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Posts Tagged ‘Building<’
Once you have decided to go ahead and get on with a project, one of the greatest frustrations to making a good start is not having a decent measuring device. Whether its woodwork, metalwork, tiling, building or even planting out the garden, accurate measuring forms the vital start point. And, as our Alf says – he’s one of our regular London tilers – “if you get it wrong from the outset, imagine how you’ll be feeling when all is said and done!”
Traditional Tape Measures 
This is what most of us buy as a basic start up. But today, there’s such a wide selection, with literally hundreds of variations to choose from. Practicality suggests that you purchase one that is easy to read and use. Here at Mr-Skill, we concluded that a 3 meter-long flexible metal tape measure – with a 13mm wide blade – makes a useful tool. Oh, and make sure it has a yellow backing with clear black numbering in centimetres and inches, as well as a blade lock and a smooth retracting mechanism. Of course, you could find a carpenter right here and leave the calculations to them too!
We have all used tape measures that threaten to slice our fingertips off when we reel them in! A smaller belt tape should suffice for most project work. Bigger projects, such as built-in cupboards for example, may benefit from an 8 meter tape with a 19mm or wider blade. However Alf simply cannot do without his long-standing 300mm long steel rule. With the measurements etched on the stainless steel face, this one is in it for the long haul.
Callipers
A 200mm basic vernier calliper finished in stainless steel is very useful when cutting mortises or tenons, where accuracy is paramount. This measure is also handy for fitting butt hinges, when you need to measure the thickness of the leaf, and you cannot do so accurately with a tape or rule. Don’t forget to have a set-square available to check for perfect right angles when needed. 
Keeping it Simple
These days, there are all sorts of clever gadgets that allegedly make our working lives simpler. Electronic room measurers for example – they cost a fortune and by the time you have figured out how the infernal device actually works, the batteries have gone flat and you could have long since finished the job using a conventional measure. If this all seems code to you, rather get a general building quote here on Mr Skill. That way, you can sit back and relax while the professionals work out the detail and do the measuring. As our Alf always says, “life is too short for hassles!”
Tags: blade, Building, built-in-cupboards, calculations, calliper, Carpentry, electronic, find a carpenter, get a general building quote, london tiler, measuring, professional, project, right angles, set square, stainless steel, steel rule, tape measure, tiling, woodwork
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery, General Building, Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Jun 22
Many people have discovered that building their own home can work out cheaper and “greener” than simply buying an existing property. That’s not to say that you personally need clear the land, put in the footings and then lay every brick yourself before roofing out. It’s more about managing the processes than taking on a complete DIY project yourself.
The Different Choices
You can choose from several different options when it comes to building your own home:
- Self-build DIY – Here, you do most of the work yourself, only contracting licensed operators to complete matters of a plumbing or electrical nature.
- Manage the Process – You control everything, rather than do the work. This includes the surveyor, the architect, and all the tradespeople who do the physical tasks.
- Appoint a Contractor – Find your general builder right here on Mr-Skill, and let them manage the project from start to finish.
- Buy from a Reputable Developer – This option includes the land, planning permission, as well as a number of home designs for you to choose from. The developer then has all the headaches.
- Purchase a “Kit Home” – This involves selecting from among a limited number of approved designs offered, and appointing the kit home company to complete your new home.
Budget Carefully
- Calculate all the costs in detail and then stick to your budget throughout the project. Don’t forget to include the cost of land, tradespeople, materials, professional consultations, local authority charges, insurances, accommodation and transport. Keep a contingency fund for the unexpected too.
- Arrange comparative general building quotes. You will be surprised when you sit down and compare apples to apples, especially when you use a contractor from Mr-Skill.
Unless you are fortunate enough to have sufficient funds available to cover the costs, you are going to need a mortgage. Lenders will apply strict conditions, so have your planning and paperwork properly prepared before you approach them.
Planning Permission
After the outline building plans have been drawn up, you must visit your local authority to familiarise yourself with all their rules and conditions. This will include land suitability and a whole host of other requirements that you will need to factor into your planning before you can start to build.
One of our London general builders confirms that this is an important starting point, and that all the checks and balances are there for the general good. Sure, it may seem like red tape to you, but just consider what our towns and cities would look like if there were no controls in place.
