As the Building Safety Act 2022 comes into force, a leading provider of building management services is urging facilities and building managers to ensure their emergency lighting systems are ‘fit for purpose.’ The call for action from Abtec Building Technologies (Abtec BT) comes following a number of fires in high
Story Plant is a specialist plant hirer to the UK rail industry which operates a diverse fleet of road rail vehicles fitted with SITECH® Trimble Technology to ensure quality, safety, and delivery in a sector where timescales are tight, and delays are costly. Based in Carlisle, Cumbria, Story Plant have a historic relationship
Updated plans submitted by Google for its £1 billion “groundscraper” headquarter building in Kings Cross show that it will have 250 metres of shop fronts and a community events space. Lendlease is main contractor of the huge one million sq ft building. — designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Danish architects
BBV adopts drone software from Esri UK to digitise survey workflows, reduce costs and enhance safety on its 90km stretch of HS2 Esri UK today announced that Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) has rolled out its Site Scan for ArcGIS drone flight management and image processing software, to support its drone
Work has started on the first wholly speculative development of new multi-let laboratory and office space at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, which is specifically targeting a range of growing biotech and life science businesses. Situated on the southern edge of the campus, the new 103,000 sq ft five-storey building at 1000
On the NHS’ 74th Anniversary (5 July), Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), has announced the name of its major new In-patient mental health unit to be constructed at North Manchester General Hospital: ‘North View’. Marking the NHS’ Birthday by unveiling the official name for the £105.9 million adult
Leading independent property advisory firm, Lismore Real Estate Advisors today released its review of the Scottish investment market for the second quarter of 2022. Following a strong start to the year, Q2 has continued the momentum with transactional trading of circa £612m, up some 104% on Q2 2021. Activity for
A critical contract that will help to unlock works at the northern end of London’s newest river crossing has been awarded to Barhale. RiverLinx CJV, the joint venture comprising Ferrovial, BAM Nuttall and SK E&C, has appointed the civil engineering and infrastructure specialist to divert water mains which would otherwise
Taking place on 6October, around 500 runners are expected to take part All funds to be donated to LandAid, the charity on a mission to end youth homelessness Target to raise £30,000, adding to £50,000 raised from previous years An annual West Midlands charity run will be returning to Longbridge
Sheds are probably the most likely outbuilding you are to see on a property. They have a variety of uses. However, since they are outside the house, waterproofing them is vital, and that means that your roof choice is important. But while many newer alternatives have become available – polycarbonate
As the Building Safety Act 2022 comes into force, a leading provider of building management services is urging facilities and building managers to ensure their emergency lighting systems are ‘fit for purpose.’ The call for action from Abtec Building Technologies (Abtec BT) comes following a number of fires in high rise buildings in recent months, and at a time when the call for the ‘stay put’ policy to be abandoned. Welcoming the new legislation, the company believes such incidents place a much-needed spotlight on the need for more integrated approaches secure, robust emergency lighting reporting solutions which allow occupants to safety exit the building. Abtec BT, who launched ARGOHub – a software as a service (SaaS) offering, believes too many buildings reman ill-equipped with outdated emergency lighting systems and testing practices. This means they are not fit for purpose and cannot be relied upon in the event of an incident. Fully supportive of the current industry standards, ARGOHub can be tested in accordance with BS EN 50172:2004/BS 5266-1:2016, which specify the minimum provision and testing of emergency lighting for different premises. “Emergency building services is about more than fire alarms,’ comments Dave Watkins, Director of Abtec Building Technologies. “As the focus on building safety continues to increase, it is absolutely vital that those with responsibility for building safety take a good look at their existing systems and ask whether they are truly fit for the purpose they were installed for?. “Building managers must be sure they can control, monitor and test their emergency lighting systems with ease and confidence. We know from experience that integrating technology such as ARGOHub into building management systems will enhance overall building safety and bring peace of mind to building owners, operators and users everywhere. For any building manager who remains unsure of how things can be improved or made more robust and reliable, we are here to help.” For more information and to download ARGOHub’s white paper visit www.argohub.com.
