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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.

Yes, bricklayers can work during the cold months, but it all depends on the type of work involved. For instance, residential housing maintenance works such as tuck pointing deficient mortar joints on exterior walls and columns as well as rebuilding of chimneys are best tackled during summer or simply put, the warmer months of the year. This is is mainly because the best results for these activities are achieved in the warmer months and several bricklayers will agree to this fact.

Mixing of mortar using anti-freeze technique to counter-act the effects of a cold weather can lead to white marks trailing down the brick when warmer temperatures comes knocking. As a result, even mortar mixing should be done at temperatures exceeding zero degree farenheit which will hold no serious consequences if the temperature should change to a little bit below the norms. During the winter, a good technique that can be incorporated to when mixing mortar would be to mix them in smaller quantities in a warmer environment. These small quantities will immediately be fed by the labourers to the bricklayers and in such circumstances, the mixed mortars will not be subjected to a freezing temperature for too long.

Generally, it would be very unwise to consider any bricklaying work to be done whenever the temperature jumps to a certain level which would be considered to be very inconvenient to work in. Interior works like remodelling of fireplaces can be tackled so long there is a warm space to mix the mortars while also keeping the materials at an indoor temperature. Bricklaying works that have, however, been completed during the colder months should be subjected to a very close inspection as well as looking for potential damage that can be caused to existing works as a result of the harsh weather.

Many types of loft are suitable for a loft conversion. In general, you will need at least 2.3 metres of headroom in your existing loft. This is to make sure there is enough headroom after the conversion. Speak to a conversion specialist about the probability and possibility of doing this in your house.

When thinking about the right insulation material for your loft, some of the first few things that comes to mind is the various properties of that material as well as how good they fit with your home’s needs.naturally, you’d like to ensure that the insulation will be efficient enough to add to the overall energy efficiency of your home, however there are also other features that may not get as much attention but also happens to be equally important. As the primary function of an insulation is to blanket your house to offer a barrier against heat loss, going for an insulation material that’s also fireproof is crucial as loft insulation can burn. Although most insulation materials are fireproof, a myriad of problems can actually make your insulation burn.

For instance, fibreglass insulation is produced using glass combined with plastic polymers and is naturally resistant to fire. However, even at that you’d have to be careful with batts that are supported with foil or paper due to the fact that these materials can burn pretty quickly. Cellulose, on the other hand, is not fireproof and is required to be treated by other flame retardants in order to help reduce combustion. Some of the best insulation materials that are resistant to fire includes the following:

• Fibre glass. This is made of glass that’s spun into fibres, then combined using plastic polymers. As a result, fiberglass insulation is naturally resistant to fire.
• Mineral wool. Having a high melting temperature, this insulation material happens to be a great fit for thermal applications due to its superior fire resistant properties. In fact, mineral wool is still naturally non-combustible even if composed of recycled iron and steel by-products, or from actual mineral rock itself.

When its impossible to build out and create more space sideways, why can’t you look upwards? As more and more homeowners in the UK are carrying out their loft conversion project, one question that keeps popping up is the amount of value the loft conversion can add to their homes. However, this is a question that is impossible to provide a single and precise answer to. This is because the value that’ll be generated by a loft conversion is largely dependent on a wide range of influencing factors. To give you a vague idea of the loft conversion value to a property, we’ve put forward a research carried out by industry experts so you can know what you’re in for.

Nationwide carried out a research which shows clearly that a loft conversion including an additional bedroom as part of the building plan will increase a house’s value by up to 21 percent. Since the number of rooms a house has is one of the main metrics for house valuations, loft conversion comes in pretty handy as it’s a great and easy way to convert your house from a 4 bedroom house to a 5 bedroom house prior to sale.

Apart from the financial value aspect, loft conversion also adds more value to your lifestyle which is very unlike nearly other financial investments you can make. More space in your house automatically means more storage or a new room as you wish. A new room can be for a growing family or probably to serve as a guest room. It can also be used as a study space or even an office especially with the rapidly growing rate of people working from home. With loft conversion, the possibilities in terms of value are simply endless!

Cavity wall insulation is basically the process of installing an insulating material between the two layers of brick making up a cavity wall, either as a retrofit measure or at the time of building. Obviously this is not a choice if you have solid wall, but for those who do possess a cavity wall, it represents an opportunity you may not want to let slide as it is a worthwhile and affordable wall insulation option. Clearly, cavity wall insulation will make your home or property feel warmer, but it also does come with a range of other benefits which is why we’d recommend installing it. In this post, we’re going to look at a number of reasons why having a cavity wall insulation done is a good idea.

• It’s one of the cheapest energy saving measures that’s available. Not only is cavity wall insulation really effective, but it can also deliver great saving. In other words, it possesses a bigger payback compared to other options. When compared to other types of insulation, you can’t install cavity walls insulation by yourself, however it’s not so expensive to have it installed. The cost of the insulation will be determined by a number of factors such as your location, the company hired and more.
• It reduces your energy bills. Cavity wall insulation can save you about £100 to £200 on a yearly basis on heating bills. In other words, this is usually able to pay for itself in as little as two years.
• It reduces your carbon carbon footprint. If your home is heated with gas or electricity like several other homes, producing that energy involves burning fossil fuels which is known to be hazardous for the environment. If the heat generated is now allowed to escape through the walls, that means you’d have to use more to keep up your required temperature. Installation of cavity wall insulation in homes will enable a more efficient usage of the energy which will ultimately cut UK’s carbon usage.

If you’re about to start your house extension project and wondering how long it’ll take to complete, you’re not alone! This is one of the most common questions that’s asked by homeowners in the UK and across the globe. However, there’s no single precise answer for this as there are multiple factors that’ll affect the length of time it’ll take to complete your home extension. These factors include the size of the construction work as well as whether you’re planning to live in the house after completion or otherwise.

For a single extension, the length of time it’ll take to complete the home extension is normally up to 3 months. So let’s break this down:

As you would have expected, the first step to be taken is the preparation of the site. You start by digging out the footing and preparing the foundation which should take about 2 weeks. This is then followed by the damp course installation as well as the fitting of any drains needed around the extension which will also take a further 2 weeks.

The 5th week will be for the construction of the external walls as well as putting the blockwork in place for the provision of the cavity wall insulation. A further 2 weeks after this, will be dedicated to the installation of the roof structure and the internal walls.

It’s at this junction that you’ll call on your weather proof installer to fit in your uPVC windows and doors. Once done, the gas fitters and electricians will have to be on site to connect power to your new extension building. Subsequently, this will be followed by internal wall plastering as well as breaking through your main house. Once the plaster is dried, decorations completed and all the required furniture and units installed, the extension is ready for use.

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.