The UK Construction Blog

Insulation is inexpensive and key to an energy-efficient home, one specialist has claimed.

Gordon Miller, sustainability and communications director of Sustain, commented it costs around £200 to ensure an attic is insulated.

And grants are available to help people who receive income support pay for the work, he continued.

“Before you even think about trying to generate electricity or hot water, make sure that the home is properly insulated. That is one of the key things,” Mr Miller said.

Homeowners can expect to save about £200 each year in reduced bills on an insulated home, he remarked, so they will make back their initial outlay within around 12 months.

There are lots of advantages to living in an eco-friendly home, Mr Miller added.

For example, well-insulated properties retain heat better in winter and are cooler in summer.

Ebico recently urged those thinking of selling their house to improve their home’s energy efficiency due to upcoming European Union legislation.

From 2012 it will be compulsory for energy efficiency ratings to be published in all sale advertisements for properties in the UK.

When New York’s tallest building, which stands at 1,454ft tall, was bought by Malkin Holdings in 2006 it was in a state of disrepair. But the condition of the building gave its owners an opportunity.

“When we took control of it, the place needed to be fixed. It was broken,” Anthony Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings, told the Guardian. The solution was an environmental renovation, he said.

“We’re doing this [making the Empire State greener] not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes business sense. If we don’t reduce our energy consumption, we will lose money and be less competitive against China, India, Brazil and the other expanding economies,” Mr Malkin said.

The makeover is expected to cut the building’s energy use by almost 40 per cent and cut bills by more than $4m. The project will cut the building’s carbon footprint by more than 100,000 metric tonnes over the next 15 years, the equivalent of taking 20,000 cars off the road.

As well as new windows, four central chillers have been replaced and smart air circulation systems have also been put in as a low-energy means of heating the building in winter and cooling it in summer.

With companies offering to fit homes with solar panels for free, experts say you can save more by paying for them yourself

Householders tempted by a rash of new “solar for free” offers could double their financial savings by paying for the panels themselves, experts have warned.

The advice comes as installations of solar photovoltaic panels have exploded in the UK, with the number installed in four months in 2010 more than doubling on the whole of 2009 since a government financial incentive was launched in April.

Spurred by the new feed-in tariff scheme that pays small scale generators of green electricity, a glut of companies are offering to fit thousands of homes with solar panels for free. Under the “rent your roof” model, the companies earn the tariff worth approximately £835 a year and the homeowner benefits from an annual saving of around £110 off their electricity bill. Homesun, ISIS Solar and A Shade Greener are three of the firms planning to do a deal with more than 120,000 homeowners by 2015, with Homesun promising to fit 2,000 homes in the next 12 months.

But homeowners would almost certainly be better off paying for the solar panels themselves, even taking into account interest on a loan for the upfront cost of around £10,000 for a typical home. “Looking at the figures, it [paying for panels yourself] looks like a better deal on paper,” Liz Laine, energy expert at Consumer Focus, told the Guardian. She added that consumers should go into such deals “with their eyes open”. Simon Osborn, policy advisor at Which?, said: “If you have the means to pay for solar panels yourself, then you may well be better off arranging to have them installed yourself.” Consumer Focus has also published a checklist of 24 questions people should ask before signing up, including who has liability if something goes wrong with the panels.

Under the “free solar” model, a homeowner would save in the region of £2,750 on energy bills over 25 years, the length of the tariff offer. By paying for their own panels with a loan at 7.7% interest repaid over 10 years and earning income from the feed-in tariff, they could save around £6,506 over the same period.

But the rise of such business models is exactly what the tariff was designed to do, say government and solar industry figures – drive innovation and solar take-up. Since the tariff started on 1 April, 12.12 megawatt peak (MWp) of solar panels have been installed at 4,822 homes, up from 3.8MWp in 2007, 4.42 MWp in 2008 and 5 MWp in 2009. Solar panel makers are responding to the demand, with Sharp announcing it will double annual production at its UK plant to 500 MW in December. The Wrexham plant, which currently employs 750 people, has seen the UK’s share of its output rise from 1% to 10%.