Story Plant is a specialist plant hirer to the UK rail industry which operates a diverse fleet of road rail vehicles fitted with SITECH® Trimble Technology to ensure quality, safety, and delivery in a sector where timescales are tight, and delays are costly. Based in Carlisle, Cumbria, Story Plant have a historic relationship of using SITECH machine control systems spanning over 15 years, so when an influx of new operators and a transition from the Trimble GCS900 system across to Trimble Earthworks meant they needed training support they approached the team at SITECH. Story Plant carry out works with multiple clients across the UK, and they are now growing their customer base within the Midlands which has led to an increase in their fleet and number of operators. Mark Bruce, head of technical development at Story Plant, said: “We rely heavily on our machines and the Trimble system to get things right and we currently have six dozer machines configured with the tech. “We found that different clients want to use different configurations of the Trimble system, often our operators would only use one system for a period of time and would then require a refresher when they needed to switch to a different configuration. “Solving that skill fade was important because we need our teams to have confidence in the system they’re using. Working within the rail industry you must get the work done right first time, because timescales are tight and as there’s a closure on the rail network there are severe consequences for delays. “As well as meeting tight timescales, we place significant importance on carrying out our work safely. This involves working in areas with restricted space, such as tunnels and viaducts, so having confidence in the systems they are using allows our teams to focus on safe delivery.” “We’re also in the process of transitioning from the old Trimble GCS900 system across to Trimble Earthworks, so we approached SITECH to see if they could create a series of quick reference videos as refreshers for our operators on things like setting up the system and simple fault fixes, which they can watch on their tablet or mobile phone. “The training videos are just one example of our good relationship with the team at SITECH, as they also supported us earlier this year when we bought a Caterpillar D6K2 dozer, the largest dozer on the UK rail infrastructure. Because of the restricted space it operates in, it has a unique folding blade fitted which the SITECH team analysed to ensure the mast is located in exactly the right position when the Trimble system is in use.” To find out more about the construction technology, software and services SITECH UK & Ireland offers, visit the website https://www.sitechukandireland.com.
Updated plans submitted by Google for its £1 billion “groundscraper” headquarter building in Kings Cross show that it will have 250 metres of shop fronts and a community events space. Lendlease is main contractor of the huge one million sq ft building. — designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Danish architects BIG — is now well advanced ahead of topping out later this year, with completion expected by 2024. However, there has been little detail surrounding what it will look like at ground floor level — until now. New detailed designs submitted this week with Camden council reveal a long parade of retail units “with a mix of established and growing brands” as well as a “market hall” for small businesses and “a community, education and event space that will host a changing programme of events all year round. This will be the first wholly-owned and designed Google building outside of the US and will comprise a staggering one million square feet of space spread out over an 11-story building. To put it into context, Google’s building will be longer than the Shard is tall. As well as office space for up to 4,000 Google employees to work, the area will also feature a pool, games area, gym, landscaped roof garden and a parade of retail space for shops and other businesses to occupy. The new building is being developed from the ground up and will contribute to the Knowledge Quarter and King’s Cross’s growing knowledge-based economy. The tech giant says that, when finished, the area ‘will be a resource not just for Googlers but Londoners, too.’
BBV adopts drone software from Esri UK to digitise survey workflows, reduce costs and enhance safety on its 90km stretch of HS2 Esri UK today announced that Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) has rolled out its Site Scan for ArcGIS drone flight management and image processing software, to support its drone deployment strategy on its Midlands section of HS2. Faster and more efficient drone surveys are already saving around £20,000 a year on monthly construction progress surveys on a single site, instead of using physical surveys and the subsequent updating of CAD models. BBV estimates this could save around £1.6m if the same workflow was applied across 80 sites in the first year. Another benefit has been the removal of 800 ‘working at risk’ days and a cost saving of £30,000 per year from monitoring aggregate stockpiles, using a single drone operator to carry out 3D volumetric measurements in 20 minutes. Previously, contractors would take a full day to physically measure stockpiles and calculate transport requirements, often working in steep and difficult environments. Site Scan for ArcGIS is being used to carry out drone site surveys, manage aggregate stockpiles and monitor progress of construction. Various 2D and 3D outputs are being generated for sharing with multiple stakeholders, including high-definition imagery and 3D terrain models. The new software was rolled out across the BBV business to almost 400 users in autumn 2021, including 13 drone pilots. The major civil infrastructure project spans from Long Itchington Wood tunnel in the south to the West Coast Main Line tie-in near Lichfield in the north, with a major junction into Curzon Street Station in central Birmingham. The main works civil engineering contracts will deliver earthworks, ground engineering and many structures including bridges, viaducts and tunnels along a 90km stretch of the UK’s new high speed rail line. “We needed the right software to manage an increasingly complex and varied use of drones and meet the needs of multiple teams, from logistics to site managers to engineers,” explained Dan Fawcett, Innovation Director at Balfour Beatty VINCI. “New digitised workflows are rapidly replacing traditional, physical working practices and introducing new levels of efficiency, accuracy and safety. On major projects such as HS2, the ROI achieved is significant.” Other applications of the new software include helping to show compliance with design tolerances in built structures against BIM and CAD models, speeding-up design cycles, particularly in earthworks and excavations design and monitoring the installation of utilities. Site Scan supports RTK drones to ensure highly accurate data capture and point cloud creation. Super-user training for Site Scan is being provided by Esri UK partner Heliguy, the drone consultancy, hardware and training specialists. Site Scan for ArcGIS is Esri’s cloud-based drone flight management and image processing software, offering flight planning, hardware management, scalable image processing and unlimited data storage, plus seamless integration with BBV’s Esri enterprise GIS system.
