November 29, 2021

Add value to your property with a loft conversion

Looking to convert your loft and add value to your home? By working with an expert in  loft conversions Essex property owners trust and choosing the right style of conversion, you’re all set for success. How much value can it add? First of all, you are probably wondering how much

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How To Minimize Equipment Downtime For Your Carpet Cleaning Business

Regular carpet cleaning is the most recommended solution when it comes to having spotless carpets that are free from dust, bacteria, and mites. It allows people to breathe better and avoid any respiratory health issues. In addition, it may prevent mold growth and remove pollutants, contributing to the overall health

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Latest Issue
Issue 322 : Nov 2024

November 29, 2021

Add value to your property with a loft conversion

Looking to convert your loft and add value to your home? By working with an expert in  loft conversions Essex property owners trust and choosing the right style of conversion, you’re all set for success. How much value can it add? First of all, you are probably wondering how much value a loft conversion could add to your home. It’s a pretty impressive amount, actually! A converted loft can add anything from 10% to 20% to the value of your property. Whether you are planning to sell in the near future or you are going to stay put for a while yet, converting your loft could leave you better off in the long run. Styles of loft conversion If you do decide to convert your loft, it’s important that you choose the right kind of conversion for your property in order to maximise your home’s value. You can take your pick from the following types of loft conversion: • Velux loft conversion: This is the cheapest and least disruptive kind of loft conversion to carry out. If you already have ample space for your needs in your loft, the addition of Velux windows, a sturdy floor and proper stair access will make it a much more welcoming space. • Dormer loft conversion: This style of loft conversion is so popular, and is the one you’re most likely to see in your local area. This type of conversion protrudes from the side of the roof, giving you more head room and floor space. In terms of pricing, they’re somewhere in between a Velux and hip to gable conversion. • Hip to gable: If you want a natural looking extension, then a hip to gable is perfect. This involves building up the gable on the hipped side of the roof – giving the extension its name. It gives you the greatest amount of space out of all the kinds of loft conversion, so could be the best option if that is your top priority. You should also check what kind of roof you have before you proceed. Trusses are supports that run through the cross-section of the loft. If you have those, a loft conversion will require a little more work. What to use it for Another thing to consider is what your loft conversion will be used for – as this can influence how much value it adds to a home. Buyers are keenest on extra bedrooms, with an en suite bathroom adding even more value. A lot people choose to use their loft as a home office or a hobby space, but this can easily be reconfigured and marketed as an extra bedroom when the time comes to sell. A converted loft is such a versatile space, and when you work with an experienced builder, they will be able to marry your vision with adding as much value as possible to your property. Start planning today The sooner you start making plans (including checking whether you need planning permission), the quicker you will be able to boost both the space in your home and its value. So what are you waiting for?

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How To Minimize Equipment Downtime For Your Carpet Cleaning Business

