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Rendering a house comes with a plethora of benefits. Not only is it able to brighten up houses that looks tired especially those with damaged brickwork or having discoloured render, but its also the final step of external wall insulation.

If you own a 3 bed house, you’ll probably want to know just how much it’ll cost to have it rendered. If yes, then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we aim to look at the cost of rendering a house using the standard 3 bed house as an example. Firstly, it should be stated that there are numerous factors that affects the price of a rendering a house which includes the rendering type, the size of the house, the ease of access, the prep work required, whether or not scaffolding will be needed as well as your location and the quality of the contractor your hire. Out of all these factors, the most significant variables are probably the type of rendering you go for and the size of the house.

There are three types of render and the one you opt for will play a key role in the price of your 3 bed house. In this article, we’re basing our cost estimate for a 3 bed house (3 bed detached) on the size ranging from 110 per square metre to 160 per square metre. Now let’s look at the cost per square metre of each rendering type.

✓ The silicone or acrylic thin coat render is usually the most expensive option of the lot due to the fact that they’re the newest and also the best type of render. This rendering type usually costs within the range of £45 to about £75 per square metre.

✓ The monocouche modern through coloured rendering type are able to offer a decorative and waterproof finish for walls. They usually costs within the range of £35 to about £70 per square metre.

✓ Sand and cement render type is the traditional type which has been applied for several years. This rendering type usually costs within the range of £20 to about £45 per square metre.

Before the commencement of any project, it’s always best to get an estimation of the cost. However, determining the cost of an external solid wall insulation is not the easiest of tasks as it relies on varying components such as the insulation materials to be used, labour cost and installation as well as the type of decorative finish to be incorporated. And depending on your choice of insulation material, some may need some adhesives while others may require some fixings which also contributes to the differences in price. As a result, the determination of the material cost alone can be tricky and even more so when various materials cover varying areas.

With that in mind, the cost of external solid wall insulation generally ranges between £80 to £100 per square metre2. As a result, a small flat can cost from £6000 to £9000 whereas a large detached house can have a price ranging between £21000 to £23000. To earn back your investment in terms of energy bill savings can take a couple of years, but it’s surely worth the try as there are several other benefits associated with installing an external solid wall insulation system. What’s more? Another huge factor that can influence the cost of your system is also the amount of work that’s required, how easy it is to be accessed by the installers and lots more

If you’re looking to cut down on the cost of your external solid wall insulation, then the best time for an installation might just be when you’re having another decorating or building project done such as fitting a new roof, window painting, installation of solar PV panels and more. This way, you’ll be able to spread the cost and have a greater value for each penny expended.

Generally, extensions can be a very tricky undertaking - where it can be quite difficult to have a clear comprehension of the rules, regulations as well as costs. Therefore before you rush in to kick start your ground floor extension project, it’ll be wise to get a good grip on the cost. In this article, we’re going to give you a rough estimate of the cost of a ground floor extension. Let’s take a look!

Just like several other home improvement projects, the cost of constructing a ground floor extension is based on a number of things which includes the size, materials used, your location, the quality of the tradesmen or company hired and lots more. For instance, if you happen to reside in London, the cost of your ground floor extension is going to be a lot higher than the other regions.

The single cost of a ground floor extension should fall within the range of £1,500 per square metre to about £2,000 per square metre. However, if you happen to live in London or the South East, this price can reach up to £1,900 per square metre to about £2,400 per square metre. These prices are for good quality ground floor extensions only. Basic or low quality extensions would naturally cost less while superior quality extension will cost more.

Now looking at the size of the ground floor extension, if you’re looking for a size of about 5m x 5m, you can expect to pay a price within the range of £32,000 to about £36,000. And as usual, in London or the South East, this price can reach up to £50,000 or even more. And that’s just for constructing the extension. If the other relevant costs like the 10 percent to 15 percent professional fees for the architect, planning application (if needed), building regulations and more, the price goes up.

Are you thinking about converting your garage into a new space? Be it a new bedroom, gym, library or playroom, one thing you’ll have to consider before getting started is whether or not you’re going to require a planning permission. Unlike extensions that needs additional space, garage conversion is all about changing the existing structure of a space that’s already available to you - your garage. As a result, these projects are mostly covered by a planning policy that’s a bit different.

For a garage conversion, it’s very unlikely that you’ll need a planning permission. As a matter of fact, only 10 percent of garage conversions has been estimated to need a full planning permission, with the others coming under the permitted development rights. The permitted development rights, however, only provides coverage for home improvements that’s internal which implies that so far you’re not trying to enlarge your garage, you’ll not require a planning permission. But if otherwise, you’ll have to submit an application before commencing your project.

If you’re looking to comply with the permitted development rights, then your project must comply with some specific guidelines. These rules include the following:

• The work should be internal. No plans to enlarge or extend the existing garage.

• You should make sure that the materials used in carrying out the garage conversion is the same with the materials used in building the existing house.

• The building should not be extended.

