Latest Posts

1. Plastering Walls and Ceilings

   Having walls plastered is a great way to create a quality blank canvas, ready for papering, tiling or painting. Essex Property Maintenance give a professional smooth finish every time, at a time convenient to you.  Whether the job involves re-skimming outdated aertex ceilings or plastering over plasterboard to make your walls ready to decorate, our expert service is reliable, fully insured and guaranteed. As well as plastering, we also provide services for dry lining and painting. As a result you can rely on the outstanding workmanship of Essex Property Maintenance to not only dry line and plaster your walls, but also decorate them with the material of your choice, whether it be paint, wallpaper or tiles.

    

   Our team of tradesmen are also fully qualified to construct wall petitions in your home/commercial property. These partitions are a great solution to those of you wanting to create:

   • Separate living and dining areas
   • Secluded study or play area for youngsters
   • En-suite bathroom within a bedroom

    

   Alternatively, for those of you renovating a commercial property, separate offices or treatment rooms can be created, acting as division, not load bearing walls. Partitions are perfect for homeowners who prefer traditional, individual living areas within their home as opposed to the more modern concept of open plan living. Partitions are usually simple to construct, traditionally using materials such as timber for the framework. Alternatively, for those of you wanting to section off a particular area of a room, Essex Property Maintenance also provide single or double glazed partitions. Glass wall partitions are a fantastic way of separating spaces, without losing light which such timber and plasterboard petitions can cause. Glass partitions create the illusion of one large area and are most common within commercial properties, mainly offices, although are becoming more popular within domestic properties to give a fit for purpose secluded area whilst at the same time a modern touch.

    

   Whether you are a homeowner or commercial client, we provide a range of screeding systems to give a professional finish to any size room awaiting new flooring. Essex Property Maintenance promise to provide:

   • A smooth and level floor
   • A reliable service at a competitive price
   • Deliver to your deadlines

    

   We take pride in the high standard of our screeding and have over 20 years of experience in the trade. Not only can we construct/decorate room walls and screed floors, we also focus on the exterior of home and commercial properties. Our external wall insulation services are guaranteed and insured to ensure your property retains heat at an environmentally friendly rate, saving you money too! After insulation, we are also able to provide rendering services, including traditional lime rendering. Like all of our other services, Essex Property Maintenance guarantees and insures all rendering jobs, and promises to give your property that much desired curb appeal.

   July 26, 2013 4:33 pm Comments Off on Plastering Walls and Ceilings

2. Essex Bathroom Installations

   It’s simple. The work we carry out for each of our clients is individual and can always be suited to specific requirements. We can create or decorate bathrooms from the smallest of spaces, making the most of every amount of room available – this is often the case with smaller wet room designs. Alternatively, if your existing bathroom/area you wish a bathroom to be constructed in is of a larger scale, we can provide high spec bathrooms and appliances that will give your bathroom not only a beautiful finish, but a breath taking one. We have hundreds of tiles to choose from, as well as a range of different shower, bath and sink fittings that we guarantee will be perfect for your desired bathroom.

    

   Creating the right bathroom for you and your family can often be a difficult decision to make. At Essex Property Maintenance, we can assist you with the design of your bathroom, providing computer generated drawings to show you what the finished result will look like. This allows for changes to be made and the design altered, if like many of our clients you wish to add last minute features.  Essex Property Maintenance make the decision process smooth, less stressful and aim to get all work completed within a tight schedule, leaving you with a bathroom to be proud of. If you’re thinking of re-decorating your bathroom, or even turning a room within your property into a bathroom, our plumbing expertise will assist you on your renovation journey. As well as being able to fit your bathroom, we can also tile it for you too! Our skilled tradesman work hard to guarantee outstanding wall and floor tiling and give a professional finish every time. We only use the highest quality materials in every aspect of our work and are experienced with fitting and replacing ceramic tiles, wall tiles, slate flooring and mosaics. Whatever your choice we promise to give you a beautiful bathroom to be proud of. It isn’t only bathrooms we install either, we also provide repair services for leaks, faulty plumbing or broken fixtures.

    

   No matter how small the job at hand, we are able to fix any given problem regarding your bathroom 99% of the time. Our team of qualified and experienced tradesmen will ensure any job carried out is of a high standard, providing you with an excellent service that has been maintained for over 20 years. So why not give Essex Property Maintenance a call today and begin the easy way to make your bathroom beautiful.

   4:26 pm Comments Off on Essex Bathroom Installations

3. Hiring a Carpenter

   Handyman or Carpenter?

   There are many different jobs a carpenter can do – they don’t only build furniture and fit kitchens, an experienced and talented carpenter can offer you a multitude of tasks that can really help enhance the look and style of the interior and exterior of your home. A handyman may be able to put together furniture, sheds and fencing yet a carpenter is a skilled individual who can not only put flat pack furniture together but can offer a few more unique services using their own skill in creating structures, frames and mouldings from timber.

