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If you’re considering rendering your house or property, then you’d most likely want to know whether or not applying for a planning permission will be needed. In several cases, planning permission will not be required for the maintenance, repair as well as replacement of the existing render on your building. These activities are covered by what’s called “Permitted Development Rights, which allows you to carry out some activities without having to apply for a planning permission but always subject to following some strict guidelines. For rendering, as long as the material (render) possesses an identical appearance to those existing on the house as well as same colour, then you will not require a planning permission. However, there are a number of projects that have been highlighted in which a planning permission would be required. These includes the following:

✓ Re-rendering in a colour that different from the original one used on the house or building.

✓ Rendering over brickwork which was not originally covered.

✓ Rendering over pebbledash

✓ Removing pebbledash and replacing it with render.

Another exception to the Permitted Development rights are for houses in conservation areas, national parks or areas of outstanding national beauty.

Although, you wouldn’t normally require to submit a planning application for approval before you apply render, but in truth it’s actually a bit of a grey area which isn’t totally clear and doesn’t allow for much freedom or creativity. And due to this fact, homeowners who wants an absolute peace of mind may opt to apply for planning permission just in case. It’s also worth noting that whether or not a planning permission is required, a huge rendering work will need to comply with building regulations which includes the need to insulate walls on the inside or outside as part of the work on several older properties .

Rendering is an external wall’s plastered finish which provides a smooth finish while also protecting the brickwork from the elements like rain, snow and the likes. The traditional rendering is normally applied in two or three coats which enables it to be more resistant to surface cracks. In modern times, the finishes are largely different from the grey pebble dash of post war housing. Today, we now have a plethora of specialist products to pick from such as through-coloured silicone renders as well as one coat renders. The types of renders include the following:

✓ Cement renders. These are the common option that are usually mixed on site and used in a number of applications, then painted when dried. There’s a need to paint this type of render regularly to keep them looking great.

✓ Polymer renders. These are pre mixed and mostly pre coloured (usually with through colouring).

✓ Through-coloured products. These rendered do not need to be painted as the pigment is already added in the manufacturing process to colour the whole render.

✓ Lime renders. These are superior to cement as they’re less likely to trap moisture in the brickwork and also more good looking. However, they’re generally more costly and more difficult to apply.

Overall, rendering on a house provides several benefits. Not only is it able to protect your brickwork against the elements like the rain and wind, but it can also make the building more efficient. Being fully aware that about 30 percent of the energy used in heating a home is lost via the external walls, making use of a product such as acrylic insulated render is a smart approach to improve your home’s energy efficiency without affecting your interior living space.

Some individuals who have been in the construction department for many years may not be qualified, that is, they may not have undergone an apprenticeship and/or trade certificate courses, but they might still be very skilled at their work. However, anybody can pick up a sledgehammer and demand themselves a builder lacking any skills or training. The wise thing would be to ask the builder coming to your house about what qualifications they have and what training they have undergone.

Licensing of building practitioners

You can now check if your builder or tradesperson is a licensed building practitioner by using an electronic public register which has a record of every registered builder. Being licensed provides you with an assurance that the builder who is about to do your work has proven his shill to the government and earned his right to be a practitioner. If you wish for certain important building and design work on your home it is imperative that you hire a licensed practitioner, the act is very common when you compare the scenario with when you have to call a plumber or an electrician regarding any work.

In order to become a builder in the UK, you must complete an apprenticeship or an NVQ. NVQ is another popular route to becoming a builder. You can also get your NVQ even when you are working as an apprentice. You can also make it based on any recognised overseas qualification.

All associates maintain a Code of Practice and Conduct which sets the standards for all stages of the building procedure. The Code requires builders to:

• Submit quotes on projects for which they have time.

• Securing the contract with a sufficient insurance cover.

• Maintain honesty and integrity at all times.

• Obey the law and industry standards of conduct.

All members of the construction association must also follow a code of conduct. As a consumer, if you think your builder has breached the Code of Conduct or the Code of Ethics, you can file a written against him or her.

How Much Plasterboard Do I Need?

Although many people especially contractors have a tough time estimating the number of drywall or plasterboard needed to complete a project, it’s a rather simple task if all factors are taken into consideration. If you’re able to follow the same procedures taken by professionals to count dry wall sheets, you’ll be in the right direction. Let’s have a look at the procedures to follow!

lTake Square Footage Measurement

• Measure the square footage of the area where the plasterboard will be fitted.

• Multiply the height by the width of each wall or ceiling area.

• Add all quantities to obtain a total square-foot amount.

lCalculate Drywall Sheets

• To calculate the number of drywall or plasterboard sheet is very simple once you’ve gotten the total square footage.

• To get started, simply divide the total square footage of area by 32 (that’s if you are using a 4 by 8 sheets) or you can also make use of 48 to make the division (only if you’re making use of the 4 by 12 sheets).

• The answer you get after the division will give you the full number of plasterboard sheets that’s required to complete the project.

We’d recommend you include an extra 10 to 15 percent of whatever you calculate to take care of the possible odd cuts and wastages. This implies that if your total area is 1600 square feet while incorporating 4 by 8 sheets, simply divide 1600 by 32 which equals 50 sheets, now take 10% of 50 which equals 5, then add back the 5 extra to the 50 sheets earlier calculated to get 55 sheets. If you wish to estimate the cost, simply multiply the number of sheets gotten by the price per sheet. Do not forget to include delivery charges and local taxes.

