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Posts Tagged ‘Find a Roofer in London<’
 With no sign of an Indian Summer this year, it looks as if autumn is well and truly upon us and time to prepare the home against the ravages of winter. Mr Skill has prepared a checklist below of the most common jobs that need to be done around your property at this time of year to ensure that, when the spring arrives, your home is still in good condition and you do not have to make costly repairs.
Dealing with the 4 Seasons
The October Checklist
Draught Proofing
 One of the biggest and most expensive wastes of resources this winter will be the heat that escapes through your un-draught proofed windows and doors. As well as wasting around £25.00 per year in lost heat, once you have properly insulated your doors and windows, you will be able to turn the thermostat down a degree or two and safe another £50.00 over the winter months.
You can get free quotes from handymen in London for draught proofing your doors and windows through our Tradesmen´s Directory, or tackle the job yourself with a little help from the Mr Skill Project Advice section.
Replacement Doors and Windows
 If doors and windows themselves are in a poor state of repair, it may be time to consider replacing them. Typical tell-tale signs are when doors and windows stick or squeak when you try to open or close them, and installing new doors and windows can add to the kerb appeal of your property as well as saving you money by being more energy efficient.
We have a number of highly rated local window fitters in London listed in our Tradesmen´s Directory, or you may choose to install a replacement window yourself with assistance from Mr Skill´s Project Advice pages.
Central Heating Systems
 An inefficient central heating system will cost you money throughout the next six to none months and potentially have its life span reduced if rust deposits and air-locks hinder the flow of water and induce pump failure. Flushing your central heating system is the best way of improving your central heating system´s performance, but it may only be necessary to bleed your radiators to ensure your house remains warm throughout the coming months.
It is a busy time of year for companies providing gas fitting services in London, so it is recommended that you use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of each page to get plumbers quotes from heating engineers in London.
Trees
 If you have trees in you garden, it is the right time of year to prune them back and remove any weak branches that may fall during high winds and heavy rain. As well as the safety aspect of not having great weights of wood crashing through your car windscreen or damaging you patio furniture, pruning your trees in autumn will allow more light to enter your home, potentially saving you money on lighting. Local gardeners in London would also suggest that the dead and decaying would is not just thrown away, but used to make stumperies for your garden´s wildlife.
Walls
 You should do a regular inspection of the walls surrounding your home – garden walls and the brickwork of the property itself – to check for cracks and damaged bricks which may suffer from the freeze-thaw effect over the winter. Our “Post-a-Job” facility will enable you to get quotes from bricklayers in London should you need to replace damaged bricks or repoint your brickwork. If the weather is kind in your area over the next couple of weeks, you may also want to consider re-painting the exterior of your property – but only once you have read our blog about “What the Exterior Colour of Your Home Says About You”!
Guttering and Roofs
 It is also the time of year to clean and repair guttering on roofs, garages and conservatories. Gutters can easily be blocked at any time of year by leaves, moss, feathers, dirt and other rubbish which has blown into them and the guttering runs can age prematurely when water fails to flow away. Whilst you are up the ladder, it is also a good opportunity to check for damaged or displaced roofing tiles which will allow the rain in and potentially cause a damp problem. A good selection of local roofers in London is available in our Tradesmen´s Directory should you find that you roof could benefit from a professional´s opinion.
Tags: brickwork, Central Heating, doors and windows, energy efficiency, Find a Bricklayer in London, Find a Builder in London, Find a Gardener in London, find a handyman in London, Find a Plumber in London, Find a Roofer in London, freeze-thaw, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, Home Improvements, Home Maintenance, Insulation, Kerb Appeal, tradesman, windows
Posted in Dealing With The Four Seasons | Comments Off
Posted in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Electrical Work, General Building, Handyman Services, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Heating & Gas, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage, Tiling & Flooring, Window & Door Fitting on Sep 15
 According to research conducted by Saga Personal Finance, more than a third of UK homeowners over 50 say that their homes are in need of repair, and an alarming one in seven state that they cannot afford to fix their problems.
London appears to be the worst hit area, with 42% of respondents from the capital saying that their houses needing some sort of repair, with the most common complaints being inadequate roofing, blocked gutters, and failed central heating systems – jobs that the elderly are unable to do themselves and need a handyman in London to perform.
The findings disclose that as many as one in five women over 50 living on their own are forced to let their homes deteriorate as they cannot afford to make the necessary repairs, whilst over half have to reluctantly dig into savings, as their pensions are inadequate to cover the cost of home maintenance.
Although Saga Personal Finance suggest that the way forward for these London homeowners is to take out equity release on their homes, we would suggest that anybody requiring a home roofing repair or central heating service done before the winter sets in should use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page to attract quotes from tradesmen in London and get the best deal to prevent your London home from falling apart.
