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Did you try rendering a wall but it doesn’t turn out the way you would have hoped for? Or perhaps you’ve been watching your wall render gradually deteriorate over time. Regard of your purpose, learning how to repair render cracks on wall is usually a great skill to have with your home maintenance in mind. However, whenever these crack are too large or difficult, we’d recommend you call in a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this guide, we’re going to take you through the wall render repairing process. Let’s have a look!

No matter how solid a building material is, over time it’ll yield to the elements. When it comes to wall rendering it may be a case of too much sunshine or a costly mistake in the application process, but in truth, it cracks just because it cracks.

In order to repair render cracks, you’d have to start with a removal of damaged or cracked render. You’ll have to remove all the render or just a small section depending on the area you’re working on. If you’re able to clean all of the existing render as well as the paint over it all (both old and new), then removing a small section would work better as it makes it look neat and redone. Upon the removal of the existing render, the next important step would be to remove all loose material as well. Once done, you can then leave for up to 2 days to allow any trapped moisture to come out. Unfortunately, if the rains you’d have to wait till that dries too before you proceed.

Once dried, you can buy a pre-prepared render mix which already contains cement, lime and sand. Mix a 20kg bag with 4 litres of water (or check the product instructions and follow strictly), the mix to a fine consistency. Render is quick to dry, so you’d want to apply within 30 minutes of mixing. Make use of a trowel to apply the render on the affected spots and blend with the surrounding area.

How Much Do Roof Rooms Cost?

The price of your roof room may vary depending on your location within the country. Other factors that can also play a key role in determining the price of a roof room includes the conversion’s type as well as the legal and technical issues it’s currently facing. Usually, the cost of roof rooms will range between £1,200 to £2,000 per square metre. The differences in the price per square metre is influenced by the size of the alterations to the roof, the type of roof room to be constructed, the access, location as well as the finishing type.

• DORMER LOFT CONVERSION.

Here, one of the slopes of a pitched roof is substituted for a box-shaped structure. The outcome is a flat roof space which enables the fitting of full sized windows as well as the incorporation of several appliances. This is quite expensive as it involves a total rebuilding of one roof pitch alongside the complete internal works that are associated. The average cost of a standard dormer loft project will range between £25,000 to £50,000.

• HIP TO GABLE LOFT CONVERSION

Here a vertical brick wall is used to substitute the roof’s slope at the ending part of the terrace on detached buildings. The average cost of this type of roof room will range between £32,000 to £60,000.

• ROOFLIGHT LOFT CONVERSION

This basically involves fitting rooflight windows in the roof. Other improvements include flooring, plasterboarding, strengthening of the existing floor, as well as installation of rooflights. The average cost of this type of roof room will range between £15,000 to £25,000.

• MANSARD LOFT EXTENSION

This roof room can create an extra storey on top of an existing building as it makes a space featuring two or four external walls that are a bit sloped. The average cost of this type of roof room will range between £40,000 to £70,000.

Fitted wardrobes are the best choice of wardrobe for most households and they’re a popular option for several homeowners for a good reason. Not only are they able to efficiently maximize your space and fit into any space no matter how awkward, but they can also be customized to fit your personal needs to feature custom lighting and many more. So if you’re planning to have one fitted but on a tight budget, you’d probably be wondering how you can install a fitted wardrobe in an alcove by yourself. This is a relatively easy task if you’re attentive to the details, however, if you’re not confident enough to pull this off, we’d advise that you get in touch with a professional who can guarantee the best results for help.

To construct a fitted wardrobe in an alcove, simply follow these steps:

✓ Take a measurement of the available space including the length, breadth and width.

✓ Sketch out what you want the wardrobe to look like while also staying within the measurements. Here, you’ll have to be particular about everything like the drawers, shelves etc.

✓ Build the frames upon which every other construction would be made.

✓ Attach the frames to the wall and floor. Make use of a hammer drill with a masonry bit to drill the holes if its a concrete floor.

✓ At this stage, you’ll have to start building your shelves in accordance to the number you’ll need.

✓ Based on the design in step 2 above, you’ll have to add the door at this stage. This is however optional as some homeowners prefer door-less wardrobes.

