OUR SERVICES

We can renovate you home or buy to let purchase to the highest specifications and within your budget.

Converting your loft space is a great way to add space and value to your home. Whether it's for an extra bedroom for your growing family, or to add a home office, we can deliver you a bright and modern conversion to fit your needs.

Types of conversions we can complete are:

• Velux Conversion loft conversion
• Mansard loft conversion
• Hip-to-Gable loft conversion
• Flat or Pitched Roof Dormer loft conversion

Building an extension to your existing home is a great way to get a space to fit your families growing needs.

Types of home extensions we can complete are:

• Orangeries and Conservatories
• Single, double or multi-storey
• Wrap around
• Garage and rear extensions

You can change your existing dark and dusty basement into a bright and modern living area or excavate to create a new basement space.

Rising damp is water from the ground that transfers up a structure by capillary action. A wall in contact with the ground will become damp when ground moisture rises up it. This effect could typically lead to wood rot in skirting boards/timber floors, flaking paint, peeling wallpaper, salts and a tidemark effect.

Most types of masonry found in walls of a building will allow water movement by capillary action, although this is usually controlled by a traditional physical damp proof course (dpc). However, many older properties do not have a dpc in the walls, so where a dpc is absent has broken down or is damaged, rising damp will occur.

Where this is the case then remedial damp proofing work is required, which may include the installation of a chemical damp proof course system. Rising damp also introduces contaminating salts into walls and plaster which will require the plaster to be removed and replaced with specialist damp proofing materials. We specialise and are approved contractors with Sovereign Chemicals and Pam Ties which are industry standard companies which deal with a huge range of damp problems.

We do a whole range of drainage:

• Foul drains this is from toilets/septic tanks.
• Storm drains is water from outside gutters/roofs.
• Gully connection.
• Man whole forming/connection to main sewer.
• Foul stack which is normally for bathroom waste.
• Surface water drains for driveways or patios.
• Surface water collection tanks which collect your surface water so you can use it in your garden or for your toilets.
• Septic tank installation if you are not connected to a main sewer.

In construction or renovation, underpinning is the process of strengthening the foundation of an existing building or other structure. Underpinning may be necessary for a variety of reasons: The original foundation isn't strong or stable enough. The usage of the structure has changed.

• Slating:
Slate is as old as the planet we live on and it has been quarried and split to provide roof coverings for hundreds of years. British slate, predominantly from North Wales and Cumbria, has a reputation for being the best in the world. It is not uncommon to find a British slate roof still in perfect condition up to 200-years after it was laid and there is a thriving market in reclaimed slate.

When fixed by one of our teams of skilled Slater’s, a composite or natural slate roof will enhance the appeal and value of a property and give a lifetime of maintenance free beauty. Unfortunately, there is no longer sufficient indigenous slate quarried to meet the demand. Most natural roofing slates used in the UK are now imported, principally from Spain but increasingly from China, Brazil & North America. Alternatively, there is a wide selection of composite and slate look-alike products, which have the aesthetic appeal of natural slate. Often (but not always!) cheaper than the natural product, composite slates tend to be faster to fix and require less specialist skill to lay – yet they can still replicate the clean lines and natural beauty of a real slate roof.

• Concrete tiles:
The concrete interlocking roof tile is easily the most widely used roofing material in the UK. Easy to produce, consistent in quality and simple to lay, the concrete roofing tile is available in patterns and colours to blend with indigenous materials. Concrete roof tiles can be seen on modern developments the length and breadth of Britain.

• Clay tiles:
Clay tiles offer a more traditional appearance for your roof, with machine made and handmade tiles available, we can offer the best advice on your roofing project.

• Mineral felt:
Roofing felt is a term describing a roll of a base material which is impregnated and coated with bitumen or modified bitumen. High performance felt has a polyester base material which doesn’t split and is impregnated in modified bitumen, “Torch-on”. The felt is manufactured with a layer of modified bitumen applied to the underside of the felt, this is heated up and melted using a gas torch to form a “flood” of bitumen at the base of the roll just like pour & roll. The bitumen on roofing felt should be protected from UV rays to prevent it from cracking. This protection is usually provided using mineral surfaced felt which is available in a range of different colours. Protection can also be provided using additional surfacing materials such as solar reflective paint, spa chippings or ballast. Promenade tiles or paving slabs can be laid as an option for walkways, balconies or patio’s.

We provide a whole range of plumbing:

• New boilers
• Replacement of radiators
• Heating systems
• Kitchen connections
• Bathroom renovations and first fix/second fix installation

We carry out a full range of plastering services

• Traditional plastering
• Drylining
• MF Ceilings
• Feature ceilings and bulkheads
• Suspended ceilings
• Column encasement
• Two coat render and metal stud partitions.

We carry out all types of domestic and commercial work:

• House rewiring
• Plug replacement
• Lighting
• Fuse board connection
• Under floor heating
• Outside lights.

Guttering is a relatively inexpensive detail, however ignoring a leaky gutter can lead to many serious issues affecting the condition of your property. As a minimum we would recommend clearing the gutters each year. We can undertake this for you and arrange for repairs where needed. We can also install a complete new system that can link with water saving devices.

We offer fitting of most types of systems including:

• Half round
• Deep flow
• Square
• Cast iron.

All UPVC products are available in a variety of colours.

Cavity wall ties are metal strips or rods that are attached into the cavity space between the interior/external walls to link them together. These ties are often made of steel and are given a protective coating to prevent them from corroding. Over time the coating can wear off and the ties will start to corrode which may cause serious damage to external walls.

The most obvious signs are as follows:

• Cracks in the mortar or a slight separation of cross walls (This is caused by expansion of the wall ties)
• Outward bulging of the walls (This is caused by corroded wall ties that have snapped – This is a more serious problem as it can leave your property unstable.)

We will carry out a thorough inspection prior to any repair work being started, in order to evaluate the level of damage and provide the most effective solution. If the cavity wall ties do need replacing, the work carried out will include accessing the existing wall ties by drilling holes into the brickwork and installing the new cavity wall ties. The existing ties will be isolated to prevent further damage.

If you have noticed any of the symptoms of wall tie corrosion mentioned above, please contact Birch Contracting Services LTD who will be more than happy to take a look and provide treatment if necessary.