Skill Builder Guides & reviews for building and construction

Bathroom designer Twyford has donated ceramic products for a toilet block in the Rainbow Foundation Pre-School, a new school in Faala in The Gambia, for 60 local children. Faala is a new settlement near to Sanyang and the school has been constructed for younger children who can’t safely travel to Sanyang, due to the long and dangerous route on foot. …

Builders could soon receive personalised sun-exposure text message warnings direct to their smartphones as part of a new project by Heriot-Watt University. Construction companies including BAM Nuttall, Laing O’Rourke and Bovis Homes are working with researchers at the University’s School of Life Sciences and the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) to change the behaviour of construction workers, minimising the risk …

Falcon Crane Hire, a national crane hire company has been sentenced for failings that led to the death of two men as a crane collapsed in London. Southwark Crown Court heard crane operator Jonathan Cloke, 37, died after falling from the crane as it collapsed. It fell onto Michael Alexa, 23, a member of the public, and also killed him. …

A few weeks ago we featured the new Gorilla brooms from Faulk’s, the makers of Gorilla Tub Trugs. The brooms have screw on heads with nylon bristles so losing your head while you are sweeping could be a thing of the past. But what is a broom without a shovel? So often builders use steel shovels to sweep up with …

A gas engineer's asbestos removal during a gas boiler replacement has put himself and others at risk from exposure to lethal asbestos fibres.

Polyco’s innovative use of 21st-century technology has been recognised and rewarded by an institution that has been championing glove development for more than 375 years. Polyco’s dry-grip glove, the Grip It MAX, was named by the Worshipful Company of Glovers in February as the winner of its Worshipful Company of Glovers 2015 Golden Glove Award for Innovation. Granted its royal charter …

I have looked at a few different tools from Flex over the years. This German company is not a major player in the UK drills market and I don’t expect they are intending to be but they have some attractive looking tools in their range and they seem to be well made. The Flex PD2G 18v drill and the ID …

Flatform Rainwater Harvesting has added a wall tank rainwater harvesting and stormwater attenuation system to the Halsted Rain Flatform range which the company was exhibiting at Ecobuild 2016. It is an innovative approach to rainwater management on properties where space is severely constrained or a retrofit solution is required. The system collects rainwater run-off for toilet flushing, irrigation and/or to …

Businesses nationwide are gearing up to National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from 14 to 18 March 2016. Recognising the need to attract young people into the industry, trade vetting service Checkatrade encourages young aspiring tradespeople to consider an apprenticeship with their members. With over 95% of Checkatrade’s members anticipating a greater workload in 2016 and 61% of members expecting to …

A man from County Durham has been fined for potentially exposing members of the public to asbestos fibres during the refurbishment of a residential property on South Parade, Croft on Tees, County Durham. Darlington Magistrates’ Court heard how Peter Wade of Staindrop, was converting an integrated garage into a bedroom at the property. While he was visiting the property for …

The SOLiC 200 from Earthwise Products  automatically provides free hot water from new and existing PV panels, by offering the home’s excess solar energy to the immersion heater circuit instead of allowing it to be exported to the grid. The SOLiC 200 is said to be the most efficient device of its kind on the market as it operates with …

Vufold, the British manufacturing retailer of bifold doors has added matching windows to its Ultra and Supreme ranges of external bi-folding doors.

Nationwide tile retailer Tile Giant has launched a new reward scheme exclusively for trade customers. Tile Giant, which has 110 branches across the UK, is promising discounts of up to 50 per cent on certain products to card holders. Tradespeople who sign up for a free Trade Rewards card will benefit from: • All tiles 15 per cent off • …

Addressing thermal bridging in a design is one of the easiest ways to improve its Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) score, the methodology used by the Government.

Hand protection specialist Globus has enhanced its range of chemical-resistant gloves with the launch of SKYTEC Nero – combining chemical and mechanical protection with comfort, dexterity and grip. The new SKYTEC Nero not only protects workers against water-based chemicals but also delivers abrasion and tear resistance performance. The result is a natural-rubber glove ideal for heavy-duty handling, processing and maintenance …

In its third Annual Healthcheck of the UK’s contractors and tradespeople, ECIS has found confidence at its highest level since the survey began with 48% saying they feel confident about the year ahead.

Following its introduction of the tough Black Mamba Nitrile Glove into the UK market back in 2012, Fortress Distribution is launching the new Pro Blu heavy duty latex glove. Manufactured from latex and at 14 mils thick it offers users the ability to work in a number of different applications. Some of the key features of the new Pro Blu …

A Bedford based contractor has been fined for failing to comply with a Prohibition Notice, which was served after the contractor was witnessed carrying out roof work in an unsafe manner at Premier Motor Company, Manton Lane, Bedford. Luton Magistrates’ Court heard how tradesman Bernard Buck continued the reroofing work at Premier Motor Company’s Manton Lane site with subcontractors, without …

A new prefabricated outlet has been added to Alumasc Rainwater’s high performance Steel range. The  one piece component reduces the risk of leaks due to incorrectly cut materials on-site. It also makes on-site installation quicker and easier. Suitable for traditional and modern buildings, quality steel systems provide limited risk of shrinking, leaking or colour fading. “Our lightweight Steel range is …