by Alejandra | Jan 20, 2022 | Design
As the owner of a construction company, your job is to make your brand well-known in your target market. Word of mouth is crucial in an industry like construction, and when potential clients hear about your good work and friendly service, they’re more likely to use your firm.
However, if some of your business practices are somewhat questionable, those same people will think twice before deciding whether to use your services or not.
Sometimes, construction companies make certain mistakes without even realising it. The following are examples of five such common mistakes you should avoid making with your construction business:
1. Using The Wrong People
It’s no secret that people are a company’s business assets. If you hire the right people to work for your construction company and ensure they feel valued and respected, they will represent your brand in the best ways possible.
However, if you hire the wrong people at your construction firm, you likely won’t have a business to run after a while! That’s why it always pays to ensure each new hire is suitable for both the job they want and for your business.
2. Trying To Be An Expert At Everything
As a construction company, you will undoubtedly specialise in particular areas like residential or commercial projects. But, even with such specialisms, you won’t know how to handle everything in those sectors.
For example, if your strengths lie in commercial building renovation, you might find educational content like slab foundations explained interesting but learning about it doesn’t make you an expert on the subject.
Stick to what you know best, and hire people or sub-contract other work that isn’t one of your specialities.
3. Underestimating A Project’s Complexity
As you become experienced in the construction industry, you’ll soon know how long a project might take to complete – whether it’s a new construction project or adapting an existing building.
One thing you should never do is become complacent and quote strict deadlines to your clients. Giving yourself longer lead times takes the pressure off all construction projects as they will often face some delays – usually due to external factors like supplier issues.
4. Taking On Too Much Work
A sign of a growing business is when it has a lot of work to complete. Always having work to do means that your construction company is a hit with its target audience, and positive word of mouth is spreading about your work.
The last thing you want to do is take on too many projects because the quality of your work will likely suffer, and you’ll end up with a negative reputation.
5. Refusing To Delegate
One final mistake that many construction companies make is when they refuse to delegate work. Usually, the business owner will want to personally oversee all construction projects and even take over if they think employees or sub-contractors aren’t doing a good job.
If that sounds like you, now is the time to take a step back and learn to start trusting other people’s professional judgments.
by Alejandra | Jan 20, 2022 | Design
When you choose to own horses and a horse farm to go with it, you are taking on a huge responsibility, and it’s not one that should be taken lightly. Horses are majestic, intelligent animals, and they deserve to be treated with utmost care and attention. You need to do all that you can to improve the conditions of your horse farm and that means keeping up with the maintenance, decluttering, and ensuring it’s a clean, healthy place for your horses to be.
The good news is that there are some great ways that you can improve your horse property. From choosing to buy a preowned skip lorry to ferry clutter and equipment to hiring a new company to do it all for you, there is so much that you can do to improve the property and help your horses to thrive. With this in mind, we’ve got some suggestions that will help!
1. Look at the pastures.
Are you managing your pastures well? Healthy horses need healthy pastures to roam on, and taking the time to learn how grazing can affect those lush pastures is important. Rotational grazing is a great practice and it allows the pastures to rest, to flourish, and to recover. Suitable grass will help to protect topsoil and the right fertilization will help, too.
2. Keep a good fence line.
Horses like to run, you already know that! If you ensure that your fence line is intact at all times, you are going to have huge improvements to your property. You don’t need broken boards, fallen trees or loose wires putting your horses at risk, nor do you need anything making your horse property look cluttered and overwhelmed. You can use the new skip lorry to clear any messes and keep the property clear for your horses.
3. Reduce the risks of bugs.
On your property, you want to reduce the bug population. We need bugs day to day, but we also need other animals to keep the bug population under control. Swallows and birds feed on insects every single day, and some bugs, like mosquitoes, can cause fatal diseases in your horses. Instead of worrying, make sure that you prevent mosquitoes from causing any further issues by ensuring that you reduce the population.
4. Invest in housing.
Your horses require somewhere to stay in the shelter and investing in quality housing is the smartest thing that you can do to improve your property. You want to protect your horses from the elements and during construction, you can use skip lorries to remove all the excess equipment to help. Making the right investments and improvements will help you to keep your horse property looking great – especially if you plan to sell up!
Improving your horse property will help you to create a good home for your horses and ensure that you are able to make your farm profitable and thriving. Now you know how to do it, you can get started on making the right improvement.
by Alejandra | Jan 12, 2022 | Design
If you’re building a new home that is based on energy-saving fundamentals, then proper planning goes a long way. Energy-efficient homes help with energy conservation but also help you save money. Your home will also be more comfortable.
Over time, energy costs are rising and will keep going up, making it important to save energy. Energy-efficient home designs, such as water options from Nicholls Boreholes Ltd and proper ventilation, will help energy conservation to reduce your carbon footprint.
Location
When you build an energy-efficient home, the location, shape, and materials are all important considerations that will influence your heating and cooling options. If you can maximize the use of passive solar energy gain during the winter and the reduction of heat gain during the summer, this is ideal. You can do this by choosing the best location, landscaping, and orientation of the home.
