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Often referred to by many as the holy grail of home improvements, house extension comes with a wide range of benefits which makes it easy to see why the extension could be a great uptick in the potential price of your property in terms of sales. So if you’re looking to build a new home extension but still not convinced about the project, we’re here to help you. Being fully aware any home construction work is usually a heavy investment, there’s a huge need to be set on your decision before scheduling the commencement of any work. So are house extensions worth it? Below are some of the top benefits offered by house extensions to help you decide if it’s the most suitable route for you.

• Add To Your Home’s Value

Building an home extension is a great way to add value to your home before selling. Increasing the living space of your home is an incredible appeal to many buyers which significantly increases your property’s total value. However, you must ensure that the extension is impressively designed using top quality materials in order to generate more value.

• Good Alternative To House Moving

The most common reason for moving is usually due to a lack of sufficient space, but with house prices steadily on the increase a cost effective alternative is highly sought after. This alternative is house extension which creates more space for the household to spread out and have more privacy.

• You May Not Require A Planning Permission

You can extend your house and still not need to apply for a planning permission. To achieve this, simply comply with the laid down rules set under the permitted development rights.

• Extra Living Space

If you fill you’re starting to outgrow your existing structure and do not buy into the idea of moving, then your best bet might just be to extend your home.

A garden room extension, also referred to as Sunroom or Solarium, is basically a stand alone garden building that’s totally detached from the home. They are typically semi-glazed building that features a tiled roof rather than glass. What would have been good examples of garden rooms extensions include conservatories, orangeries as well as pool houses, however they are constructed with the help of different materials and features which ultimately makes them different to garden rooms.

Garden room extensions are built with the major purpose of adding extra functional living spaces for a wide range of room options such as a second living room, dining room, study space, home garden office or a rehearsal space - the options are numerous. In other words if you’re looking for an additional usable space within your home or property, a garden room extension can be designed to suit your needs. So whether you need comfy sofas for evening relaxations, a sturdy office desk for work or large dining room table for dinners with family and friends, a garden room extension can be all that you need to achieve to your living space goals or just to add more value to your property.

Garden rooms extension has multiple alternatives such as a conservatory, garage conversion, loft conversion, extension and garden rooms. However, it has some great benefits over its alternatives. These benefits include, being very cost effective, hassle free, can be built within 5 to 9 days, rarely requires planning permission, does not require building regulations approval, includes a full professional installation and management without any need for subcontractors, modern and unique as well as being very versatile. Overall, if you’re looking to create an additional space in your home without having to break the bank, then garden room extensions may be your best bet.

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.

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 To Plasterboard A Wall

If you’re looking to plasterboard your wall, one of the essential things to have in mind is that the plasterboard must be hung horizontally and not vertically. Due to the way they’re manufactured, plasterboard sheets normally possess a “grain along the length. This implies that, it’s only when they’re firmly placed perpendicular against the wall that they’re able to achieve their maximum strength. Materials you’ll need to complete this task includes: Tape measure, stanley knife, pencil, spirit level, drill driver or screw gun, surform, drywall screws and handsaw. Now let’s have a look at the wall plasterboarding steps!

• To plasterboard a wall the first step to take is to place each board in such a way to make the edges the centre of the noggins and upright. Also, the the adjoining walls and door openings should fit closely to the edges.

• Work from the door opening to the ending wall. From the the stud’s edge to the noggin’s centre, use your tape measure to measure a cut board and as a rule to mark up.

• Place your spirit level on the marks and use the Stanley knife to run a line along the intended cut. Once done, turn the board on its edge and give a sharp push on the back to split.

• Cut the paper left with the knife after folding the split edge back on itself. This way, you should get a nice and clean edge.

• In its right position, place the board up against the studwork. Install the screws on the board’s edges where a noggin or upright can be seen.

• Mark lines down across the board at the stud’s centre.

• Cut the end boards to length.

• Install the remaining boards as mentioned above. While doing this, make sure the factory edges are together.

• Cut any board extending into an opening and finish the edges using a surform.

We’d recommend you hire the professional services of a plasterer for the best results especially if you lack the necessary training or experience. Plasterboarding a wall can be a tricky challenge and you’d save yourself some time, money and effort by getting it right on the first trial.

Rendering a house’s external walls is one of the cheapest and most effective ways by which a building can be made waterproof and also good looking. If you’re thinking about rendering your house, figuring out the cost of completion is usually one of the most important things you’ll have to consider before you proceed and if you don’t know where to start, finding an experienced tradesperson who possesses several years of experience as well as the ability to overcome the different issues that he may be faced with while on the project is paramount. If you’re able to get one, however, you should know that they rarely come cheap.

When trying to determine the accurate house rendering cost estimate , a tradesperson will put into consideration a great number of factors. Even at that, a rough estimate still requires both skills and expertise to be able to take into account all the necessary factors. In general, a typical 3 bedroom home in the UK will cost within the range of £4000 to about £5500 for a complete render job on the outside and covering from top to bottom.

Usually, the most important factor which play the biggest role when determining rendering costs is the area that’s going to be covered by the render mix. Professional contractors will provide a quote based on the rendering costs per square metre. Below are some rough estimates of rendering costs of properties depending on their size (without VAT).

✓ For a small mid terrace house of about 40 to 50 square metre, the total rendering cost estimate is £3000 to £4000.

✓ For a large mid terrace house of about 70 to 180 square metre, the total rendering cost estimate is £3000 to £5000.

✓ For a three bedroom detached house of about 100 to 160 square metre, the total rendering cost estimate is £4000 to £5500.

Most companies will make the building control application on your behalf and ensure that all the work is completed to the right standards. When a building inspector has inspected it, you’ll get a certificate. It usually takes around 6-8 weeks after completion to come.

There are many different types of extension. For example, you could install an orangery, flat or pitched roof extension, over-structure extension, single or double storey extension or a glass box extension. Which one of these is most suitable will depend on your existing property.