Regular carpet cleaning is the most recommended solution when it comes to having spotless carpets that are free from dust, bacteria, and mites. It allows people to breathe better and avoid any respiratory health issues. In addition, it may prevent mold growth and remove pollutants, contributing to the overall health of the occupants and the cleanliness of a property. Although customers could clean their dirty carpets on their own, professional carpet cleaners may deliver the best results possible. If you’re planning to start a carpet cleaning business, you may want to know how to make sure that your services are top-notch. You could start with keeping equipment downtime in check as it’s one of the factors that’d greatly affect your business productivity. Keep reading to find out how you can do just that. The Effects Of Equipment Downtime Equipment downtime is the period when a machine or device isn’t working or has poor performance. Although it could be an effect of maintenance runs, it’s still usually associated with defective or problematic equipment. While this may not happen too often for many businesses, it still comes with a wide range of adverse effects. Here are some of them: Late Delivery Of Services If equipment downtime becomes frequent and lasts too long, the cleaning process may be slowed down because of unplanned stops. Because of this, the carpets’ time of pickup or delivery may exceed what’s expected, leading to customer dissatisfaction. Low Productivity If the low time continues for days or weeks, the production may fall behind the target numbers. Hence, the company’s sales may drop while the operation and maintenance costs remain the same. Workers’ Burnout Carpet cleaners may suffer from burnout because of non-continuous operation. They may need to work double time to make up for the time lost due to malfunctioning equipment. Decrease Of Returning Customers As a result of persistent or frequent downtime, the number of loyal customers you have may decrease because of dissatisfaction. Steps To Minimize Downtime To prevent any of those possible effects from happening to your business, you may consider doing the following to maximize your equipment’s performance and the productivity of your business: 1. Use High-Quality Carpet Cleaning Equipment Carpet cleaning equipment is the heart and soul of carpet washing services. With high-performing tools and machines, you can wash and rinse carpets and rugs alike with ease, which would help you achieve more of your business goals. If you don’t know what features to look for in equipment, check out this list: Auto-Mix Function: The equipment would have an automatic mixing capability for water and detergent. Crevice Tool: This component is used in cleaning the hard-to-reach areas of thick carpets. Detergent Spray: This allows for pre-wash soaking to remove stains quickly. Dry Vacuuming: This has dry-cleaning attributes perfect for water-sensitive materials. Turbo Function: The equipment would have rotating brushes that deep-clean rugs. Water Heating Capability: Warm water increases the efficiency of the cleaning process. Apart from having high-end features, the equipment you get should be durable and can withstand prolonged use. It has to be easy to clean and maintain as well. Furthermore, it needs to be simple to repair or rewire whenever it encounters certain issues. To deliver excellent services, you need to have a complete set of top-quality carpet cleaning equipment and components, such as positive displacement blowers. If you want to learn more about those machines, you may visit websites such as https://www.nwflowtech.com/products/positive-displacement-blowers/. 2. Upskill Workers Regularly The perfect partner for any reliable equipment is a well-trained and skilled operator. Entry-level workers tend to start with limited knowledge and skills, but with enough experience and training, they can be adept at their jobs. Seasoned and highly trained staff know what to do to keep equipment downtime to a minimum. If a machine isn’t working because of minor damage, skilled operators may troubleshoot it to restore the equipment. Apart from that, upskilled workers could detect early signs of damage that could be prevented. This way, they can suggest when a piece of equipment should undergo a maintenance checkup. To create a team of expert workers, prioritize hiring experienced carpet cleaners right from the start. Alternatively, you could provide a series of training sessions to the inexperienced workers. This can be scheduled every three to six months, depending on your employees’ current skill level. The upskilling may continue even after workers become familiar with the ins and outs of carpet cleaning. Apart from skills training, the following are some of the areas that business owners should help their employees improve in: Basic maintenance Workplace safety Productivity courses You may implement cross-skilling training for workers who are assigned to menial cleaning operations. These employees could learn the more complex skills necessary to fix more serious problems. This way, they’d know when and how to replace essential parts. In addition, cross-skilled workers could do emergency repairs if required so they don’t have to wait for anyone else to carry out fixes for them. 3. Listen To Your Workers’ Input And Feedback Many of your staff members may have something to share and suggest whenever there’s trouble with a particular piece of equipment. To make the most of this, listen to their input and feedback regarding any difficulty they encounter when they’re operating a specific machine. You may also conduct a survey among your workers to get ideas on how to cope with downtime issues. Those gestures would provide you with a new perspective on the situation and empower the workers by making them feel that they’re truly part of the organization. Aside from that, you could increase worker’s productivity by providing incentives. This could be based on their general performance, attendance and punctuality, and the actions or measures they take every time a machine malfunctions or breaks down. 4. Improve Maintenance Runs Conducting maintenance runs is essential in a carpet cleaning business. This involves inspecting the overall condition of the machine and its parts. You may need to schedule your maintenance activities for

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