In this video Skill Builder Editor Georgina Bisby takes a first look at the Solid Gear Lagoon female safety footwear offering from Snickers.
This is Snickers first safety shoe for women and prioritises comfort as well as safety.
“I was really impressed with how light the shoe was as well as the flexible sole. I will provide an update once I’ve had a few months to try it out.”
I was working on a roof trying to get it done, I had no plumbing tools on board and suddenly I was plumbing. Uni had tried to sort out her plumbing problem, good luck to her but one look at it told me she was in too deep and… she had people coming to dinner.
What are you going to do? Get the rubbish out and replace it with top quality.
Like many plumbers, I always uses McAlpine for traps, fillers, waste flow and pipework. In this case we used the SK1 Bowl and a half Sink Kit.
Find out more about McAlpine Plumbing: mcalpineplumbing.com
Keep an eye on the Skill Builder YouTube channel where we will be covering a composite decking installation project very soon.
A Romanian man who enslaved up to 15 men, offering demolition work and then using violence to trap them, has been jailed for seven years.
David Lupu, 29, promised the men £50 per day as well as accommodation, but instead paid them just a fraction of the wage, housed them in cramped conditions and confiscated their ID papers.
Metropolitan Police detectives began an investigation – supported by CITB’s Fraud Team – in September last year, after two Romanian men reported to Forest Gate police that they had been treated like slaves after coming to work in the UK.
On 23 March at Inner London Crown Court, David Lupu was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment after being convicted of multiple offences of holding a person in slavery or servitude.
During the trial, seven Romanian men said they had been offered jobs in July last year, but after travelling to the UK, were expected to live in a small one bedroom flat in Leyton, east London. Up to 15 men slept wherever they could in the kitchen, bedroom, hallway and storage cupboard, on mattresses found in the street.
Victims said they were only allowed out of the house two at a time, and warned that they would be arrested if discovered.
They were told that they owed Lupu hundreds of pounds and were forced to work long hours in the demolition sector in order to repay the costs. Meanwhile, Lupu was paid a significant wage by the building site’s employers for the men’s labour.
When the men discovered their wages from the building site had not been passed on by Lupu, they confronted him, only to be beaten and threatened to be killed if they insisted on being paid before they had paid their ‘debts’.
Ian Sidney, CITB’s Fraud Investigator who assisted the Met Police investigation, says: “Modern slavery is a horrific injustice that unfortunately is becoming more commonplace in the UK’s construction industry. Forcing people to work illegally not only deprives people of their human rights, it also harms the reputation of the industry, puts employers at risk, drives down wages and denies employment opportunities to many others.
“CITB has been working with industry, implementing measures to ensure that modern slavery is eradicated from the UK construction industry. We will also continue working with law enforcement agencies to bring offenders to justice.”
Baxi has officially launched the pioneering Baxi IFOS In Flue Outdoor Sensor, which is designed to help make Boiler Plus compliance simple and cost-effective.
The patented Baxi IFOS clips onto the air duct of the horizontal flue terminal, resulting in a straightforward install which takes just minutes.
Crucially, this placement also means that there is no need to fit the sensor to a north/north-west wall, as it will consistently be hidden from direct sunlight.
Free flow of air over the sensor also allows for more accurate reading of outside conditions, ensuring the best possible operation and allowing the homeowner to gain the best possible efficiency benefits.
Installing an IFOS is said to be an easy and affordable way to comply with the new Boiler Plus requirements when combined with a time and temperature control, taking the headache out of staying compliant.
Mike Parsons, head of product management at Baxi, commented: “From inception through to design and delivery, the Baxi IFOS has been created with the needs our customers and the industry as a whole in mind.
“For installers, it consists of very few parts and just two-wire cable runs back to the boiler down the flue air duct – meaning no drilling or disruption for the homeowner.
It’s a real win-win for the installer and homeowner alike.”
A specialist asbestos company has been fined after failing to detect asbestos at a demolition site.
Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how EAS Asbestos Limited were commissioned to conduct refurbishment and demolition surveys by Mercer Brother Limited, a construction company who were contracted to demolish garages for Hyndburn Homes. EAS Asbestos stated in their surveys that asbestos was only present in the cement roof sheets, there were no areas that could not be accessed, and that there was no asbestos insulation board present in the garages.
