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A porch is a small and low structure (with a roof) located at the main entrance of a building or house. It’s typically without a window (although newer variations may come with one) and can either be screened-in or enclosed to prevent unwanted access from insects and extremes in weather. In addition, some homes may have a three-season porch or sun porch. This may be situated by the side of the house and covered by the roof overhang - they’re usually screened in to offer good access all year round.

Generally, porches serve a wide range of purposes. They include:

• Provision of an outdoor living space to relax during the summer months

• It’s an informal extension of the the living room.

• It serves as a great place for social gatherings especially in small towns.

• You can take off your dirty shoes and dry a dripping wet dog before entering into your living room.

• It can be incorporated for relaxation purposes and watching street activities.

• It can serve as a reception area for guests.

• It can also be used for outdoor storage.

Pros & Cons Of A Porch

Pros

• Due to the fact that they’re covered, porches may require little maintenance practices.

• It can go a long way to improves the curb appeal of your property.

• It protects against the extremes of the weather.

• It can be constructed using a wide range of materials.

Cons

• It does not improve the use of the property

• It can be quite expensive to install depending of the material required as well as size of the porch.

• It does not add to the value of the home unlike several other home improvement projects

• It may not be safe to be used by a child or pet.

When it comes to house renovation costs, nothing is certain. As a rule of thumb, you should always expect the unexpected. Unforeseen circumstances (mostly unfavourable) can crop up from anywhere, at any time, greatly affecting the cost of the project. However, if you’ve completed proper planning and done your due diligence on your property before commencement, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t put the works on budget.

The cost of a house renovation project depends on a lot of variables. These variables include the type of property you’re undertaking as well as the amount and complexity of the entire project. What’s more? Whether you decide to do some of the work yourself or wish to hire quality tradespeople to cover the entire project will also tell on the cost of the home renovation.

In the event whereby you wish to completely gut your property and begin from square one, here are some of the cost you’re most likely going to incur:

✓ Planning applications and building controls

✓ Architect’s design and specifications

✓ Contractors and build costs

✓ Snags as well as unforeseen problems

What will be the biggest cost, which will be determined by the amount of work you need done, is most likely going to be the structural and building work, which can reach up to tens of thousands of pounds.

Asides from material and labour, the administrative costs is another important cost you’ll need to factor in. The first thing here is usually insurance, this is because all regular building insurance policies does not cover large scale renovation projects. So if what you’re planning is a huge structural change to your property, then it’s more likely that it won’t be covered by your buildings insurance policy. In this event, you’ll have to take out a specialist renovation insurance.

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.

Laying of bricks is a skilful trade which requires the bricklayer to fully understand the process involved in the required building material preparation necessary to construct a foundation as well as to mix the concrete or mortar. As a tradesperson, you also need to fully comprehend how to make use of various materials and master the art of shaping, polishing and cutting it. A typical bricklaying endeavour is expected to include different activities such as preparation of the surface, assembly, installation, reinforcement as well as repair.

As a result, every aspect of the job demands an in depth and extensive knowledge, skills and also experience. To get started in this career path, you can also consider getting a bricklaying license as this will stand you out from the lots from your customer’s point of view. However, to obtain a bricklaying license, you’ll need to have some qualifications which includes an industry experience in the field as well as a trade certificate. These formal and nationally recognized qualifications can be gotten through the Recognition of Prior Learning.

It must, however, be said that several states will require either a building practitioner registration or a bricklaying license to enable you practice as a professional bricklayer in order to ensure that the national standards for quality is always met. In other states, a bricklayer must meet some certain registration requirements or possess concrete licenses. Some will necessitate that you register as a building practitioner to take on certain projects but only to a particular level.

Overall, a bricklaying license will help you meet the building commission’s requirements so as to avoid stern punishments like fines and sanctions. It also allows you to sign legal contracts and agreements, market your services and lots more to steer ahead of competition in the industry.

With homeowners now a lot more unwilling to move or make any costly extensions due to the uncertainty that lies ahead in the property market of the UK, a garden building which represents a cheaper alternative seems to be the best option available. Not only is it one of the most affordable ways to add space to your home while staying within your budget, but it’s also one of the best ways to add immense value to your property as more and more potential home investors are now seeking properties with an outdoor garden room. They’re the perfect investment for those looking to expand their space without having to carry out huge extension projects which normally consumes both time and money.

Garden rooms are best built by professionals to guarantee the best results. However, if you feel confident enough to undertake the project, then this guide will give you an idea of the process.