   Here are just a few tasks that a skilled carpenter can carry out:

   • Constructing a Garden Shed (Customer Supplied)
   • Laying Oak / Solid & Hardwood Wood Flooring
   • Building Custom Made Furniture
   • Constructing Bedroom Wardrobe
   • Boarding Loft Space
   • Creating Wooden Sash Window Frames
   • Putting Together Garden Fencing
   • Fitting Skirting Boards
   • Constructing Door Frames & Hanging Doors

   And a highly qualified carpenter can make the very best of your home by giving you a beautiful finish.

    Hiring

   The most important thing to consider when hiring your carpenter is not the price; it’s their ability to create exactly what you want them to. Your tradesperson should be able to connect with your own ideas when it comes to making bespoke furniture and they will be able to vary their skills if you need a variety of services from them.

   Experience & Skill

   In cases of new homes and extensions or garden layouts, a carpenter with experience and the right tools will be able to put together differing parts of the finish you require. So if you need a completely bespoke kitchen that is constructed and designed to your tastes, or if you need wood flooring to be supplied and laid in a perfect manner then a great carpenter will be able to do those jobs for you so that you can rely on just one person or a team of carpenters under just one umbrella.

   A team of carpenters who are experienced in working together with flooring, stair balustrades, skirting boards and more is a great asset for any company. Whilst a specialist carpenter who can concentrate on one project, such as building custom made furniture for your home, is an attractive resource too.

   Time & Prices

   There are varying times to complete certain projects, of course, and this can be different at every single project. If you require skirting boards to be professionally fitted this could take half to full day and may cost in the region of £150 to £280. This figure would be based on whether skirting was supplied or not as well as the room size.

   Other projects could be assembling garden sheds which could cost a day for one person. This may be anything up to £100 which is a great price for a qualified carpenter.

   A larger project may be hanging new doors in a large house where old gaps need to be filled and the new door fittings need to be attached as well as the door itself working smoothly and fitting flush with the frame. In a large home where interior doors are required for, say, the downstairs rooms and four bedrooms, bathrooms and extra spaces it could take 4 days at between £400 to £780 with certain carpenters.

   Summary

   Summarising hiring a carpenter is quite simple for us – don’t choose the cheapest but opt for the skilled tradesman who has the experience and the motivation to commit themselves to your project. And, don’t always select the most expensive because it fits with your budget – you will not always get the very best value for money.

   Choose to hire a carpenter who can work with you to meet your requirements, who listens, and who has the ability to create one-off furniture pieces, fit floors or carry out whole-house refurbishments.

   July 23, 2013 11:45 am Comments Off on Hiring a Carpenter

4. Plumbing & Heating – Hints and Tips

   Essex Property Maintenance are somewhat pioneers in plumbing and heating and amongst the other varied list of services we offer we have some impressive plumbers and heating engineers that work hard to bring you one of the most convenient plumbing and heating services in Essex. We do make every effort to make sure our clients receive the very best workmanship and transparent prices so that you can budget with the reassurance that you are safe in our hands.

   Here are some tips and hints to help you when you are choosing a plumbing and heating engineer:

   Choosing a Plumbing and Heating Engineer

   Firstly think about the work that you need to carry out in your home or property, here are a few of the most regular works that our team carry out for our clients:

   Underfloor Heating Installation

   Installing a New Combi or Conventional Boiler

   Bathroom Installation

   Heating System Diagnostics & Repair

   Central Heating Maintenance & Servicing

   Servicing a Gas Boiler

   Fixing an Electric Shower

   Moving a Light Switch

   Installing New Sockets

   Toilet Repair

   Emergency Work

   Installing a Washing Machine or Gas Powered Tumble Dryer

    

   There is nothing like being left without heat in the dead of winter and being left without hot water when you need it. If your boiler breaks down, your toilet breaks or your shower needs fixing it is simply an inconvenience. Whatever reason you have to call on an expert trader, there are a few things to think about before you choose one.

   Are They Gas Safe (CORGI) Registered?

   Anyone working on gas powered appliances and systems in your home MUST carry the Gas Safe accreditation that was formerly known as CORGI. If the person working on your gas is not then they are breaking the law and potentially leaving you in a very dangerous situation. The CORGI gas registration scheme was replaced in 2009 and you can check to see if your potential engineer is registered with the new scheme by contacting the UK’s gas safety authority on 0800 408 5500.

   What to Ask For

   Always ask your heating engineer to see their identity card. Every tradesman registered under the Gas Safe scheme has been issued one. The rear of the card lists the projects that engineer is allowed to carry out.

