Not a word about design! We're going to the construction base.

How to choose lumber, doors, baseboards and wallpaper at a construction site so that you don’t have to return the goods. Who to trust with the selection of building materials. Advised by a practicing builder.

You have been planning the renovation or reconstruction of your home for a long time. We gathered even longer, met with private builders and representatives of companies, drew up estimates, assessed our capabilities and finally decided... Repair, and especially finishing and construction country house, is a serious matter, and requires at least a superficial understanding of the fact that not only specialists are needed who can implement design ideas, but also the materials from which, in fact, everything will be made. Today, since it’s autumn, many products are on sale at discounts, and we will talk about purchasing them. And practical builder Igor Tikhonov will help us, with whom we will go to study the assortment of construction bases and construction goods stores.

Let's start with the fact that one of the most simple ways extraction of quality materials - rely on a foreman or other specialist from among those who will perform the work. But they are not always ready to take on our concerns. Perhaps the best option is to become a supplier at a construction site yourself. With a competent approach to this exciting business, you will not spend a lot of time, and the work will be completely under control. By contacting workers or a foreman, you will understand the essence of the process and protect yourself from most abuses. And this happens quite often when money is given, as they say, “on parole.” We are ready to assure you that any foreman or supplier, upon request, will bring you any number of “pieces of paper” justifying the costs. But all checks, delivery notes and payment receipts must be collected and stored. To prevent you from paying twice for the same product. For example, in a situation where a not very conscientious foreman suddenly “remembered” that he had put his lining into finishing and offers you to pay for it. Therefore, even if you have neither the time nor the desire to work yourself, you will still have to supervise the work of the invited team.

Let's start with relationships with workers. If you still decide to entrust the purchase of materials to specialists, give money in small portions, check that what you brought matches what you ordered (at least in terms of quantity) and demand a report at least once a week. Such scrupulousness usually discourages the desire to “let something go wrong.” And in no case should you be a lord: give out exactly as much as they ask for the next purchase, and be sure to discuss what is where, what it costs, what the quality is, where they are going to buy what and why there and not elsewhere. This, of course, will not protect you from abuse, but at least you will reduce costs.

What will you have to delve into?

Now let's move on to practice. There is nothing wrong with the fact that you, without having the slightest idea about modern building materials and technological processes, decided to become a supplier at your construction site. Since you’ve managed to earn money to repair or build a house, you’ll figure it out here too.

So, you already have an estimate in your hands. For example, you need concrete mortar and reinforcement for the foundation. We start conversations with builders, where and, most importantly, how to buy it, that is, how to take advantage of the discounts that any Building company, a team of decent workers or a smart foreman.

And now, attention, the most important thing: never be lazy to compare prices at construction sites and in different stores. Sometimes builders earn more from your ignorance than from the work itself.

When it comes to construction wooden house and you are unable to evaluate the quality of timber, lining, boards, use the services of a person who will create your home from all this, and take it with you to the store. Be sure that he will choose the best - after all, he will work with this material, and working with high-quality material is always more pleasant and faster. And then no one will tell you the catchphrase: “Well, master, you brought some goddamn crap, you have to add for the work...”

So, consulting with builders, comparing prices from sellers, you begin to “get into the swing of things,” and the result is, perhaps, ideal: the work is progressing, and everyone is happy. You didn’t spend extra money, the builders didn’t waste extra time; you have complete understanding. And with such good relations you will get better quality of work, reduce deadlines, and most importantly, control will be unobtrusive.

From foundation to roof

Now let's move from the lyrics to practice again. In what cases will we ask for help in selecting materials, and in what cases will we not? There are positions that you can really figure out on your own, but there are also those that you can’t do without professionals. And I would not recommend installing stoves and fireplaces yourself, heating equipment, with a number of reservations - electrics. But sometimes simple solutions help. For example, if it is necessary to install a complex engineering equipment it makes sense to hold a hidden tender among different companies to choose the best options and prices. The visit of a specialist is usually paid, but the money spent will most likely pay off.

When comparing prices, be sure to ask what the shipping and unloading costs are. Sometimes it happens that it negates the benefits of discounts.

Let's start with the basics and simplified diagrams. Let's say a house consists of a foundation of walls and a roof. For example, the foundation will require sand and crushed stone, concrete mortar and reinforcement, which are indicated in the estimate offered to you by a certain brand and nomenclature. If none of the supplier organizations in this moment doesn’t announce good discounts, we get on the phone, compare prices (and certainly including delivery), find out about discount programs... Then the walls are aerated concrete blocks, brick, reinforcing mesh, cement, sand... The technology is generally the same. There is one exception: if we are talking about “living” material (timber, logs, lining), you cannot do without a qualified assistant. Important nuance: The declared quality may differ greatly from the quality of the shipped product. Therefore, the supply of lumber must be controlled both at the exit from the construction site (selection and sorting) and at the entrance (count, compare with the selection sheet, identify damage during loading and unloading).