“A large number of companies are setting up to do PV [solar photovoltaic panels],” said Ray Noble, solar specialist at the Renewable Energy Association (REA). “Things are moving from a cottage industry to building scale industry, and creating a high number of jobs too.”

One UK solar energy company, SolarCentury, has seen its direct employees and network of installers rise from 200 staff in January to 350 now and predicts it will employ more than 500 by 2011.

The tariffs for solar and other renewable “microgeneration” are a key part of the UK’s plan to cut carbon emissions and hit an EU target of generating a fifth of energy from renewable sources by 2020. The government forecasts installations driven by the tariff will account for 1.6% of the UK’s electricity consumption in 10 years’ time.

However, the bill for the government and the taxpayer is unlimited. The government predicts the cost will be around £8 on every energy bill by 2020, though there is no cap and the scheme could potentially be a victim of its own success. Spain last week announced it was slashing its feed-in tariffs for solar PV panels by up to 45%, which some experts believe was a result of the tariff being set too high initially.

The rate of the UK tariff, currently set at 43.1p per KWh for solar PV on existing properties, is fixed until 31 March 2012, when it will be reviewed before decreasing each year. There is disagreement between industry figures over whether the current solar gold rush could force an earlier review. “I think the rate of uptake will be so fast the government will have to do an emergency review (of the rates) or possibly suspend them,” Alistair Roberts, project manager at energy co-op Renew, recently told the ENDS Report. “I don’t think there’s a risk of an emergency review in the next two years, as government needs as much help as possible to hit carbon targets,” said Noble at the REA.

Solar is currently the most expensive form of renewable electricity per unit of energy produced, though some in the UK solar industry believe rising energy prices and falling production costs will help it match fossil fuel prices by 2013.

Moisture Meters- The Key Facts

The measurement and detection of moisture and the meters used is a complex and important topic that is frequently misunderstood.

This article will outline the differences between the concepts of  ‘moisture measurement’ and ‘moisture detection’ as well as explain the most appropriate type of meter to use in different situations.

Moisture Measurement In Timber

The most common material in which moisture content can be ‘measured’ by using a moisture meter is timber. The typical tool used for this purpose is the widely available pin type meter (also known as an electrical resistance/conductance and destructive meter).

These instruments work by reading across the two pins and detecting the change in resistance when they come into contact with the timber.Pin meters will give a pretty good indication of the moisture content of timber. They are made and calibrated to do this on particular species of timber for example, Douglas Fir. These instruments work because the conductivity of timber (also known as the density), is reasonably constant throughout different timber types and is proportional to the moisture content. As there are timbers which have different densities to that which the instrument has been calibrated to, most meters are supplied with a set of tables which give the adjustments which need to be made dependant upon the type of timber being tested.

Limitations Of Pin Meters For Building Surveys

As described above, the common pin meter has been designed for use on timber and not any other materials. This fact is often not appreciated by many users who rely on pin meters to ‘measure’ moisture content in other materials such as masonry, plaster or wallpaper. This is not actually possible as there are major variations in, for example masonry and therefore no consistency between any two samples from different sites. The same holds for most common building materials.

All a pin type meter can indicate, at best, is whether moisture may be present but they can not measure the actual level of moisture in the material. The danger of using a pin meter is that the instrument only reads across the very small area between the pins. This is not such a problem with timber due to the homogenous nature of it. However, when looking for moisture in an internal wall, it would be necessary to make many pin holes all over the wall in order to get a thorough indication of whether there is a presence of moisture. This is time consuming and leaves behind unsightly holes. When faced with tiled areas (such as kitchens & bathrooms) the pin meter can not be pushed through tiles and as a result no readings can be taken or at best only a surface reading is obtained. The presence of certain substances on the surface of the material being tested, such as condensation and salts, will also affect the readings.

Thank-you to Mobile CAD Surveying for allowing us to copy this from their site.

For more information of a similar nature to this above, pelase visit the Mobile CAD Surveying Knowledge Base

Surveying & Triangulation

If you are going into the surveying industry then you need to know what survey equipment you will need. We have every type of surveying equipment that you can think of. We sell our survey equipment at unbelievably low prices; we always have specials so make sure to check back often.