   Qualifications

   Any plumbing engineer should carry the following before embarking on working on the system in your home or property; you can ask to see proof of the following:

   City & Guilds Craft Certificate

   OR

   NVQ Level 2

   City & Guilds Advanced Craft Certificate

   OR

   S/NVQ Level 4

   Water Regulations

   Other Things to Do

   With installation of a new boiler, heating system, bathroom or kitchen you may need to contact your local council. This ensures that the work can be carried out at your home. You will be liable for all work carried out in your home so for this reason alone it is worth spending the time researching and gaining proof of qualifications, certifications and whether the heating engineer has been registered as Gas Safe.

   In summary, it’s so important to do this properly after all your home is your castle and it’s great when everything in it work efficiently and the systems work as they should.

   If you have a problem with plumbing or heating, or have a requirement for servicing, maintenance or installation then please feel free to call our Essex based team who will work to ensure that work done is completed professionally, to a high standard, and to an affordable price.

   11:38 am Comments Off on Plumbing & Heating – Hints and Tips

5. Choosing Your Essex Electrician

   There have been recent changes in the law which means as a home or property owner, you are responsible for hiring a qualified electrician for more than ever before.

   An electrician has also now more of a responsibility of carrying out vital checks on the electrical system in your home, and providing a certificate that confirms your system meets current safety standards.

   It’s always best to hire an electrician from installing new sockets, moving and adding new light switches to rewiring an entire house. They carry equipment that is able to diagnose issues, ensure that electricity is flowing as it should be, and your chosen electrician should be able to read architects electrical diagrams that can be implemented properly and safely.

   Credentials

   When choosing your electrician, check out their credentials first. Just because they claim to have 50 years experience or 10 on their website, make sure that’s true. Challenge them when you contact the electrician to tell you more. Ask to see their accreditations, certifications, qualifications – anything that will give you trust in their service.

   Previous Customers

   When you do contact potential traders ask for contact numbers of recent customers, anyone who has had work carried out will be more than happy to tell you if they’re unhappy, and if they aren’t unhappy they’ll tell you that too!

   Trade Sites

   There are many websites today that have been set up to supposedly offer you details of a number of traders that you need, supply their website and contact details, and then you contact them at will. Avoid these as there are too many of those sites advertising traders that lead customers into thinking if they have web presence they are good at their job. Just because a trader has a website or appears friendly and attends to your call for a quotation promptly doesn’t mean that they are qualified to work in your home in a safe manner.

   Legal

   Make sure that when comparing electricians you check that they are legally allowed to carry out the work you need. This will mean finding out more about their qualifications. Just because they have worked in the industry for years doesn’t mean they have the most current certifications to work on the wiring in your home.

   Finally, if you are Essex based and ARE looking for excellent electricians with not only 20 years of experience but with all the leading and current qualifications, and who are legally allowed to certificate electrical work carried out in your property then call us. We’ll happily tell you why you should choose us, give you a competitive quotation, and then we’ll sign off any work that we complete ensuring that you, your family and your home is safe.

   11:27 am Comments Off on Choosing Your Essex Electrician

6. Expert Electricians – Choosing the Right One

   Any electrical work conducted anywhere in the UK is subject to strict regulations and must be signed off once completed. You are able to fit light switches and carry out the smaller electrical jobs (changing plugs included!) yet larger projects such as adding cabling, testing the electrics in your home, and installing new wiring must be carried out by a registered professional. This ensures that your home remains safe and is not left with any risk of harm to you and your family. There are also strict rules in place for Landlords with single, family tenants or HMO’s (House of Multiple Occupation) and commercial property owners.

    Only Choose Registered Electricians – It’s Much Safer

   Let’s face it, electrics in your home or property need to be safe. 111,400 homes in the UK every year are subjected to fires caused by poor electrical systems, according to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) recently.

   Would you want to be one of the statistics that make up that figure?

   We thought not, so here’s a guide as to why you might be carrying out electrical work in the home or within your property, and how best to choose the right tradesman to carry out the project for you.

    Potential Electrical Work

   Within the home there are so many reasons that you may be carrying out repairs or projects to the electrics that help run it.

   If you have moved into an old traditional abode then you may want to check the wiring within it. Older houses have old circuit boards and wires that, when work is carried out, must be changed to suit the modern legislation that covers wiring in the domestic home.

   Perhaps you have recently added an extension to your property and want to install clever lighting, an intelligent computing system with remote control boards that make switching lighting, entertainment appliances and even drawing curtains and blinds easy at the flick of a switch. And maybe you just want to test some switches that are failing to work properly. It also may be that you need to install outdoor lighting for entertainment or security purposes or even want to install CCTV or remote access to your property – having all of these things carried out by a qualified electrician is a must.

   Another reason may be that you have had a water leakage or suspect there may be water leaking into your home. Everyone knows that water and electrics don’t go together, and when they do they can cause untold dangerous events. The space in your home that is most susceptible to this is the bathroom where both water and electrics are used. Knowing just what to fit when you are redesigning your bathroom and adding appliances and light switches is key to safety in this area of your home.

