| Real Answers Home Truths |
| Thursday, 12 October 2006 | |
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How can residents stall the dilapidation of their building ? The performance of our homes and buildings depends on how well we maintain them. A sign of deterioration (crack , corrosion, dampness etc) observed in a flat or in a building is called a ‘distress’. If we are watchful, we can take the necessary action needed to counter such distresses before they become worse.
Today, we shall look at some commonly encountered types of distress so that you can recognize them when you come across them in your flat or your building.
#Concrete and RCC:
These are predominantly used in the structural components of the building such as columns, beams and slabs. Any distress observed in such components may indicate loss of strength and therefore, call for ‘structural repair’. This is a common checklist in this category-
#Walls and plaster: Distress caused by seepage primarily spreads through walls. Watchful occupants can easily locate many from the following list of distress-
#Doors / Windows: The checklist in this category commonly covers the following-
#Flooring / skirting: This is a common list in this category-
#Plumbing: Distress in plumbing and drainage are closely related to the sources of seepage of water. Watchful occupants can easily locate many of the observations in the following list –
#Toilets and kitchen: Seepage though a toilet or kitchen above can be very annoying. Nevertheless, it is pretty common too. Many of the points mentioned above apply to this category also. Additionally, the following points may also be noted –
#Waterproofing: Bad quality of the terrace waterproofing system can cause considerable agony for the occupants of the top floor, year after year. Once seepage from terrace starts, it progressively becomes worse and locating the source of seepage can be extremely difficult. In fact, the sources may be many. Local treatment may not prove to be effective and complete re-waterproofing is expensive. Members should, therefore, look for the early signs of the following points and take an early action on them-
#Miscellaneous: Some of the other watch points are as follows-
#Applications: You can apply these watch points to the external and common areas ( building faces, stilts, staircase , terrace etc) as well as to apartments. In some cases you can even identify the cause of distress by proper correlation of your observations. Observations concerning structural distress and distress in the common areas should be brought to the notice of the Managine Committee of your Co-op. Housing Society and action on other observations should be taken by the members themselves.              |
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