Work has started on the first wholly speculative development of new multi-let laboratory and office space at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, which is specifically targeting a range of growing biotech and life science businesses. Situated on the southern edge of the campus, the new 103,000 sq ft five-storey building at 1000 Discovery Drive will form part of the very definition of an expanding ecosystem of clinical, academic, and commercial excellence. Since announcing plans to develop the building in October last year, Prologis UK has received numerous expressions of interest in the new development from biotech and life science businesses, providing flexibility to meet start-up, spin-out and scale-up options for healthcare research facilities. Andrew Blevins, Head of Life Sciences at Prologis UK, said: “Opportunities to lease life sciences property of this calibre that allows established and up and coming research-led businesses to, quite literally, brush shoulders with big pharma, leading academics, research scientists and experts in clinical medicine, is unprecedented in this country. We already have a strong pipeline of customer interest and are expecting more to come.” Designed with flexibility in mind, the new building will provide laboratory and office space in a variety of sizes and specifications, ranging from open plan to laboratory and office space equipped. The opportunity to be part of an established, vibrant, life science ecosystem is likely to be the main draw for organisations choosing to locate at Cambridge Biomedical Centre. As well as being co-located with the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, the campus is home to world leading hospitals such as Addenbrookes and Royal Papworth as well as facilities for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. Prospective tenants will be based with the nation’s leading scientific minds in reach, as the campus also includes other leaders in healthcare innovation and discovery such as the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, colloquially known as the “Nobel Prize factory”, Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Institute and the corporate and research headquarters for AstraZeneca and Abcam. The new building will deliver important amenities for the wider campus and community, including a café and open-source community centre, where businesses, visitors and scientists can come together to share ideas, collaborate or simply meet. Set within the wider context of the surrounding community, the aim is to create a building that is socially inviting and explorable. The welcoming design also forms part of the emerging Cambridge Biomedical Campus’ 2050 Vision, which is focused on improving connectivity with the surrounding community in Cambridge and encouraging local people to visit the site and enjoy its green spaces. Kristin-Anne Rutter, Executive Director of Cambridge University Health Partners adds: “In Cambridge, our mission is simple – to improve lives by bringing together the academic and foundational institutions, the NHS and industry to improve health through breakthrough discoveries that are rapidly tested and scaled to deliver benefit to the world. To facilitate this we need to create the spaces where people can serendipitously meet and purposively come together to collaborate to develop ideas particularly around the prevention and early diagnosis of diseases and how we tackle global health inequality. 1000 Discovery Drive will be an important part of this process on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It will offer future tenants not just the best facilities but encourage people to talk, listen and work together in a place which is already home to over 20,000 people dedicated to making a difference.” Such is the level of interest in the new building that Prologis has already begun the design for multiple follow-on buildings for both speculative and pre-let development. Andrew Blevins, Head of Life Sciences at Prologis UK, added: “There is intrinsic value in creating a space where the brightest academic, business, and clinical minds converge to build an ecosystem, sharing not only space and infrastructure but new ideas and intellect. The value of this has already been demonstrated by the successful expansion of the campus to date, but there is much more to come.” To further support the development within the region, Prologis UK has committed £1.65 million to support public arts and community activities at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, one of the largest investments of its kind in the Cambridge area to date. Most recently, the campus hosted an open-air artwork by Luke Jarrom, In Memoriam, constructed out of 120 flags made from NHS bed sheets.
