Find a Shop Fitter you can trust in Abergorlech.

Pebble dash is an effective way to tune up your house or property as it can go a long way to enhance its curb appeal while also add to its resale value if you should decide to sell later on. Although, it’s highly recommended to leave this task for a reputable specialist, it’s also something that can be done as a DIY task. It must be states that this is a pretty difficult job and even more so if you haven’t attempted it before. In this post we’re going to take you through the processes involved in pebble dashing a wall. Let’s take a look!

• Mix up water with the lime strictly following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once done, leave it covered up to hydrate for at least 24 hours.
• Take one part of the slaked lime and mix it up with cement and six parts sand. This is to give the base mixture required to spread onto the surface.
• Use a trowel to apply the mixture onto the wall. Ensure that the trowel is level and use the edges to make a flat and smooth layer of the mixture on the surface as a base layer. Allow the base layer to dry for up to an hour. Then, rake the surface using a notched trowel and allow to dry for a minimum of 24 hours.
• Rinse and drain your pebbles. Then, set them under the wall you’re pebble dashing.
• Take the top coat of five parts sand and mix with one part cement and one part slaked lime. Use a trowel to apply this mixture over the base layer and smoothen it with the trowel to create a flat and even top layer.
• Spread a plastic sheet beneath the wall you’re pebble dashing to capture any loose pebbles as they fall.
• Grab the bucket of pebbles below the wall and scoop some of the pebbles up using a scoop or trowel. Some will stick and some will fall into the plastic sheet already placed below. Continue throwing the pebble dash until the surface is completely and evenly covered with pebbles.
• Lightly press and fit the pebbles on each section into the wall and leave for at least 24 hours to dry.

It’s vital to purchase a solar panel system that suits your property. If you’re investing in a solar panel system, it makes the most financial sense to get the biggest one possible. However, whether you can do this or not depends on budget and space.

Here’s an idea of how much roof or ground space you’ll need to install a few different sizes of commercial solar panel system.

Solar panel system size, No. of solar panels, Approximate area required

11kW, 44, 64m²

20kW, 80, 116m²

30kW, 120, 173m²

40kW, 160, 231m²

50kW, 200, 288m²

There are a few factors that will determine whether it’s worth getting a solar battery. They involve how much electricity you use, how often you’re at home and whether you receive any export payments.

To work out whether it’s worth getting a solar battery, you need to work out how much of the electricity you generate you’re using already. If you’re able to run all your appliances during the day while your solar panels generate electricity, then it sounds like you’re already using your electricity well. It might not be worth you getting a solar battery in this case.

However, if you’re not at home for a lot of the day, then you’ll be missing out on the electricity your panels are generating while the sun’s shining. If you install a solar battery system, you can store the electricity that your panels generate in the battery and use it when you get home. This will help you cut your electricity bills even further.

You’ll also need to consider whether you’re getting paid to export your electricity. If you’re on the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) or receive payments from the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you’ll get paid for every unit of electricity you export to the National Grid. Before you decide whether it’s worth getting a solar battery, you’ll need to weigh up whether you’d be better off carrying on exporting your unused electricity rather than storing it to use yourself. If you’re unsure, visit the Energy Saving Trust’s website or speak to an MCS-registered installer who will be able to help you work out which is more cost-effective.

Being the most used room in a house, it’s little surprise kitchen extension are usually one of the most popular requests in the UK. They do not only open up a frequently used space in your home, but also goes a long way to add value to your property. However, to know the value that’ll added you must first determine the cost of building such an extension before moving forward. Generally, a typical kitchen extension will cost within the range of £20,000 to about £50,000 plus VAT, based on the size of your project as well as your location.

In reality, a single accurate cost of a kitchen extension will vary depending on a lot of influencing factors, one of which is the type of the extension. Let’s take a look!

✓ Rear extension. You may want to consider this type, if you do not have sufficient space for a side return. This will extend your kitchen into your garden which implies that you’re going to give up some green space to make this a reality. The average price to have this done in London will be about £30,000 or more including VAT, and about £20,000 plus VAT or more in other areas.

✓ Side return extension. This, normally, isn’t a huge add to your property, but will create a lot of space for your kitchen while also be a lot reasonable in terms of cost. This type will extend your home into an alleyway at the side of your property if any is available there. On average, the cost of the side return extension should be about £50,000 plus VAT in London and a lot less in the other regions.