Some individuals who have been in the construction department for many years may not be qualified, that is, they may not have undergone an apprenticeship and/or trade certificate courses, but they might still be very skilled at their work. However, anybody can pick up a sledgehammer and demand themselves a builder lacking any skills or training. The wise thing would be to ask the builder coming to your house about what qualifications they have and what training they have undergone.

Licensing of building practitioners

You can now check if your builder or tradesperson is a licensed building practitioner by using an electronic public register which has a record of every registered builder. Being licensed provides you with an assurance that the builder who is about to do your work has proven his shill to the government and earned his right to be a practitioner. If you wish for certain important building and design work on your home it is imperative that you hire a licensed practitioner, the act is very common when you compare the scenario with when you have to call a plumber or an electrician regarding any work.

In order to become a builder in the UK, you must complete an apprenticeship or an NVQ. NVQ is another popular route to becoming a builder. You can also get your NVQ even when you are working as an apprentice. You can also make it based on any recognised overseas qualification.

All associates maintain a Code of Practice and Conduct which sets the standards for all stages of the building procedure. The Code requires builders to:

• Submit quotes on projects for which they have time.

• Securing the contract with a sufficient insurance cover.

• Maintain honesty and integrity at all times.

• Obey the law and industry standards of conduct.

All members of the construction association must also follow a code of conduct. As a consumer, if you think your builder has breached the Code of Conduct or the Code of Ethics, you can file a written against him or her.

In the event whereby you’ve got big refurbishment ideas for your house but a small budget, then you know it’s time to be a bit more creative and apply some cheap and simple tricks. The best possible way to go about this is to invest time in acquiring new skills rather than trying to save up more money to pay a pro to deliver the results you want. After all, the most significant cost when it comes to house refurbishments is usually the labour cost.

The key to making cheap tricks a lot effective in the refurbishment process is by undertaking small tasks that’ll make a huge impact. A great way to start would be by taking it one task at a time rather than rushing to complete all at once. This way, you’ll have enough time to perfect your skills before moving on to the next.

✓ Paint the interior walls. Although this is a simple task but it’ll save you a lot of money if done as a DIY project. To get started, you’d have to text colour options by painting samplex on the wall first. Once done, you can go for the one that adds warmth, dynamism as well as energy to the room.

✓ Fix up your furniture. This involves re-upholstering and refinishing any piece of furniture that appears tired or overly worn (you can leave out the ones that you do not really like or unnecessary items).

✓ Spruce up small but important items used on a daily basis. This includes spray-painting inexpensive picture frames, recovering lampshades with a vibrant paper or patterned fabric, adding throw pillows to armchairs and couches and the likes.

✓ Fix all small things that are broken. This includes activities like patching the nail holes in the wall, repairing the latch on the kitchen cabinet, fixing the gutter, putting a new handle on the door and lots more.

Over the years, more and more home and property owners are beginning to realize the huge benefits that can be derived from loft insulation being a worthwhile investment. It’s quite worrisome the way in which energy bills have soared over the past 10 years and loft insulation is a considerable affordable energy efficiency measure that can go a long way to help increase your home’s energy savings.

As far back as the 1980’s, the standard when it comes to insulation thickness was 25 mm to 50 mm which was, at the time, considered to be sufficient. However, building regulations have changed the norm that now states that a new build needs to possess 270 mm of insulation in the loft in order to achieve the required u-value of less than 0.16/m2k based on the standard rock wool or sheep wool insulation.

Generally with loft insulation, there’s a law of depreciating returns which implies that the first couple of insulation centimetres will save you many times the cost of the installation, however an extra layer or centimetre is going to add less value to the point where it’ll no longer be wise or worthwhile to add any further centimetre. Therefore, with cheaper energy prices 30 years back, that additional couple of centimetres was not just worthwhile, but with the recent alarming rises in costs of fuel, that additional £10 savings per year has all of sudden changed to £30 which makes it become a lot more attractive.

If you already have 270 mm of loft insulation, regardless of the material you’re looking to add you’re most likely not going to benefit from a top up. The cost of the materials and installation will definitely be too high for the couple of pounds it’ll save you per year.

Storage space is a major consideration for most home buyers and even more so, when there’s the presence of fitted wardrobes. Fitted wardrobes can be installed in just about any room in the house and even in rather obscure places such as under the stairs, inside a loft, around chimneys as well as into alcoves. As a result, they’re important assets to have as they can go a long way to increase the value of your home or property.

Fitted wardrobes are usually made from various types of woods as well as wood finishes. Typically, they’re installed with either sliding or hinged doors depending on the space as well as the styling you opt for. Fitted wardrobes can be personalized through the addition of elegant features such as custom lighting, mirrors as well as internal extras like pull out shoe racks and pull down hanging rails.

For high end customized fitted wardrobe like Sharps, the best quality, most practical and also robust materials are being incorporated. They make use of the following materials given below:

✓ Fibreboard. This is a modern material that’s used for its ability to produce a smooth routed and detailed design. It’s also very solid and robust which makes it perfect for large furniture pieces as they don’t warp or dent. What’s more? Fibreboards meets the European forestry sustainability standards and it also allows for the board to be profiled with a top notch finish.

✓ Particleboard. This material is used for the parts of the furniture which will normally be cut in your home like facings and side panels. Due to it’s lightweight, they’re very easy to cut and doesn’t produce as much dust as other materials. The material is also a highly controllable contemporary material which can be precisely cut arounf skirting boards, covings as well as period features to ensure a perfect fit.