November 1, 2019

McLaren secures £30m MAG warehouse contract

MAG (Manchester Airports Group) has appointed McLaren to build a warehouse and logistics facility on the site of a former WWII aircraft hangar at Manchester Airport The design and build project, which will be known as ‘dnata City North’, incorporates the construction of a 145,000 sq ft warehouse and logistics

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Aggregate Industries Wins Biodiversity Awards

Aggregate Industries Wins Biodiversity Awards

Aggregate Industries has been recognised for its work on biodiversity with six prestigious industry accolades. The firm secured the prizes at the recent Mineral Products Association (MPA) 2019 Restoration and Biodiversity Awards. These include the prestigious Cooper-Heyman Cup for outstanding restoration, with Aggregate Industries named a joint-winner for its work

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Housing Scheme in Oldbury Receives Green Light

Housing Scheme in Oldbury Receives Green Light

Construction firm Seddon has secured a contract to deliver a £14 million housing scheme in Oldbury. The project will involve building new council homes and transforming the outdated Alfred Gunn House block in Langley. Approximately £12 million will be invested in the housing scheme in restoring the block of flats,

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Kier Appointed for Regeneration Scheme

Kier Appointed for Regeneration Scheme

Braintree District Council has appointed national contractor Kier to take forward its £30 million Manor Street regeneration scheme. The city centre scheme will see Kier deliver 35 new homes, a ‘Livewell’ hub – which will provide up to 20,000 residents with access to a range of health services, pharmacy, 70-bed

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Why you need timber and damp reports when investing in property

The UK is notorious for its rainy weather. For the most part, people just don their waterproof and put up with it. When they get really soaked, however, it’s a miserable experience and getting really soaked can actually make you physically ill. It’s basically the same with buildings, which is

Read More »

Samsung Appliances – Should You Go For It?

Samsung is one of the most well-known brands around the world. There are plenty of reasons why people love Samsung home appliances. Here we will discuss whether choosing this brand for your home is worth it. We will also talk about fixing Samsung appliances in case they suddenly start malfunctioning. Pros and

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Things To Consider When Building Two Storey Home

The average size of a block of land in Australia has been falling as time goes on. This means that if you want to build a large, spacious home to live in, you can’t just build out like previous generations would have. That’s why two-storey homes in Perth have become

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BDC 321 : Oct 2024

November 1, 2019

McLaren secures £30m MAG warehouse contract

MAG (Manchester Airports Group) has appointed McLaren to build a warehouse and logistics facility on the site of a former WWII aircraft hangar at Manchester Airport The design and build project, which will be known as ‘dnata City North’, incorporates the construction of a 145,000 sq ft warehouse and logistics facility with a two-storey office space. Designed by architect RPS, dnata’s new warehouse and logistics facility will set a new benchmark for air cargo handling and warehousing. McLaren will manage the Cat B fit-out of 20,000 sq ft of dnata-branded office space and will oversee external drainage and landscaping works. During the design process, virtual reality technology was used to future-proof the building. The facility will include flexible office accommodation, providing a mixture of workspace and meeting facilities, as well as breakout spaces and a fitness suite. David Murphy, managing director of operations at McLaren, said: “By working closely with MAG Property, the property and development arm of MAG, and dnata at the earliest stage of this project, it became evident that attention to detail and strong management of construction schedules and logistics will be crucial to the success of this project. “By leveraging our close relationships with our supply chain partners and focusing on MAG’s specific business drivers, we have been able to develop an effective and robust plan for the design and build of dnata’s new logistics warehouse and office space.” Jonathan Haigh, MAG property’s managing director, added: “The scale of dnata’s ambition and longevity of commitment rightly called for our assembly of this prime site and for a suitably impressive scheme to fully exploit its potential. “From master planning to transaction execution, it’s been a great example of how we blend our airport operations knowledge with real estate development expertise and work hard and with skill for our customers.” dnata UK chief executive Gary Morgan, commented: “We’ve worked closely with MAG Property and the design team to ensure that dnata City North is able to adapt to the dynamic industry in which we operate, as well as providing our staff with a quality working environment.” Particularly well situated for ease of airfield access, the new warehouse and logistics facility will allow dnata to consolidate and grow its Manchester operations with the capacity to handle over 150,000 tonnes per annum. It will become operational in late summer 2020.

