Fires on building sites cost the construction industry over one million pounds per day, with over two thirds of them started deliberately. All buildings under construction are vulnerable and no construction method or material is immune: brick and stone can crack, flake and disintegrate; concrete can spall explosively; and steel can buckle in severe heat.
The drive towards more energy efficient buildings continues to bring innovative products onto the market, such as insulated roof panels. These are an easy-to-fit, quick-to-install, low-maintenance roofing option that also offers thermal performance. Long length panels also reduce the number of end laps and so reduce the potential leak locations.
Millions of metres of dodgy electrical cables are doing their rounds on the market, according to Approved Cables Initiative (ACI). These substandard cables not only pose a safety risk to consumers but a financial risk to your business too.
More than 27% of all electrical fires are attributed to faulty wires and cables and there have been thousands of injuries and more than a dozen fatalities in the last five years. Safer choices will provide peace of mind to you and to your customers and potentially save you money in the long run.
There are a number of steps that can be taken, in preparation for storms, which, if followed, should help to minimise the risks
The latest version of the LABC Warranty Technical Manual is now available. The manual, endorsed by RIBA and CIAT, is divided into chapters that each contain functional requirements and guidance on how to meet the conditions.
Manchester City Council Building Control (MCCBC) surveyors have spent the last 48 hours dealing with two serious fire incidents that have left a trail of destruction in the city.
A building control surveyor was first called out by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) in the early hours of Thursday morning to a raging inferno at the Minehead Centre in Withington, Manchester. The fire, the flames of which were fanned by strong winds, razed a local resource centre.
LABC chief executive Paul Everall will on Wednesday afternoon (10 December) give evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee when it holds its third public evidence session on its Climate Change Adaption inquiry.
This is the third session in this inquiry, which will involve discussion on the adaptation of buildings such as homes and hospitals for the effects of climate change. The health risks of climate change, including from the likelihood of buildings over-heating, as well as the role of building standards and the National Policy Planning Framework, will be discussed.
The government has announced that councils in England will no longer be applying Section 106 charges on smaller residential building schemes. This means it will now be cheaper and easier to build new properties or bring disused buildings back into use.
Much of what happens in the building industry isn't recorded, agreed or placed within a fair contractual framework. While a verbal contract may be convenient, it is worth noting that if trouble hits, a verbal agreement offers no protection at all.
Good contracts are as helpful to you as they are to the customer and that’s why it is good business practice to enter into a formal contract that covers in detail all the key parts of a building project.
Did you know permitted development rules relating to extensions have been relaxed for a three-year period?