Small Bathroom Renovation Ideas

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Having a small bathroom doesn’t mean it has to be pokey, cramped and feel tiny. There are plenty of ways you can update your space to make the most of your bathroom and leave the room feeling open, inviting and enjoyable.

Many people may think that there is no way to open up your bathroom if it is a small room and extending isn’t an option, but there are many small steps you can take to make the room feel as big as possible and many of them can be done quickly and easily.

The first tip for opening up any space, including the bathroom, is to use light colours. This will bring a lot more light into the room and therefore make it feel bigger. 

Darker tones can look nice, however, they have a tendency to make small spaces seem even tinier, so you may wish to avoid them in the bathroom.

Another great tip for maximising your space is to use mirrors. These will help reflect light and give the impression of a larger space. Mirrored walls are popular in bathrooms and are easy to clean and look modern and sleek so they’re the perfect option for small rooms.

If you have an especially small space, it may be worth considering removing the bathtub and opting for a shower-only bathroom. 

Baths can take up a lot of valuable floor space and they aren’t essential, so removing it may give you a lot of additional space to add storage or simply make the room feel larger.

Consider mounted shelving or alcoves as storage solutions in place of standing shelves and cabinets. While cabinets give a lot of storage space, they can be bulky and take up valuable room. 

Floating shelves, shower niches and mounted towel rails are all great ways to free up floor space.

Looking for bathroom fitters in Telford? Get in touch with Meyrick Builders and Roofers today!

What Are The Signs Your Chimney Needs Repairing

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Sometimes it can be obvious when a chimney is in need of repair, however, some issues can go unnoticed if you don’t know what to look out for. 

This can be especially difficult for those who have just moved house and have perhaps never lived somewhere that has an open chimney and fireplace before.

One sign you may need a chimney repair is if you can smell smoke in the house. Chimneys work by allowing the smoke and air from the fire to be drawn upwards and out of the house and if you can smell the smoke inside it is likely there is an issue.

This could be due to a buildup of soot which means the chimney would likely only need to be cleaned out, or it could indicate there are cracks in the chimney which may require more extensive repair work. Routine cleaning and checking can reduce the risk of this.

Another sign your chimney may need repair is if it is visibly not looking its best. This can be either inside or outside and includes cracking, chipping and crumbling. If you notice that the masonry has started to degrade it’s time to call in a professional and assess the damage.

This happens over time and is natural if chimneys are well used as the brick soaks up moisture, smoke and soot which can all lead it to begin degrading.

If you notice that the internal walls around your chimney are becoming discoloured or damaged it may be a sign the chimney has an unseen internal issue such as water damage or severe cracking which is causing the surrounding walls to become visibly damaged as well.

This can cause more serious issues as the chimney is often structurally central to the home so if it becomes damaged and is not fixed it can cause many other issues.

For chimney repair in Telford contact Meyrick Builders And Roofers today!

Why Spring Is The Ideal Time For You To Fix The Roof

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Now that the equinox has come and gone, the days are longer than the nights and spring is well and truly with us.

That fact might get you outdoors more, whether it is into the garden or simply off to enjoy the outdoors more in warmer weather, but when you walk out of the door you should consider the roof above you.

While you might have cause to use roofing services in Wolverhampton at various times of the year, spring is the best time for a full-scale roof check and, if needs be, a major repair job.

There are multiple reasons for this. Firstly, after a long autumn winter there may have been significant damage to the roof caused by cold, damp weather and falling debris blown by the wind. While this winter has been pretty mild in some respects – the Met Office only recorded one named storm, and that (Otto) was actually christened by the Danes – it is still important to check all is well.

A second good reason to have work done in the spring is a more practical one. Summer is a very busy time for roofers for obvious reasons; with the weather at its warmest and driest and daylight at its longest, it offers the best conditions for outdoor work. It also ensures homes are not left feeling very cold indoors due to there being a temporary gap in the roof.

What that means, of course, is that lots of people try to get work done in the summer. But as good builders will be busy with plenty of jobs at the busiest time of year, there could be a longer wait. In some cases the diary will be full and your preferred roofer may not be able to fit you in.

For that reason, it makes sense to get the work started in the spring. That way, you can get the best roofers on the job while they are available and ensure that well before the end of summer your roof is in great shape to deal with whatever next autumn and winter might throw at it.

Building A Garage Could Boost Your Property Value By £4,000

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Homeowners who are hoping to sell their property in the future could look at ways of boosting the value of their asset, including building a new garage. 

According to a survey by SGS Engineering, house-hunters will pay on average £4,000 more for a house with a garage.

It noted that building a single, attached metal garage would typically cost just £1,800, which yields a profit of £2,200. 

Another renovation job that is worth doing is constructing a home office, such as converting a garage or changing a bedroom into a study. Due to the rise in the number of people working from home or having flexible working arrangements these days, there is a greater demand for home offices. 

