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What is your garage being used for? If your answer is anything besides your vehicle, you’re in the majority in the UK. In the country, according to a research by Admiralty Loans, several home and property owners now use their garage as dumping ground for all sorts of stuffs asides a car. Ultimately, this gives rise to garage conversions as the more or less underutilized space can be converted into a living space which can be more beneficial while also adding more value to the property.

A garage conversion is a fast and relatively affordable route to adding more floor space within your home. It’s basically the act of changing your garage into something other than a storage or a place in which you can park your car. This can be anything from a bedroom to a playroom and anything in between. It’s a great way to provide extra space to allow your family to spread out and have more privacy while still within the walls of your home.

A garage conversion project is a huge one which mostly does not require a planning application so far the conversion is internal. However if you’re planning to increase the garage’s size or change the exterior of your home, or convert your garage into a separate room, then you may require a planning permission before getting started. It’s always wise to consult your local authority before carrying out any work to be on the safer side.

A project of garage conversion’s magnitude is better left to a reliable professional who have the experience when it comes to dealing with building regulations and more. This way, you’d also get to save yourself some headaches and some extra cash which may result from possible costly errors.

External Wall Insulation (EWI) is the act of insulating a home by fitting insulation to the exterior parts of the building which in turn improves thermal performance, cuts energy consumption ( savings on energy bill) and also adds to the home’s visual appeal. The systems are built in multiple layers, with the insulation board offering a plethora of options with each being suitable to varying projects and their needs. Installing an external wall insulation comes with a variety of benefits, let’s have a look!

• Thermal Performance Improvement

With EWI, the thermal inertia of the walls are greatly enhanced while also restricting the loss of heat. Ultimately, this lowers heating costs, enhances the comfort of indoor thermal and also reduces CO2 pollution.

• Eliminates Noise Pollution

When the noise levels are high, it can have a bad impact on our overall well being. A great way to reduce the disturbances from the outside like traffic noise is by fitting an External Wall Installation system.

• More Comfortable Living Space

Do you know the damp in homes can contribute to respiratory problems? A properly insulated home will greatly limit the impact of condensation by combating the damp issues. As a result, you can always expect your house to be cosy and comfy irrespective of the season. A cooler summer and warmer spring is guaranteed with EWI.

• Enhances The Property’s Visual Appeal

Looking for an excuse to rejuvenate your home’s aesthetic appeal? Well, you can as well try out adding an EWI system. There are a plethora of unique colours and styles you can pick from to beautify your home effortlessly.

• Adds Value To Property

An insulated home will generally cost more than an uninsulated one at the time of resale. Potential home buyers are more interested in the acquisition of a home with an EWI system due to its various benefits - and a higher demand can only imply a higher price!

Damp issues on a property are usually generated by a lot of factors such as a poor or broken guttering, condensation and lots more. The question arising here is what is the possibility of External Wall Insulation (EWI) preventing condensation? Not only is EWI a reliable way to reduce condensation-caused damp, but it’s also one of the major reasons property owners in solid wall homes consider thermally rendering or cladding their external walls.

Condensation arises as a result of warm moist internal air hitting a cold surface such as the steaming up of both windows and mirror when having a shower. What happens here is the condensation of the water vapour in the air from a gas to liquid in the process of touching the cold surface - one whose temperature is significantly reduced to reach the dew point. At the dew point, condensation is very rampant, and to tackle this issue you’ll have to heighten the wall temperature in order to convert the moisture to vapour and permit it to pass through the wall. And that’s exactly the job of an external wall insulation!

To get started you must ensure that the walls are clean and dry prior to fitting the external wall insulation. The month of May through to September when the weather tends to be dry and more stable are usually the best period to carry out the project. The external wall insulation will function just like a cosy blanket around the building. Ultimately, changing the feel and temperature of the inside of your home. As a result, the previously cold walls will no longer be cold which goes a long way to mitigate the effects of condensation. Furthermore, when an EWI is installed, the rooms of your home will automatically trap more thermal mass as the heat is saved in the walls’ fabric and released back when the temperature drops.

Are you considering converting your garage into a more usable space in your home? If yes, then you’d probably want to know if you’ll require building regs before converting the garage. The answer to this question is yes. Although you may not require planning approval to convert your garage into a more usable space, but you’d usually need approval under the Building Regulations.