If you are not a carpenter or cabinetmaker, then entrust the selection of lumber to a specialist who will work with them. You will save money, and he will save time.

As for roofing materials, it is advisable to visit any specialized company that supplies the necessary components (from roofing membranes to drainage systems).

Or better yet, more than one - choose according to the price-quality of service ratio.

From pipe to putty

Now about internal works. It all starts with communications. Plumbing purchases should be entrusted to a specialist, but money can be given to him only after discussing the network design, installation scheme, place of purchase, and discounts provided. It is necessary to discuss every step, even if you don’t understand anything about it. Ask, for example, why these items are so expensive, can you trust the quality, are there any guarantees...

You can undertake the purchase of electrical equipment yourself. Naturally, you should first agree with the builders on the quantity and range of products. Please note that electrical wiring can be different: according to the cross-section and material of the wires (copper, aluminum), operating conditions (for internal or external work). And problems are possible if, having decided to save money, you purchase a wire that does not correspond to the declared loads.

Having finished with communications, we move on to interior decoration. First of all, plasters, putties and drywall. Here you should contact specialized companies - they have a good turnover of all bulk building materials, as a rule, there are no expired ones, and the suitability of the mixture greatly affects the quality of the work. It is almost impossible to estimate the total required amount of plaster and putty, so we purchase it in several batches. Let's start small. We estimated the minimum layer thickness, total area and material consumption (how much square meters can be treated with a mixture from one bag) - and we make a purchase. Unfortunately, nothing can be optimized here: you can’t save on delivery, you’ll still have to buy more, and if there are surpluses left, you can’t return them to the store, and the material doesn’t last forever—it loses its properties after six months.

Parquet, window systems and roofing materials It is advisable to purchase through highly specialized dealers and suppliers - they have comprehensive information about the product and know what goes with what.

We also need materials for partitions. We won’t analyze which is better: aerated concrete, tongue-and-groove slab or gypsum board. All this can be safely ordered at the right amount based on the total area. True, drywall requires a slightly different approach. The number of sheets is calculated not so much by the area as by the perimeter (a standard sheet is 1.2 m wide and 2.5 to 3 m high). The volume of material for the frame is determined similarly. On the issue of quality: undoubtedly, imported manufacturers are preferable. But if you plan to build partitions from two or three layers of plasterboard, then it makes sense to buy cheaper material for the first layers and use good material on the outside.

Having built the ceilings and partitions, plastered and puttyed everything that is possible, we choose paint coatings. This is extremely difficult - even professionals sometimes doubt it. The choice is colossal, the range changes all the time, and the quality of products from seemingly proven manufacturers sometimes drops. So we go again to the method outlined above - we talk for a long time about all the problems of choosing coatings with the specialist who will paint, draw conclusions, and only after that we go to the store and begin to “torment” the consultants. If in general outline, then don’t buy the cheapest paint (even if it’s from a famous manufacturer), but you also shouldn’t buy the most expensive one (not every master knows how to work with it).

Walls of the house: a view from the inside

The next item is wallpaper. Not a word about design. Today we are talking only about quality, and here is what should be noted. Wallpapers that are popular today for painting (they are often chosen when they have not yet decided what color to paint the walls) are approximately the same in quality, only the abrasion resistance and ability to absorb are different. expensive paint. Everything is simple here: the smaller the pattern and the calmer the relief, the more durable the coating and the less paint it will eat. Simple paper wallpaper- the option is completely budget-friendly, and we will not consider it. As long as you have enough money to build walls, you shouldn’t skimp on wallpaper. Hit of all times - vinyl wallpapers. But how different they are... Price is not the last argument here, but not the main one. Take your time with the purchase, bring the person who will glue them to the store, listen to what he has to say, and draw your own conclusions. Perhaps on the next shelf there is approximately the same thing, but of higher quality and at a very reasonable price.

Now the doors. Here the range of offers is extremely wide, the choice is yours, but preference should be given to those models that you not only liked, but also have wooden filling and door frames, made not from cardboard, but from normal wood. Small nuance: do not take simple panel doors if you are building a summer house - a few freeze-thaw cycles are enough for them to dry out. Let's move on to the selection of accessories. You need to choose only good hinges, and even more so handles and mechanisms. By the way, pay attention to Spanish and Taiwanese manufacturers - their products are of quite decent quality.

