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With cavity walls being very similar to other type of brick works, it can be quite confusing to figure out the type of wall your property possesses. If your house was constructed after the 1920s, then its highly likely the you have cavity walls, while older houses (houses before the 1920s) are likely to have solid walls. What’s more? If you happen to own a home that was built in the last decade, then it’s very possible that it was built with insulation installed during construction.

An effective way to determine whether or not your property is built with cavity wall is to examine the brickwork on your home’s exterior. The bricks will typically possess a regular pattern if it features cavity walls. In the event whereby the brick work is covered by render, you can also figure it out by taking a measurement of the wall’s width. If the brick wall is beyond 3000mm in thickness ( from the exterior wall to the interior wall), then it probably features a cavity. Meanwhile, a wall that’s narrower is very likely to be solid. Stone walls, on the other hand, may actually be thicker but are most times solid.

In a situation whereby your house is built using steel frame or timber frame, or made using pre-fabricated concrete, there are varying rules that applies when it comes to insulation and should be examined by an expert before any insulation is installed. More often than not, most contractors will have installed special air vents, which can also be a good indicator that a cavity wall insulation has been done.

Aside from the cold weather not being the most pleasant condition to work in, the winter weather can also cause a lot of problems for construction workers and even more so when you’re working with render. Poor weather conditions can generally cause a lot of harms on the final finish of a render. Below are some of the reasons why you should not consider rendering in a bad weather.

✓ Lime bloom. Render can be impacted by lime bloom as they are subjected to damp conditions and low temperatures while curing. This is due to the fact that cement are intolerant to slower drying conditions especially immediately affect its application.

✓ Top coats can be compromised. Coating are likely to get washed off before they’re even afforded the chance to set if drying conditions are low.

However, because its cold out there doesn’t necessarily imply that work must stop. It’s very possible to render during the winter months but to avoid potential pitfalls, we’ve got some tip that can be of great help. Let’s have a look!

✓ Check the weather forecast. Determine the drying and curing time and watch the forecast for the temperature dropping at night.

✓ Select the most suitable render. There are renders that are suitable for application in low temperatures to about 5℃ or even as low as 1℃. These types of render are fast setting which makes them perfect for the cold condition.

✓ Watch out for frost. Frost and render are enemies. Therefore, it won’t be wise to work with frosted materials, on frosted subtrates or apply below the recommended temperature that’s written on the product’s datasheet.

✓ Protect the finish. Make use of artificial enclosures around the scaffolding to battle adverse weather conditions.

Patios do not require lots of maintenance. They will only need occasional cleaning to make sure that the material keeps its original appearance. It's always best to clean your patio with a pressure washer and occasionally tap each slab or brick just to check the sand underneath hasn't washed away.

With the ability to add approximately one third of your existing living space ( by converting your old, unused attic) to your home or property without having to let go of your garden, it’s quite easy to see the reason why loft conversion has rapidly grown to become one of the most popular home improvements in the UK. However some homeowners usually shy away from the idea simply by looking at the perceived high cost of carrying out such a project, despite several researches showing that loft conversions offers the best rate of return on initial investment when compared to the other home improvement projects. So exactly how much would it cost to carry out this project?

Just like several other home improvement projects, the cost of a loft conversion varies greatly depending on a wide range of influencing factors. These factors include the size of your home, how old your home is as well as the quality of the fixtures and fittings you want to install. For instance, a high end bathtub alone can cost you thousands of pounds, meanwhile you can also construct a full bathroom suite on just a couple of hundred pounds. However, to give you an idea of the minimum cost of a loft project we’ll look at the most popular types and the minimum cost of each.

✓ Internal Loft Conversion - The most affordable type of loft conversion tends to start from £25,000 and above.

✓ Dormer or L-Shaped Dormer Loft Conversion. These are the most popular types of loft conversion. Dormer price tends to start from £35,000, while the L-shaped dormer starts from £45,000.

✓ Mansard Loft Conversion - This involves replacing the entire side of a sloping roof with a vertical wall and flat roof. It requires a planning permission. The type of loft conversion usually starts from £45,000.

✓ Hip To Gable Loft Conversion - This usually starts from £50,000.

Asides the questions relating to planning permission of a loft conversion as well as the total cost of completing a loft conversion project, this is perhaps the most common question on the loft conversion subject matter. Before making an investment decision, many homeowners will want to know just how disruptive a loft conversion is. Well, we’ve all heard the several horror stories when loft conversion builder with dirty boots tramples all over the fresh and just-acquired shag pile or the noise of the construction loud enough to annoy neighbours from four blocks away or an obvious shortage of teabags, sugar and lots more. Good news is, the disruption of loft conversion is not as bad as people make out. Let’s have a look at how it works!

Just like all other major building projects, a loft conversion is disruptive to your property. However, no two loft conversions are the same, therefore some are certain to be more drastic and invasive than others. In the long run, the project is worth the stress and inconveniences caused and in most cases, it’s usually a very good investment.

Normally, an average loft conversion is expected to last for about 9 to 12 weeks (depending on the complexity of the loft conversion project some might take longer). Some of the factors that affects the duration of a project includes the type of the loft, the design of the loft as well as the style of the property.

Generally, a loft conversion is a lot less disruptive than say completely moving a home. It all has to do with how you’re able to deal with it as a person. And besides, the effect it’s going to have to a large extent depends on the company you hire. A good company will always look to ensure to keep disruptions to a minimal when carrying out the loft conversion project.

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.

With the prices of buying a house skyrocketing, many of us are tempted to building our own house. This is sometimes an excellent choice, but you will first need to understand the costs of building a house from scratch. As per a general estimate, the cost of self-build ranges between £300 per m2 to £3,000 per m2.

As you can see, this is quite a variation in price from lowest to highest. Location is a prime factor in determining the costs. Building a house in London and the South is more expensive compared to other regions. Aside from location, several other factors make up the price.

Self-manage with subcontractors

You hire professionals directly like builders and carpenters. You also buy all the materials yourself allowing you to get the best prices.

Hiring a main contractor with other subcontractors

You will first need a main contractor who will help to create the watertight structure for your house. For the rest of the work, try hiring out subcontractors. Make sure that you buy all the materials yourself to get the best price.

External cladding materials

If you are looking to install other external material other than brick, you will also need to factor in the cost for the same.

Here are some example prices:

• Render on blockwork costs around £25 per m²

• Timber cladding is around £25 per m²

• Hand¬made all-weather tiling costs around £54 per m²

• Rubble walling or flint is around £90 per m²

• Reconstituted stone costs about £48 per m²

• Natural stone is about £75 per m²

Make sure to include these costs when coming up with the estimate.

Roofing materials

Non-standard roofing materials tend to add more to the cost and therefore you will also need to account in for this factor.

Here are some examples:

Welsh slate – £60 per m²

Second-hand slates – £35 per m²

Handmade clay tiles – £65 per m²

Reed thatch – £80/m²

If you choose to add any unique material to your roofing, be sure that you remember to factor in its cost.

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.