Find a Shop Fitter you can trust in Skipton.

Render serves two basic functions. One is it’s protective qualities as render acts as waterproof for the wall which enables them breathe by allowing water vapour move from the inside to the outside of the structure while also working to prevent water or rain from finding its way inside the structure. While the second function is the decorative qualities as render is able to provide the structure with a fine finish and colour to make the building a lot more appealing and correcting faults in line and level in the masonry.

If you wish to apply render on your external wall, you’d probably be wondering just how thick the render should be to perfectly serve both of functions. In this article, we’re going to take a look at just that!

For a render thickness, the British Standard Wind Driven Rain Index has come up with 4 ratings which include Sheltered, Moderate, Severe as well as Very Severe. An area with Very Severe rating include South West England. This rating implies that the thickness of the render in this area should be increased to at least 20mm for a direct one coat render applications as well as 5 to 6 external wall insulation base coat applications. And if you happen to reside within one mile of the coast, it’s strongly recommended you incorporate an extra repellent protection like Paraguard AG from Parex.

In general, render that’s prepared on site with cement and sand should be have a minimum of 20mm to 25mm thickness. Although, it should be noted that the quality of the render is based on quality of the sand incorporated, the design mix as well as being largely dependent on how good the mixing technique from the applicator is. The most common reasons why traditional renders fails is due to both poor mixing ratios and low quality materials used.

You can paint your soffits and fascias if they’re made of wood. In fact, it’s a good idea to do this every few years, as it can help to preserve them and keep them looking smart.

You can choose what you paint your soffits and fascias with by deciding what kind of look you want to achieve. You can stain them if you want to maintain a natural wood look, or use an exterior gloss or satin paint if you want to change their colour.

The energy efficiency of windows is measured using ratings, varying from A, the most efficient, to G, the least efficient. This scheme is run by the British Fenestration Council (BFRC). To comply with Building Regulations you’ll need windows of energy efficiency at least level C.

How Does Electric Central Heating Work?

An electric central heating works to provide a number of benefits for you. These benefits include the following:

lSpace Heating

• The storage heaters work during the night to store electricity which would be used to heat up the heat retaining bricks. This, in turn, will release this energy throughout the day to warm up the room.

• There are also electric radiators which works to deliver on-demand heat and as a result, economy tariffs are totally avoided. It will generate heat by itself rather than storing it and with the controls, you can easily determine the amount of heat to be released when you require it.

• There is the wet electric system options as well which comes with water filled radiators. This operates in a similar way to normal radiators, however, it makes use of electricity to heat up the water.

lWater Heating

• An electric boiler operates in a very similar manner to other boiler types, just that it makes use of electricity as its fuel. Here, the water is warmed by a heating element and the water is later moved to several radiator throughout the house by a pump. These electric boiler types earns you tariff savings as you’ll be able to heat water at night.

• Heat pumps geothermal or air source, redistributes heat instead of creating it. Heat pumps are powered by electricity and it works by absorbing heat either from the air or ground which it then channels it through a pump. This can then be incorporated in heating either water or a room.

• A dedicated immersion heater is another water heating option. Here, the heating element is positioned inside a hot water cylinder. In a similar fashion to a kettle, the element heats the nearby water. Immersion heater can act either as a backup or your main heating element.

Generally, you wouldn’t need to get in touch with a quantity surveyor prior to purchasing a property, unless of course your property is a very unique and unusual one. After making a commitment to buying a property or to kick start a construction project, then you might want to start taking into consideration getting in touch with a quantity surveyor. The best time for a quantity surveyor to carry out an inspection of the property is right after settlement and just before the tenants moving in. This is to ensure that the quantity surveyors do not disturb the tenant and they also get to fully go through what you’ve purchased as well as the condition it’s in.

Quantity surveyors will help you by working with architects, accountants, engineers, building owners, builders, developers, financiers, government, insurance underwriters, loss adjusters, sub contractors as well as solicitors. What’s more? The in depth knowledge quantity surveyors possesses when it comes to construction costs enables them to carry out a number of useful tasks to help you.

