Summer 2022 Newsletter

Name: DK Building
Address: Unit C, The Stables, Erwood Street, Warrington, WA2 7NW
Telephone: 0151 374 0373

Feb 2023 | Newsletter

Summer Newsletter from Headquarters

DANIEL’S MESSAGE

Dear Clients

Daniel Kozinski – director

Summer has finally arrived in the UK and we are busy working outside, converting and insulating lofts, converting conservatories roofs to tiled roofs, doing structural work. Over the years I have noticed a small steady increase in the amount of insulation we are fitting. 120mm of rigid insulation is minimum these days and many architects specify 150mm with insulated plasterboard on top of that. Will the government introduce a wider programme of insulation grants for homeowners? This remains to be seen. Compared to other home improvements projects (like new kitchens or bathrooms) this investment has real payback time and gives us more comfort now. I expect more clients to see that as a necessity rather than a “nice to have” feature. We continue to learn more about the best ways to insulate and upgrade existing houses, using the whole house approach. One of our clients just completed an extensive programme of retrofitting and their bills (almost no gas used, apart for cooking) for hot water and heating are around £100 p.m. (A detached house in Woolton area of Liverpool). We didn’t do the retrofitting work on this project. We are building a small side extension but this inspires me to do more of this type of work. It seems that the times of cheap energy have gone and we want to do our bit in the collective goal of reducing CO₂ emissions. Have a great summer!

Berian

Congratulations to Berian who has recently passed all twelve modules of a Plastering course at the Goldtrowel Academy in Enfield. He honed his basic plastering skills and can now render, skim, install dry-lining, cut & fix angle beads and decorative coving and more. A good plasterer is worth their weight in gold, and we’re told that the best trowels are in fact gold in colour! (Berian is third from right in main photo above)

INDUSTRY UPDATE

BUILDING REGULATIONS and Planning Permission both appear in our specifications and price guide information, and many people confuse the two. Planning concerns itself with the use and look of a building and its effect on the local environment. On the other hand, Building Regulations are designed to ensure that buildings are constructed to a minimum standard of quality and safety. They are two completely separate requirements and each need to be satisfied. A recent (real) enquiry we received read:

“We had a loft extension done about 10 years ago, and are now hoping to sell the house, but have found out that it never passed building regs. We’ve had the council out to look at it, and also a building surveyor and architect, who has told us exactly what needs to be done, including fitting padstones, changing the stairs and the floor joists not be the correct width. The council have said to us that we have to get the work done before we sell it.”

This is one of the reasons we make sure the Building Control officer inspects our work at key stages in the project. The completion certificate will be handed to the client when the job is finished. If you are concerned about the recent changes to Building Regs and how it may affect your project, give us a call on 0151 374 0373. We’ll be happy to discuss this with you.