So, we thought a blog might be a nice way of keeping you up to date about the work we are doing and the type of things we are currently getting on with. Currently we've been putting a lot of time into getting the website ready to go live whilst converting the loft of our managing director Steve Dalton. Steve knows he's in safe hands though as he's seen how we work before.
His loft has gone quite smoothly so far. The shell is really taking shape now and you can get an essence of the living space that will make us his master bedroom and ensuite shower already. It's amazing how quickly the work can be done if the project is managed correctly. We always use a tin lid on our work which is a large temporary roof made of scaffolding. Lots of companies say you don't need them, that they are an unnecessary expense but we disagree. It protects the house from the elements (snow anyone?!) and allows the team to work uninterrupted as the weather turns from bad to worse. It might cost us more but it gets the job done on time and protects the customer's house. Important factors in any company relying on happy customers and word of mouth recommendations.
Steve is happy with the work so far. More importantly so is his fiancee. Chris our joiner has been liasing with Wandsworth Building Control and making sure all our work is compliant and so far, so good. There are always some problems along the way when undertaking a project of this nature but our main aim is to always react to them early and make sure a small issue stays that way. No one could have predicted the snow that stopped the team from working for a day but we just work harder to make it up and get back on schedule. Seeing and reacting to issues is what sets us apart from other companies. It would be boring if everything went as planned. Maybe not for Steve's fiancee. The wedding is in two months so I think going exactly to plan would suit her just fine! Overall though we are ahead of schedule and hoping to have their new conversion ready in plenty of time for the wedding plans to take over.
So the blog will be updated every week or so and just give you an idea of what we are doing and different projects we have on the go. Next week I'll try and run down the eco-friendly options we have been working on lately. For us, converting a loft should never come at the expense of the environment, and so we've been putting massive amounts of work into making our company as green as possible. I'll talk about that next week. Now I have to go and make sure my client Steve is happy with the work!
Have a good weekend.
Cheers.
Dan.
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Hi Dan,
ReplyDeleteAn honour to be the first to comment here :-)
I am considering a loft conversion later this year and being a prolific researcher prior to undertaking any project, I have come across a 'green' insulation product called Celotex. Are you aware of it and do you have any opinion as to it's green credentials and efficiency as insulation?
Thanks
David L.
David,
ReplyDeleteMy blog settings were not set to inform me when people posted a comment so I have ony just seen this. I am sure you no longer need this information but thought I would put something down anyway.
The question you ask is a good one. "Green" credentials are a very hard to prove as so many factors need to be taken into account when defining this. As an insulation material, products such as Celotex, Kingspan, Ecotherm etc all claim to be very environmentally friendly and receive "A" ratings for their ability to reduce energy use in properties. They do a great job of this and as such allow us to reduce our carbon footprint. My personal view is that using these products is better than not using any at all. However, there are more eco friendly and sustainable products out there. Many natural insulation products such as sheep's wool and hemp can achieve the required U values and are far less toxic to produce and to install. They can require larger amounts though, so in loft coversions, where space can be limited, it can be harder to use them.
As in all thes things, the best thing to do is to research into it and see what you think delivers the best results. Balancing a sustanable production method with a long term reduction in carbon footprint can be a difficult thing. The most important thing though is to realise than doing something is better than doing nothing. A lot of people seem to get worried about what is the very best product. For me, this is very hard to define but the important thing is we are striving to find it and doing our best to make a change.
If we all make a bit of an effort, we can go a long way to making a big impact. Good luck with the loft and drop me a line if you need anything else. I hope that was some help.