On the NHS’ 74th Anniversary (5 July), Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), has announced the name of its major new In-patient mental health unit to be constructed at North Manchester General Hospital: ‘North View’. Marking the NHS’ Birthday by unveiling the official name for the £105.9 million adult inpatient unit is a significant milestone demonstrating how the NHS has innovated and adapted to meet the changing needs of each successive generation. Work on the new building is expected to start in August, with the new unit anticipated to be built and operational by 2024. The name follows engagement with staff, service users and stakeholders, which saw hundreds of suggestions. Commenting on the announcement, Neil Thwaite, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “In deciding on a name for the new development we wanted to choose something that would stand the test of time and celebrate our location in North Manchester. The name provides a strong sense of place and was inspired by the Lemn Sissay poem “Anthem of the North”, whose imagery resonates with our ethos of care, resilience, hope and growth. “We are very much looking forward to our move into the new North View development. Not only does a modern, therapeutic environment help us to improve the quality of specialist inpatient mental health care, but the design of the unit has been carefully thought through to enhance what we do. The 150 bed spaces are in single rooms with en-suite bedrooms. There are indoor and outdoor amenity and activity areas with multiple outside garden spaces, space for artwork, meeting spaces and a café for everyone to enjoy.” Marc Reed, Associate Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities for Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Today’s announcement is a significant milestone as we move towards construction of the new mental health inpatient unit. We’ll now be undertaking work to develop branding to support the North View building name and provide a specific identity for the project. We have all waited a very long time for this fit for purpose, mental health inpatient unit and we are truly excited for what this transformation will mean for adults with mental health problems in Manchester.” The new building will open in Autumn 2024 and forms part of the new hospital programme and transformation of a new sustainable health campus at North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH). The new development is a major part of the vision to improve health and wellbeing for local people over the next 10 to 15 years. In November 2021, the UK government formally approved the Full Business Case for the brand new mental health unit for adults in Manchester. This is part of the Prime Minister’s commitment to upgrade 20 hospitals, backed by £850m, to update facilities and equipment, helping improve patient care and ultimately save more lives. The £105.9 million state-of the-art unit will replace the current Park House mental health inpatient unit. £91.3 million will be funded by central government, with the remaining £14.6 million funded by GMMH. Find out more at https://www.gmmh.nhs.uk/improving-north-manchester
Leading independent property advisory firm, Lismore Real Estate Advisors today released its review of the Scottish investment market for the second quarter of 2022. Following a strong start to the year, Q2 has continued the momentum with transactional trading of circa £612m, up some 104% on Q2 2021. Activity for the quarter was 56% above the five-year average, although the average is obviously skewed by a Covid hit Q2 2020. Excluding 2020, the Q2 2022 figure is 27% above the average. The standout deal of the quarter was HFD Property Group’s £215m sale (4.50% yield) of 177 Bothwell Street, Glasgow to Pontegadea, one of the biggest regional office deals ever concluded, with ESG credentials driving premium pricing. Other key transactions included the £30.2m sale of the Premier Inn, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, the £16m sale of 123-129 Buchanan Street, Glasgow and the sale of 124-125 Princes Street, Edinburgh for £15.8m. A number of significant deals, particularly in the PBSA market, are due to complete early in Q3 which should provide a pre-summer flurry before what could be a quiet summer as investors take stock of the macroeconomic environment. Pressure on pricing Pricing likely to come under pressure cross sector on assets which are not absolutely prime, particularly if they do not meet ESG credentials. This is further driven by increased cost of capital and more cautious decision making. UK pension funds and investment managers continue to seek secure long income defensive stock, particularly in the logistics and PBSA sectors. There remains a significant weight of capital from overseas investors, particularly from North America, the Middle East and Europe. UK based property companies continue to be acquisitive in the retail warehousing and industrial sectors, targeting the best locations with strong occupational dynamics where they can achieve optimum pricing/value. Colin Finlayson, Director of Lismore comments: “Cash remains king, asthe increasing cost of capital for debt backed investors is creating an advantage to cash investors – if they can move quickly then opportunities will arise in the second half of the year. “There remains a persistent strong demand for PBSA from sector specialists and funds, which is driving pricing. The Scottish BTR market continues apace in Glasgow and Edinburgh although build cost inflation is keeping the supply pipeline in check. “Aberdeen could see resurgence and be one of the winners over the next six months, with investors seeking out higher yielding