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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.

Wall rendering is basically a process which involves the application of sand, cement or polymer covering to a home’s exterior in such a way that enhances its look while also offering an improved stability. The process is a perfect solution for several exterior concerns mainly due to the support its able to provide. It’s highly beneficial for older homes whose walls may suffer from poor quality because of wear over time, while it’s also greatly advantageous for newer homes as it increases their stability while also enhancing their visual appeal.

Knowing how to apply render is a great skill to have with your home’s upkeep in mind. The project can be done quite easily by any competent and confident DIYer. However if you lack any of those attributes, then we’d recommend you get in touch with a reliable professional for help. In this article, we’ll take you through the wall rendering process.

✓ Prepare the walls. This involves examining the wall, repairing any structural defects as well as stabilizing any movements to prevent the render finish from failing.

✓ External details. This includes the removal of bargeboards, rainwater, soil pipes, alarm boxes and all other external details.

✓ Insulation. In the event whereby external wall insulation is to be fitted, this is the stage to do so.

✓ Developing a foundation for the render to fix to. Apply a render mesh over the insulation, bedded into the first base coat layer of render.

✓ Building up the render.

✓ Render finishes. There are a wide range of colour options as well as various finishes available from very smooth to textured. However, you should note that thin coat render systems are usually designed to be self coloured.

✓ Final finishes. This involves the re-application of the external rainwater, soil pipes and the other external details.

When Does A Loft Become A Habitable Room?

When a loft is being converted to functional space, there are a multiple options it can offer. It’s not uncommon that at the conversion of this space, many household may not have a specific plan on how it’s going to be used. However, they know later on an actual need might arise, perhaps as you start working from home, developing other hobbies that requires an extra space or the family grows.

The loft can easily be converted into a game room, study room, playroom or even a household’s “breathing space etc. However, when the family grows and you wish to make use of the space on the top of your home as an extra bedroom, there are many factors to consider. The fact is, just because there’s enough space to fit a bed, doesn’t make it habitable. For a loft to become habitable, it must be built specifically for the purpose of being a sleeping area and must also comply with the relevant building regulations. It’s as a result of this, many property sale particulars include “potential third bedroom, subject to regulations statement written on it as well as the boarded and insulated loft space’s dimensions.

Loft conversions building regulations are set in such a way to ensure that adequate attention is given to both safety and structural elements to build a new space that’s fit for undetermined household use. These regulations are established minimum requirements to guarantee the following:

• The new floor and ceiling’s structural integrity.

• The existing roof and party wall modification’s structural stability.

• Safety during fire incidents plus an escape route.

• An appropriate stairway access.

• The proposed changes’ structural suitability to the external environment in association with the local area as well as any unique factors specific to the property.

If you’re thinking about refurbishing your house or property but don’t know how to go about it, then you’ve come to the right place. In truth, not every home refurbishment works goes in exactly the same order, however it’ll do you some good to abide by a specific plan in order to avoid both unnecessary works as well as expenses. For instance, how would it feel if you have already closed walls and paint only to realize that there’s a need to include a new plumbing stack that has to go behind the wall? Not good, right? Well, this guide is designed to help you avoid such frustrating situations. Let’s have a look!

✓ Establish a plan. This involves carrying out a good assessment of what you’d like to refurbish and set the priorities like deciding where to start and making sure you have both the time and budget to complete the project.

✓ Set a budget. Establish a final amount that’ll be the threshold to your spending. It’s always good to add an additional 10% to 15% to cover unexpected costs.

✓ Hire a contractor. Carry out a research, reach out to many contractors, compare their prices, work quality as well as integrity before hiring.

✓ Talk to your insurance company. Find out if you have the amount of coverage that suits your needs from your insurance company before and after your project.

✓ Secure permits and order materials. Make sure you check with the latest regulations before commencement. Once done, you can start ordering the required materials.

✓ Start demolition. This is optional as it only applies if space is being added.

✓ Work behind the walls. This include doing all the works necessary behind the walls like plumbing, electrical, heating etc.

✓ Paint and install flooring

✓ Fit in the cabinetry

✓ Add finishing touches. This includes the last details and decorations.

Tiling a porch roof is a very important but laborious and difficult task. A project of this magnitude will require a large investment in planning and preparation way before the actual installation process takes place. It can be a brand new porch roofing tile or a replacement of the existing one, either way it’s crucial to get the right technique. If you lack proper training or experience in this field, we’d recommend you hire the services of a reliable professional probably within your local area to guarantee the best results and to save yourself some time and money. This guide will give you a good insight into the porch roof tiling process. Let’s have a look!

• With the crown looking upwards, put the first tile on the batten and centre the tile from side to side.

• Hammer a 10d nail at the base of the tile and into the batten (make sure not to overdrive the nail).

• To provide a much needed support, apply a little mortar under the first tile.

• Identify the inner end of the first tile and place another tile on top. Take a measurement from the outer end and adjust the end of the second tile to fit.

• Just like you’ve done with the first tile, nail the second tile into the batten.

• Position two tiles at the both ends of the ridge and proceed with the installation just as you’ve done with the previous tiles.

• Take a measurement of the distance across the ridge from the first tile’s outer end. Once done, you can then calculate the number of tiles required by subtracting 16 inches from your measurement and divide the answer by 8.

• Beginning at the second tile on one end of the ridge, install the half the number of ridge tiles towards the centre of the ridge. Now install the remaining tiles working from the opposite end to the ridge’s centre. At the centre of ridge should be a key tile with mortar.

There are many different types of extension. For example, you could install an orangery, flat or pitched roof extension, over-structure extension, single or double storey extension or a glass box extension. Which one of these is most suitable will depend on your existing property.

Do you want your house to be built using brick? Or perhaps you just require the professional services of a bricklayer. Regardless of your bricklaying needs, the cost charged depends on each job as every job is unique. Bricklayers generally look at each task individually and charges based on the complexity of each. We’ve put together this guide to give you an idea of the costs charged by bricklayers. Let’s have a look!

Generally, bricklayers charge either based on a daily rate or a fixed price for a particular amount of bricks ( usually a thousand bricks or 10 - 12 metres square). On the average, an experienced bricklayer can charge within a range of £150 to £200 daily rate and if a labour is needed for the job, an additional £60 to £100 may be included to get the job completed in a quick and fast manner. If the quoting is done based on the number of bricks to be incorporated, then a thousand bricks will be quoted in between £350 to £450 which should be completed in a couple of days.

You should however take note that most times, the bricklayer’s cost will depend on the amount of work involved in the project. As a result, a more tedious and challenging project will most definitely cost more than a simpler one. Examples of some difficult projects that’s likely to cost more are hard to reach areas, difficult sites as well as second storeys which are considered to be more challenging than single storey buildings. What’s more? The complexity of the project is also a great cost factor. While some projects are basically direct and straightforward, others involve curves and more complex designs which will ultimately make the cost jump up.

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.