When working on a construction project, whether that is refitting a kitchen, building an extension or even building a house, the most important determining factor for what you will be able to do is your budget.

Therefore, in order to make the most of your budget, either to do more with the money you have available or have more breathing space in case of any possible contingency, it is important to know how you can efficiently make the most of the funds you have assigned.

Take Your Time Planning

A highly popular quote, often credited to Benjamin Franklin is that “time is money”. This can lead to the fatal error of wanting to get straight to the tangible construction phases of a project and neglecting the vital yet more abstract planning phases.

The more you plan, the more you look at blueprints and the more you consider every aspect of a home before you build, the more focused your construction will be and the less expensive alterations will be in the long run.

After all, changing a blueprint costs a relatively tiny amount compared to changing and destroying completed work if you change your mind.

It also lets you prepare and plan for certain risks, which reduces unexpected costs and will save you money in the long run.

Prioritise Communication

In order for any complex project to be a success, everyone needs to be on the same page, so it is essential to share the latest versions of documents and drawings, have regular correspondence and keep each other aware of any updates that could affect the project.

The closer people can collaborate, the more efficiently they can work and it leads to fewer costly issues that come as a result of miscommunication.

Know Where To Save

One clear way to reduce costs is to opt for lower-cost materials and fixtures, but it is important not to be lured into false economy.

Saving money by not buying a marble countertop and choosing effective but lower-cost appliances is a sensible move to reduce costs, but reducing money on foundational materials or cutting short surveying and planning for cost reasons can lead to issues that are very expensive to fix later.

For more information and advice from builders in Wolverhampton, get in touch today.

When it comes to construction, it always pays to be prepared, working closely with construction experts, architects and surveyors to ensure that an ambitious design works as intended.

Oversights have affected some of the most ambitious and famous buildings in the world, such as how an oversight with construction foundations led to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

However, this is not the only time an oversight has caused a strange or potentially dangerous situation, as the following stories will show.

20 Fenchurch Street

Often known as the Walkie-Talkie, the gigantic bulbous skyscraper that has been described as amongst the worst planning disasters in London’s history was criticised enough for its somewhat ostentatious design.

What made it worse was an oversight with the top-heavy design that caused the building to curve outward and form what was effectively a concave mirror, which during a 2013 heatwave caused light to focus on street level to such an extreme level that cars melted and doormats set on fire.

When asked about the issue, Rafael Vinoly, who had seen a similar issue with the Vdara Hotel project in Las Vegas, noted that he did not expect London to be so sunny.

Stata Centre

The Ray and Maria Stata Centre at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were designed in an ambitious deconstructionist style, similar to successful buildings like the Imperial War Museum in Trafford or the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

Whilst the building was intentionally controversial from a design perspective, the biggest issue it had was that the strange design choices were made with aesthetics in mind over practicality, which led to water damage, cracked masonry, mould, failing drainage and emergency exits blocked during icy winters.

This led to a lawsuit calling the design “deficient” but was ultimately settled out of court once the more major issues had been fixed.

 For more information and advice from builders in Wolverhampton, get in touch today.

There are many reasons for having a home extension, from the practical benefits of having another bedroom, extra storage space or a larger kitchen to the additional value it may give a property.

Many people could be seeking house extensions in the West Midlands for either reason, but in the latter case this may be particularly relevant in bolstering property values over the next couple of years.

While the government’s response to the current economic difficulties has undergone a major U-turn, the fact remains that even before the recent turbulent events in the corridors of power the Bank of England was predicting a recession.

All that could bring an end to the recent house price boom, especially with the Bank also expected to raise the base rate further. 

Rightmove recorded that asking prices for homes rose again to a new record of £371,158 in October, but demand fell by 15 per cent, suggesting the tightening mortgage market caused by numerous product withdrawals will stop the market from defying gravity for much longer.  

Householders keen on exploring ways to maintain their property values may find that is exactly what an extension can do. 

According to the Extension Prices website, the biggest increase in value could be 21 per cent for loft conversions, although it can be as little as 12.5 per cent. A garage conversion can be worth up to 20 per cent in an urban area, while conservatories added 5-15 per cent. At the other end of the scale, a larger kitchen only adds four per cent on average.

Of course, the very occasional extension project can bring some unexpected benefits. A couple from Ellerby in North Yorkshire recently pocketed £750,000 after an auction of a collection of gold coins they discovered during a renovation of their kitchen.

The oldest of the coins was 292 years old, meaning that by just eight years they were not old enough to be classed as treasure, which would have made them the property of the crown. The hoard, once belonging to merchants from Hull, thus passed to the couple. 

The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in your home. Whether you’re a quick morning showerer or late-night soaker, having a bathroom you can enjoy and relax in while getting ready or winding down is important in making your house a home. 

No matter how big or small your bathroom is, having a space that you love and appreciate that feels like part of your home is key. If you’re planning a renovation soon, you may be looking for some ideas on how to makeover your bathroom . 

Wet rooms are the new big thing! Having an entirely open plan space to enjoy can make smaller bathrooms appear larger and airier. There’s also no more wiping down shower doors and towelling the floor dry, since it’s made to get wet! 

Adding a little bit of nature to your bathroom is also a great way to give the room a whole new feel. Incorporating elements of natural wood and stone with texture into your bathroom can help you feel more in touch with nature and more relaxed. 

You can also add some greenery to the space. Plants will thrive in the moist, humid air that a steamy shower provides and can help remove some of that moisture to give fresher, cleaner air in your bathing space. 

Stand-alone tubs have always given a luxurious feel to a bathroom, but there are so many options besides the classic claw-foot tub. If you have the space, a freestanding tub can be a beautiful and elegant focal point for your bathroom and a place for you to fully immerse yourself in relaxation. 

But don’t ditch the claw-foot tub just yet. Vintage style is always on trend and giving your bathroom a Victorian-esque makeover can help bring a touch of old-timey glamour to your home and give you the soft, elegant and romantic bathroom of your dreams. 

Looking for bathroom fitters in Telford? Contact Meyrick Builders and Roofers today!

Mention the idea of home extensions to some people and the image that emerges might be a very specific type of extension, such as adding a one-storey space on the side of a home or attaching a conservatory to the back.

However, anyone who simply looks around at different house extensions in the West Midlands will see that on street after street, there is a lot of variety. If you thinking about an extension, there may be more possibilities than you have considered.

Before starting on any extension project it is essential to do some research and decide exactly what your best option is. That may depend on many factors: Firstly, what you need or want, be it more living space, a work room, somewhere to entertain or another bedroom. You should also take into account your budget and where the available space lies for possible expansion.

For example, you may wish to add only a single-storey extension to your home, perhaps to create a kitchen space. This would make sense either if your house is a bungalow or if building something of more storeys would either be too costly or intrusive to your neighbours.

Garage conversions can be a good move if you don’t want to park your car inside it even in winter, but if you do still need your garage for its conventional use, there is always the option of building an above-garage room. This can be a novel and innovative option that may work particularly well when there is no other available space.

Smaller extensions based on a smaller budget may not create a large amount of extra room, but in the right place they may be ideal, for example by providing space for a kitchen diner, or making a bathroom larger to fit a walk-in shower unit.

These examples are just some of the possibilities, which shows that with innovation and creativity, you don’t have to stick to any stereotypical ideas of what an extension looks like and can instead go for one that makes the difference to your home that you need.