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Welcome to the Building Tips Page
The purpose of this site is to
provide tips for Restoring, Renovating and General Property Repair Tips. I hope I have made this site unique.
The concept is that each page has a unique topic. I provide 10 tips on
each subject then I have invited you the reader to supply your own tips to
add to the list ... in a 'Post Your Comment Box'. I have called this
posting comments for Restoring Property - RANT or RAVE. As the title
suggests you can post good ideas and ideas that certainly don't work! I
hope you enjoy...
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BUILDING TIPS - General Advice
Here we have a few basic tips. Follow the
links in the side navigation to see our full lists.
1. If you have made the choice to get a building
contractor, the best advice would be in planning to get 3 quotes. Any less
than 3 and you could be asking for the job being overpriced. Vary the
people you ask, as occasionally the bigger more reputable company will
employ more people and consequently get the job finished quicker; in doing
this their prices could be more competitive.
2. Always check if using a contractor that
they have adequate insurance to cover their work. If a company hesitates
over that question it should raise a suspicion over their integrity and
work ethic. If they can't be bothered to have adequate insurance, what
other areas of their building work will suffer the same lethargy?
3. Are you intending building a staircase?
If so then the most important tip to remember is to make sure they meet
your local building regulation guidelines. If you don't you'll have
trouble explaining it away when the buyers surveyor brings it up in his
search. Your house property will need to be reduced. Worst case
scenario... Avoid this common mistake!
4. Building things square?! Every time you
build something if it isn't square at the beginning, the percentage
it is out, multiplies as the job goes further on.
5. Getting things level... Another tricky
subject. If it isn't level at the beginning the job will be progressive
out as it moves onto the next stage. If you try to correct a job that
isn't already level, the correction often sticks out like a sore thumb.
6. Building without planning permission?
Rarely can you build without permission. If you build without permission
the local council have the rights to remove it. I see that as a waste of
good money. Although it can be seen as a pain, always get permission, it
will benefit you in the future.
7. Change of use? For example can you change
a garage into a bedroom? Some areas allow it and others don't. So the best
rule of thumb is to check anyway and then you can continue in the
knowledge you have the right permissions.
8. Adding an interior wall? This maybe for
example splitting a large bedroom into 2 small bedrooms; an especially
common requirement for growing families. If you intend to do it as a DIY
job, then I know many have done this without permission. Although my
advice, as with any modifications you'll need permission. Should you
ignore such advice, do these two things... Make the internal wall capable
of being removed quickly and easily. Secondly, never try and sell your
property with the internal wall as an asset, by this I mean claiming to
have an extra bedroom. This will come up as a problem during the sale and
give you endless heartache. The legal representative for the buyer will
insist the property price be reduced to put the room as it was, including
the room to have same decor. What may have cost you just a couple of
hundred to install will take off thousands at this point in the sale.
9. Building a wall? Are you building an
exterior wall for your garden? Some DIY enthusiasts don't mind attempting
such a tasks. Although you'll need to remember this tip. If you are
building the wall up to a fixed building the wall will need to be tied in;
fixing a profile. Basically this means that the bricks are tied in to the
building and will help prevent the wall falling over. You can buy a metal
bracket that will complete this 'tie in'. Should you want to build an
independent wall, the wall needs to be tied in to posts.
10. When building on a small scale, most DIY
enthusiasts want to get the job flowing. So at their earliest opportunity
they want to start the mortar mix. Don't start your mortar mix without
everything you need. Your bricks need to be in neat piles so that you can
access them. Don't have the mortar mix ready and then have to start
unpacking bricks. Five part sand and one part cement is a good mix ratio.
This information is provided as a
courtesy only...
Neither RestoringPropertyTips.com nor any other party involved in the
preparation, publication or distribution of this information makes any
representation or warranty, express or implied, that this information
contains all provisions that may be appropriate or necessary to address
the specific interests of a landlord, tenant or owners of property.
COMMENTS...
I prefer a 4 part mix. 4 part sand to one part cement
Duncan, South London
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Try adding plasticiser to the water as it will aerate the mix and will
allow you to work with it for longer.
Tod, Manchester
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Invest in a proper 'brick line' as this keeps the line taught. those DIY
enthusiasts use string and this could lead to a u-shaped wall
Nick, Florida Keys
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Don't point until the pug is beginning to go off (dryer); don't try to
point with it wet. Many things can be used as a pointing tool. A six inch
measure of an old hosepipe is often used. After pointing wait 30 minutes
and use a stiff brush to dust off any excess mortar left after pointing.
Nate, LA
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