25 AMAZING CONSTRUCTION WORKERS' CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS

If you have a construction worker on your Christmas list this year, you have come to the right place. All that hard work they put into building homes and buildings and finding a gift they will actually enjoy becomes challenging. That’s where this list comes in, there are so many fun ideas here that will almost assuredly put a smile on your favorite construction worker’s face this holiday season.

The holidays are almost here and Rayneau is chock-full of gifts for all your loved ones! Finding the best Christmas presents for family and friends can be stressful in the run-up to the big day. 

Luckily, our CSRs in the various departments have sourced a wide range of cracking Christmas gifts for all of your loved ones. So sit back, relax and let Rayneau find you the snazziest secret Santa presents, and the crème de la crème of Christmas presents for your favourite construction worker on the list. 

Choose your faves and our elves will do the rest

From Our Automotive Department:

The Christmas season is upon us! First things first, gift your beau or dad with jumper cables, a turtle wax care kit, or a tire inflator. Nothing is worse than having no cables available when you need to jump your vehicle. They are a necessary investment that everyone needs. Do not think for a minute that you will be excluded from having your battery work over your entire life. The Turtle Wax Car Care Kit has everything you need to keep your car clean and shining.

 From Our Lawn and Garden Department:

Taking care of the yard for the Christmas season is important. A Weatherguard hose to keep the lawn lush green and a gas blower to get rid of the leafy debris are perfect season gifts. A barbeque grill is a must for when friends come around and the insect fogger will keep everyone happy from insect bites.

From Our Hand Tools Department:

Give your fave construction worker this sturdy toolbox set as a gift this festive season. Ideal for storing all their tools in one place. Gift a hammer that says it all. Get it engraved with a personal message that will get your builder all misty-eyed every time they swing it, and not just from bashing their thumb. As for the tacker, many of your friends will be putting up Christmas decorations and need to fasten them to the wall. The tacker is the perfect gift for that special friend of yours.

From Our PowerTools Department:

It's all the power you need. Are you looking for the perfect power tool gift for a loved one?  And  If you have someone in your life who loves making and fixing things, check out our power tools department. Your Dad or this special person is unique and special. We’ve put together our best tool gifts for Christmas 2022.  You’re sure to find something that will light up his smile in our power tools department.

 From Our Hardware Department:

Two perfect gifts for the tradesman.  A perfect combination gift for the tiler. The Magnesium float is made of lightweight magnesium and is suitable for applying grout on the newly placed tile.

From Our Plumbing Department:

From our Plumbing Department, we offer shower heads to add a touch of class to any bathroom. Gift this contractor one of these to soothe him/her as he/she showers.

From Our Electrical Department:

Sometimes we need to buy ourselves a gift as well.  What a gift to give a home to handle all these appliances that work on 110 volts. Equipping all your rooms with LED  lights can not only add a touch of class to your lighting but also cut down on your bill this festive season. The Multimeter digital meter makes a great gift for that electrician or mechanic or even technician significant half of yours. Make someone feel safe this season with our Wireless Motion sensor alarm.

With hundreds of the coolest items in store, we hope this tiny preview of gifts has inspired you to stop by Rayneau and enjoy the ambiance while you get your Christmas shopping done!

Visit our hardware stores conveniently located in Corinth 450-7247, Vide Bouteille 450-7246, Monchy 450-7248, or Babonneau 450-5759 for all your Christmas gifts. Follow us on Facebook and Check out our website here!

"APPRECIATE AND CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTION MEN MAKE TO SOCIETY FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF ALL" - RAYNEAU

Today, International Men’s Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families, and communities.

International Men’s Day is an opportunity for people everywhere of goodwill to appreciate and celebrate the men in their lives and the contribution they make to society for the greater good of all.

This year, according to Internationalmensday.com, the theme for 2022 is 'Helping Men and Boys', which appears to aptly refer to our present situation, crime-wise on the island

International Men’s Day on the 19 November was founded in 1999 by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh a history lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. Interestingly, calls for an International Men’s Day (IMD) have been going on since at least the 1960’s.  Read more about IMD here.