General manager at SGS Engineering Dave Gordon said: “This could be a great way to add value to your home.”

Homebuyers will typically pay £3,500 more for a property with dedicated space for an office, so it could be worth doing. 

According to Zoopla, one of the most profitable ways to boost your house’s value is to undergo a loft conversion. This raises the sale price by around 15 per cent, and lofts with bathrooms can command even more. 

While the average cost of a loft conversion is £22,000, it could be worth doing if it increases the value of your property significantly. 

A typical property in London, for instance, was £530,396 in January, so boosting this by 15 per cent would take it to £609,955. This represents a profit of £79,559. 

If you are considering a loft conversion in Telford and want more information about the project, it is worth getting in touch with our experts. 

Tips On How To Save Money When Building A House Extension

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Extending your house doesn’t have to cost a fortune, as there are many ways you can cut down on your spending. Here are some tips on staying on budget, so you can enjoy your extension without breaking the bank. 

Make a budget

The main secret to sticking to your budget is making one in the first place. Do not let costs spiral out of control by writing down everything you will need to spend on and finding average costs for each item. This way you know how much you have available for every product and service and you do not go over it. 

If you are able to make any savings, this will help pay for some items that may end up being more expensive. 

Avoid Party Wall agreements

A Party Wall contract is a legalised agreement between yourself and your neighbour if the work concerns a shared wall or boundary. They typically cost around £1,000 to get, but if you have a good relationship with your neighbour, you may be able to avoid having to do so. 

By keeping them in the loop regarding your plans, you are less likely to face conflicts over your extension plans. 

Re-use furniture

When it comes to refurnishing your extension, you don’t need to buy everything new. You could either re-use old furniture and fittings or buy some second-hand. Lots of people sell old kitchen units that you can spruce up, or you could give drawers or bookcases a new lease of life by repainting them. This will save you lots of money on furniture and furnishings in the long run. 

Planning building work on your home can be hard work, but you will find it easier to stick to your budget by recycling old furniture and using experts in house extensions in Telford who know the most cost-effective ways of achieving your goal. 

The Strangest Reasons For Construction Project Issues | Meyrick

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For the most part, issues with construction projects are down to either issues during the planning phase that were not caught in time or issues caused by the weather and other factors outside of the contractor’s control.

For the most part, builders will factor every possible issue into account when devising realistic timelines for longer construction projects and will ensure that people are kept updated if any issues might cause significant delays.

However, in the huge and expansive world of construction projects, you sometimes see stranger issues for delays, cancellations and other issues, and here are some of the oddest.

Sagrada Familia’s Scope Creep

The longest ongoing construction project in the world, La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is still years away from completion and not one person who was born the day construction began is still alive today.

A lot of this comes down to scope creep, in part caused by the death of the original client and later the main architect of the project, Antoni Gaudi, who noted that his client was not in a hurry and radically increased the scale of the project.

Ryugyong Hotel’s Change In Purpose

Known somewhat ominously as the “Hotel of Doom”, the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea was designed to be the world’s tallest hotel when it was initially proposed in 1986 and had it opened on time would have achieved that goal.

Unfortunately, partway through construction, the Soviet Union collapsed, causing a financial and trade crisis that halted the project and led to major issues with the building’s design.

Even two decades later and a decade after it was claimed it would be complete and ready to open, the hotel still lays dormant as a giant monument looking for a reason to exist.

Building A Tower On Poor Foundations

Have you ever wondered why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans in the first place?

It was built with a laughably small foundation for a building of its size and density onto dense clay earth and would have fallen over entirely had a civil war not stopped construction.

Its infamous lean has since made it a great landmark, and a monument to strange construction issues.
For more information and advice from builders in Wolverhampton, get in touch today.

House Price Survey Shows Midlands Lags Behind

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Homeowners in the West Midlands might have been pleased with the relative affordability of their home when they bought it, but those keen to increase its value at a time when the property market seems to be weakening may have taken note of just how far behind the region lags for prices.

A new Halifax survey of Britain’s most expensive streets has shown that London dominates the list of the costliest places to reside, where even being a millionaire is nowhere near rich enough. Of the top 20 streets for price, 19 are in the capital and the other in Ascot.

Britain’s most expensive street is Phillimore Gardens in Kensington at £23.8 million, just ahead of the £23.5 million cost of a home at Grosvenor Square in Mayfair.

Of course, most London properties cost far less than these plush pads in the most fashionable parts of the capital, but by comparison the most expensive street in the West Midlands region, Bakers Lane in Solihull, is ten times ‘cheaper’ at £2.3 million.

Most people planning a loft conversion in the West Midlands will not have a home costing even the top Solihull prices, but such a home improvement will at least significantly bolster their property’s value.

