 a special private property web series brought to you by PPC. I'm your host, Uzaman Tungwa Kumalo. Now this evening we're going to be talking about something that so many of us think about. We're going to be looking at South African homes built to stand the test of time. You're probably wondering what does it take to build a home that stands the test of time? What kind of materials do you need to use if you want to do just that? And some of the things you need to be looking out for. Well, to help us better understand what we need to do if we want to make sure that that home is around for your kids and your grandkids. I'm joined this evening by somebody who is no stranger to building homes that last and last for a very long time. And that is Yurekh Gushnaida who is the chief project officer at Bowen Properties. Good evening, Yurekh. Thank you so much for joining us. Good evening, Zaman Tungwa. It's great being here. Thank you for having me. I hope I can be of help. I mean, so Yurekh, I think one of the really big things is people obviously want to build their homes to last for a very long time. You don't want to build your house and find that 10 or 15 years later something starts going wrong. What exactly does it take to build a house that stands the test of time? Zaman Tungwa, I believe it starts with a philosophy, a drive, a desire to actually create a quality product. It doesn't just happen. You can't incorporate quality materials without the knowledge, the know-how, and the support of many, many people around you. Quality, I think, is an integration of people, skills, materials, and suppliers that support you. And I actually like that you've mentioned quality because I think sometimes people think quantity instead of quality and there's this debate about which one should you be opting for or prioritizing. Perhaps take us through, what are some of the benefits when you weigh out quality versus quantity, especially when you want to build a home that stands the test of time? Well, we've always had the approach that quality stands far beyond quantity. Though seeing the numbers of units we produce each year, some might be thinking we're talking Tung and Shikya. However, the start of this business, the start of bull and properties some 25 years ago was founded on the philosophy that we want to create a quality product, we want to build a reputation. And in so doing, the only way we could achieve that is surrounding ourselves with good people, good relationships. PPC was the start of that way back then. It was a bit of a looser arrangement at that stage because we were still finding our feet and determining where we wanted to go. But that relationship with PPC garnered greater support and became well entrenched a little over a decade ago when we chose to use them absolutely on all of our developments nationwide. And I actually like that. I think for viewers at home who probably don't quite understand then the importance of why a company that is building all across the country and the relationship with PPC perhaps take us through why it was so important to make sure that you also cement, quite literally speaking, the relationship. The product that we are doing, the homes that people are buying into start off with a good foundation. And I mean that metaphorically and literally, you cannot build something for the future that doesn't have good bones. And PPC and their cement that they produce is integral to the structure of our homes, the building they're of, literally from the concrete foundations, the mortars that bond the bricks together, the plasters that go there on, the screeds that get placed on the floors. All of those products have to be long standing. And we cannot achieve that without a quality product as in PPC cement, but more than that working on the models around the mixed ratios of all of those products. And that's where we found the support from PPC being wholehearted. We've actually got our maintenance manager, Vincent, who will often joke about having his own coffee cup in the PPC canteen, because he's in their laboratory so often. But there's a purpose and a reason behind that. They're trying with us to develop the product to the best of its potential, and in so doing creating a product that has a long life to it. And I'm sure you're one of the things with the views at home, and I want us to talk a little bit about this after this break, is when they look at cement, they usually sometimes don't think about the durability of a cement, what factors go into a cement being durable. Perhaps you can take us through after this break around. What are some of the factors that we need to look into, especially because when you look at the work that Bowen does, these are some of the things that you would consider you have multiple projects that you're spearheading across the country. So having a quality product where you know it's going to stand the test of time and using cement like PPC becomes so important. We're going to go for a quick break here. And when we come back, I want us to look at the durability factor and what views at home need to be considering when they know that they want to build something that will outlast them and that their grandchildren can also look forward to living in. We're going to go for a quick break and we'll back just after this. Welcome back to the special web series by Pavard Property brought to you by PPC. I'm your host, Uzaman Tungwa Kumalo. It is, of course, episode three of our special web series. If you've missed any of our other episodes, do go back and watch those first two episodes. You certainly do not want to miss them. Now, of course, this evening, we're looking at, you know, looking at South African homes that are built to stand the test of time. What does it take to build a South African home that does stand the test of time and what are some of the factors that you need to consider when you want to build for the long term? To help us better understand how we go about doing this, making sure we choose the right products, making sure that even the products that you use, you know how to use them. I'm joined this evening by Yurekh Dashneider. I always say that Austrian surname, always gets me, I have to practice it a few times. And of course, he is the Chief Projects Officer at Bowen Property Zero. Thank you so much again for joining us. And before the break, I was asking you, when we look at durability and making sure that we use the right products to ensure that our homes are obviously built and they're going to last a long time, what are some of the factors that we need to consider when we're building for durability and making sure that things are going to last for that long period of time? So Amantunga, it really starts at the very, very beginning. The first thing you have to have is the support of your directors, the senior management of the company, your staff to buy into the philosophy around quality. You need to be driven in that regard. You need to have a desire and a passion to achieve a quality product. And you do that because you want to build a reputation. Once you've established that, you really want to grow and expand on that by surrounding yourself with like-minded people, like-minded materials, like-minded thinking. So we put together a professional team starting with the architects and the engineers who not only design and specify the build of the home ultimately, but also specify a lot of the products that we need to do and the way in which we're going to be building it. There are, of course, rules and regulations that govern building in South Africa and those are followed. But at Ball and Properties, we prefer to take it a step further. We've created our own methods statements