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There is a variety of methods available to ensure that your paving drains properly, for example draining into a lawn or soakaway. Correct drainage of paving is a requirement for planning permission. See our guide on planning permission for paving for more information.

How To Plasterboard A Wall

If you’re looking to plasterboard your wall, one of the essential things to have in mind is that the plasterboard must be hung horizontally and not vertically. Due to the way they’re manufactured, plasterboard sheets normally possess a “grain along the length. This implies that, it’s only when they’re firmly placed perpendicular against the wall that they’re able to achieve their maximum strength. Materials you’ll need to complete this task includes: Tape measure, stanley knife, pencil, spirit level, drill driver or screw gun, surform, drywall screws and handsaw. Now let’s have a look at the wall plasterboarding steps!

• To plasterboard a wall the first step to take is to place each board in such a way to make the edges the centre of the noggins and upright. Also, the the adjoining walls and door openings should fit closely to the edges.

• Work from the door opening to the ending wall. From the the stud’s edge to the noggin’s centre, use your tape measure to measure a cut board and as a rule to mark up.

• Place your spirit level on the marks and use the Stanley knife to run a line along the intended cut. Once done, turn the board on its edge and give a sharp push on the back to split.

• Cut the paper left with the knife after folding the split edge back on itself. This way, you should get a nice and clean edge.

• In its right position, place the board up against the studwork. Install the screws on the board’s edges where a noggin or upright can be seen.

• Mark lines down across the board at the stud’s centre.

• Cut the end boards to length.

• Install the remaining boards as mentioned above. While doing this, make sure the factory edges are together.

• Cut any board extending into an opening and finish the edges using a surform.

We’d recommend you hire the professional services of a plasterer for the best results especially if you lack the necessary training or experience. Plasterboarding a wall can be a tricky challenge and you’d save yourself some time, money and effort by getting it right on the first trial.

It can be very hurtful when you’re looking to get a house and then identifies one that’s almost perfect, but that one thing that’s lacking is significant enough to prevent you from making an offer. For instance, you may like neighbourhood, the lot’s size, the number of bedroom and lots more. However, the only thing that’s holding you from making an offer is the outdated kitchen. This is the point where you wonder whether a mortgage can include the cost of renovation. In this article, we’re going to give you a good insight into this and more. Let’s have a look!

One of the major things your lender will put into consideration when you apply for a mortgage is the price of the property in question. For instance, so you’ve found your “almost perfect home for let’s say £400,000 and the cost of your intended renovation work runs up to about £150,000. In this event, you’re definitely going to find lenders who wouldn’t be too keen to let go of their cash. And that’s mainly due to the fact that lenders are only able to afford you, at best, 95 percent of the purchasing price. In other words, if you really want the house, you’ll have to finance it yourself no matter how much potential you think the house possesses.

This, however, does not mean that you can’t find some mortgage lenders who’ll allow for building costs. They exist, but this will mostly take place when the work is complete and the property is revalued. You may also be lucky enough to get a purchase plus improvements mortgage which allows you to renovate now and pay off the renovations over time at a better interest rate than other loan types.

With homeowners now a lot more unwilling to move or make any costly extensions due to the uncertainty that lies ahead in the property market of the UK, a garden building which represents a cheaper alternative seems to be the best option available. Not only is it one of the most affordable ways to add space to your home while staying within your budget, but it’s also one of the best ways to add immense value to your property as more and more potential home investors are now seeking properties with an outdoor garden room. They’re the perfect investment for those looking to expand their space without having to carry out huge extension projects which normally consumes both time and money.

Garden rooms are best built by professionals to guarantee the best results. However, if you feel confident enough to undertake the project, then this guide will give you an idea of the process.

✓ Build the foundation. Here you can build the foundation using concrete, but in cases whereby there are root systems closeby then you can make use of low impact screw piles.

✓ Start the construction process with timber frame, SIP panels as well as other modular components and materials

✓ Once you’re done with the construction process, the next course of action will be to develop and position the roof structure on to the top of the newly constructed garden room. Here, you can also decide to use sun pipe and solar heating or PV panels. You can also protect the construction from the elements by making use of cedar cladding.

✓ Doors installation. The best type of doors to use here are draught sealed doors which can also be treated hardwood or powder coated aluminium .

✓ Make the finishing touches here and there and make sure all connections are complete.

Are you interested in constructing a porch to your property? Estimating the cost of the project before proceeding will solve a lot of possible headaches in the future.

A porch is great place where you can keep your shoes, jackets, dog leads as well as other items to create free space within the property. Apart from this, a porch also serves numerous other purposes to make it a very good structure to have on your property. Not only is it a good means to put a roof over your head when it’s pouring with rain, but also a highly economical way to add floor space to your home. The question, however, how much would it cost to build a porch?