It is also worth focusing on delivery, or more precisely, on the acceptance of doors. Be sure to open the package and look for scratches and chips. Take a two-meter level, apply it and check whether the canvas is bent (this, unfortunately, happens), and replacing the product after acceptance can be problematic. In general, there is nothing to talk about trims and frames: just check the quantity, quality and consistency with the color of the doors (such “jambs” also happen).

Don’t be lazy to check everything - it can save a lot of time.

Regarding floors (laminate, linoleum, parquet board, piece parquet), as well as windows (only double-glazed windows in wooden or plastic frames), then you will be well informed on these issues in specialized companies and stores.

Skirting boards. If you choose plastic ones, then take them with cable channels: it’s easier to attach, and you can always throw a cable forgotten during installation of wiring. MDF laminated plinth is also not bad - it can be matched to the color of the floor or trim and, importantly, can be purchased at a reasonable price. And if you do not have inlaid parquet, but a pine tongue and groove floor, this is optimal solution. Skirting boards from valuable species- oak, beech, ash - require sorting and careful inspection. But if you are not a parquet or cabinetmaker, then don’t even try to evaluate them. This is exactly the case when only professionals should deal with procurement.

Igor TIKHONOV
Construction on zagorod.spb.ru

In our country in last decades actively developing individual construction. In addition to the construction of warm and durable houses from classic wood and brick, new materials and technologies are increasingly being used, primarily borrowed from abroad.

New materials for house construction are being developed to simplify and speed up installation and increase the heat-saving characteristics of external walls. But in itself the low cost of material for the construction of the building box and its good specifications do not guarantee that the final costs will be small and the house will be warm and cozy.

To choose cheap materials for construction, the following factors are taken into account:

• Climate and location of the building site. This factor influences the choice of wall thickness and the need for additional insulation.
• Soil type. Affects the choice of foundation and the technology of waterproofing the underground part.

Thus, it is important not only to compare the cost of materials for building structures, but also determine which is the cheapest option suitable for specific operating conditions.

Final cost of work

Exactly final cost work should be taken into account when assessing the characteristics and cost of materials for building the walls of a house and looking for the most budget option.

The final construction costs are made up of a number of components:

• Architecture – the simpler, the cheaper.
• Engineering solutions - selection optimal option execution of each design.
• Internal layout is a rational approach to using space to get the maximum usable area.
• Insulation - the need and costs depend on the thermal conductivity of the walls.
• External and internal finishing – the need depends on the characteristics wall material, when choosing finishing materials you can save money.
• Building materials – it is on their choice that developers try to save as much as possible.
• Foundation - costs account for up to 40% of the total investment in construction; the parameters of the foundation depend on the choice of materials for installing the building frame and roofing system.

If you want to reduce construction costs, keep in mind that choosing a cheap material for building walls may result in the need to spend extra money and time on their insulation and finishing. When building a house above one floor special attention strength characteristics are also required.

The cheapest materials for construction

Construction of a classic brick house will not be cheap - and piece material for laying walls it is expensive, and a solid foundation is required. Plus, the installation itself will take a lot of time and will require the involvement of professional masons if you want the house to be durable, warm and last for at least 100 years.

Today, new materials and technologies are being used, thanks to which the construction of a private house will require a minimum of time. These include the construction of walls from monolithic concrete using permanent formwork made of foamed polystyrene. Steel reinforcement is installed inside the polystyrene foam blocks with a tongue-and-groove connection.

The foam material acts as insulation; the cavity between the walls is filled with concrete, thereby forming a monolithic frame of the building. The materials themselves that are used for construction (concrete, polystyrene foam, reinforcement) are affordable, but the increase in price occurs due to:

• quite high cost of finished blocks with installed fittings;
• need to hire a concrete truck.

In addition, such a house requires external and internal finishing, as well as installation of high-quality ventilation system, since walls with a double layer of polystyrene foam do not breathe. This is an example of how cheap materials do not guarantee savings during construction and comfort in the home.

Expecting to find the cheapest material for building a house, you should pay attention to structures made:

• from foam blocks;
• from expanded clay concrete;
• from gas silicate blocks;
• By frame technology;
• from timber;
• from rounded logs.

To evaluate which material is better, you should compare the pros and cons of each option.

Foam block

The popularity of foam concrete is explained by its affordable price, simple installation– to build a house, no special tools or lifting equipment are required, since the weight of the block does not exceed 25 kilograms, and it can be cut with a regular hacksaw.

The list of advantages of foam blocks also includes:

• savings on the foundation - wall structures weigh relatively little, which makes it possible to equip a lightweight underground foundation;
• high installation speed;
• strict geometry of the blocks (if the material is of high quality) - due to this, the thickness of the seams is minimal, which reduces the consumption of adhesive, increases the strength of the masonry and reduces the thermal conductivity of the walls;
• high thermal insulation parameters - the porous structure prevents heat loss through the walls;
• vapor permeability – the material “breathes”, resulting in a comfortable microclimate in the room;
• environmental friendliness and fire safety - the material does not burn and does not emit harmful substances.