On Wednesday 1 February 2017, the demolition of the garages went ahead but work was immediately stopped when suspect material was found. Another surveying company was brought in and confirmed the presence of large amounts of asbestos insulation board in the demolition rubble.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the survey carried out by EAS Asbestos Limited was incorrect and misleading.
EAS Asbestos Limited of Lower Meadow Lane, Huthwaite, Sutton in Ashfield, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £6,700 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 and a victim surcharge of £170.
Speaking after the case, HSE inspector Jacqueline Western said “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards”.
Extending 35A is our third project series on Skill Builder and looks back at a single storey extension that Roger worked on many years ago.
In Part 4 of our 35A Extension series, we see a young Robin Clevett go to work on the roof timbers in his first appearance with the Skill Builder team.
A building contractor has been sentenced following an incident in February 2015 in which a house in Brighton partially collapsed.
Hove Crown Court heard how builder Glen Peters (trading as Brow Builders) undermined the structural integrity of the house by digging out the basement. He then failed to act on the advice of a structural engineer on how to remedy the situation, resulting in the gable wall partially collapsing and the ground floor collapsing into the basement. Adjacent properties had to be evacuated and the area cordoned off because there were concerns that members of the public living nearby and passing through the area were at risk.
An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the property had bungeroosh walls, common to buildings in the Brighton area which were built in the mid-18th to 19th century. They are constructed with a mixture of rubble, timber, pebbles, stones and flint in a lime mix mortar set between shuttering. The make-up of these walls makes working on this type of building more challenging in terms of structural stability, meaning that those doing so must fully understand what they are dealing with.
The investigation also found that Glen Peters failed to report the incident to HSE as a dangerous occurrence in accordance with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013.
Glen Peters (trading as Brow Builers) of Woodingdean, Brighton, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 25(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and Regulation 7 of the RIDDOR Regulations 2013. The defendant was sentenced to five months imprisonment for count one and two months imprisonment for count two to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay costs of £7,000.
HSE principal inspector Emma Stiles said “Basement work must be properly planned to ensure the structural integrity of the building throughout the construction work. When this type of work is done badly, workers and members of public are at significant risk of serious injury or death. In addition, we cannot underestimate the impact on the homeowners when their properties are extensively damaged.”
The Capel Building Project series follows the renovation and extension of an unusual property designed by architect Michael Newberry in Surrey.
Carpenter and Builder Robin Clevett is taking the first glass and steel house in the UK which was built in 1957 and extending it and refurbishing it, including the addition of a pool house, while paying homage to its original design values.
The building was revolutionary at the time it was constructed when similar structures had been built across parts of California but they’d never been done in the UK.
In this building project series Robin talks through the challenges of this unique project and shares his top tips, techniques and tricks of the trade.
In this series of videos, building industry journalist and expert, Roger Bisby provides an insight into how to build an extension by taking viewers through the build of a side and rear extension on a semi-detached property in the South East of England.
In the latest episode – Episode 9 – Roger tries out a rapid drying screeding product on the foor of what will be the new kitchen/diner area.
There is plenty of useful information about how to build an extension in this series for general builders, self-builders, apprentices and even home owners who want to understand more about the building process.
Building standards, regulations, practices and products are constantly evolving and throughout the series Roger provides updates on latest standards and introduces latest products and practices as well as sharing lots of tricks of the trade.
The series also calls on the expertise of masters in their fields including bricklayer Mark, whose bricklaying has earned him widespread praise and expert carpenter Robin Clevett.
The series is ongoing. Please subscribe to the Skill Builder YouTube channel to keep up-to-date.
Spoiler alert – not all jobs go according to plan and this one had Roger on the ropes.
Replacing a central heating pump is a simple enough DIY job, but years of plumbing experience come in very handy when the job gets too wet.
The old broken pump goes out to be replaced by a brand new Grundfos UPS2.
Some of the UK’s biggest building companies have signed up to take part in the country’s largest construction health & safety stand down.
Wates, McLaren and Seddon are among new faces that will take part in Stop. Make a Change in 2018.
