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News

Regent Development Award Finalist

Mark Slater of Regent Development takes to the stage at the Kent 2020 exhibition

Mark Slater of Regent Development at the Kent 2020 exhibition

FMB member Regent Development Ltd is in line to win the Kent Business Award for Small and Medium Sized Business of the Year.

In April at the Kent 2020 Exhibition, Managing Director Mark Slater made a presentation to a 200 strong audience about why the company deserves to be made a Kent Business Award winner for 2008. He will have to wait until later this month to see if he has been successful when the winner is announced at a black tie awards dinner.

“The judging process has been particularly rigorous” said Mark. “No stone has been left unturned, however close scrutiny of the way we run our business is always welcomed particularly by impartial observers. Winning this award would mean a great deal to us and act as recognition of the quality of service and dedication we strive to achieve in all aspects of our business performance.”

Regent Development is a Chartered Building Company specialising in home insurance repairs on behalf of some of the UK’s largest home insurance providers. They are also recent winners of the prestigious Coutts Award for Family Business in the Greater London regional category 2008 and will be going through to the national finals in July.

Who owns materials on site?

Most members will have heard the recent story of Nigel Gray, the Sussex builder who demolished a front porch and dismantled a conservatory piece by piece after his client failed to pay him.

Mr Gray completed £15,000 worth of work on the home of Anita Dovey, a tenant of Adur District Council. She had permission from the council to make improvements to the house, but offered endless excuses and missed deadlines for payment requested by the contractor.

Eventually Mr Gray said he gained the support and consent from the local council to demolish his building work, but the question remains: Legally, where do you stand?

Is it legal to reclaim materials when they haven’t been paid for?
Could you be trespassing if you visit the property without the owners consent?
Should you rely on the court system to get the cost of your materials back?
How can you prevent a situation like this arising in the first place?

In next month’s Master Builder magazine, construction law specialist Stephen Homer, of Ashfords in Exeter will explain to members exactly what they can and can’t do when a client refuses to pay.

How far would you go?

If this happened to you, how far would you go to get your materials back? Better still – how do you go about preventing it happening?
Contact the editor by telephoning 01778 391128, or email:
nickyr@warnersgroup.co.uk

Your anonymity will be guaranteed.

Two out of three homeowners choose improving over moving

Over 2.7 million homeowners planning to move this year have performed a dramatic u-turn in their plans as a result of uncertainty about the current UK housing market.

Nearly two thirds of the 4.5 million homeowners planning to move reported that they now intend to stay put and improve on their existing property.

RatedPeople.com, an online trade recommendation service, questioned over 2,000 homeowners to find out how recent market changes have impacted on their plans.

Whilst extensions were the most common planned improvement for 2008 (23 percent), ‘upwards not onwards’ was revealed as the latest trend in home improvement, with loft conversions named in 31 percent of extension plans - a decision that could lead to an average potential increase in house value of 15 percent.

'Hard as nails' laptop

The hard as nails Getac B300 notebook

GETAC Inc. has unveiled its new B300, the first fully rugged notebook to include the latest development in Sunlight Readable Technology. The Sunlight-Readable LCD display ensures continuous use under extremely bright outdoor environments by intensifying the visibility of its LCD display. Its 12-hour battery life makes it ideal for use in environments where a power source is unavailable and it has been designed to allow it to be taken into inhospitable environments and harsh weather conditions. It features a hard wearing fully magnesium alloy case resilient to small drops and hard knocks and features a shock mounted HDD which protects against data loss during unexpected free drops, vibration or if shock occurs. The B300 is equipped with sealed caps and doors to prevent solid particles and moisture such as dust, rain and spillages from entering the unit. Its security and defensive features ensure that data integrity remains intact in the event of theft, hacking or accidental damage. The B300 has been designed to include a variety of wireless capabilities to ensure no matter what communication requirements you may have, they are catered for.

For more information visit www.getac.com

Online guidance on site waste management plans

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), in partnership with WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), has launched an online broadcast to give guidance on implementing Site Waste Management Plans (SWMP); a mandatory requirement in England from April 6th.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) the construction industry generates over 100 million tonnes of waste each year of which approximately 20 million tonnes ends up in landfill. SWMPs provide the framework for construction companies to identify waste minimisation, and management
opportunities to meet the Government’s targets for halving construction waste to landfill by 2012.

View the online broadcast at www.ciob.org.uk/resources/onlinebroadcasts

Extended diploma will help 'supersize' education

Commenting on Ed Balls’ announcement of the new Extended Diploma, which will be the equivalent of four and a half A levels, Nick Gooderson, Head of Qualifications and Standards at ConstructionSkills – which is developing the Construction and the Built Environment Diploma to be launched in September 2008 – said: “We welcome this move as it will effectively supersize education for pupils wanting to study the Diploma.

"The Extended Diplomas will build on the work we’ve already done with Foundation, Advanced and Higher Diploma. We’ve been working very closely with schools on the development and we can say they’re very excited to be offering it and confident they’ll have no problem delivering it.

“The Extended Diploma will allow students to be stretched even further and give them the opportunity to be more research-intensive. We particularly appreciate the greater emphasis on a strengthened core of English and Maths. Noonean say now say that the Diploma is for less academic pupils.

“We’re really looking forward to developing this new level of qualification as it will enable those learners who want to progress further by learning more about construction and the built environment to do so. It will also meets the needs of our sector by delivering even better trained and skilled entrants to the industry. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Brick is the top choice

Brick is best

Brickwork costs less than just about any other competing cladding material. An investigation by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) found that, against a line-up of popular finishes for the external skin, brickwork beat justabout all of them on price.

