Mr Anonymous in Changsha

[rhoodtsao]

1 USD= 6.75 Yuans on my last trip
Robin

[Vince G]

Wow Peter? I didn't know the apartments are stripped to bare floor and walls? They don't have any finishings, like a floor, walls that can be painted, etc? And do you have to hire people for that (finishings)? Can you do it yourself (if you had the knowhow, tools, etc)

[David5o]

Vince,

There is normally two standards of finish to new apartments/houses etc in China with obviously two different per sq mt prices, One is what you saw in the picture and the second is fully finished. Fully finished can be to your chosen flooring and wall finishes, ie paint colour wallpaper etc. Same goes for the kitchen and bathrooms etc.

It's just a way of keeping the initial costs down and /or to get the finishes you want and not what the developer want to give you. Believe it or not, it can be a lot cheaper to get your own people in to do this finishing work, than to let the developer hand over the finished apartment!!!

David.....

[Vince G]

Depending on many things but I would rather do the work myself. It's not a cost thing, it's a do it right thing. :icon_biggrin:  Thou it's hard for me to lay floors or carry it up flights? Looking at the photo the floor is wavy so any tile work you would have to resurface that floor first. Here I found they use rolled corking to silent the floors? They don't smooth off the floor first so I wouldn't trust them anyway. My lady has a finished condo anyway that she said we will live in when there.

[David5o]

Ha ha!!  yeah it's called ''getting older'' but at least they do provide lifts now, if over 3 floors (not including the ground floor) i think it is now.

Personally i prefer to hire my own people and supervise the work being carried out myself. They do have some pretty dammed good tilers over there by the way....

David....

[ttwjr32]

right now it is any building over 7 floors has to have an elevator
 used to be 9 floors

[David5o]

Ted,

Maybe different areas different rules, ...not that many developers stick to any of them ..lol!!!

David.....

[Vince G]

Dave, FYI, I may fall into the ''getting older'' category but the reason is a spine (disc) injury and any heavy lifting may re-injure and I'm not willing to have that. I'm still very active compared to others I see my age. :icon_biggrin:

I can give the recent water heater episode.

[Ed W]

Wow Peter? I didn't know the apartments are stripped to bare floor and walls? They don't have any finishings, like a floor, walls that can be painted, etc? And do you have to hire people for that (finishings)? Can you do it yourself (if you had the knowhow, tools, etc)

Vince,
Check out this picture of where my wifee is now. The tiles only go so far up the wall before they end and it's just the mortar to the ceiling. No effort to hide the pipes. The floors are a flimsy vinal wood simuated. The doors are paper thin and doorjams are like really cheap pine. With all this said, it's a far cry from where she lived before. construction standards just arent the same as we're used to here. haha.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edchangchun/3986702756/in/set-72157622400834421/

[Vince G]

Looks like they didn't finish the tile work for some reason? That's called a floating floor, I have a floor something like it. Door jambs are just a wood strip? Not wide enough to fill the jamb and No molding could be used this way?  Are all their door ways this way? I'd have to look at it for real to see how they have the stops? (keep door from swinging past the frame) or if the jamb is the stop but then how does the lockset work? Mmmmm

At the windows (nice view) what is along the window edge? is that form insulation sticking out? Razor it off. I see they use tile everywhere.

[Buzz]

It has a throne, and for me that is more than enough for a long time.  buzz

[David5o]

Ed,

By the look of those pipe connections, you might be pleased they didn't close them in.

Is this apartment yours are are you renting it?? If it's yours, you can modify and improve the finishes as you go bit by bit. As you say, standards in China leave a lot to be desired, but you can achieve a much better standard either doing things yourself, or getting your own people in that you can supervise....

David......

[ttwjr32]

Ed,

was all this done by the developer? and as they are
finishing it do you get to say fix this and fix that or
was it already finished and empty when you looked at it