The month of November is important for the masculine soul because it gathers several events that are important to men. November is the month we celebrate Men's Day. On November 20, we celebrate International Children’s day which then forms 48 hours of celebration for men and children, and the special relationship they share.

International Men’s Day encourages men to teach the boys in their lives the values, character, and responsibilities of being a man. Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must become the change we seek.” It is only when we all, both men and women lead by example that we will create a fair and safe society that allows everyone the opportunity to prosper.

 The management and staff of Rayneau Group of Companies extends Happy Men's Day wishes to our St Lucian Men both here and in the diaspora and by extension men around the world.

Visit our hardware stores conveniently located in Corinth 450-7247, Vide Bouteille 450-7246, Monchy 450-7248, or Babonneau 450-5759.

GET YOUR HOME HOLIDAY-READY WITH THESE 5 ONE-WEEKEND PROJECTS

When it comes to preparing your home for the holiday season, there are, of course, the basics: adding décor and lights, setting up the staple festive items, and perhaps even moving furniture around to accommodate guests.

But, as it feels every year, the months of November and December always go by so quickly. That’s why it’s best to consider what you can do — and early — to get on top of the holiday season and best prepare your home for your family and guests.

Here are five one-weekend projects to get your home ready for the holidays:-

1. Paint the Areas that Matter

Painting is a fast, easy way to get your home ready for the holidays. Save yourself some time and money - You don’t need to paint the entire house for the holiday season. Concentrating on the rooms where your guests will spend the most time will save you time and money.

·   Dining Room - Give your dining room a fresh holiday look. This is the room where your guests will be served meals, so it is fitting to give this room a makeover.  A new coat of paint will make the dining area feel new again.

·   Kitchen Cabinets - Another way to add a nice touch to your home for the holidays is to spruce up your kitchen by painting the cabinets. You want to choose a color that coordinates with the wall color of your kitchen. Cabinet painting is a cost-effective solution just in time for the holidays.

·  Living and Guest Rooms - Other rooms you should consider painting include the living room and guest bedrooms.

·   Accent Walls - If you are short on time and do not want to blow your already growing budget, consider painting an accent wall. Adding fresh color to a single wall in your kitchen, bedroom, or living room is a great simple way to get your home ready for the holidays

2. Clean your carpet and flooring.

Give your floors some attention. This is an easy weekend project, but you’ll need more than just your vacuum. Consider renting a carpet cleaner or a floor polisher for deeper cleaning.

3. Make simple updates to your bathroom.

You can easily make small improvements to your bathrooms. These updates will benefit your home even after the holidays.

Here are some weekend home improvement project ideas for your bathroom:-

*Paint your bathroom             *Replace outdated faucets                         *Replace your shower head

*Add new lighting                *Add a new shower curtain                         *Get a new bathroom mirror

 4. Lively-up rooms with new light fixtures.

Light up rooms by adding new light fixtures. Your home will look more inviting when you add better lighting to the rooms that need it. If you want to get festive, you can always add Christmas lights!

 5. Create a welcoming front entrance.

Create a welcoming front entrance. Start off by creating a pathway and clearing the sidewalk of leaves, or dirt.  Install some outdoor lighting to make it easier for any guests arriving at night to be able to see your home. Illuminating the pathway will show off your beautiful entrance and will even impress your guests. 

Finally, finish up your front entrance by adding some holiday decorations. Add a wreath to your door or even a holiday-themed welcome mat.

Making small improvements to your home shouldn’t take too much time. Enjoy the holidays with your loved ones and prepare for the holidays with these weekend home improvement projects.

Ready to start your next home improvement project? Rent the tools you need!  Rayneau Rentals  & Sales has the tool rentals you need to complete your next home improvement project.

If you have any questions, feel free to call us 758-450-RENT (7368)/714 -7368, Email us at rayneaurands@rayneau.org, or visit our website. Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook as well!

                    

WHAT PHASE ONE OF ST JUDE HOSPITAL REHABILITATION PROJECT ENTAILS?

