Monday, July 21, 2014

Important Working With Home Renovation Experts

Renovating your home is indeed not an easy task. Of course, there are plenty of things that must be done to ensure that you get what you like for your home. Good thing there are experts who can help you with such.

Considerations When Working With A Renovation Expert

Know what you want. It is very important for you to make a list of what you like and don't like in your home. You have to ensure that everyone living with you will agree on what is on the list. This list will indeed help your chosen builder to better understand your goals.

Make your home accessible to the workers. It is certainly unavoidable to experience noise, distractions and personal intrusions when these professionals are doing their job; however, it can be managed when you are to prepare yourself and family for the entire renovation process. It will help a lot if you know the worker's working schedules.

If you are hiring a contractor you do not know, consider looking into their references. Be reminded that a good contractor will pay attention to details like placing drop clothes and cleaning the site daily. Most importantly, a good contractor will follow up with your inquiries and bills regularly.

Get the right and significant info about the company before they start any work. Prior to allowing the professional start any work, be sure that you have understood what you are getting into. You have to ask them significant questions, as well as to study the drawings and confirm all the details with them. You must be accessible always so in case a problem arises, they can easily contact you so they can make the right decision.

Monitor the progress on a daily basis. It is a smart idea for you to keep a project log where you can document what happens each day at the house. This will actually become your memory bank about the daily happenings at the work site. This is a great way of determining if the contractor is productive daily or not.

You must be open to new ideas as well as changes from your original plan. You might think that everything is planned well, however, there are times when changes become inevitable. An excellent contractor will actually offer you solutions in case problems will arise, and use his or her knowledge and experience in formulating great recommendations that will work best.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

How to Prepare for a Barn Conversion

As with all building projects preparation is paramount, especially when working with on older, more fragile building. With a conversion, all the essentials are already in place and it is very tempting to dive right in and start building, but you will need to do some investigating first. Measured surveys on the property will need to be conducted to establish detailed dimensions, ready for when you add to the structure and to support any planning application.

3D laser scanning is a great form of survey for this type of project; an extremely fast and cost effective way to gather all the data you require. It is a highly detailed measured survey and all the data can be collected remotely, which eliminates the risk of further damaging any fragile structure on site.

One of the things to look out for when starting your barn conversion is the extent to which the timber frame is crooked and out-of-line. A laser scan of the building, as it stands, depicts aspects to millimetre accuracy and so things like irregular spacing of timbers across a ceiling will be captured. Conducting this type of survey more than once over the space of a couple of months can also detect any movement of the building, highlighting any possible subsidence.

3D laser scanning is also a great way of making sure any brickwork or ornate detail can be kept, so you can restore the property in keeping with how it was before. This will allow you to remove walls or timbers, and then rebuild them to the same specification that they were previously.

To further your knowledge of your property and the surrounding area, it is also advisable for you to conduct a topographical survey alongside the 3D laser scan. A topographical survey will highlight both natural objects and buildings in and around your property. A professional surveying company should be able to help you prepare plans and decide which types of survey are appropriate for you to undertake, in order to save you time, money and trouble in the long-run.

As of April 2014 there are new rules and regulations regarding barn conversions and planning permission. Believe it or not, you may no longer need planning permission to transform an agricultural barn into dwellings as part of a government scheme to build more housing. There are a couple of exceptions, for example, if your barn is a listed building, if it stands in an area of outstanding natural beauty or if it isn't an agricultural unit you will not comply with this new regulation and you will require planning permission.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Tips For House Extensions

House extensions
Having house extensions is a more sensible option than selling your house and buying a bigger one. With the housing market not stable, selling a house would take longer time. Buying a house would probably cost more. It would be more practical and more convenient to hire an architect to design for your house extension. Having House extensions is more advantageous than having to move to a new and more expensive house.

Having a house extension will add value to your house. This you could sell for better price once the market condition has become more stable. The usual home extensions are adding a new kitchen or a lounge. Older homes usually have not given much priority or attention to their kitchens. Or you may choose for a lounge extension considering you have a growing family. You can have quality time together or entertain guests at your extended lounge.

If you prefer to add another bedroom with its own bathroom, it could be possible to have it over your garage space. Or if you have a large backyard, you can have your house extension there. The space would be great for your children who might need more privacy or for guests and relatives who visits you occasionally. There are certain limits or boundaries you can build your extension without needing for a planning permission.

You may want a conservatory for your home extension and this can be built in just a few weeks. You may also be considering having a playroom or study room based on your needs.

But before proceeding with building your extension, you must ensure the foundation is strong enough to allow the extension to take place. Your foundation must be placed directly under your walls and position them properly to avoid having problems with it in the future. Aside from the foundation, you also need to check your damp proofing. Checking this will help you prevent future related problems.

Electric cables should have proper protective coverings. This actually is very important primarily for safety purposes. The floor should have the proper height so that your doors and windows will have the proper height too.