Local Traders News » renovation

FMB on the Hunt for Britain’s Best Builder

Sarah — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:30:35 +0000

The Federation of Master Builders has joined forces with the popular housing expert and TV presenter Phil Spencer, known for his appearances with Kirsty Allsopp on property programmes such as ‘Location, Location, Location’ and ‘Relocation, Relocation’. Phil will be working with the FMB to find Britain’s best master builder and will present the award to the winner.

The competition is in its tenth year this year and includes categories that tradespeople can be nominated for including new builds; small, medium and large renovation projects which include refurbishment and restoration of domestic and commercial premises and extensions to properties up to certain revenue limits; apprentice of the year and an energy efficiency category which recognises building projects featuring the introduction of energy saving and carbon cutting measures to reduce the environmental impact of homes and businesses.

In order to qualify, tradesmen must be nominated by clients who can obtain an application pack by registering online. Tradesmen nominated and shortlisted to the regional list will then have their work inspected by a member of the judging panel after which a winner for each category will be selected. Regional winners will then go head to head to win the national title in each category. Prizes will be awarded to each national winner, to both the tradesman and the client who nominated them, with the overall title winning tradesman receiving a prize of a Nissan light commercial vehicle of their choice, and the client able to enjoy a £3k luxury holiday.

The aim of the competition, according to Richard Diment, Director General of the FMB, is to inspire both tradespeople in the building industry and the general public to push the boundaries with regard to important issues such as sustainability and ensuring Britain has a skilled labour force to help “build a better Britain”.

So if you have recently undertaken a building project, extension, renovation work or eco-retrofitted your home to reduce your property’s carbon emissions and you were impressed with the excellent customer service, quality craftsmanship and efficiency displayed by your builder, carpenter, roofer, plumber or electrician, nominate your tradesman by 31st August 2010 and both you and your tradesperson could be in receipt of a brilliant prize.

New Series of Cowboy Builders Hits Five Tonight

Sarah — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:48:52 +0000

The new series of Cowboy Builders hosted by Dominic Littlewood and Melinda Messenger begins tonight on Channel Five at 8pm with the first show featuring a resident in Sheffield. The programme comes to the rescue of homeowners plagued by problems with rogue traders who have begun work on their homes, taken hard earned money and not delivered products or services promised or disappeared leaving distressed customers having paid for a building project, extension or loft conversion to be left with a pile of rubble and little sign of change in the near future.

Melinda Messenger has been in the property development business for over 10 years and armed with her building team, sets about righting the wrongs caused by the rogue traders to give the homeowners everything they could wish for from their renovation project and more.

In the mean time, Dominic Littlewood, known for his appearance on a number of consumer programmes, using his experience and expertise to help stop people being ripped off, tracks down the cowboy builders to confront them about their poor workmanship, customer relations and working ethics in a bid to prevent more customers falling victim to the tradesmen.

The programme also provides advice and tips for viewers at home about what to do if you suspect your tradesmen are ripping you off or the standard of work they’re delivering isn’t up to scratch.

When you are planning or considering undertaking work on your home, whether it’s a kitchen or bathroom modernisation or a garage conversion, a mobility remodelling of your home or a multi-storey extension, it is important to have a tradesman or team of tradesmen that you trust to undertake the work on your home.

Obtaining a number of quotes is usually good practice so you can tell straight away if one is overpriced or, on the other hand, literally too good to be true.

If you are planning significant work on your home, it can be useful to ask a tradesman for references or for contact details of previous customers who have had the same or similar home improvement work done. You can then assess from their previous work whether it is good enough to pay that particular firm to carry out renovation or building work in your own home. In addition, if the tradesman should be hesitant to provide details, or refuses outright, it is wise to keep looking for another tradesman – afterall, a reputable tradesman should be proud of their work and have nothing to hide unless they genuinely haven’t carried out a particular type of job before, however most should have something similar to show you if they are experienced companies.