Tags: architect, balances, budget, Building, building restrictions, checks, contract, DIY, find a general builder, general building quote, kit home, land, land.costs, local authority, London general builder, mortgage, own build, planning, self build, trademen
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Did you know that the roots of trees can sometimes spread to 2½ times a tree’s height, and that the moisture they draw out from clayey soil can cause the earth to heave? Miss the point of this and plant a tree close by your house, and you’re inviting cracking and subsidence. Rather Find a Landscaper on Mr-Skill who knows what they are talking about.
 If you have heaving clay, and like to garden around your your house then the following may prove useful:
- Avoid the problem in the first place by NOT planting strongly-growing trees like poplars, oaks and willows near to buildings. Plant shy-growing flowering shrubs instead. These may not get tall enough to foul your gutters either.
- If you inherit a tree that’s not grown too big already, then you could try what some London Gardeners still call pollarding. This involves pruning it back annually to keep it smaller. Remember, there’s a ratio between tree height and the spread of roots.
- Don’t leap out of the starting blocks and get a Gardener Quote to chop a tree down the moment you spot subsidence.
 Trees take a long time to grow, and the problem could be the clay itself. An alternative could be to cut the roots back, and see whether this helps first.
- If all else fails and you are forced to cut down a tree, then seek advice from your local council first, because it might be listed and require permission to remove. Chop down deciduous trees in wintertime when the sap is low. You’ll find the job far easier when there are no leaves.
Chopping down a tree sometimes seems like an attack on nature, and the birds that nest there. Don’t try to do the job yourself because tree-felling is definitely dangerous. Use a Gardener on Mr-Skill instead. And finally, please do plant a suitable replacement tree further down the garden.
Tags: Building, chop, chop down, clay, crack, dangerous, earth, fell, find a landscaper, flower, Garden, gardener quote, ground, grow, gutter, heave, height, house, london gardeners, oak, plant, pollard, poplar, prune, ratio, root, shrub, shy, small, soil, spread, subsidence, tall, tree, vigorous, wall, willow, winter
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Nov 15
It’s tempting, when you get a builder in, to forget about what you agreed to in the original Builders Quote, and to let the job roll into all other kinds of minor detail. The builder will be inclined to be helpful in the beginning. Later though resentment may creep in,  with neither party inclined to broach the subject of a price increase.
At Mr-Skill we cannot emphasise enough that you need to have a budget and a specification behind your budget too. If you fail to do so, then the heat of disagreement could end up cooking up a real storm.
• No London Builder worth his salt will quote for any job without a specification, and in 99% of the time this will include a drawing too. If you are unable to provide at least a hand-drawn sketch with measurements, then with respect perhaps you have not yet decided what you want.
• The next step is to Find a Builder to provide an estimate against your sketch and supporting detail. We use the word estimate deliberately because a building job almost inevitably comes up against unexpected hassles.  When this happens you need to be flexible, because the thick concrete covering the drain is at your home, and not the builder’s after all.
• This is why professional developers and construction companies often add a contingency provision to a job. The percentage value of this varies from job-to-job, and the amount is expensed by mutual agreement as the work proceeds. It simply is not fair to do this any other way – and fair is the little word that makes such a huge difference.
Mr-Skill exists as a free service to UK residents who are hoping to Find a Reputable Builder. Builders pay a highly competitive rate to be listed on our website. Our contribution is to introduce the parties to each other. Shop with us, and enjoy the prospects of a Successful Building Job.
Tags: budget, builder, builders quote, Building, Construction, contingency, detail, developer, drawing, estimate, fair, find a builder, flexible, hassle, increase, London builder, measure, measurement, sketch, specification
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Posted in Tiling & Flooring on Oct 21
Funny, isn’t it, how fashions keep on going round and round. All that’s as true of building materials as it is of clothes. The difference is that your home is going to have to wear its finishes for far longer than you are going to hang on to your hat. For this reason it’s best to know what you are looking for before you get your Tiling Quotes.
 Did I mention that I went to school with a London Tiler? Well he wasn’t a tiler then, but he did become one good enough to successfully start his own flooring firm. This was the advice he gave when asked:
• Stick to natural materials wherever possible. This is because they are timeless and you can always find an acceptable replacement, even if a tile breaks after fifty years.
• Travertine is often beautifully marked and coloured having been paid down by rivers over centuries, and is soft and easy to work with. In the fancy shops it is also called onyx and alabaster.
