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When it comes to extending a home, the rear of the house often comes to mind a lot more than the front. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t extend the front of your house. This can be done either as part of a renovation project whereby the entire house is incorporated or it can also be done in isolation. It’s possible to extend the front of your house without the need to apply for a planning permission, however, there are a bunch of limitations you’d have to comply with if you wish to carry out with such a project. Sometimes, this may imply that extending to the front of your home is more tedious and tasking than extending your home’s rear. So exactly how far can you extend the front of your home without planning permission?

The short and simple answer to this question is 2 metres square area with a height not more than 3 metres. Generally, you do not need a planning permission to build a front porch as long as its area doesn’t go beyond 2 square metres from a public road or walkway. Also, a tiled or slated roof can be as much as 4 metres but other roofs must not go beyond 3 metres in height. If you want to extend the front of your home beyond the restrictions specified, then you’ll have to apply for a planning permission.

Extending the front of home can be quite costly, but this can be controlled by not building to the extension to the highest specification, not including an extension on kitchens or bathrooms and more.

For 2 metre solid fences it’s recommended to use concrete posts to support each panel. For smaller 1 metre fences or for picket fences with gaps between each timber piece you can use timber posts. A fencing contractor will be able to advise you on the best materials from the length and requirements of a new fence.

How Much Does It Cost To Have A Loft Boarded?

More often than not, several homeowners fail to realize there’s so much value sitting right under their roof - the loft. When a loft is boarded, there are so many juicy benefits that can be derived. It can be used as a storage room, spare bathroom, home office and several more functions. Therefore, if you really wish to maximize the space under your home’s roof, you’d have to considering boarding it. So how much would it cost to have your loft boarded? Here, you’ll discover the cost of boarding your lofts so you that you can set a budget and start to plan.

The cost of boarding a loft is actually affordable for several individuals, simply because you’re allowed to floor as much or as little as you require. And while you’re up there flooring and fitting the loft boards, you can as well decide to upgrade the insulation of the loft too. This way, you be able to prevent heat from escaping through the roof of the house which helps improve energy efficiency and ultimately, save you some money on heating bills.

If you’d prefer to make it a DIY project, the cost of 18mm chipboard is about £8 to £10 per sheet sized 2400m x 600m. Meanwhile the insulation boards should range between £18 to £22 for a sheet.

For a professional service, you’ll be provided with a quote for both the materials and labour. The amount will be based on the number of boarding required as well as the method selected. For an average storage space needs, flooring size of about 15m2 is suitable. The price for this quantity would be between the range of £50 to £700 for the counter barren method or above £1000 for a more sophisticated method.

After making the decision to refurbish your home or property, the next obvious step is finding the right builder to get the job done. The process of getting a good and reliable builder can be a very tricky one especially when you don’t plan ahead. And in truth, the outcome of your house refurbishment project can only be as good as the contractor your hire. Consequently, finding the perfect builder for your task should be a top priority to get the best return on investment. Here are a few sources that will put you in the right direction to finding a reliable home refurbishment company.

✓ Friends, Relatives & Neighbours

If you have a friend, relative or neighbour that have recently completed a home refurbishment project, you can go for a visit to check out the work done. If you’re pleased with the work, you can proceed to ask about the work ethics of the builder and get the contact if satisfied.

✓ Internet

With the rapid rise of online technology, there’s hardly a service you can’t find on the internet. Websites like HomeAdvisor have been helping people find their desired service providers with relative ease for so long. To get the right building contractor online, it’s advisable to check reviews as well as testimonials before moving forward. Nowadays, you’re most likely going to find so many positive online reviews as some businesses now go to the extent of dubiously writing good reviews for their companies. As a result, it’s recommended to pay closer attention to the negative reviews and check if it’s something you can cope with before hiring a contractor.

✓ Store Contact Lists

You’ll discover a long list of building contractors on several stores trading building materials. These builders may not be affiliated with the store owners, but many stores see it as their responsibility to point you in the right direction so that the building materials acquired from them can be put to good use.