Using the simple service from localtraders.com can help you tick a couple of these boxes straight away as we send your details to up to 6 local tradesmen so you can get a number of quotes for your work. In addition, we vet our traders to confirm they are members of any professional trade bodies they say they are, so if you’re looking for a trade specialist, submit your enquiry details today and our reputable tradespeople will be in touch.

Olympics Could Pave the Way for Better Profits in 2010 For Marshalls

Sarah — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:45:32 +0000

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.

The landscaping firm has also seen a turn in its fortunes over the last six months as enquiries and orders generated by builders working on developments for the 2012 London Olympics have doubled creating £2 million in orders and £14 million worth of enquiries. Due to the construction work still being in progress, the majority of the work will not be immediate for the company however. Graham Holden, the Chief Executive said,

“We tend to come in towards the end of projects so I expect the bulk of our work to be in late 2011.”

Holden went on to say that the signs of housing market recovery could be a positive indication for the year ahead, although the poor weather in January had been shown to have a negative impact on homeowners spending money on their homes.

As the weather is improving and the nights are becoming lighter, there is less inclination for people to hide away in their homes and the attractiveness of having a new driveway laid with paving, gravel, cobbles or pattern imprinted concrete could become ever more popular. If you need to find a reputable paving and driveway firm to provide a quote to lay a new drive or pave a path or patio, look no further than localtraders.com.

Firm Destroys Historic Plaster Ceiling During Renovation

Sarah — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:52 +0000

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.

During the renovation process, one of the ceilings was removed completely and the other was obscured by a false ceiling which had been fitted with a sprinkler system. The Development Management Sub-Committee members at the city council unanimously decided that action needed to be taken against the developer in order to protect the remaining plasterwork ceiling and to enforce the undertaking of remedial work to reinstate a plaster ceiling in place of the plasterwork that was destroyed.

The enforcement action that the council has imposed includes removal of the partition walls that were built on the first and second floors, returning rooms to their original sizes and any original features should be restored with replacement features to match existing surviving decorative elements where these are missing, ensuring the pattern in which they are applied matched the original design – work which would have to be approved by the planning authority. In addition to this, the false ceiling would have to be removed to reveal the original plasterwork ceiling that was not damaged, and a new ceiling would have to be applied to match the original plasterwork design.

Kate Dean, the convener, condemned the actions of the developers, saying it was unacceptable to destroy parts of buildings that are of historical importance, but noted that she would be looking forward to the proposals submitted by the development company to address the requirements of the committee.

Report Reveals 55,000 New Construction and Building Jobs Could Be Created

Sarah — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:07:16 +0000

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.

Create Greener Homes

The Director General of the Federation of Master Builders, Richard Diment, commented that as the number of new homes being constructed in the UK at present is at its lowest level since 1946, carrying out home improvements would be a much more practical solution than focusing on building new zero carbon homes. He advised that instead, eco retrofitting is a better option:

“Building zero carbon homes will have a limited impact on the UK’s carbon emissions, especially considering the existing UK housing stock is responsible for 27 percent of total UK carbon emissions. A more effective way to reduce carbon emissions would be to ‘green’ the existing housing stock. Cutting VAT would mean that many more homeowners could afford to have their homes retrofitted.”

Currently, the VAT amount for microgeneration equipment and renewable energy components is inconsistent, therefore having a flat 5% VAT rate would make this more fair, avoid customer confusion and increase demand. In addition, demand for double and tertiary glazing, replacement boilers and fitting insulation would increase with the potential to save up to 337 thousand tonnes of CO2 over the next decade.

As well as helping make UK homes greener and creating a significant number of building jobs, there are a number of other benefits that the Cut the VAT coalition believe taking action would help achieve.

Stopping Cowboy Builders

By reducing the labour costs for home improvement and maintenance work, the coalition advises that the increased affordability of carrying out renovation or retrofitting work would mean less people are likely to be ripped off by cowboy builders and rogue traders offering ‘too good to be true’ cheap building quotes. More than 10,000 people are affected by rogue traders each year, accounting for £170 million of money taken for work that is either sub standard or never completed according to Trading Standards. Because cowboy builders usually make their money by avoiding paying their VAT in the first place, the reduction to 5% would significantly reduce the profitability of their practices.

