Dads across the country can expect a well-deserved break this Father’s Day as new research shows that most millennials are tackling practical jobs around the home, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The latest research by the FMB shows that despite well over half (57%) of Brits thinking
According to a new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), over half (57%) of Brits wrongly assume that millennials are useless when it comes to carrying out practical jobs around the home. “Society is wrong to assume that the technical know-how of your typical millennial begins and ends
There is more pressure on today’s building technology and innovation than ever before: with climate change being forever the hot topic, there’s no doubt that the design and construction sector has had to make an extra effort to stay ahead of the trends and developments within the ever-changing industry. With
The builders merchant D.W. Nye will be hosting a free Demo Day on Saturday the 24th of March, where it will be serving barista coffees and artisan cheese toasties. Customers will have the chance to stroll around the four-acre depot, watching demonstrations from world-class suppliers like Acheson and Glover, makers
January saw the lowest temperatures in the UK since February 2016, and with the potential for more cold snaps on the way, it’s a good time to review the procedures for placing concrete in cold weather. If young concrete is allowed to cool to below freezing temperature, it is very
The East Midlands Expo will be taking place on the 9th October at the East Midlands Conference Centre on the University Park in Nottingham. This innovative trade and exhibition event will also incorporate the eighteenth annual Property & Business Investment Show. The event usually attracts both exhibitors and delegates from
Mick George Ltd is known for being one of the leading suppliers to the construction industry. Operating in East Anglia and the East Midlands, the company focus on delivering their professional and cost effective services to clients from a variety of sectors, including commercial, trade and residential. The Construction
The audience at the sold-out event was treated to an epic display of awe-inspiring disciplines, including the Ship’s Anchor and Chain Drag, the Giant Log Lift, and the Stones of Strength, which tested the ultimate in stamina, strength and skill of the athletes taking part, many of whom consume
Sometimes, we can all do with a good laugh. The beauty of humour is that it’s universal – anything can be funny; it just depends on how it’s done. If you think of stand-up comics through the ages, it’s the delivery of the material that sets them apart from someone
Raising a glass of codswallop to glass. In the USA, September is Glass Recycling Month. Jane Embury, marketing director at advanced glazing system supplier Wrightstyle, takes a look at the wonders of glass – and suggests that we should also have a glass recycling month. As a building material, glass
Dads across the country can expect a well-deserved break this Father’s Day as new research shows that most millennials are tackling practical jobs around the home, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The latest research by the FMB shows that despite well over half (57%) of Brits thinking that millennials are hopeless when it comes to DIY and other practical tasks, the following shows the top ten jobs 18-34 year olds have completed: 1) 70% have defrosted a freezer; 2) 66% have hung pictures or photo frames on a wall; 3) 63% have put together flat-pack furniture; 4) 58% have painted a wall or piece of furniture; 5) 57% have hung curtains; 6) 49% have watched a DIY ‘how to’ video; 7) 48% have sewn a button; 8) 44% have bled a radiator; 9) 43% have changed a fuse in a plug; 10) 36% have put up a shelf. Commenting on the research, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “There’s a popular misconception that most young people rely on their mothers and fathers to complete jobs around the house for them because they lack the interest or knowhow to be self-sufficient. Our research shows that more than half of Brits think millennials are generally inept around the home. However, these new findings also reveal that millennials are actually accustomed to completing some tricky tasks, including DIY jobs. Two thirds of young people have hung pictures or photo frames on the wall and nearly as many have put together flat-pack furniture and painted something. This Father’s Day, dads across the UK can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that when they receive that lunch invitation to the home of their children, they probably won’t be asked to get their hands dirty.” Berry concluded: “To avoid dads across the country having to rescue botched DIY jobs, it’s important that millennials, and other generations alike, know their limits when it comes to DIY and home improvements. It’s one thing putting up a shelf but quite another attempting to knock down a wall or remove a structural beam. Our advice is, if in doubt, commission a professional builder to carry out your home improvement project. If home owners are looking to hire a builder, and aren’t able to find a reliable recommendation from a family member or friend, they should use the FMB’s ‘Find a Builder’ service. All new members of the FMB are vetted and independently inspected before joining and so home owners can rest assured that they’ll be working with a professional and quality builder.”