Prior to construction, quantity surveyors can prepare a feasibility study, estimate to defined the project budgets, carry out an analysis to refine the budget as the design documents develop, prepare Bill of Quantities so as to help with the tender process and also to carry out a review of Builder’s tender submissions. While the construction is ongoing, they can help provide cost control services, carry out an assessment of the builder’s progress claims and also undertake an assessment of variation and delay claims. Finally, after the construction, they can assist with the determination of the final project cost, prepare the tax depreciation reports for both investors as well as property owners and also prepare Expert Witness reports to assist in the settlement of building disputes.

The floor heating system possesses a flat ribbon located underneath which be installed directly underneath wooden floors without the need for any additional subfloor preparation. It happens to be one of the few systems that can function as a primary heat without the need for screeds. If you’re interested in learning how to fit underfloor heating under wooden floor, then you’ve come to the right place! In this step by step guide, we’re going to take you through the process and providing you with all the necessary details at each step of the way. Let’s take a look!

To get started, you’ll only require a little preparation and this involves making sure that the surface area is dust and debris free. Once done, you’re ready to go.

1. Spread your 6mm therm-all insulation and make sure it covers the entire floor.
2. Put the ribbon underfloor heating mats on the insulation
3. Use the double sided tape on the under floor heating mats to attach them to the insulation
4. Make use of high adhesive take where needed to make sure the heating mats are secured.
5. Route the cold leads ( live and neutral ) to a junction box right above the skirting board level.
6. Examine whether or not the resistance level of the heating elements matches with the resistance chart in the installation manual
7. Link the cold leads with a 5 lever quick connectors
8. Install the wooden floor directly over the top of the heating mats
9. Due to the dangers involved while working with electricity, it’s advisable to call in a reliable and professional electrician to help with the setting up of the electrics.

How Much To Install A Gas Cooker?

Gas cooker is gradually becoming more and more popular in the UK, with several homeowners looking to have one installed in their various homes. Whether you’re planning remodelling, conversions or perhaps you own a new building, gas ( be it a natural gas or Liquid Petroleum Gas - LPG) is now the favourite mode of cooking ,heating as well as warming across the country.

The fact that it’s popular, however, is not an excuse to install a gas cooker by all means in order to reduce the cost. When it comes to gas cooker installation, adequate care must be taken to ensure costly errors which can lead to fire outbreaks and other dangers are avoided. Therefore, if you’re thinking about getting a gas cooker installed in your home, hiring a qualified gas cooker installation company would be your best bet.

Prior to the installation of your gas cooker, the gas plumber will confirm whether or not your home is connected to the mains gas supply. In the absence of a connection, you’ll have to request for a new service connection. Immediately the connection is available, the certified gas cooker installation company can then proceed to fit in the appliance.

However, for a free standing gas cooker, the measurement of the gas cooker’s dimension will be taken by the fitter as well as the available space for the installation in order to determine whether or not the gas cooker will fit in. After this, the next step would be to turn the gas cooker on its side and fit in the underpins. The gas pipe will then be connected to the manifold while also activating the gas and checking for possible leakages. Once done, the gas would be plugged into the outlet and a test will be conducted on the gas to ensure it’s running the way it should.

Chimneys are certainly on top of the commonly overlooked features when it comes to cleaning a house. This is quite understandable given the fact that they’re not readily accessible and not in plain sight, hence, home and property owners tend to overlook the relevance of any chimney cleaning effort. But this can be a grave mistake! The importance of having your chimney swept on a regular basis cannot be over emphasized and even more so if it happens to be on a wood burner. Not only can a dirty chimney constitute fire hazard, but when left uncleaned it can also give rise to blockages which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. In fact, from 2014 to 2018, one of the top factors contributing to about 25% of home heating fires is due to lack of cleaning, mainly from solid-fueled heating equipment, mostly chimneys. Therefore, sweeping your chimney regularly is a safety precaution and when they happen to be on a wood burner, this exercise becomes a lot more important. With that in mind, the question that arises is just how often is sweeping of a chimney on a would burner needed?

Well, it’s strongly advisable to sweep chimney on a wood burner at least twice a year by a qualified professional depending on the usage. If you happen to own an oil burning fireplace, the same also applies. In other words, this means that regardless of the type of chimney you possess, the cleaning must be done regularly. However, most chimney would only need to be swept once in a year by a qualified professional.