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When thinking of pests, a lot of thing comes to mind - while some individuals think about bug and insects, others think about squirrels, raccoons, mice an rats, in fact some might even out deer in that category. And well, they’re all right! Pests simply refers to any insect, rodent or wildlife that’s considered to be unwanted or undesirable due to the fact that they invade people’s homes or businesses wrecking havoc, causing damages and increasing the risk of communicating a disease or illness. Therefore, a pest control refers to the process of managing, which can be by using repellents or deterrents, or removing pests from a residential or commercial property.

The act of managing or controlling pests can be carried out using a number of techniques. You can decide to kill them using the services of an exterminator or doing it yourself, but you can also incorporate other methods too. These methods includes making use of sound to serve as deterrent or repellent to the pests as well as making alterations around the property to prevent pests from entering. In general, you should know that it’s always preferable to prevent pest than having to face one that has already been infested. However, if the problem already exist then there’s no two ways around it, you’d have to get them removed first.

A professional pest control service can go a long way to help when it comes to managing and controlling pests in any property. They carry out an inspection of the property to ensure that there are no pests inside, figure out where the pests are coming from and entering into the house, deal with pests already in the home, advise whether there’s any damage as a result of the pests, spray regularly to prevent the pest if you wish and also seal off the possible entry points for the pests.

Do You Need A Building Reg For A Conservatory?

If you’re planning to build a conservatory in your home, it’s only logical to consider whether or not you require a building reg for such a structure. Generally, several conservatories, summer buildings, sheds as well as outbuildings do not require building regulation approval to erect. One of the applicable rules is the fact that if they’re ( small or less than 30m2) or constructed with non combustible material, or are differentiated from structures nearby or land and don’t feature sleeping accommodation or room, then they’re not required to submit a building regulations approval application. However, it’s strongly recommended to check with your local authority before you commence the project as only they can provide the most accurate information.

Generally, conservatories should be primarily built of translucent walls and roofs, while also possessing an external type door separating them from the main building within a property. What’s more? The foundations and floors, however, can be laid in a number of ways, but you’ll have to put into consideration the conditions of the ground, trees as well as the existing drains. It’s also a wise decision to include insulation which makes the structure a lot easier to heat especially during the cold months.

Overall, conservatories are usually exempt from building regulations if the following conditions are met:

✓ If the conservatory is erected at ground level and are not up to 30 square metres in floor area.

✓ If the structure is separated from the rest of the house with an external quality walls, windows or doors

✓ If the conservatory features an independent heating system with different temperature as well as on/off controls

✓ If the glazing and electrical installations are in total compliancewith the relevant regulatory requirements.

Does A Conservatory Add Value?

if you’re looking to get a new conservatory built in your home or you’re moving into a new home that features a conservatory, it’s understandable if you’re wondering whether or not a conservatory adds value to a property.

Adding a conservatory to your home will not only create additional space, but it’ll also add value to it. When the right style, fit and shape is chosen, your conservatory can become an asset that’ll be well worth the investment when you want to dispose your home or property. Generally, a conservatory is estimated to add about 7 percent value to a home as stated by a popular property personality Phil Spencer. However, the correct level of the value it adds will be based on how well your conservatory is built as well as well it matches with its surroundings. As a result, when building your conservatory, it’s crucial to make sure that the new living space fits your home perfectly well in such a way that it showcases your property’s style of interior in order to create continuity.

When building your new living space, the first thing to do is to determine the best place for the structure to be placed. This should be given your total consideration because conservatories that look out of place can actually end up causing more harm than good like reducing the value of your property, as the potential investor may see it as more of a burden pr something that needs to be fixed.

If you choose a conservatory that perfectly suits the rest of your home and also creates value by allowing you derive maximum benefits from your garden, it’s likely to be a hot cake amongst potential buyers.

It’s a legal requirement to get an asbestos survey done on non-domestic buildings and public areas of domestic buildings if they were built before 2000. So, if you’re responsible for maintaining one of these types of building, you must find out if an asbestos survey has been conducted, and get one done if it hasn’t.

For domestic properties, you only need to get an asbestos survey done if your home was built before 2000 and you want to do some building work. This is because if any materials containing asbestos are damaged during the work, they could pose a serious health risk, so might need removing first.

However, if you’re worried about asbestos in any parts of your home that are deteriorating, you might want to get an asbestos survey done anyway.

How Much Oil Does A Boiler Use?

Are you also interested in knowing the quantity of oil that a boiler consumes to heat up and keep a house warm? Well, you’ll find the answer here. There are so many influencing factors that determines the quantity of oil that’ll be used by a boiler. These factors include the number of hours they’re subjected to use on a daily basis, the boiler’s size as well as how efficient it is. Another factor is how you use your boiler, whether it’s only to provide heating or to provide both heating and hot water will as influence the quantity of oil your boiler uses. As a result, it’s almost impossible to provide an accurate estimate of the amount of oil that an appliance would require to keep running effectively.

In general, to provide a rough estimate, a mid sized oil boiler appliance could make use of up to 3.5 litres of oil per hour when full, but if it’s a large appliance, then it can burn up to 4 litres of oil per hour. However, it should be noted that this is only when the boiler is operating flat out. In the event whereby the water inside the heating system is already hot and the boiler is only working to maintain the level of warmth, much less quantity of oil will be used. And as expected, there will also be times in which your boiler will not be on, and therefore no oil or fuel will b used.

Your home’s size as well as how properly insulated it is can also be a significant influencing factor here. As you would have guess a big home and/or poorly insulated will use up more oil because it’ll be harder to heat up or keep warm. Overall, for some households, 1000 litres of oil will be sufficient to get them through the year, whereas the same quantity may not be enough to get other households through just the winter months.

Many tree surgeons offer a specialist service for trees that cannot be easily felled via a simple cut. Sectional dismantling is used which involves making several cuts to slice the tree into small sections which can be brought back to the ground safely. Using this method will allow tree surgeons to fell trees that pose risks to nearby buildings in a safe manner.

Velux windows actually refer to one brand of roof window, which are windows that sit in your roof space and allow light and ventilation into your loft. But how do you install a Velux window? If you’re a competent DIYer, it’s not as difficult as you might think.

You can normally install roof windows entirely from the inside, so you don’t need to get up on your roof or hire costly scaffolding. They come with detailed installation instructions, so as long as you follow them you shouldn’t have much trouble.

Before you start, you’ll need to read up on the Building Regulations and Planning Permission laws. Speak to your local Building Control department if you have any questions.

Firstly, prepare the opening by removing enough tiles or slates from the roof. There’s no need to go out on the roof – access them by cutting away the felt underneath which will give you access to the tiles and battens. Cut away one of the battens from under a tile, then you can slide all the tiles into the roof space. You’ll need to cut away the roof timbers to make the right size opening, then add more timbers to strengthen the ones that are left.

Next, remove the opening sash from the new roof window then fit the frame into the new opening using the brackets provided with the window. Then fit roof flashing between the new window and the roof so you don’t get any leaks. Then lay your tiles back in position around the new Velux window; you’ll probably have to cut some to shape which you can do with an angle grinder. Always cut them on the ground, not in position on the roof.

Lastly, fit the sash back onto the window and you’re done!

If this sounds like too much hard work, plenty of window installers will be able to help you fit a Velux window and will probably be able to provide a much cleaner finish.