Being hands-on can lend valuable experience and save money

TWO DAYS of external painting left, then that is us finished for a while, although our builder does have carpenters available the week after next, and we are missing the old stoep which is now the lounge. So possibly we will put up a timber deck, and then we are done.

It has been fun, but I am a little tired of being the supervisor, although the cost savings have made it worthwhile – and I have learnt quite a lot, being more hands-on than I normally would be.

It is over 40°C up here these days, so we have been busy supplying the painters with lots of liquid and ice. Luckily we have extended the eaves well over a metre beyond the walls, and it is quite unbelievable how much cooler it is in the shade. Our forefathers obviously knew a thing or two about keeping the heat out of the house with large verandas. Our new lounge is surprisingly cool and may well not require an airconditioner, so keep this in mind when planning your next alteration.

The fact that the builders have almost gone has freed up a lot of space in the garage, and I have had a chance to start fiddling with my tools again. Even Mrs Mac has tried her hand at the cordless electric screwdriver, and after a couple of attempts she was getting the screws in like a professional.

I really do need to carry on with our toolbox project, but I also think it’s important that we know how to use the tools properly, which all comes down to practice.

I have never been great with my hands, and when we moved up here nearly two years ago I battled to knock in a 50mm nail. Now I am slamming in 150mm nails virtually with my eyes closed. When I acquired my tools I was trying to do too many difficult things at first, and if you have spent good money on nice timber or whatever, you don’t want to mess it up. So I would suggest that you get a few old pallets and some timber off-cuts, and practice sawing, drilling and nailing, none of which is going to cost you too much money.

So far just using off-cuts and broken down pallets we have made a freestanding planter box, which now has succulents growing in it, a garden sieve so we have some nice fine soil for the vegetable gardens, and this morning I knocked a seeding table together so we can get the seedlings going, ready for transplanting into our new shadecloth vegetable tunnels.

If I can do it, then so can you – and the sense of achievement is really good for your ego.

Mrs Mac had a good moan at the money I spent initially, but now she can see the value of having the right tools, and is starting to fight me for use of the workbench.

For those of you contemplating selling or buying a home, my regular contributor John Graham from HouseCheck has sent me an update:

“The imminent publication of the draft Property Practitioner’s Bill is a game changer for the small but fastgrowing South African home inspection industry. The bill is expected to give a massive boost to the local home inspection industry and, in doing so, create many new jobs in the private and public sectors.

“Bryan Chaplog, chief executive of the Estate Agency Affairs Board, has announced that home inspectors will be regulated under the new Property Practitioner’s Regulatory Authority, which is to replace the board. Estate agents will also be regulated by the authority.

“The consumer rights of the homebuying public will also be effectively protected by the authority. Sections of the Consumer Protection Act dealing with property sales will be repealed and protection for property consumers will be provided by the authority. This will be achieved by requiring estate agents to recommend a home inspection to all prospective homebuyers. By advising buyers to get a home inspection, most of the uncertainty of buying a used home voetstoots (as is) will be removed.”

John Graham, principal of the South African Home Inspection Training Academy (www.sahita.co.za), says that regulation of the home inspection industry is long overdue, and is to be welcomed. However, to regulate home inspectors it will be necessary to define their role, and to prescribe their minimum qualifications. Graham says the home inspection training academy is working with training experts to ensure that the academy’s existing 34-module online training course meets the standards which will be required by the new bill, and is properly accredited.

Graham says market penetration overseas is very high – in the US, 80 percent of home buyers commission a home inspection.

Last week Diane had a question about a boundary wall on which her neighbour is erecting a structure. Regular contributor Rob sent this response, which may prove useful if you have a dispute over a boundary wall: “Re Diane’s wall problem. Again, common sense. Refer to original plans. Measure from boundary peg to boundary peg (on the horizontal), check it several times. There is no such thing as “no man’s land”. Diane may be lucky and find it is her wall. (One person must be the owner of the wall; it’s very rare for both parties to own the wall. Diane can phone me if she requires further help.”

Should you want to phone Rob, contact me and I will forward his number.

● Please keep questions or comments coming to don@macalister.co.za, or SMS only to 082 446 3859.