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Black mould, just like every other type of mould, is commonly present in dark and humid areas of homes and structures. Basically, it releases spores into the air which can be absorbed when you breathe in or through your skin. These spores are also able to get a ride on your body to other areas and gradually, spread throughout the home or house. Black mould is very different from other common household moulds, but it has a reputation for being toxic. In fact, a lot of individuals refer to black mould simply as toxic mould due to its reputation. When left untreated or totally ignored, black mould can result in serious health challenges and even more so for more vulnerable individuals. Respiratory issues are the most common health issues that arises as a result of black mould. You may start to cough, sneeze or even develop an itchy throat after a prolonged exposure to the toxic black mould spores. Vulnerable people or people at higher risk such as infants or an individual with respiratory challenges, could suffer long term health challenges. So, what are the signs of mould? Let’s take a look!

The most effective approach to reduce the risk of breathing in black mould spores is by eradicating it immediately you notice it. You may have a black mould issues if you notice:

• A musty smell. Luckily, mould has a unique and distinct smell which is often described as musty and earthy. It may even smell just like rotten vegetables or plants.
• Growth spots of different colours. Just like the name implies, black mould is often dark in colour. If you notice circular spots that are black, dark green or dark brown, then you probably have black mould in your house.
• Water damage spots. To detect black mould early on, simply look for water damage spots.

1. After the installer’s measured up, given you an estimated output and recommended some systems for you, they’ll arrange date to come to your home to install the solar thermal panels. They’ll also let you know if any scaffolding will be required.
2. Next, they will start to fit the panels, or collectors, to your roof. Stainless steel brackets will be provided with the system and they will remove your roof tiles or slates to attach the brackets to the rafters. They’ll then replace the tiles and add waterproof flashing to ensure you don’t get any roof leaks, and add the frame.
3. If you’ve chosen evacuated tube solar thermal panels, the installer will bolt the heat transfer unit to the top of the frame but not install the tubes until nearer the end. This is because the tubes start to transfer heat to the exchanger immediately, and when everything is unconnected this could damage the unit.
4. If you don’t need a new boiler with your installation, a new dual coil water cylinder, pump and system control system will be fitted. It’s best in a loft or upper floor of your home.
5. A new thermal store or hot water tank that will store the heat provided by the solar system is much larger than a standard tank but it may fit in the spot of your old one. The installer will ensure that it’s connected to the mains cold water, your other heating source (such as a gas boiler or biomass boiler), immersion heater, temperature sensors and the solar collectors themselves.
6. Next they will install the pumping station, usually near the water tank. The expansion tank will be installed on the solar thermal loop, which is usually nearby. Its job is to prevent pressure changes that could damage the system.
7. You’ll get a heat generation meter which must be MCS-certified if you want to take advantage of the RHI, and any control equipment that comes with the system will be installed.
8. The installers will then bring the system to pressure by pumping the heat transfer liquid into the system up to a pressure of around 2 bar.
9. Finally, your MCS-registered installer will register your solar thermal system so you can apply for RHI payments of up to £525 per year.
So that’s the process of installing solar thermal panels. Remember – it's always best to use a professional to install any kind of renewable technology.

Do you know we spend a great third of our lives asleep? Well, this also means that we spend a third or more of our lives in the bedroom. Therefore, your room represents a space where you should invest a little bit more of time and effort when compared to the other less used rooms in the home. If you’re interested in getting a new bedroom built and fitted in your home, then you’d probably want to know just how much it’ll cost to get it done. Being an important point to consider before getting started, we’ll do our best to provide you with the most accurate answer.

In truth, the cost of getting a bedroom designed and built depends on number of factors from flooring to furniture and everything in between. Bedroom, being a reflection of the home owner’s style and tastes includes a wide range of designs as well as features which goes a long way to determine the cost. When it comes to designing a building, there are a lot of options which includes the furniture required, style of bed, desks, pull out or sliding wardrobe drawers, flooring, handles, lighting, power outlets and more. As a result, the cost of building and designing your bedroom will be based on your choices.

In general, most home owners will incur within the range of £3000 to £20,000 to fit and design a new bedroom. In order to get a more accurate estimate of your new bedroom cost, it’s advisable to consult your designers and talk through what you’re looking for as well as what your budget is.

1. If you’ve not got an overhang or it’s a fixed deck, fit starter clips along the outside edge of the frame and secure with screws provided with the composite decking. If you are working with an overhang, put the first board into position not exceeding 25mm. If you’re adding a fascia, put an off-cut of board under the overhang so you know it’ll be flush with the fascia.
2. Pre-drill all fixing points, measuring in 30mm from the edge of the board. Secure the board to the joist below with composite decking screws.
3. Slide a hidden fastener clip in so it sits within the groove of the deck board. It needs to be in the centre of the joist to keep the boards secure and ensure an expansion gap of 6mm. Tighten the clips until just tight, and repeat so there’s a clip at every joist.
4. Add the next board, ensuring that the fastener clips sit within the groove – make sure you don’t force it. Repeat step 3.
5. Continue steps 3 and 4 until you’re at the final board, which you should secure in the same way as you did the first.