✓ The final step is to paint the the finished wardrobe to your taste with your choice of colour.

Do you want to beautify and increase the value of your home? If yes, a refurb and house extension is definitely a great option to consider. Depending on your home extension project, the value that’ll be added to your home’s resale value varies. However, the cost of completing a house extension project can be huge, so you just might want to consider your financing options. Fortunately, there are various options through which your house extension project can be funded with each having its own pros and cons. Your specific circumstances will determine the one that’s going to work best for you, so let’s take a look at some of the best options to help you fund your project.

• Home Remortgaging

The process whereby a mortgage is transferred from one provider to the other is known as remortgaging. This is usually done to generate funds for a project by entering a more lengthy repayment term commitment when switching. If you want to raise your funds in a quick manner, this process works best.

• Savings

This is a good reason to cultivate a good saving habits. If you’ve been able to save up some mega bucks then you’d probably won’t have to borrow money to finance your house extension.

• Unsecured Loans

If you do not buy into the idea of borrowing more against your property, you may just be able to apply for an unsecured loan especially if you have a good credit record. A secured loan makes use of collaterals like a car or house to serve as a cover for the lender, meanwhile an unsecured loan is based mainly on the credit managing history of the borrower.

• Credit Card

There are some great benefits that comes with financing your small or medium scale extension project with your credit card. Not only does it offer some real lifeline if problems arise during the project, but you can also avoid paying excessive interest on the investment by ensuring your deal has a 0% introductory rate.

Over the years, garden rooms have gradually become a popular choice amongst homeowners as a cost effective way of expanding living space within a home or property. A garden room is basically a living space and a type of pavilion building made from wood that’s well insulated, double glazed as well as electrically wired. It’s however a building which is subsidiary to the main one, built with the purpose of creating an extra functional space within the property. These garden outbuildings are very functional and can be used as a garden studio, office, salon and much more. They can also be incorporated for recreational purposes for evening relaxations, family and friends get-together, lounge or even spa. Other possible uses of a garden room include gyms, pool houses, playrooms, dens, home cinemas and game rooms.

Garden rooms are functional living spaces that are usable throughout the year. And with the rate at which their popularity is growing, you’ll find some companies offering cheap and low quality alternatives featuring shed like construction and felt roof. Garden rooms, on the other hand, are a valuable investment with superior designs and top notch build. They’re constructed in a very similar way to houses with timber frames. Furthermore, they are fully insulated and can also include the normal building solutions such as heating and running water, electricity and many more depending on the requirements of the home or property owner. With the durability of garden rooms being a major objective, they’re typically clad in natural solid timber like Cedar, Larch or Acacia. Materials such as EPDM rubber or cedar shingles are normally used for the roof covering. What’s more? They usually have large expanses of glazing and glazed doors fitted.

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.

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.

How To Put Up Plasterboard

Putting up a plasterboard is a vital process when it comes to home renovations. However as daunting as it may seem, with a good guide and regular practice you can master the skill within a small period of time. If you lack proper training and experience, we’d recommend you hire a seasoned professional plasterer for help so as to get the best result and also avoid additional costs due to possible damages.

Putting up plasterboard is way quicker than wet plastering and also significantly reduces the drying time that can slow down your renovation plans. With a plasterboard, you can delve straight into the decorating stage and achieve a smooth finish. Below are the steps required to put up a plasterboard.

• The first step is cutting the plasterboard to shape which be one of the most challenging parts of the process. This is because you’ll need to fit the board around things such as plug sockets and window sills. As a result, this involves cutting complex shapes rather than just a simple straight line. To get this done, simply mark out the cut required with the use of a tape measure, combination square and spirit level for a better precision. Once done, you can then use a plasterboard pad saw to cut along the marked spots.

• After you made the required cuts, the next step is putting up the plasterboard. And depending on where the boards are going to be put, this could be a very challenging task. If you’re going to put the boards on the ceiling or somewhere very high up, you’d probably need an extra pair of hands for help. To get this done, use the appropriate screws to secure the boards in place if you’re installing them directly on studs. However, if you’d be fixing them onto bricks or blocks, a drywall adhesive is your best bet.