PM starting tour of St Jude

Work on the original St Jude construction site got underway on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. The government decisively took the initiative towards ensuring the project reaches a state of completion. 

Construction and Industrial Equipment (CIE) Ltd has a large repertoire of skills workforce, and, added to the company’s successful completion of a major hospital in Marigot, Dominica, the company got the thumbs up to complete the long overdue hospital.

Presently phase one of the rehabilitation projects is in progress. Below is a description of what is being done:-

According to CIE's top engineer, Pawan Joshi, "Phase one includes the cleaning of the entire site, including all buildings. It also included fumigation and anti-termite treatment that needs to be carried out because of the time that has elapsed since the buildings were not used. Work is presently ongoing in the East Wing and the surgical building as well as the power Laundry and maintenance building.  The floors are being cleaned, and to carry out all the above works seven (7) sub-contractors are on the job together with 42 crews. This Phase one operation is expected to continue for the next four (4) months."

On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Joshi gave the Prime Minister a tour of the St Jude’s buildings. “I had a walk in these buildings this morning and I was saying [to myself] that I want to see for myself. I’m not an engineer, I don’t profess to be an engineer, but there is nothing that says these buildings could not have been completed four years ago….,” lamented the Prime Minister.

Tour of Hospital

Visit or call our hardware stores conveniently located in Corinth  450-7247, Vide Bouteille 450-7246, Monchy 450-7248, or Babonneau  450-5759 for all your building materials.

CIE LTD NEARING COMPLETION OF REHABILITATION WORKS ON THE MARIGOT ROADS

Earlier this year, rehabilitation works on the community roads in Vieux Fort North, Castries, and Marigot got underway. The deplorable conditions of these roads have been in the public domain for some time now.

Seventeen roads (eleven in Vieux Fort North, and six in Castries) have been identified for repair under the rehabilitation project. In this post, we feature photos of Marigot road rehabilitation project.

The rehabilitation project is being executed through a finance-build arrangement. CIE looks forward to delivering the highest quality of work on these projects to the residents within the mentioned communities. 

The other roads in the Castries area on which repairs are ongoing include:

1.      Rehabilitation of Barre St. Joseph Road

2.      Rehabilitation of Marchand Road

3.      Rehabilitation of Beaubeauville Road

4.      Ravine Toutreille Road Rehabilitation

5.      Rehabilitation of Trou Rouge Road

Are you looking for the right solution for your projects?  Give us a call at our hardware stores conveniently located in Corinth 450-7247, Vide Bouteille 450-7246, Monchy 450-7248, or Babonneau 450-5759. You can also follow us on FaceBook. or check out our website.

RAYNEAU’S TIPS ON HOW TO PROCEED AFTER THE FLOOD

Corinth residents returning to flood-damaged homes in the wake of the November 6, 2022 trough – and many people in the North of the island – have a long road ahead of them.

Here, Rayneau offers tips to homeowners on how to proceed once the waters recede. We’ve also included advice from the National Emergency Management Organization,  and the Red Cross.

First, don’t get overanxious. Your house needs time to dry out. Realize that the process of demolition and rebuilding will take time — months, even years — so settle in for a long haul. It can be stressful, so try to prepare for it and seek help or counseling if needed.

Document everything with photos and video for an insurance claim. Within two to three days of water receding, you should return to your home to remove everything that was touched by water.

Most homeowners will tackle the initial stages of clearing out water-soaked furniture, appliances, and carpet, as well as removing drywall. This is a pretty straightforward task, easy enough for the average homeowner.

NEMO and the Red Cross agree that people can do a lot of the cleanup and repairs themselves, but advise people to seek professional help if they don’t feel comfortable with it.

Get personal protective equipment, such as rubber boots, gloves, and clothes. 

We advise that you protect yourself first with the proper gear, especially for your lungs. Flood water is nasty stuff, containing hazardous chemicals and raw sewage, the residue of which gets left behind after the water recedes. Not to mention the dust and mold spores in the air. So play it safe and protect your lungs. We recommend an N95 mask.