Disadvantages include:

• the need for external cladding - the building needs external finishing, since the porous material absorbs moisture and freezing and thawing cycles do not benefit it;
• in cold climates, the walls of the house need to be additionally thermally insulated, while insulated ventilated facades increase the cost of construction, pasting with polystyrene foam boards will be inexpensive, but the walls will become vapor-tight and a supply ventilation system will be required;
• the risk of blocks cracking during shrinkage of the house if insufficient quality material is used.

Manufacturers claim that the service life of foam block buildings reaches 80 years. But the material appeared relatively recently, so there is no information about its actual durability.

Expanded clay concrete

Hollow expanded clay concrete blocks are used for external walls and partitions of a private house. If we compare expanded clay concrete with foam concrete, then expanded clay concrete is more difficult to process and is heavier, which should be taken into account when calculating the foundation. The size of the expanded clay concrete block is larger, which speeds up installation.

Expanded clay concrete is characterized by:

• environmental friendliness and health safety;
• resistance to combustion, biological damage;
• good noise insulation and heat insulation properties;
• breathability.

Walls made of this material require external cladding. Finishing allows you to make the facade aesthetically attractive and protect the porous material from damage when wet and subsequent freezing. Also required interior decoration premises, it should be taken into account that fasteners do not hold well in expanded clay concrete.

If the masonry is not done well enough, or the material has cracked as a result of shrinkage, cold bridges arise and the walls of the house need additional thermal insulation.

Aerated concrete

Trying to find the cheapest building material, developers buy aerated concrete - lightweight blocks that are easy to install. Important to use autoclaved aerated concrete from a trusted manufacturer - material made by drying in a hydration chamber has 3 times lower strength, they can only be used as insulation.

The blocks must be even, since the seams are cold bridges. But even if the masonry is done with minimum thickness seams, the house needs to be insulated if there is a desire to reduce heating costs. External and internal decoration of walls made of porous aerated concrete is required.

The advantages include the ease of processing blocks. Moreover, during the transportation of material and construction work Care should be taken - the blocks are not resistant to mechanical damage.

Frame house

To build a house using frame technology requires the use of a whole set building materials, usually this:

• lumber for mounting the supporting frame;
• heat insulator, which is laid inside the walls;
• sheet material for external and internal lining (OSB boards etc.).

Frame house construction has a number of advantages. During construction there is no need to use machinery and specialized tool, the work is completed in a short time. The load on the base is small, so a lightweight foundation is used. It is convenient to install communications in a frame house - they are hidden inside the wall. A structure erected using this technology does not require time to shrink.

This construction option is not without its drawbacks. If foamed polymer insulation is installed in the walls, the house does not “breathe,” which affects the microclimate. Mineral wool is vapor permeable, but it absorbs moisture and, as a result, its thermal insulation properties are reduced.

To protect the insulation from getting wet, it is necessary to install a vapor barrier on the side of the room. It is better to use a special membrane that allows air to pass through but retains moisture. This is noticeably more expensive than using polyethylene, but contributes to a good microclimate in the house.

Having saved on the construction of walls, you will have to spend a lot of money on external finishing, since the sheathing of the frame should be reliably protected from atmospheric influences. The service life of such a house depends on how well it is treated against biological damage. wooden elements frame, from the choice of external finishing, from the quality of construction work.

timber

A wooden house is warm and home comfort, a unique microclimate due to the use of natural wood for construction.

For the construction of a log house, the following types of timber are used: simple (natural moisture or dry) or glued, consisting of several lamellas. Today in house construction it is customary to use profiled timber, which allows you to connect crowns without ventilated cracks.

When choosing timber, you should consider that:

• a house made of wood with natural moisture shrinks greatly, including deformation of the crowns, with the formation of cracks in the frame, the timber cracks;
• dry material is resistant to cracking and deformation;
• a structure made of laminated veneer lumber practically does not shrink or deform; finishing can begin immediately after roofing work is completed.

You can build houses from profiled timber yourself; the material is easy to process. But the thickness of the walls is usually insufficient so that in cold climates all year round operate the house without additional insulation– otherwise you will have to spend more money on heating.

Rounded log

Trying to find best material To build a house, you should pay attention to rounded logs. The use of this material makes it possible to seriously reduce the final construction costs, because:

• the weight of the structures is not the greatest, so a reinforced foundation is not required;
• logs are used to build a log house large diameter, the thermal conductivity of which makes it possible to do without additional insulation of the walls;
• even, smooth logs look attractive, the house looks great without any external or internal decoration.