The initiative was launched in 2017 to bring the industry together to improve health and safety performance. In its first year more than 60,000 people took part in stand down events.
Last year Stop. Make a Change focussed solely on the infrastructure sector. However, for 2018 this has expanded out to cover the wider construction sector.
Across two weeks from 16 April, there will be stand downs on sites and in offices across the UK, targeting two priority areas: mental health and plant safety.
As well as big builders, two of the industry’s leading charities are also backing to Stop. Make a Change, and will be supporting companies in relation to the mental health priority.
The Lighthouse Club oversees the Construction Industry Helpline and has worked with the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, which manages Stop. Make a Change, to provide thousands of cards and posters that will be distributed to workers. The cards provide details of the helpline, which provides support on mental health & wellbeing, as well as advice on financial, legal, tax and debt management.
Meanwhile construction mental health charity Mates in Mind will provide free ‘Manage the Conversation’ training courses for managers. The courses will run on 24 April in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said: “CECA are encouraging everyone that participates in Stop. Make a Change to make sure they have one of our helpline packs. The packs include posters for sites and offices and helpline cards that can be distributed to their workforce so that workers know where to turn to if they need support. Our helpline provides a free of charge, confidential 24/7 helpline safety net for all construction workers and their families in the UK and Ireland”.
Steve Hails, chair of Mates in Mind said: “In workplaces across the UK, managers and supervisors are increasingly being approached by workers who are suffering with poor mental health. For many managers, this is a challenging prospect and they may be nervous about how to handle such a conversation. We are proud to support Stop. Make a Change, and to work with CECA to offer training for managers to be more confident in these situations”
Georgina Bisby, Editor of skill-builder.uk, shares some top tips home owners should consider when having a new roof installed.
Roofing shortcuts can lead to future problems such as leaking roofs, roof tiles falling off and poor insulation so it’s worth being armed with enough information to check your roofer is doing the job right.
Also, not all roofers keep up with the latest roofing standards so check your roofer is up-to-date and adhering to professional standards. Roofers who are members of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) for example are subject to a strict code of practice and vetting procedure, including site inspections and adhering to Government endorsed standards.
Snowy weather, rising costs and uncertainty relating to Brexit are to blame for the sharp drop in construction output, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said in response to the latest PMI data.
The March 2018 PMI data revealed a fall from 51.4 in February to 47.0 in March, against the neutral reading of 50.0. March 2018’s figure was weaker than the average 52.3 of 2017.
Commenting on the results, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The latest PMI data shows the fastest drop in construction activity since July 2016.
The unusually cold and snowy weather experienced across the UK last month is partly to blame for this set-back. The cold snap impacted on a broad array of construction projects, including house building, domestic refurbishment and large civil engineering projects.
Many small builders across the country were forced to close sites for more than a week and some employers reported that it was too cold to lay bricks.”
Berry continued: “Alongside the snow, the cost of doing business is rising for the UK’s construction firms. Wages and salaries are all rocketing because of the ever-worsening skills shortages in construction.
What’s more, material prices have been rising steadily since the depreciation of sterling following the EU referendum. Increased prices for metals and insulation, in particular, were noted in March.
We expect material prices to continue to cause a headache for the construction industry with recent research from the FMB showing that 87% of builders believe that material prices will rise in the next six months.”
Berry concluded: “More broadly, the future is still looking incredibly uncertain for the UK construction sector.
We still don’t know what the post-Brexit immigration system will look like and given that businesses need to plan ahead, this could also be putting a brake on growth in the construction sector.
This is especially the case for construction – our sector is heavily reliant on EU tradespeople with more than 8% of construction workers hailing from the EU.
In London, this rises to one third. The Government must take stock of today’s results and redouble its efforts to provide post-Brexit clarity to businesses.
We need to know what we can expect from the new immigration system – we need to know what will replace free movement of people.”
Roger revisits a topic that Skill Builder covered many years ago.
Skill Builder’s original how to render video has been one of the channel’s most popular videos but some professionals responded to say that they prefer alternative techniques.
Roger Bisby considers some of the points raised in response to the first video and shares some details about how to render that will help anyone taking on rendering for the first time with Roger’s apprentice Jago proving that rendering is a skill that can be picked up easily with the right advice.
