• Building repairs

Planning on renovating a property? Looking into building renovations? Sometimes things don’t go to plan…

Uncovered ground might need resurfacing, a room might be painted using the wrong colour, a foot could go through a ceiling… Or, a new kitchen could be installed in completely the wrong property. 

Yep, you read that right. A newspaper reported that builders recently began renovating a kitchen in the wrong house – the very same property that also experienced uninvited gardeners beginning work the year before. It’s quite a read!

Whether you’re new to commercial building renovations or an old hand, it can be a stressful and time-consuming process. So to avoid a building renovation disaster, it’s wise to plan for the project by being fully aware of what could go wrong. 

Here are 5 of the most common issues that come up during building renovations.

1 – Uncovering Existing Problems 

Not everything is highlighted on a building survey, and the uncovering of further problems happens more often than not. Knock down a wall, and you might stumble upon a bad damp situation. A suspended ceiling is great at concealing cracks. Or you might think you’re replacing a dodgy light switch, and before you know it the whole property needs rewiring. 

Once you start taking things apart, you begin to uncover what’s lurking underneath. And what you find can cause big delays and even blow your budget. The situation can be especially catastrophic when you’re renovating an old property that has been sitting untouched for years. 

Be prepared for the worst, just in case, with a hefty contingency budget. Somewhere between 10% and 20% of the overall build budget is a healthy amount, but the more, the better. This way even the nastiest of surprises can be sorted as quickly as possible, avoiding delays and getting your project completed on time.

2 – Weather Delays

You only have to watch the news to understand how troublesome weird weather can be in the UK.

Some building renovations rely on a stretch of good weather to get the bulk of it underway. This is all well and good until you hit a spate of bad weather that doesn’t seem to be shifting… Suddenly, your project is months behind where it should be.

And we don’t necessarily mean rain and snow, either. The intense temperatures of recent summer heat waves have led to water shortages and even buckling railways, meaning construction work can end up being extremely unsafe. Whatever the season, weather can be an issue.

It’s inherently frustrating, but there isn’t much you can do if this happens during your building renovations. If you’re planning building renovations such as an extension, or a new flat roof, all you can do is protect the property as best you can whilst you wait for the adverse weather conditions to blow over. 

3 – Material Shortages

Covid, Brexit and industrial strikes have all contributed to some intense material shortages in the construction industry. 

High demand for building materials, alongside shipping problems and labour shortages, meant that even throughout 2022, prices were higher than ever. Whilst materials are more readily accessible now, the butterfly effects of the initial shortages are still a very real problem; one you’re likely to come up against if you’re planning building renovations for your property. 

When you’re considering who to use for building renovations, bear in mind that a bigger contractor has a more robust supply chain and overall better relationships with merchants. They can call in favours left, right and centre, meaning that they can leverage their position to get the materials you need at a better price and faster. Smaller contractors and one-man-bands are less likely to access everything you need in good time. 

4 –  Bad Workmanship

You could have access to the best quality products and materials in the world… but in the wrong hands, it’s still a disaster waiting to happen. 

Cowboy contractors are rife, and they’re good at pulling the wool over your eyes. It’s a sad fact, but a fact all the same. These professional imposters are true experts, doing a slapdash job and charging you through the teeth for it before ghosting you and avoiding your attempts to contact them. 

Usually, this means time and money spent chasing them for what they owe you, plus the cost of re-doing the shoddy and potentially unsafe building renovations they left you with. The whole thing is devastating, and hearing stories from the victims of cowboy contractors is painful, to say the least. 

To prevent this from happening, it’s on you to do your homework. Perform extreme due diligence. Check all available reviews, read as many case studies as you can get your hands on and ascertain what qualifications, certifications and professional memberships they hold. 

5 – Contractor Pile Up

Large-scale building renovations rely upon many trade professionals working together.

If you choose to use different contractors, you run the risk of things going awry because the completion of each and every stage is dependent on the completion of the step before… 

If the carpenter you’ve brought on board isn’t finished with his current job in time for yours, the electrician that’s supposed to be coming next Monday won’t be able to get his work done. Or if the electrician is delayed, this will hold up the plasterer.

There are lots of moving parts when you’re undertaking building renovations, and project management is a full-time job. Not to mention an exhausting one. Using a contractor that encompasses all trades means you can hand the reins of responsibility to someone else. 

And, as an added bonus, you can rest assured that each trade worker is a professional, sailing you swiftly past the issues raised in point 4. 

Reduce The Stress Of Your Building Renovations

There are no two ways about it. Renovations are stressful, and renovations are complicated. There are so many, but you can make it a whole load easier if you work with an experienced contractor with a professional, intensively trained and extensively certified team. 

Are you in the throes of planning a renovation for your commercial or industrial building and worried about managing the project? Take the stress off and get the whole job done professionally. Contact us today to discuss your building renovations. 