Surveying Equipment

When looking for surveying equipment there are a lot of different things you need to take into consideration. What kind of surveying are you going to be doing, do you want to use a total system or would you rather use a theodolite, and how much can you afford to spend on your surveying equipment. The surveying equipment that we sell is the highest quality surveying equipment around.

The History Of Surveying And Survey Equipment

Surveying is the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or 3D space position of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually, but not exclusively, associated with positions on the surface of the Earth, and are often used to establish land maps and boundaries for ownership or governmental purposes. In order to accomplish their objective, surveyors use elements of geometry (Latin: measuring the Earth), of engineering, mathematics, physics, and law.

Surveying has been an essential element in the development of the human environment since the beginning of recorded history (ca. 5000 years ago) and it is a requirement in the planning and execution of nearly every form of construction. Its most familiar modern uses are in the fields of transport, building and construction, communications, mapping, and the definition of legal boundaries for land ownership.

Historically, angles and distances were measured using a variety of means, such as chains with links of a known length, for instance a Gunter’s Chain (see Edmund Gunter), or measuring tapes made of steel or invar. In order to measure horizontal distances, these chains or tapes would be pulled taut, to reduce sagging and slack. Additionally, attempts to hold the measuring instrument level would be made. In instances of measuring up a slope, the surveyor might have to “break” the measurement that is, raise the rear part of the tape upward, plumb from where the last measurement ended.

Historically, horizontal angles were historically measured using compasses, which would provide a magnetic bearing, from which deflections could be measured. This type of instrument was later improved upon, through more carefully scribed discs, providing better angular resolution, as well as through mounting telescopes with reticles for more precise sighting atop the disc (see theodolite). Additionally, levels and calibrated circles allowing measurement of vertical angles were added, along with verniers for measurement down to a fraction of a degree such as a turn-of-the-century Transit (surveying).

The simplest method for measuring height is with an altimeter (basically a barometer) using air pressure as an indication of height. But for surveying more precision is needed. Toward this end, a variety of means, such as precise levels have been developed, which are calibrated to provide a precise plane from which differentials in height between the instrument and the point in question, typically through the use of a vertical measuring rod.

The basic tool is a theodolite, set on a tripod, with which one can measure angles (horizontal and vertical), combined with triangulation. Starting from a benchmark, a position with known location and elevation, the distance and angles to the unknown point are measured. A more modern instrument is a total station, which is basically a theodolite with an electronic distance measurement device (EDM). Still more modern is the use of satellite positioning systems, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS). Though GPS systems have increased the speed of surveying, they are still only accurate to about 20 mm. As well GPS systems do not work in areas with dense tree cover. It is because of this that EDMs have not been completely phased out. Robotics allows surveyors to gather precise measurements without extra workers to look through and turn the telescope or record data. A faster way to measure (no obstacles) is with a helicopter with laser echolocation, combined with GPS to determine the height of the helicopter. To increase precision, beacons are placed on the ground (about 20 km apart). This method reaches a precision of about 5 cm.

With the triangulation method, first, one needs to know the horizontal distance to the object. If this is not known or cannot be measured directly, it is determined as explained in the triangulation article. Then the height of an object can be determined by measuring the angle between the horizontal plane and the line through that point at a known distance and the top of the object. In order to determine the height of a mountain, one should do this from sea level (the plane of reference), but here the distances can be too great and the mountain may not be visible. So it is done in steps, first determining the position of one point, then moving to that point and doing a relative measurement, and so on until the mountaintop is reached.

Triangulation

In trigonometry and elementary geometry, triangulation is the process of finding a distance to a point by calculating the length of one side of a triangle, given measurements of angles and sides of the triangle formed by that point and two other reference points.

Some identities often used (valid only in flat or euclidean geometry):  The sum of the angles of a triangle is pi rad or 180 degrees. The law of sines - The law of cosines - The Pythagorean theorem Triangulation is used for many purposes, including surveying, navigation, metrology, astrometry, binocular vision and gun direction of weapons.

Many of these surveying problems involve the solution of large meshes of triangles, with hundreds or even thousands of observations. Complex triangulation problems involving real-world observations with errors require the solution of large systems of simultaneous equations to generate solutions.

