Look after your roof and it will look after you

by Peter
Although it may be the most important part of any building many people do not pay much attention to the roof of their property until it starts developing problems and begins to let rainwater in. At this stage there is already a high probability that internal damage has been done so a rapid response is needed to prevent further issues but what can be done to avoid roofing problems in the first place? The majority of roofs will become covered in moss and removing this is essential to keeping the roof in good repair. Regular jet washing of the roof can remove most if not all of the moss but if the job is too difficult there are professional companies that can be employed to do the job. Another extremely... Read More »

Does your property meet the energy efficiency standards?

by Peter
With energy bills rising at a tremendous rate many people are eager to save money on their household bills and are spending hours searching online to get the best deal on their electricity, gas or oil costs but how energy efficient are our homes and is there anything we can do to improve this efficiency and save money? The first thing to consider is to check whether there is adequate insulation in the property especially in the loft as heat is lost through the ceilings and walls of the house. More recently people are also looking at heat that may be lost through floors too and are installing underfloor insulation. Cavity wall insulation is worthwhile if the property is older and has not been built with wall insulation in place.... Read More »

Convert an unused bedroom into a much-needed dining room

by Peter
Many couples who live in a bungalow with more than one bedroom make the decision to convert one of the spare bedrooms into an alternative reception room. This could be a playroom for grandchildren, an office for working from home or a dining room for entertaining friends and family. It makes sense to do this if the spare bedroom is rarely used and is quite a simple process. The décor of the room may need to be changed if the bedroom has floral wallpaper that may make the room look dated. Plain walls are probably a better choice with a feature wall painted in a different colour or papered with a bold patterned paper. If the room is small it is best to stay away from paper with a large... Read More »

Building an extension on your home

by Peter
If you find that you are struggling for space in your home then you may consider building an extension. Firstly you need to decide where you want the extension and whether you want to have it one or two story. A two story extension will need deeper foundations and so it is not always possible to build on top of an existing garage for example. Even if you don’t want to have a double extension at the moment, it is often worth building the foundations deep enough so you have the option too later on down the line should you wish to. The first step to getting an extension built in to get an architect to draw up some plans of the extension. You will then be able to submit... Read More »

Different types of roof construction

by Peter
There are many different roof structures to choose from when designing a building some are easier and cheaper to construct than others. In days gone by there was a standard roof construction that was used but now there are many choices. The pitch of the roof is particularly important and varies from country-to-country dependent upon the weather and rainfall in that country for instance in the UK where we experience a lot of rain the roof needs to have a certain pitch to enable the rainwater to flow away adequately whereas in Mediterranean countries with little rainfall the pitch of the roof does not need to be as steep. Trussed roofs are designed with an appropriate pitch but although a common roof structure does not give much internal loft space.... Read More »