Roger discusses that scracth coat, how to check whether the render is flat and the ingredients and ratio for the best rendering mix.
In this fifth video from the Capel Build series Robin Clevett gives us a solo update vlog while Roger is away on holiday and we take a look at his approach to cladding.
Robin is currently doing the exterior cladding for the summer house. Robin explains the importance of ventilation and airspace when assembling your tongue and groove cladding. Lots of people neglect to include an airspace because they believe the cladding is already breathable enough but Robin says it’s good practice to include one.
Robin also shares a technique for pinning tongue and groove board.
The Extension project is now up to plate level so it’s time for Pythagoras’ theorem.
“Plate level is the timber plate which is going to hold the roof structure including the roof joists, hips and roof rafters.
“When you put this on you need to spend a lot of time getting this right because carpenters curse bricklayers like mad if they’ve bedded the plate on and it’s wrong and some carpenters even prefer to put the plate on themselves.
“Luckily Mark, our bricklayer, is very diligent and he bedded it the old fashioned way. It comes off the existing plate of the house and we used a laser level to ensure that it is level all the way round and we’ve also checked that the whole thing is square which is also really important.”
3-4-5- method
“You can do that using a folding square but an alternative way to check the plates are square which can be useful on larger roofs is to use the 3-4-5 method.
“Take any 3 measurement such as 30 inches from the corner down one side, then measure 40 inches down the other side and the distance between the two points will be 50 inches if the corner is 90 degrees.”
Ahead of the biggest DIY weekend of the year – the great Easter break – Skill Builder Editor, Georgina Bisby has been trying out some Poundland tools to see what you can get for your money.
Georgina tries out a spirit level, hammer, screwdriver set, junior hacksaw and some tape measures to see which ones are a steal and which ones are best left in the bargain bin.
A cross-party group of MPs has urged the Government to introduce a new ‘Dedicated Strategy for Small Housebuilders’ to reverse the decline in the number of new homes built by small builders, which has plummeted to just 2,500 today from 12,000 in 1998.
Describing the new proposals, the MPs leading the report said: ‘We have many legitimate disagreements with each other on many aspects of housing policy, but on this we are agreed: we cannot solve the housing shortage without smaller builders.’
‘An Inquiry into Support for Small Housebuilders’, supported by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), calls for a ‘Dedicated Strategy for Small Housebuilders’ which must address the key challenges holding housebuilders back, including:
Robert Courts MP, Chair of the APPG, said: “Government action has started to address some of the needs of small builders but we must leave no stone unturned to truly unlock the housing market.
“A new, dedicated strategy for small housebuilders would be an important step in achieving this. This needs to centre on a positive package of measures that removes some the biggest barriers for small builders including the inability to access finance and reducing the cost of developer contributions like the Community Infrastructure Levy.”
Catherine West MP, Vice Chair of the Inquiry, said: “The current state of the UK housing market leaves no doubt that there is huge potential for small builders to make a vital contribution to building the homes we need.
“Our report sets out a series of proposals that will enable small builders to scale up, grow and build more which will help relieve the housing shortage.
“The simple truth is that the UK cannot expect to build the homes we so desperately need unless smaller builders are backed. Giving small builders the keys they need could result in tens of thousands of urgently needed homes being built up and down the UK.
“This will help create jobs, stimulate economic growth and provide the homes the UK need.”
FSB acts as the secretariat for the APPG and supported them on the inquiry.
Mike Cherry, National Chairman at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said: “Small housebuilders will welcome the cross-party effort to shine a light on the very real challenges that are holding them back from playing their part in building the homes the UK needs.
“It is vital that the Government does not turn a blind eye to the findings of this report and commits to creating a dedicated strategy aimed at giving small homebuilders the finance, skills and support they need to help fix the broken housing market.”
Paul Gormley talks through the process of installing a rainwater harvesting system.
A rainwater harvesting system collects water from a house’s roof to be used in the garden or for some domestic appliances. A rainwater harvesting system can be installed to save water, or planners may ask for a system to be installed to help with potential local flooding issues.
