Better to Ask Forgiveness?

You might have thought that you would need planning permission to add a conservatory to your house, and until October 1st 2008 you would have been absolutely right. Since then, however, planning regulations have been altered so that you no longer need to secure planning permission before building a conservatory.

The new rules are subject to some limitations, however. You’ll still need to check with your local planning authority before adding a conservatory to a listed building or one in a conservation area. What’s more, there are a few rules concerning the size and construction of the conservatory.

You may need to seek planning permission if your planned conservatory will be taller than the tallest part of your house. It also cannot be built on the front face of a house which faces a highway without permission.

A single storey conservatory must be less than 4 metres deep and 4 metres tall to be built without requiring permission. A two storey conservatory should extend no further than 3 metres from the rear of the house

The conservatory must also not take up more than half of the area of land around the original house. One thing to be careful of is that if your house has been extended since it was built (or since 1948 , if it was built before then), then this refers to the house as it was originally built. Be sure to check the records for your house to make sure it hasn’t been extended recently, you don’t want to get caught out.

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The great thing about conservatories is how flexible they are. They have many of the advantages of garage conversions or extensions, and they also let a lot of light into your house whether in summer or winter.

Conservatories make great spaces in which to a host party or barbecue, to watch the birds in the garden, or just relax and put your feet up.

With a few well chosen plants and other decorations they could even become an indoor extension of your garden.

The new planning rules make it quicker, easier and cheaper to plan and build a conservatory, and with the summer on its way there has never been a better time to get an instant online quote from WindowQuoter.co.uk.

Preparing for a New Arrival

Preparing for a new baby can be an awfully big adventure, but it’s easy to be overwhelmed at times by the amount of things you have to remember to sort out. You’ll be juggling cots, buggies, nappies and bottles in no time, and before you know it your bundle of joy will be crawling around and causing all sorts of trouble!

So, to help you out, we’ve put together some top Home Improvements Quotes tips to making sure your kitchen is ready for your little one.

• Get Sharp Objects Out The Way. The Kitchen is likely to be the most dangerous room in the house, so it’s a great place to start childproofing. You need to make sure any sharp utensils such as knives have a safe home well away from small fingers – buy a sturdy knife block or a magnetic knife rack and keep it well out of reach.


• Keep Out Of Reach Of Children. The days of storing your chemical cleaning products like bleach in an unlocked cupboard under the sink should be officially over – it’s time to either move them to a high cupboard (or a store room or garage) or lock that door up. Cupboard locks for children are a simple and effective solution to most problems – but they don’t last forever and sooner or later your child will learn to open them. Keep any potentially harmful chemicals in their original containers


• Practice Safe Cooking. Even before your child arrives, it’s worth trying to cook as if they’re there. This means never leaving pan handles hanging over the edge of the surface, constantly tidying away cooking utensils you have been using, never leaving the kitchen unattended while cooking and never leaving the oven door open while it’s on.


• Turn the hot water down. One often-missed danger is that the hot tap can reach scalding temperatures very quickly. Since young children’s skin is much more sensitive to heat, it’s worth turning the hot water temperature down a little at the boiler. This will also save a little energy.


• Keep Everything Clean. Always clean up spill as soon as they happen clean up to avoid slips and stumbles, and clean up using anti-bacterial sprays and detergents after you cook.

The right approach to kitchen safety can keep your little Jamie of Nigella safe and happy. And if you’re thinking of having a new kitchen fitted, it’s worth talking over child safety with your kitchen designer

Boost Your Energy Efficiency Rating

Since July 2008, to put a house on the market you’ve had to arrange for a Home Information Pack (HIP), containing assorted details about the house, it’s construction, boundary details and planning permission. From April of this year, the HIP must be ready and available by the first day your property goes on the market.

Contained in the HIP is an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which potential buyers can use to assess your home’s energy efficiency. Today, we’re giving you some excellent tips on how to give your EPC an adrenalin shot and boost your home’s energy efficiency, and so boost its value.

Even if you aren’t selling your home, improving your home’s energy efficiency makes sense: by combining these tips you could reduce your energy bill by over £300 a year!

Fit or Replace Your Double Glazing.

The Government have downgraded the energy rating of all Pre-2002 double glazing to ‘Average’, whilst the newer units can attain a ‘Good’ or even ‘Excellent’ rating. If your double glazing is starting to get past its best you can increase your home’s overall rating by replacing it with modern energy-efficient units. Making sure your double glazing is up to scratch will also help reduce draughts and noise, making your home a quieter, more peaceful place.

It’s also worth thinking about your window frames, since various window frame makes each carry an energy efficiency rating, and there are a multitude of fittings and finishes available.