According to a new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), over half (57%) of Brits wrongly assume that millennials are useless when it comes to carrying out practical jobs around the home. “Society is wrong to assume that the technical know-how of your typical millennial begins and ends with their smartphone. Well over half of Brits think that those aged 18-34 fall short when it comes to carrying out hands-on tasks around the home. There’s a popular misconception that most young people rely on their parents to complete jobs around the house for them – either through a lack of interest or a lack of ability, or both. However, our research shows that millennials are handier than many give them credit for. Two thirds of young people have hung picture or photo frames on the wall and nearly as many have put together flat-pack furniture and painted something. It’s particularly impressive that half of all young people have been proactive enough to watch a DIY ‘how to’ online video rather than waiting for someone they know the show them or complete the task on their behalf,” said Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB. The research shows that the top ten jobs completed by 18-34 year olds are: 70% have defrosted a freezer, 66% have hung picture or photo frames on a wall, 63% have put together flat-pack furniture, 58% have painted a wall or a piece of furniture, 57% have hung curtains, 49% have watched a DIY ‘how to’ video, 48% have sewn a button, 44% have bled a radiator, 43% have changed a fuse in a plug and 36% have put up a shelf. “Although we applaud young people for getting stuck in, it’s important that all generations know their limits when it comes to DIY and home improvements. It’s one thing bleeding a radiator and quite another attempting to knock down a wall or removing a structural beam. Our advice is to refrain from undertaking tasks that are better performed by a professional builder. If homeowners are looking to hire a builder, and aren’t able to extract a reliable recommendation from a family member or friend, they should use the FMB’s ‘Find a Builder’ service. All new members of the FMB are vetted and independently inspected before joining and so consumers can rest assured that they’ll be working with a professional and quality builder,” Berry concluded.
There is more pressure on today’s building technology and innovation than ever before: with climate change being forever the hot topic, there’s no doubt that the design and construction sector has had to make an extra effort to stay ahead of the trends and developments within the ever-changing industry. With many existing buildings undergoing green or environmentally-friendly reconstruction, almost all new builds make considerable energy-efficient achievements. This is largely due to a combination of both client demands and strict regulations. In recent years, we’ve seen a number of highly impressive green building examples: One Angle Square in the UK makes use of rainwater harvesting and solar power; the Bamboo Skyscraper in Singapore impressed us all with its bamboo build; and BetZed, a wonderful community example of green architecture. Not only this, but there are also many people shaping cities worldwide and recording their stories while doing so, and countless communities and organisations for inspiration and assistance. Luckily, the industry is coming on in leaps and bounds. There are a number of new, cutting-edge technologies used to create products that have played a large role in this recent surge in green design: Textiles by Designtex Textile waste is gradually gaining more and more airtime – not only in terms of fashion, but construction too. The Designtex ecological fabrics are particularly well-suited to commercial use. Created with sustainable production in mind, the applied material company does a lot of interesting collaboration and partnerships that are paving the path in green design. Energy-Harvesting Wallpaper by Imperial College London A team from Imperial College London recently created an extra thin solar panel wallpaper by printing with cyanobacteria, which uses photosynthesis to create electric energy from sunlight. This astounding discovery could be used to power medical and environmental sensors. Legend Valve HyperPure Piping HyperPure is strong and resilient piping that is easy to install and, most importantly, is 100% recyclable. The potable tubes are made from bi-modal polyethylene and provide a cost-effective solution to water pipes. Best of all, they don’t leave any chemical tastes in your drinking water. SolaReflect Nippon Paint Despite the recent controversy surrounding the eco-friendly nature of specific paints, there are a number of paints serving eco-friendly purposes. SolaReflect Nippon Paint plays a very important role in how a building deals with the build-up of heat. Although this may not be a pressing problem in the UK, in places like Asia, it can certainly be. SolaReflect diverts infrared heat and therefore encourages savings on cooling energy costs. 