Thank-you to Mobile CAD Surveying for allowing us to copy this from their site.

For more information of a similar nature to this above, pelase visit the Mobile CAD Surveying Knowledge Base

Cardiff Construction Obstruction

Over the next few months we will be featuring some images of Construction sites that are of interest or unusual in concept from some young artists and photographers.

Our first in this series comes from James Anthony McNickle an amateur photographer who also sells some of his photographs that take peoples interest.

This one is titled Cardiff Construction Obstruction, if you are interested in seeing anymore from this artist, purchasing copies or simply reading his story, he has a website here and a blog where you can catch up with him.

Mobile CAD Surveying have added the Viliv model tablets to their range of products. The Viliv X70 has been tested for sometime by them we are told with their award winning Sitemaster Building Software after the demise of the Q1 ULTRA that had been used for many years.

A spokesman from the Company told us the Viliv X70 Premium and EX 3G models were “outstanding value and have proved their worth during long ongoing testing on live and real time surveys”

“Over the next few days we hope to be adding more fromthe Viliv range to our product base” we were told.

Some of the accesories already avaliable for this particular model are:-

Accessories/Upgrades

Standard with Windows XP Home - upgrades available to Windows 7 - Starter - Home - Pro
Power adaptor
Standard battery
X70 EX Leather pouch
Multi TV  Out Cable
USB Cable
VGA Out Cable
X70 Car mount
X70 EX Cigar Jack

Viliv X70 EX battery

Spare 5.5hour battery for the Viliv X70 EX tablets now available

Mobile CAD Surveying Ltd have no added the popular Viliv X70 EX tablet to their range of mobile solutions for their award winning software, Sitemaster Building. The Viliv X70 EX is now availble as standard in their mobile surveying solution kit, their very popular Sitemaster Hardware and Software Bundle.

FOR ALL BUILDERS & CONSTRUCTION WORKERS OUT THERE! WHY NOT DIVERSIFY?

Steve was like a lot of people working a trade in the Construction Industry, due to the economic climate he was out of work more than in it. One day he saw an advertisement for Sitemaster Software, this piqued his interest as it was something allied to building that he knew and as he already carried out his own surveys for estimating purposes he thought that the added bonus of being able to draw up accurate floor plans
would give him another opportunity to earn a living doing something he already had an interest in and which could help in his normal job when things picked up. Sort of kills two birds with one stone!

So what did he have to loose, he sent off for more information and agreed to a FREE NO obligation demonstration. What Steve witnessed was professionally-finished building floor plans, area estimates and inspection drawings using a Bluetooth handheld laser talking directly to the software held on a UPMC (Ultra Mobile PC) tablet, he saw that there was no longer any need to take measurements using tape
measures, no need to write any notes or draw pencil sketches anymore, the dimensions are instantly inserted into the drawing programme and it draws the lines in real time – On Site!

Steve stated at the time “I have experienced first-hand the immediate gains that Sitemaster Building software can provide to construction and building information mangers in terms of accuracy, speed and cost-savings”

He was told of how this software had been instrumental in saving time and costs on many projects around the world, “On a recent service project, I was contracted to verify a commercial lessee’s office square metreage and was able to determine irrefutably that they were being overcharged by more than 25 square meters on their contract”. Quite a rental saving over a period of a few years. It is obvious that
where commercial office space commands a premium, the cost-savings to the lessee will be significant over time and positively impact their cash flow each month” Just one of the ways this software can be used effectively.

Building Talk recently commented “Sitemaster Building is an amazing application, and is generating a lot of interest in the marketplace”.

Steve was so impressed by what he was shown, that he decided to buy there and then and take up the optional offer of a days training. This was carried out in due course and Steve immediately put this software/ kit to good practice. In fact he was in touch with some old clients who gave him work from time to time, construction work, but they had none available just now, so he offered his services as a surveyor
and offered to draw up floor plans of some of their property portfolio, he knew through the grapevine that they needed this due to recent changes in legislation, the two negotiated a price and off Steve went to start his first proper floor plan survey. The first building he worked on took him some time, he was after all learning as he went along, but by the time he started the second project he had ironed out all the queries
and problems he was having and with the help of the training he had received and the telephone support from the company, he was well on his way.

