Cheshire's Friendly Builders Ltd

With the warmer weather here, we are all spending more time in the garden and maybe you are looking at creating a new outdoor space to entertain with family and friends. We have recently constructed this beautiful covered outdoor seating area/ garden pergola.

If you have a garden project you wish to discuss please call us on 07960838210 or you can click on the link below and we will be happy to help.

https://cheshiresfriendlybuilders.co.uk/contact/

Fireplace restoration with log burner installation.

For more information visit our website https://cheshiresfriendlybuilders.co.uk/

It has been a very tough 18 months for many businesses and the building industry has been hit hard with the supply and demand of materials.

https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/news/construction-materials-shortage

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57247757

Building projects hit by lack of supplies and price rises Industry warns people to delay home improvement due to shortage of cement, electric components, timber and steel.

Cheshire's Friendly Builders Ltd updated their business hours.

What kitchen ranges do we offer?

At Cheshire's Friendly Builders we have 5 different kitchen ranges; Holborn, Oxford, Eaton, Sherwood and Cambridge.

The Holborn family of kitchens is one of the most popular ranges. We’ve focused on combining aesthetic flair with practical elements to bring you a kitchen that doesn’t just look good, but is durable and designed to last with everyday use. Storage is a big feature for this family of kitchens as we’ve included deep drawers and the option to add mid-height units, providing enough storage for even the largest families.

The Oxford Range is classic shaker styling at its best, with clean lines and wide-framed doors. Attractive and functional, the huge range of accessories with Oxford lets you bring a bespoke feel to your kitchen on a limited budget. Clear glass fascias for all Oxford kitchens.

Eton uses a high gloss or matt PVC facing for a great look combined with ABS strengthened making this kitchen practical for everyday life, great value for money with no compromise on quality.

The classic Shaker style of the Sherwood range gives the best of both worlds – it has the look and feel of painted wood, with the practicality and hard wearing qualities of synthetic material. The grain effects remarkably lifelike, and is created using a new manufacturing technology in durable, easy to clean PVC.

Cambridge is a new design in on-trend colours and is a modern take on a traditional shaker style. Ideal for homes of any era, use accessories such as wooden worktops or matt black taps to give a traditional or contemporary feel.

Choosing a new shower can be very overwhelming due to the huge variety!

There are 4 main types of shower:

○ Electric
○ Mixer
○ Power
○ Digital

Electric showers are one of the most versatile showers available and ideal if you want to have hot water available immediately and they also offer energy savings. However an electric shower needs good water pressure from either your mains or a shower pump.

This kind of shower is best for homes with a combi boiler, but they can work with any water system!

The downside of an electric shower is that they rely on your existing water pressure so depending on your water system you might find that they are not powerful enough and if you ever have a power cut your shower wont work.

A mixer shower is different to an electric as it requires a source of hot water to function. A mixer shower does exactly what it says and mixes your hot and cold water together to give you the desired temperature.

The good thing about a mixer shower is that they can be more powerful than an electric shower but they also require more water pressure to do this, meaning it wont be suitable if you have low water pressure.

A benefit of mixer showers is that there are concealed styles available which can look more fashionable and modern in bathrooms.

A power shower is similar to mixer showers in the sense that they require both hot and cold water taps however they are more suitable for houses with a low water pressure. It is important to ensure that your water tank is big enough to avoid running out of water when it has been used multiple times.

Digital showers are a more recent invention and are a great addition to modern bathrooms given how they look. The biggest benefit of this type of shower is how precise the controls are, as they are set by the technology, which is done at the touch of a button.

These showers are amazing for families as some allow you to set up profiles for each member to set their preferred temperature and they can be connected to your Amazon Alexa or Google Home Hub - allowing you to control the temperature with your voice.