The findings are especially valuable now, given that contractors are experiencing soaring costs and longer lead times for many competing cladding materials.

“The RICS are the experts on costs, so their conclusions are highly significant,” says Katherina Lewis from the Brick Development Association (BDA), which commissioned the research. “It wasn’t the basic unit cost of brick that the RICS examined – but its installed cost."

The study compared the installed cost per square metre for brickwork against a string of rival external
finishes, including simple fi bre cement sheets, different types of rendered blockwork, timber weatherboard, PVC cladding, plain tile cladding, ashlar stonework, and, at the top end of the price range, curtain walling and patent glazing.

Brick also wins high marks for its environmental cost. BREEAM’s Green Guide scores all brick construction ‘A+’ or ‘A’, the best ratings. And its carbon footprint? A square metre of brickwork produces produces 28 kg of carbon dioxide by the time it is delivered to site. That equates to 0.000233 tonnes per square metre a year, over 120 years. A very small footprint.

SPAB Days

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

Good as new - a one day workshop for North East builders on the repair of old properties.

Date: Friday May 30th

Venue: Hull College Centre of Vocational Excellence in Construction

Focus: Control of Damp in Old Buildings and Paints & Finishes SPAB has joined forces with Hull College’s Centre of Vocational Excellence in Construction to offer a one day workshop designed to foster best practice.

Working with building limes

The event is designed for anyone who owns or works with old buildings. Essential for building professionals, it is likely to be just as helpful for owners of older properties who would like to find out more about the best ways to care for them.

The event will concentrate on the issue of damp in old buildings looking at cause and cure. The day will also focus on repair of interior plasterwork, including decorative features and sympathetic paints and surface finishes. Afternoon sessions will take the form of practical demonstrations in lime plastering, including a look at internal plaster features and the mix and application of traditional paint.

The event is being held in partnership with Hull College with the support of the Hull Old Town Townscape Heritage Initiative. For further information contact Joanne Byrne at Cityventure (Tel: 01482 481878, email Job@cityventure) or visit www.cityventure.uk.com

SPAB is Britain's oldest building conservation body

Working with building limes – a two-day event for builders in Leicestershire. Suitable for CPD (Continued Professional Development)

Date: Friday June 6th and Saturday June 7th

Venue: Brooksby Melton College, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire The course aims to promote a better understanding of lime, both in building and repair work, and will cover a range of building conservation topics through demonstrations and illustrated talks. In addition, the event will feature trade stands, specialist suppliers and the SPAB bookstall providing technical data and advice on conservation materials, along with practical demonstrations of traditional building crafts on both days.

Cost: £49 (one day) £90 (both days). Includes: CPD delegates pack, refreshments and buffet lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

For further information about the Working with Building Limes Weekend or to make a booking go to www.brooksbymelton.ac.uk

Tel: 01664 850850 Email: course.enquiries@brooksbymelton.ac.uk

For information about all other SPAB technical events go to www.spab.org.uk or call Hannah Diment, SPAB education team, on 0207 456 0915.

£2 million available to construction firms taking on a programme led apprentice

Construction firms in England are missing out on up to £2m in financial support by not taking on enough apprentices, says ConstructionSkills.

ConstructionSkills offers up to £3,000 towards the cost of training for each Programme Led Apprentice (PLA) taken on, but around 650 apprentices on the PLA scheme are still looking for employers and unlike traditional apprentices they are available to employers all year round.

ConstructionSkills is calling on employers of all sizes to recognise construction apprentices as a vital resource, to commit to helping young people enter the industry and make sure they are not letting this money slip through their fingers.

Apprentices on the PLA scheme have been welcomed by smaller companies in particular, as they have already completed their college-based qualifications and are able to work on-site, five days a week. The Programme-Led Apprenticeships initiative, which was rolled-out in April last year, following a successful two year pilot, is enabling more companies of all sizes to offer places for apprentices.

PLAs are a new complementary route to Traditional Apprenticeships. PLAs will allow young people to complete a full-time college based construction course before completing the practical aspects required to attain NVQ Level 2 through a continuous placement of up to 12 months with an employer, a much shorter time commitment for businesses than Traditional Apprentices.

On average, a young person on a Programme Led Apprenticeship will have completed a maximum of two years in college and will then need to complete nine-12 months work-based learning component with an employer.

To help the employer and the apprentice through the apprenticeship, ConstructionSkills offers ongoing mentoring and support from an Apprenticeship Officer as well as ConstructionSkills financial support of up to £3,000 for a Programme Led Apprenticeship and a grant of up to £9,400 for Traditional Apprenticeships.

For more information, please visit www.cskills.org/apprenticeships or call 0844 844 0046.

The Considerate Constructors scheme 2008 National Awards

Ron Storer, FMB National Vice President, (circled) was one of the presenters at this year's Considerate Constructors Scheme National Awards 2008

Some 2500 guests attended a series of nine ceremonies held to present the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s 2008 National Awards.

This year, all the ceremonies were held at the Plaisterers’ Hall in London over a two week period in April. From over 6,500 eligible sites, 473 were selected as Award winners in the categories of Gold, Silver and Bronze, which were presented by a number of leading industry figures including the FMB National Vice President, Ron Storer.

Commenting on the Awards, the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s Chairman, Norman Reed, said “We are delighted, once again, to celebrate the finest examples of considerate construction, and to applaud the skills and dedication of all the Award winners. With another record number of Awards this year, the standards grow ever higher, confi rming the real commitment of the industry to considerate site practice”.