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If your deck isn’t going to be flat to the ground, it’s a good idea to have some kind of balustrade to avoid any tripping. If the gap between the deck and the ground is less than 600mm, use a 900mm balustrade. If it’s higher than 600mm, the balustrade should be 1100mm tall.

The number of hours you would have to invest and the number of holidays you will have will be mentioned on the contract before you undertake a project. It is very common that of you to be asked of work longer than your shift. It is completely your choice if you want to work more hours, but your employer has no right to force it on you.

There are certain guidelines that establishes the maximum number of hours an individual should labour each week. In general, the maximum number of hours for someone not yet 18 years old, is 40 hours in a week, or eight hours a day. For workers who are aged 18 or above, the number of hours increases to 48 hours a week.

You can contact the environmental health department of your local council or the National Health and Safety Executive (0845 345 00 55) for more information and advice about working hours. According to the law, all workers have the right to a holiday of at least 5.6 weeks (or a total of 28 days of paid leave, if you happen to work five days in a week).

Your holidays may be extended than the minimum right, but it is dependent on your employer. The critical things you should keep in mind about holiday rights are:

• holiday entitlement starts as soon as you begin work;

• your employer has a complete say in when you can take your holiday;

• for holidays you get normal pay;

• after completing the job, you will be compensated for any unused holidays.

In order to meet the requirements for the right to once a year leave you need to be categorized as a worker. You will have no statutory right to paid annual leave if you’re self-employed.

You, as a worker will not have a statutory right to paid leave on bank and public holidays. If you are given a paid leave on a bank or public holiday, this can count towards your 4.8 weeks minimum leave privilege. However, you may be provided with a paid leave on bank and public holidays in addition to your annual leave entitlement, if your employer chooses so.

Great Britain has a total of eight permanent bank and public holidays, whereas, Northern Ireland has ten.

There is no automatic right to an enhanced pay rate that you can exercise if you work on a bank or public holiday. Your remuneration depends on your contract of employment.

How To Fit Plasterboard

If you’re planning to renovate your house, then here is a must-read guide! Fitting of plasterboard is a crucial step when it comes to renovation. If you’re bringing down an existing lath and plaster for an upgraded surface or adding a new wall, a plasterboard is required for your project to be a true success. If you’re a novice with no prior practice or experience, you can protect your investment by hiring the services of a professional plasterer to guarantee the best results, the first time. However, we’ve put together this guide to give you an insight on how the plasterboard fitting process is done.

To get started, you’ll need a power drill, hammer, plasterboard nails or screws, broad knife, utility knife, measurement tape, pencil, ladder as well as a joint tape.

Before proceeding, you need to identify the number of plasterboard sheets needed to commence the project by measuring the height and width of the wall as well as calculating the square footage. If you possess a stud timber wall, the steps below will get you the best results.

• Measure the walls and mark the plasterboard where you’ll make the cuts. Start with a full sheet and cut pieces down in such a way that would fit

• Score the front paper of the plasterboard with utility knife. Fold the sheet to get a clean cut through the board and make use of the knife to the remaining paper.

• Place the first sheet against the wall and use an offcut to prevent the plasterboard from touch the floor.

• Make the plasterboard rest snugly against the wall in position and screw it firmly on each stud. Once done, fasten it at all the sheets’ edges and in a line down the stud to make for a firm connection. Follow the same process for the remaining plasterboard sheet till the wall is fully covered.

Yes, your shed does need a base. This is to give it a solid, level foundation. Open soil will not help with the longevity of the shed itself or the contents within. The best materials to use to make your shed base are concrete, natural stone or wood.

1. Calculate the surface area for your decking Multiply the length (L) of your decking area by the width (W): L x W = Decking Surface Area (DSA) in m² 10 x 6 = 60m²
2. Work out the coverage of your deck boards Add your deck board width (DBW) to the expansion gap length (EGL), then add the deck board length (DBL) to the expansion gap width (EGW). Then multiply these numbers. (DBW + EGL) x (DBL + EGW) = Single Board Coverage (SBC) 0.144m + 0.005m = 0.149m 2.4m + 0.003m = 2.403m 0.149 x 2.403 = 0.358m²
3. Calculate the number of deck boards you need Multiply the SBC by 1.1 to allow for 10% wastage. Then, divide the DSA by the SBC. DSA / SCB x 1.1 = Total number of boards required 60m² / 0.358m² x 1.1 = 184.36 boards – so round up to 185 so you’re not left short.