He was now starting to produce finished floor plans much quicker and 700 - 800 square meters per day were not uncommon. He knew through experience that most surveyors/architects will hand sketch and measure maybe 500 - 700 square meters per day, and then spend at least another day back at the office drawing the floor plans up. Yet Steve on only his second project was walking off site at the end of the
day with circa 700 square meters surveyed, measured and drawn and of course FINISHED! 

It quickly dawned on him that there was a real opportunity here to offer this as a full time service and make some good money along
the way. What started off as an attempt to try and earn a bit more money due to lack of construction work, had now turned into a
possible future gold mine offering his services of providing finished, accurate floor plans quickly and efficiently both for his own clients and for others. He had now in effect gone from a pretty ordinary builder to a much sought after professional member of the construction
industry, more or less overnight, he now charges his clients on a per square metre basis for most projects as he has now got to a point where he can produce nearly 1000 sq metres per day on a large project.

Of course producing accurate floor plans is one thing, but the Sitemaster Software is so good it also works out area, volume and perimeter calculations of rooms, it also automatically and in the background builds up door and window schedules, lists of radiators, plug points, and in fact anything else you collect along the way, the data collection feature of this programme is ideal for Asset and Facilities Managers.

Along with the floor plans, Steve now finds he can charge for providing door and window schedules, that for most traditional surveyors/architects can take hours or even days to produce, takes Steve seconds with the push of a button. The programme does this all automatically for him, his earnings are now rising exponentially as he finds more ways and new markets to put this programme to work for him.

Steve has since shown this to some of his fellow workmates on the construction site and comments: “Once people see Sitemaster in action and witness the finished results, they can’t believe they have been using a tape measure and paper for so long”. “Architects, designers - anyone wanting to create as-built drawings can now complete the task in record time without leaving the clients site. Better yet, there is no need to send two people to a site and finished drawings can be generated up to 10 times faster than traditional measuring-tape and paper methods.”

Profiled in a recent Microsoft white paper, Sitemaster is claimed to be the first system of its kind to automate the creation of wireless, laser-generated as-built floor plans, area estimates and building inspections for architects, appraisers, contractors, engineers, estimators, facilities managers, floorplanners, estate agents and other professionals involved in the design, construction and management of
buildings.

Using a Leica Disto D3BTa handheld laser, Sitemaster facilitates instant on-site creation of detailed, AutoCADcompatible drawings on a Bluetooth wireless Pocket PC, Tablet PC or laptop computer running Microsoft’s Windows mobility operating systems.

“Sitemaster provides the missing link for thousands of potential clients”.

Now it is time for you Construction Tradesmen who are maybe looking for other ways of earning a living, to try this for yourselves, why not? What have you got to loose? It worked for Steve, why shouldn’t it work for you?

For more on the Sitemaster range of products, please visit:
www.mobilecadsurveying.co.uk

No? well we have, just done one this week, not a big one but 5 or 6 circular turrents an octagonal turret a few staircases, gothic windows and many unique features, set in lovely grounds in the East Midlands.

Check out our site for all your Floor Plan, Elevational & Sectional CAD drawings and Measured Building Survey requirements.

http://www.measuredbuildingsurveys.net

Floor plans of all types of buildings and for all purposes, including:-

Offices
Public Houses
Leisure facilities
Health Care and Hospitals
Restaurants
Churches
Domestic Houses
Shops and Stores
Stock Condition Surveys
Apartments and Flats
Lease Plans - Commercial / Domestic Premises
Schools
Local Authority Buildings
Military Sites
Reflective Ceiling and Roof Plans
Commercial Kitchens and Plant Rooms
Commercial Energy Assessments (NDEPC)
and many more….

Other CAD Services

• 2D CAD Conversion from hard copy sketches or Pdf Formats
• 2D CAD Drafting and design
• 3D Modelling
• DWG & DWN Drawing Conversions
• Block Compilation
• Drawing & Document Management
• Visualisations from survey
• Space Management Plans
• Drawing Clean Ups