Rounded log – a good option for construction, if you order the production of a log house kit. In this case, on construction site a numbered “constructor set” is delivered, where all the elements are made on modern equipment, that is, all connections are made with high precision. The material used is treated with special agents that protect the wood from biological destruction and increase fire resistance.

If you want to live in a house where an optimal microclimate is always maintained (cool in summer, warm in winter, the air does not dry out or become waterlogged), it is recommended to choose.

Conclusion

The choice of material for building a house affects the speed and cost of building the box, the quality of life in the house, and the durability of the building. The desire to save on material for wall structures can result in increased costs for insulation and finishing. If a house is being built on our own, ease of installation and the need to use specialized tools are assessed.

How can we make the area more livable? The principles of improvement of residential areas have long been formulated by urban science, however, unfortunately, the Moscow mayor's office often does not pay attention to them. I would like to propose that the Municipal Assembly adopt 32 principles and require their implementation in all improvement projects carried out in the area.

To the head of the intra-city municipal formation Shchukino in Moscow T.A. Knyazeva

Dear Tatyana Alexandrovna!

Having studied the best world practices, conducting several studies in the Shchukino district, including studying the existing problems of improvement, the functional content of the territory and identifying the preferences of residents, recommendations were developed for the improvement of public spaces in the district.
I ask you to consider the possibility of obliging executive authorities to follow these recommendations when designing public spaces and applying landscaping measures.

Sidewalks, paths and pedestrian crossings

Everyone walks. Regardless of where and why you are going, nice city This should be an easy and enjoyable experience for you. What can prevent this?

It is clear that the narrow sidewalks that are so common in Moscow should become a thing of the past. It is difficult to feel calm while moving along a narrow strip of asphalt between buildings and traffic. But it’s not very comfortable to be on the edge of a wide sidewalk: cars are still too close, and some violator can park right in front of your nose. Elegant solution This problem can be solved by anti-parking bollards along the edge of the sidewalk, which will gracefully separate the flow of cars and people. This separation is especially important in courtyards, where cars and people are often forced to move around a common space.

Of course, this is just the beginning. It is very important to take care of the surface of sidewalks and paths: it must be of high quality, free of cracks, comfortable for walking and pleasant to look at. Don’t forget about lighting, as well as places to relax. As for crossings, they should be a natural continuation of pedestrian routes.

What should be done:

Separate sidewalks anti-parking bollards. They are elegant, do not interfere with pedestrians and prevent violators from parking on the sidewalk.

Put people on benches. Elderly people really need rest, but everyone else will only enjoy it. Benches should be placed every 100 meters.

Send lanterns on pedestrians. In Moscow, streetlights are often directed only at the roadway, and the sidewalks are not illuminated at all. To prevent pedestrians from walking in the dark, it is customary all over the world to install special lights that illuminate sidewalks and pedestrian paths.

Tame traffic lights. They need to be reconfigured so that you don’t have to wait green light longer than one minute. Freedom!

Raise transitions. The crossing is on the same level as the sidewalk - it’s convenient; you don’t have to go up or down anywhere. And cars have an additional incentive to brake on time.

Separate cars and people in the yards. Often you have to wait until a car passes and only then go. This will not happen if pedestrian zones are clearly separated from automobile ones. This can be done using the same posts, fences or borders.

Pave paths along natural routes. That is, in the shortest possible way. If this is not done, then pedestrians will still build paths and walk through holes in fences.

Put tiles in squares and pedestrian streets. Tiles - durable and environmentally friendly pure material. There are no puddles on it, it does not crack, and if necessary, you can repair individual areas of the surface. This won’t work with asphalt; you either need to replace it entirely or install ugly patches. It is also harmful to health and the environment: it releases dangerous resins at high temperatures.

Widen sidewalks. Narrow sidewalks- this is terribly inconvenient. It is necessary to make 2.5 meters the minimum allowable width of sidewalks.

Put away obstacles from the sidewalks. Billboards block the road. Advertising is important, but there are other places for it. The same applies to telephone booths and lamp posts. They must be placed in such a way as not to cause difficulties for pedestrians.

Install ashtrays and trash cans. Responsibility for garbage on the streets most often lies not with people, but with housing and communal services. Bins and street ashtrays should be placed every 100 meters, then there will simply be no point in throwing garbage somewhere else, and the city will become cleaner.

Recreation areas and courtyards

In a good city, it is important that people go out onto the streets as often as possible and spend time there. Public gardens, parks, courtyards, squares and other open spaces are primarily intended for recreation. Some people want to sit under a tree with a book, some like sports, others just want to take a walk and look at something beautiful. The requests of all these and other people must be taken into account. Any public space should have something attractive for everyone.