Key considerations for installing a rainwater harvesting system:
Presuming the system has been sized correctly, there are a few key elements to consider when installing a rainwater harvesting system:
Drainage
It is important to bring together all downpipes into one pipe, for entry into the tank. They should only carry roof water; surface water should bypass the rainwater system as it can contain dirt and oil. It is important to ensure that pipework is kept as shallow as possible. If it’s too deep (beyond a metre), the tank will have to be installed deep in the ground which will have an impact on the ability to clean the filter.
Installing the tank
Installing the pump
A pump needs to be installed in the tank to send the water back to the property. It is important that the pump is not carried or lowered by its cable – this is a common problem which can cause problems with water getting into the electrics. Lower the pump with a rope to prevent any damage. The pump pipe connected to the pump must be green and black MDPE pipe (similar to standard water pipe). It is vitally important that fittings are sealed and completely watertight; the use of PTFE tape is recommended for the fitting that goes directly on the pump.
Internal plumbing
The internal pipework must be a dedicated feed to the toilets and washing machine. There can be no physical connection between the mains water supply and the rainwater supply, so your plumber must be aware of this while he is working on the installation. Pipe marking tape must also be used to identify the internal plumbing. Many suppliers do not supply this as part of the kit, therefore you should check when ordering. It is also important that you label the water main to identify that there is a rainwater recovery system installed in the property. You also need to label outside taps and appliances to ensure the water supply is not misidentified. Again, ensure you have labels included with the kit upon ordering.
Other things to consider:
Filtration
Leaf filters are mostly built into the tanks and filters are also installed on the pump to stop particles coming through. If necessary, you can also buy fine particle filters which can be installed within the property to ensure there is no risk of any small particles blocking toilet valves. Our systems include a very fine particle filter with the kit to ensure you get no problems when the system is being used.
Mains back up system
To ensure there is an uninterrupted water supply to the building, a mains water top up is used to feed a small amount of mains water back to the tank in the event that there is no rain and the tank is almost empty. This is normally a magnetic valve and sensor. The valve opens when the sensor in the tank registers there no water.
The sensor should be set very slightly higher than the inlet of the pump.
The mains back up kit, which is sometimes a box unit, needs to be installed in the house. This is normally done in a utility room or under a sink. It is important that the water can flow back to the tank through a dedicated 110mm pipe, or via the drainage from the roof.
There must also be an air gap between your mains water and the pipe that it feeding the tank. This prevents the possibility of cross contamination between mains water and rainwater.
The quality of the mains back up kit will depend of the system you have purchased. Some use heavy duty brass magnetic valves and probe sensors, other cheaper systems use lower quality valves and cheap float switches. With this, it doesn’t pay to scrimp on quality.
Sign off from the water authority
The water authority will want to make sure you have adhered to the regulations; therefore you must be able to prove the following:
It is worth taking photos of the internal pipework to prove that identifying tape has been used, since it can often be covered up following installation.
Summary: 5 key tips
Keep tank as shallow as possible
This is not only good for you as it requires less digging and less excavated earth, it is better for the homeowner as the filter is then easy to access.
Test pump when complete system is installed
Once the system has been installed and all the plumbing has been done, test the pump by flushing a toilet. The pump should turn on to feed the toilet and off again when the cistern is full. The pump should then stay off. If it turns back on again then you have a small leak in the pipework
Always use a particle filter
Whilst standard rainwater filters are good, installing a fine particle filter will ensure it is not possible for any fine particles to get into the toilet valves creating a leak. Leaks will cause the pump to turn on and off so this “belt and braces” measure is highly recommended
Add a pressure vessel
A pressure vessel (or expansion vessel) like on a heating system, helps to maintain the pressure in the pipework. This is very advantageous with a rainwater harvesting system as it can stop a pump from turning on in the even that someone leaves an outside tap dripping. This will can prolong the life of and protect the pump.
Keep things clean
We’ve seen many builders have to return to properties to unblock toilet valves because too much debris has entered the tank during the installation. Try to keep the tank clean and make sure that everyone on site knows there is a rainwater harvester connected to the drainage. Furthermore, once the roof has been constructed, you may get a small amount of grit entering the tank, this should be caught by the filter but we would highly suggest checking the filter and giving it a clean prior to handover to the client.
This guide was written by Paul Gormley, technical sales manager at rainwater harvesting specialists Owls Hall Environmental.
