Piling and the Green Benefits

A green topic not broached very often so here goes nothing…

The reason I have chosen the green benefits of piling is because it is a topic that to the best of my knowledge has not been broached by the masses and masses of green bloggers out there. So I really hope you enjoy it and have fun learning about how the foundations of your house can equal a long lasting building that will help our ever increasing population in the future.

Longevity of Buildings

The world’s population is growing at an ever increasing rate and that isn’t exactly diminishing at the moment so how are we going to house all these new individuals? Well, build more houses. Yes we can do that and that is what we are doing but a major problem at the moment is the amount of houses starting to get demolished due to their condition and part of the reason for this is the support, or piling, in place for said house. With all these houses being torn down and new houses built it makes it very difficult for us, as a collective whole, to keep up with the rising demand for real estate. So as well as building new houses, we need to make sure that these houses can withstand the test of time when the demand for real estate is even higher! This is where piling comes into play…

Piling for Houses and our Future Success

Piling is the reason lots of our estates are currently being demolished. This is counterproductive to our needs of quality places for people to live. Now whilst we cannot undo the past we can prepare for the future. Prepare for the future by ensuring the piling for a home is done by quality piling companies with quality piling materials and will not leave us in a situation where another estate needs to be knocked down and more houses needed to be built for these peeps.

Examples of house that withstood the test of time and piling work being done today:

The house below believe it or not is 500 years old! Currently houses are being knocked down in Belfast that are just over 70 years old. Where the craftsmen in the 1500s better than us or have construction companies got lazy?

The next picture shows piling work being done on a house in London.

Now I am no archaeologist but surely there is no way in which piling or foundations in the 1500s where as good as what can we see in this picture? I honestly believe if all piling work is done like this then surely houses would last a lot longer but the truth of the matter is that this is very a specialist piling company who care about their work rather than a big organisation who care about what is in their pockets.

This article is provided by Hughes and Hilton Piling; Specialists in Manchester and piling in Liverpool. For otgher home improvements visit EBP!

The benefits and disadvantages of cool roofs

White or cool roofs are made using the simple idea that a lighter surface will reflect heat rather than tar or asphalt that absorbs heat. The idea is that absorbed heat will require you to use the air conditioner and therefore raise both expenses and energy consumption. Here I will show you some of the main advantages and disadvantages of cool roofs.

Advantages

This can help keep your house colder in the summer and can also help prevent patios or garages from heating up like ovens on a sunny day. This can make things more comfortable for you without using the air conditioner and therefore it should also reduce your energy bill. With careful research on your area you can find out if this is likely to save you money and in some instances its virtually guaranteed to be nothing but a benefit.

Disadvantages

It turns out they may not be the greatest thing ever as it has been found that it can also dramatically increase your winter heating bill and this depends entirely on were you live. In hotter country's this is pretty obviously a good idea and in colder countries its pretty obviously a bad idea but it can be hard to tell if you will save money or not by having one of these roofs if you live in non extreme weather. The environmental impact is also questionable as the heat being reflected may actually exacerbate climate change.

Welsh or Spanish Roofing Slates

Not many people know the difference between welsh and Spanish roofing slate which can be pretty important when it comes to having a house re roofed and you want to make an informed decision so I am going to go over the main differences between them both here.

Welsh Slate

Welsh slate has been used for generations in Ireland and it is extremely strong, durable and has a very distinctive color. Welsh slates tend to stand the test of time and it has an excellent reputation. This is due to it having a unique blue hue and also how it is waterproof and highly resistant to acid, alkali, UV light and temperature change. Welsh slate can last an extremely long time and can even be removed redressed and reused allowing it to last up to hundreds of years.

Spanish

The quality of Spanish slates are a lot more varied. There are a lot of Spanish quarries and therefore a lot of Spanish slate is imported every year and some of it is fairly poor quality. Some slate roofs that have bee installed using Spanish slate have failed only decades down the road but this depends entirely on the quarry that mined it and there are good quality Spanish slates you just need to be a bit more careful when purchasing it. Simply make sure it comes from a quarry with a good reputation.