Cut off power, and water. 

Before entering your home, be sure to turn off the water and electricity. Ministry of Housing also recommends assessing your home’s structural integrity before entering and getting a professional inspection if you’re unsure.

If the waterline was above the electrical outlets, we recommend having an electrician come out as a precaution to make sure everything is OK. But nine times out of 10 there won’t be any problems to the mechanical components in a house after a flood. The vast majority of the damage will be to the materials.

Remove everything. 

Take everything that was touched by water out of your house. Set any solid wood furniture out to dry, as well as family photos, but toss everything else. Rip out the carpet and carpet pads.

Don’t forget hidden spaces. 

Be sure to check drawers and other areas of your home for standing water. There may be water trapped at the base of your kitchen cabinets behind the toe kick. If you have a kitchen island, you may have water trapped in the base as well.

Interior doors can likely be saved too. Take the doors off their hinge pins, and stack them outside, lying flat with space between them for airflow. If they stand upright, they are likely to warp. Put a fan on them to facilitate the drying process.

Clean and disinfect. 

Get a broom and a shop vac and really clean everything out - even hosing down the solid surfaces — studs and slab — with clean water. This can help wash away bacteria.

Once everything is relatively dry, you’ll need to use something to kill the bacteria. We recommend DampRid as a good option, but you should wear a mask, gloves, and goggles when using it.

Rayneau also recommends creating a bleach solution of half a cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water and using a pump sprayer to spray everything but metal in a fine mist. Bleach will corrode metal, so avoid spraying things like electrical outlets and cabinet hardware.

Ventilate and dry. 

Be patient. We caution against people trying to rebuild before the house is completely dry. At a minimum, unless you’re working with a professional restoration company, you’re looking at two to four weeks before your house is dry enough to rebuild. On dry days, open all the doors and windows.

If you plan to stay in your house for the foreseeable future, know that it will likely flood again someday. We recommend that as you begin to rebuild, it’s time to introduce flood-proofing materials and practices and buy flood insurance.

Visit our hardware stores conveniently located in Corinth 450-7247, Vide Bouteille 450-7246, Monchy 450-7248, or Babonneau 450-5759. We are well-stocked to handle all your requests for materials/advice to get your home back in shape after this devastating flood. Check out our website here!

50 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS: 5 SIMPLE TIPS TO START PLANNING IN NOVEMBER !

Christmas is exactly 50 days away. While you probably have National Day on your mind, it’s not too early to start shopping and planning for Christmas. In fact, getting a head start on the holiday season can help you save money and keep on track with your gift budget.

Create a gift list

First, decide to whom you’re giving gifts. Immediate family is obvious, but don’t forget others like teachers and co-workers, even if their gift is just something small.

Now that you know who, you can start working on the what. The key to giving thoughtful gifts is being observant. Pay attention to family and friends' interests and needs. When you notice something that inspires a gift idea, jot it down on your list, so you don’t forget.

Set a budget

Once you know how many gifts you need, you can decide how much to spend. For this, you’ll need to look at your income and monthly expenses and determine how much you can spend on gifts

Once you have a big number for your budget, decide how much you want to spend on each person on your list. This prevents you from blowing the whole budget on a few people before you have a chance to shop for everyone.

And remember, a bigger gift isn’t always better. A small, thoughtful gift can have just as much meaning. #ShopRayneau for your gifts this year.

 Start saving cash

The other step you can take once you establish a budget is to start saving and putting money for gifts aside. If you can put away just $50 a week for the next 7 weeks, you’ll have $350 the week before Christmas. That’s a decent size chunk of money to take to the store. Obviously, some folks can save a little more each week and some less. The point is, it’s not too late to start saving for Christmas.

Take advantage of sales now

If you have your Christmas cash available already, you don’t need to wait for the month-end of November to take advantage of sales and discount prices. Most stores aren’t waiting for December either to offer low prices. When you see a good deal in November, don’t pass on it just because it’s not really the Christmas shopping season yet. Start thinking of the Christmas shopping season as all year! Keep checking our Facebook page for offers.

