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When it comes to extending a home, the rear of the house often comes to mind a lot more than the front. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t extend the front of your house. This can be done either as part of a renovation project whereby the entire house is incorporated or it can also be done in isolation. It’s possible to extend the front of your house without the need to apply for a planning permission, however, there are a bunch of limitations you’d have to comply with if you wish to carry out with such a project. Sometimes, this may imply that extending to the front of your home is more tedious and tasking than extending your home’s rear. So exactly how far can you extend the front of your home without planning permission?

The short and simple answer to this question is 2 metres square area with a height not more than 3 metres. Generally, you do not need a planning permission to build a front porch as long as its area doesn’t go beyond 2 square metres from a public road or walkway. Also, a tiled or slated roof can be as much as 4 metres but other roofs must not go beyond 3 metres in height. If you want to extend the front of your home beyond the restrictions specified, then you’ll have to apply for a planning permission.

Extending the front of home can be quite costly, but this can be controlled by not building to the extension to the highest specification, not including an extension on kitchens or bathrooms and more.

Have you decided to upgrade to Sky’s next generation TV service - Sky Q?  Well, with the 1080 picture quality and a resolution of 3840 which enables you to enjoy your favorite shows in the highest quality, who wouldn’t want to have one installed in his/her home? Apart from the above benefits, you’re also given the ability to record up to 6 shows any time you want, while still viewing a 7th. For many individuals who wish to have the Sky Q installed in their homes, one major concern they all have in common is determining whether or not a satellite dish would be needed. In this article, we aim to help you resolve this once and for all.

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, you’ll need a new satellite for sky Q. However, we’ll strongly recommend you hire the services of a professional and experienced engineer who is well trained and skilled when it comes to the correct and safe installation of satellite dishes. They’ll ensure the entire process goes smooth without any form of interruption. With that, you can be sure to get the best possible quality display from your sky Q system while also avoiding any form of potential installation or placement issues with your dish.

In general, the sky Q installation process is relatively quick and system. As soon as you obtain your viewing card from Sky, your engineer can start setting up your TV with sky Q.

With the ability to add approximately one third of your existing living space ( by converting your old, unused attic) to your home or property without having to let go of your garden, it’s quite easy to see the reason why loft conversion has rapidly grown to become one of the most popular home improvements in the UK. However some homeowners usually shy away from the idea simply by looking at the perceived high cost of carrying out such a project, despite several researches showing that loft conversions offers the best rate of return on initial investment when compared to the other home improvement projects. So exactly how much would it cost to carry out this project?

Just like several other home improvement projects, the cost of a loft conversion varies greatly depending on a wide range of influencing factors. These factors include the size of your home, how old your home is as well as the quality of the fixtures and fittings you want to install. For instance, a high end bathtub alone can cost you thousands of pounds, meanwhile you can also construct a full bathroom suite on just a couple of hundred pounds. However, to give you an idea of the minimum cost of a loft project we’ll look at the most popular types and the minimum cost of each.

✓ Internal Loft Conversion - The most affordable type of loft conversion tends to start from £25,000 and above.

✓ Dormer or L-Shaped Dormer Loft Conversion. These are the most popular types of loft conversion. Dormer price tends to start from £35,000, while the L-shaped dormer starts from £45,000.

✓ Mansard Loft Conversion - This involves replacing the entire side of a sloping roof with a vertical wall and flat roof. It requires a planning permission. The type of loft conversion usually starts from £45,000.

✓ Hip To Gable Loft Conversion - This usually starts from £50,000.

Also referred to as drywall, plasterboard is a panel that features an inner layer of gypsum and spread between facer as well as backer paper. It is mostly incorporated in the construction of both interior walls and ceilings. Plasterboard can be made to be humidity resistant, fire resistant as well as noise resistant. Due to these reasons and also the fact that it’s very easy to install and very affordable, plasterboard is a very popular choice when it comes to interior walls and ceilings.

One of the major issues that most homeowners face when fitting plasterboard is the thickness required to make the project a long lasting one. But not to worry, we got you covered! If you’re about to install plasterboard for your ceiling and wondering the thickness that’ll be appropriate, then you’ve come to the right place. In general, the standard plasterboard sheet size is 120 cm in width and within the range of 180 cm to 360 cm in height. These sizes are designed to provide the much needed support to the standard stud spacing which is 160 cm. Depending on the manufacturer, plasterboard can be in four different widths.

Now talking about the thickness, there are two standard thicknesses of plasterboard - 9.5 mm and 12.5 mm. The sizes of plasterboard for ceilings are 9.5 mm or 10 mm. Most individuals tend to assume that the thicker the plasterboard the better, but this is absolutely false. A thicker plasterboard will only stick harder to the ceiling which will make it hard to seal joints if required.

