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4 Tips for Pouring Concrete Properly

Jun 19, 2019 Posted by admin In Home Improvement Tagged SS Prime Form Concrete Formwork. Comments 0

Nowadays concrete is used for a lot of DIY construction projects, from making driveways to artistic sculptures. Honestly, it isn’t hard to see why it’s such a popular building material. Not only is it extremely strong, it’s also resistant to fire and weather, and eco-friendly as well.

One of the most important and hard-to-master steps of concrete work is pouring. If you don’t do it properly, you’ll end up with a slab that’s misshapen and has a rough-textured surface.

Hence, we’ve compiled some excellent tips to help ensure that you avoid serious mistakes while pouring for your next DIY concrete project.

Prepare the Sub-Base Properly

The sub-base refers to the surface on which the concrete mixture will rest and harden. Typically, hard material such as road base or open-grade stone is used as sub-base. However, you might be able to use soil as well, provided that it’s extremely sturdy and well-compacted.

Regardless of which material is used to fill the sub-base, you must first clear it off any other material that may disrupt the pouring process. This includes stuff like rocks, plants, and grass. Only raw earth must be left in the base before you fill it.

Build a Sturdy Form

A form is basically a container or a border which is used to confine the concrete slab into the desired shape. Typically, the form is built out of wood, with nails to secure the shape together. There are two important things to keep in mind when building a form:

You must make sure that the corners are perfect right angles. Otherwise, the slab will be misshapen and the entire project may fall apart.
Make sure the form has a tiny one-inch slope every ten feet. Otherwise, water might collect in the middle of the slab and ruin its aesthetic.

If you don’t want to go through all the trouble of building a form, then the best thing to do is get in touch with a trusted local contractor like SS Prime Form Concrete Formwork.

Use the Right Amount Of Water When Mixing

Concrete is a mixture of three things: cement, sand and gravel in a ratio of 1:2:4 respectively. Water is used as the mixing medium and you have to be careful with the amount you use. Typically, you have to use as little as possible. If you use too much water, the concrete will become more malleable but at the same time the resulting slab will be weak.

Spread the Concrete As You Pour It

If you can afford it, we highly recommend that you hire a truck to pour the concrete into the form. Not only does this make pouring easier but you’ll also have an easier time with the finishing process.

If you can’t hire a truck, then you’ll have to do the pouring manually using a wheelbarrow. In this case, it’s important that you enlist one or more people to spread out the concrete as you pour it. This can be done by using shovels or special concrete rakes.

These four tips address all of the major steps that lead up to the pouring of the concrete. If you adhere to them, you’ll end up with a flawless slab for your construction project.

How To Make Your Home Look Expensive

Jun 18, 2019 Posted by admin In Home Improvement Tagged expand and renovate your home Comments 0

Let’s face it, we all dream of having a house which looks like it is straight out of a magazine. If you have a high budget then it will not take much to make this dream vision a reality. So keep reading:

Have A Clear Vision

You need to have the right picture of how you want your house to be. You should be able to give your dream vision to the designer who will be able to execute it. However, it is very important to be open to suggestions here because your dream vision might not be practical to live in your day to day life or certain things might be difficult to execute due to the space available or resources available in your country. So if the designer gives suggestions make sure you take them positively because they are much more experienced and have a better idea about it. Also having a clear vision will ensure that you don’t waste a lot of time in changing plans as this will delay the process. This is because each time a plan is changed you have to get approval which is not a fun thing to do!

Go To The Right People

Just like how you go to the people you trust with your hair and make-up, the same way you need to go the right people which will make this process a lot more easily making it comfortable for you. They would also restore your faith in builders because not all of them break their promises by not delivering what they said earlier. You could expand and renovate your home while living there. This will save a lot of money because you will not have to pay heavy rent for your temporary house. They do all kinds of expansion, for example, if you need space to build a swimming pool then they do that as well. Apart from that all the past customers have positive feedback about it so make sure you check the above link.

Maintenance Is The Key

Since you spend so much on renovation it only makes sense that you value it by ensuring that new space or the renovated area is maintained properly. For example if you have a swimming pool then make sure you clean it once a week, this is extremely important because if the water is not clean then it would give out a bad smell and those people who get on it will get skin issues. If you don’t have the time to clean it then make sure you hire someone for it. If you have built anything new in the house, then do the interior right by choosing the right size furniture. This is because if it is too small then the place will look way too big. You could check out on Youtube to get some advice on the interior if you don’t want to spend on it.

So if the mess is stopping you from renovation, then you should simply consider going to the right people as mentioned above. You will be amazed to see how little it took to make your dream house into reality.

5 Tips for Renovating Your Home

Jun 18, 2019 Posted by admin In Home Improvement Tagged ringgroup.com.au Comments 0

If you’re reading this, then you’re probably thinking about making some changes to your homes. It could be that you want to change your kitchen countertops to something more contemporary or you just want to fix a few broken, faded or damaged components around the house. Whatever it is, you’re going to want to do it just right.

The key to a successful renovation is planning. You need to make note of everything you want to fix or replace and plan out what steps you’ll follow to get it done. You’ll need to determine what part of it you’ll handle yourself and what tasks you’ll delegate. In addition, you’ll need to think about budgeting as well.

If this is starting to sound a bit overwhelming, then don’t worry. Simply keep the following tips in mind and you’ll be able to breeze through the project:

Make a List

Take a notepad, go around the house and make a list of everything that needs to be renovated. If you’re not sure whether a certain component needs to be fixed or replaced, we highly recommend hiring a proper inspector.

If you’re making some changes to the design of the house, it can help to make sketches. Don’t worry if they’re not very good, they just need to be decent enough for yourself or the contractor to understand. Alternatively, you could download the relevant images off of the internet.

Determine Whether to Hire a Contractor

If you’re merely changing a single light fixture or install a shower curtain rod, then there may be no need to hire a professional. However, if you’re undertaking something large like replacing all of the shingle on your roof, consider visiting ringgroup.com.au and getting in touch with one of NSW’s finest professional home renovators.

Plan Out Your Budget

Before you undertake any sort of home improvement project, it’s always good to prepare a budget. You should include the cost of all the supplies you will require and any contractor fees if you choose to outsource the job.

Figure Out Your Approach

Generally, home renovators tend to tackle tasks in order of how important they are. For instance, if you’ve got mould or rot in a part of your house, that’s obviously way more important than replacing a painting a room. Hence, it’s best to take care of the former first.

Here are a few more tips for planning out your approach:

If you don’t have much experience with DIY projects, start off with smaller projects. This will give you the confidence you need to move on to the bigger ones.
Tackle similar projects together. For example, if you’re having the carpet replaced, take care of any water damage present on the floor underneath as well.
Make note of additional problems as you notice them.

Sort Out Your Living Situation

Determine whether you’ll be able to live in your house while the repairs are still going on. For instance, you might not be able to sleep in your bedroom if the scent of fresh paint is still lingering around. In that case, try to arrange a stay at a friend’s or family member’s house.

With these five tips that apply to any renovation situation, you won’t have to stress out at all anymore.

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