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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.

If you want to install an external wall, it is only wise to consider whether or not a planning permission is required in order to avoid a hefty fine. In a great kudos to the government and a welcome relief to home and property owners, the installation of external wall insulation is seen as an “improvement to the house and not an “extension or an “enlargement. Ultimately, this implies that external wall insulation fitting is to be done under permitted development and a planning application may not be required. However, like many other regulations, there are also exceptions to this rule and the main one is if the activity changes the appearance of your property. Properties such as a listed building having tighter regulations may pose some issues. As a result, we’d advise you to consult your local authority to ensure that there’s no fast rule to this topic before commencement of the external wall insulation project.

At the moment, according to the Government Building Regulations, the surface of the entire wall is to be improved to existing standards if the area to be insulated exceeds 25 percent of the wall. In normal situations this is usually the typical case, however to prevent avoidable fines and other possible punishments, it is always best to reach to your local authority and check out the rules guiding external wall insulation in your constituency. Furthermore, since external wall insulation is not a task that’s recommended to be done by yourself, you can also ask the professional external wall insulation fitting company for the applying rules before proceeding. As a good professional, the company should have a better knowledge of the rules and regulation guiding its activities.

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.

Being a strong and durable product requiring little maintenance and expected to last over 2 decades, it’s little wonder resin is now a popular material amongst homeowners in the UK to build their driveways. However, there’s always the issue of the driveway fading, cracking or even becoming worn and tired. So is it possible to repair resin driveways? The answer is yes, a resin driveway can be repaired, however the best approach to use largely depends on the issue being faced. As a confident DIYer it’ll be very easy to do, but if you lack the confidence then calling in a professional for help would be a better option. So let’s take a look at how you can repair your resin driveways.

For cracks, the best reparation approach would be to chisel it out. Once done, then you can proceed to breaking the stones to form a rough edge. It’s important to make sure that the matrix of the stone remains unaffected. Make a new mixture of resin bound stone and pack it in tightly to the gap. While doing this, we’ll recommend making use of a plastic trowel to avoid burnishing. This fresh mixture will then create a smooth and perfect surface by interlocking with the edges. You can follow similar procedure for patches but these are larger holes or damages than cracks and as the name suggests are mostly likely to remain noticeable but will prevent further crumbling of your resin driveway.

For homeowners, who aren’t so keen about the patch repairs, you can opt for an overlay especially in the event whereby the majority of the surface has failed. Although many usually shy away from this approach because of the perceived high expenses, but the fact is that the approach is actually cost effective as you won’t have the need to spend more money in the long run.

Finding a builder nearby can have enormous assistance when it comes to your build. Period on site, their familiarity of local planning permission, constructors’ dealers and other local trades are all vital bits of knowledge that you’ll welcome on site.

It is always wise to walk around in your local area or drive to a site where any construction work is going on. It’ll give you a proper impression of the constructors who are active nearby. You don’t have to like their style of work or the project they are currently carrying out – after all, a builder can only produce what’s on the plans in front of them.

Find a Builder Other Tradesmen Recommend

If you’ve had to call an electrician before or a local plumber and liked their work, you can always ask them if they have any builders whom they would recommend. Maximum tradesmen get used to seeing the similar acquainted names from one place to another in the sites they are working on and every so often has favourites for who they like to work with — and who they see as a good source of work.

Always Talk to Previous Customers

Once you’ve found a builder you would like to work with, ask them for a list of previous customers they have worked with; they ought to be glad to offer particulars if they’re self-assured they’ve done an effective job.

Look for a builder online

A decent place to start looking for builders online is on sites like the Federation of Master Builders. They have a search tool where you can find precise crafts in your area and look at their situations. All FMB members are assessed and individualistically examined and are checked to ensure that they have the correct insurances in place.

If you’re currently experiencing some structural issues with your building or property and you’ve heard a thing or two about the several benefits associated with getting underpinning done, you may be wondering if underpinning might just be the answer to your worries. Well, one thing you should when it comes to underpinning is the fact that, while there are some structural issues that may actually warrant an underpinning job, there are also some situations that can not be fixed by underpinning. In this post, we’re going to consider the events whereby underpinning of your house will be required. Let’s take a look!

First and foremost, you should know that underpinning isn’t required for issues related to slab heave. Footing movements which are likely to reverse normally occur when the content of the soil moisture changes unevenly which gives rise to slab heave. This movement results for a reversible effect.

Generally, underpinning is done to remedy problems related with the movement of the footings of a building or property, but as stated above – not all movements require underpinning. So, when is underpinning required? More often than not, a situation that’s resolved by underpinning is the event whereby the footings of a building or structure drops or subside as a result of some reasons that are irreversible. For example, footing movements caused by a footing set on a soft or loose soil which may be irreversible.

In the event whereby the footings of your house haven’t been installed as deep as required during the initial construction, then you will need to have your building underpinned to make it more stable. If you’re also looking to increase the load on your foundation like adding another storey, you may also need to have your house underpinned to support the extra weight added.

This is an individual who is trained in the art of working with concrete blocks or bricks, clay bricks as well as other kinds of mortar building materials. In a combination of these materials and good bricklaying skills, a bricklayer can build and repair veneer as well as full brick construction, arches, partitions and other structures.

Contrary to many beliefs, a bricklayer actually does more than laying of bricks. There’s more to being a bricklayer than you can probably think of. A single bricklaying projects requires a wide array of skills. Let’s have a look at these skills!

• Using damp resistant materials to seal foundations.

• Spreading mortar between joints and applying them to serve as a thick layer binding the bricks together in rows.

• Reading and working from specifications as well as plans.

• Working with brick-cutting machines.

• Taking charge and caring for cement blocks or bricks, clay bricks and the likes.

• Construction of scaffolding - subject to possession of some licenses in some states.

A bricklayer mostly works outdoors, in the field and may also work at heights. Depending on the job, a bricklayer can work as part of a team or be in contact with the public. They are mostly recruited by building and construction companies and bricklaying sub contractors. However, they can also set up their own private construction firm or become a self employed tradesperson.

A bricklaying qualification is one of just two construction trades which can continue to become a registered builder. And regardless of the form a bricklaying employment takes, there are certain qualities that makes a really good bricklayer. These includes:

• Ability to work at heights and outdoors

• Enjoy practical work

• Technical aptitude

• Good hand-eye coordination

• Independent and yet a team player too

• Top physical fitness

• Attitude and attendance.

Yes. Most extensions will add substantial value to your home, and you may find that the extension adds more value than it cost. However, it’s important to be sure that the home remains balanced. Extending your garage and leaving your property with no parking spaces, for example, may impact your ability to sell.