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Driveway surfacing materials like concrete, asphalt and clay brick usually crack because they’ve been exposed to extreme temperatures or put under high pressure. It’s important to repair driveway cracks before they get worse and cause damage to vehicles and perhaps others to trip on raised cracks.

Do you know about 25 percent of heat that escapes from an uninsulated house are lost through the roof? Fortunately, roof insulation is something that can done by all DIYers irrespective of their experience levels. However, if you happen to lack the confidence necessary to pull off this, then it’s strongly recommended that you hire the services of a professional who can guarantee the best results and also save you time and money that could arise from potential cost mistakes. Let’s take a look!

• Clear out all clutter. This involves taking out all the rubbish and clutter from the loft. In order to work effectively, you’ll need a totally clear and empty loft space.
• Ensure that there’s sufficient insulation. The importance of a good ventilation cannot be overstated. Poor ventilation will result in forming of condensation and this condensation can make the roof timbers rot and compromise the structural integrity of the entire roof. If there are no roof windows which is the easiest way to provide a loft ventilation, the next best option would be to follow the loft floor along to the point where the roof comes down to meet it. There should be a gap at this point, also referred to as the eaves, between the outside wall and the underside of the roof.
• Measure your loft area. Take a measurement of the loft space in order to calculate the amount of insulation as well as the type you need. If you’re not sure, always get more that it’s required as skimming on the amount you use will only back fire in form of increased energy costs
• Check for water pipes.

To get started, simply make sure all cracks and gaps in the ceiling are filled using a standard filler or decorator caulk. Once done, clean the gaps in the joists and even to the point of hovering all the dust up. Finally,check for the hazards that can cause you problems before laying the loft insulation.

In general, you won’t need planning permission to install soundproofing. If you are installing soundproofing against a shared wall, you will usually need to follow the rules and restrictions set out in the Party Wall Act. In listed buildings and conservation areas, there may be extra restrictions on soundproofing.

How To Put Up Plasterboard

Putting up a plasterboard is a vital process when it comes to home renovations. However as daunting as it may seem, with a good guide and regular practice you can master the skill within a small period of time. If you lack proper training and experience, we’d recommend you hire a seasoned professional plasterer for help so as to get the best result and also avoid additional costs due to possible damages.

Putting up plasterboard is way quicker than wet plastering and also significantly reduces the drying time that can slow down your renovation plans. With a plasterboard, you can delve straight into the decorating stage and achieve a smooth finish. Below are the steps required to put up a plasterboard.

• The first step is cutting the plasterboard to shape which be one of the most challenging parts of the process. This is because you’ll need to fit the board around things such as plug sockets and window sills. As a result, this involves cutting complex shapes rather than just a simple straight line. To get this done, simply mark out the cut required with the use of a tape measure, combination square and spirit level for a better precision. Once done, you can then use a plasterboard pad saw to cut along the marked spots.

• After you made the required cuts, the next step is putting up the plasterboard. And depending on where the boards are going to be put, this could be a very challenging task. If you’re going to put the boards on the ceiling or somewhere very high up, you’d probably need an extra pair of hands for help. To get this done, use the appropriate screws to secure the boards in place if you’re installing them directly on studs. However, if you’d be fixing them onto bricks or blocks, a drywall adhesive is your best bet.

Are you about to start a new construction job when it’s a heavily rainy period? Or perhaps you’re just interested in knowing how bricklayers work. Well regardless of your purpose, one thing you should know is laying of bricks has a few rules and one of them is not to lay a brick wall when its raining. This is mainly because your structure’s quality and integrity would be heavily compromised if water comes in contact with the mortar before it gets the time to dry. However, with the help of a concrete protective tent, you can prevent water from coming in contact and damaging the mortar. So let’s look at the procedures to follow to work in the rain!

lDetermine The Concrete Protective Tents Required

• Concrete protective tents come in various sizes so you have to know what’s required to get the job done.

• Firstly, calculate the amount of space required to lay the brick wall

• Then, incorporate the appropriate size and number of tents.

lSet Up The Tents

• Follow the manufacturer’s instruction to set up the tents

• Once installed, the tent should extend past the location for the bricklaying and slope downwards.

l Access The Area

• Inspect the location during rainfall to ensure water is not sneaking through.

lBuild a Lumber Frame

• Use 2 to 4 pieces of lumber to build a frame.

