Bangor College has awarded Phil Foulkes, a twenty-three year old plasterer from Llanberis, with the Apprentice of the Year award. He came top out of 200 students at Colleg Menai, however left the college last year after completing the final year of his course.
His tutor at the time, Mike Gashe, commended Phil on his achievement, saying,
“He has proved that you can go forward and has done well for himself.”
Foulkes left school without having achieved any qualifications, however he admits that he wasn’t interested in school. Enrolling on the course at Colleg Menai gave him an opportunity to learn something new and learn the skill of plastering, which he both enjoys and is good at.
After finishing his three year course, Phil went on to start his own plastering business, however he is not the only tradesperson in his family. Phil has 6 brothers and sisters, of whom 2 are joiners and another is a fellow plasterer.
The Apprentice of the Year award isn’t the first that the young plasterer has been awarded. He previously won the National Skillbuild Championship gold medal, which had he not now been too old to enter, Phil would have automatically been eligible for a place in the world plastering championships.
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While carrying out property development of a historic listed building in Aberdeen, Stewart Property Services Ltd carried out unauthorised internal work to the property, making changes that planning permission had not been granted to cover. The unauthorised work consisted of creating 15 bedrooms in the property which had been approved to consist of 9 bedrooms, with the remaining space being used for resident meeting space, games rooms and seating areas.
The affected space contained two examples of fine plaster ceilings dating from the late 18th or early 19th century, which were considered to be among the best examples of decorative plasterwork that have survived to be seen today. An historic buildings inspector who visited the property in 2007 had commented at the time that although there were ‘grander, more elaborate’ examples than the ceilings that could be seen in the Victoria Court property in public buildings in the city such as theatres, they were not as old, and it was also noted that the plasterwork ceilings of the listed building were in good condition.
When the planners questioned about the unauthorised work, the developer advised that as renovation work had progressed, problems with dry and wet rot had been discovered which would have resulted in a large amount of repair work which would have been costly. The developer also tried to justify the change to 15 bedrooms rather than the original approved 9 bedrooms that he was requesting retrospective planning permission for by advising that it was “financially imperative” for his company to allow the change to the original permission.
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Coving and cornicing can be an attractive way to add the finishing touch to your redecorating project by adding interest to the tops of your walls. Coving is particularly effective in period houses such as Georgian or Victorian properties but can also add interest in a more modern home.
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Everybody has their own personal views on artex; some people love it some hate it. Whatever your view on artex if you want to remove it then you may have your work cut out. Artex is a wall coating that is hardened and can be sculpted into various patterns and textures. It used to be strengthened by asbestos being added to it which can make it dangerous if not disposed of properly.
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A home improvement trend that has definitely left a lasting impression is artexing. We’ve all seen it; many of us probably still have it decorating our ceilings. The question lies in how we get rid of it when we decide this look is no longer what we want for the living room, hallway, dining room or kitchen. There are generally two ways in which you can go about the task; either removing the artex or covering it up, so we’ve provided a guide to each method popularly used to rescue your artexed room.