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Aggregate Industries Wins Biodiversity Awards

Aggregate Industries Wins Biodiversity Awards

Aggregate Industries has been recognised for its work on biodiversity with six prestigious industry accolades. The firm secured the prizes at the recent Mineral Products Association (MPA) 2019 Restoration and Biodiversity Awards. These include the prestigious Cooper-Heyman Cup for outstanding restoration, with Aggregate Industries named a joint-winner for its work with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Middlemarch Environmental to transform Ripon City Quarry in North Yorkshire into a new wetland haven for wildlife. Judges described the project as a well-researched and implemented scheme that has provided ‘a great asset to the area’. The firm’s ongoing scheme to turn a 30-hectare sand and gravel site near Exeter – Venn Ottery Quarry – into lowland heathland, was crowned winner of the Biodiversity Landscape Scale category. Individual Aggregate Industries employees were also recognised for their brilliant contribution to restoration and biodiversity, with Dave Soons of its North End site in Wiltshire awarded the MPA Nature Photo Competition – Employee Prize for his beautiful photograph of a hobby in flight. Dave Hellier and Alan Knight received the individual contribution award for their work on the Chard Junction Quarry nature reserve in Somerset. On top of this, a number of projects by the Leicestershire-headquartered firm were highly-commended by the judges. These include recognition of its work with the Peak District National Park Authority, Natural England, Environment Agency and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to restore Topley Pike quarry; and the aforementioned Venn Ottery Quarry project achieving runner-up in the Cooper Heyman Cup. Guy Edwards, Chief Executive Officer at Aggregate Industries, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the award wins. They really are testament to the Aggregate Industries employees and our partners working tirelessly to restore our quarries, ensuring these sites can benefit the local community and environment.  “We’re also proud of the fantastic initiatives we’ve put in place in recent years to help improve biodiversity at our sites, with sustainability and biodiversity continuing to be a priority for us as a company.”

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Housing Scheme in Oldbury Receives Green Light

Housing Scheme in Oldbury Receives Green Light

Construction firm Seddon has secured a contract to deliver a £14 million housing scheme in Oldbury. The project will involve building new council homes and transforming the outdated Alfred Gunn House block in Langley. Approximately £12 million will be invested in the housing scheme in restoring the block of flats, as well as plans to build an extra ten two-bedroom flats on the roof with redundant storage sheds on the ground floor being removed to create a further four two-bedroom flats. External improvements to Alfred Gunn House include new windows and external cladding, improvements to balconies, a new roof and extra parking for tenants and visitors. Further internal refurbishment work will see existing lifts replaced and upgraded fire protection along with new decoration and lighting to communal areas and corridors plus improved entrance and security systems. The scheme also includes 16 much-needed new council homes on council-owned land adjacent to Alfred Gunn in Old Hobiscus Lane, bringing the Sandwell Council’s overall investment in the area to £14 million. “It’s great news that this contract has been awarded and we can look forward to a major facelift for Alfred Gunn House as well as another 16 new council homes nearby. One of our priorities for this block was to look at how we could remodel the flats to suit the changing needs of our tenants and to increase the number of affordable homes in the area,” said Councillor Joanne Hadley, Sandwell’s cabinet member for homes. Refurbishment work to Alfred Gunn House is expected to begin in early 2020.

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Kier Appointed for Regeneration Scheme

Kier Appointed for Regeneration Scheme

Braintree District Council has appointed national contractor Kier to take forward its £30 million Manor Street regeneration scheme. The city centre scheme will see Kier deliver 35 new homes, a ‘Livewell’ hub – which will provide up to 20,000 residents with access to a range of health services, pharmacy, 70-bed Travelodge, new bus interchange, a café/restaurant overlooking a new public realm and a twin-level car park. “We are specialists in delivering key projects for local authorities nationwide. We work extremely hard to leave a positive footprint on the areas we work in and throughout this project we will be committed to engaging with the local community and working closely with local subcontractors to create a range of job opportunities for those living in the area,” said Mark Dady, managing director at Kier Regional Building Eastern. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Braintree District Council to deliver this vital project for the people of Braintree.” Work will begin on the project in early 2020. “Without our investment as a local authority, these improvements to health facilities, the bus station and town centre would just not happen,” added Cllr John McKee, Cabinet Member for Corporate Transformation, at Braintree District Council. “We see this regeneration as the catalyst for change – bringing more people, new businesses and more jobs in to our wonderful town. It’s the beginning of an exciting transformation which we believe will encourage other businesses and services to set up home in our town in the future.” The scheme is set for completion in 2022.

