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Rendering of a house is one of those projects that can greatly improve the visual appeal of your home, enhance it’s energy efficiency, protect the brickwork from the elements and ultimately, add value to your home. Generally, the cost of rendering a house normally costs within the range of £25 to £70 per metre square, while the average cost house rendering costs stands at about £40 per square metre. Therefore, a 3 bedroom semi detached house will cost within the range of £4000 to about £5000.

The total cost of rendering a house is determined by a wide range of factors. These factors includes the following:

✓ Type of the rendering. There are three main types of rendering which includes sand and cement rendering, monocouche rendering as well as acrylic or silicone rendering. However, re-rendering applies to sand and cement sooner and it’ll also have to be painted every 3 to 6 years. Consequently, longer term cost can be higher when compared to the other types.

✓ Ease of access. Where your contractor will have to work around obstacles like shrubs or conservatory, this can make the cost a bit higher as it’ll take longer time to complete.

✓ Prep work. If the contractor needs to fill some cracks or perhaps an old mortar requires tuck pointing before rendering can be started, this will also affect the cost.

✓ Scaffolding. In the event whereby the job requires the use of scaffolding and you’ll have to hire one as a different cost, then the price will be higher.

✓ Your location. Due to the high standards of living and higher demands in areas like London or the Southeast, prices in these regions are usually higher than that of the other regions like Midlands and North.

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.

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.

It depends on the style and size of the conversion, but in general, a loft conversion will take between 1-2 months. A loft conversion is a substantial building project, and plans will need to be drawn up. This may add to the time it takes to complete your loft conversion.

Are you considering converting your garage into a more usable space in your home? If yes, then you’d probably want to know if you’ll require building regs before converting the garage. The answer to this question is yes. Although you may not require planning approval to convert your garage into a more usable space, but you’d usually need approval under the Building Regulations.

When re-structuring your garage into a habitable space, the following should be taken into consideration: structural alterations, ventilation, moisture proofing, insulation, fireproofing, escape routes as well as the submission of a building building notice or full plan application to the local council in order to inform them about the planned project.

• Walls

You’ll require an approval if you plan to infill the garage door with a window and a new wall. This is because the garage may have been built of a shallow slab which implies that a new foundation would be needed for the new wall construction.

• Floor

Even though there’s a high possibility that the garage floor is strong enough for domestic use since its designed to withstand the weight of vehicles, you may however need to upgrade to make sure it suitable for both thermal insulation and damp proofing. In addition, there may also be the need to to alter the floor level in such a way that it matches that of the remaining parts of the house.

• Ventilation

According to the Building Regulations requirements, there’s a need for adequate ventilation for each individual rooms which includes garage conversions for general health purposes. What’s going to determine the ventilation level that’ll be required is the frequency at which the room is used. Ventilation can be provided through purge or simply opening the window or via trickle ventilation.

External Wall Insulation (EWI) is the act of insulating a home by fitting insulation to the exterior parts of the building which in turn improves thermal performance, cuts energy consumption ( savings on energy bill) and also adds to the home’s visual appeal. The systems are built in multiple layers, with the insulation board offering a plethora of options with each being suitable to varying projects and their needs. Installing an external wall insulation comes with a variety of benefits, let’s have a look!

• Thermal Performance Improvement

With EWI, the thermal inertia of the walls are greatly enhanced while also restricting the loss of heat. Ultimately, this lowers heating costs, enhances the comfort of indoor thermal and also reduces CO2 pollution.

• Eliminates Noise Pollution

When the noise levels are high, it can have a bad impact on our overall well being. A great way to reduce the disturbances from the outside like traffic noise is by fitting an External Wall Installation system.

• More Comfortable Living Space

Do you know the damp in homes can contribute to respiratory problems? A properly insulated home will greatly limit the impact of condensation by combating the damp issues. As a result, you can always expect your house to be cosy and comfy irrespective of the season. A cooler summer and warmer spring is guaranteed with EWI.

• Enhances The Property’s Visual Appeal

Looking for an excuse to rejuvenate your home’s aesthetic appeal? Well, you can as well try out adding an EWI system. There are a plethora of unique colours and styles you can pick from to beautify your home effortlessly.

• Adds Value To Property

An insulated home will generally cost more than an uninsulated one at the time of resale. Potential home buyers are more interested in the acquisition of a home with an EWI system due to its various benefits - and a higher demand can only imply a higher price!

Presenting with its unique sets of components, the price for every house renovation project varies considerably. Though giving a proper price for the house renovation is not possible, you can generally expect to pay anything between £40,000 and £75,000 for renovating a three-bedroom house.

You must list out all the changes needed since renovation comes with several potential costs. This makes it easier for you to calculate the renovation costs and start planning your budget accordingly.

Let us take a look at some of the crucial factors that affect the cost of renovating a house

• Property size

• Property’s condition and age

• Complexity oof the job

• Structural work

• Building extension work

• The quality of materials, fixtures and finishing

• Decoration

• Location

When it comes to renovating a three-bedroom house, the average cost is around £ 57,000. A new gas supply will cost you around £1,500, depending on the route of the supply. There may other additional costs involved if you are looking to do any work to extend the gas supply line.

The cost of rewiring a house is in the region of £5,750. That price will also be dependent on the complexity of the electrical systems in your house and the size. If you are looking at installing a new set of windows, it can cost you up to £6,000, with the average cost being about £4,250. Replastering walls will add another £2500 to the total budget. A new kitchen will set you back around £7,000, on average including the cost of design, materials and installation. Most renovations will need a new bathroom. Installing a new bathroom will cost you around £4,250.

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.