When re-structuring your garage into a habitable space, the following should be taken into consideration: structural alterations, ventilation, moisture proofing, insulation, fireproofing, escape routes as well as the submission of a building building notice or full plan application to the local council in order to inform them about the planned project.

• Walls

You’ll require an approval if you plan to infill the garage door with a window and a new wall. This is because the garage may have been built of a shallow slab which implies that a new foundation would be needed for the new wall construction.

• Floor

Even though there’s a high possibility that the garage floor is strong enough for domestic use since its designed to withstand the weight of vehicles, you may however need to upgrade to make sure it suitable for both thermal insulation and damp proofing. In addition, there may also be the need to to alter the floor level in such a way that it matches that of the remaining parts of the house.

• Ventilation

According to the Building Regulations requirements, there’s a need for adequate ventilation for each individual rooms which includes garage conversions for general health purposes. What’s going to determine the ventilation level that’ll be required is the frequency at which the room is used. Ventilation can be provided through purge or simply opening the window or via trickle ventilation.

If you’ve converted a non-residential barn into a home, you might be able to reclaim some of the VAT that you’ve paid for your project. This includes money spent on:

• Construction materials

• Flooring

• Light fittings

• Kitchen units and worktops

• Electrical, heating and plumbing materials

To reclaim your VAT from HMRC, make sure you request and keep all of your invoices. You’ll also need proof of planning permission and evidence of completion. You should then submit your claim with all relevant paperwork within three months of receiving your completion certificate. You’re only allowed to submit one claim, so you’ll need to make sure you get it right first time.

How To Fit Plasterboard

If you’re planning to renovate your house, then here is a must-read guide! Fitting of plasterboard is a crucial step when it comes to renovation. If you’re bringing down an existing lath and plaster for an upgraded surface or adding a new wall, a plasterboard is required for your project to be a true success. If you’re a novice with no prior practice or experience, you can protect your investment by hiring the services of a professional plasterer to guarantee the best results, the first time. However, we’ve put together this guide to give you an insight on how the plasterboard fitting process is done.

To get started, you’ll need a power drill, hammer, plasterboard nails or screws, broad knife, utility knife, measurement tape, pencil, ladder as well as a joint tape.

Before proceeding, you need to identify the number of plasterboard sheets needed to commence the project by measuring the height and width of the wall as well as calculating the square footage. If you possess a stud timber wall, the steps below will get you the best results.

• Measure the walls and mark the plasterboard where you’ll make the cuts. Start with a full sheet and cut pieces down in such a way that would fit

• Score the front paper of the plasterboard with utility knife. Fold the sheet to get a clean cut through the board and make use of the knife to the remaining paper.

• Place the first sheet against the wall and use an offcut to prevent the plasterboard from touch the floor.

• Make the plasterboard rest snugly against the wall in position and screw it firmly on each stud. Once done, fasten it at all the sheets’ edges and in a line down the stud to make for a firm connection. Follow the same process for the remaining plasterboard sheet till the wall is fully covered.

The importance of underpinning a house cannot be overemphasized. Firstly, what is underpinning? Well, underpinning is simply the act of reinforcing, repairing, strengthening or improving the depth of an existing foundation by lowering the footing to ensure that it rests more on more reliable and supportive soil. Not only does this method help to strengthen your building and preserve its structural integrity, but it also does increase your property’s value and gives you peace of mind knowing your property is safe. If you’re thinking about underpinning your house, you have two options – do it yourself or call in a reputable structural engineer. The latter is more advisable as the method involves a lot of specialized knowledge, skills and tools to guarantee a successful outcome. In this post, we’re going to take you through the process involved in underpinning a house. Let’s take a look!

To get started, you should know that concrete underpinning features excavating pier footings around the building at about 2 to 3 metres distance between each other. In some cases, underpins can be installed from within the house. The footings of the underpin should go very deep into the underlying soil in such a way that fully supports the weight of the building or structure. Once done, now proceed to attaching the new footing to the building. You can achieve this by excavating underneath the existing footing to make for a stronger prop. Individual prop and pier arrangement is then strengthened using strong steel bars. Once completed, the concrete is then poured.

A professional underpinning contractor will make sure there’s sufficient space left between the existing footings and the new underpins as this space will ensure that the new underpins can be easily used to jack up the house and level it once the poured concrete cures.

There’s a huge range of different types of loft conversions. The most common are dormer and skylight or Velux conversions. There are also hip to gable and mansard conversions. The type of loft conversion that’s most suitable for your property will depend on the style of roof and the size of your loft.