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Why you need timber and damp reports when investing in property

The UK is notorious for its rainy weather. For the most part, people just don their waterproof and put up with it. When they get really soaked, however, it’s a miserable experience and getting really soaked can actually make you physically ill. It’s basically the same with buildings, which is why you need reliable timber and damp reports on any investment property you’re considering buying. Reliable means undertaken by a CSRT surveyor Timber and damp is such a huge part of the UK’s property-surveying landscape that, regardless of where you live (or where your buy-to-let property investment is located) any internet search on the term “timber and damp surveyor” is practically guaranteed to produce a whole slew of results. There is, however, a big difference between the skills needed to get to the top of the search rankings and the skills needed to undertake an effective timber and damp survey, so before you part with your cash, make sure that the person who will undertake the survey is a Certificated Surveyor in Remedial Treatments and a member of the Property Care Association, (the trade association which governs the timber and damp industry). The practicalities of a timber and damp survey A timber and damp surveyor is probably going to need to have access to the whole of the property. In this case, the term “whole” means exactly that, from the roof to the ground levels outside and all floors inside. This means that any floor-coverings will need to be lifted (so that the surveyor can examine the state of the timbers underneath them) and the surveyor may even wish to lift at least some of the floorboards so that they can check the condition of the subfloor underneath. The surveyor will be looking for any signs of damage to the timber not just damage caused by damp. For example, they may identify wood-rotting fungi and woodworm infestation as well as general signs of timber decay. They will also look for any issues which have the potential to cause trouble at a future date, such as damaged rainwater goods which could lead to water ingress. Once the surveyor has completed their inspection, they will present their findings to their customer in the form of a report, which will list any issues found and what needs to be done to rectify them. The importance of a damp and timber report When you buy a home, the seller is supposed to highlight any potential issues with the property that they know about or could reasonably be expected to know about. If they don’t then you could pursue them through the courts for the cost of putting right the issues you detected. Leaving aside the fact that this is a hassle most people would probably rather avoid, the key point to note is that you have to be able to show either than that the seller knew about the issue or that they could reasonably have known about the issue. At the current time, only the Scottish government requires sellers to provide buyers with a survey of the property. Throughout the rest of the UK, surveys are undertaken at the buyer’s discretion (or at the mortgage-lender’s insistence) and even in Scotland, arguably somewhat ironically given the climate, the seller only has to provide a basic home report, rather than going specifically into the sort of depth and detail you would expect from a proper timber and damp survey. As the old saying goes, forewarned is forearmed and this particularly true when you are looking at investment property because success in property investment is based on having accurate figures. It’s imperative that you find out about any damp issues before you buy, not after you’ve been sued for health-and-safety issues due to your tenants suffering from asthma brought on by condensation mould.

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Samsung Appliances – Should You Go For It?