The orientation of the home will determine how much sun the house will get, which impacts the temperature.
Design your home to take advantage of different sun angles. The midday sun is at a low angle in the winter and a high angle in the summer. Position your home to reduce your cooling and heating needs. Homes that are situated on the south side of the street, facing north, will get more sunlight at the back of the house, whereas homes on the north side get shade during the summer afternoons at the back. If you live somewhere colder, position your windows to get the most sunlight you can. South-facing homes get the sun in the winter and block it during the summer.
These strategies can make a lot of difference, and your house won’t overheat in the summer. For example, if the house is not exposed to the sun, the walls are insulated, or the windows are shaded, then the solar gain is minimized. Your cooling requirements will drop, which can help you to conserve energy, although you will get a lower solar gain in the winter. If you live somewhere with a short winter, then this can be the perfect option for you.
Landscaping And Shade
Use elements of shade in your landscaping to prevent your house from absorbing excess heat. In fact, landscaping can reduce the temperature by quite a bit. You can use trees with bigger canopies to give your home more shade. If you need to block summer heat and still let the sun in during the winter, choose some deciduous trees for your garden. These are perfect for both seasons, as they will bloom and give shade in the summer, and drop their leaves in winter. If you want continuous shade and get protection from strong winds, go for dense trees and shrubs.
Where you plant also matters. Planting trees on the east, south, and west sides will keep the house cool during periods of extreme heat. Trees to the east cast shadows on your home in the morning, whereas trees to the south cast shadows on your house in the mid-morning and early afternoon. Trees planted to the west will block the afternoon sun when the temperatures are highest, making these the most useful for cutting your cooling bills.
Ventilation Systems
A well-designed ventilation system for an energy-efficient house doesn’t only make your home more comfortable but will also save energy by preventing you from overusing electrical appliances to heat and cool your home. Home ventilation will also filter out contaminated air. The simplest form of ventilation systems are windows and mechanical options with fans. Use a home design that encourages natural and healthy ventilation.
Your ventilation system is a big part of your energy-efficient home design, as it will move air and moisture across the house. A properly designed ventilation system can really reduce the amount of energy that you use and make your home much more energy-efficient.
Energy-Efficient HVAC Systems
Heating and cooling use a huge amount of energy in most homes. HVAC systems are among the largest energy consumers, so installing a more efficient HVAC system that will save you energy can reduce your bills by a lot.
Energy saving is a big concern for many homeowners. A heat pump can drastically reduce the electricity needed for heating when compared to furnaces, baseboard heaters, and other heating options. Opt for the most energy-efficient cooling unit that you can find for your home. Verify energy efficiency ratings and look out for smart functions that can help you save more energy and increase your savings.
by Alejandra | Jan 11, 2022 | Design
If your family is continually bickering about hot water and that hot water can’t be relied on to be there at all times, it may be time to make some modifications around the house. With a few easy repairs and renovations, you can guarantee that everyone in your house has hot water when it is most required. Read on to find out more.
Check For Leaks
If your house doesn’t have an appropriate supply of hot water, one of the first things you should do is inspect your whole property for any signs of leaks. Water stains, musty smells, peeling paint, and mold patches are some of the most frequent indicators of a plumbing leak, and if you see any of these – especially if they weren’t there before – this could be the reason that you’re running out of hot water; your water is literally draining away before you can even use it.
You should also keep a watch on your water bill to see if there are any significant variations from one month to the next. Assuming you have a water meter, and you pay monthly, you should be able to see if there are any problems quite quickly. The next step is to get a plumber to fix the problem before it gets any worse. Once you know about it, don’t leave it.
Insulate Your Pipes
Even if you intend on making additional improvements to your house, you may still want to insulate all of your exposed pipes. If you live in a location that experiences cold conditions on a regular basis, this sort of project is essential. Fortunately, you can use foam tubes and tape to insulate most pipelines.
Why is insulating your pipes so crucial if you want to maintain enough hot water in your home? The fact is that when the pipes get cold, the water within them will get cold too. So even if you are getting plenty of hot water from your tank, you might find that by the time it gets to the shower or tub, it’s no longer as hot, and in extreme conditions, it might be cold. Insulate the pipes, and this won’t be an issue any longer.
Check Your Water Pump
Another issue could be your water pump. There are many different water pump problems and solutions to consider, but the one that might be affecting the amount of hot water you have is an irregular cycle.
A water pump’s job is to take water from one place to another by increasing the pressure within the pipework. If the pump’s cycles are irregular, you might find that you’re not getting enough water into your tank, and therefore you don’t have enough water – hot or cold – for everyone to use. It’s best to get an expert to reset your water pump if you’re not sure how to do it, but once it’s done, you’ll have plenty of water once again.