What should be done:

Provide seat place. Whatever a person prefers, he is unlikely to refuse the opportunity to sit down somewhere after a long walk. Therefore, in squares, parks, courtyards and other similar places there should be a lot of benches, benches, and movable chairs.

Remove driveways through courtyards. If there is a courtyard with exits between two large streets, then there will probably be drivers who will decide to take a shortcut through this courtyard. It is prohibited by traffic regulations, disturbs people and has a negative impact on safety: speeding in a residential area can easily lead to an accident.

Arrange special dog walking areas. A dog is a man's friend, but not always. The sites should be small, but within walking distance. One playground for every four houses will make yards cleaner and quieter.

Think about protection from rain, wind and cold. I want to go for a walk even in bad weather. Canopies, wind barriers and infrared heaters will be able to contribute to this. Naturally, they should not be installed everywhere, but in the most popular and attractive places.

Conduct reconstruction of parks and squares. And we also need to open new ones, the more places in the area where you can go, the better. We should do this professional designers and architects, not construction companies without such experience. In the latter case it turns out badly.

Find activity for everyone. Public areas should not only have playgrounds for children (as is often the case in Moscow), adults should not be bored either. To do this, you can install tables for table tennis or board games, other sports equipment, equip fountains, create wireless Internet zones.

Public transport

Stops play no less a role in moving on public transport than the means of transportation themselves. At stops you always have to wait for some time, nothing can be done about it. Therefore, you need to think about how to make them more convenient.

A special role in traffic the tram is playing. This is an important type of public transport and one of the key ones for a modern city. Tram rails are often located in the middle of a wide road, so there are a number of features in the arrangement of tram stops.

What should be done:

Protect tram passengers from splash. Tram stops are adjacent to the roadway, causing inconvenience to passengers. This can be easily avoided by installing pavilions or special fences, which is not yet done in Moscow.

Give away priority to trams at intersections. This will improve traffic safety and reduce travel time. If trams are equipped with special equipment, car drivers will be able to control the traffic lights at the entrance to the intersection.

Make stops comfortable. Pavilions should be warm, well-lit, and have no cracks. It is reasonable to make the seats wooden; you can sit on them in almost any weather. You can hang up an electronic board that will show the time until the arrival of a bus, tram or trolleybus.

Seed tram tracks with grass. The tram rails themselves are not the most attractive sight. It will be much better if they are sown with a lawn. This will not only improve the aesthetics of the street, but will also make the tram quieter.

Roads and parking

There are a lot of cars in the city. They are constantly going somewhere, turning, stopping, they must be parked somewhere. If traffic and parking are not organized correctly, all this can create many problems.

What should be done:

Reduce average speed. In residential areas and on narrow streets, high speed of cars is useless: it has almost no effect on travel time, but significantly increases the accident rate. In international practice, effective measures are known: narrowing the road at crossings, installing cameras, artificial sharp turns, before which you simply need to brake, in extreme cases, artificial obstacles, i.e. "speed bumps".

Remove fences. There are a lot of yellow-green fences in Moscow that no one needs. They only interfere with pedestrians, and huge amounts of money are spent on their installation. They often fence off lawns, which should not be done at all, except in places where there is a very high probability of illegal parking on the lawn. In such cases, it is recommended to install low black cast iron fences.

Wisely use space in yards. There is a lot of space in yards, but it is usually poorly used. Even several cars can create a big nuisance if parked in inappropriate places. It is important to separate public space and parking; a separate area should be designated for it, but it can hardly occupy more than 30% of the yard. It is reasonable to occupy the rest of the space with greenery, benches, playgrounds, and other places to relax. The courtyard area needs to be used more wisely and given as much space as possible to people.

Quality of work and materials

Whatever we do, two things are always important: a good idea and high-quality execution. Of course, this also applies to urban environments. All projects must be developed by professional designers and architects, and only high-quality materials must be used in their implementation. Unfortunately, in Moscow the opposite often happens: in a design competition, the project of the contractor who offers the lowest price most often wins.

What should be done:

Use quality materials. The cheaper the materials, the less they will last. Besides, cheap materials usually look worse, making the city less attractive. This also applies to outdoor furniture.

Do all wisely. Every decision to build a new facility must be justified in some way. Unfortunately, in our city the opposite is often the case: some work is carried out in almost random places simply because the entire allocated budget needs to be spent as quickly as possible. More the right approach There would be detailed preliminary research for each project, followed by the involvement of professionals to create it.

Ecology and environment

During the industrial era, people polluted environment without realizing it. Now, many years later, we are forced to face the consequences. The post-industrial world is distinguished primarily by people’s awareness of the fragility of the surrounding world, because an irresponsible attitude towards nature not only affects the planet as a whole, but also spoils our immediate health. It is worth adding that it is possible to pollute not only physical space, but also information space. We are talking about excessive advertising, inscriptions, noise.

