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Many types of loft are suitable for a loft conversion. In general, you will need at least 2.3 metres of headroom in your existing loft. This is to make sure there is enough headroom after the conversion. Speak to a conversion specialist about the probability and possibility of doing this in your house.

How To Repair A Pothole In Gravel Driveways

When the integrity of your gravel driveway is impaired not only does it have a negative impact on the curb appeal of your property, but also makes your driveway a danger zone. If your driveway needs to be repaired, you’d simply have to grab the bull by the horn and get it done - the sooner, the better to avoid the problem getting worse and to have your beautiful gravel driveway back as soon as possible.

The major cause of potholes in driveways is usually water, when it gets trapped beneath the surface of the driveway. Therefore, you may also want to enhance the drainage in the area as part of your repair. The repair process is quite simple for confident do-it-yourselfers, but if otherwise, then calling in a reliable professional will save you some time and extra money that can result from possible errors. So how do you repair gravel driveway potholes?

✓ Prepare the area. This involves removing all forms of debris from the pothole. To achieve this, you can rake, shovel or brush the loose stones, soil and other debris from the pothole.

✓ Fill the pot hole. Make use of a coarse gravel to fill up the pothole to a depth of about 3 inches beneath the driveway’s level. Upon the filling, simply tamp down the coarse gravel using a commercial tamper or any available homemade option. Once done, the final 3 inches to the surface of the gravel driveway should then be filled up with gravel which perfectly matches the colour and texture of the remaining driveway.

✓ Compact the patch. To achieve this in an easy and fast way, simply run your car’s wheel up and down over the repaired spot gently a couple of times. This will be enough to compact the patch and seal the pothole.

Have you decided to improve your property instead of moving? The common problem most homeowners face after deciding to embark on a home extension project is not knowing where to start. In this article we’ll walk you through everything you need to consider and put in place before commencement of your home extension project.

• Is the extension worth it?

Before breaking the bank, you must be sure that the project will add good value to your home. In terms of “value, this is not only limited to the financial gain after disposal of the property, but also several other juicy benefits to be derived from extending your home like an extra living space for the household to spread out and more.

• Do you need a planning permission?

Check with your local authority to determine whether or not you’ll require to submit an application. You can also consult a building expert like an architect for advice.

• What are the building regulation?

Even though planning permission can be dodged, you can not avoid building regulations. These regulations are the set national minimum standards for construction and design which you must comply with to ensure the safety of the individuals in and around it.

• Who will design the extension?

You have to decided whether you’ll hire a professional architect to design the extension or not.

• Who will manage the building work?

If your home extension project is designed and built by a professional company, they’ll be responsible for the management. However, if you decide to use an architect or designed it yourself, you’ll have to hire a main contractor to manage the build.

• How to set the budget?

There are so many factors that can affect the cost of an extension, so it’s better to get the costs from your builder before proceeding.

• Do I need yo inform my home insurance firm?

Absolutely! This is very important as the new extension may affect the rebuilding cost of your property which could have an impact on the policy premium.

• Do I need to inform my neighbours?

It’s very important to discuss your plan with your neighbours before applying for a planning permission and communicate about the concerns they might have.

Are you considering a dormer loft conversion for your home? If yes, then you’d probably want to know how much it costs. Unfortunately, due to the several variables and influencing factors, a precise answer can not be provided for all dormer loft conversions. In this article we’ll give you a vague idea of the general cost so you can set a more realistic budget and start planning.

There are three main types of loft conversion which includes the Velux, Dormer, and Mansard. Out of the three types, the dormer happens to be the most common type and possesses a small flat roofed extension with a window. The dormer loft conversion will usually cost within the range of £25,000 to £30,000.

The price for a smaller dormer loft conversion, mid range dormer loft conversion and large scale dormer loft conversion will be at £2,000 to £7,000, £10,000 to £30,000 and £40,000 to £60,000 respectively. However, you should take note that the prices given are all based on varying influencing factors such as the type of installation that is selected, the type of the rood, en suite conversion as well as other customization. Changes in price can be as a result of the materials required and the extra time per labour that’s needed to complete this home improvement project by the tradesmen employed.

Furthermore, a dormer loft conversion average cost will also depend on the type of dormer you opt for. Here is a list of the most common applications:

✓ Blind dormer loft conversion - £3,200 to £4,400

✓ Recessed dormer - £1,300 to £1,850

✓ Barrel roof dormer - £3,000 to £4,600

✓ Gable dormer - £5,500 to £7,500

✓ Hipped roof dormer - £5,600 to £6,660

✓ Pedimented dormer - £12,700 to £23,100

✓ Flat roof dormer loft conversion - £13,800 to £21,600

If you’re considering converting a barn or buying one, you shouldn’t need to worry about it being cold. This is because building regulations dictate that when you convert a barn, you need to insulate it to meet specific standards. However, it’s worth considering its heating system and ceiling heights carefully – some barn conversions are likely to take longer and be more expensive to heat up than others.

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.

Well, just like many other team work, a bricklayer is only as good as his supporting cast. And a hard-working labourer should be able to keep three bricklayer gangs happy. But even when he gets to serve just one bricklayer, the site conditions and nature of the wall can also play a huge role in determining the number of bricks that can be laid within 24 hours.

With the best possible site condition, hard-working labourer and best scenario with no pillars, no face brick, long straight wall and no wall ties, a well trained bricklayer should be able to lay within a range of 800 to 1100 bricks all day long. However, you rarely get walls like this as there is always going to be some corner or curve somewhere which usually takes some time to get right. Furthermore, once the bricklayer has laid up to 5 feet, there’ll be a need to get some lift. From that point onwards, the job understandably gets slower and tougher - meaning there’ll most definitely be a face brick.

In addition, there are multiple other factors that can affect the number of bricks that can be laid in a day. Sometimes its the complex designs or weather that’ll determine the daily rate.

With the aforementioned factors and more realistically, on a good day and great site, an expert bricklayer should be able to lay about 500 to 800 bricks in a day. This is generally a very good target, but of course you never can tell with the reasons above and other factors that are simply beyond the control of the bricklayer. If you have a project and want it completed as soon as possible, you can pay the bricklayers based on the number of bricks laid to increase their efficiency.

If you’re planning to acquire Sharps fitted wardrobes, one of the first few things that comes to mind is the cost to make such an acquisition. Generally, prices of these items can vary significantly. However, you should note that the more affordable end of the spectrum is most likely going to be around £750 to £900 per lineal metre, while mid range Sharps fitted wardrobes are usually within the range of £1400 to about £1600 per lineal metre. And finally, the high end customized Sharps fitted wardrobe are possibly going to be within the range of £3000 to £3500 per lineal metre.

The price of the Sharps fitted wardrobes is mainly determined by the fitted wardrobe solution your opt for. So let’s look at the estimated price range of Sharps fitted wardrobes depending on the styles you want for your home or property.

✓ There are the stylish, mordern sliding doors Sharps fitted wardron=be with mirrors that’ll make your room feel a lot bigger. If the type you opt for possesses three sections, then you’ll should expect to pay a price within the range of £2800 to about £3600 to have it fitted depending on the size of the room as well as the chosen finishes.

✓ Handcrafted, bespoke fitted bedroom wardrobe. This will cost about £2500 to £2900 with simple design details but the price can increase with ornate features like mouldings etc.

✓ Large bedroom 3m 80ccm three sections six door. This normally features finishes on both the interior and exterior as well as hanging space for clothes. It’s usually around £4900 or more.

✓ Simple two section closet. The price of this fitted wardrobe is usually within the range of £3200 to about £3500, but it could also be more depending on the design details you wish to implement.