Checks before cheques

Jagvir Goyal

Construction of a house is a long process spanning over 18 to 30 months. But once the construction work begins, things are really not in the hands of the house owner as he is on the mercy of the masons, carpenters, painters, glass fixers, plumbers, electricians etc. It is very normal in such circumstances to feel like throwing out all the gangs working on the site.  It is important to overcome such moments and review all activities with a cool mind to avoid trouble at a later stage. Let’s, take a look at the checks to be made by the house builder before bidding goodbye to the working gangs:

Woodwork gang: Apart from the major activity of providing door and window frames and shutters, the carpenters engaged for doing woodwork in the house also have to provide cupboards, kitchen cabinets and drawers, bathroom vanities, LCD panels, stair railing, front and back railings, if in wood, main gate wooden components etc. Before they leave you have to ensure that all this work has been completed in all respects. 

The items often missed out may be some joinery fittings like tower bolts or door stoppers, curtain rods, moulding parts around the door frames, tightening of hinges or other screws, pasting of laminates in some portions, locks or handles in cupboards and vanities, drilling of holes in LCD panels to pass wiring, ensuring smooth running of drawer channels, fixing of tape on shelf edges and so on. All items should be examined thoroughly by the house builder, preferably at a time when the workers are not on job and a room-wise list of left out items should be prepared and handed over to the head carpenter for completing the work.  And don’t miss the provision of hanger rods in the cupboards.

Electrical work: Laying of conduits and fixing of switch boxes is completed by the electrical work gang at a much earlier stage. High vigil is required at this stage through careful planning of lights, conduits for electrical wires, AC copper piping, TV and landline phone cables if required, FTTH cables, CCTV wiring and inverter wiring. However, there are items that need careful checking by house builder before saying goodbye to the electrical work gang.

After the provision of modular switches, MCBs, ELCB, lights and fans, all items should be checked carefully  to be functioning properly. A methodical checking should be carried out from room to room. Check that all sockets and two-way switches are functional. There should be  no sparking or loose wires anywhere. Ensure that no wiring is visible at LCD panels and sockets are available to plug in the LCD, set-top box and other items. In case you have made provision of submersible pump and pressure pumps, these should be working properly and the submersible provided with auto cut system. 

Electrical gang should remain available till the ACs and other electrical gadgets are fitted in the house and are made functional. 

Last but not the least, check that the water filter and inverter are functional. Ensure to provide good earthing system for the house and make no compromise over it.

Plumbing: Before the plumbing gang leaves all sanitary fittings should be checked to be functional. The mixers, faucets, stop cocks and diverters should be tested well. It should be ensured that all WC cisterns are working effectively. Next, the provision of towel rails, showers, soap dishes, mirrors, hooks and shelves should be checked. Seat jets should be working well. None of the fittings should be leaking.

Check all drainage pipes. Outlets of all drainage pipes in gully traps and inspection chambers should be checked to be opened as sometimes, plumbers insert gunny bags in them to block entry of any reptiles or debris and forget to remove those. All chambers should be checked to be clean and without any debris inside. All gully traps, inspection chambers and manholes should be provided with well fitted covers. All rain water pipes should be provided with gratings at the top and got tested to be through for drainage of rain water. 

Rain water harvesting system should be checked to be functional on some rainy day. See that all the vent pipes extended above the walls have been provided with cowls. It should also be checked that 2 inch diameter conduits inserted in walls for AC copper piping are sealed well at the top with caps to avoid entry of rain water or insects in them.

Carrying out above checks before clearing the accounts and making final payments to the working gangs will help the house builder in having a trouble-free living after their departure. 

Paint work: Before the painting work gang departs, examine all paint and polish work minutely. No door and window fittings should have any paint or polish mark on them. The grills, if provided, should be painted well. Floors should be checked against any paint droppings. The window glass panes should also be got cleaned.