result. Thus, you must possess the right

*

They are slow and take time: The use of hand tools takes you

instance, the use of a power screwdriver is faster than the use of

using hand tools. Just as the name goes, you operate hand

*

The hand tools don’t require any power source in their

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Hand tools are not complex: They are also easy to handle because they have fewer moving parts than power tools.

They give you full control when utilizing them, and this is good for wood carvings and works that need details.

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They don’t need the power to drive them: Thus, they can be used at any time without restrictions. This makes them readily available always. This helps you to save money on ISSUE 31

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material focus

Advantages of power tools

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tasks: Due to their complexity, power tools are used to do tasks that may be

don’t need to bother with the manipulating them manually while at work.

manual equivalent for the jackhammer. *

Power tools reduce operational time: Unlike hand tools, power tools perform

Disadvantages

instance, if you are to cut big lumber with a hand saw, it will take a longer period of time, even though you may have two or three more people working with you. But the use of a powered saw, the work will be completed within few minutes. Thus, power tools have a great advantage of

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The uses of power tools do not require

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Power tools also conserve the energy of the user: This is because electricity or

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Power tools have greater accuracy: In carrying out works with power tools, the level accuracy is greater than that of hand tools. Since the power tools operate through a power source, they tend to give

*

Power tools are more complex than hand tools: This is because they have more parts, and they carry a motor that drives Power tools need more maintenance than hand tools: This is due to the presence of power connections, gears, and motor.

Any disruption in any part of a power tool will result in failure in its operation.

Power tools are more dangerous to handle: This is due to their increased

precautions when using a power tool.

Ensure you understand the functionality of the power tool before use.

STRUCTURE & DESIGN

with the use of power and hand tools, ensure you wear the right safety equipment.

Endeavor to wear to the safety goggles, boots, gloves, helmet, and any other protective wears before utilizing a power or box within the area of your work in cases of eventualities. It is always better to be prepared than to be taken unawares.

CONCLUSION Remember, you can make your works easier and faster with power and hand tools. By utilizing the right tools, not only will you complete your task in a short time, you will make your work more enjoyable. So, if you are looking at how to make use of power and hand tool to turn around your home, cozydownhome.com has more information.

TRANSFORMERS SUB-STATIONS LINE CONSTRUCTION SWITCHGEAR

• Manufacture, Supply and Installation of Transformers and Substations • High Voltage and Low Voltage Line Construction • Energy Management: Power Quality Analysis and Power Factor Correction

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Home Security W

thieves, most home burglaries are done by amateurs.

These thieves are more easily thwarted if you employ some of these simple security precautions:

your security system that may have previously escaped your notice.

is enough space between the door and its frame to allow an intruder to use power tools or a hacksaw. * If you lose your keys, change the locks immediately. * Before turning your house key over to a professional house cleaner for several hours, make sure the person is honest and reputable as well as hardworking. Check all references

* Lock up your home, even if you go out only for a short time. Many burglars just walk in through an unlocked door or window. * Change all the locks and tumblers when you move into a new house.

* Instead of keeping a spare key in a mailbox, under the doormat, or on a nail behind the garage, wrap the key in foil -- or put it in a need it.

A professional burglar looks for places where he or she can disconnect the security system.

* Don’t leave notes for service people or family members on the door. These act as a welcome mat for a burglar.

switch lights and radios on and off when you’re not at home.

* If the entrances to your home are dark, consider installing lighting with an infrared detector. Most thieves don’t want to be observed trying to get in a door.

immediately and tell your neighbours that it’s been repaired.

Many people ignore an alarm that goes off periodically.

* Talk to your neighbours about any suspicious people or strange cars you notice lurking about.

* A spring-latch lock is easy prey for burglars who are “loiding” experts. Loiding is the method of slipping a plastic bank card against the latch tongue to depress it and unlock the door. A

* To keep your tools from being stolen, put them away. Thieves can also use them to assist in breaking in. * Trees located near windows or shrubbery that might shield ISSUE 31

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a burglar from view can be major flaws in your home-protection plan. Consider your landscaping plan in light of your protection needs. * Ask for credentials from any sales-person who requests entry to your home. Ask that their ID be pushed under the door.

Many professional burglars use this cover to check out homes. If you’re doubtful, letting him or her in. * Do not list your full name on your mailbox or your entry in the telephone book. Use only your initial and your last name. * If someone comes to your door asking to use the phone to call a mechanic or the police, keep the door locked and make the call yourself. * Dogs are good deterrents to burglars.

Even a small, noisy dog can be effective -- burglars do not like to have attention drawn to their presence. Be aware, however, that trained guard dogs do not make good pets. Obedience training and attack training are entirely different, and only the former is appropriate for a house pet. * Protect your windows with one or more good locks, an alarm system, burglarresistant glass, or many small panes instead of one large area of glass. * When installing a window lock, drip some solder on the screw heads. It will stop a burglar from unscrewing the lock after cutting a small hole in the windowpane.

your property. Look for places around your home that are very dark and may allow a thief access to your home under the cover of darkness. Consider installing lights in various places that can light up entrances. Motion detection spotlights are the best option to conserve energy and not annoy your neighbours or yourself with the bright lights.

While an alarm may not keep burglars from getting inside your home, it will deter some and bring the police to your home quickly, limiting what a thief is able to take. Home security systems will only work if you always have your alarm engaged while you are away or while you are at home as many thieves will attempt to break into one part of your home while you are busy in another.

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STRUCTURE & DESIGN

hiring a professional security service, who can either be patrolling the area or have guards that live within your perimeter.

painting in winter W

days don’t have to be wasted. In fact, they offer the perfect opportunity to tackle interior house painting projects.

While the sun rises earlier in the wintertime and is great for interior painting early in the day, evening darkness arrives more quickly. This can affect your state of mind and keep you stuck inside for hours at a time.

Adding a vibrant color to your walls can be a quick cure for your winter blues. If your friends are battling with their own moodiness, try inviting them over for a winter cocktail party to celebrate your new paint colors and transition of your home’s interior. New interior paint is an instant moodbooster for all!

Summer days may be perfect for catching rays by the pool, but sweltering temperatures are far from ideal for interior painting projects. This is especially true if you live in a humid climate. The more humidity your house endures, the longer it will take for your interior paint to dry. But when the air becomes dry and colder, paint will cure noticeably faster – which means a faster interior paint job.

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