Plasterboards are a great noise insulators which can also reduce disturbances from other activities. As a result, for walls, size of plasterboards that’s considered appropriate for walls is 12.5 mm or 13 mm.

You want your home spotlessly clean and sparkling at all time. Well, so does several other home owners. However, before you achieve that aim, there are a multitude of decisions you’d have to make. And these decision will most often start from how to find and choose the best domestic cleaners available.

One of the several different choices you’ll face, however is whether to supply the products to yourself or if it’s the duty of the domestic cleaners to bring their own supplies which they would use to clean up your house. If they’re to bring their own products and end bringing ones you don’t like or insist on using the products that it’s likely that you’re allergic to. Fortunately, you don’t have a thing to worry about when it comes to this as the best domestic cleaners will all agree that the most appropriate products are the ones you already use at home.

Generally, it’s usually best that you provide both the cleaning products as well as equipment that the house cleaners will use for a number of reasons. Firstly, looking at the from the hygienic point of view, you definitely do not want equipment being used on another property brought to yours and you also get to use the cleaning products you’re comfortable with.

Most professional domestic cleaners will show up at your home to do a bit of walk through the home, know where your product and equipment is kept, how your vacuum cleaner works and lots more, before the come for the actual cleaning. Therefore, if you already have your preferred products and equipment, they’ll have a look and provide you with expert advice on the ideal cleaning products, if that’ll help too.

Intruder alarm systems work in various ways and all with one goal in mind - ensuring the safety of both the building and valuables. Whether it’s a small or big home or property, there is a wide range of systems that can be installed to guarantee adequate protection from unwanted visitors. They work with various applications and you get to determine the action to be made in the event whereby the protected zone is violated and system triggered.

Intruder Alarm Systems come in three main types which includes:

• The Bells-Only Intruder Alarm System - Whenever there is a violation, the only action would be to trigger the alarm, nothing more.

• The Communicators - These alarm systems are basically speech dialers which automatically sends a message to various selected number whenever there is an intrusion.

• Monitored Systems - Here, the monitoring centre would be alerted once there is a breach in security.

However, irrespective of the type, most intruder alarm systems operate following a similar series of steps.

lSensing of motion. The systems usually feature door and window sensors which detects any contact of the door/window in the frame when shut. There are also the motion sensors which can be strategically stationed across the property to detect any motion and possible breach of security.

lTriggering of the control panel. The system is interconnected, and all components are linked to a control panel where all detectors’ and sensors’ generated informations are relayed. The alarm countdown is activated in the event whereby a contact is made and circuit impacted.

lSounding of the alarm - Once the alarm countdown has been initiated, failure to insert an abort code will ultimately sound the alarm. The external sounder that comes with the system produces a loud sound to notify people about the security breach or intrusion. There is also an interior sounder which works to bring the presence of an intruder to the awareness of the occupants.

lDeactivating the alarm. With the control panel, users can easily activate/deactivate the alarm system via a fob, code or selected smartphone apps. Click on the link to learn more about intruder alarm systems - https://alarm.quotatis.co.uk/3-ways-home-security-systems-keep-safe/

What Is Landscape Gardening?

Landscape gardening is basically the art of setting out grounds or planting of ornamental plants so that a picturesque effect is created. In other words, it can be seen as the beautification or decoration of a portion of land to generate a naturalistic effect in a limited space. However, it should also be noted that landscape gardening meant to beautify places, but also important and very functional as our surroundings make a whole lot of contribution to the quality of our lives. Landscape is a word that’s not only used to qualify an beautiful scenery, but also stands for a great historical records of natural features created by human activities over time. So what are the general principles of landscaping?

• The right landscape garden should express some thought or feeling, just like a good landscape painting. The expression can be bold, quiet, retired and more.

• The landscape garden area should be divided into various sections with a plan for each individual area. The whole plan should be actualized in such a way that an observer or visitor can imagine the entire plan and purpose without having to analyse each parts.

• It’s of great importance to combine both beauty and utility effectively.

• The design’s simplicity should be emphasized while executing the plan.

• The garden and building should perfect blend with each other in such a way that they could be seen as one rather than the landscape garden stopping abruptly in front of the building. The view of the garden from the building’s door or window should offer an breath taking scenery. In short, every part of the landscape should be planned so that every visitor will have a surprising effect when seen.

• The ideal landscape should not be too tight and should possess an open space.

• Do not overcrowd the plants and objects.

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.