Nordic Design

Insulating your roof and loft is a very useful procedure. It will seal heat into your home and therefore save you money on heating your home. This in turn will save energy and improve your carbon footprint. Loft insulation lasts for a long time too, and usually exceeds the forty-year mark. A lot of heat from the home rises up through an uninsulated roof.    

When choosing the right insulation for you, you should take into account how thick the insulation will be. The recommended width of insulation is 27cm thick. You can fit this in you house yourself, or you can get a professional to install it. Some energy companies can provide discounted installation and some provide it free, so it is best to shop around for this.   

To find out how much insulation you will need, you should follow the method of measuring the width and length of your loft. Multiply these numbers together and this will result in finding the area. Next you should divide the area by the thickness of loft insulation that you will be using. You can also find calculators online that specialise in calculating these requirements for you. 

With all the insulation that is available on the market, it can sometimes be difficult to decide which is right for you. Insulation that has received the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo is of good quality and will do the job well, having complied with the high standard and regulations. Mineral wool insulation provides a strong barrier to lock in the heat and also has soundproofing qualities. 

Reconstituted stone is a mixture of concrete and an aggregate composed of ground-up stone. It used to be an unattractive material both to work with and to use, with often shoddy finished results and available in only a few gaudy colours. However, the modern version of reconstituted stone can be so convincing that you have to be an expert to distinguish it from the genuine article. Stone pavers in particular are excellent for patios and other structures in the garden, with a wide range of patterns, colours and cast patterns available to create a great effect.

Reconstituted stone is much less expensive than real stone, and as it doesn’t have a grain it cannot be damaged by temperature extremes. On the down side, the colour of low-grade reconstituted stone can fade over time, maybe in just a couple of years, and although attractive it lacks the subtle texture of real stone and has no sparkling bits on the edges and sides. Nor does it age as well as real stone, because it wears over time and won’t develop that textural subtlety and delicate patina characteristic of real stone that many people especially value.

When laying a reconstituted stone patio, dig the foundations first by removing earth to a depth of 150mm and level the site. Lay down a rather dry mix of concrete and lay the slabs on top of that, then make sure that the slabs are level with one another. Fill the joints with mortar using a trowel.

In terms of colours and textures there are several options available, from weathered and old-style stone slabs to weathered red stone and weathered buff, each with its own distinctive look and feel. The choice really depends on your taste and preferences, and the physical layout of the proposed site.

The off-street parking needs extending or the back garden wants a patio, and a form of paving is the answer. For either site, the job is relatively simple.

Planning issues needing consideration include the finish, the purpose and the paving level. These criteria determine the depth of the base layer, drainage, tools and materials. For a weight-bearing area like a driveway, a minimum 150mm (six inch) base is called for, while a patio needs 100mm (four inch). On top of the stone base there should be a 50mm (two inch) sand layer to create a consistent permeable level on which to lay the finish. These layers, plus the thickness of the paving, produce the depth of excavations. Do not forget to plan for the spoil and whether or not a skip needs hiring.

Check with the supplier of the paving which kind of stone layer is recommended. If the area is large, arrange to hire a plate vibrator to compact the stone and sand, and slabs if the material allows.

Before finishing the sand layer, check the drainage fall, even if you are using a permeable joint material, to encourage the rainwater away. For driveways, a particularly level sand finish is required. Use coarse concrete sand and set up screed boards to help achieve the standard of outcome required.

With this compacted, level field in place, begin laying the paving, butting tight together with the pattern you have chosen delineated by strings to ensure accuracy. Cut blocks to fit at the reinforced edges and compact the entire area before brushing jointing sand into the joints. Compact again and repeat so the joints are filled entirely, then brush off excess.

Finally, always remember to take a few minutes to sit back and enjoy the completed work.

Pipe bending can be most cheaply done by using a bending spring, which costs only a few pounds and is more than adequate for general occasional use, if used correctly.  They can, however, become easily damaged and, if used incorrectly, can become stuck inside the pipe.  There are a few basic tips to using a pipe bending spring so as to maximise its lifespan.

First off, do not pull the bend too sharply, i.e. have a long radius to it.  For example, for a 90-degree bend on copper pipe of 15 mm, the radius should be similar to that if you are pulling around a 150-mm diameter pipe.

Also, it is a good idea to always over-pull the bend slightly and then open it out again so that the pressure inside the pipe can be released to assist in its removal.

After pulling the bend into the desired position, the spring will need to be withdrawn.  Do not pull hard on the end of it but rather rotate it in clockwise fashion.  Pass a screwdriver through the loop at the end of the spring to facilitate this; it will tighten the spring up and force it into a smaller diameter, whereas simply pulling on it to remove it will damage the spring.

If the spring does get stuck, you could try gently opening and closing the bend by a few degrees to free it up.

Where small direction changes and bends are required, this method of bending is ideal, and springs are also useful for forming offsets in the pipework.  Insert the spring into the pipe and pull it around a circular object or, perhaps more conveniently, around your knee, keeping the radius smooth rather than sharp.  If a ripple starts to form in the bend, you must immediately stop and withdraw the spring; otherwise, it will get irretrievably stuck inside the pipe.