Renovating Empty Properties

Homes that currently stand empty, structurally unsafe and derelict would be less likely to be left to crumble because owners can’t afford to carry out building work and restoration of the properties. By restoring old buildings and empty properties, the demand for development of countryside and open space would be reduced as regeneration of existing properties would be a more attractive, cost effective and efficient option.

The proposal to reduce the VAT paid on building labour is supported by a number of MPs from a range of different political parties as well as being backed by the 21 organisations making up the Cut the VAT coalition, and is supported in the EU by many MEPs.

Replacing an Old Bath and Hand Basin

Sarah — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:07:34 +0000

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.

To do this, the tools you will require are a drill and suitable drill bits, an adjustable pipe wrench, and an adjustable spanner which you will need to use to unscrew the taps and waste outlets. You will need to unscrew the screws that are holding the basin to the wall and if brackets are used to hold the bath up against the wall, these can be removed with a hammer and chisel.

You then need to prepare to install the new basin and bath. Firstly you can fit the taps but it is important to ensure that they are at 90 degrees to the inner rim of the basin and are positioned equally. You will then need to fit the flexible tap hoses. These should be affixed to the tap tails which you can see slotted through the tap hole once your taps have been fitted.

In order to secure the basin and pedestal you will need to drill holes in the floor for the floor fixing screws and in the wall for basin screws. Ensure if you are fitting the basin to a tiled surface that you take care not to damage your tiles, and if in doubt, consult an expert. Put the pedestal in place and secure it, but before screwing it to the wall fully, ensure the basin is level. If you are satisfied that it is level, tighten the screws and use silicone to seal round the pedestal, trimming off any excess to leave a neat finish.

Assuming your bath is being positioned along a wall, fixing the bath into place will require drilling holes for the wall fixing brackets, and if your taps are not going to be in the same place, you may need to adjust the waste and water pipes. Ensuring that the bath is level, and having attached your bath feet if the bath is open rather than concealed behind a panel, attach the taps and the flexihoses, position the bath and inject silicone between the bath and the wall to provide a waterproof seal, then screw the fixing brackets to the wall and the feet to the floor.

After this you will need to connect the flexible tap connectors to the water pipes, taking care to ensure that there are no twists or kinks in the hoses. When all is complete, turn the mains water supply back on to check for any leaks. If you prefer a stress free bathroom installation or require a professional bathroom fitter or a plumber, you can find the best tradespeople at localtraders.com.

Installing a New Bathroom in Your Home

Sam — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:08:47 +0000

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.

If you know where your new bathroom will be located, the next step for you is to work out your budget for building your bathroom and purchasing materials such as wall coverings, bathroom suite, flooring and bathroom accessories. Whenever you are adding an extra bathroom I would always use new fixtures this will add value to your home and give you a more modern effect, and there are often good offers in DIY stores or plumbers merchants.

As long as there is no building work to be done, once you have chosen your bathroom suite and have your bathroom design sorted, you can fit your new suite. Make sure your water is turned at the stop cock and run the hot and cold taps to remove any water still in the pipes and flush the toilet to empty the cistern. You can then install your toilet, sink, bath and/or shower. If you are fitting a bath that you will be able to see under or behind, such as a roll top bath or a bath that goes against the wall but does not have a bath panel, you should tile the floor and around areas that will be inaccessible once the bath is fitted before you install the bath itself. You can then continue tiling above and around the bath after the bath has been installed.

A good tip if you have chosen an interior room for the location of your extra bathroom or WC is to put in an extractor fan to remove moisture from steam and condensation stopping the walls from getting damp. This should then stop any mould or mildew appearing.

The next part is really all down to yourself and how you want to decorate your new bathroom e.g. all your painting and tiling. Your choice of wall and flooring materials will obviously will depend on your budget and how much you have allowed for this, but one major thing to keep in mind when you are deciding on your budget is that unless you are planning to do the work yourself, you will need to bear labour costs in mind, and this can often cost as much as your bathroom suite and tiles put together.

