Find a Builder you can trust in Strome Ferry.

After making the decision to refurbish your home or property, the next obvious step is finding the right builder to get the job done. The process of getting a good and reliable builder can be a very tricky one especially when you don’t plan ahead. And in truth, the outcome of your house refurbishment project can only be as good as the contractor your hire. Consequently, finding the perfect builder for your task should be a top priority to get the best return on investment. Here are a few sources that will put you in the right direction to finding a reliable home refurbishment company.

✓ Friends, Relatives & Neighbours

If you have a friend, relative or neighbour that have recently completed a home refurbishment project, you can go for a visit to check out the work done. If you’re pleased with the work, you can proceed to ask about the work ethics of the builder and get the contact if satisfied.

✓ Internet

With the rapid rise of online technology, there’s hardly a service you can’t find on the internet. Websites like HomeAdvisor have been helping people find their desired service providers with relative ease for so long. To get the right building contractor online, it’s advisable to check reviews as well as testimonials before moving forward. Nowadays, you’re most likely going to find so many positive online reviews as some businesses now go to the extent of dubiously writing good reviews for their companies. As a result, it’s recommended to pay closer attention to the negative reviews and check if it’s something you can cope with before hiring a contractor.

✓ Store Contact Lists

You’ll discover a long list of building contractors on several stores trading building materials. These builders may not be affiliated with the store owners, but many stores see it as their responsibility to point you in the right direction so that the building materials acquired from them can be put to good use.

If you want to install an external wall, it is only wise to consider whether or not a planning permission is required in order to avoid a hefty fine. In a great kudos to the government and a welcome relief to home and property owners, the installation of external wall insulation is seen as an “improvement to the house and not an “extension or an “enlargement. Ultimately, this implies that external wall insulation fitting is to be done under permitted development and a planning application may not be required. However, like many other regulations, there are also exceptions to this rule and the main one is if the activity changes the appearance of your property. Properties such as a listed building having tighter regulations may pose some issues. As a result, we’d advise you to consult your local authority to ensure that there’s no fast rule to this topic before commencement of the external wall insulation project.

At the moment, according to the Government Building Regulations, the surface of the entire wall is to be improved to existing standards if the area to be insulated exceeds 25 percent of the wall. In normal situations this is usually the typical case, however to prevent avoidable fines and other possible punishments, it is always best to reach to your local authority and check out the rules guiding external wall insulation in your constituency. Furthermore, since external wall insulation is not a task that’s recommended to be done by yourself, you can also ask the professional external wall insulation fitting company for the applying rules before proceeding. As a good professional, the company should have a better knowledge of the rules and regulation guiding its activities.

If you’re having issues with the amount of space in your home and need an extra space without affecting your garden, loft conversion comes to mind. Not only is it a great solution to creating more living space within a home, but it’s also one of the most budget-friendly solutions you can count on to expand your space by thinking upwards rather than sideways. So if you’re thinking about converting your loft, one thing that almost immediately comes to mind is whether or not your house is suitable for loft conversion.

To answer the question of whether every house can have a loft conversion is a very simple one. Generally, not every house is suitable for loft conversion. This is due to the fact that each and every loft space - from the stairways below and floors to the rafters and the roof up above, is unique. Therefore, the best way to really figure out whether or not a house’s loft offers the potential for conversion is to get in touch with a loft specialist.

So what can make a house not suitable for a loft conversion? Let’s take a closer look!

✓ A house will not be suitable for a loft conversion if the height of the ceiling happens to be too low and it’ll not be possible to have it raised.

✓ If you do not own own the freehold to the loft space, you won’t be able to convert the loft. Surprisingly, this happens to be a common issue in London.

✓ You will not be able to convert your loft if you reside in a conservation area or in a listed building. But you can identify a design solution that’ll still comply with the conservation rules and keep planners happy.

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.

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, you can build a room in your garden. In fact, if you want an additional space for a living room, dining room, games room, study room or perhaps you want something as cool as a pool house, then looking at your garden for a solution may just be the perfect answer to your need for an extra outdoor living space.

