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How Much To Board A Loft?

If you stay in a building where the space meant for storing stuffs is not sufficient, boarding your loft may be just the perfect solution for you. In several homes, the space is already present, and all you have to do is to make it more usable by boarding it out. This is unarguably one of the easiest and quickest ways to create storage space in your home.

Boarding a loft comes with a number of special benefits which includes:

• Assisting to declutter our living spaces and makes for a more spacious home.

• Creating a usable space whereby all seasonal items can be stored.

• Assisting to reduce heating bills as it prevents the loss of heat. When your loft is well boarded and insulated, it’ll help trap heat and prevent it from escaping via the roof.

• Adding to your home’s value by making your attic a very useful space for storing items.

• Helping to create a quiet space which can used for relaxation or getaway purposes and of course, this will require a bit more structural work.

So now that you’ve learnt a few of the benefits associated with boarding a loft, how much will it cost to have one made? This depends on an array of factors which includes the size of the space needed, the type of materials and labour cost.

Overall, a standard semi detached building will feature a lot of space of about 40 sqm to 50 sqm in size. There’ll be a need to add to the height of the floor joists before installing the chipboard decking boards. This job size should cost within the range of £1,000 to £1,500. It’ll require just a two-person team that are fully equipped and well versed about the processes.

How Much Is Plasterboard?

Do you wish to install plasterboard in the nearest future? If yes, then you’d probably want to know the amount it’s going to cost. Here, we’ll give you a detailed plasterboarding prices breakdown to help you calculate an estimate for your project.

A plasterboarding project including the cost of both materials and labour with the use of a high quality panels is about £4 to £5 per panel. Therefore, if you wish to calculate on the basis of a standard room about 12x12ft would cost about £500 to £600. However, this price can fluctuate significantly depending on the professional as well as the quality of the materials you wish to incorporate in completing the project. We’d recommend that you hire the services of a professional with accreditation as he would provide you with a detailed quote with no hidden charges or costs. To give you a clearer idea, we’ve taken the time out to put together some estimated costs of employing the services of a seasoned professional plasterer to supply and plasterboard your home or office. Let’s take a look!

• A 6 x 12ft room with panels and plasterboard should have an average cost within the range of £250 to £400 and duration of one to two days.

• The individual cost of plasterboarding or drywalling a standard 12 x 12ft room should have an average cost within the range of £500 to £600 and duration of one to three days. These includes 60% for materials used (£330), 30% for tradespersons (£165) and the remaining 10% for waste removal (£55) to give a total cost of £550.

• A 12 x 24ft room with panels and plasterboard should have an average cost within the range of £1000 to £1200 and duration of three to six days.

Are you about to start a new construction job when it’s a heavily rainy period? Or perhaps you’re just interested in knowing how bricklayers work. Well regardless of your purpose, one thing you should know is laying of bricks has a few rules and one of them is not to lay a brick wall when its raining. This is mainly because your structure’s quality and integrity would be heavily compromised if water comes in contact with the mortar before it gets the time to dry. However, with the help of a concrete protective tent, you can prevent water from coming in contact and damaging the mortar. So let’s look at the procedures to follow to work in the rain!

lDetermine The Concrete Protective Tents Required

• Concrete protective tents come in various sizes so you have to know what’s required to get the job done.

• Firstly, calculate the amount of space required to lay the brick wall

• Then, incorporate the appropriate size and number of tents.

lSet Up The Tents

• Follow the manufacturer’s instruction to set up the tents

• Once installed, the tent should extend past the location for the bricklaying and slope downwards.

l Access The Area

• Inspect the location during rainfall to ensure water is not sneaking through.

lBuild a Lumber Frame

• Use 2 to 4 pieces of lumber to build a frame.

• Set it into the ground depending on the size of your wall

lApply Concrete or Mortar

• Fill up the frame with either concrete or mortar.

• Follow the manufacturer’s instruction to allow the mixture to cure.

lPrepare the Brick Wall’s Mortar

• Mix the mortar for the brick wall construction

• Follow the manufacturer’s instruction for the process.

When you’re done laying the bricks, you can remove the protective tents once you’re certain the rain has stopped. Exposure to sun and air will speed up the curing process, which is quite important to protect the integrity of your structure.

If you’re planning to construct a kitchen extension on your property, one of the first things that comes to mind is whether or not you’ll require a planning permission before you proceed. Generally, kitchen extensions are normally classified as permitted development which allows you to carry out your project without any interruptions from the law or your local authority. In other words, if your extension is meets up with the guidelines of the permitted development rights, you won’t have to apply for a planning permission. However if otherwise, you’ll have to apply for a planning permission to your local council and may require additional reports. And regardless of your position, you’ll always need building regulations approval before you can carry out any kitchen extension project. It may also be required that you’ll have to issue a part wall notice if you’re to build on or close to the boundary with a neighbour.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle and stress involved in applying for a planning permission with your local council, then you must ensure the following:

✓ Your kitchen extension must not be over half of the area of land around your main house.