You may, however, require a planning permission if you’re going to change a detached garage into a living space which could be a bedroom, small annexe or a living room.

Some houses excluded from the permitted development rights include flats, listed buildings, some new developments and most homes in a conservation area.

If you’ve converted a non-residential barn into a home, you might be able to reclaim some of the VAT that you’ve paid for your project. This includes money spent on:

• Construction materials

• Flooring

• Light fittings

• Kitchen units and worktops

• Electrical, heating and plumbing materials

To reclaim your VAT from HMRC, make sure you request and keep all of your invoices. You’ll also need proof of planning permission and evidence of completion. You should then submit your claim with all relevant paperwork within three months of receiving your completion certificate. You’re only allowed to submit one claim, so you’ll need to make sure you get it right first time.

Over the years, more and more home and property owners are beginning to realize the huge benefits that can be derived from loft insulation being a worthwhile investment. It’s quite worrisome the way in which energy bills have soared over the past 10 years and loft insulation is a considerable affordable energy efficiency measure that can go a long way to help increase your home’s energy savings.

As far back as the 1980’s, the standard when it comes to insulation thickness was 25 mm to 50 mm which was, at the time, considered to be sufficient. However, building regulations have changed the norm that now states that a new build needs to possess 270 mm of insulation in the loft in order to achieve the required u-value of less than 0.16/m2k based on the standard rock wool or sheep wool insulation.

Generally with loft insulation, there’s a law of depreciating returns which implies that the first couple of insulation centimetres will save you many times the cost of the installation, however an extra layer or centimetre is going to add less value to the point where it’ll no longer be wise or worthwhile to add any further centimetre. Therefore, with cheaper energy prices 30 years back, that additional couple of centimetres was not just worthwhile, but with the recent alarming rises in costs of fuel, that additional £10 savings per year has all of sudden changed to £30 which makes it become a lot more attractive.

If you already have 270 mm of loft insulation, regardless of the material you’re looking to add you’re most likely not going to benefit from a top up. The cost of the materials and installation will definitely be too high for the couple of pounds it’ll save you per year.

When it comes to laying of bricks, it is essential to get the right mortar mix. It is vital, be it for construction or maintenance projects, so far mortar is required. There are several materials incorporated in getting mortar which includes both cement and sharp sand, soft sand or plasterer’s sand and lots more. Here, we are going to look at the right ratio for cement and sand mix in bricklaying.

Cement include ingredients such as iron, aluminium, as well as silicon and it is mainly used for mortars like aerated cement mortar, Portland cement mortar and gauged mortar. Sand, on the other hand, comes in different forms such as sharp sand, soft sand and plasterer’s sand. The sharp sand consists of a larger grain size than the others and is usually incorporated in the construction areas that requires more strength as well as flexibility. Soft sand is the most common one used in mortar and it’s also referred to as bricklayers’ sand. These are used to make all types of mortar. Finally the plasterer’s sand which neither has the sharp sand’s coarseness nor the fineness of the soft sand, but can also be used for any form of mortar.

Cement and sand mortar is used for a plethora of bricklaying jobs serving as a glue for bricks, walls and pillars, while also repairing or maintaining old listed buildings. The preferred ratio here is 1:3 to 1:5 of cement and building sand. Meanwhile, to get a sand cement mix, essential materials that are required includes water, soft building sand as well as cement. However, you must also note that a sand and cement mortar is not used for structural projects, rather a concrete ratio is used.

What Is Plasterboard?

The plasterboard is unarguably one of the most common building materials across the globe. Sometimes referred to as gypsum board, gyprock, drywall or wall board, the plasterboard is mostly incorporated for ceiling cladding and interior walls in several homes and offices in recent times. However, despite its global acceptability, it’s a very misunderstood building material.

The plasterboard is manufactured using a gypsum core with a heavy paper covering both sides of the sheet. The measurement of a standard plasterboard sheet is a length of 2.4 metres in and a width of 1.2 metres, with a thickness of about 13mm. The board usually have either a bevelled or a bit flat edge. The bevelled edge makes it easy for the installers to use a plaster to smooth out the surface after nailing the sheets to walls and ceilings as well as taping the edges.

The plasterboard comes in different types. Although various manufacturers provide a unique name for their products, but they’re all included in one of the following categories:

• Water Resistant Plasterboard - This type of plasterboard are best suited to be used in water areas like bathroom, laundry rooms and kitchens.

• Acoustic Plasterboard - Due to its sounding proofing qualities, this type of plasterboard is preferred to be used in home theatres or noisy areas.

• Flexible Plasterboard - This is to be incorporated on curvy surfaces.

• Fire Resistant Plasterboard - Just like the name implies, this type of plasterboard is best suited for use in high fire hazard areas.

If you’re about to kick start some small renovations around your house or office, using a plasterboard to clad your walls is a very simple and worthwhile task. However, if you want to do major renovations or need to apply plasterboard to your ceiling, the best option would be to leave it to a seasoned professional.