Outbuildings such as garden rooms do not usually require planning permission as they’re usually covered by the permitted development. As a result, making it even a lot more attractive to homeowners who would not like to pass through the stress involved or pay the money required to submit an application for planning permission. However, if you need your garden room to be covered by permitted development ( if it’s not a listed building or in a designated area), you must follow these guidelines:

✓ The garden room shouldn’t be in front of your home or property.

✓ The total area of your extensions, sheds and outbuildings ( which includes your garden room), must not go beyond 50 percent of the total land area surrounding your property.

✓ It must be a single storey that’s less than 3 metres high ( 4 metres for a dual pitched roof). And it must not go beyond 2.5 metres in height if the structure is within 2 metres of your boundary.

✓ The eaves must not go beyond 2.5 metres above ground level.

✓ It must not feature a balcony, veranda or any raised platform

✓ It must not be a self contained living accommodation.

The position of your garden room will be partly determined by the space available in your garden. If you need it to link it to your utilities then positioning it a bit close to your main house would be a cost effective choice unless you’re using off grid sources of power, heat as well as water.

Storage space is a major consideration for most home buyers and even more so, when there’s the presence of fitted wardrobes. Fitted wardrobes can be installed in just about any room in the house and even in rather obscure places such as under the stairs, inside a loft, around chimneys as well as into alcoves. As a result, they’re important assets to have as they can go a long way to increase the value of your home or property.

Fitted wardrobes are usually made from various types of woods as well as wood finishes. Typically, they’re installed with either sliding or hinged doors depending on the space as well as the styling you opt for. Fitted wardrobes can be personalized through the addition of elegant features such as custom lighting, mirrors as well as internal extras like pull out shoe racks and pull down hanging rails.

For high end customized fitted wardrobe like Sharps, the best quality, most practical and also robust materials are being incorporated. They make use of the following materials given below:

✓ Fibreboard. This is a modern material that’s used for its ability to produce a smooth routed and detailed design. It’s also very solid and robust which makes it perfect for large furniture pieces as they don’t warp or dent. What’s more? Fibreboards meets the European forestry sustainability standards and it also allows for the board to be profiled with a top notch finish.

✓ Particleboard. This material is used for the parts of the furniture which will normally be cut in your home like facings and side panels. Due to it’s lightweight, they’re very easy to cut and doesn’t produce as much dust as other materials. The material is also a highly controllable contemporary material which can be precisely cut arounf skirting boards, covings as well as period features to ensure a perfect fit.

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, loft insulation does cause condensation. Over the years, problems with condensation in loft spaces have become increasingly common. While this may not be harmful in anyway, when the condensation becomes excessive it can lead to more serious issues taking root in your loft like wet rot, dry rot as well as black spot mould. Generally, the best thing to do if you’re concerned about the condensation in your loft space and that it may rapidly become a bigger problem is to get in touch with a damp specialist as soon as possible.

Even though insulating your loft space comes with a wide array of benefits like making the top floor rooms warmer, it’s however comes at the cost of making your loft or room space cooler. Condensation in lofts take place primarily due to the humid air making its way through insulation or other gaps into the loft space and touching a cooler surface which in turn results in beads of moisture on the timbers, lintels as well as the underside of the roof. This is why its always a great idea make use of thermal insulation with a vapour barrier that’s installed on the warmer side of the insulating material.

Condensation in loft is caused by excess moisture in the air and lack of adequate air ventilation. Here are some top reasons that gives rise to this in the loft:

• Extra insulation has been installed in the loft leading to a restriction on the natural air circulation in the property.
• When the storage boxes or other items that has been stockpiled in the loft blocks the roof vents.
• The release of steam and moist air into the loft space by hot water tanks.

Generally, it’s possible to extend a barn conversion, but there are certain conditions that you’ll probably need to meet. Ultimately, it’s up to your local planning office to decide whether to approve your planned barn conversion extension or not.

Typically, small extensions on the side of a barn conversion are often approved, particularly if they serve to preserve the original character of the barn. This could be because the extension will mimic the appearance of the original structure, or house facilities that would look odd in the original building.

However, you probably won’t be allowed to build a larger extension, or one that isn’t in keeping with the appearance of the original barn.