✓ Build the foundation. Here you can build the foundation using concrete, but in cases whereby there are root systems closeby then you can make use of low impact screw piles.

✓ Start the construction process with timber frame, SIP panels as well as other modular components and materials

✓ Once you’re done with the construction process, the next course of action will be to develop and position the roof structure on to the top of the newly constructed garden room. Here, you can also decide to use sun pipe and solar heating or PV panels. You can also protect the construction from the elements by making use of cedar cladding.

✓ Doors installation. The best type of doors to use here are draught sealed doors which can also be treated hardwood or powder coated aluminium .

✓ Make the finishing touches here and there and make sure all connections are complete.

What is your garage being used for? If your answer is anything besides your vehicle, you’re in the majority in the UK. In the country, according to a research by Admiralty Loans, several home and property owners now use their garage as dumping ground for all sorts of stuffs asides a car. Ultimately, this gives rise to garage conversions as the more or less underutilized space can be converted into a living space which can be more beneficial while also adding more value to the property.

A garage conversion is a fast and relatively affordable route to adding more floor space within your home. It’s basically the act of changing your garage into something other than a storage or a place in which you can park your car. This can be anything from a bedroom to a playroom and anything in between. It’s a great way to provide extra space to allow your family to spread out and have more privacy while still within the walls of your home.

A garage conversion project is a huge one which mostly does not require a planning application so far the conversion is internal. However if you’re planning to increase the garage’s size or change the exterior of your home, or convert your garage into a separate room, then you may require a planning permission before getting started. It’s always wise to consult your local authority before carrying out any work to be on the safer side.

A project of garage conversion’s magnitude is better left to a reliable professional who have the experience when it comes to dealing with building regulations and more. This way, you’d also get to save yourself some headaches and some extra cash which may result from possible costly errors.

Being a strong and durable product requiring little maintenance and expected to last over 2 decades, it’s little wonder resin is now a popular material amongst homeowners in the UK to build their driveways. However, there’s always the issue of the driveway fading, cracking or even becoming worn and tired. So is it possible to repair resin driveways? The answer is yes, a resin driveway can be repaired, however the best approach to use largely depends on the issue being faced. As a confident DIYer it’ll be very easy to do, but if you lack the confidence then calling in a professional for help would be a better option. So let’s take a look at how you can repair your resin driveways.

For cracks, the best reparation approach would be to chisel it out. Once done, then you can proceed to breaking the stones to form a rough edge. It’s important to make sure that the matrix of the stone remains unaffected. Make a new mixture of resin bound stone and pack it in tightly to the gap. While doing this, we’ll recommend making use of a plastic trowel to avoid burnishing. This fresh mixture will then create a smooth and perfect surface by interlocking with the edges. You can follow similar procedure for patches but these are larger holes or damages than cracks and as the name suggests are mostly likely to remain noticeable but will prevent further crumbling of your resin driveway.

For homeowners, who aren’t so keen about the patch repairs, you can opt for an overlay especially in the event whereby the majority of the surface has failed. Although many usually shy away from this approach because of the perceived high expenses, but the fact is that the approach is actually cost effective as you won’t have the need to spend more money in the long run.

This is a very great opportunity to not only get free external wall insulation, but also cut down your energy bills depending on the type of property you live in. Generally, to enjoy free external wall insulation you must at least be part of the group receiving one of the benefits listed below and also depends on the amount of money you earn. The benefits include:

• Income based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)

• Income support

• Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)

• Tax credits

• Pension credit guarantee credit.

• Universal credit.

There are also other important factors that determines if you can have a free insulation fitted on your property. These includes the place you reside, the carbon level of your home and according to some suppliers, the level of beneficial impact the insulation will have on your home. In order to have a free external wall insulation installed, you must either be the owner of your home or at least obtain the go ahead from your landlord before any external wall insulation activity can be made.

Good news is, if you fit the aforementioned criteria and you’ve already installed an external wall insulation, you just may be entitled to receive a refund for the good job done. However, to really find out if you’re eligible, we’d recommend you get in touch with your supplier directly. Also, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) can direct you to some organizations who can assist you in the determination of your eligibility.

As a home and property owner living in England, you can also check out the Each Home Counts Advice Website which is committed to giving impartial energy efficiency advice.

At the end of the day, if it turns out you happen to be ineligible for a free external wall insulation, you can still go ahead to contact a professional installer for a help at a competitive price to enjoy the several benefits that comes with home insulation.