If you want a full bespoke bathroom design at a competitive price, submit your details and localtraders.com will put you in touch with up to 6 local kitchen and bathroom installation specialists who can help you draw up plans for the perfect bathroom.

The Pros and Cons of Renovating a Property

Sarah — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:17:05 +0000

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.

When renovating a house, the size of your renovation project could be anything from redecorating your home to major structural work. There are major and minor alterations that can be considered. When you renovate your home anything could be altered from the following:

modernising old wood or single glazed upvc windows
replacement central heating system or upgrade inefficient boiler
extension or loft conversion
new garage or conservatory
renew outdated plumbing
electrical rewiring
kitchen and bathroom installation
changed to property layout
new driveway
garden design and landscaping

The list goes on and on. If you just want to make the property saleable, you could just see to any faults or repairs needed.

When doing any type of renovation there are always advantages and disadvantages, but the most important factor is your budget. This is essential for ensuring you are in control of the potential profit which you will gain by choosing to renovate. Depending on how much work you want to do will dictate the size of your budget that is required.

Another consideration is who will do the work, as if you are unable or unprepared to undertake the work yourself, labour costs will impact on your budget. The main disadvantage you will come across when doing the work yourself is a time issue. Renovation can not only be a lengthy project but you will end up spending a large proportion of your spare time working on the building project which can create a lot of stress. A further disadvantage you may come across is that if you’re planning on making a major change to your property, mortgage providers may less confident in lending you the money as it could make your property a more risky investment in their eyes.

Single Pane or Double Glazed Windows

Danny — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:49:25 +0000

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. Almost all new homes built in the UK are fitted with UPVC double glazed windows as they are now a lot cheaper than they used to be due to them being mass produced and they also offer the best heat insulation, saving money on energy bills. Thousands of older homes also change their windows from single pane to double glazed version every year for the very same reason but a lot has changed over the years and glass technology is now light years ahead of where it was 40 or 50 years ago so the gap between double and single glazing is getting smaller.

The main reason for choosing single pane windows is ultimately cost. Single pane windows are a lot higher quality and better than they were 50 years ago. The materials involved and manufacturing process costs a lot less than that of double glazed windows making single pane windows much cheaper.

Single pane windows are also the only choice when it comes to certain conservation areas or listed buildings where double glazed windows are not allowed and also windows that are an awkward shape, stained glass or sash windows tend to be easier to replace with single pane glass. That said, the obvious choice for the average domestic property is always going to be double glazing. The long term money saving benefits from reducing energy wastage far outweigh the initial extra cost, as well as being the greener option if you like to keep a check on your carbon footprint, but if cost is a major problem or double glazed windows are not viable then single pane windows are not such a bad option any more.

Do It Yourself Or Call In An Expert?

Danny — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:57:30 +0000

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.

Whether it’s fitting a new kitchen, changing a light fitting, fixing your garage roof or any other job you could possibly need around your home you will no doubt ask yourself the same question. Now unless you are a self confessed handy man who is competent around the home there are some jobs you may not feel comfortable doing therefore calling in an expert is paramount.

There are pros and cons for both sides of the argument. In favour of DIY the number 1 main reason is always cost; why pay somebody to do a job you could possibly do yourself? On the other hand, tradespeople are fully qualified and often insured to do the job in hand and 9 times out of 10, unless you are unlucky enough to get a cowboy builder, the finish and quality of the job will be a lot better than one you could do yourself.

DIY will always be a favoured past time as long as people own homes but as your home is your pride and joy, you should treat it as so and employ a quality time served professional to take on that renovation job or repair. When you have decided that a professional trades person is the right way forward the hard part is often finding a quality tradesman in your area you can trust.

That is where local traders come in; just go to www.localtraders.com, fill in the form with brief details of your job and sit back and wait for a quality expert trades person local to you to call and give you a quote for the job.