Renovated home is better than a new house Patricia and Mark Preston are hosting a big family dinner soon…to see if their grown up sons recognise their old home. The house where they grew up in Carlisle has had a total makeover, thanks to Colin Aimers and his team at Kingmoor Consulting. The Prestons were debating whether to move house…
Challenging the gender stereotype in engineering In European languages ‘engineer’ is often derived from ‘ingenuity’. Being an engineer is using your observation skills, imagination, creativity and problem solving A Carlisle company is working with local schools to challenge gender stereotypes by encouraging girls to consider engineering as a career choice. Kingmoor Consulting, specialists in civil, structural and geotechnical engineering, are…
New rules come into force in 2020 and it’s worth taking expert advice to stay on the right side of the law. If your property’s septic tank discharges to a watercourse, not a soakaway or drainage field, you must replace or upgrade the system by January 1, 2020 – or before that date if you are selling your property. Given…
Over the last 12 months, we are seeing an increase in the use of different construction techniques. Lack of materials and rising costs of labour have resulted in homeowners, developers and builders adopting different projects and techniques to save money. The first in the series, presents ICF, or to give them their full name Insulated Concrete Formwork. ICF building systems comprise…
Finding a good contractor to work in your home, especially if the work is going to require modifications to your existing home, is important. Aside from the essential issues around the cost and scope of the works, what else is required to be considered when choosing one contractor or builder over another. The key areas we consider in appointing a contractor or…
Do you know whats under the ground ? Ground risk is becoming an issue for a number of our Clients and the issue of contamination is becoming an expensive problem to resolve. Even a small house extension can uncover a legacy of materials, which today, may pose a significant risk to health. The issue of contamination, and the dangers of building…
Getting the design right is key to any project. After all, achieving the perfect home is at the centre of what all homeowners are trying to do. Most yearn to construct something unique and seek something just a little bit different. It’s a common belief that only qualified architects can design a home, but this is not the case. You…
Over the last 10 years, we have been involved in the design and project management of construction projects big and small ranging from a small domestic alteration costing a few hundred pounds to large multidisciplinary renewable energy projects costing hundreds of millions of pounds. One question we are asked is : Why do we need to project manage our project,…
Are they the first sign of something is wrong ? Whether dealing with the conservation of historic buildings, or more mundane commercial or institutional buildings, it is imperative that the cause of cracking in masonry structures is well understood. Perhaps one of the most significant differences between working on relatively modern structures and historic buildings is that often, in the…
We are being asked to undertake a wide range of building inspections and surveys across Cumbria and Southern Scotland, and the requests range from minor defects to full surveys. However there seems to be confusion regarding the types of surveys being required and the requirements for mortgage lenders or property owners. In general terms, there are various types of survey…