What should be done:

Support cleanliness. Street cleaners must constantly clear the streets of dirt, snow and ice. Chemicals that are Lately began to soften the ice and cannot be used: they harm the health of city residents and the environment.

Clear information space. There is too much advertising and other information garbage around: on the walls of buildings, on the asphalt under our feet, on paper advertisements posted here and there. Almost all of this is illegal, and you can fight it: remove posters, paint over inscriptions and advertisements, use a special compound that does not allow advertisements to be glued.

Take care of greenery. Trees are nice to look at, they produce oxygen and provide protection from the wind. I want to see green streets, not an urban desert, so you need to plant new trees and care for existing ones.

Protect architectural appearance district. Often advertisements and signs of establishments are placed in an extremely unfortunate manner, sometimes changing buildings beyond recognition. To avoid this, it is necessary to create certain rules for the placement of signs and advertising.

Cycling

A bicycle is an excellent vehicle. It is compact, does not harm the environment, and helps you stay in shape. However, it needs good infrastructure: separate paths, parking lots, rental points, fastenings for transportation by public transport. Research has shown that in Shchukino you can get to the metro by bicycle twice as fast as by trolleybus. Therefore, it makes sense to give this opportunity to everyone and make it convenient.

What should be done:

Build and develop cycling infrastructure. At suitable conditions, the bicycle can be used in winter. In a number of world capitals, there are extensive bicycle rental networks where you can rent a bicycle both for a short term (for example, take a bicycle at a rental point near your home, go to the metro and leave it at a point near the station) and for a long term. For those who have their own bicycles, it is important to arrange guarded parking areas.

Budget

In Moscow, most of the budget is now spent on repairing courtyards. However, sidewalks, stops, and areas adjacent to the metro are equal public spaces that are no less in need of modernization. In some cases, they need it even more: situations arise when more money is spent on a courtyard that is used by 500 people every day than on a site near the metro, through which thousands pass daily.

What should be done:

Distribute money equally. A simple and obvious solution. People spend a lot of time outside their yards, so they have the right to feel no less comfortable there.

Appendix No. 2

We, the undersigned, have familiarized ourselves with the proposal of the deputy of the Municipal Assembly of the Shchukino district M.E. Kats and ask you to accept the recommendations for the improvement of the area as mandatory when designing public spaces.

Igor Shekhterman and group financial director Svetlana Demyashkevich. In 2019, the company will open about 2,000 Pyaterochka, Perekrestkov and Carousel stores, Demyashkevich said. In 2018, the network will grow by 2,500 points; in 2017, X5 opened about 3,000 stores. By the beginning of October 2018, the group had 13,685 points in Russia. But revenue should grow. “We want revenue growth [in 2019] to remain between 15-20%,” Demyashkevich said. “Then – depending on the level of inflation and macroeconomics.”

« Magnet“Unlike its competitor, in 2019 it will maintain the network’s growth rate at the level of 2018, its CEO Olga Naumova said on October 22. Magnit's goal is to this year– growth by 1,500 stores. The priority for 2019 is updating the network and opening 2,000 pharmacies in the premises of already operating outlets, Naumova noted.

Unlike Magnit, X5 does not plan new formats. The company, according to Shechterman, came to the conclusion that, in addition to the existing convenience stores, super- and hypermarkets, other segments were unattractive: “We consider this [the focus on three formats] an important competitive advantage.”

Apparently, nothing threatens X5’s leadership yet, says Mikhail Burmistrov, general director of Infoline Analytics. According to him, the concerns were related to the fact that “ Magnet» will make drastic and sweeping changes. “It’s clear now: the changes will not be quick,” says the expert. – In addition, Magnit has many accumulated problems and a very broad focus: pharmacies and pharmaceutical distribution, cosmetics stores and other formats. Breakthroughs are unlikely."

X5's main format in terms of revenue share is Pyaterochka neighborhood stores. Last years their network was growing rapidly, Shekhterman recalled, now it is necessary to slow down for the sake of quality. Pyaterochka's development priorities are to improve the offer to customers and increase operational efficiency by reducing product losses and staff turnover. Perekrestok supermarkets will also focus on the best offer for customers and online development, while Karusel hypermarkets will focus on a new concept and increasing revenue per square meter.

The tactic - to increase sales through internal improvements, rather than network growth - is reasonable, the chairman of the board is sure Russian Association retail market experts Andrey Karpov. Retail is stagnating, in fact, chains are luring customers away from each other, so you need to rely on the quality of service, loyalty programs, etc., he adds.

