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Wall rendering is basically a process which involves the application of sand, cement or polymer covering to a home’s exterior in such a way that enhances its look while also offering an improved stability. The process is a perfect solution for several exterior concerns mainly due to the support its able to provide. It’s highly beneficial for older homes whose walls may suffer from poor quality because of wear over time, while it’s also greatly advantageous for newer homes as it increases their stability while also enhancing their visual appeal.

Knowing how to apply render is a great skill to have with your home’s upkeep in mind. The project can be done quite easily by any competent and confident DIYer. However if you lack any of those attributes, then we’d recommend you get in touch with a reliable professional for help. In this article, we’ll take you through the wall rendering process.

✓ Prepare the walls. This involves examining the wall, repairing any structural defects as well as stabilizing any movements to prevent the render finish from failing.

✓ External details. This includes the removal of bargeboards, rainwater, soil pipes, alarm boxes and all other external details.

✓ Insulation. In the event whereby external wall insulation is to be fitted, this is the stage to do so.

✓ Developing a foundation for the render to fix to. Apply a render mesh over the insulation, bedded into the first base coat layer of render.

✓ Building up the render.

✓ Render finishes. There are a wide range of colour options as well as various finishes available from very smooth to textured. However, you should note that thin coat render systems are usually designed to be self coloured.

✓ Final finishes. This involves the re-application of the external rainwater, soil pipes and the other external details.

If you’re planning to add a kitchen extension to your property or perhaps you’re simply looking for ways to increase the value of your property, this is one of the common questions that usually pops up. A simple answer to this question is yes, a kitchen extension will add value to your house. With a kitchen being one of the most frequently used room in a house, adding an extra space to the commonly used room can only increase the value of the entire property. However, to determine the value added by such an extension, there’s a need to calculate the cost of setting one up first.

Kitchen extension costs are greatly influenced by a wide range of variables such as the size, type of the extension and specifications, your location, professional fees, materials used and more. Overall, the type of the extension you opt for will play the most significant role in the determination of your kitchen extension cost. Here, we’ll be looking at a single storey kitchen extension.

For a single storey kitchen extension, you can expect your home’s market value to increase within the range of 5 percent to about 10 percent. When trying to calculate the cost of kitchen extension, it’s crucial to take into account how much value it’ll add to your home so as to make sure that the amount expended will not outweigh the expected value to be added by the project.

For a more accurate idea, there’s the need to consult local estate agents. However, for a much needed guideline, single storey kitchen extensions are usually able to add about 5 to 10 percent to a home’s value, while double storey extension should be up to 20 percent. But as stated earlier, this will depend on several variables.

Insulating your loft roof comes with a wide range of benefits. Not only do you get to maintain a comfortable temperature in your house for longer, but you’ll also get to cut down on your heating bills. If you wish to insulate your loft roof, you’ve come to the right place! This process can be very tedious and time consuming especially if you don’t what you’re doing or lack the required confidence to pull it off. It’s advisable to hire the services of a reputable professional who can guarantee the best results for help and also save you some time and money that can come from potentially costly errors.

Before you start rolling out, you’d have to make sure that all cracks, gaps and holes in the ceiling are filled with either a standard filler or decorators caulk. You can also clean between between the gaps in the joists thoroughly. And finally, check for hazards that can cause you problems before getting stated.

• Remember to leave ventilation gaps as you start from the eaves. Then work towards the loft’s centre, starting from the point furthest from the hatch.
• Lay the first layer between the joists which should be 100 mm and then the subsequent layer should be 170 mm to make it up to the recommended 270 mm.
• Carry the electric cables above the insulation and work around visible light fittings.
• Cut the roll in the centre of the floor when rolling out from the eaves on both sides with the help of a craft knife. Ensure that there are no gaps between the insulation and the joists’ edges.
• Lag pipes as you go in order to prevent walking over the insulation to get back to them.
• Ensure that the loft is totally insulated
• Insulate the hatch.

If you’re planning to build a small extension on your property, you’ll most likely want to know the length of time it’ll take to complete the home extension. Just like many other home improvement projects, it’s impossible to provide a specific number of day in which your project will be completed as the duration is based on a number of influencing factors. This includes the size of the development work as well as whether or not you plan to live in the house when the work is being done. In this article, we’re going to give you a breakdown of the processes that’s involved in building a small single storey extension alongside the duration for each so you can have an idea of how long your small extension project will take. Let’s take a look!

✓ A small single storey extension will normally take about 3 months to be completed.

✓ Site preparation is the first step in the process and it’ll take up to 2 weeks the dig out the footings and prepare foundations. Followed by a further 2 weeks to fit the damp course as well as any drains required around the extension.

✓ The 5th week is spent on working on the external walls and putting in place blockwork to deliver cavity wall insulation.

✓ The next 2 weeks will be spent on installing the roof structure as well as internal walls.

✓ Once done. The builders will make the structure weather proof and electricians or gas fitters will be on site to add power to the extension. This will be followed by internal walls’ plastering as well as breaking into your main house.

✓ After this, when the plaster is dry and decoration completed, units or furniture will then be installed.

Do I Need Planning Permission For A Loft Room?