A clogged sewer line, when left untreated, can lead to a wide range of serious problems. If the issues arises from a toilet or kitchen sink pipe, then it’s highly likely that it just might be a clogged drain. However, if every flush results in a build up of sewage in your home, then the problem is likely to be in the main sewer line. If you’re looking for ways in which you can unclog your main sewer line without a snake, then you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’re going to show you just how to go about it. Let’s take a look!

1. Boiling water. If you want a quick and easy fix of your blocked sewer pipe, then this is for you. Simply pour some quantity of boiling water into the drain. In several cases, this will cause the particles causing the blockage to dissolve or loosen without having to resort to more drastic measures. However, it’s advisable to only use this method on either metal or ceramic pipes. Use hot and not boiling water on PVC pipes to prevent heat from loosing its joints.
2. DIY Natural Cleaner. To use this method, simple create a DIY cleaner by incorporating bicarb soda (baking soda) and white vinegar. Pour the baking soda into the sewer pipe and follow it with the vinegar. Once done, cover the sewer pipe to ensure the mixture does not bubble out of the pipe. In some cases, you may need to repeat the process a number of times to make sure that the blockage is properly removed. After completion, simply flush your sewer pipes down with hot water.
3. Plunger. This is a very common option that home owners use in clearing their blocked drains. Firstly, cover all overflow spouts before you start to plunge to get a strong seal. The strong up and down pressure produced by the plunger can go a long way to clear any blockages to ensure your pipes flow uninterruptedly again.

What Is The Best Front Door For Security?

If you’re about to get a new front door for your home, one thing that most homeowners usually put into consideration is the type of door that can guarantee the highest level of security. Your front door is the first line of defence in ensuring the safety of your home. Going past your home’s threshold should deliver an unrivalled feeling of safety and shutting the door behind you should be enough to keep out any unwanted visitors or disturbances. Hence, the reason why the safety and security of your home should be a huge influencing factor to consider when getting a new type of door for your home or property.

In order to achieve this, the material through which your door is produced is the most crucial element that you must take into account when taking a decision. The door’s material is simply everything, it determines the security and safety, durability, appearance and even price.

In addition to avoiding potential front door headaches including warping, expansion and short lifespan, steel doors are simply the type of door that provides the most security and also the most durable. This type of door, when featuring the appropriate mechanisms, can’t be kicked in ( any unwanted visitor who still considers his leg useful wouldn’t even dare) and as result, keeping those you want out, out! They aren’t affected by temperature or the elements as they won’t crack or warp. Asides from this, they can also be designed to suit your taste with any paint or finish to your most preferred style. What’s more? Steel doors don’t require any form of reinforcement and are the most secure option in the market for your front door.

How To Repair Sunken Concrete Driveway

If you have concrete driveway that’s cracked, uneven and mostly especially sunken, you’d know how distasteful it can be just viewing it on your property. A sunken concrete driveway is most likely caused by rainwater erosion removing the soil under it or a big root under it which as rotted over time. Another possible cause of the sunken concrete is an improperly prepared base which implies that the soil beneath wasn’t fully compact when the concrete was poured on it. Later on the soil beneath will eventually settle and shift below the concrete driveway which weakens the integrity of the entire driveway, making it more vulnerable to cracks, unevenness and sunken.

Two ways in which you can fix this problem includes either demolishing the whole driveway, re-compact the soil underneath and fill with new concrete or repair the entire driveway using an easy process called slabjacking. In this article, we’re going to look at the slabjacking repair process as it’s significantly less expensive than the demolishing approach and will also cause minimal disruption to your lifestyle.

Also referred to as mudjacking or concrete lifting, slabjacking is simply a process used to float your existing concrete back to its original position. If you are not a competent DIYer or lack confidence to pull this off, we’d recommend reach out to a professional for help. If otherwise, then you can practice the slabjacking process given below.

✓ Drill holes through the slab.

✓ Pump grout mixture through the holes. This mixture will spread out beneath he driveway and raise it up.

✓ Lastly, fill the holes and level the concrete driveway surface.in such a way to hide the signs of the repair made.

This is a process that works to efficiently get your driveway back in a top condition relatively quickly.