It’s that time of year where people are making their New Year’s resolutions. If you aren’t quite sure what you’d like to do to improve your lifestyle in 2017, why not think about doing something to your home? It doesn’t necessarily have to be something overly complicated, but it has the potential to make such a difference to the way in which you live on a day-to-day basis. Here are some of the things you might think about doing to your home in 2017:
- Building an extension. Ok, this might not be the most simple of projects to undertake. Chances are it will take a long time and a lot of planning. However, if you do decide that it’s the right time to extend your living space, it will make such a difference to your home (and might even add a great deal of value).
- Improving your fascias. Fascias might seem like a small matter, but they can really change the outside of your home. Getting them replaced or even just painted will make your home look as good as new.
- Converting your garage. If you have been thinking about making your garage a usable space, do it in 2017. You will really appreciate the space that you are able to free up.
- Getting some new windows. This will go a long way to improving your insulation and making your property look beautiful. It really can make such a difference to the outside and the inside.
- Changing the layout of your home. You can free up a lot o
f space by knocking down some walls and changing your floor plan to match your lifestyle. If you have a separate kitchen and dining room, perhaps consider making them one large kitchen diner to give you more space to enjoy with your family and friends.
Buying a house or flat to rent out is an excellent investment. It will bring in lots of extra money through rent, and even if you have a mortgage to pay on it, the rent should still leave you with plenty of profit if you buy carefully. You will need to make sure that you have got the property up to a good standard ready to rent out. Here is a quick general to-do list before your tenants move in:
- Make sure there is fire safety equipment. Check the regulations – these will differ in properties of multiple occupancy. However, it is generally good practice to make sure that your tenants have
easy access to fire extinguishers and fire blankets.
- Check that fire doors are in place where necessary. These should again meet with regulations and will give you peace of mind.
- Redecorate. This won’t take a lot of work and you may even be able to do it yourself, but making sure that everything is finished off to a high standard can actually help you to increase your rental income by charging tenants more money.
- Get boilers serviced. If the boiler breaks down over the winter, this will be far more expensive and inconvenient, so make sure it is in good working order first.
- Decide whether you will go through an agency. If so, they will be able to find tenants and arrange contracts for you. If not, you will have to do this yourself and will need to ensure your tenants have your emergency contact details.
- Make sure there are plenty of electricity sockets fitted. This is something that is very easy for an electrician to install and it will make such a difference to a tenant’s quality of living – they won’t need to use extension cables for everything.
Follow these steps to make sure your tenants will be happy in your property and won’t have any complaints. It’s much more beneficial to have happy tenants who will enjoy living in your property and will want to keep extending their contract.
3D modelling is a process by which construction professionals are able to design and plan a building project using computer aided design software. It is becoming increasingly more sophisticated and people are relying on it more than ever within their construction work. It has been described as a revolutionary process that has completely changed the face of construction, allowing it to be efficient, safe, cost effective and environmentally friendly.
The process of using data to produce a 3D model is known as BIM – building information modelling. It is very useful for architects and designers as it can produce such detailed and lifelike results. It can be used to replicate buildings of all kinds, or even to replicate multiple buildings as was seen at a recent construction expo where a 3D digital model of London was showcased.
BIM has become so useful to us because of the way in which it allows us to understand a building. It can simulate anything from doors and windows to the systems that will be used within the building, giving people a thorough understanding of how a building will operate.
Modelling has some very obvious benefits in terms of health and safety. The deep level of understanding it can give us is especially useful in the early stages of planning a building, as architects can ensure that their solutions are practical, realistic and safe. If any obstacles present themselves, BIM can be used to help overcome them safely. This can help to cut costs as well – issues should be far more readily apparent than they used to be, meaning that construction professionals won’t need to spend extra money fixing them. This is something that has been very much welcomed by the health and safety and construction industries alike. It makes the construction process and the actual use of the completed building much safer for everyone involved.
Innovations in modelling and CAD also have many ramifications for the energy efficiency of a completed building. By using these kinds of technologies, defects can be reduced, making it easier to construct buildings that will stand the test of time and use energy efficiently. Data can also be calculated to help the people who will occupy the building use it in the best way they can.
Whilst it is very useful when putting a building up, CAD design can also inform the way a building is taken down. It can allow construction professionals to asses how to dismantle a building to have minimal impact on the environment, and will ensure that materials are either reusable or suitable for recycling.
