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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.

There are a huge range of worktops on the market. In terms of material, worktops can be laminate, wood, natural stone (granite etc.) or metal. Worktops are available in a massive variety of styles and colours, to suit any style of interior decoration.

What Is A Bifold Door?

Right from time the conventional choice incorporated in closing large doorways have always been French doors or sliding doors. However, with the advent of bifold doors design, there has been a great alternative which can go a long way to increase the value, visual appeal as well as space-saving functionality of a home or property. Due to the fact that these design is relatively new to the market when compared to its counterparts, the benefits are not yet defined. However being a popular option it’s definitely worth knowing a bit more of the pros and cons of installing bifold doors. Let’s have a look!

How do bifold doors work? They simply work based on a concertina principle, folding back hinged frames and glass panels into a compact storage area which appears to be a bit small in a room’s corner but opens up an entire doorway. And unlike their counterparts - the French doors or standard hinged doors, bifold doors feature panels that are hinged together and inserted on the runners in the floor as well as the upper lintel or doorway’s beam. As you open the door, the door’s panel slide and fold concurrently without limiting the doorway’s size in any way.

It may also incorporate what is called the “traffic door. The traffic door simply refers to the conventional swinging door which can serve as one of the bifold door’s components. This goes a long way to enhance the functionality of the bifold door by creating a standard door within its arrangement. What’s more? It adds convenience to the bifold door’s design in such a way that only a single panel will have to be opened to gain a quick access anytime its required without having to fold back all panels each time the door is put to use.

One of the major challenges faced by double gates is wind as this is always blowing over the gates and slamming them together anytime it passes by. So how do you tackle this? Since you can do only so little about the wind, the only option you have is to enforce or secure your double gates. This is quite simple if you have the adequate knowledge and skills, if not, we’d strongly recommend calling in a professional who can guarantee the best results the first time. In this post, we’re going to take your through the processes involved in securing a double gate to ensure your project turns out a success. Let’s take a look!

1. Hammer a pipe into the ground. Since this isn’t a heavy construction work, you need not worry about water finding its way into your basement. To do this, simply open the gate and stretch it to determine how far it can go. Once done, proceed to mark the place right below the gate’s edge. This is the spot where you will hammer in the metal pipe.
2. Install the lower bracket. With the pipe in place, the next thing is to have the lower bracket installed. Start by drilling some pilot holes if necessary, then screw the nails right into the wooden gate via the bracket’s holes.
3. Take measurements for the top bracket using the cane bolt. Once done with the lower bracket installation, you’ll have to bring out the cane bolt and attach it to the gate to give you an idea of where to place the top bracket - mark the spot using a pencil.
4. Install the top bracket. Start by removing the cane bolt and install the top bracket just as you’ve done with the lower bracket.
5. Install the cane bolt through both brackets.

Asides from the fact that solar energy can be converted into electricity with the help of solar panels, there’s also another pretty cool way the sun’s power can be harnessed - solar thermal technologies. These technologies are able to convert sunlight into heat rather than power and these are in fact the very first solar energy products that were commercialized in the United Kingdom. Solar thermal panels, in a similar way to solar PVs, can help in minimizing your carbon footprint while also assisting you to save good money on your energy bills by providing the much needed coverage for your heating needs with the help of a renewable energy source that’s totally free.

Solar thermal panels provides some great benefits which is capable of making all homeowners in the UK consider installing one in their respective homes. Let’s take a closer look at these benefits.

✓ When compared to solar PV panels, they’re a more affordable heating option and also have a shorter payback period.

✓ Solar thermal panels are more efficient than PV panels due to the fact that the heat waves are able to hold more energy than sunlight and also because there’s no electricity transformation process.

✓ Solar thermal panels are able to operate in cold climates, strong wind as well as overcast weather, and make use of an energy storage system.

✓ They can help you save about 600kg of carbon dioxide emissions on an annual basis.

✓ Although most of the solar thermal panel systems come with a warranty usually within the range of 5 to 10 years, they’re able to last up to 25 years. What’s more? The require just a little maintenance, meaning the main cost you’d have to worry about is the cost of installation.

Given the poor reputation of wireless alarm systems over time for being largely unreliable, it’s no surprise many potential investors are curious to know how wise a wireless alarm system purchase decision is. The main issue with the older models is the fact that they possess an inadequate monitoring capabilities as well as receiving range which makes it hard to detect signals of intrusion or potential failures. Hence, this makes the older wireless models totally unreliable.

However, the immense improvement in the wireless technology has ultimately made the newer versions a lot more reliable. Although, in rare cases, they might be affected by some interferences which can result in the malfunctioning of the sensors. Overall, with proper care and maintenance, wireless alarms can be just as reliable as the wired alarms.

Here are some of the advantages of using wireless alarms:

• Due to the little amount of wirings incorporated, a wireless system is significantly neater than the wired system.

• They are very easier to install and consumes little time

• Wireless alarm systems are highly flexible. To expand your system, you can include door or window sensors and motion sensors.

• The system’s security options enables the connection of smart devices to your alarm via a network connection. As a result, you can easily activate or deactivate your alarm and get alarm notifications via your Smartphone.

• They are very portable. This implies you can always carry your alarm with you if you ever decide to relocate.

• You get to benefit from systems with a key fob and other wireless-enabled features.

• Wireless alarms are user-friendly, making it very easy and quick to install and set up.

With the above mentioned points, you can be rest assured that a wireless alarm is now more secured than ever and a good option if you wish to install a home security system.

A barn conversion can be a great investment for lots of reasons. When done well, barn conversions can be great at holding their value, meaning you could sell yours for a great price. They can also look fantastic, often with period features coupled with large areas of glazing. This can make them a great place to live, especially if you enjoy being in the countryside.

However, barn conversions do have their disadvantages. They may require extensive renovation work to bring their energy efficiency levels up to standard, which can be very expensive. It’s also important to be aware of their location – they might be on a working farm or close to several other converted buildings.

It’s essential to get a survey conducted before you buy a barn you plan to convert. This can tell you about any structural problems it might have and give you an indication of whether you might be able to get permission to convert it. You can also buy barns with planning permission already in place.

How much a flat roof costs to repair depends on a few factors. Is your flat roof on a garage or an extension? What is the flat roof made from? It’s always best to get a few quotes to compare prices, but we’ll give you a rough idea here. If your flat roof was installed in the 1990s or earlier, it’s likely that you’ll see some leaks or damage soon. Felt flat roofs used to be installed completely flat, which meant that water couldn’t run off. That means that water pools and can create moss and damp. Sun exposure can also damage the felt, causing damage and eventually holes that lead to leaks. If you’re lucky enough to have got away with just needing a flat roof repair, this should set you back an average of £100 per square metre. If your roof is sagging due to the weight of it putting pressure on the timber frame, you might need additional joists – which could cost anywhere between £1,000 and £2,000, depending on how many you need. But if the problem is due to the internal part of the roof system becoming waterlogged, you could be looking at over £5,000. If your roof is severely leaking or the timber joists are rotting, it might be more cost effective to replace your flat roof. If you keep forking out for repairs, it will eventually be cheaper just to replace the whole thing, which could cost around £2,000.