The BFRC produce a rating system for windows of A-G, so when shopping for energy-efficient windows, make sure the your provider sells windows with an ‘A’ energy rating, and ask about Low Emission (‘Low-E’) coated panes. Also, look out for the logo of the Energy Saving Trust, who give approval to highly energy-efficient windows

You can find quotes for all kinds of windows and locate window companies using WindowQuoter.co.uk.

Insulate Your Loft and Wall Cavities.

If your walls and loft don’t have appropriate insulation you’ll be losing heat, losing energy, and getting a lower energy performance rating than you should be. Loft and cavity insulation is surprisingly affordable and will save you enough on your fuel bill to make back your costs within 2 years. Thanks to your increased EPC rating you’ll also add value to your home when you sell – probably more than it costs to have the insulation fitted.

A very good time to consider getting your insulation check is when your roof needs repair or replacement, and if yours does, head over to RoofQuoter.co.uk for an instant online quote for roofing work.

Upgrade Your Central Heating System

EPC certificates also look at your boiler and heating control system. If you’ve got an out-of-date combi-boiler you might want to consider replacing that with a more modern and efficient model, but you can also score points for having thermostatic control valves on your radiators, which adjust the temperature of each individual room based on your preferences and allow you greater control over your heating.

Change Your Light Bulbs

Not every energy saving measure needs great expense. Probably the greatest saving you can make on your electricity bill is also the simplest: swap your 100W traditional light bulbs for energy saving alternative bulbs. If your living room has 6 lights which you have filled with 100W bulbs, replacing them all with 20W energy saving bulbs will save you 480W, every hour, without losing any brightness. Even across the life of a standard bulb that’s a huge saving, and coupled with the fact that energy saving bulbs last much longer, it’s an easy decision to make.

A Kitchen For the Stone Age

In the ’70’s, Formica was all the rage – formica worktops, tables, you name it, it was probably covered in it. I can vividly remember an advert on the tv where a couple walk in and quiz a kitchen table salesman on his tables. The husband pulls out a home made lie detector and places it on the salesman’s head. You get the idea – the final question being did the table have a real formica top. The message – beware of imitations.

Wind forward to the ‘noughties’ and as far as kitchen worktops are concerned, Granite is making a bit of a comeback.

It’s very practical – easily wiped clean and if looked after will give years of service. No wonder it’s popular. Here we look at just some of the reasons why:

Durability.

Whilst any installer will always recommend using a chopping board to prepare food on, wiping up spills as soon as they occur, etc, with Granite worksurfaces, they are probably more resistant to scratches then any other worktop. Granite is the hardest of all building stone, its very close grain making it virtually impervious to stains.

If it’s polished, the liquid like gloss finish will never loose its shine. This makes it the perfect choice for fitted kitchens.

Manufacturers claim that if the granite hasn’t broken during transit and processing, then there are no flaws present and you shouldn’t experience any cracking or chipping in the kitchen – unless you used a hammer of course, but we’ve a feeling that might take some effort in itself.

Generally very low maintenance, installers recommend not using oily cloths etc as the granite will absorb the oil, producing a dark stain. This stain should disappear over time as the oil is drawn into the granite further. If an accident does occur, there are recommended ‘drawing’ poultices you can use to draw out the stain.

Look.

Granite is one of the hardest materials on earth. Composed of quartz, feldspar and mica, its unique colours and patterns are created by other minerals present in the stone. It’s a surface that is resistant to scratches, stains and heat.

You’ll probably come across terms like Honed and Polished. These terms refer to the finish of the granite worktop. Honed refers to anything from a flat to a low sheen finish which gives the granite a softer look whereas polished refers to the glossy, highly reflective finish most associated with a sleek look.

As more and more homeowners turn to improving their property rather than move, there has been a re-surgance in fitted kitchens and kitchen makeovers. Granite has played a large part in many of these makeovers and new designs and most fitted kitchen companies will now have several granite worktop options you can choose from.

DIY Beware. If you’re thinking of fitting them yourself, beware! Granite is extremely hard to both cut and handle. Cutting out holes for appliances or sinks may require more than a diy jigsaw, not to mention making a neat job of the joins and edges. It’s these sorts of details that will increase the value of your property rather than detract from it.

There are now specialist lifting gear gadgets that installers can use to install heavy granite worktops and mid height appliances like ovens and extractor fans and hoods. Going out and attempting to hire the right equipment yourself could end up costing more than paying a company to install it for you. Installers will also use specialist sealants on joints and plan for the fewest joints in general.

You can get a free instant online quote for a fitted kitchen, and get in touch with great local kitchen fitters, through KitchenQuoter.co.uk