Tokay Constructions

04/11/2016

An interesting Electrical Safety tip. A reminder to turn off appliances before leaving the house. Wise words indeed!

This is was a very close call thankfully the circuit breaker isolated before the apartment went up in flames. In this case the exhaust fan in the bathroom was left on when the owner left the apartment, after a couple of hours the heat build caused the bearings to cease, this stopped the blades from turning while the motor was still trying to turn, the outcome was whats left in this photo. Moral of the story when you leave your apartment be sure that all of your appliances are turned of, or else you might be unlucky enough to return to a house/apartment that is no more..

30/09/2016

Inspired, elegant and award winning design proposal. Sadly, unlikely to go into production.

In Iceland, there's a plan in place to turn deadly-boring electrical towers into men of steel.

09/08/2016

The actress’s ex-husband Frank Sinatra is known to have attended parties here

30/07/2016

Good day for a pour! Concrete truck arrived and brought the rain. That's Melbourne for you!
A big thank you to Stevie & Marty for a massive day. Ably assisted by Tom and Brendan.
In a couple of weeks, it'll be over to PJB Landscapes to lay brick pavers, giving it a professional finish!

26/07/2016

Prefab homes don't always get a good wrap, but these Aussie homes are pre-fabulous

09/07/2016

Some interesting points raised in this article. Highlights the importance of good bathroom design and that it meets your needs and expectations.

When renovating your bathroom, you can learn a lot from others' mistakes

25/06/2016

Carlton North bathroom project. Little project with a big attitude. Thankfully we have a very patient and understanding client!

With Planning, Building, Laneway Occupation & Machinery in Laneway Permits in place, the digging began. Only to discover the local vicinity, including the nearby site of Lee St Primary School, was the location of an early European settlement Penal Quarry! A quarry strangely and frustratingly not marked on the Government issued Geological Maps.

We had the Geotechnical Engineer and Structural Engineer stumped for a bit. Persistence and lateral thinking paid off.

The structure now locked up, we can carefully form an opening in the brickwork, connecting bedroom to ensuite bathroom. A very satisfying stage to reach for builder & client!

24/06/2016

The debate continues regarding the desirability and suitability of concrete as a building material. "Cement manufacturing alone is responsible for roughly 5% of global CO2 emissions." A shocking fact indeed.

Reinforced concrete is everywhere. But unlike plain concrete, which can last for centuries, reinforced concrete can deteriorate in decades as the reinforcing bars succumb to rust.

06/05/2016

Reading this post brought back memories of the old Templestowe Hardware store in Andersons St. Morris was very patient with this little budding carpenter. Old fashioned customer service is hard to find these days.

Before the big hardware chains arrived, most of Australia's hardware shops were small businesses and run by families. Remember you could buy a single bolt and nut, a tap washer, nails were sold by the pound and the advice was given free!
There were wheelbarrows by the front door, ladders down the back and the key-cutting machine was generally whirring in the background. There were rows and rows of bits and pieces and the guys behind the counter could put their hand straight on whatever you wanted. I used love that smell, hard to describe, but it was so distinctive that you knew you were in the hardware store.
Sadly, most are now gone, replaced by the big chains like Bunnings and Masters, everything is pre-packaged, it's all self serve and finding assistance or advice is next to impossible.
Remember when you had a local hardware shop?

20/04/2016

Each year we look forward to the Australian Institute of Architects’ awards and the opportunity to peep into some of our most exciting new and renovated homes.

14/04/2016

If you're buying or renovating a house or renovating, you've probably organised a building inspection to check its condition - but what about one of these?

27/03/2016

There's loads of advice out there on how to save energy. But how much of it is based on real scientific evidence?