3D Printing A non-profit organisation called ICON is responsible for one of the latest and most ground-breaking developments in design and construction. By using 3D printing, the team aims to create affordable housing for the 1 billion plus homeless people in the world. The houses can reportedly be built in just 24 hours and ICON hopes to build them for less than $4,000. Spray-On Solar Cells With solar power and other renewable energy sources, the world can cut off the rising demand for electricity from traditional fuel sources. The continuous research on making solar power more affordable will pay off with cleaner air and environment for everyone. One of the ways to make solar energy more affordable is by adopting spray-on solar cells, which use the thin film deposition technique. According to Renewable Energy World, a “British company aims to have a thin-film perovskite solar cell commercially available by the end of 2018.” A perovskite is a type of solar cell that can be mixed into liquid solutions and can be applied to a number of surfaces. Spray-on solar cells have nanoparticles that are excellent for absorbing light and conducting electricity. Phosphorus and zinc make up these nanoparticles, wherein manufacturers combine them into a liquid. The liquid is then sprayed on solar cells. This technology is more cost-effective because it doesn’t use expensive silicone. Instead, spray-on solar cells are made of a plastic compound. Also, the installation is quicker than their traditional counterparts. Other thin film deposition methods are available to create innovative green buildings. You may learn more about thin film deposition for solar panels in this article by Korvus Technology. Conclusion Because of advancing green building technologies, it’s now possible to create residential and commercial infrastructures that generate less carbon. When everyone embraces these innovations, the positive environmental impacts are enormous. It’s time to rethink how property owners and contractors build modern houses and buildings by adopting the above green building technologies.
The builders merchant D.W. Nye will be hosting a free Demo Day on Saturday the 24th of March, where it will be serving barista coffees and artisan cheese toasties. Customers will have the chance to stroll around the four-acre depot, watching demonstrations from world-class suppliers like Acheson and Glover, makers of state-of-the-art stone and concrete products, and tool specialist Makita. Also present at the event will be Brett, Digby Stone and Artificialgrass.com, who will be on-hand to introduce the very latest products to DIY enthusiasts in the local area and answer any questions visitors may have. Homeowners and trade customers will also benefit from exclusive offers and discount available for one day from 7.30am until 2pm. The event will be focused on landscaping products for customers looking to renovate their gardens in the wake of winter and the D.W. Nye’s team will be available for expert advice on all manner of building projects. “Following the huge success of our Demo Days last year, we wanted to provide an opportunity for customers to come and hear about the latest landscaping products, get expert advice, receive discounts and pick up some DIY inspiration along the way. It’s a great chance to chat to our retail and trade customers while treating them to a tasty lunch. We look forward to welcoming people on the day, there’s no need to book – just turn up,” commented about the event Rex Nye, owner and Managing Director at D.W. Nye. The Demo Day will be taking place at the company’s depot on the A24 at Kingsfold, north of Horsham and a few miles from Dorking. To find out more about the event, please visit: http://www.dwnye.co.uk/. D.W. Nye Builders Merchant is a family-run business based in Kingsfold, Horsham. Operating since 1985, the company supplies building, timber and landscaping materials to trade, DIY, and retail customers. The company prides itself on providing high quality customer service and has built an excellent reputation in the local community.