Single Ply Roofing Membranes

Single ply is a polymer based, flat, synthetic roofing material that provides a waterproof layer in a single sheet. There are a lot of different kinds of this in the market today so here I am going to give you a quick overview of different ones.

PVC roofing membrane

PVC is the most popular in the UK and make up about 80% of the market. Its fairly easy to intall, flexible and the joints are heat welded.

EPDM roofing

This is an elastic, synthetic rubber roofing membrane and is commonly used with domestic projects. An EDPM roof kit requires complex detailing to ensure you avoid water ingress into the membrane however an EPDM roof kit can be made up off site with penetrations pre installed.

TPO

TPO is seen as a more environmentally friendly option and is heavily used in civil engineering such as for tunnel waterproofing and pond linings. In the past it was sensitive to UV light but this issue has been solved increasing its life expectancy. The issue with TPO is it cannot be welded dirty and can be difficult to keep clean on site.

TPE

This product was developed to improve some of the characteristics of TPO. It doesn't have any of the dirty weld issues and is very simple to install. Whereas PVC or TPO need to be patched small punctures in TPE can be resealed using the application of heat.

PIB

PIB is the oldest single ply roofing membrane some roofs are still up were this has been used for 50 years. PIB membrane also has a self healing edge making it simple to install.

Hiring a Reliable Roofer

Hiring a reliable, trustworthy, honest tradesman can be a difficult task especially with all the cowboy builders out there. Even buying the supplies can be difficult with roofing in particular coming to mind. Many people enjoy the traditional Spanish & Chinese roofing slates yet China and Spain are vast places and the quality of the material differs greatly company to company. Below is a list of ways to ensure that you get only the best in trade and material.

Recommendations

 

Mouth to mouth recommendations have been going on since people have possessed language and to this day is still one of the best ways to find out how good a company really is. Not only do you get a rundown from someone you trust on said roofing company but you can also see first hand work and materials to know exactly what you are getting.

 

 

Company History

 

Research any company before you commit. A well skilled and experienced company with employees who possess excellent industry knowledge is more of a safe bet than a company who is new and is still learning its trade.

 

Online Reviews

  

Online reviews are another excellent way of gauging a companies skill and repute. They are easily accessed and provide in depth analysis on specific companies. The only factor you need to be wary about is fake reviews that a lot of companies seem to be employing on bitter rivals.

 

Common Mistakes Made When Slating a Roof

Lots of people make a lot of common mistakes when they try to slate roofs and this can cause leaks and give their roofs bad long term prospects.

All slate is not the same

There are a very large amount of different slates in the world and its a bad idea to just buy some without doing some research first. Slating a roof is an expensive process and you want to be sure to get your moneys worth.

Headlap

A bad headlap can cause a lot of issues on a slate roof including leaking. Very often you see roofs with less than two inch headlap, no headlap at all or even sometimes negative headlap. If headlap is done wrong you may end up needing to re do the entire roof.
 

Bad Flashing Work

Flashing and slates are the two things that keep water from penetrating the roof. The flashing metal must be of adequate type and gauge but installing it should be done by someone with experience or training to ensure a good leak-proof roof.

Walking on the Slate

This is a very big issue that not many people realise or think about. Slate is not meant to be walked on. This will end up causing the slate to fall off so it should never be done except as a last resort or in unusual situations.

Lack of Information

If the builder has not done any research at all and just blindly rushes on with the job there are bound to be a multitude of issues. Slating a roof is not particularly complicated but it must be done properly there will be a number of issues further down the road.

Difference between Slate and Tiles

Slate

Slate is a natural stone that is cut and prepared for use.

Slate is formed from mudstone or shale.

Slate comes in a wide range of natural occurring colours including grey, blue, green or purple.

Slate is a metamorphic rock.

Slate does not require any kind of cementation in order to stay together.

Tiles

Tiles are manufactured from fried clay and concrete.

Tiles need to be overlapped in order to be used as roofing.

Tiles are used for floor, wall and roof covering.