• Building repairs

If you’re thinking about building renovation, you’re probably overwhelmed with all the things you need to consider and plan. Renovation work can be more stressful than building from scratch, thanks to the aspects you must include. But if you go into your project fully informed, you’re more likely to find the process easy to manage. 

So to help you, we’ve written a guide to getting started with your building renovation work.

Building Renovation vs Building Restoration

To begin with, let’s establish what we mean by renovation and how that compares to other construction work, like restoration. 

A building renovation project usually entails improving a property, as well as repair and remedial work. Renovation tends to take a property and enhance it by adding to the structure or smartening it up.

Building restoration typically involves returning a building to a prior state. Lots of buildings invest in restoration work if they have historic features that may have been covered up or fallen into disrepair. 

Another type of restoration work happens when a building has been affected by a disaster, like a fire or flood. We wrote a blog about fire and flood restoration, and you can read it here.

Starting Your Building Renovation

Getting started on your building renovation is the most daunting stage. This is when you map out your objectives, research planning permissions and source a reliable team of professionals to help you achieve what you’ve set out to do.

Your Objectives

What’s the reason for your building renovation? Are you updating the decor? Adding new floors to make space? Overhauling a building so it matches your brand profile? Whatever your motivation, you need to be clear about your goal. As your project unfolds, you may be distracted by things that come up – having a clear strategy helps keep you focused.

Planning Permission

If you are hoping to extend your commercial building, change the exterior dramatically, or your building is a listed building, you will need to find out if your plans require you to apply for planning permission. Commercial planning permission can be fairly complex, so enlisting the help of a professional is advised – we’ve heard of cases where new buildings have had to be razed to the ground because they didn’t comply with planning conditions.

Sourcing Professionals

To avoid serious mishaps like not complying with planning permission, you should use a reliable and trustworthy team of professionals to help you navigate your building renovation. When it comes to construction work, GI Sykes has decades of experience that can help complete your project quickly and within budget.

And it’s not just our expertise that means our building renovation projects are fast and efficient, it’s also our network of suppliers that prioritise our orders (thanks to our large order book!). We often get the best rates and a good supply chain so we can keep your costs within your budget and avoid delays caused by the supply issues that have plagued the construction industry for the past couple of years.

What You Need To Consider

You may have an idea of the work your building renovation needs, but there are some questions you need to ask yourself or a professional before you start booking contractors. These are; 

• Do you need to get permission from your landlord?
• Does your lease or tenancy agreement allow the scope of your project?
• Will you need to change the category classification of your building?
• Does your building renovation plan need an architect?
• Will you need planning permission?
• Who will do the work?
• What are your timeframes, and what happens if you have a setback or delay?

Once you have answers to these questions, you’re in a great position to start getting quotes from contractors. We recommend getting a few quotes from professionals and comparing their different aspects. Price is often the first consideration, but going with the cheapest quote doesn’t mean you’re making a good saving. Equally, the most expensive doesn’t guarantee quality. You should also look at things like reviews, case studies and accreditations. 

What Your Project Needs

Building renovations cover a broad range of services, from simple painting and decorating to adding a mezzanine floor. But even with a ‘simple’ reno, the organisation can be tricky to manage. It takes time and consideration, from booking your preferred contractors to clearing the space. That’s why using a company that includes a project manager is highly beneficial – particularly on large-scale projects.

GI Sykes has a vast team of professionals, each specialising in their respective fields. We’re able to tackle multi-skilled projects without the hassle of having to manage different contractors and timescales. Some of the services we provide are; 

Extensions
Extensions come in all shapes and sizes, and your type of building may require specialist skills. Our team of 65 skilled building contractors have worked on pretty much any type of extension you can think of, from industrial unit to retail to hospital. 

We meticulously plan your extension to ensure that we minimise disruption to your business and keep to the timeframe. Your dedicated project manager keeps the team to task and means you only have one point of contact to deal with.

Rendering

If your building renovation includes smartening up the exterior, then rendering might be on your list of required services. We use the most durable and quality silicone rendering systems, so you know that your investment will look as good in years to come.

Partitioning

Partitioning is one of our most frequently requested building renovation services since many clients want to customise their premises to suit their business. We can quickly create boardrooms, offices, break rooms and other sectioned-off areas with quality partitioning that helps to insulate your property.

Cladding

If your cladding looks worse for wear, we can clean and repair it so it looks bright and well-cared for once again. We can even respray it if you fancy a colour change or want to cover up faded areas.

GI Sykes: Your Building Renovation Specialists

So, if you’re looking into building renovation and don’t know where to start, hopefully, you’ve picked up some pointers from this article. But if you’re still unsure how to proceed, call us. We’re more than happy to talk to you about your project and get your renovation project underway.

• Building repairs

Building repairs are an expected part of owning or managing a building, but there are some building repairs that fill you with dread – not only because of the cost but because of the impact on your business or tenants. Damp is one of these. 