in conjunction with the likes of PPC. And the idea is to create a product that is not only designed, not only spec'd correctly, but put together correctly as well. We are not perfect, and we've had issues in the past now. And to go back over periods of time to fix and remedy is not where you want to go as a business. People take a lot of comfort in the fact that you will always remedy what you did or what you got wrong in the beginning. But the inconvenience to the clients, we do not want to get to. The cost to the company itself, you do not want to affect too greatly. And as a result of that, we put together a product that is not only quality, but reduces the liability going forward. PPC are instrumental in putting the wet trades together for us. And also the testing thereof, we have monthly testing on all of our products or all of our homes country-wide on the different products, from the concrete, the bricks, the mortars, the cements and the screeds. And in so doing, we put together a product that can stand the... You know, there's something that you mentioned that I really like. It's this idea that when you're building something, you don't want to have to make mistakes and have to go back. And some of those mistakes, of course, if we look at viewers at home who've probably done home projects or built whether it's your family home or even your own home, is that they sometimes perhaps use the wrong materials in order to build their home. And sometimes perhaps it's because you want to cut a few corners or save a few rants here and there. And one of the places that some people might think, maybe I'll save 10 rants for a bag here, is of course with cement. Perhaps take us through some of the factors when it comes to then the durability of the cement that we use, because there's quite a variety. Even within PPC, there are different kinds of cements for different things that you would be doing in the house. Perhaps take us through what affects then the durability of the cement that you use for the home that you'd be building. It again starts on the philosophy and the thinking behind what you're going to be doing and what you want to ultimately achieve. You can pay a lot less for cement. You can buy it off the street. The imported products are bountiful in this country. But there's no reason to believe they have longevity to them. You don't know if they've been checked, if they've been monitored. And that is why we stick to a reputable company like PPC. We know that the product is going to be sound, is going to be fit for purpose, serve our needs, and come with longevity thereof. The product we know is going to arrive already inspected and checked because PPC have their own quality control systems in place that are very, very rigid. And we know this because they've been around for so many years. And that actually brings me to a question that I wanted to ask you, because you were saying that we already live in a country where there are quite a lot of these imported cements. You can pretty much get them anywhere. And I wanted to ask you then how do we, as consumers who are looking to buy cement for our various home projects, how do we then confirm the longevity and the durability of the PPC cement that we'd be using for our home projects? So all of our sites nationwide are supported by PPC with their laboratories and their testing facilities. So every month on every single site countrywide, PPC will take samples of our bricks, our concretes, our screeds, our mortars, and our plasters and give us feedback or reports on those products. And we will then determine whether they are correct. Sometimes we might find they a little weaker than we would have liked them to be or possibly a bit stronger. And we will then re-look at the mix design for those products. Again, with the assistance of PPC's laboratory. And you're, you know, to wrap up to viewers at home who are looking to, you know, build their homes and obviously building not just for your children but for your grandchildren. What are some of the measures would you say we need to take into consideration when we want to build homes that stand at the test of time? Any tips you'd like to share with us? I think the, I mean, I keep coming back to the philosophy and that's the reason ball when properties are still doing so very well, I believe in a very difficult market is you've got to want to have the quality. You've got to strive for the quality. And in so doing you put in the necessary measures. The only way you can do that is by testing a product. But if I was a single home owner looking to build a home I would start with the structure. The finishes in that are easily changed are identifiable from a visual perspective and can fairly easily be changed and fixed. But the structure, the foundation, the bricks, the screeds, the mortars that hold that entire building together needs to be done properly. It's that that's going to last forever. And if you're using a product like PPC Cement then you're well on your way to achieving that. Thank you very much, Yurek. And that is, of course, some of the tips that you want to take into consideration when you want to build a home that stands the test of time. And it's such an important thing to always think about because when you think about it when you're building a home it isn't just for you, you're building it for your family, you're building it for your children, you're building it for your grandchildren. And oftentimes it may even be the center where people come home obviously for Christmas or the Easter break. So you want to make sure that the home that you build really is strong, that nothing is going to go wrong. And many years after perhaps even you've passed on that the home is still there and it's something that your children and your grandchildren can certainly be proud of. So do make sure that use the right material as Yurek has shared with us. PPC has been trusted, it's been tested and it's certainly a product that you can rely on when you want to build a home that's going to even outlast you. You want to make sure that you're using the right products, you have the right team. And even use some of the philosophies that Yurek has shared with us, which is so important. Because I think sometimes we get so carried away, maybe you want to save a few rents here and there and not understanding that saving those few rents in the actual project may actually cost you in the long run. So make sure that you really do make the right decisions as you plan on building your home for your family. It's certainly something that you want to be proud of. And as you're building a home that's going to last and stand the test of time, be sure to sign up for the PPC Cement Sure Rewards Program. We've shared the link details down here below. It's certainly something where you earn your money back with every bag of cement that you buy. And of course that's one way for you to save those little rents and also make sure that you're getting rewarded for every bag of cement that you buy. So do click on the link below to find out more details as you build that family home that you and your family can be proud of. That's it from me, Zamantho Ngakumalo, do look forward to the next episode. And I do hope of course you can share with us down here below if you've already started building a family home, how is that process going for you? What are some of the lessons that you've learned in building a home that's going to last for generations to come? If perhaps your family or your mother or grandmother built that family home, what were some of the things that stood out for you when you were growing up and they were building that particular home? Do share with us down here below.