stock to balance their portfolios. The Granite City may well begin turning heads, with a yield discount to prime central belt assets of circa 400-500bps. “After a strong Q1, caution in the market is leading driven by the war in Ukraine, rising inflation and more challenging debt conditions, has caused by investors to pause for breath.” Investors expect yields to soften for the remainder of the year Lismore investor research on the office market has shown that 61% of investors expect yields to soften over the next six months and it was noted that prime London yields have already begun to soften, with the regions traditionally lagging behind. Funds and investment managers were the most pessimistic with 100% of funds and 63% of investment managers anticipating yields cooling in the remainder of 2022. However, a quarter of investment manager expected yields to harden in the second half of the year. Property companies are more bullish with 64% expecting yields to stay the same. Lismore’s research findings showed that location was the key driver for occupational demand, accounting for 32% of responses, followed by total occupational costs by 26% and macroeconomic sentiment by 24% of respondents, with persistently high inflation and rising interest rates identified as key issues over the next six months. Post pandemic, 46% of respondents believe that the importance of the office has decreased, with investment managers being split 50/50 between the importance increasing and decreasing. For an expert view on the office market, Lismore spoke with Stephen Lewis, managing director, HFD Property Company, who said: “Investors’ considerations will mirror those of occupiers, especially for offices. The key factors are the flight to quality and ESG; however, well-being, connectivity and other attributes will also contribute to the selection of one building over another. “Our project at 177 Bothwell Street has delivered a range of market ‘firsts’, including the incorporation of Scotland’s first metro data centre, rooftop running track and drone landing pad. It’s about future-proofing and providing resilience.” “We are seeing all types of occupiers embarking on their own ESG journeys. Across our portfolio we are undertaking a significant decarbonisation project to improve energy efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy and installing infrastructure to support electric vehicles. It’s important for us as a business, but more importantly, it’s something our occupiers are looking for. “Over the next 10 to 15 years, construction of modern workplaces will evolve and materials used will largely be driven by decarbonisation, both from an operational and embodied perspective. There are some myths to dispel around the choice of materials – it is possible to build a fully glazed building and still meet energy performance targets, however, it undoubtedly takes a lot of work. There’s also a need to balance both sides of the equation between operational and embodied carbon. “We can foresee is that there will an even greater focus on data and ‘smart tech’ in its broadest sense, including sensor networks to gather real-time information about how occupiers use buildings. “Looking forward, hybrid working is here to stay but we will see more changes as macro factors influence the way we work. What we haven’t been able to fully determine yet is the impact on the demand for office space. While overall occupational demand for space has reduced, it isn’t necessarily aligned to working from home with more space also being converted to alternative work environments. “Something that remains to be seen is how policies on remote working might change when the recession bites. During economic downturn, the need to maximise productivity, innovation and collaboration is never higher, and I suspect that will
A critical contract that will help to unlock works at the northern end of London’s newest river crossing has been awarded to Barhale. RiverLinx CJV, the joint venture comprising Ferrovial, BAM Nuttall and SK E&C, has appointed the civil engineering and infrastructure specialist to divert water mains which would otherwise clash with the proposed route of the £1 billion, 1.4 km twin-bore Silvertown tunnel under the River Thames. A six-month programme of works, scheduled to run from July 2022 to December 2022, will see Barhale re-route the two twin 1400mm rising mains to allow the cut-and-cover construction of the northern approach to the new tunnel. When completed, the new crossing will run to the east of the 123-year-old Blackwall Tunnel, connecting the A102 at Greenwich Peninsula to the A1020 at west Silvertown, adjacent to the western end of the Royal Victoria Docks. The project forms a major element in London’s future transport strategy. It will ease traffic congestion and help the local infrastructure accommodate anticipated population increases in the catchment area. A key benefit is the improvement in public transport links between the two sides of the river. It is forecast that the numbers of buses making the crossing will increase to 37 buses an hour, all of them able to use dedicated traffic lanes. Michael Faherty, Contracts Manager at Barhale, is proud of the appointment and of the role his team will play in adding a new, vital connection within the capital. “We all understand how frustrating getting around London can be at times,” he said. “So it is great to be contributing to the transformation of travel in this part of town. “It is a very pleasing endorsement of the skills and expertise that we bring to the table that we have been selected and we look forward to working alongside the RiverLinx team, playing out part in delivering this world-class engineering project.”
