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Double glazed windows are one of the most popular window options for home and property owners in the United Kingdom and reasonably so. They are able to offer a wide range of benefits to home owners which includes being energy efficient, reducing the build up of condensation on windows and black mould growth, significantly reducing background noise for a better relaxation or night rest, increasing the value of your property as well as adding to the aesthetic appeal of your home. So if you’ve decided to lay your hands on a double glazed window, you’d probably also like to know how much it’s going to cost. Well, providing a simple and accurate answer to the question of double glazing window cost is almost impossible as there are so many factors that influences the price including the materials and style.

Several suppliers usually provide the list of their double glazing windows on their websites, however these prices are only for basic off the shelf window and most often without the installation cost. Furthermore, if you require some special features to your double glazed window, then this will also tell on the total cost of the window.

So how much will a double glazing window cost? The cost of a double glazing window usually ranges between £100 to £3,200 per window, depending on the available options.

To have a more accurate estimate of the cost of a double glazing window, you’ll need a obtain a survey from a double glazing installer who can take into account any possible complications that may arise when installing your windows while also giving an advise on the most suitable window style for your property.

If you’re decorating a room from scratch, then you’d probably need some help especially if its your first time. Bedroom decoration is not as easy as it seems, and you’d definitely need to put a lot more things into consideration when compared to other rooms that are less used in your home. Your bedroom should be decorated in such a way to enable a calm and relaxing atmosphere which is conducive enough to guarantee a peaceful night rest. In order to help you achieve this goal and ensure all necessary areas are touched, we’ve put together this guide which covers the essential aspects of bedroom decoration. Let’s take a look!

• Colour. The wall colour of your bedroom speaks volume about the overall appearance of your room. This aspect is,however, often overlooked but its importance can not be overemphasized. Light blue is always a great choice as it can help induce sleep. However, you can also go for colours like red or royal blue if you feel daring but you must have a lot of natural light entering your bedroom for this to work. The best colours, however, are whites and blues.
• Light. This is another important consideration. It’s essential to make sure your room is properly illuminated when its dark out and the best option is usually a centrally placed ceiling light.
• Bed. The bed should work hand in hand with the wall colour and lighting of your room. Once the wall colours and lighting is in place, then you can start looking at beds that would perfectly suit your vision.
• Storage. Bedroom are not only meant for sleeping, as you’ll also need a storage for keeping clothing and personal items organized.
• Decor. This involves decorating your room to reflect your personal taste and style. You can consider a rug, wall art, mirror, candles and even books.

When getting a new air conditioning system, it’s essential to always go for one that’s energy efficient, otherwise you’ll end up paying more money on your heating and cooling bills than necessary. Over the years, a variety of air con units have been developed which ultimately makes it a bit tricky trying to separate the “the boys from the men. Not all are created equal and most home and property owners who do not take the necessary measures and put certain things into consideration when buying a new AC system often go back home with the most visually appealing unit rather than an energy efficient one.

When purchasing a new energy efficient system, there’s a need to look out for some things that can go a long way to help keep your heating bills and your home’s temperature low. Let’s take a look!

• Get the appropriate size for your space. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when buying a new air conditioner is getting the wrong size. A unit that’s too small will have to work overtime to achieve the set temperature for the room and driving up your energy bills, while a unit that’s too large will cool the air pretty easily and quickly but leave it damp and clammy.
• Energy saving setting. Always look out for this feature when buying a new unit. This allows the unit to turn off both the compressor and the fan once the space has been cooled off which in turn helps you conserve energy.
• ENERGY STAR® Certification. When deciding on the best air condition for your home, always look for the blue ENERGY STAR® certification. This implies that the unit has met or exceeded certain higher efficiency standards than other similar models.

To ensure your boiler is functioning efficiently and to keep your home warm, it’s important to see that your boiler is serviced on a regular basis by a licensed boiler engineer. Failure to do this can result in sudden boiler breakdown which can be a hard hitting blow to one’s financial power especially when there’s no boiler cover to cushion the blow or totally avoid it all together.

When your boiler is covered, it implies that you’re protected in the event whereby your boiler or it’s controls malfunctions or break. Several boiler cover will include the servicing cost, while some may not so it’s advisable to always go through the details, no matter how small, before entering into a boiler cover agreement. Typically, a boiler cover will cost between £60 to £100 per year and the payment is made on a monthly basis. Various boiler insurance companies have varying cover cost, however, here are the common boiler cover policies:

• Homeserve charges from £13 per month

• EDF Energy costs from £13.29 per month

• British Gas from £12 per month

• Scottish Power from £13.13 every month

• CETRI UK charges from £13.50 every month

• 24/7 home rescue costs from £9.60 every month

• Gorgi Home Plan costs from £6 per month plus 3 months free

• Your repair charges from £9.60 per month

• NPower Boiler Cover costs from £10.92 every month

• SSE Boiler Breakdown Cover charges from £4.95 every month

It’s important to note that sometimes you have the option of adding your boiler cover to your existing home insurance, if you do not want a standalone policy for your boiler cover. In many scenarios, this is referred to as an extra or add on service referred to as “Home Emergency Cover. When compared to the standalone boiler policies, this is usually a lot cheaper as it comes in around £5 per month.