January saw the lowest temperatures in the UK since February 2016, and with the potential for more cold snaps on the way, it’s a good time to review the procedures for placing concrete in cold weather. If young concrete is allowed to cool to below freezing temperature, it is very likely that it will be damaged to the point of being entirely unfit for use. Should freshly-placed concrete be allowed to reach temperatures lower than 0°C, the water in the mix will freeze and expand; maintaining a temperature above zero degrees will help to ensure the intended strength of your concrete is reached- even if it is at a slower rate than was anticipated. However, if the concrete is able to reach a strength of approximately 2N/mm2 it is likely to be able to resist the expansion and damage. It is important to note that even if temperatures don’t reach freezing point, low temperatures will cause the concrete’s strength to develop significantly slower than in warmer ambient temperatures. This strength is typically reached within 48 hours for most mixes, should the concrete be kept above 5°C. So how, during cold weather, should you keep concrete sufficiently warm for the first 48 hours to ensure that this strength is able to develop? Concrete should never be poured onto frozen ground, snow or ice. You can use heaters to thaw the ground prior to pouring concrete. If you plan to use heated enclosures, make certain they are both windproof and weatherproof. Your concrete should include a maximum water to cement ratio, to limit bleeding. Additionally, you should not begin your final finishing operations whenever bleed water is still present. It is important that formwork is not removed early, or else there is a risk that concrete in suspended slabs or beams could be too weak to carry its own weight due to the slower rate of strengthening the slow rate of strength development needs to be taken into account when calculating times for formwork removal. Strength gain can be increased by minimising the amount of cement replacements or using admixtures- always seek the advice of your suppliers If temperatures are low enough that frost is expected, useful protection measures include insulated or heated frost blankets and insulated formwork. Timber formwork often offers sufficient insulation by itself. Steel formwork is a poor insulator, and exposed surfaces should be covered with insulating material or temporary covers heated with space heaters. For severe frost, it is best to heat the concrete (10°C) for delivery. If heated concrete is not available, it is better to delay your concreting until the ambient temperature rises to above 2°C. When planning your concreting, you can obtain information on the likely temperatures from the Met Office, and should use this to plan your approach so you are never caught short or forced to delay your work. Armed with this information, you will be able to place your concrete perfectly, first time, whatever the weather.
The East Midlands Expo will be taking place on the 9th October at the East Midlands Conference Centre on the University Park in Nottingham. This innovative trade and exhibition event will also incorporate the eighteenth annual Property & Business Investment Show. The event usually attracts both exhibitors and delegates from across the East Midlands to the show, and no doubt this event will be equally as successful. At this year’s trade show and exhibition, the Expo will be highlighting the key factors to economic success. The East Midlands Expo has a range of different sponsors such as BSD Consulting Engineers, Galliford Try, Chatty Imp and Invest East Midlands. All of the sponsors are looking forward to this year’s event. The Expo will include around 70 exhibitors who mainly operate in the property, construction, professional services, finance and investment sectors. The East Midlands Expo is free to attend and is the only show of its kind located in the East Midlands and offering a platform which can be used by businesses to promote their services and products. The Expo also offers face-to-face networking opportunities for businesses to develop their business relationships. Those who are exhibiting at the Expo will have the opportunity to showcase their product ranges, services and other offerings to delegates who are at the event in order to look for these services, products and equipment. Each year, the East Midlands Expo sees a significant number of business transactions, demonstrating the success of event and its effectiveness at being able to connect buyers and suppliers. The Expo is unique as it is marketed and aimed at a well targeted audience working in and around property, construction, professional services, business, finance and investment sectors. The organisers target these areas in order to make sure that the delegates and exhibitors have the opportunity to meet the range of new contracts and clients that would be needed to improve business opportunities.