If you’re thinking about making improvements to your home, it’s only reasonable to become familiar with the ins and outs of the requirements to make the project a success. Not just the cost involved to complete the project, but also the duration it’ll take to complete the job and lots more. When it comes to the installation of wooden flooring, there’s a need to find out whether or not an underlay is required for the task. In this article, we’re going to consider this in order to ensure that you’re on the right track. Let’s take a look!

First and foremost, underlays are common with carpets as they allow for an even surface with no lumps and bumps. It also provides a deeper barrier between the carpet and the floor as carpets, themselves, aren’t particularly thick enough to provide adequate comfort when walking on them. Underlay also helps improve insulation which in turn, helps cut down your energy bill. So, are underlays also needed with wooden flooring?

In general, wooden flooring does not really need an underlay. This is due to the fact that they’re perfectly comfortable to walk on without the need to add an extra padding underneath. However, the subfloor will have to be made prior to the installation, as a result, an underlay is needed at all there. With that in mind, it’s highly recommended to make use of an underlay when installing a boarded floor to a wooden subfloor mainly due to the fact that it’s able to provide a much-improved insulation. When it comes to wooden flooring, it’s always best to go for quality rather than looking for ways to cut corners. If you’re able to go for the best project with professional installation and little extras like undelay, you’d notice and enjoy the long lasting nature of your wooden flooring immediately after installation.

• Have a step tread width of 900mm – if you don’t want them that wide, they should be no less than 760mm
• Add a central step riser to stairs wider than 900mm to prevent them buckling
• Add a step depth (the vertical distance between each step) of between 150 and 180mm if building your own riser, so the steps are at a comfortable depth

• Step treads (the actual step themselves)
• Step risers
• Coach screws
• Deck screws
• Saw
• Drill

1. Make sure the ground where you want to put your steps is level and firm. If it’s not, consider laying concrete or paving slabs to provide a secure surface for your steps to sit so they don’t sink.
2. Grab some joist off-cuts and cut them to the same width as your step treads. Attach them to the step risers at the top and bottom using countersunk coach screws.
3. Place the steps against the sub-frame of the deck; if you’ve put slabs down for support, make sure the steps sit in the middle of them. The longest edge of the stair riser should be on the slabs, and the short edge against the deck. Drill pilot holes through the step and sub-frame joist, then screw the step to the sub-frame with more coach screws.
4. After drilling pilot holes, screw the treads into the risers at each end with deck screws.
5. If you don’t want gaps between each stair, you can add joist off-cuts or deck boards. Measure the height and depth of the gap, then screw the off-cut or board into the step riser with two screws at each end.

Most of the people out there do not know the difference between a carpenter and a joiner. This is a very common question that is asked by many as to whether there is an actual difference between the two.

Both joiners and carpenters have many shared traits. The definition seems to change throughout the UK. The southern parts use the term carpenter whereas the north seems to prefer the term joiner. Both of these trades involve working with wood mainly in the construction industry. Both of them are, however, are two very unique and separate trades. Both of them come under the broad term of ‘carpentry’ however their skills and specialisms differ.

A joiner is defined as a trained craftsman who is responsible for making or joining wood in a workshop. On the other hand, a carpenter is a professional that works on site with the timber. In summary, a joined creates the wood back at the workshop while the carpenter fixes them on site. A joiner, therefore, works on things that are done in a workshop using machinery while a carpenter is responsible for its assembly on site.

As both joiners and carpenters had learnt the basics of both trade while they were practising as an apprentice, several similar overlaps are bound to occur.

It is good practice to ask the company or the individual what trade they specialise in. As an example, a joiner may be able to make a particular item whereas a carpenter may be better doing the actual fitting.

It is evident from the above sections that carpentry and joinery are completely different and therefore, should be categorised under two different trades, however, there is indeed a lot in common in their extremely high skilled work.