Damp in a building doesn’t always mean disaster. In some cases, rather than building repairs you just need to educate yourself and anyone using your building on how to avoid it. However, worst-case scenarios do need interventions – luckily at GI Sykes, we have a team of experts who can make the process simple with minimal disruptions. 

So, if you suspect damp problems in your building, read on to see what practical things you can do to avoid or fix it…

What is Damp?

According to the font of knowledge that is Wikipedia, ‘structural dampness is the presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building’. We’re yet to come across wanted moisture in the structure of a building, by the way! 

Damp can be categorised into two types; penetrating damp and rising damp. 

Penetrating damp is a result of water infiltration through an external wall into the property through a defect in the building or the external brickwork that has become porus. 

Rising Damp is the name given to the process of water in the ground climbing vertically through pores in the brickwork.

There is some controversy over the legitimacy of the term ‘rising damp’ (we know, the trade is overflowing with excitement). One expert, Stephen Boniface, once said ‘true rising damp is a myth’ which caused a bit of stir in the industry – although he did later clarify that he’d made the comment as a way to open up a seminar stating the opposite opinion with a big impact. 

Sadly his statement, while creating a buzz, was taken out of context and even now, more than a decade later, there are still blogs and articles citing this remark as evidence that rising damp doesn’t exist! (There’s probably a lesson in here about making sure your message is clear, but that’s for another day!)

Signs Of Damp

Some signs that you are in need of building repairs are obvious; cracks, uneven surfaces, dripping leaks – but what are the signs that your building has a damp problem?

A Musty Smell
Damp has a particular scent, it smells earthy like old mushrooms. If you notice a change in the aroma in your building, it is worth investigating further. 

Wet Walls And Windows

Condensation is a key indicator that building repairs are needed. Condensation happens when warm moist air inside your building comes into contact with a colder surface. Most properties will have a little condensation, bathrooms and shower rooms are notorious for it. But if you are seeing large patches of mould on your walls, ceilings or around the windows, you probably have a larger issue that needs resolving. 

If your walls look wet but don’t have water on the surface, there’s a chance the moisture is inside the wall itself. This is a sign of rising damp and will need urgent attention.

Warping Furniture

Damp particularly affects wood so, in cases of serious damp, we expect to see skirting and wooden furniture take in some of the moisture. This can result in bending and warping of the wood, and if left untreated, eventual rotting.

Causes Of Damp

So, now you can identify whether or not you have damp, what’s caused it in the first place?

Hot Air

The primary cause of superficial damp is too much moisture in the air. Hot showers, cooking and dry clothes on radiators are the usual culprits.

Drips

Small leaks from pipes can go on to create huge areas of damp. And as they’re small, the problem can go undetected for some time which means that by the time you notice, you may have a significant issue on your hands.

Gutter Defects

Damaged or wrongly installed guttering allows water to run down the walls, which over time, can lead to water ingress in your roof space and walls. While easily fixed with simple building repairs to the guttering, getting on top of this issue quickly is vital in reducing the larger problem of the damp.

Damp Course Problems

A missing, bridged or eroded damp proof course is usually the reason for rising damp. Groundwater is absorbed by the brickwork of your building, working its way upwards.

How To Avoid Dump?

Penetrative damp is fairly simple to remedy since the causes are environmental. Some changes to your habits and some building repairs, and your damp should be a thing of the past. To reduce the chances of damp problems or to prevent it from reoccurring, try the following:

Ventilation 

A flow of air around your building means that humid air is removed. You can start by opening your windows for a short while each day, but if that’s not enough to shift your damp ventilation systems can be installed to keep moisture at bay. 

Ensuring that furniture is away from the wall prevents moisture from getting trapped between the surfaces. This reduces the likelihood of damp and any building repairs that arise from that.

Keep The Property Warm

In an ideal world, you’d be able to keep a low heat in your building throughout the colder months as this keeps the walls warm so condensation can’t form. But with the way the energy market is, it’s not likely that anyone can afford round the clock heating. Instead having the heat on at intervals can achieve the same outcome – you just need to avoid the building becoming too cold. 

Building Repairs

Keeping on top of your building’s maintenance is essential if you want to avoid bigger problems in the future. If your guttering is damaged, wrongly fitted or even just clogged, getting that resolved is simple. At GI Sykes, we offer gutter maintenance that not only prolongs the life of your gutter but also protects against issues like damp. The same goes for roof repairs – a little investment in ongoing care means that you’re less likely to encounter costly problems down the line.

For rising damp issues, you’re going to need specialist help in inspecting the cause of the damp. While there are some temporary measures you can put in place to reduce the effects of rising damp, you will need to resolve the root cause. We’re happy to help you understand your damp problem better, just give us a call to arrange a no-obligation chat.

Got Damp?

If you suspect that you need building repairs to stop damp, then get in touch. We have a specialist team of contractors who can identify the causes of your damp and provide quick, efficient solutions.