   Whatever the reason for calling on an electrician, you truly need one that can carry out that type of work to a very high standard. It is so important to take measures that mean the necessary precautions around the home are free from risk. Even using extension cords or multiple plugs are connected to one socket can cause fires if they are defective in some way.

    

   11:23 am Comments Off on Expert Electricians – Choosing the Right One

7. Extension update

   Updated view in the extension in prince ave. things slowly taking shape

   

   July 17, 2013 8:46 am Comments Off on Extension update

8. Extension in progress

   Another job done by our selfs 6×7 m extension we cleared old lean too dug up old footings now in progress off building extension
   And the sun is shining

   

   July 15, 2013 9:37 am Comments Off on Extension in progress

9. Saving money ?

   We get asked this question on most jobs. I want the job done cheap we can do cheap jobs but it comes at a price.!! the job won’t get done as well and we will be using cheaper products and rushing to make any money. There for the job will not turn out as well also products being used may break down/stop working /. Do the job right and do it once.

   May 6, 2013 5:49 pm Comments Off on Saving money ?

10. Kitchen Fitting, Refurbishment & Kitchen Designs

    Renovating your kitchen can often seem quite easy but even when you have very little space and a small room, making the best of your assets and getting value for money can be essential.

     

    We say this because no matter how small, awkward, spacious or square your room is there is always a way to enhance your kitchen to ensure that you get the best out of it. Getting value for money though does not always mean cheap. Unless you’re a hardened bargain hunter and are prepared to wait for an inexpensive kitchen set, and you are ready to find that the cheap kitchen you have selected doesn’t quite fit, then value for money means getting the best use of a kitchen that works for you.

     

    From planning the kitchen around a new extension to revamping an old kitchen, the preparation is key. Whether you are a keen DIY enthusiast or prefer to hire professionals to carry out the work for you, it is quite difficult to find the perfect balance of workspace and storage, as well as thinking about what to do with strange or small spaces.

     

    That said, if you do research fully you can find that your finished kitchen can look stunning, work to meet the needs of you and your family, and will be long lasting so that you can be assured it will suit your requirements for years to come.

     

    Tips – Zoning

    Look at the floor plans first. Do a scale drawing of your layout including doors and windows, where current plumbing and gas systems are placed and make sure that you can clearly see what space you have.

     

    Consider whether you can change the layout – where is your oven, fridge and sink placed? Can it be altered for the better?

     

    If you are pulling out existing units, you may not have to stick with the layout you currently have. If you are lucky enough to have had an extension that you wish to install a new kitchen in then that’s great, getting it right at the planning stage will save you lots of hassle!

     

    With a small space, you may not need to take out units but can add to them to make use of height space rather than reducing your floor area.

     

    Ensure when you’re planning that you take into consideration the power points as well as the plumbing and gas pipes that are in place.

     

    Changing where pipes are, flooring, adding luxuries such as underfloor heating will all add to the costs. This includes adding an American refrigerator which needs extra plumbing systems, and if you intend to move an oven or boiler.

     

    Play around with the entire kitchen design until you are happy. If you intend to fit the kitchen yourself or have a professional, to do the work you will need good and solid plans. However if you are unsure then you may find that an expert can help you plan the whole space.

     

    Remember the kitchen work triangle; this is made up of the oven / hob, fridge and sink. Between these, you need to think about workspace, entertaining, dining and family areas if you wish to add those – and have the room to do this. If you are a gadget fan, you may prefer storage to workspace; if you are a cook, you may prefer a good combination of storage and work surfaces. And if you have a family to house in the main room of your home or property, you may wish to leave some space for a dining or seating area.

     

     

    Summary

    There are many ideas online and in magazines about laying out your kitchen. Whether you have a small or a very large space it can be hard to take on the job of installing a new kitchen, disposing of the waste that accumulates, and living with it as you work. Hiring a professional however can be much easier and professional kitchen fitters will always offer you a good guarantee.

     

    When choosing a kitchen fitter please be sure to get recommendations rather than choosing the cheapest option or selecting a company straight from your local tradesman list.

     

    If you still are unsure as to planning, designing and fitting your kitchen then call on our expert services. We don’t propose to be the cheapest, but we guarantee value for money. That is, we offer superior services, warranties on our work and your cabinets, and will help you at every stage to make sure the kitchen works for you.

     

    A straightforward replacement or an entire revamp with bells and whistles (or chandeliers and spotlights) we will help you achieve the best that you can with your budget.

     

    Call our friendly team today and we will visit you to measure up, see your plans or help build them, and to offer you a free quotation based on the layout, materials and requirements.

    January 6, 2013 10:27 pm Comments Off on Kitchen Fitting, Refurbishment & Kitchen Designs