According to the latest Land Registry figures, even Solihull prices, now averaging £344,000, are lower than any London borough, the cheapest of which is Barking & Dagenham at £356,000. Elsewhere, the average home costs £234,000 in Birmingham, £226,000 in Telford & Wrekin, and £202,000 in Wolverhampton.

The change in the costliest West Midlands road actually represents a significant drop for the region; last year the Express and Star revealed Carpenter Road in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham had an average price of £3.09 million, with Solihull having to make do with second place as Old Warwick Road came in at £2.1 million.

House Price Fall Boosts Case For Home Improvements

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There are many benefits to adding house extensions in the West Midlands, but the value of doing so has increased with the latest data showing a continued decline in property prices.

According to the latest Halifax House Price Index, covering December 2022, the average home increased in value by just two per cent over the course of last year, down from 4.6 per cent in the 12 months to November 2022.

The reason for this was the strong increase in prices in the first half of the year being counterbalanced by an outright decline in the later months as the impact of the wider economic malaise took effect.

Following the 2.4 per cent decline in November, there was a further drop of 1.5 per cent in December. Moreover, director of Halifax mortgages Kim Kinnaird did not see the lower rate of fall in December as a sign of the market bottoming out, predicting instead that a combination of recession and higher interest rates means prices will fall by eight per cent in 2023.

Householders may therefore consider a home improvement as a good investment to increase the value of their property, but that is not necessarily the only reason for doing so. Those looking to upsize might find adding space offers an alternative to trying to buy a larger house.

The benefit of the latter is that people can work with designers on getting just the sort of extension they want, whereas a depressed housing market with limited supply might make fining the ideal home hard to do.

While Halifax predicts an eight per cent fall in prices this year, Japanese bank Nomura has predicted a gloomier outlook for prices, with a 15 per cent decline by the middle of 2024.

Its panel of economists acknowledged that their forecast was gloomier than most, describing it as “a larger fall than assumed by the Bank of England, Office for Budget Responsibility and consensus.” They said this sort of decline would be needed to normalise the balance between squeezed incomes and higher interest rates.

What Will Be The Most Popular Kitchen Trends Next Year?

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The new year is approaching, which is often time homeowners think about ways they can spruce up their house or flat and embark on redecorating plans. If the kitchen is on your list of things to renovate next year, here is our pick of the top three trends that will be huge in 2023. 

Sustainable materials

As well as thinking about what you want your kitchen to look like, more people will consider what they want it to be made from too. Sustainable materials will become huge in 2023, as homeowners try to do their bit in the fight against climate change and opt for more durable materials, including wood, stone, and steel. 

Jeppe Christensen, founder of Reform, told Good House Keeping: “The sourcing and recyclability of materials will also be taken into account to a greater extent.”

Hidden pantries

The desire to hide away all your bits and bobs in the kitchen is still going strong, which is why hidden pantries will remain popular next year. You can create a really smart, sleek kitchen having tall pantries that keep everything hidden behind its doors. 

According to Melissa Klink, creative director at Harvey Jones, speaking to Woman And Home: “That wow moment, when you open what looks like a cupboard door to expose a whole secret room behind just never gets old. A crowd-pleaser for sure!”

Butcher-block island

Large, open kitchen-diners are still going strong, particularly when teamed with a central island. Make yours stand out next year by opting for a butcher-block island that looks incredibly stylish, as well as durable. 

Opt for a colour such as walnut, as this warms the room and makes it feel more homely. 

Call our kitchen fitters in Telford today to book your renovation project.

Jeremy Hunt Plans Extension On £1.7m Home

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Chancellor of the exchequer Jeremy Hunt has come under fire after his plans to extend his £1.7 million London home were reported. 

He has submitted a planning application to Westminster City Council for various works to be done on the four-storey town home in Pimlico, which he bought in 2010. 

Despite applying in September, the Liberal Democrats and Green Party have recently criticised Mr Hunt, saying he is “out of touch” with the public.

Co-leader of the Green Party Adrian Ramsay said: “For many, the current economic crisis has left people choosing whether to heat their homes or put food on the table.”

He added: “But for the richest, life appears to go on in a completely normal fashion.”

The Evening Standard revealed a heritage design and access statement for the application, which stated intentions to increase residential floorspace in the property. This includes making bedrooms bigger, remodelling the internal space, and adapting the lower ground floor to include a larger bedroom. 

The council has not yet made a decision on whether the work can go ahead on the home, which could be worth twice as much now.

According to the Land Registry, the average house price has increased from £174,458 in January 2010 to £295,000 in September 2022, a rate of growth of 69 per cent. Therefore, Mr Hunt’s property could currently be worth as much as £2.87 million. 

This comes after the chancellor announced the Autumn Statement last week, which included plans to increase taxes by £25 billion, and reduce public spending by £30 billion. 

If you want a house extension on your Telford home, give us a call today.