X5's long-term goal is to adapt to the next generation of retail, Shekhterman noted. For now, he said, offline retail will remain the largest market for the group. But gradually the consumer begins to choose new ways of shopping, and X5 will adapt to this, added Sergei Goncharov, director of Pyaterochka.

In the long term, the transition of “big retail” to online services is inevitable, says Petr Fedchenkov, co-founder of the grocery delivery service Instamart. But if in more developed Western markets large chains see online sales as a promising way of diversification, then in Russia it is more likely an experiment, testing the capabilities of the chains themselves and customer requests for this type of shopping, he argues.

For now, X5 plans to develop online sales with home delivery only on the basis of Perekrestok, Shekhterman said. But in 2019, X5 will begin testing online commerce in other formats. Pyaterochka, as Goncharov said, will test a model where the buyer himself picks up the order from the store (click & collect), delivery to customers living nearby and installation of automated points for issuing online orders inside stores. According to Goncharov, this will not require large investments.

Buying shoes is an extremely difficult and often tedious task. It is important not only to choose suitable model from the huge number of options offered, but also not to run into a low-quality fake that will fall apart the very next day. Progress does not stand still, and unscrupulous shoe manufacturers have mastered a lot of techniques to pass off their “masterpieces” as works of real shoe art. Let's try to learn how to distinguish high-quality shoes from cheap consumer goods.

What to look for when buying shoes

Price

Shoe production is a complex, high-tech and quite expensive business. Its production requires high-quality materials, reliable fittings and a comfortable, calibrated last. Many elements are done by hand, so good shoes can't cost less than $100. The shoes may look good visually, but after a week of wear you will experience all the delights of a low-quality fake.

Insole

It is worth taking a close look at the insole. In good shoes, they are always made of leather so that the feet do not sweat, and are sewn along the entire length of the sole. If the insole is glued, sooner or later it will begin to come off and stick to the foot, which will cause discomfort when walking and other troubles in the form of corns and calluses. A shock-absorbing pad should be sewn under the insole in the heel area. It is unacceptable to have tags in the heel area, they can rub legs.

Sole

Rubber soles are another important sign of bad shoes. If this is not a sporty option, then there is an obvious sign of savings on materials. You need to take a good look at the seams that attach the sole to the top of the shoe. Often, unscrupulous manufacturers use an imitation seam, and the sole itself is “set” with glue. In this case, there is a high probability that soon the shoes will “ask for porridge” and you will have to take them to a shoemaker, and perhaps even throw them away.

Leather

Modern technologies have advanced so far that it is now very difficult to distinguish natural leather from artificial leather. First, you need to make sure that the shoes come with a special tag in the form of leather, made of the same material as the selected pair. As a rule, manufacturers who value their reputation deliberately leave an unclosed seam somewhere so that the buyer can be convinced of the quality of the material (the strip under the zipper of the boots does not count; this trick is familiar to all careless artisans). If all the seams are carefully sealed, and even more so hidden under an abundance of fittings, this should alert you. Shoes should not be made from small pieces, especially those with a heterogeneous structure. An excess of unnecessary seams and unnecessary perforation also looks suspicious. This is done in order to deliberately hide uneven surface, which characterizes low quality leather. Sniffing shoes is useless, artificial materials often impregnated with special additives that imitate the aroma of natural leather.

Reinforced toe

The toe is the most vulnerable place of shoes or boots; if it is not specially reinforced, your toes will sooner or later crawl out of the shoes like the wolf in the legendary Soviet cartoon “Well, just wait!”

Lining

Needless to say, the lining should be natural: leather, wool or fur. To check the quality of fur or felt, you need to set it on fire. Natural material will emit a characteristic “scorched chicken” smell, while artificial material will begin to melt and emit the aroma of burnt plastic.

Trying on shoes

If the shoes visually do not raise any doubts, it’s time to move on to fitting. Here, first of all, you should pay attention to:

Block. After taking a few steps, you can immediately feel how calibrated the block is. If you feel even the slightest discomfort, you can immediately return the pair to the seller. And no amount of persuasion that it will spread, stretch or sit on your leg over time should confuse you.

Heel. Must be stable and motionless. The slightest deviation from it vertical axis speaks of the unreliability of the instep support, which can break at any moment. Also, the heel has the ability to scratch quickly, so you should pay attention to the material from which it is made to avoid problems in the future.

Internal seams. When putting on your shoes, you need to focus on the inner seams. They should not protrude, press or scratch so as not to damage your legs and nylon tights.

And, of course, when buying shoes, you need to take care of their care. Suede and nubuck are cleaned with a special eraser with a brush and then treated with a tinting or colorless spray. It is enough to wash the leather, dry it and lubricate it with a special cream. For protection against reagents and moisture in winter time shoes must be treated with a water-repellent agent.