Taking place on 6October, around 500 runners are expected to take part All funds to be donated to LandAid, the charity on a mission to end youth homelessness Target to raise £30,000, adding to £50,000 raised from previous years An annual West Midlands charity run will be returning to Longbridge in Birmingham for its fourth year in an effort to raise funds for LandAid, the property industry charity on a mission to end youth homelessness. Taking place on Thursday 6 October, participants can opt for a 10k or 5k route, and individuals of all abilities are encouraged to take part in the event, whether they choose to run, walk or cheer on from the crowd. First launched in 2017, the run has become an annual fixture in the running calendar amongst businesses and individuals throughout the West Midlands and further afield looking to put their running ability to the test. This year’s event, hosted by St. Modwen, the Birmingham-based owner of leading logistics development and housebuilding businesses, will see around 500 runners pounding the pavements of Longbridge and Cofton Park along this notoriously challenging yet scenic route. Sarwjit Sambhi, CEO of St. Modwen, commented: “We’re delighted to be able to bring the much-anticipated run back to Longbridge this year. Past years’ events have been hugely successful, raising over £50,000 to support the vital work that LandAid do to help young people out of homelessness. We hope to raise even more funds this year and continue supporting the charity for years to come.” “As St. Modwen has played a key part in the regeneration of Longbridge, we’re looking forward to being able to bring the whole community together and show others what a brilliant place Longbridge has become to live and work in.” All funds raised from the event will go towards the next phase of St Basil’s Live and Work project, LandAid’s Birmingham-based charity partner, which provides apprenticeship opportunities and living accommodation to young people in the West Midlands facing homelessness. Paul Morrish, Chief Executive of LandAid, said: “LandAid is thrilled to be a charity partner of St. Modwen. All funds raised from the St. Modwen Charity Run for LandAid will make a huge difference to the lives of young homeless people across the Midlands and rest of the UK. Sign up today and you will be giving young homeless people a safe, secure and affordable home.” Registrations are now open to take part in both the 5k and 10k options, head here to find out more: https://join.landaid.org/event/stmodwen10k For sponsorship opportunities, please contact landaidcharityrun@stmodwen.co.uk
Sheds are probably the most likely outbuilding you are to see on a property. They have a variety of uses. However, since they are outside the house, waterproofing them is vital, and that means that your roof choice is important. But while many newer alternatives have become available – polycarbonate sheeting, corrugated sheeting, and EPDM rubber – none of them trump good old shed felt for sheer practicality. Shed felt is made using a bituminous layer for waterproofing and a secondary fibrous layer to provide structure and strength. Whereas in the past this might have been an organic option, nowadays it tends to be a tough synthetic material like polyester. The updated materials let an old solution remain relevant in the modern day. Durability Shed Felt is hard-wearing. While it’s not quite as durable as say, polycarbonate sheeting, it is not fragile like EPDM and bituminous corrugated sheeting. Not only is it rugged, it also can’t be scratched easily like polycarbonate. This means you won’t need to worry about treating it with kid gloves. Aesthetic Value While a shed is a very utilitarian structure, there’s no reason it can’t also be aesthetically pleasing. Shed felt comes in colours that are bold and reassuring but not garish. Whereas a shed with a corrugated metal roof might appear harsh and intimidating, a shed felt roof looks nostalgic and inviting. If you’re willing to go to the effort of installing the strips, you can even get a lovely tiled appearance with shed felt shingles. Low Cost Shed felt is as affordable and cheerful as they come. Very few alternatives beat it for price. In terms of how expensive it is to how long it lasts before needing replacement (often as long as ten years) it’s no wonder it’s as popular as it is. Ease of installation Shed felt doesn’t need glazing bars or complex tools to install. Just a hammer, a utility knife, and some clout nails. If you really want to get fancy you might use adhesive if you live in a windy area. That’s much simpler than having to drill many holes for screws for sheeting, or use an electric saw to cut up polycarbonate. Even relatively inexperienced DIYers can put up a shed felt with a little elbow grease if they follow instructions. Simple to repair This is where shed felt really pulls ahead of comparable materials. Repairing sheeting is difficult, whereas shed felt can be patched easily. All you have to do is cut out a section of damaged felt and patch it with some new felt. Shed felt is durable, so you shouldn’t be repairing it all the time, but when the worst thing happens you can deal with it easily. If a sheet is completely damaged, as we previously mentioned, it’s cheap and easy to install so you can get it up and running in no time without hitting the pocketbook too harshly. Of course, there may be situations where you decide to go with another material because of unusual or particular circumstances. However, when it comes to an all-terrain shed roofing solution, shed felt simply cannot be beat.
