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How To Convert Your Loft Into A Room

The loft is the space on top of a home that’s most often ignored by home owners due to having to consider the space’s configuration, the lighting as well as energy efficiency. However, when successfully converted into a room, it can serve several purposes which would even add more value to your property. So how can you convert your loft into a room? Let’s have a look.

• Take Into Account The Size Of Your Loft

The size of your loft is a major determinant of the type of room it can be converted into. A small-sized loft there’s a chance it can still be converted into an extra bathroom or home office while bigger lofts can be converted into an additional bedroom. The minimum head height is 2.3m, if your loft is lower than this, you’d have to get a planning permission to detach some parts of the room for extension.

• Include A Skylight

When a loft is poorly designed, the room become dark, shady and airless. Adding a skylight to your loft will let in fresh air, deliver better ventilation and more light.

• Insulate Your Loft

Loft insulation will not only prevent heat from escaping through the roof, but also lead to an improved energy efficiency which ultimately helps you save up on your heating bills.

• Use Modern Colourization

When you use bright, neutral and modern colours to paint your loft, you’re adding that elegant look to the space. As a result, the loft looks a lot more attractive and comfortable by the time you’re done with the conversion.

The conversion of your loft into a room can be a very tedious task if you wish to do it by yourself. We’d recommend you employ a seasoned professional for help in order to ensure the best results and also to avoid making costly mistakes.

Double glazed windows are better than single glazed generally because they are more energy efficient. The clue’s in the name – double glazed windows have two panes of glass while single glazed windows only have one. In double glazed windows, there is a space between the two glass panes. This space is filled with inert gas or a tight vacuum, which helps to provide an extra level of insulation. That means that heat won’t escape your home easily, nor will it creep in, so you can keep your home at a more comfortable temperature.

The extra pane of glass also helps to increase your home’s security. Single glazing is pretty easy to smash through, whereas it will take much more effort to smash double glazing and will create more noise, so burglars might be put off.

Another reason why double glazed windows are better than single glazed ones is that they help to reduce noise. Of course, if you live by a busy road you’ll still hear some traffic noise, but it can be significantly reduced buy double glazing. In the same way that the inert gas in the middle of the two panes keeps heat in and the cold out, it also helps keep noise out.

With double glazing, you’ll also notice much less condensation. With single glazing, it’s common to see condensation on the inside of the windows, especially when the heating is on. This is because the outside of the window is cold, but the inside is warm. With double glazing, the insulation between the two panes stops there being such a difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the window.

The type of camera that will be most effective will vary depending on the space you would like to monitor as well as the specific location. Professional CCTV installation companies can carry out a survey of your property and identify the key areas to monitor.

Can A Handyman Repair A Roof?

Are you facing some roof repair needs and wondering if a handyman can provide the solution? When it comes to roof repair, there’s a need to get a reputable roofing company to help with your roof repair needs as your home’s integrity is paramount. If the right repair is not received, an expensive mistake can be made leaving your home or property in worse conditions. A handyman is not known to have sophisticated tools but simple ones which will have them working extremely hard to achieve the same result a trustworthy roofing company can achieve at a faster pace and more expertise.

It’s however worth noting that a handyman should be able to effectively and efficiently tackle small repairs on your roof. This is because this kind of repairs rarely involves fancy or sophisticated tools. Therefore, there’s a good chance the selected handyman will have necessary tools at his disposal. So whenever a handyman comes over to your house for a project, you can easily ask him or her whether or not they can work on your roof or probably take a look at the roof issue to determine. If it’s a relatively small repair need, it should take the handyman long to diagnose and may even be able to fix the same day.

On the hand hand, for a large repair on your roof, a handyman is suitable as these repairs require a unique toolset as well as skillset which is very rare for a handyman to possess. This is not to say they’re not good enough, but they may just prefer to specialize in other things. Therefore, when it comes to large repairs, it’s in your best interest to get in touch with a professional roofing company who has the experience, skills and tools to handle all roof repair needs.

This is one of most common and discussed dampness found in building. In recent times, condensation is the most common form of dampness, however positive identification and the right corrective action for both is vital. Rising damp is simply referred to as the flow of water upwards and vertically through permeable wall structure, the water being gotten from the ground. The moisture rises via the capillaries or pores in the masonry, meaning that the masonry functions just like a wick. With rising damp, water rises through the mortar beds and through the bricks. The mortar forms the only continuous pathway for the moisture to rise up the wall. Even if a house is built from impervious bricks then moisture can still rise through the mortar beds, however if an impervious brick is incorporated then water will not rise even if the bricks happens to be quite porous. In other words, mortar beds are an integral element in the chemical treatment for rising damp.

