There are many excellent reasons for adding a basement to your home, from creating an independent flat to having an indoor swimming pool. It’s a major job, though, and one of the most important aspects is ensuring the foundations of your house remain strong. This...
In spite of being a highly specialist field, you’ll face a wide choice if you’re looking for a piling contractor. How do you tell which will offer the most effective and professional job? At U&M, we’re confident that we can compete with anyone for expertise and...
Of the two main methods of inserting piles to support foundations, driving is the preferred method across most of Europe. In the UK, though, there’s a stubborn loyalty to the more traditional technique of boring, also known as drilling or driven piling While bored piles certainly...
If your property is showing signs of structural damage, the worst thing you can do is leave it alone. Furthermore, hope everything will be all right. If you're a landlord renting out a property, you have a legal obligation to ensure that it's structurally safe...
In recent decades, piling has become the method of choice for the majority of underpinning needs. Compared with other methods, it's quicker, less disruptive, requires less concrete and spoil disposal and is therefore much friendlier on the environment. It can also provide ‘stronger’ underpinning in...
Underpinning existing foundations on a building is a major operation, and the way it's carried out can have a crucial effect on the building's future. There are many pitfalls to the process — though fortunately most can be avoided by using expert professionals. Here are...
In recent years, property prices have gone through the roof, putting the option of moving home beyond the reach of many families, even if they desperately need the space. A far cheaper solution is to extend your existing home, and basement extension has really started...
Very few 20th-century houses have basements, but there are signs that this is being rethought. UK homes are smaller than in most countries, and many of us need more space. There seems a choice between moving to a larger property or sacrificing part of the...
For most people, scaffolding is just scaffolding. It surrounds buildings of all types and sizes that are being built, repaired and demolished and, at a distance, it all looks much the same. That’s far from the truth. There are many kinds of scaffolds, each type...
Whether you’re constructing a new building or strengthening an existing one, strong foundations are essential. However, especially if you’re underpinning in a built-up area, you’ll also want to achieve this with a minimum of disruption and nuisance. In both respects, the ideal solution is often...