Shropshire Builder’s 7 Top Tips For Property Renovations

Renovating your property will likely enhance the building, adding extra living space along with value – which can be ideal whether you plan to sell the house soon or at a later date.

So if you’re planning to have renovation work, here are 7 top tips from our Shropshire builder to help make the experience a stress-free success.

1. Find a recommend builder Shropshire and carpenter Shropshire before you do anything. Ask friends, family, work colleagues, or search online for a reputable builder in the local Shropshire area. Before you commit, make sure you see a work portfolio to be sure the company works to the highest standard and is able to provide the type of building service you need.

2. Ask your Shropshire builder and Shropshire carpenter to visit to discuss your renovation ideas. Professional tradesmen will advise you on what will work, the best way to proceed and cover anything else you need to know such as whether a structural survey is needed before you start. A good builder Shropshire will also work to your budget, making sure your money works hard.

3. Check the particulars of your property. For example, if it’s listed or in a conservation area you may need to get planning permission for the renovation work. Speak to your planning officer and builder Shropshire to establish the way forward. And you may want to ask a local estate agent to visit the house and give an idea of how much the house would be worth once the renovation is completed – this should also help you budget effectively for the project.

4. Project manage yourself if possible, or use a building firm that is able to offer this service in addition, to help you keep track of the project and the costs.

5. Have a contingency budget of around 20% extra to cover any unexpected costs along the way. It’s a good idea to be prepared for a similar extra amount of time for the project completion to allow for unseen delays.

6. Get creative, and think how exactly you want your renovated home to look. This includes the materials used, which you may want to source from unusual places including timber yards and architectural reclamation yards.

7. Enjoy the process. Depending on the scale of the renovation work to be undertaken by your builder Shropshire, divide it into sections – by concentrating on one room at a time, you’ll make the experience more enjoyable as well as contain the mess more easily.

Council Tenants To Get £500 Yearly For Carpentry and Building Projects in Shropshire

A new scheme has been unveiled, giving council tenants up to £500 each year to carry out DIY projects in Shropshire and nationwide, including for carpentry and building work.

DIY projects might include carpentry tasks like fitting doors as well as simple maintenance work like decorating and fixing leaking taps. Community groups can tackle repairs and support those who are unable to tackle the work themselves – and it may be possible to use the money to hire a professional Shropshire carpenter or Shropshire builder to do any DIY projects tenants can’t manage themselves.

The Tenant Cashback scheme, proposed by Housing Minister Grant Shapps is part of the government’s plan to reduce the £4billion annual maintenance bill for social housing.

Currently, there are more than 4 million council properties and landlords spend an average of £1000 per year on building repairs. Under the new scheme tenants would get up to £500 a year for basic carpentry and building works in Shropshire, Shrewsbury and elsewhere in the country, they carry out themselves rather than calling out maintenance staff.

There are concerns over the quality of building repairs under the new scheme, with the possibility some DIY projects will happen when a local Shropshire builder or carpenter should really be used, as well as the risk that claims may be made falsely. This is why two of the current pilot schemes don’t pay on a per-repair basis, instead participants are given “lump sums for maintaining their properties to a mutually agreed standard” – assessed during regular checks.

Private homeowners need to pay for any building or carpentry work to their homes, so naturally may not be in support of this scheme. However, non-council tenants have the freedom to pay for a local tradesman such as a carpenter Shropshire or Shrewsbury builder to complete maintenance projects which guarantees quality work.

Of course, any work homeowners or tenants can’t carry out themselves, should be carried out by local firms anyway. For example, if you live in Bishops Castle you will likely hire a Bishops Castle builder or carpenter. This way, you can be sure the firm has a good reputation and that the work is completed to a high standard.

Under the scheme, tenants will be invited to take a basic DIY course in addition to getting cash for DIY projects.

Mr Shapps said: “Rather than having to wait for landlords to act, tenants should be able to tackle their own DIY dilemmas — and get paid for it,” the Daily Mail reports.

“For some, this could even serve as an apprenticeship in the home and the start on a path to a whole new career. This, combined with the potential to bring the local community together to improve the local area, means all councils and housing associations should give residents the right to take up tools.”

Nigel Long, head of policy at the Tenant Participation Advisory Service said: “I am a big fan of anything that encourages people to do things for themselves, because I think it delivers value for money.”

What are your views on the Tenant Cashback scheme?