The moisture coming from the ground features small quantity of soluble salt which includes nitrates, chlorides as well as sulphates. These are transmitted with the water up the wall and are deposited and left behind when the moisture evaporation when drying. After some time, the salts will slowly accumulate and form a salt band close to the peak height of the rising damp. Chlorides and sulphates absorb water from the environment. Overall, the higher the quantity of salts, the greater the absorption of moisture from the environment and even more so when under humid conditions. In other words, even if rising dampness has been controlled by the installation of damp proof course, these salts can still make the wall and any affected decorations to remain damp.

How Much Do Painters And Decorators Charge?

If you’re thinking about painting your home or property, then one of the first things that crosses the mind is the amount charged by painter or decorators to carry out the project. However just like any other home improvement projects and as with most tradesmen, the amount charged by a painter and decorator largely varies from job to job depending on a plethora of factors. These factors include your location, the urgency at which you need the job done and whether or not a specialist equipment would be required.

For painters and decorators, one of the biggest influencing factors that determines the price to be charged is the size of the room. For instance, if you have a large room to be painted, it’s definitely going to cost you more than a smaller room. And same applies to multiple rooms when compared to single room. In other words, to get a more accurate cost estimate from your tradesman, you’ll need to have a good idea of the size of your room or rooms. So let’s take a closer look!

✓ Painting a mid-sized room. The question here is, how do you know if your room is medium sized? The room will have a size of about 3.5m by 5m or a room that can conveniently allow up to 6 to 8 people. The price range is between £240 to £410.

✓ Wallpapering a mid-sized room. This uses the logic as painting a mid-sized room but the price can differ due to difference in materials used. The price range here is between £204 to £420.

✓ Painting a large ceiling. Painting a ceiling is very similar to painting a wall but its not as straightforward and will consume more time. The price ranges from £286 to £5476.

How To Repair Roof Leak

Asphalt shingles are the most popular roofing material options for most UK homes in recent times. Thanks to them, roof repair is now all about identifying the leak and sealing it the right way. If you’re a competent DIYer and confident enough to pull this off, then this should be done within a short period of time and saving you money as well. However, if you don’t have the confidence to pull this off, then calling on a professional roofer who can guarantee the best results will be your best bet. In this article, we’ll consider four simple steps you can take to repair an asphalt shingles roof.

✓ Locate the spot of the roof leak. Roof leaks are mostly made evident by water stains on the ceiling. Simply note the spot of this water stain, grab a good pair of binoculars, then go outside to identify the location of the roof leak. Search the area for any curls, cracks, missing shingles or anything that looks odd. Leaks can also occur at any spot where caulking and flashing have been affected or compromised.

✓ Secure curled shingles. To do this, simply brush on a generous amount of asphalt roofing cement to the underside of the shingle and press firmly to set.

✓ Replace damaged or missing shingles. In the event whereby the shingles are cracked, rotten or missing, your best bet would be to have them replaced. Simply remove the damaged shingle then slide in the new one under the one above and align it with those on either side. Once done, you can then secure it with 6d galvanized roofing nails at each corner. After completion, make sure you cover the nail heads with roof cements.

✓ Fix flashing. To do this, simply reseal joints with the help of a caulk gun loaded with roofing cement.

Are you interested in opening up the back of your home during the summer months? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a cool way to beautify your home and add more value to it. Patio doors offer you a great means to achieve your goals and even more so, with a plethora of styles you can choose from. So if you’ve decided to to install patio doors in your home, you’d probably also want to know exactly how much they cost so you can set a budget and start planning.

Generally, depending on the type of patio doors you wish to have installed, be it bifold, French or sliding doors, the price can vary within the range of £400 to £5,000.

There are a number of influencing factors that can play a huge role in the determination of the total cost of patio doors when looking to have them installed. These factors include: the type of patio door, choice of material, size of the door as well as double or triple gazing.

Based on the type of patio door, the cost of various patio door styles are given below:

• Bifold Patio Doors

The cost of bifold doors is usually affected by the material as well as number of panels to be used. The potential cost is usually within the range of £1,200 to £3,000 upwards.

• French Patio Doors

French patio doors when installed with aluminium frames are often very expensive. They’re mostly used with uPVC at the new build homes’ rear in the UK. The potential cost is usually within the range of £800 to £3,000.

• Sliding Patio Doors

These are usually made from aluminium, wood or uPVC. With wood being mostly used for internal doors. The potential cost is usually within the range of £700 to £3,000.