Samsung is one of the most well-known brands around the world. There are plenty of reasons why people love Samsung home appliances. Here we will discuss whether choosing this brand for your home is worth it. We will also talk about fixing Samsung appliances in case they suddenly start malfunctioning. Pros and Cons of Samsung Appliances Samsung is considered one of the world’s top-tier brands. It is perfect for those people who appreciate the latest high-tech developments and modern designs. Home appliances made by Samsung have a number of benefits: ·       Owners of Samsung electronic devices with incorporated smart technologies will find it really handy to run their home appliances on the same platform. The connection between the devices is intuitive and can be customized to suit each household; ·       Samsung appliances are energy efficient. This means they regulate energy consumption, which results in smaller electricity bills; ·       These are long-lasting high-quality appliances. Buying such an appliance will ensure that you are making a smart investment; ·       The elegant design of each appliance is also an important feature. These neat devices will fit perfectly into any apartment. One of the things that might be considered a disadvantage is the price. Samsung appliances usually cost higher than average fridges, stoves, and washers on the market. Samsung Appliance Repair Despite being one of the most reliable brands, even Samsung appliances can break and malfunction as time goes. However, there is no need to throw away a broken appliance and pay a lot of money for a new one. We offer Samsung repair service for you to cope with any malfunction and continue using the appliance just as if it is brand new. Same-day Appliance Repair No matter which one of your appliances has broken, it can cause a lot of inconvenience in your daily routine. Imagine living with a broken refrigerator or a washing machine for a couple of days. Not only is this troublesome and time-consuming, but this also causes a lot of additional expenses. For this reason, we offer a convenient service of same-day repair to our customers. The only thing you have to do is to call our repairmen and tell the model of your appliance. Within a single day, our fitters will arrive and fix any damaged part or malfunction. Highly Trained Professionals All of our workers boast professional expertise in fixing various home appliances. We work with refrigerators, ovens, stoves, washing machines, dishwashers, dryers, and freezers. Our technicians went through extensive training to be able to fix any issue quickly and accurately. In addition, our professionals are truly respectful and polite to our customers, which only enhances the experience. Why Choose Us? We offer the best repair service on the market. With many years of experience in this field and hundreds of home appliances fixed successfully, you will not find a better service. We always value quality and ensure customer satisfaction.

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Things To Consider When Building Two Storey Home

The average size of a block of land in Australia has been falling as time goes on. This means that if you want to build a large, spacious home to live in, you can’t just build out like previous generations would have. That’s why two-storey homes in Perth have become increasingly popular in recent years. They allow you to make much more efficient use of your land. Stuck choosing between a roomy house or a back yard? Well, choose to build up instead of out and you might not have to! While it’s definitely an attractive option that can help you make the most out of your land, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to make sure you get the absolute most out of your two-storey home build. If you’re thinking of going down this route, make sure you check out the following list of things to consider when building a two-storey home. Plan Your Layout Carefully Everyone’s family and lifestyles are different, so it’s important to carefully plan your layout so that you end up with a comfortable, practical and convenient home that you’ll adore living in. For example, if you like cooking and entertaining, you don’t want to put your kitchen on a different floor to your dining room, do you? A two-storey home allows you the luxury of completely separating your living and entertaining spaces from your bedrooms, so planning a layout to maximise your privacy (especially if you have children) is always a good idea. A smaller footprint may also allow you to maximise your outdoor space and alfresco area, or you might be able to take advantage of a great view from the second floor (which can help to boost the value of your property), so these are the kind of things that you should take into consideration when planning your home’s layout. Make The Most Of Your Stairs Stairs are a necessity in a two-storey home, so why not look at them as a great opportunity to create an impressive design feature? Consider the rest of your interior design and ask yourself questions like: What materials will it be made of? What kind of balustrade will you go for? Do you want to incorporate timber, glass or steel (or a combination of all three)? Space under the stairs can also be used for extra storage (especially for your wine collection), or even as a cute little study nook, so make sure you get as much functionality out of your stairs as well. Opt For Open Plan Living Open plan living is one of the top interior trends of 2019, so it makes a lot of sense to incorporate it into the design of your two-storey home. Rather than having separate rooms for the kitchen, dining and living area, an open plan layout will help to make that floor of your two-storey home look and feel a lot more spacious and open. Opening up this combined kitchen/dining/living space onto an alfresco entertaining area can also be a great way of helping your home to flow seamlessly from inside to out. Don’t Lose Your Cool Hot air rises. This is a fact that you need to consider when planning the climate control of your two-storey home, as getting it wrong can make your house uncomfortable to live in an extremely expensive to heat and cool. Adding insulation between the ground and first floor can be a great way of reducing energy loss and helping to keep your home at a constant temperature. Floor joist heights can also be adjusted to allow for central air-conditioning ducts. Building a two-storey home can be a great way of taking the challenge of building on a smaller block and turning it into an advantage. It can also be a fantastic way of making the most out of your views to increase the value of your property.  If you want to make sure that your two-storey home building project results in a comfortable, stylish and practical house that your whole family will love, make sure you pay attention to the considerations that we’ve just outlined. 

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