Plan early, then visit our hardware stores conveniently located in Corinth  450-7247, Vide Bouteille 450-7246, Monchy 450-7248 or Babonneau  450-5759. We are well-stocked to handle all your preparation ideas for the Holidays.

 A little planning ahead in November will help make your Christmas season merry and bright!

REHABILITATION ROADWORKS MOVING ALONG SMOOTHLY IN VIEUX FORT NORTH

Roadworks ongoing in VF North

Works on the community roads in Vieux Fort North and Castries have been ongoing at an aggressive pace for the past months as relayed by an official of CIE Ltd. The deplorable conditions of these roads have recently created much concern in the public domain.

Construction and Industrial Equipment (CIE) Ltd has stationed crews at the 17 roads (11 in Vieux Fort North, 6 in Castries) for repair works under the rehabilitation project.

In this post, we bring you photos of a few recently rehabilitated roads in Vieux Fort North.

Concrete Road

Concrete road

The Vieux Fort North Rehab Works entailed:

Viancelle Road	Aldonza Lane main road
Aldonza Lane connection	Perineau Lane – Dimaye
Pierrot Gap Loop Road	Pierrot – New Road Connection
Pierrot Playing Field	Pierrot Playing field to main road
Campeche Road	Tierre Vent
Asur Caye

The rehabilitation project is executed through a finance-build arrangement. CIE looks forward to delivering the highest quality of work throughout these projects to the residents within the mentioned communities.

Get the right solution for all your needs - give us a call at our hardware stores conveniently located in Corinth 450-7247, Vide Bouteille 450-7246, Monchy 450-7248, or Babonneau 450-5759. You can also follow us on FaceBook or check out our website here.

CIE LTD BEGINS RECONSTRUCTION OF OLD ST JUDES HOSPITAL

The long-awaited completion and delivery of the St Judes Hospital finally seem to be on the horizon. The inability of successive administrations to complete the hospital for over 10 years has stirred up much criticism throughout the length and breadth of the island.

At a small ceremony held on the original St Judes ground at about 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, the prime Minister along with Minister Stephenson King,  Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Jenny Daniel, together with the chairman of the St Judes’ Board of Directors, Norman Edward and Edison Henry, Program Coordinator in Department of Economic Development, all gave short remarks to mark the official commencement of work on the St Judes’ Hospital to a small audience of about 60 persons.

Also in attendance were Minister Emma Hippolyte, Minister Ernest Hilaire, Minister Alva Jn Baptiste, the Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Belmar-George, Senator Ferdinand, and other dignitaries.

Taking into consideration the competence of Mr. Rayneau Gajadhar’s Construction and Industrial Equipment (CIE) Ltd, and most likely his expertise after just completing a major hospital in Dominica, the present Government has contracted the company to bring this dragging nightmare to a close. “I must tell the contractor that we’ve [Government of Saint Lucia] placed great confidence in him because of his track record; the contractor just completed a hospital in Dominica…..’ Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre remarked.

Joshi, CIE’s engineer on site gave the small audience a brief synopsis of what works will be undertaken in the initial stages, he concluded his short but concise remark with, “ It is a moment for us to be very proud as a St Lucian company we will do our best to provide the best quality so that everyone will be happy.

“The management of this project is going to be different. No one man or two men are going to be in charge – professionals are going to be in charge, and it’s going to be a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Economic Development…. We are going to be guided strictly by the professionals, says the Prime Minister.” 

He continued, “We trusted the science and we allowed independent people to do the assessment for us, and I can assure you that not one of my colleagues interfered with the assessment  being done by this committee, and they came to the conclusion that we were to return to the original site and continue with the reconstruction….”

In his brief remarks,  King mentioned the importance of completing the hospital for the people of the south, He concluded with this statement.“…..I believe we have a good team in place – the contractor who has performed not only in Saint Lucia but throughout the OECS and I am confident that our team of Saint Lucian team of contractors, sub-contractors, etc., will complete this hospital….."