At Cheshire's Friendly Builders we think there are a few must haves when it comes to bathrooms which we will try and incorporate into all of our work, these are;

Heated floors in your bathroom are a must! There is nothing nicer than being able to heat your cold toes on a warm bathroom floor on winter mornings which you can control from a thermostat on the wall and program it to be heated when you wake up.

Space! Even in the smallest of bathrooms! Small bathrooms can be made to feel larger through some clever design features such as carefully placed designed features such as extra lighting and mirrors. For smaller bathrooms, it may be better to consider a wet room or replacing a bath with a large shower enclosure.

Heated mirrors are a favourite at Cheshire's Friendly Builders because of the time saver that they are. When you have just got out of the shower, there is nothing worse than having to wait for the mirror to de-mist. With a heated mirror you are able to see your self clearly after your shower, saving you time in the morning!

Another must have for your bathroom is a heated towel rail to make your towels nice and toasty when you get out the shower and to help your towels dry after you have used them.

Our top 10 tips when designing your dream kitchen!

1 - Designing a perfect kitchen takes careful planning and thinking. You need to think about how and where you typically use items, for example, you want to store dishware near the dishwasher to make it easy to unload dishes.

2 - If you are having an island in your kitchen you want to make sure that you are giving enough space to move between the cabinetry and the island. It is important to ensure that when planning the design of the kitchen, this is all taken into account and if necessary things can be moved around.

3 - Judging busy areas of the kitchen is important. With kitchens where there will be kids, you wouldnt want to put your oven or stove in a busy traffic area as there is the chance that a handle could be knocked which could cause a spillage.

4 - It is important to pay attention to the corners in your kitchen and make careful decisions when it comes to placing your appliances. There needs to be enough space to ensure that the doors have clearance and they are not going to bang into each other when they are open. Corners can provide a big amount of storage space aswell so make use of this space!

5 - Find the right height for your microwave. If you have young children who need to be kept away from the microwave then it is important to make sure that it is kept above the counter height. When planning the design of your kitchen you will want to keep this in mind so you aren't stuck at a later date!

6 - When it comes to your kitchen island, form follows function. It is important to think about how you are going to use your island before having it installed. If you plan to eat off the island, then plan enough space so that the cooking and dining areas are kept separate.

7 - You will want to plan 'landing spaces' next to all of your appliances so that you have a spot to put items when you are cooking or preparing items. For example, you would want to have a landing space next to your microwave when dishes are hot to place them down quickly and safely.

8 - You should think carefully about how much counter space you are going to need. If you like to cook you are likely to want more counter space than people who dont cook very often, which will be between the sink and the oven.

9 - Another thing to consider is doubling up on your appliances. If you have a large family you might need two fridges to be able to store more food.

10 - Arrange storage around your over by storing all of your cooking essentials directly around your oven. This allows you to keep your spices and other cooking essentials close by.

Is it better to dig your own foundations for an extension or hire a professional with a digger?

We asked a group of professionals what they thought and the main answer we got is to hire a professional.

There is so much to look out for when digging your foundations including main electric wires and main water pipes and if these become damaged they can be very expensive to get fixed.

It is also a very hard physical task to dig foundations and can have a bad effect on your back!

Why put yourself through the pain when you could have someone else do it for you!

Whats best between a Rubber, Fibreglass or Lead flat roof?

Rubber roof are completely resistant to cracks once installed however if it is not installed properly then there is the chance that if it is not installed properly it could delaminate.

Fibreglass or GRP roofing is durable and strong due to it being made from resin, and it is also fully waterproof. GRP is commonly used on boats and to line ponds.

Lead has great sealant properties and is corrosion resistant making it long-lasting and it very flexible meaning it can be stretched to any shape.

Lead is a more expensive option but has a longer lifespan than other options.

Our Weaverham renovation is coming along nicely! 🏡

The damp-proofing has been completed and we have put our vertical props in to keep the house up!

We have knocked the wall through to the living room to give an open plan and we are currently putting the new electrics in!

See the before and after below!