Not strictly a trade product but given that we love any products that can make you more productive we had to share this for any builders with babies out there. 

For many new parents, there is only one guaranteed solution to putting their baby down at the end of the day – a night-time drive that soothes, calms and eventually helps little one nod off.

But that still means a disrupted night for mum or dad, who research shows can typically expect little more than five hours sleep a night while losing the equivalent of 44 days sleep in just the first year of their child’s life. Help, however, could soon be at hand.

Ford has developed a cot that could simulate – in the comfort of your own home – the motion, engine noise, and even the street lighting of those night‑time drives.

Ford has developed a cot that could simulate – in the comfort of your own home – the motion, engine noise, and even the street lighting of those night‑time drives. To all appearances a regular cot, the Max Motor Dreams, comes to life using a smartphone app. This enables it to record and then reproduce the comforting movement, lights and sounds of a particular journey.

“After many years of talking to mums and dads, we know that parents of newborns are often desperate for just one good night’s sleep. But while a quick drive in the family car can work wonders in getting baby off to sleep, the poor old parents still have to be awake and alert at the wheel,” said Max Motor Dreams designer Alejandro López Bravo, of Spanish creative studio Espada y Santa Cruz, which produced the award-winning design. “The Max Motor Dreams could make the everyday lives of a lot of people a little bit better.”

For now, the Max Motor Dreams is a one-off pilot. But following numerous enquiries, the company is considering putting the unique cot into full‑scale production.

Two roofing companies have been fined after worker falls through skylight nine metres through a skylight onto concrete flooring below.

The man suffered life-changing injuries and required surgery to install metal rods into his back.

Coventry Magistrates Court heard how ACG Roofing Limited had been subcontracted by JDB Industrial Roofing Limited to complete re-cladding work on the fragile roof.

At the time of the fall, on 15 December 2015, no nets or guardrails were being used.

The Mobile Elevating Working Platform which had been provided as an anchor point for the fall arrest equipment did not have enough capacity.

When he fell the injured person did not have his harness attached to anything.

Worker Falls Through Skylight

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that JDB, the principal contractors of the work, failed to have effective management systems in place to control the risk associated with working at height and on fragile roofing.

JDB Industrial Roofing Limited of Brooklands Court, Kettering, Northamptonshire pleaded guilty of breaching Section 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, has been fined £112,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2216.68.

ACG Roofing Limited of High Street, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire have pleaded guilty of breaching Section 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and have been fined £35,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1721.78.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Edward Fryer said: “This incident could have been fatal; the worker has suffered life-changing injuries due to the company failing to properly plan and supervise work at height.

“This case highlights the importance of proper planning, supervision and implementation of work at height especially on fragile roofing.”

See more on health and safety on Skill Builder.

When it comes to making vital decisions regarding building work, women are twice as likely to have the final say on the style and scope of the project, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

In advance of Mother’s Day this Sunday, the FMB also asked female homeowners if they have ever carried out a range of basic DIY tasks around the home and the results were as follows:

•    Almost 80 percent have painted a room;
•    65 percent have put together flat-pack furniture;
•    58 percent have unblocked a sink;
•    Over 50 percent have changed a fuse;
•    44 percent have unblocked a toilet;
•    Over a quarter have cleared the guttering.

Jenny Carter, mum of one from North West London, said: “I’m happy to hire a builder for the big jobs but it would cost me a fortune if I had to pay a tradesperson every time I needed to change a fuse.

If I’m a bit unsure, I tend to search online for “how-to” videos to help guide me through the process – these videos give people like me a bit more confidence to tackle the smaller jobs.

Every family is different but in our house, when it comes to these sorts of tasks, I’m easily as handy as my other half.”

Any lingering gender stereotypes regarding domestic life are totally outdated. Not only do women lead on decisions regarding the style and scope of building projects, they also get stuck in themselves when hiring a builder isn’t necessary

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said: “This research shows that any lingering gender stereotypes regarding domestic life are totally outdated.

Not only do women lead on decisions regarding the style and scope of building projects, they also get stuck in themselves when hiring a builder isn’t necessary.

In 21st century Britain, you’re just as likely to find a woman up a ladder clearing out the guttering or battling with flat-pack furniture, as you might be likely to find her performing some of the more traditional domestic chores.”

Berry concluded: “On a more serious note, the construction industry is facing a massive skills shortage and we’re crying out for more female builders.

At present, only 2% of construction workers onsite are female and until we start to appeal to 50% of the population, we won’t be able to plug the skills gap.

It is my hope that these hands-on women, many of whom will be mums, are inspiring their daughters to think differently about what is an acceptable career path for girls.

There is no reason why young women can’t become the next generation of brickies and sparks and it’s our job to remind them of that.”

See more on Skill Builder with women in charge.

London startup Plentific.com, a growing home services marketplace, has announced a new feature that will allow customers to book home improvement jobs with just a few taps on their phone.

This new service lets customers skip the process of searching for potential tradesmen, comparing quotes and haggling for a fair price just to book a minor home improvement job such as a clogged sink.

Instant bookings are made possible by Plentific’s network of Verified Pros, who are now available to book for more than 90 home improvement services, though this will increase to 450 soon. These include hanging a picture, installing new flooring and rewiring a light fixture. Since only Verified Pros can take on these jobs, according to Plentific.com customers are guaranteed a top quality trade professional for every project.

Larger and more expensive jobs, which tend to require more consideration, dialogue and planning, can still be booked in the traditional way via Plentific.

This is not the first new feature that Plentific has introduced to the home service market. Late in 2016 the company launched the ‘Plentific Guarantee’, an insurance policy which protects homeowners when hiring trade professionals.

hiring someone for a repair, maintenance or home improvement project is now as easy as ordering food for delivery

Plentific Co-Founder Emre Kazan, who leads Product and Tech, said: “This is a huge step forward for both homeowners and trade professionals, whereby hiring someone for a repair, maintenance or home improvement project is as easy as ordering food for delivery.
It wasn’t that long ago that you had to go through page after page just to find the right tradesman for your home improvement work. Now, any jobs that you need doing can take just a couple of seconds to book.

It will give Pros an advantage as well. Tradesmen have to waste a huge amount of time looking for local leads, preparing quotes and chasing invoices to get paid, when they could be carrying out jobs and building their businesses. Once a Verified Pro accepts an Instant job, it’s theirs. All they have to do then is agree on a date with the customer, do a stellar job and see the payment go to their account without any delay.”

Once a Verified Pro accepts an Instant job, it’s theirs. All they have to do then is agree on a date with the customer, do a stellar job and see the payment go to their account without any delay

Plentific Instant is currently available in the Greater London and will be rolled out nationwide later on in 2017. It will also be available via several Plentific partner websites, including Zoopla, PrimeLocation and HomeOwners Alliance, as well as a number of large consumer brands thanks to several partnerships which will be announced shortly.