On the 15th of June, significant changes to building regulations came into effect. The idea behind the changes is to improve energy efficiency and help the United Kingdom move towards its Net Zero targets. 

 

Construction and other building industries have always been a major contributor to the overall carbon emissions. It is only right that as we move towards a healthier planet, building and construction plays its part. 

Unless you are about to tuck into a giant slab of stilton cheese, mould isn’t an appetising thought. It looks unsightly, it brings a nasty fragrance with it. If you have an area bespeckled with black mould, ignoring it isn’t going to make it go away. 

 

You probably have that friend, the “sort of” handy one who comes around and does your little bits of DIY. They might add a lock to your shed door or paint your skirting board. So, you show them this freckled area of damp and they tell you with confident authority that “it won’t hurt you, it’s only a cosmetic problem.” 

Well, that’s alright then, isn’t it? 

 

Well, if you are reading this article now, please feel free to forward it to your handy friend. You see, it could quite easily be more than just a cosmetic problem. 

There are many reasons that you would be considering installing a driveway. 

 

It might be that you have just moved into a property and want to update its look. You might wish to bring your car closer to the house instead of parking it on a road. But you have made the decision to have one laid. 

 

Great. 

 

So now what do you need to consider when planning a driveway? 

Right now, we are at that point of the year where we are not sure what season it is. It changes three times every hour. You leave the house under a baking sun, turn the corner into a monsoon, before getting a face full of hail. But we know, this isn’t going to last. Soon it will be summertime. 

 

Some of us have been dreaming about this moment for months. We have been planning barbecues, pool parties, house parties, and just-because parties, where we’re walking around with trays full of mocktails and wearing Bermuda shorts. 

 

OK, it might not turn out quite that way, but we can dream. First, however, we need to make sure that we have our house looking summer ready. 

 

Here are four things that you can do. 

Block paving has seen something of a revival over the last few years. It always seems a little tidier than a gravel driveway, and a lot prettier than a simple concrete drive or slabbed path. So, with them seemingly dropping out of the sky everywhere, you could be forgiven for thinking about your own driveway right now. 

 

So, what are the benefits to block paving? 

 

Is there anything beyond “looking pretty” that should make people consider getting their drive, patio, or path block paved? 

Unfortunately, nobody has ever managed to invent the eternal plaster. Yes, an expert can make sure that your plastering job lasts many years. However, if you have inherited a very old plastering job, or have been on the receiving end of an amateurish performance, you might be finding problems with your plaster. 

 

It is easy to look at something and say, “that doesn’t look right”. What is more difficult is to diagnose what is the cause of your plaster problems. 

 

Here are some helpful tips to help you in diagnosing common plaster problems. 

NIt doesn’t matter what the season is, surplus space is always handy. But this is Christmas. At this time of year there are likely to be more people coming and going, and you are likely to need more storage. 

 

So, it pays to have a little extra legroom in your home. 

 

Having a garage or cellar conversion will provide a very welcome buffer. Prior to conversion, your cellar was probably a concrete fridge that was home to the odd spider and that musty smell you could never identify. 

With Christmas coming, how would a cellar conversion come in handy? 

Nobody likes finding mould or rot in their home, do they? It isn’t very fragrant, and it certainly isn’t aesthetically pleasing. Despite mould being rather commonplace in Britain, we can mistakenly assume that mould is no big deal. 

 

How many times have you decided just to clean the area rather than call in the damp proofing experts? 

 

The problem is mould can be a big deal. It can exacerbate many health issues; it can also cause structural damage in your home. Moreover, there are many kinds of mould that can invade your home. 

So, you have a garage, and you don’t necessarily want it. I mean, the space is welcome and everything, but you just don’t use your garage for its intended purpose. What can you do with a garage you’re not using? 

 

There are so many options. 

 

Some ideas might depend upon your budget, other’s might depend on planning permission or builders in the local area. 

 

Here are a few ideas of what you can do with a garage you’re not using. 

This content will be shown in the summI understand that it’s off the back of a comparably miserable summer that I say this; however, Winter is coming. The cold and the damp will soon be in force, and over the next few months you are more at risk of letting damp attack your home. 

 

I know! Sometimes it seems that black mould and damp can be a force all their own. But there are ways that you can help prevent a fungal invasion. 

 

Here are 5 measures you can take to prevent damp in your home.ary on the main blog page. Click on this text to edit it.