• Limestone is another sedimentary rock primarily white or light coloured, but also tinted by small impurities. It is often used in commercial developments where the varying thicknesses are an architectural asset.
• Slate is traditionally used for flooring, although new techniques have seen it applied to walls too. It is extremely durable making it ideal for outside use. However quality is unpredictably varied.
•  Marble is valued for its mirror finish after polishing, and has been used for cladding buildings for thousands of years. It is probably the most expensive of all the options, and the most copied by ceramic tile manufacturers.
• Sandstone provides an attractive varied finish on feature walls, although good effect is often only achieved by hand-sorting tiles. It is brittle and unsuitable for floors.
Now that you have made a choice why not Find a Tiler on Mr-Skill right away? You will have range of choices when you shop through us. You may even expect savings of up to 30% on labour against normal rates thanks to our buying power.
Tags: brittle, Building, colour, durable, easy, effect, expensive, fashion, find a floor contractor, floor, light, limestone, london tiler, marble, mark, natural, outside, polish, replace, sandstone, sedement, slate, soft, thick, tile, tiling quotes, travertine, vary, wall, white, work
Posted in Tiling & Flooring | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Sep 20
According to consumer group “Which”, as many as 2.6 million people may have had a dispute with a decorator or a builder in the UK in the past 2 years. While clients who Find a Builder on Mr-Skill seldom have a similar problem,  we thought the salient features in the Consumer Group were still well worth repeating.
o The most common disputes reported include late starts, delays and sites left untidy after completion.
o Another common complaint received was builders still expecting full payment up-front, and many consumers not even being given written Builders Quotes.
o In extreme cases there was not even a written agreement regarding what the customer might expect.
o  As a consequence of these glaring oversights, two out of every five UK consumers felt bad done by, with a quarter of these feeling short-changed by at least £500. These statistics were as common among the customers of London Builders, and those working in the countryside.
Given that this is such a common problem it is hardly surprising that Mr-Skill has such a growing customer base. We believe that this is largely because we insist that our builders provide a written quotes and agree a formal contract. As a result of these and other rigid standards that we apply, it has been a while since we received complaints along the lines of those reported by consumer group “Which”.
Find a Builder on Mr-Skill. The project partners you can trust. Get good value. Be fully satisfied.
Tags: agreement, build, Builders Quotes, Building, client, common, consumer, contract, customer, delay, dispute, expect, find a builder, formal, full payment, late, london builders, oversight, payment, problem, quote, standard, uk, untidy, writing, written
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Posted in General Building on Jun 14
Summer is a great time to get out in the garden, light the barbeque and prune the roses. Perhaps one could also hop into the car and brave the traffic all the way down to Brighton?  But summer is also the right time to Find a Builder to catch up on the outdoor jobs while it’s not raining.
o Start with the roof and any chimneys first. Are the tiles or sheets still in good position and held tightly down? Check the flashing too, and double check for any signs of leaks by looking up at upstairs ceilings. And the gutters? Are they nice and clear too?
o Check the openings into buildings next – by this I mean the windows and the doors. Are they closing tightly and are all the locks and other fastenings working correctly too. This is not just about weatherproofing either. It’s about keeping burglars out as well.
o Go all the way around the house checking that the rainwater is still draining away nicely. Look for cracks in rendering and signs of damp rising up the walls. Go inside too,  moving furniture away from internal walls. Any signs of damp? You need to get a Building Quote before things get worse.
o A Builder in London I got chatting too the other day while waiting for a train back home remarked that gates and fences are like our teeth. By that he meant that some of us neglect them both until they start to give us trouble, at which point they cost a lot of money to repair.
I reckon that chap standing with me on a railway platform had exactly the right idea. We need to keep a hand on homes and fix the little things before they become expensive. Summer is the best time to do this while it’s still nice and warm. Unless, that is, you feel like stopping gaps while the winter rains fall down on you. I just thought I’d mention it, to keep you nice and warm and dry.
Tags: builder, builder london, Building, building quotes, burglar, ceiling, check, chimney, correct, damp, door, drain, expensive, fastening, find a builder, fix, flashing, Garden, hand, home, inside, inspect, job, leak, lock, opening, outdoor, position, rain, rainwater, render, roof, sheet, summer, tight, tile, wall, weather, work
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Posted in Electrical Work on Jun 09
The National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting is a voluntary self-regulating body  to which reputable United Kingdom electrical contractors belong. It maintains a national register on its website so that the public can visit it and obtain further peace of mind.
