A houzz contributor, not too long ago, had made a wine rack out of 4'x4' wooden pallets, that are used in the US to move a load of goods with a fork-lift truck. Perhaps they have them in your country. He cut them in half so they were only two feet deep and stacked them up to high counter height. The wood would be a nice contrast with your concrete, might add a little warmth to the space. cascio.offsite@gmail.com

Tsilanko, I would always recommend professional installation where needed. But what I am doing here is suggesting that WHEN you are planning to build or renovate, to consider how your plans will affect you in 20 or 30 years time. Split levels are very hep when you are young. A kitchen 3 steps down at 30 is rarely a problem, but might be a hazard at 60, or, as Marjie1059 suggested, if you break a leg. ... All my parents' homes were terrible for old people. They were forced to move to a bungalow in extreme old sge because the location and design of their home was more suitable for an active young couple with a large family than for an elderly couple with stroke disabilities. I would not want to move again, so my present home has features built in that make ageing in place simpler. Mostly small changes, like grab rails, and lever handles on doors and faucets. A major disability suddenly suffered requires major changes if permanent. I did look at this because it came up in the discussion, but if you look at the heading, Planning for Disability, it means just that. Plan ahead so you don't have to make expensive changes later on. But thank you for your advice, yes, major changes are not in the DIY domain.

I just had mold removal on my new house because the contractor decided it was a good idea to wait until the end to put down plastic. They had to spray the mold and wire brush it. Then they treated the wood and sanded it. It wasn't a cheap job. It may be easiest and cheapest to start anew. I also recommend sinking the screws and filling the holes.

One of my clients had no designated space for puja in their home, and they would have had to squeeze it into a passage somewhere. So when they came to me for ideas, I noticed in the floor plan that they had a beautiful covered verandah overlooking a private garden. The wall of that verandah was towards the east side of the garden. So I thought- why not carve out a rustic simple puja space here? Outdoors? The client was game. And this was the result- a 2'-0" x 2'-6" wood panelled niche in the wall, with a simple clay Krishna placed on a wooden bracket with a delicate hanging brass lamp