Mick George Ltd is known for being one of the leading suppliers to the construction industry. Operating in East Anglia and the East Midlands, the company focus on delivering their professional and cost effective services to clients from a variety of sectors, including commercial, trade and residential. The Construction and Waste Management company has been looking into different ways to raise money for their charities of the year. As a part of this, Mick George Ltd has come up with the ‘Challenge Yourself’ scheme which has been levelled at all of the company’s employees, with management and directors included in order to see how much can be raised over the course of the year. Going above and beyond, and truly embracing the idea of the challenge is Mick George’s Finance Director, Jon Stump, who embarking on the epic challenge of a trek across Costa Rica. Jon will carry out a coast-to-coast expedition, travelling from the east Caribbean side of the island to the west Pacific side. Joining him on this daunting mission is a team of 19 other people including the former England Rugby Captain LewiS Moody MBE. This momentous journey will see the team travel a total of 300 km over the course of 8 days in order to raise money for a collection of charities. The journey will involve walking, kayaking, mountain biking and rafting across the massive distance while enduring changeable weather conditions including extreme heat and humidity, cold fog and sudden downpours that will take the team through the wilderness of Costa Rica. As if the expedition wasn’t challenging enough, Jon has also set a fundraising target of £12,000, to be split between a number of organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support, the British Heart Foundation, and the Lewis Moody Foundation. As part of the trip, the Lewis Moody Foundation has a separate fundraising target of £75,000 which will go towards helping those diagnosed with brain tumors and the award-winning HeadSmart campaign.
The audience at the sold-out event was treated to an epic display of awe-inspiring disciplines, including the Ship’s Anchor and Chain Drag, the Giant Log Lift, and the Stones of Strength, which tested the ultimate in stamina, strength and skill of the athletes taking part, many of whom consume up to 10,000 calories a day during competitions. Laurence Shahlaei, from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, took the title of UK’s Strongest Man and the XIV CNP Trophy for the first time, beating Tom Stoltman from Scotland and Pa O’Dwyer from Ireland who placed second and third respectively. Laurence, aged 34, won by just two points in a nail-biting battle to the finish having suffered an injury to his quad muscle in the penultimate event. Commenting on his Facebook page, Laurence said: “Pleased with a solid performance placing first in seven of the last nine events after taking it easy on day one … Happy to be going home with another title to my name (UK’s strongest man 2017). Few days taking it easy then upping my game for the next big show.” In addition to the UK’s Strongest Man, the winner of the Ultimate Strongman Master World Championship, sponsored by Blackbox Document Solutions, was announced as Žydrūnas Savickas from Lithuania. The event included the phenomenal Hanson Truck Pull, which saw contestants hauling 13.2 tonnes of metal more than 20 metres. Alan Betteridge, Director at Rudridge, who are sponsors of the weekend, said: “Congratulations to Laurence and Žydrūnas on their well-deserved victories. “Once again the event was a huge success and made for incredible viewing. The sheer power of the contestants and their tenacity for completing some of the toughest and most challenging tasks imaginable really is incredible.”
Sometimes, we can all do with a good laugh. The beauty of humour is that it’s universal – anything can be funny; it just depends on how it’s done. If you think of stand-up comics through the ages, it’s the delivery of the material that sets them apart from someone telling a boring story. And so it is with print advertising. Take plumbing and heating service, for instance. How can you inject some humour into something as mundane as blocked drain services or central heating engineers? You’d be surprised. We have 7 perfect examples that may well make you laugh out loud. Special Brew: This irreverent spoof advert for Carlsberg Special Brew was created by the Viz comic. Given the alarming rise in homelessness in recent years, it’s safe to say that it would still cause many sharp intakes of breath now. Still funny, though. Heil Hvac: Air conditioning and social commentary may not be obvious companions, but this vintage advertisement for a firm of US air conditioning installers from 1977 certainly catches the eye, and not in a good way! Das Neue Handwerk Whether you like it or not, builders’ bums and plumbers’ cracks are a common sight these days and form the butt (!) of many a joke. This ingenious camouflage t-shirt shows a photo of German Chancellor Angela Merkel with a slogan that translates as ‘more attractive than you think’. Whoever said Germans don’t have a sense of humour? Care Heating Cooling Another old American advert for a central heating company entices husbands to look after their wives, with the little ditty ‘Show her you care, fix the air’. Professional Plumbing This cute vintage enamel is sure to bring a smile to many a qualified plumber. And perhaps gives a little reminder to householders that choosing a professional plumber is worth paying extra for? Budget Rod Whoever thought to introduce ’Budget Rod’ into an otherwise unremarkable advertising poster for a local plumbing and boiler Breakdown Company clearly had maximum eye grab in mind! British Gas The 2013 Twitter campaign following an unpopular 9.2% price rise by British Gas led to the creation of this creative spoof advert.