Before registering a new member the NICEIC reviews samples of their recent work and inspects their premises and equipment. Following interviews with key staff an application may, or may not be approved.
By using a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting electrician such as you may find on Mr-Skill you have a greater assurance of the following:
o Safety compliance and general competence
o Familiarity and compliance with building regulations
o Backing of a group insurance warranty
o The availability of an independent complaints procedure
 When you Find an Electrician on Mr-Skill you add a further layer of assurance. This is because we follow our own approval procedures and you can see what other customers have said about them too. Thus when you ask for an Electrical Quote from Mr-Skill by an NICEIC contractor you really should be looking at a top class provider.
We list tradesmen all across the UK including Electricians in London and all other centres. We have thousands of satisfied customers who return to us frequently. Moreover this service costs them nothing either and the prices these customers pay can be as much as 30% below the national average. Aren’t you glad you found Mr-Skill.
Tags: approval, assurance, Building, competence, complaint, compliance, contractor, electrical, electrician london, electrician quote, find an electrician, insurance, national council, NICEIC, peace of mind, public, rate, regulation, regulatory, safety, voluntary, warranty
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Posted in General Building on Jan 19
A Builder is a person in overall control of the construction or alteration of a home or other building. They are usually qualified trades persons too, although in their current occupation they are more likely to occupy themselves with  estimations, quotations and general supervision. You can find a Builder like that here.
Builders are generally speaking only interested in large-scale jobs that keep them occupied for several weeks (a London building job could go on for several years). Typical jobs Builders like to quote for include:
o New Conservatory
o Extension
o Garden Wall
They generally speaking prefer to do larger jobs and shun smaller ones for the following reasons:
 o Set up and clear out costs applied to greater profits
o Little money in small jobs
o The nuisance factor.
In terms of the above it could be better to get find a Handyman if your job is small. Otherwise we can assist you with pleasure with Builder Quotes.
Mr-Skill is a home repair and maintenance advice centre that connects providers who pay to register with it with potential customers who do not pay a penny for the service.
Tags: alteration, builder, builder london, builder quote, Building, building job london, building quotes, conservatory, Construction, estimation, extension, find a builder, find a tradesman, home, job, large-scale, quotation, supervision, trades person, tradesman london, tradesman quote, wall, weeks, years
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Posted in General Building on Sep 10
From time to time every property owner decides to attempt a small building project, perhaps a retaining wall, small shed or built-in barbecue. Inevitably, some sort of foundation is required. This article is about preparing a trenched foundation – throwing a slab is a separate subject. A small foundation can be a perfect weekend D.I.Y. project. For anything larger, rather find a tradesman on Mr-Skill.
 o First, determine what is required in terms of local building regulations, and obtain local planning permission too. It may be tempting to avoid what may seem an unnecessary delay, however fines are high and you will often benefit from a building inspector’s experience.
o Mark out the trenches to be dug using pegs and brightly colored string. If your dimensions are flexible, adapt them to the size of the bricks or blocks you plan to use, remembering to allow for mortar between. This avoids the irritation of cutting small pieces.
o Did out the foundations to the width required by your local building regulations, setting the soil aside for later use. Be especially careful to avoid collapsing the sides, as this will result in extra concrete when you pour. Good London tradesmen know the trick of keeping the soil moist as they dig, to prevent the sides crumbling. Hammer in a few metal rods so that just the pour-depth part remains above the bottom of the trench.
o When you have prepared the concrete mix (or at least the first batch) moisten the trench lightly. The idea is to prevent the cement leeching out of the concrete mix, not to add more water, so do this carefully.
o Pour half the required concrete throughout the trench. Add any reinforcing bars and then top up to the markers that you hammered in. Work the concrete thoroughly with a spade using a chopping motion to settle it well and get it level too. The next day you can begin to build.
That is not too difficult, is it? However, please do not be tempted to take on too large a job. Rather shop for tradesmen quotes on Mr-Skill.
Tags: bar, barbeque, block, brick, build, Building, chop, chopping, collapse, collapsing, dig, find a tradesmen, foundation, inspection, inspector, mark, pour, regulations, reinforcing, retaining wall, rod, shed, side, spade, tradesmen london, tradesmen quotes, trench, trenched foundation, trenches
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