Switch To High-Efficiency Appliances
It’s possible that your appliances are draining a lot of your hot water, and older equipment is typically inefficient in general. Each model is unique, however, these devices often need to be updated every fifteen years or so. It’s a good idea to look for high-efficiency versions when you’re in the market for new appliances. A few years from now, these devices might pay for themselves, and at the very least, they can help to ensure you have enough hot water for the whole family.
by Alejandra | Jan 1, 2022 | Design
With never-ending conversations around home remodelling and renovating, we often forget to apply a little of that enthusiasm to our offices as well. More Britons are choosing to work from home now, and that means that if you want to attract top talent to your workspace, you’re going to need to make it as liveable as possible.
What you may not be aware of, is the impact on productivity and creativity a well-planned, decorated and spaced office can have. Studies have shown that offices that maximize natural light, have lots of greenery around, and have ergonomics built into their design, will increase workers’ abilities to think clearer, respond to situations more promptly and increase creativity. All of these are very desirable for obvious reasons.
Start by decluttering your spaces
An open, clean and clear space is the number one factor that inspires creative thinking. A cluttered workspace is literally a mental ‘cluttering’ to our brains, and disorganised spaces with overflowing in-trays and messy desks are creative thought killers. Instil a culture of ‘clean desking’ by close of business every day as a good place to start. Arriving at work in the morning to a clean, organised workspace sets the tone for that day.
Consider the placement of desks concerning windows
Access to natural light is cited as one of the biggest factors that office workers consider before starting a new job. It may seem surprising, but more of us are becoming more conscious about our mental health and mental states, and the workplace environment has a massive role to play in that field. If you have an office where you are in a basement or placed in the centre spaces of skyscrapers, then consider placing LCD screens with images of the outside playing on them, better yet – live camera feeds from the outside.
Lights, Colour, Action!
The intensity of white office lights, especially of the fluorescent kind, is linked to the increase in people suffering from nervous disorders and anxiety. Changing fluorescent lights to softer tones can change the overall mood in your office, but softer lighting also has an impact on the calmness and serenity of your office workers too.
Installing localised control over lighting allows for workers in certain spaces to decide how brightly lit, or otherwise, they want their workspace to be. This element of control also has an impact on how much control workers have over their lives. It may seem insignificant, but as with most things – God is in the detail.
Break time
Consider breakout spaces with soft cushions and comfortable sofas and chairs. Downtime should be exactly that, and for stressed-out office workers, soft, calm breakout space is just what they need to recharge over a coffee. Remember that the overall look and feel of your office is very important, so give some thought towards decorating, find the right commercial carpet suppliers for your office, and it will pay to plan for updated air conditioning with decent filters and if you work in contact or call centre environment, consider installing white noise machines to help drown out background noise.
It may seem new-age or like something from a sci-fi movie, but it turns out that workers are increasingly aware of their work/life balance, and the environment they work in has a lot to do with that.
by Alejandra | Dec 31, 2021 | Design
Painting the exterior of your home can be a daunting task. It’s even more difficult when you don’t know what to do or how to go about it. There are several things that need to be considered before painting the outside of your home, and if not taken into account, it could lead to disaster!
Preparing The Surface
It is important to prepare the surface before painting your home. Ensure that there are no cracks, holes, or chips in the exterior of your house, as this can lead to water damage and other problems.
Using a pressure washer will be an effective way of removing dirt from eaves and fascia boards; however, it may also remove paint, so you must rinse with plenty of clean water afterward to ensure all debris has been removed. If this task is too daunting for you you can call exterior cleaning experts to assist you.
If you’re dealing with any areas where there’s rotting wood or siding that needs replacing, then caulking around those areas will prevent them from leaking, which could cause more expensive repairs later on down the road, such as replacing gutters if they become damaged by leaks.
Painting Techniques
Once you have chosen the color, it’s time to start painting. There are many different techniques that can be used depending on what kind of paint is being applied. Be sure to use drop cloths (plastic sheets) over furniture or anything else that may get stained with drips or spills while working.
Lightweight sprayers work well for large areas like roofs if done correctly; otherwise, they make an even messier job than brushes do! If using a roller, begin in one upper corner of your roof, not too close to the edge so as not to drip onto windowsills or any surfaces below.
Brushes and rollers should be dipped in a pail of paint, then shaken (or stirred) to remove most of the excess before application. Always start at the top and work your way down; this prevents streaks from forming as the paint begins to dry.
When painting trim or detailed areas, use a small brush for better control. Be sure to get into all the cracks and crevices for a neat finish. If you’re using an exterior gloss enamel, it’s best to apply it with a brush instead of spraying; this will give you a more even coat.
Choosing the Right Paint
The first step in painting the exterior of your home is choosing the right paint. There are many different types of paint available, so it’s important to select one that will be best for your specific project. Some factors you’ll want to consider when selecting a paint include its durability, how well it resists fading, and whether or not it is environmentally friendly.
Maintenance Tips
The easiest way to maintain your exterior paint job is by washing regularly. Wash the walls at least once a year or more if you notice signs of wear and tear on the surface. You should also wash any windows that are visible from the ground–if not every season, then several times per year, depending on how much they get used.
In conclusion, painting the exterior of your home can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. By following these simple tips, you can make the process go as smoothly as possible and end up with a beautiful finished product.