The answer to this question is maybe. Generally, loft rooms are covered under “Permitted Development which means you won’t need to apply for a planning permission to build a loft room. This is like an advance planning permission provided by local authorities to allow some particular building works to be done such as loft conversions, rear extensions and more. When you’re covered by a “Permitted Development, you’re given the free range to oversee your home’s development without much interference from the regulations or the council. However, for permitted development to apply, there are some specific criteria that must be met. Therefore, if your loft room does not meet the following requirements given below, then you must complete a planning application before proceeding.

• In a terraced house, the converted loft space must not be more than 40 cubic metres.

• In a detached building or semi detached house, the converted loft space must not be more than 50 cubic metres.

• The existing roof slope at the front of the house must cover the extension made.

• The extension should not increase the height of the roof in any way.

• Verandas, balconies and any other structures of this nature must not be included in the extension’s plan.

• The side facing window openings should be at a minimum of 1.7 metres above the ground. The windows must be obscured as well.

• The roof extension should be set back as far as practically possible. It should be at a minimum of 20cm from the current eaves.

• The roof extension should not overhang the house’s roof or it’s wall.

• The materials to be incorporated must be the same or at least similar to what you already have on the house’s exterior.

Is your driveway damaged or starting to show some signs of cracks and gaps? If yes, then you’d probably be thinking of repairing it before it gets even worse. Repairing a driveway is largely an unknown process but also a very tedious task as well. So if you’re looking to hire a professional for help, just how much is the repair going to cost? In this article, we’re going to look at the various factors that can determine the cost of a driveway repair.

In the UK, the average price of repairing a driveway is usually within the range of £1,400 to £1,800, where as the normal price of a driveway repair will range between £700 to £2,400. although some small repairs tasks can be as low as £250, while huge driveway repairs can skyrocket to about £4,200.

However, in general, the overall cost of repair a driveway can not be determined as each driveway is unique with their special repair needs. The factors that can influence the price of a driveway repair includes the material used, the perimeter of the driveway as well as the condition of the foundation. The only factor that’s not unique to any one driveway is the materials used, so let’s take a look at the differences in price using the based on the various types of materials available.

✓ Concrete. The average cost of repairing a concrete driveway is usually between £250 to £3,200. Have it in mind at most times the price of fixing an overly damaged driveway can be more than the cost of buying a new one.

✓ Asphalt. The average cost of repairing an asphalt driveway is usually between £750 to £2,800.

✓ Brick. The average cost of repairing a brick driveway is usually between £700 to £1,700.

✓ Cobblestone. The average cost of repairing a cobblestone driveway is usually between £500 to £1,600.

If you’re considering rendering your house or property, then you’d most likely want to know whether or not applying for a planning permission will be needed. In several cases, planning permission will not be required for the maintenance, repair as well as replacement of the existing render on your building. These activities are covered by what’s called “Permitted Development Rights, which allows you to carry out some activities without having to apply for a planning permission but always subject to following some strict guidelines. For rendering, as long as the material (render) possesses an identical appearance to those existing on the house as well as same colour, then you will not require a planning permission. However, there are a number of projects that have been highlighted in which a planning permission would be required. These includes the following:

✓ Re-rendering in a colour that different from the original one used on the house or building.

✓ Rendering over brickwork which was not originally covered.

✓ Rendering over pebbledash

✓ Removing pebbledash and replacing it with render.

Another exception to the Permitted Development rights are for houses in conservation areas, national parks or areas of outstanding national beauty.

Although, you wouldn’t normally require to submit a planning application for approval before you apply render, but in truth it’s actually a bit of a grey area which isn’t totally clear and doesn’t allow for much freedom or creativity. And due to this fact, homeowners who wants an absolute peace of mind may opt to apply for planning permission just in case. It’s also worth noting that whether or not a planning permission is required, a huge rendering work will need to comply with building regulations which includes the need to insulate walls on the inside or outside as part of the work on several older properties .

If you’re planning to construct a kitchen extension on your property, one of the first things that comes to mind is whether or not you’ll require a planning permission before you proceed. Generally, kitchen extensions are normally classified as permitted development which allows you to carry out your project without any interruptions from the law or your local authority. In other words, if your extension is meets up with the guidelines of the permitted development rights, you won’t have to apply for a planning permission. However if otherwise, you’ll have to apply for a planning permission to your local council and may require additional reports. And regardless of your position, you’ll always need building regulations approval before you can carry out any kitchen extension project. It may also be required that you’ll have to issue a part wall notice if you’re to build on or close to the boundary with a neighbour.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle and stress involved in applying for a planning permission with your local council, then you must ensure the following:

✓ Your kitchen extension must not be over half of the area of land around your main house.

✓ The kitchen extension must not be side elevation onto a highway or forward of the principal elevation.

✓ The extension must not be taller than the highest part of the roof.

✓ The height of your kitchen extension must not go beyond four metres.

✓ Kitchen extension that’s more than one storey must not go exceed the rear wall of the main house by more than three metres.

✓ Two storey kitchen extensions must not be closer to rear boundary by anything less than seven metres.

✓ The kitchen extension must not include balconies, verandas or any raised platforms.