Tags: Central Heating, find a Heating Engineer in London, Find a Roofer in London, find a tradesmen, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, Heating Engineers, Home Maintenance, home repairs, Roofing, tradesmen london, tradesmen quotes
Posted in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Electrical Work, General Building, Handyman Services, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Heating & Gas, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage, Tiling & Flooring, Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
 At least once a year, you should get up a ladder and inspect your guttering to ensure that it is free from debris that may create blockages and prevent rainwater from cleanly running down the drainpipe. It is also a good opportunity whilst up a ladder, to check that your guttering does not have any rust or cracks, and an excuse to ensure that the brickwork at the top of your house is in good condition and that there are no obvious problems on the roof.
To Clean a Gutter
Cut a piece of card or plastic into a “V” shape which will fit inside the gutter run, and fix it to the end of a long stick or broom handle.
Climb up a ladder and use your home made scraper to push debris into small piles. Scoop them up and put them into a bucket. You should not try to push the debris down the drainpipe as it could block it up.
Run water along the gutter to wash it down and check that the water is flowing freely down the drainpipe and not getting trapped inside it. Also check that there are no leaks in the guttering or at the joints.
If the drainpipe is blocked, try using the handle of the broom to unblock it (make sure you have tied it to a piece of string so you can retrieve it!). If this fails to work, you may need the services of a local roofer in London to clear the blockage.
To Repair a Gutter
The best way to repair a broken or leaking section of plastic guttering is to remove the section from the fixing clips by squeezing the top edge of the gutter until it comes away.
Inspect the outlets and joints in which it was sitting and fill any cracks, splits and holes with a mastic sealer.
If the section is too badly damaged, you may have to replace it with a new part available from a London roofing service company.
Replacing the repaired or new section of the guttering is done by reversing the process that you used to remove it. Simply squeeze the top edges of the section together and snap back into the fixing clips.
With new sections of guttering and (replacement parts for cast iron guttering assemblies which have rusted), try to keep the colours and textures the same. By economising and replacing broken guttering with the first piece of plastic that comes to hand, you could be reducing the appeal and value of your home.
To Realign the Pitch
The guttering pitch is the angle at which the rainwater runs along the guttering and into the drainpipe. If the pitch is to shallow, the rain will not run away fast enough and will overspill onto your walls and windows below. If the angle is too steep, during heavy periods of rain the water will speed towards the end caps of the guttering and splash over the top, rather than going down the drainpipe.
Usually the pitch is incorrect when a loose bracket has come away from the brickwork or wooden board at the edge of the roof.
To realign the pitch, lift the affected section(s) of the gutter to the correct height and support by hammering a nail into the wall.
Refix the bracket that holds the gutter using new screws and raw plugs. Brick fixed brackets may have adjusting nuts which will make finding the right pitch easier.
Check that you have the pitch right by running a hose into the far end of the guttering and watching it run away.
Safety Tips
Have somebody strong holding your ladder
If possible, tie or secure it to the wall (not the drainpipe)
Do not work up a ladder if you are tired
You should not work up a ladder in high winds or in heavy rain
Be careful not to overreach
Wear protective goggles and gloves
Although this jobs can be done yourself, if you lack confidence when up a ladder or feel that some of the jobs may be too strenuous for you, please use of the recommended local roofers in London as featured in our Tradesmen´s Directory.
Tags: brickwork, dampness, drainpipe, Find a Builder in London, Find a Roofer in London, gutter supports, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, Home Maintenance, Kerb Appeal, plastic gutters, Roofing, safety recommendations, sagging gutters
Posted in Cleaning Services, Handyman Services, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
 Dryer times of the year present an ideal opportunity to get some of the more labour intensive, exterior jobs done around the home. One such job is cleaning your gutters.
Gutters can easily be blocked at any time of year by leaves, moss, feathers, dirt and other rubbish which has blown into them. A London roofer would also point out that seriously neglected gutters may have weeds growing in them, trapping a high volume of debris and blocking rainwater from accessing the downpipe. This then overflows onto the walls and windows of your home. Excessive leaking or overflowing from your gutters will cause damp on the outside of your house and mould on the inside when the rainwater is absorbed by the bricks.
Cleaning your gutters regularly will enable rainwater to flow away quickly and easily, and will prevent these expensive and unsightly problems from occurring. When your gutters have been cleaned out, you may want to consider covering your gutters with a fine wire or plastic mesh. Specially produced gutter guards and covers are also available from London roofing service companies, and these precautions will prevent quite so much debris landing in your gutter and reduce the need for cleaning in the future.
Dirty gutters may not be the only reason that rainwater drips from your guttering. Leaks and cracks in the guttering sections (“runs”) and misaligned joints may also be allowing water into your home or splashing down on the entrance to your front door. Cast iron guttering can look attractive, but also rusts after a period of time, and loose brackets attaching the guttering to the wall of your property will affect the angle (“pitch”) of the guttering runs, and either not allow the rainwater to drain away, or – if too steep an angle – create a splash-over scenario in heavy rain, when the fast travelling rainwater meets the end caps. You should repair and replace as necessary, using the services of a local roofer in London if the work is too demanding for you.
