How to determine the realistic cost of workmanship for a building construction work

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Sometimes paying high cost for workmanship doesn’t usually result in a good quality job. And too low a cost for workmanship can be an excuse for a shoddy job. You don’t also want to feel cheated by overpaying for workmanship.

There are standard rates of pay for workmanship in the building industry. It is determined by economic forces and so the rate changes from time to time.

Here are tips to help you get a good economy rate and quality workmanship.

You can ask a building contractor or someone who usually gets building construction jobs on  a regular basis. 

You can also look for or place an advert for professionals to come and access the work to be done and give their quotations. Make sure you ask each one of  them questions on areas of the work you need more clarity. Their individual quotations and how satisfied you are on how they will undertake the job will enable you to choose economically, the right professional for the job.

Beware of middle men, they pose as professionals but they are not. A middle man may charge incredibly higher fees so that if he gets the job, he passes it on to a professional who he pays the normal rates or even much lower. 

 Also, if you know a friend or someone who has done a similar project , you can ask him to get you the professional he or she used.

What to plaster your House?, these are the materials you will need

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house plastering

In many places, the term, plaster In building construction means cement sand rendering of block constructed walls.

Materials you will need for this type of works are;

Ordinary Portland cement.

Fine Sand.

Clean water.

Sand required should not contain too much clay, or too cohesive. It must also not be too loose. Water used must be clean water of drinking quality. Using dirty water can affect the quality of the plaster or render.

Workmanship.

Skilled renderers and  unskilled labourers are required. A skilled renderer is usually a mason. Good quality rendering depends on the skill of the renderer, so get a good one to do the work for you. The unskilled labour, hand mixes the plastering material and transports it to the point of application.

Mixing ratio of Cement Sand rendering

The mixing ratio is usually 1:6, that is one part of cement to 6 parts of sand. For stronger rendering the mixing ratio can be as high as 1:3.

Calculation of the amount of cement and sand  required.

A skilled mason can easily estimate the amount of cement and sand required. You can also do it yourself. Click on the article link below for details;

https://specsfinder.info/2021/10/12/how-to-calculate-the-number-of-cement-bags-and-quantity-of-sand-required-for-plastering/.

How to Schedule and attend a US Visa interview

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Scheduling and attending a US visa interview is in four stages;

  1. Fill the DS 160 form online for free in the US consulate website
  2. Pay for the US visa interview fee.
  3. Choose a favorable date for an interview online.
  4. Attend the interview

Filling the DS 160 form

You can access the DS 160 form from the United States consulate website @ https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/. Follow the instructions on the website to obtain and fill your DS 160 form online for free.

Before you start filling the form make sure you have at hand, detailed information about yourself including educational and work history, marital status and so on. You should also have detailed information about your siblings, father, mother and other extended family members. You must have gathered all information about your purpose of visit to the United States, Including the place you are going to and the person or institution you will visit or stay.

Filling the DS 160 form correctly is the first step to a successful visa interview. If you are not sure of the information you want to fill in, take time to find out correctly before proceeding.

Make sure you are on a very good internet connection otherwise you will have problems filling the form. Don’t use a proxy. Use a laptop or desktop PC instead of a smartphone.

Upon successful filling of DS 160 form, you will print a confirmation report which includes your confirmation number. Your confirmation number will be required when you want to schedule a visa interview.

How to pay the US interview fee

Fee for your US visa interview will be paid at GT bank. Just walk into any of the bank’s branches with your Nigeria Passport and tell the banker that you want to pay for US visa

interview. At the end of the payment process you will be given a receipt which contains your details as it is written on your passport with a unique payment confirmation number.

Choose a favourable date for US visa interview

To schedule an interview go to

ustraveldocs.com/ng/ng-niv-appoinmentschedule.asp

Before you can register to choose an interview date, make sure you have the DS 160 confirmation slip and the visa fee receipt from GT bank. You will need some information on those two slips to register and book for an interview. After successful registration, you will proceed to select a date for your visa interview. Look for a favourable date and time. If you can’t find one,then You can always log back in every day or so until you find a favourable date.

Attend the interview

Make sure you get to the interview venue on time. The questions you will be asked will be based on the information you provided when filling the DS 160 form. Try not to contradict yourself and demonstrate full knowledge of what you are going to be doing in the United States. Go with documents that can support your case such as bank account statements within the last 3 months, marriage certificate, scholarships, admission letters, land documents etc. 

Truth be told that you are more likely to be denied a US visa at your first attempt. So prepare very well. If you are not successful, don’t be discouraged. Try to figure out why you weren’t given the visa then try again with an updated information.

Champions League Round of 16 Review

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Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have good first leg scores to take to their second leg matches. Chelsea easily defeated Lille 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool were 2-0 away victors over Inter, while Manchester all but assured their place in the quarters after brushing aside Sporting CP at their own backyard by 0-5.

Juventus, Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich will be given a run for their money in the second leg. Bayern earned a hard fought 1-1 draw against Salzburg and will fancy their chances in the second leg when they play at home. The same goes for Juventus after their 1-1 draw away to Villarreal. PSG defeated Real Madrid 1-0 but their fate will be decided when they visit Madrid in the second leg.

Manchester United and Ajax will need to take full advantage of home advantage when they take on Atletico Madrid and Benfica respectively in the second leg. United held Atletico to a 2-2 draw while Ajax earned a vital 1-1 draw.

Sporting CP and Inter will have to produce some magic if they will overturn their first leg scores.

Date & Time of Second Leg Fixtures (UEFA Champions League)

Tue. 8 March, 2022

Bayern Vs Salzburg

Liverpool Vs Inter

Wed. 9th March, 2022

Man. City Vs Sporting

Real Madrid Vs PSG

Tue. 15th March, 2022

Man. United Vs Atletico

Ajax Vs Benfica

Wed. 16th March, 2022

Juventus Vs Villarreal

Lille Vs Chelsea

Sony Confirms the Upcoming PSVR 2

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PSVR 2

Sony has finally revealed that there is a next gen PSVR 2 coming soon. It is in the final stages of development. The new design will feature black and white like the PS5 design.

The model looks like the original PS VR but with new features such as lens adjustment dial and a reduction in weight.

The PSVR 2 will support haptic feedback, eye tracking, 4k HDR, 90& 120HZ frame rates, and a field of view of 110°. It will connect to the PS5 with a single USB C cable

And for PS4 users, bad news, PSVR 2 will be PS5 exclusive so it won’t be compatible with your last gen Playstation 4.

Good driving practice for manual transmission vehicles

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Manual transmission

Press the clutch pedal down fully will shifting gear, and then release it slowly

Do not rest your foot on the pedal while driving; it will eventually damage the clutch system.

Do not also use the clutch to hold the vehicle when stopped on an uphill grade. Use the hand or parking brake instead.

Upshifting too soon or downshifting too late will cause lugging and possible pinging.

Regular reviving the engine to maximum speed in each gear will cause excessive engine wear and high fuel consumption.

Sometimes it may be difficult to shift into reverse. Anytime this happens, first put the transmission in neutral, release the clutch momentarily and try again.