Supply systems and repair

Three types of home repair are distinguished. Cosmetic repair is the simplest and cheapest: levelling walls and ceiling, renewing wallpaper, skirting and flooring, while plumbing and wall structure stay unchanged. In major (capital) repair the service networks are replaced and wall structures may change; specialists do it. Elite repair is similar to major repair but uses modern materials and a designer’s project. For measuring, a folding rule or tape measure is used when high accuracy is not needed, a vernier caliper for more accurate work, a micrometer for the thickness of pipes, wire and thin sheet, an outside caliper for outer sizes and an inside gauge for inner sizes. Next to traditional materials – wood, stone, brick – came concrete, steel, glass and plastic; reinforced concrete and metal-plastic pipes are widely used now. Modern materials are light and strong. Trades connected with building and repair include building designer and builder, landscape-improvement designer, building-operation technician and a property-valuation inspector. In repairs a dust mask, safety goggles and gloves are worn, the ladder is checked to be stable, paints and solvents are used in a ventilated room, and adults handle power tools.