While you are cleaning your gutters, it is also a good time to cast a watchful eye over the condition of your roof to ensure that there are not any loose or damaged tiles, and also to check that your brickwork is in good order for the winter ahead and does not required repointing. If you notice that your roof is damaged or the grout between the bricks needs replacing, use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page to receive tradesmen´s quotes from local roofers in London and local builders in London.
Cleaning and repairing your gutters is a job that those with a head for heights might wish to take on themselves. Alternatively, there is an excellent selection of tradesmen in London featured in our Tradesmen´s Directory who would be happy to offer you a tradesman’s quote for getting your gutters cleaned quickly and efficiently.
Tags: brickwork, dampness, drainpipe, Find a Builder in London, Find a Roofer in London, Guttering, Guttering & Drainage, gutters, mould, repointing, sagging gutters, tradesman
Posted in Dealing With The Four Seasons | Comments Off
 The NCC (National Construction College) is urging scaffold inspectors who qualified prior to May 2007 to retrain. Scaffold inspectors play a vital role in the health and safety of roofers in London and local builders in London, and the Health & Safety Executive offer a scaffold checklist for all tradesmen in London who work on roofs and upper floors of buildings in the capital.
The new Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme (SITS) is endorsed by the Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) and leads to the new CISRS competence card for scaffold inspection. The new qualification aims to raise standards within the industry by providing a uniform approach to qualifying scaffold inspectors, therefore ensuring the safety of all local tradesmen in London. It has been welcomed by the industry, which has the highest proportion of reported injuries caused by falls from a height, which account for 17% of accidents compared with 8% in other industries (source: Health and Safety Executive).
NCC Access Manager, Allen Robertson, said: “Each year construction workers and members of the public are injured as a result of inadequate scaffolding. That’s why it is essential that the industry has qualified competent inspectors to ensure scaffolding remains structurally sound while in use.”
“SITS will provide the industry with a scheme that has both the quality and the rigour to provide competent scaffold inspectors. It will help improve safety whilst reducing business costs as a result of poorly constructed or poorly maintained scaffold. We encourage scaffold inspectors to book onto one of our courses now to ensure they obtain the new qualification to inspect.”
Those attending the training are required to have some awareness and prior experience of scaffold structures. Each course will include legislation and technical guidance on areas such as tubes, boards and fittings, scaffolding terminology, practical inspection and reports.
The new course must be delivered at a CISRS approved centre, such as the National Construction College, which is the largest construction training provider in Europe. Delivered by CISRS approved instructors, the course is available at a range of venues and locations throughout the UK. The course may also be delivered on company premises, subject to meeting scheme criteria. The College offers a wide range of scaffolding and access courses for local builders in London throughout their careers, including Scaffolding Part 1 and 2, Scaffold Safety Inspection, Experienced Worker Practical Assessment and NVQ Level 2 and 3 Practical Assessment.
As the direct training division of ConstructionSkills, NCC offers outstanding training to young apprentices and adult students for a wide range of specialist courses, which are delivered by experienced instructors at first class training facilities. The College’s venues throughout the country provide training for up to 30,000 people per year. For more information about the Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme, CISRS card or other training courses available at NCC please call 0344 994 4433 or visit www.nationalconstructioncollege.co.uk.
Tags: Construction Safety, dangerous building sites, Find a Builder in London, Find a Roofer in London, general building, Health and Safety Executive., Roofing, safety standards, scaffolding, training
Posted in Bricklaying, General Building, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
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If doors and windows themselves are in a poor state of repair, it may be time to consider replacing them. Typical tell-tale signs are when doors and windows stick or squeak when you try to open or close them, and installing new doors and windows can add to the kerb appeal of your property as well as saving you money by being more energy efficient.
An inefficient central heating system will cost you money throughout the next six to none months and potentially have its life span reduced if rust deposits and air-locks hinder the flow of water and induce pump failure. Flushing your central heating system is the best way of improving your central heating system´s performance, but it may only be necessary to bleed your radiators to ensure your house remains warm throughout the coming months.
You should do a regular inspection of the walls surrounding your home – garden walls and the brickwork of the property itself – to check for cracks and damaged bricks which may suffer from the freeze-thaw effect over the winter. Our “Post-a-Job” facility will enable you to get quotes from bricklayers in London should you need to replace damaged bricks or repoint your brickwork. If the weather is kind in your area over the next couple of weeks, you may also want to consider re-painting the exterior of your property – but only once you have read our blog about “What the Exterior Colour of Your Home Says About You”!
It is also the time of year to clean and repair guttering on roofs, garages and conservatories. Gutters can easily be blocked at any time of year by leaves, moss, feathers, dirt and other rubbish which has blown into them and the guttering runs can age prematurely when water fails to flow away. Whilst you are up the ladder, it is also a good opportunity to check for damaged or displaced roofing tiles which will allow the rain in and potentially cause a damp problem. A good selection of local roofers in London is available in our Tradesmen´s Directory should you find that you roof could benefit from a professional´s opinion.
