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Whether a basement is worth converting depends on your location and how much work it requires.

A basement conversion can be a great way to add space to your home, and can raise your property value. However, it can also be one of the most expensive ways to do this, so if there’s a possibility to extend your property, or convert a loft or garage, it’s worth considering this first.

You should also compare how much your basement conversion will cost with the amount it could raise your property value by. In some areas, a quality basement conversion could earn you money in the long run, but in others it’ll only cost you. If you’re planning on staying in your property for a long time this might not matter to you, but if it’s not your forever home then it’s an important thing to think about.

Rendering is an external wall’s plastered finish which provides a smooth finish while also protecting the brickwork from the elements like rain, snow and the likes. The traditional rendering is normally applied in two or three coats which enables it to be more resistant to surface cracks. In modern times, the finishes are largely different from the grey pebble dash of post war housing. Today, we now have a plethora of specialist products to pick from such as through-coloured silicone renders as well as one coat renders. The types of renders include the following:

✓ Cement renders. These are the common option that are usually mixed on site and used in a number of applications, then painted when dried. There’s a need to paint this type of render regularly to keep them looking great.

✓ Polymer renders. These are pre mixed and mostly pre coloured (usually with through colouring).

✓ Through-coloured products. These rendered do not need to be painted as the pigment is already added in the manufacturing process to colour the whole render.

✓ Lime renders. These are superior to cement as they’re less likely to trap moisture in the brickwork and also more good looking. However, they’re generally more costly and more difficult to apply.

Overall, rendering on a house provides several benefits. Not only is it able to protect your brickwork against the elements like the rain and wind, but it can also make the building more efficient. Being fully aware that about 30 percent of the energy used in heating a home is lost via the external walls, making use of a product such as acrylic insulated render is a smart approach to improve your home’s energy efficiency without affecting your interior living space.

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 ours so that you can find quality tradespeople and see genuine reviews from previous customers. Not all online review sites can be trusted to display real reviews.

A lot of an uninsulated property’s heat is lost through the roof and that’s even more alarming, when you realize this figure is up to a quarter of the total heat of the house. Hence, the tremendous importance of preventing this heat loss through loft insulation which will go a long way to help you against spending unnecessary thousands of pounds on heating bill as well as energy loss.

Loft insulation is an effective method to achieve the desired result, however the question is, how exactly does it work? Well, it’s time to find out!

Using either a fireplace or central heating to heat up your home, a large quantity of that heat would be lost through the roof of your home. Generally, heat rises and when it does, there’s simply no way to prevent it - it’s just science. Escaping by both the conduction and convection methods via your roof, the heat escaping through your ceiling, into the loft space and out into the open air outside can only be significantly reduced by laying loft insulation.

Generally, the added layer of insulation works by trapping the heat inside the room below the loft so as to enable the air within your house to stay warmer for longer. What’s more? The layer of insulation also keeps cold air from the outside from entering your home. As a result, you don’t have to heat your home as much in order to achieve the same temperature for each individual room. Over time, just by doing this you can potentially save hundreds pounds. Getting it installed in your home may actually seem a bit expensive at first, but it’s something that’ll eventually pay off.

The best way to go about converting a basement depends on its current condition and what you’d like to use it for.

If you’re happy with its size and structure, and just want to turn it into useful storage space, then your project shouldn’t be too complicated. You’ll simply need to make sure it’s damp proof and waterproof – either by fitting tanking or a cavity drain membrane with a sump and pump. You may also need to invest in new flooring, fit basic lighting, and plaster and paint the walls and ceiling.

If you’d like to turn your basement into living space, then you’ll need to think about ventilation, insulation and heating. If this involves creating a kitchen or bathroom, you’ll also need to incorporate plumbing.

If you want to extend your basement, add lightwells, or fit windows and a sunken garden, this makes things much more complicated. You’ll probably want to hire an architect or basement conversion building specialist to help you with the design and planning, and you’ll need a structural engineer to help you ensure your property is sufficiently supported.

When it comes to extending a home, the rear of the house often comes to mind a lot more than the front. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t extend the front of your house. This can be done either as part of a renovation project whereby the entire house is incorporated or it can also be done in isolation. It’s possible to extend the front of your house without the need to apply for a planning permission, however, there are a bunch of limitations you’d have to comply with if you wish to carry out with such a project. Sometimes, this may imply that extending to the front of your home is more tedious and tasking than extending your home’s rear. So exactly how far can you extend the front of your home without planning permission?

The short and simple answer to this question is 2 metres square area with a height not more than 3 metres. Generally, you do not need a planning permission to build a front porch as long as its area doesn’t go beyond 2 square metres from a public road or walkway. Also, a tiled or slated roof can be as much as 4 metres but other roofs must not go beyond 3 metres in height. If you want to extend the front of your home beyond the restrictions specified, then you’ll have to apply for a planning permission.

Extending the front of home can be quite costly, but this can be controlled by not building to the extension to the highest specification, not including an extension on kitchens or bathrooms and more.

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.

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.