Raising a glass of codswallop to glass. In the USA, September is Glass Recycling Month. Jane Embury, marketing director at advanced glazing system supplier Wrightstyle, takes a look at the wonders of glass – and suggests that we should also have a glass recycling month. As a building material, glass is both ubiquitous and timeless. It’s been with us, in the form of obsidian from volcanoes, since the Stone Age. In the form we know it now, glass has been around since at least 3,000BC when the Egyptians, Syrians and Mesopotamians mastered how to make it. Since then, the history of glass has been largely about its functional and decorative development – from the beauty of the Portland Vase to the rose windows of Notre Dame cathedral. But the history of glass is much more than that and has, in a very real sense, helped shape the modern world in which we live. So for a moment, let’s forget about glass as a material for life’s fripperies, like windows or wine glasses. Let’s not forget about the 13th century invention of the spectacles, which added years to the useful lives of scientists. In the 17th century, the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza also made his living as a lens-grinder. The humble mirror also has its part to play, used by the 14th century Italian architect and engineer Filippo Brunelleschi to establish the laws of perspective, which had a huge impact on Renaissance painting – let alone the design of buildings ever since. It was glass beakers that helped to create modern science, creating knowledge and cures for diseases, and the microscope and telescope, invented in the 16th century, advanced our understanding both of our world and the cosmos beyond. Let’s also celebrate the humble window, and not just for keeping the elements out. Glass windows, which became more widespread from the 17th century, made homes lighter and brighter – and, partly as a result, plague was eradicated from most of Europe by the early 18th century. In the mid-19th century, glass containers allowed the French chemist Louis Pasteur to disprove the theory that germs spontaneously sprouted from rotting matter – obvious now, but a huge stride forward in our understanding of disease. And then, of course, came the light bulb, changing our world completely. (By the way, recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a 100 watt light bulb for nearly an hour). As a supplier of advanced glazing systems, Wrightstyle is also playing our small part in the history of glass – helping, for example, to develop safer systems to withstand fire or the detonation of a terrorist bomb. But we’re also aware of our environmental responsibility and do what we can to ensure that, whenever possible, all waste materials from our facilities are recycled. Indeed, the UK now recycles well over 1,500,000 tonnes of glass bottles every year – an annual reduction of some 385,000 tonnes of CO2 emission, equivalent to taking more than 120,000 cars off the road. Data published in 2015 by the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) found that the EU28 average recycling rate for glass packaging hit the 73% mark for the first time. The UK rate was 68%. So, although the UK lags behind some European countries, the good news is that waste glass, or cullet, is 100% recyclable, and can used again and again for a whole variety of glass products. But we can and should be doing more – and that means all of us involved in the building or demolition industries. Which is why I’m going to raise a glass of codswallop to our see-though friend, glass, and suggest to the powers-that-be that the UK should also have a glass recycling month – to help raise awareness of the wonders of glass, and encourage greater responsibility for its disposal by both companies and individuals. Why codswallop? Well, that’s all down to the Victorian engineer Hiram Codd who, in 1872, patented a glass bottle which could be filled under pressure and then stoppered with a marble. It was a hugely-popular invention and used mainly for fizzy soft drinks. In the 19th century, cheap beer was called “wallop” – and, so the story goes, beer drinkers dismissively called the contents of the new-fangled bottles as a “load of codd’s wallop.” It may not be true, and it’s completely irrelevant for glass recycling month. But it’s a lovely useless glass fact. For once, let’s copy the Americans! Does anybody out there agree?