Search Results for: build rent

Kier secures £42m affordable housing fund

affordable housing fund

Kier Living has secured one of the largest allocations of funds from the Housing and Communities Agency with an allocation of £41.9 million to build just over 1,700 new shared ownership homes in England over the next four years. The contract is a part of a £1.28bn first round allocation from the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 to …

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Construction industry predictions for 2017

construction industry post-Brexit

Ian Anfield, Managing Director for construction audit and contract provider, Hudson Contract, provides his predictions for the industry in 2017. “There’s no escaping the fact that Brexit will dominate the news and political agenda in 2017 and will have a massive impact on UK construction. This is primarily because we rely so heavily on EU labour to man our construction …

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Muck-Truck review

Muck Truck tip

Roger Bisby tries out the Muck Truck, a pedestrian operated motorised power barrow which is designed to carry three times that of a normal wheelbarrow and will shift loads of up to one quarter of a ton. It is a while now since I tested a Muck-Truck. Last time it was a battery powered machine that surprised me by taking …

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Baxi calendar says stay safe in 2017

baxi calendar

UK boiler manufacturer Baxi has launched a charity calendar for 2017 featuring children’s drawings that send a serious message to grown-ups. The calendar features 12 different pictures, drawn by children of Baxi colleagues. Each one offers a safety tip designed to make sure their parents come home safely. The children’s top tips include not using a mobile phone while driving, …

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Fly-tippers could have vans crushed in pre-Christmas crackdown

Fly-tippers

A pre-Christmas zero-tolerance nationwide crackdown on fly-tippers is underway  – as councils up and down the country use new powers to seize and crush vehicles used by the dumpers. Councils are also calling for a legal loophole – which means enforcement officers have to give some fly-tippers seven days written warning before inspecting them and seizing evidence – to be …

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Scaffolding alternative helps school slash roof refurbishment time

Scaffolding alternative

For children, the school summer holidays can seem to stretch on forever. However, if you’re a contractor brought in to carry out building work during the summer break, you’re all too aware of just how quickly six weeks can pass. William Cooper was one such contractor, facing a tight window for project delivery when it was hired to refurbish the …

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Eye protection: A site for sore eyes or a vision for safety?

councils to build

Every year, construction workers suffer from eye injuries ranging from temporary sight loss to long-term impaired vision and even blindness. Julien Clair, product manager for eyewear at Honeywell Industrial Safety, outlines the key measures required for effective eye protection.   What are the hazards? Construction sites create a significant risk for eye injuries. Every day, workers face a myriad of …

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Bosch launches two new 18v rotary hammers

18v rotary hammers

The GBH 18V-26 Professional and GBH 18V-26 F Professional are the latest additions to the Bosch range of 18v rotary hammers with EC motors. Both generate an impact energy of 2.6 joules – 50 percent more than the current strongest 18 volt rotary hammer. This makes them comparable with corded tools such as the GBH 2-26 Professional. This is where …

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New custom Transits revealed

Custom Transits

Ford has revealed exclusive new variants of the Transit Custom one-tonne commercial vehicle. The new Transit Custom Colour Edition van offers four colour schemes that feature contrasting roof, mirror caps, skid plate and side stripes, along with unique black 17‑inch alloy wheels. The Transit Custom Sport series van with its signature twin bonnet stripes is also now available in a …

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New Volkswagen Amarok goes on sale

New Volkswagen Amarok

Volkswagen Van Centres across the UK have started taking orders for the new Amarok model which is priced from £32,493 (RRP OTR). Replacing the previous model’s 2.0-litre TDI engine, the new Amarok features a 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine, making it the only six-cylinder model in the segment. The top-of-the-range version of this 3.0-litre V6 delivers 224 PS and 550 Nm …

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‘Retro boiler label’ a great way to start the energy efficiency conversation

Retro boiler label

The Heating and Hotwater Industry Council, HHIC together with the boiler manufacturers has this month launched the ‘Retro Boiler’ Label. The scheme aims to tackle the UK’s 9 million inefficient boilers by raising awareness of boiler efficiency with consumers. Registered gas engineers are now issuing an energy efficiency label, a ‘Retro Boiler’ label, on all non-condensing boilers with a permanent …

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JCB trousers review

JCB trousers review

Roger Bisby wears JCB’s latest trousers. JCB has introduced two stand out work trousers to its range. The Camo trousers are a popular look for builders, especially those who enjoy country sports, but these are dedicated work trousers. They have knee pad pockets and a zipped thigh pocket but no external pouches so they wouldn’t look out of place in …

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Calls for construction work to stop in freezing temperatures

work in freezing temperatures

UCATT is calling on the construction industry to introduce extreme weather health and safety guidelines because the industry is blighted by the inhumanity of the industry towards workers. UCATT is concerned that workers must struggle through zero temperatures, risk their health on icy ground or scaffold, or endure torrential downpours for up to 12 hours at a time while the …

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Day in the life: Gas Man God

Gas Man God

Skill Builder’s ‘Day in the life’ feature takes a look at a typical day in the life of different tradespeople. In the first in the series we talk to a plumbing and heating engineer who goes by the name of Gas Man God who is one of the co-founders of  the Gas Safety Super Heros campaign.* Name: GasManGod Trade: Gas …

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Snickers Workwear: RuffWork, LiteWork, FlexiWork & AllRoundWork

Next Generation Trousers

In this latest video from Skill Builder, Roger Bisby takes a closer look at the Next Generation Trousers from Snickers. When you look at the huge range of styles and sizes that Snickers currently offers you might reasonably ask why they need to produce a whole new Next Generation Trouser range. Fashion undoubtedly plays a part, even for a builder …

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Roofers see the biggest increase in earnings among sub-contractors

construction pay trends

The nation’s first construction pay trends index has revealed that across all construction trades, the highest increase in earnings year-on-year for sub-contractors was within the Roofing industry which experienced 6.1% growth, followed by 4.8% in Plastering and 4.2% in Scaffolding. The index has also shown that Wales has seen the biggest (5.3%) year-on-year increase in earnings amongst self-employed tradesman – …

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Blaklader workwear review

blaklader workwear review

Roger Bisby takes a look at Blaklader’s head-to-toe workwear offering which even includes footwear for wider feet. Blaklader is a well established Swedish workwear company that has a growing range of workwear for builders. It is important to try the garments on because there are different weights for different times of the year and also for different kinds of work. …

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Travis Perkins Innovation Awards winners announced

Travis Perkins Innovation Awards

A nationwide search for ground-breaking products designed to solve problems in the construction industry has resulted in the naming of six innovation champions to watch in 2017. The Travis Perkins Innovation Awards (TPIA), pioneered by the Travis Perkins – the UK distributor of building materials – is said to be the first of its kind for industry. The successful winners …

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Button-fix hidden fixings product test

button-fix

Roger Bisby tries out the Button-fix system. Button-fix is an ingenious secret fixing system for panels of all descriptions. It can be used to secure bath panels, WC panels, wall panelling and even shower panels. It is also used on fitted furniture. Of course you could just get yourself a tube of panel adhesive but the difference is that Button-fix …

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Bolton night club owner fined over asbestos exposure

Construction boss jailed

A Bolton night club owner has been sentenced after admitting a failure to carry out a survey for asbestos before starting on the refurbishment of a local night club. Manchester Magistrates’ court heard how UK Night Life Limited and its sole director, Charles John McGrath, undertook the management of a refurbishment project between 1 August and 12 August 2015 on …

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