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Are you interested in extending your home to create more living space? If yes, then you’d probably want to know how much value it can add to your property in order to compare the building costs to the potential value gain. Well, as long as you know what you’re doing, your house doesn’t necessarily have to be a money pit. So what are your options when talking about home extensions and what’s the associated value to be gained?

• Bathroom Extensions

Although you should have it in mind that bathroom extensions isn’t usually that cheap, but once done, it can increase the value of a standard UK house within the range of £12,000 to £15,000. Meanwhile the finishing cost of a bathroom can range from £2,500 to £7,000.

• Single or Double Storey Extensions

Single storey extensions are always huge when it comes to increasing the value of your home - giving about 4 to 7 percent increase. If it goes that far, then literally nothing beats a full spectrum, double storey extension which can give up to 11 percent increase in the value of a property - equalling about a whooping £33,000 for a standard home in the UK.

• Conservatory Extension

With conservatories becoming more and more popular in the UK due to the weather conditions, several buyers are now including it’s availability as part of the criteria for purchasing a house. Wonder why? This is simply because everyone wants to enjoy their garden all throughout the year. As a result of this high demand, adding this type of extension to your house can go a long way to increase it’s value. However, it’s very important to incorporate high quality materials during construction. With glass conservatories offering, on the average, up to £5,000 increase in value, the cheaper PVC alternative offers much less value and can also deter potential buyers.

A lot of an uninsulated property’s heat is lost through the roof and that’s even more alarming, when you realize this figure is up to a quarter of the total heat of the house. Hence, the tremendous importance of preventing this heat loss through loft insulation which will go a long way to help you against spending unnecessary thousands of pounds on heating bill as well as energy loss.

Loft insulation is an effective method to achieve the desired result, however the question is, how exactly does it work? Well, it’s time to find out!

Using either a fireplace or central heating to heat up your home, a large quantity of that heat would be lost through the roof of your home. Generally, heat rises and when it does, there’s simply no way to prevent it - it’s just science. Escaping by both the conduction and convection methods via your roof, the heat escaping through your ceiling, into the loft space and out into the open air outside can only be significantly reduced by laying loft insulation.

Generally, the added layer of insulation works by trapping the heat inside the room below the loft so as to enable the air within your house to stay warmer for longer. What’s more? The layer of insulation also keeps cold air from the outside from entering your home. As a result, you don’t have to heat your home as much in order to achieve the same temperature for each individual room. Over time, just by doing this you can potentially save hundreds pounds. Getting it installed in your home may actually seem a bit expensive at first, but it’s something that’ll eventually pay off.

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.

Patios do not require lots of maintenance. They will only need occasional cleaning to make sure that the material keeps its original appearance. It's always best to clean your patio with a pressure washer and occasionally tap each slab or brick just to check the sand underneath hasn't washed away.

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.

Pebble dash is an effective way to tune up your house or property as it can go a long way to enhance its curb appeal while also add to its resale value if you should decide to sell later on. Although, it’s highly recommended to leave this task for a reputable specialist, it’s also something that can be done as a DIY task. It must be states that this is a pretty difficult job and even more so if you haven’t attempted it before. In this post we’re going to take you through the processes involved in pebble dashing a wall. Let’s take a look!

• Mix up water with the lime strictly following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once done, leave it covered up to hydrate for at least 24 hours.
• Take one part of the slaked lime and mix it up with cement and six parts sand. This is to give the base mixture required to spread onto the surface.
• Use a trowel to apply the mixture onto the wall. Ensure that the trowel is level and use the edges to make a flat and smooth layer of the mixture on the surface as a base layer. Allow the base layer to dry for up to an hour. Then, rake the surface using a notched trowel and allow to dry for a minimum of 24 hours.
• Rinse and drain your pebbles. Then, set them under the wall you’re pebble dashing.
• Take the top coat of five parts sand and mix with one part cement and one part slaked lime. Use a trowel to apply this mixture over the base layer and smoothen it with the trowel to create a flat and even top layer.
• Spread a plastic sheet beneath the wall you’re pebble dashing to capture any loose pebbles as they fall.
• Grab the bucket of pebbles below the wall and scoop some of the pebbles up using a scoop or trowel. Some will stick and some will fall into the plastic sheet already placed below. Continue throwing the pebble dash until the surface is completely and evenly covered with pebbles.
• Lightly press and fit the pebbles on each section into the wall and leave for at least 24 hours to dry.

How To Fit Plasterboard

If you’re planning to renovate your house, then here is a must-read guide! Fitting of plasterboard is a crucial step when it comes to renovation. If you’re bringing down an existing lath and plaster for an upgraded surface or adding a new wall, a plasterboard is required for your project to be a true success. If you’re a novice with no prior practice or experience, you can protect your investment by hiring the services of a professional plasterer to guarantee the best results, the first time. However, we’ve put together this guide to give you an insight on how the plasterboard fitting process is done.

To get started, you’ll need a power drill, hammer, plasterboard nails or screws, broad knife, utility knife, measurement tape, pencil, ladder as well as a joint tape.

Before proceeding, you need to identify the number of plasterboard sheets needed to commence the project by measuring the height and width of the wall as well as calculating the square footage. If you possess a stud timber wall, the steps below will get you the best results.

• Measure the walls and mark the plasterboard where you’ll make the cuts. Start with a full sheet and cut pieces down in such a way that would fit

• Score the front paper of the plasterboard with utility knife. Fold the sheet to get a clean cut through the board and make use of the knife to the remaining paper.

• Place the first sheet against the wall and use an offcut to prevent the plasterboard from touch the floor.

• Make the plasterboard rest snugly against the wall in position and screw it firmly on each stud. Once done, fasten it at all the sheets’ edges and in a line down the stud to make for a firm connection. Follow the same process for the remaining plasterboard sheet till the wall is fully covered.

Adding a garden room to your property is a great way of creating an additional space within your home without having to invest heavily in large house extension projects. And not only does it expand your living space, but it’s also a way to add good value to your home or property. With the various benefits offered by a garden room, most individuals are usually surprised with just how affordable the living space can be. However, just like any other home improvement, the price of a garden room is influenced by a wide range of factors. These factors include the design you opt for whether standard or customized, the size of the garden room, the materials used, the number of fixtures and fittings you want as well as any other special design feature you require.

Asides from the money needed to put up the structure, there are also some common extra cost that’ll also be expended for both the interior and exterior of the living space. For instance, there are some furnitures and fittings that you’d like to put in your garden room and these will also form part of the overall cost. There’s also the electrical connections cost and this will vary depending on the distance of your room, the cables to be used as well as your electrician. For this part, you can expect to spend anything within the range of £850 to £1200 and since it’ll be used all year long, it’ll also require appliances for heating, insulation, electricity and ventilation.

Generally, the overall cost you should be expecting to pay for a modular build garden room will range between £10,000 to £40,000.