The price of building a porch is based on a wide variety of factors such as the type of materials required, the size of the porch, location of the structure and lots more. As a result, you should note that this guide provide figures that are only a rough guide that’ll put you on the right direction to make informed decisions.

Depending on the type of porch you choose to build, the average cost range from £1,900 to £2,100 for a uPVC porch and up to £10,000 for a lean to porch. There are other types of porch including the traditional porches ( Edwardian and Victorian porches) costing within a range of £2,500 to £8,400.

The materials required also has a great influence in determining the price of a porch. An aluminium porch will cost between £7,5000 to £8,200, while a brick porch will cost slightly less between the range of £2,000 to £8,000. They can both be constructed either as a front porch or as a rear porch, but due to fewer restrictions on aluminium porch, it can be made a lot larger.

If you’ve decided to construct a porch to your property and now looking to figure out the cost required to complete the project, then you’re at the right place!

There are many factors that comes to play when determining the price of building a porch. These factors includes the size of the porch, the number of windows, the style of the roof as well as the type of the porch selected. Now let’s take a look at these factors one after the other.

• The Porch’s Size

As you would have correctly imagined, a large porch will definitely cost more money than a smaller one. A rough estimate of a porch’s cost per square metre is approximately £1,400.

• The Number Of Windows

Just like in the scenario above, the more the number of windows to be incorporated, the more money you’ll have to pay to complete your porch. A porch window will generally cost you within a range of £300 to £1,000

• The Style Of The Roof

There are two popular styles of porch’s roof which includes a tiled rood and a rubber flat roof. Generally, roof tiles are costlier than a rubber flat roof. A tiled roof would cost you between £0.80 to £1.80 per roof tile, while a rubber roofing will cost your between £70 to £90 per metre squared.

• Type Of The Porch

Another huge determinant of a porch’s price is type of material incorporated. For instance, if your preferred type is a lean-to, the price of a uPVC would be between £2,300 to £2,700. Meanwhile, a flat gable roof porch should cost within a range of £3,300 to £3,800.

Kindly note that the costs quoted in this article are only rough estimates, for a more accurate estimate you can contact a porch building professional within your local area.

If you have a loft, then the next thing that’s crucial is a loft insulation. Asides from cutting down on your carbon footprint, when you’re able to install an effective loft insulation you can slash your heating bills by up to £250 per year. What’s more? Besides making your home more energy efficient, it can also increase the value of your property a great deal. So if you’re also considering the insulation of your loft, one of the few things that comes to mind is, what loft insulation is the best to incorporate? In order to help you make the best informed decision possible, this post is going to address this issue and put you on the right path.

In truth, there’s no way to say exactly which type of insulation is the best as all types usually have a different purpose as well as usage. The insulation you choose for your home’s loft is be based largely on the how you’re going to make use of the space as well as any unique challenges you might face given the shape of your home’s loft. Below are some types of insulation to give you a better idea:

• Blanket insulation. This is the most common type that comes in rolls of rock, glass or mineral fibre ( or foil-backed felt ). It normally the most affordable and also a good all-purpose insulation which is easy to fit although not suitable for the roof.
• Loose-fill insulation. This type of insulation features a loose, lightweight material such as cork granules, cellulose fibre, mineral wool etc. It can either be incorporated as a top up or on its own. The primary drawback is it isn’t very secure and can also be very messy.
• Sheet insulation. This is the best solution for the roof’s underside as it offers a highly effective insulation for your loft space and can also be decorated over. The drawback here is that it’s usually the most expensive type to purchase and install.

Sand is a very important element in bricklaying as far as a mortar mix is concerned. Generally, the quality of the sand is the major factor determining the quality of a plaster mix or mortar mix. It’s recommended that the sand should have enough ‘fines’ (- 75 micron material) to get a good plastic mix with a water content that’s less than 350 litres/m3. Generally, a mortar mix or plaster mix is made within the range of one bag of cement to 200 to 300 litres of damp sand.

Apart from experience the next best indicator of the quality of sand is a field test. In other words, if you do not have the required training or experience in bricklaying, the best bet to determine the amount of sand for a good quality mix is by carrying out a field test. Let’s have a look!

• Get about 50kg of sand and air dry it.

• Scoop 25kg of the sand, 5 kg of cement as well as litres of water ( with 1 litre and 1.5 litres of the water in different containers).

• Mix the cement and sand to form a smooth, uniform and consistent colour.

• One after the other, mix the the sand - cement mixture in the three quantities of water. Do this until you’re able to achieve a mix that’s workable enough to use as plaster.

With that done, you should take note that if 5 litres of water is sufficient then the quality and quantity of the sand is perfect. If you’d require 6 litres of water to get a mix workable as a plaster, then both the quality and quantity of the sand is average. However, if you’d need 7 litres of water to get a mix workable as a plaster, then the quality of the sand is poor. Any requirement of water above 7 litres implies a very poor quality of sand.