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Have you been advised by a structural engineer or a surveyor that your building needs to be underpinned? Well, this might just have you wondering what underpinning really is and how long it lasts. In this post, we’re going to tell you more about underpinning to help you make the best-informed decision possible moving forward. Let’s take a look!

Basically, underpinning refers to the incorporation of one of various methods to reinforce or repair the old foundations of a building or structure mostly to remedy or avoid subsidence. Now, subsidence can be caused as a result of poor soil quality, increase in the load on the foundation like adding a new storey, excavations below the building as well as inadequate foundation which is more common in older buildings. When an underpinning remedial work is carried out, there are a plethora of benefits that comes with it. It’s preserves the structural integrity of your building by strengthening it, make it a lot more attractive, increases the property’s value and makes it a lot safer for both you and your loved ones. So how long does underpinning last?

Well, many underpinning contractors will offer you a 10-year guarantee of its underpinning solutions for defects. Primarily, there are two reasons why underpinning can fail which is poor installation and fresh issues arising or unforeseen circumstances. While the first is an issue that can be avoided by employing the services of an expert contractor who possesses vast experience and knowledge in the field, the second can not be avoided. However, in the absence of the unforeseen issues, underpinning is expected to last for the natural life of the building, so far it has been expertly installed.

A garden room extension, also referred to as Sunroom or Solarium, is basically a stand alone garden building that’s totally detached from the home. They are typically semi-glazed building that features a tiled roof rather than glass. What would have been good examples of garden rooms extensions include conservatories, orangeries as well as pool houses, however they are constructed with the help of different materials and features which ultimately makes them different to garden rooms.

Garden room extensions are built with the major purpose of adding extra functional living spaces for a wide range of room options such as a second living room, dining room, study space, home garden office or a rehearsal space - the options are numerous. In other words if you’re looking for an additional usable space within your home or property, a garden room extension can be designed to suit your needs. So whether you need comfy sofas for evening relaxations, a sturdy office desk for work or large dining room table for dinners with family and friends, a garden room extension can be all that you need to achieve to your living space goals or just to add more value to your property.

Garden rooms extension has multiple alternatives such as a conservatory, garage conversion, loft conversion, extension and garden rooms. However, it has some great benefits over its alternatives. These benefits include, being very cost effective, hassle free, can be built within 5 to 9 days, rarely requires planning permission, does not require building regulations approval, includes a full professional installation and management without any need for subcontractors, modern and unique as well as being very versatile. Overall, if you’re looking to create an additional space in your home without having to break the bank, then garden room extensions may be your best bet.

How Much Does It Cost To Have A Loft Boarded?

More often than not, several homeowners fail to realize there’s so much value sitting right under their roof - the loft. When a loft is boarded, there are so many juicy benefits that can be derived. It can be used as a storage room, spare bathroom, home office and several more functions. Therefore, if you really wish to maximize the space under your home’s roof, you’d have to considering boarding it. So how much would it cost to have your loft boarded? Here, you’ll discover the cost of boarding your lofts so you that you can set a budget and start to plan.

The cost of boarding a loft is actually affordable for several individuals, simply because you’re allowed to floor as much or as little as you require. And while you’re up there flooring and fitting the loft boards, you can as well decide to upgrade the insulation of the loft too. This way, you be able to prevent heat from escaping through the roof of the house which helps improve energy efficiency and ultimately, save you some money on heating bills.

If you’d prefer to make it a DIY project, the cost of 18mm chipboard is about £8 to £10 per sheet sized 2400m x 600m. Meanwhile the insulation boards should range between £18 to £22 for a sheet.

For a professional service, you’ll be provided with a quote for both the materials and labour. The amount will be based on the number of boarding required as well as the method selected. For an average storage space needs, flooring size of about 15m2 is suitable. The price for this quantity would be between the range of £50 to £700 for the counter barren method or above £1000 for a more sophisticated method.

There are many different types of extension. For example, you could install an orangery, flat or pitched roof extension, over-structure extension, single or double storey extension or a glass box extension. Which one of these is most suitable will depend on your existing property.

Damp issues on a property are usually generated by a lot of factors such as a poor or broken guttering, condensation and lots more. The question arising here is what is the possibility of External Wall Insulation (EWI) preventing condensation? Not only is EWI a reliable way to reduce condensation-caused damp, but it’s also one of the major reasons property owners in solid wall homes consider thermally rendering or cladding their external walls.

Condensation arises as a result of warm moist internal air hitting a cold surface such as the steaming up of both windows and mirror when having a shower. What happens here is the condensation of the water vapour in the air from a gas to liquid in the process of touching the cold surface - one whose temperature is significantly reduced to reach the dew point. At the dew point, condensation is very rampant, and to tackle this issue you’ll have to heighten the wall temperature in order to convert the moisture to vapour and permit it to pass through the wall. And that’s exactly the job of an external wall insulation!

To get started you must ensure that the walls are clean and dry prior to fitting the external wall insulation. The month of May through to September when the weather tends to be dry and more stable are usually the best period to carry out the project. The external wall insulation will function just like a cosy blanket around the building. Ultimately, changing the feel and temperature of the inside of your home. As a result, the previously cold walls will no longer be cold which goes a long way to mitigate the effects of condensation. Furthermore, when an EWI is installed, the rooms of your home will automatically trap more thermal mass as the heat is saved in the walls’ fabric and released back when the temperature drops.

For 2 metre solid fences it’s recommended to use concrete posts to support each panel. For smaller 1 metre fences or for picket fences with gaps between each timber piece you can use timber posts. A fencing contractor will be able to advise you on the best materials from the length and requirements of a new fence.

Well, just like many other team work, a bricklayer is only as good as his supporting cast. And a hard-working labourer should be able to keep three bricklayer gangs happy. But even when he gets to serve just one bricklayer, the site conditions and nature of the wall can also play a huge role in determining the number of bricks that can be laid within 24 hours.

With the best possible site condition, hard-working labourer and best scenario with no pillars, no face brick, long straight wall and no wall ties, a well trained bricklayer should be able to lay within a range of 800 to 1100 bricks all day long. However, you rarely get walls like this as there is always going to be some corner or curve somewhere which usually takes some time to get right. Furthermore, once the bricklayer has laid up to 5 feet, there’ll be a need to get some lift. From that point onwards, the job understandably gets slower and tougher - meaning there’ll most definitely be a face brick.

In addition, there are multiple other factors that can affect the number of bricks that can be laid in a day. Sometimes its the complex designs or weather that’ll determine the daily rate.

With the aforementioned factors and more realistically, on a good day and great site, an expert bricklayer should be able to lay about 500 to 800 bricks in a day. This is generally a very good target, but of course you never can tell with the reasons above and other factors that are simply beyond the control of the bricklayer. If you have a project and want it completed as soon as possible, you can pay the bricklayers based on the number of bricks laid to increase their efficiency.

The main reason that people use cladding or rendering on their property is the aesthetic benefit. These materials can really boost the appearance of a home. Cladding and rendering can also increase the thermal performance of a property. Speak to a specialist to find out whether your property will benefit.