Can You Use Floor Tiles On Walls?

Some floor tiles are so lovely you just can’t help but wonder if its safe to be used on the walls as well. If you’re also thinking along the same line, you’re not alone! Several other home and property owners are busy finding answers to this particular question. Now let’s look at the possibilities.

Generally, any tile designed as a floor tile by the tile manufacturer can also be laid on the wall (vertical surfaces) as well as countertops. Due to the fact that the floors are usually subjected to greater use than the walls in terms of foot traffic, the durability required is also considerably greater. Therefore, a floor tile with Abrasion Resistance values ranging from I - V is suitable for wall installation. However, you should take note that exterior wall applications must be different from its interior counterparts and must only be incorporated on tiles that are frost resistant.

There are two other factors that must be taken into consideration before you install a floor tile on your walls which includes the weight of your tiles per m2 as well as the strength of the surface in which the tile is to be installed. If you don’t want your tiles falling off, the combined weight of the tiles with the adhesive and grout should not be more than the maximum weight required per m2 (20kg to 35kg depending on the wall substrates).

Now that you have an idea of the possibilities of installing floor tiles on walls, it must, however, be said that reverse is the case when it comes to installing walls tiles on the floor. Wall tiles are, generally, not suitable to be laid on the floor as they are mostly non-vitreous ( can not withstand excessive impact, abrasion or thaw cycling).

No – solar thermal doesn’t generate electricity. Unlike solar PV, solar thermal panels harness the sun’s energy and convert it into heat which is then transferred into your home.

You can have evacuated tube solar thermal panels or flat plate collectors; evacuated tubes are thought to be more efficient that flat plate collectors. They both work by using the sun’s rays to heat a transfer fluid, usually made from water and a type of antifreeze, which is pumped to a heat exchanger inside a water tank in your home. The heat from the exchanger heats the water inside your tank, then when the liquid releases its heat it’s transferred back to the collectors to start the whole process again.

You’ll need to use your solar thermal panel system with a boiler, collector or immersion heater. This is so that the water can be stored and used for your hot water and heating, and also because in the UK, people generally need to rely on another source of heating in the winter. There are fewer sunlight hours in the winter months, so it’s not often possible for solar thermal panels to generate enough heat from the sun to get your water up to temperature.

Whatever the time of year it is, you might want to heat the water up further than your solar panels can manage. That’s why you’ll still need a form of traditional hot water heating, but you should see savings on your energy bills. If you’re currently using natural gas, you can expect savings of around £60 per year on your fuel bills, while if you’re using LPG it could be as high as £100 pr year

It’s a question that most home and property owners will ask almost immediately after making a decision to purchase and fit a stairlift in their homes. So if you also have yourself wondering exactly how much a starilift would cost, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to give you a good insight into the stairlift prices. Let’s take a look!

Unfortunately, a quick and simple answer can’t be provided to this question as there are so many factors that influences the price of a stairlift. The bespoke nature of installing the necessary equipment is the main reason why the amount of new straight and curved stairlifts greatly varies in the UK as well as the amount and complexity of the work required. With that in mind, providing an upfront and accurate estimate of a stairlift cost would be hard. As a result, this question can only be answered accurately taking into account all relevant factors by an expert after which they pay you a home visit. They’ll take into account whether your stairs are curved or straight, if any existing fixtures and fitting will have to be removed or perhaps there’s a need for a custom feature to be installed and lots more.

Generally, the price of new stairlifts can range from anywhere from £2000 to about £6000 or even upwards. As a result, getting a free no obligation survey done by an expert is quite important.

If you wish to work as a quantity surveyor or perhaps you’re just looking to hire one, then one of the first things that comes to mind is the qualifications to look out for. To work as a quantity surveyor, you’ll normally require a degree in quantity surveying or commercial management which is accredited by the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors). However, in the event whereby your degree as an undergraduate happens to be in a different subject, there’s still a chance for you to become a qualified quantity surveyor. To achieve this, all you need do is to take a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors accredited post graduate conversion course. Degrees that this applies to includes the following: Economics, building or construction, geography, civil or structural engineering, mathematics, project management ( construction) as well as urban and land studies.

Typically, the post graduate course will take about a year to complete ( on a full time basis), whereas it takes about 2 years on a part time basis. What’s more? There are some employers that will recruit some graduates as “non-cognates ( meaning those with a non RICS accredited degrees ) and support them financially through the accredited post graduate course. Furthermore, you can as well take a RICS accredited degree apprenticeship whether undergraduate, PGDip or Masters, in quantity surveying as well as project management that combines work with part time study at a university.

However, if you’re without a degree, there’s still an option. Simply start work as a technical surveyor ( also referred to as surveying technician ) and then apply for a part time study while working to qualify as a quantity surveyor.