The most serious form of fungal decay is dry rot which occurs when the moisture levels of a timber is about 20 percent. It targets timber in buildings and feeds off the part of the wood which gives it its strength.it is able to produce moisture through the digestion of timber and as a result, does not require any source of moisture to spread. Once the dry rot is able to spread, it can severely impact and compromise the structural integrity of the house or building. If you think you may have dry rot on your building, the best solution would be to call on a professional to conduct a survey of your premises and have it treated as soon as possible if positive. If the dry rot is not identified and treated as soon as possible, you may have to remove and replace all the affected timber later on. In this post, we’re going to take you through the process of treating dry rot by yourself. Let’s take a look!

• The initial treatment stage of dry rot is to identify the moisture source and have it repaired. Once done, you’ll have to ascertain the full extent of the dry rot outbreak. To achieve this, simply open up the affected area by removing the plaster and render in all directions while also removing flooring and lifting floorboards. Once done, you should be in the best position to determine the full extent of the infected timbers.
• Proceed to cutback the timbers in-situ to a minimum of 500mm beyond the last signs of fungal growth or the strands of hyphae.
• Remove all fruiting bodies and detectible spores. Clean the wall areas to eradicate surface growth using a stiff brush if necessary.
• Replace the timber with pre-treated timber.
• Treat the new and old timber with a dual purpose dry rot treatment fluid and sterilise the masonry.

First and foremost, it must be stated that replacing an existing electric shower is much easier than fitting one from new. This is primarily due to the fact that the main components required which includes the water pipes as well as electrical connections will have already been established. In this post, we’re going to assume that all these are already in place which means you’re replacing an existing electric shower with a new one. It’ll also be an advantage if the preferred electric shower features cable and pipe entry points at the top and bottom as well as the rear and side so as to allow for more flexibility when it gets to routing cables and pipes. If you’re not confident enough to pull off this task, then it’s strong advisable to call in a professional who can guarantee the best results the first time. Here are the steps you can follow to fit your electric shower:

• Disconnect the power supply as you probably know water and electricity aren’t particularly the best of friends. Once done, you’ll also need to turn off the water supply
• Remove the shower unit. Many shower units are secured with four screws which makes the removal rather straightforward.
• Examine the shower connection points to determine if they’re in the same place on the new unit as they were on the old one.
• Install the new shower unit. First, you’ll have to mark the position of the new units on the wall using a pencil. If the new units don’t possess the same silhouette as the old one, you’ll have to drill new ones preferably using a masonry drill bit.
• Check your installation at both the electrical and water supply to ensure the connection is made correctly.
• Test your new electric shower by turning the power and water supplies back on.

If you’re planning on adding a house extension to your property, you’d probably be worried about whether or not your proposed extension would require a planing permission. Well, it may be relieving to know that not every house extension project would require a formal consent, and in fact, several extensions are covered by the permitted development rights. Not only can this save you a considerable amount of time especially at the project’s planning phase, but it’ll also save you money on the application fee. In the UK, single storey extensions to the house’s rear can be 3 metres deep for both semi detached houses and terraces or 8 metres deep for detached homes.

So how do you know when you’d require a planning permission for your home extension? Well, if your extension plan fits these criteria explained below, then your project is most likely going to be allowable as a permitted development.

• Extensions, which includes previous additions, must not go beyond half of the original house’s total surrounding land area.

• The main elevation, or side elevation where it fronts the highway, must not be extended forward.

• For single storeys, the rear additions must not extend more than the original house’s rear by more than 3 metres in both semi attached homes and terraces (4 metres for detached houses).

• Extensions to the side must be a single storey with a height not exceeding 4 metres and not going beyond 50% of the original house’s width.

• Extensions hat within 2 metres of a boundary should have a eaves height not more than 3 metres.

• Multi storey addition must not extend beyond the original house’s rear wall by a maximum of 3 metres or 7 metres of the boundary opposite the rear wall.

• Permitted development rights do not apply in listed buildings or designated areas.

If you’re planning to build an orangery extension on your property, then it only makes sense to estimate the possible cost before getting started. However, like several other home improvement projects, the cost of building an orangery extension is based on a wide array of factors such as your location ( within the UK), the size of the building, the orangery style in question, the materials to be incorporated as well as the finish you’re expecting to get.

Generally, to build an orangery, you’d have to spend within a range of £10,000 to £70,000. This variations in price depends on the factors earlier mentioned such as the type and size of the selected orangery. For a small orangery featuring a uPVC frame, you can get that done for nothing less than £10,000, but the price can jump to £60,000 or more if you want a large, timber-framed orangery built. For a superior quality, large and timber-framed orangery featuring a new fitted kitchen, you’d have to incur up to £70,000 in expenses (when you add the price of the new kitchen units as well as appliances).

The finish you want to achieve is one of the most influential factors determining the price of your orangery. If you want just the bare essentials (low end), the price ranges from £10,000 to £20,000, meanwhile the price for a blend of both basic and customized items ranges between £20,000 to £40,000. However, if you have a high taste and looking to get the best possible orangery with all fixtures and fittings of great quality, you’d have to spend between £35,000 to £60,000.

Furthermore, orangery’s cost will also be affected by how you wish to make use of the space, meaning an extra work may be required. This must also be taken into consideration to get a more accurate estimation of the cost.