Any residential building work requires a general builder. The term Residential building work means any work which is involved in building a house or changing or adding to a home. It also comprises of mending, refurbishing, ornamenting or applying shielding treatment to home. A dwelling is defined as a building or a part where people live. This might include an apartment, house or a townhouse.

Here is a list of some of the works that require a building licence:

• construction of a garage, carport or a shed

• renovation for bathroom, kitchen or laundry

• structural landscaping and building swimming pools

• construction of conservatories and atriums

• house lifting for example, raising the height of an existing structure permanently

• removing and resitting dwellings

• steam rooms and saunas.

General building contracts might also involve work that needs a specialist. These works can be appropriately subcontracted. However, this work must be carried out by the container of a permitted contractor licence or competent administrator certificate in that specialist category.

There are a number of different categories of licences that are available depending on whether you want to oversee the work or have an agreement with another party. When you have a contractor licence, you will have the option of submitting a contact to bid on the work. You can only do the categories of work designated on your licence card. Contractor licences can be allotted to people and businesses and partnerships.

With a certificate of a qualified supervisor, you will be able to supervise the type of work specified in the certificate. Such certificates are only issued to individuals and do not allow you to contract for work.

The licence of an endorsed contractor is issued to those individuals who have applied for a contractor licence but also possess the necessary qualifications and experience to become a qualified supervisor.

This depends on the amount of insulation already present in your property. However, adding insulation has been proven to improve the energy efficiency of your home and decrease your heating bills, this is more obvious in older properties or where single glazing is still in situ.

This is a type of loft conversion that extends your roof on the sloping side. It is a great option to go for especially where a hipped roof effectively makes the usable floor area a lot smaller which can be a tricky affair when it comes to putting in a new staircase. Here, the roof is extended from the current ridge in such a way that it effectively fills the gap between them. As a result, this turns the hip (in a hipped roof) into a gable to create space in your roof for a loft conversion - hence the name “hip to gable.

The new gable can be done in whatever way that suits both your taste as well as your property. You can make the new gable construction in woods and then tiled to match your existing roof while you can also go for other options such as brick block pebbledash or rendering. You are also free to fit in a new window into the loft conversion end so as to allow for natural light into the loft space.

A hip to gable loft conversion is mostly found on both semi detached and end terrace buildings, particularly those constructed in the 1930s. Overall, this type of loft conversion is particularly ideal for homes that features a hipped roof and with a sloping roof at the side of the property. Some detached properties can also possess a hipped roof on the side - and as such, a double hip to gable loft conversion can also be deal as it’ll create more loft space for usage. If your home fits into the bill, then you should be aware that once the project is completed, you’ll have plenty of usable space available to both you and your loved ones.

Do you want to inject a new lease of life into your home or property, or transform it into a more modern style that better suits your taste? Or perhaps you’re only looking to add more value to your property to enable you sell for a profit in the nearest future. Regardless of your purpose, determining the cost of your home renovation can be incredibly difficult. However, you can still obtain a reasonable budget for the project with proper planning as well as preparation. It’s almost impossible to get an exact figure for any home renovation cost, however, this article aims to give you a good idea of cost range to enable you make informed decisions.

The cost of renovating a house can vary significantly depending on a wide range of factors. Some costs are fixed while others may vary greatly. As a result, if you want to have a more exact figure, you’ll have to call in a professional beforehand to give you an idea of how much they’ll charge. Below are some of the most significant costs you’ll most likely face during property renovation.

✓ Administrative cost. Asides from material and labour, the administrative costs is another important cost you’ll need to factor in. The first thing here is usually insurance, this is because all regular building insurance policies does not cover large scale renovation projects. So if what you’re planning is a huge structural change to your property, then it’s more likely that it won’t be covered by your buildings insurance policy. In this event, you’ll have to take out a specialist renovation insurance.

✓ Planning permission and property renovation. This is another potential cost you’ll have to factor in. Submitting a planning application in the UK usually ranges between £200 to £250.

✓ Adding an extension. Generally, a 4m by 5m extension would cost within the range of £30,000 to £40,000.