• Set it into the ground depending on the size of your wall

lApply Concrete or Mortar

• Fill up the frame with either concrete or mortar.

• Follow the manufacturer’s instruction to allow the mixture to cure.

lPrepare the Brick Wall’s Mortar

• Mix the mortar for the brick wall construction

• Follow the manufacturer’s instruction for the process.

When you’re done laying the bricks, you can remove the protective tents once you’re certain the rain has stopped. Exposure to sun and air will speed up the curing process, which is quite important to protect the integrity of your structure.

How To Repair A Pothole In Gravel Driveways

When the integrity of your gravel driveway is impaired not only does it have a negative impact on the curb appeal of your property, but also makes your driveway a danger zone. If your driveway needs to be repaired, you’d simply have to grab the bull by the horn and get it done - the sooner, the better to avoid the problem getting worse and to have your beautiful gravel driveway back as soon as possible.

The major cause of potholes in driveways is usually water, when it gets trapped beneath the surface of the driveway. Therefore, you may also want to enhance the drainage in the area as part of your repair. The repair process is quite simple for confident do-it-yourselfers, but if otherwise, then calling in a reliable professional will save you some time and extra money that can result from possible errors. So how do you repair gravel driveway potholes?

✓ Prepare the area. This involves removing all forms of debris from the pothole. To achieve this, you can rake, shovel or brush the loose stones, soil and other debris from the pothole.

✓ Fill the pot hole. Make use of a coarse gravel to fill up the pothole to a depth of about 3 inches beneath the driveway’s level. Upon the filling, simply tamp down the coarse gravel using a commercial tamper or any available homemade option. Once done, the final 3 inches to the surface of the gravel driveway should then be filled up with gravel which perfectly matches the colour and texture of the remaining driveway.

✓ Compact the patch. To achieve this in an easy and fast way, simply run your car’s wheel up and down over the repaired spot gently a couple of times. This will be enough to compact the patch and seal the pothole.

Do I Need Planning Permission For A Loft Room?

The answer to this question is maybe. Generally, loft rooms are covered under “Permitted Development which means you won’t need to apply for a planning permission to build a loft room. This is like an advance planning permission provided by local authorities to allow some particular building works to be done such as loft conversions, rear extensions and more. When you’re covered by a “Permitted Development, you’re given the free range to oversee your home’s development without much interference from the regulations or the council. However, for permitted development to apply, there are some specific criteria that must be met. Therefore, if your loft room does not meet the following requirements given below, then you must complete a planning application before proceeding.

• In a terraced house, the converted loft space must not be more than 40 cubic metres.

• In a detached building or semi detached house, the converted loft space must not be more than 50 cubic metres.

• The existing roof slope at the front of the house must cover the extension made.

• The extension should not increase the height of the roof in any way.

• Verandas, balconies and any other structures of this nature must not be included in the extension’s plan.

• The side facing window openings should be at a minimum of 1.7 metres above the ground. The windows must be obscured as well.

• The roof extension should be set back as far as practically possible. It should be at a minimum of 20cm from the current eaves.

• The roof extension should not overhang the house’s roof or it’s wall.

• The materials to be incorporated must be the same or at least similar to what you already have on the house’s exterior.

When its impossible to build out and create more space sideways, why can’t you look upwards? As more and more homeowners in the UK are carrying out their loft conversion project, one question that keeps popping up is the amount of value the loft conversion can add to their homes. However, this is a question that is impossible to provide a single and precise answer to. This is because the value that’ll be generated by a loft conversion is largely dependent on a wide range of influencing factors. To give you a vague idea of the loft conversion value to a property, we’ve put forward a research carried out by industry experts so you can know what you’re in for.

Nationwide carried out a research which shows clearly that a loft conversion including an additional bedroom as part of the building plan will increase a house’s value by up to 21 percent. Since the number of rooms a house has is one of the main metrics for house valuations, loft conversion comes in pretty handy as it’s a great and easy way to convert your house from a 4 bedroom house to a 5 bedroom house prior to sale.

Apart from the financial value aspect, loft conversion also adds more value to your lifestyle which is very unlike nearly other financial investments you can make. More space in your house automatically means more storage or a new room as you wish. A new room can be for a growing family or probably to serve as a guest room. It can also be used as a study space or even an office especially with the rapidly growing rate of people working from home. With loft conversion, the possibilities in terms of value are simply endless!