✓ The kitchen extension must not be side elevation onto a highway or forward of the principal elevation.

✓ The extension must not be taller than the highest part of the roof.

✓ The height of your kitchen extension must not go beyond four metres.

✓ Kitchen extension that’s more than one storey must not go exceed the rear wall of the main house by more than three metres.

✓ Two storey kitchen extensions must not be closer to rear boundary by anything less than seven metres.

✓ The kitchen extension must not include balconies, verandas or any raised platforms.

Have you been advised by a structural engineer or a surveyor that your building needs to be underpinned? Well, this might just have you wondering what underpinning really is and how long it lasts. In this post, we’re going to tell you more about underpinning to help you make the best-informed decision possible moving forward. Let’s take a look!

Basically, underpinning refers to the incorporation of one of various methods to reinforce or repair the old foundations of a building or structure mostly to remedy or avoid subsidence. Now, subsidence can be caused as a result of poor soil quality, increase in the load on the foundation like adding a new storey, excavations below the building as well as inadequate foundation which is more common in older buildings. When an underpinning remedial work is carried out, there are a plethora of benefits that comes with it. It’s preserves the structural integrity of your building by strengthening it, make it a lot more attractive, increases the property’s value and makes it a lot safer for both you and your loved ones. So how long does underpinning last?

Well, many underpinning contractors will offer you a 10-year guarantee of its underpinning solutions for defects. Primarily, there are two reasons why underpinning can fail which is poor installation and fresh issues arising or unforeseen circumstances. While the first is an issue that can be avoided by employing the services of an expert contractor who possesses vast experience and knowledge in the field, the second can not be avoided. However, in the absence of the unforeseen issues, underpinning is expected to last for the natural life of the building, so far it has been expertly installed.

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.

Laying of bricks is a skilful trade which requires the bricklayer to fully understand the process involved in the required building material preparation necessary to construct a foundation as well as to mix the concrete or mortar. As a tradesperson, you also need to fully comprehend how to make use of various materials and master the art of shaping, polishing and cutting it. A typical bricklaying endeavour is expected to include different activities such as preparation of the surface, assembly, installation, reinforcement as well as repair.

As a result, every aspect of the job demands an in depth and extensive knowledge, skills and also experience. To get started in this career path, you can also consider getting a bricklaying license as this will stand you out from the lots from your customer’s point of view. However, to obtain a bricklaying license, you’ll need to have some qualifications which includes an industry experience in the field as well as a trade certificate. These formal and nationally recognized qualifications can be gotten through the Recognition of Prior Learning.

It must, however, be said that several states will require either a building practitioner registration or a bricklaying license to enable you practice as a professional bricklayer in order to ensure that the national standards for quality is always met. In other states, a bricklayer must meet some certain registration requirements or possess concrete licenses. Some will necessitate that you register as a building practitioner to take on certain projects but only to a particular level.

Overall, a bricklaying license will help you meet the building commission’s requirements so as to avoid stern punishments like fines and sanctions. It also allows you to sign legal contracts and agreements, market your services and lots more to steer ahead of competition in the industry.

Over the years, garden rooms have gradually become a popular choice amongst homeowners as a cost effective way of expanding living space within a home or property. A garden room is basically a living space and a type of pavilion building made from wood that’s well insulated, double glazed as well as electrically wired. It’s however a building which is subsidiary to the main one, built with the purpose of creating an extra functional space within the property. These garden outbuildings are very functional and can be used as a garden studio, office, salon and much more. They can also be incorporated for recreational purposes for evening relaxations, family and friends get-together, lounge or even spa. Other possible uses of a garden room include gyms, pool houses, playrooms, dens, home cinemas and game rooms.

Garden rooms are functional living spaces that are usable throughout the year. And with the rate at which their popularity is growing, you’ll find some companies offering cheap and low quality alternatives featuring shed like construction and felt roof. Garden rooms, on the other hand, are a valuable investment with superior designs and top notch build. They’re constructed in a very similar way to houses with timber frames. Furthermore, they are fully insulated and can also include the normal building solutions such as heating and running water, electricity and many more depending on the requirements of the home or property owner. With the durability of garden rooms being a major objective, they’re typically clad in natural solid timber like Cedar, Larch or Acacia. Materials such as EPDM rubber or cedar shingles are normally used for the roof covering. What’s more? They usually have large expanses of glazing and glazed doors fitted.