2009 was a poor year with the UK construction industry as a whole having been hit very hard by the recession. As well as commercial cuts in spending on development and building projects, homeowners also tightened their belts and purse strings so companies catering for both commercial and domestic customers could not even rely on the other half of their market to provide a positive.
After seeing a decline in profits in 2009, although 2010 isn’t likely to provide a miracle cure to make up for last year’s reduction in revenue, paving firm Marshalls are beginning to see a turn in the market for 2010 compared to this time last year. Marshalls, who have just been recognised as a 2010 Business Superbrand for their strength as a B2B brand, receive 60% of their revenue from commercial, public sector and corporate customers and 40% of sales as generated by sales to residential homeowners.
Marshalls supply a range of paving and driveway products and both functional and decorative items to enhance gardens, including walling materials, paving, greenhouses, summerhouses, garages and products to assist with water management in your garden. Their range of hard landscaping materials is produced with commitment to quality products, with the Marshalls group including a number of prominent brands including Classical Flagstones, supplying stone flooring and flagging in both contemporary and traditional ranges, Compton concrete garages, Alton cedar greenhouses and Robinsons aluminium greenhouses. In addition to the companies that are part of the Marshalls group, the paving and hard landscaping firm also supplies garden furniture and planters, outdoor lighting and stone benches and a range of garden gates.
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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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A report launched today by Experian for the ‘Cut the VAT’ coalition, an alliance of 21 organisations including the Federation of Master Builders, the Modern Masonry Alliance, the Clay Roof Tile Council and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, has unveiled that as many as 55,000 new jobs in the building sector and construction industry could be created if VAT on labour for building work and home improvements was cut to 5%.
Creating Building Jobs
The Cut the VAT coalition believes that by cutting the percentage of VAT paid on labour for renovation and property maintenance work from the current 12.5% to 5% would help the current economic situation of high numbers of unemployed people, and would also have a number of social and economic benefits for the UK as a whole, including helping the Government reach its carbon emission reduction targets.
The report anticipates an additional 24,000 construction jobs could be created in 2010 alone, with this rising to nearly 35,000 building sector jobs by 2019. In addition, the report explains that the additional demand for tradespeople to carry out work in domestic properties will have a knock on effect for companies who supply materials to the trades as people decide to upgrade central heating systems, repair roofs, build extensions and rewire homes. As a result of making building work and renovation of properties more affordable for homeowners, this will in turn help people make their homes more energy efficient, reducing energy consumption and saving them money.
The first step before removing your old bath and basin would be to turn off your hot and cold water mains and drain the system, making sure that any remaining water is drained out of the water pipes by turning on the bath and sink taps. Once the water has been drained from the system, you can then continue by removing the bath panels and anything else that is holding your old bath in place.
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Installing a new bathroom in your home is one of the easiest ways to increase the value of your home. The first thing that you should do when you looking to put an extra bathroom in your house is create a space for it, making sure you there is enough room for a toilet, basin, bath tub and shower. When trying to find the space most people use an attic, basement or have an extension built. You do not need to find a great deal of room so unless you are looking to add further rooms such as extra downstairs living space or additional bedrooms, most people don’t choose to have an extension built just for the sake of an extra bathroom.
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Choosing whether to purchase a property for renovation can be a difficult decision to make and there are a number of advantages and disadvantages you should bear in mind when making your choice. Added to this is whether buying an already renovated property will make you more money in the long run than gutting a house and doing it up from scratch.
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Whether to opt for single glazing or double glazed windows may seem like an obvious choice but there are reasons for single panes being a better option and situations where double glazed windows are not viable or acceptable. Read more…
For years people all over the world are often faced with the same dilemma when it comes to renovation or redecorating work; do it yourself or get a professional trades person? In today’s financial climate this question has never been greater.
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There are many different bathroom suite styles to choose from, whether you’re looking for contemporary elegance and a minimalist style or a traditional bathroom suite in a Victorian or Edwardian style. Traditional suites are becoming a popular option, from baths to toilets, basins to radiators.
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When things go wrong in your home, it can be difficult knowing whether to choose the DIY option and try and solve the problem of the leaking tap, repair that hole in your garden fence or fit a new carpet yourself or to pay a professional local tradesman to carry out a quality job for you.
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