Considering topical issues in Surveying and Property related areas and also within the wider Construction Industry. Readers are encouraged to comment on topics and to make suggestions for future postings.
Despite the
introduction of a raft of construction related health & safety legislation over the last 30 years,
there still remains an unacceptable amount of fatalities, serious injuries and
avoidable accidents and injuries within the UK construction industry
Just before
Christmas I published an article which proved incredibly popular (Link) that
highlighted the huge risk some are prepared to take when undertaking construction/maintenance
works, with little to no consideration of their own
health & safety. The article identified that the UK construction industry
is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the World and although
statistics show that improvements have been made in recent years, it is clear
from the latest Health & Safety Statistics (HSE) statistics that there
remains room for significant improvements:
‘There have been significant reductions in the
number and rate of injury over the last 20 years or more. Nevertheless,
construction remains a high risk industry. Although it accounts for only about
5% of the employees in Britain it accounts for 27% of fatal injuries to employees
and 10% of reported major injuries.
Despite the introduction
of a raft of construction related health & safety legislation, there still
remains an unacceptable amount of fatalities, serious injuries and avoidable accidents and injuries within the UK construction industry. The previous article made
reference to the ‘human factor’ which seems to be a inbuilt self destruct mechanism
whereby we as human beings think we can expose ourselves to whatever risk we
want because we are invincible! Sadly, this is not the case as statistics prove
otherwise.
Below I offer some
further images, which are widely available on-line, and provide some shocking
examples of how little some people value their lives and how they are prepared
to accept high levels of risk, by cutting corners. The images are taken from all over the World,
not just the UK. Just like the first article, when you look at the
images below I am sure you will ask yourself, ‘what was going on in that person’s
head at the time’, a question that these people obviously failed to ask
themselves:
Please feel free to share this article and
other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you
think would be interested
Information/opinions
posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be
relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further
professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright
notice at the end of the blog.
The benefits of using MMC’s are well documented
and include improved quality, speed of delivery, less waste, reduced risk to
health & Safety, minimises disruption etc.
These will vary depending on the method used in addition to the size and
nature of the project. Just like using traditional methods of construction the
benefits of MMC will only be realised if the project is planned and implemented
(and managed) efficiently.
Source: http://www.icfinfo.org.uk/
The term Modern
Methods of Construction (MMC) has been used for many years now, to describe
alternative methods of construction and processes that move away from the
traditional methods of masonry construction that we have used historically for many hundreds of years. There are a number of
commonly used and now commonly understood forms of MMC and these include the
likes of off-site fabricated components such as Pre-Cast Concrete, Panellised
Components such as Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPS), Timber Frame,
Volumetric (often referred to as pod construction). There are also a number of MMC’s that are site
based and categorised as non-offsite manufacture methods and these include the
likes of Tunnel Form, Thin Joint and Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF). There are also hybrid and sub-assemblies and
components that provide additional MMC options, demonstrating that there
is a range of different possibilities offered compared to traditional
construction methods.
Of
course we could have the debate about when a particular modern method of
construction stops being modern. For
example pre-cast concrete has been used extensively in the UK for the best part
of 35 years so is this really that modern anymore? For simplicity however we seem to be happy to
generalise modern methods of construction as alternatives to traditional
construction methods for which pre-cast concrete still fits this
definition. The benefits of using MMC’s
are well documented and include improved quality, speed of delivery, less
waste, reduced risk to health & Safety, minimises disruption etc. These will vary depending on the method used
in addition to the size and nature of the project. Just like using traditional
methods of construction the benefits of MMC will only be realised if the
project is planned and implemented (and managed) efficiently. MMC also has the potential for cost
increases, relies on very tight delivery dates and can be affected by manufacturers
capacity if off site methods are being used.
It is clear therefore that careful consideration needs to be given in
order to decide if modern methods of construction are appropriate and if so
which is the most appropriate to use, which will vary on a project by project
basis.
I
will consider a number of MMC’s in future articles however for this particular
article I will focus on Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF). This form of
construction uses polystyrene blocks which act as permanent shuttering and are
filled with in-situ concrete. Self-build.co.uk
provide a good description of ICF: ‘ICF is an insulated in-situ
concrete system comprising hollow blocks
or panels, usually made of polystyrene, and ready-mix concrete. The blocks are
stacked and fastened together with metal or plastic connectors to create the
walls of a building and are pumped full of concrete to form the structure. The
polystyrene is used as a permanent part of the structure’.
ICF offers a number
of advantages compared to traditional construction methods, however the ease
and speed of construction are arguably the biggest advantages. Firstly, the polystyrene blocks, which are
connected with metal or plastic connectors, use semi-skilled labour for
installation. There is no bonding
material such as mortar so the polystyrene formwork can be connected and
installed in a very short period of time, saving money on time and labour. Take a look at the video below to see how ICF
is installed.
The
polystyrene formwork is usually constructed to first floor level before it is
filled with concrete. Once the concrete
has cured, floors (often pre-cast concrete) can be added followed by further
polystyrene formwork and eventually a roof, depending upon the height of the
construction. The formwork provides
excellent thermal efficiency, achieving U values of between 0.30 and 0.11 W/m2K, which are capable of not only achieving,
but exceeding current UK Building Regulations requirements. The process of
constructing a traditional cavity wall requires external masonry, a cavity with
insulation and internal masonry (usually blockwork). This is labour intensive and often time
consuming to complete, something that is not such an issue with ICF. Whereas traditional construction may be
vulnerable to disruption due to the weather this is also less of an issue with
ICF due to the reduced time needed during construction. Once the ICF system has been installed
the external walls can then be clad in a variety of different materials. Renders, timber cladding or brick slips are
examples of materials that could be used which give the building a modern or
traditional appearance from the outside.
How then does ICF compare to
traditional construction from a cost point of view? http://uspace.shef.ac.uk
identify that although initial costs may seem high compared to traditional
construction methods, costs savings will be made due to reduced site
installation time and the use of semi-skilled labour:
Source: http://theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/
‘Perhaps
the main factor that turns many potential ICF builders away from the whole idea
is their headline cost. They appear to be very expensive when compared with
blockwork wall costs. Most ICF systems on sale in the UK cost between £25 and
£35/m²; add ready-mix concrete at £10/m² plus a few extras and you have a wall
cost of well over £40/m² before you have even taken labour into account. In
contrast, blockwork can be built for around £20/m² including labour.
But, as so often happens when you come to cost out
elements of building work, a more thorough comparison shows the ICF cost model
in a very different light. A blockwork wall on its own is only a small part of
the overall wall assembly: it needs an insulated cavity and a waterproof outer
skin, usually built from bricks, stone or a rendered second skin of blockwork.
Also, the joinery openings require steel lintels over them and there is
additional work required with wall ties and cavity closers. A truer figure for
the cost of a brick and block wall is between £70 and £100/m².
In contrast, the labour costs on ICF are very low:
an experienced ICF crew is capable of laying 5m² of wall per hour. Combine this
with an external render coat, costing around £25 or £30/m², and you end up with
a wall cost of between £80 and £90/m², slap bang in the middle of the cost
range for masonry and timber frame walling. But in return, you get very high
energy-efficiency levels built in at no extra cost, good soundproofing,
excellent airtightness and less room for poor detailing, as often happens with
masonry cavity wall work.
Another plus factor for ICF costing stems from the
speed of build, which reduces the preliminary costs of building, the money
spent on fencing, plant and scaffolding. Several of the systems offer the
possibility of building the walls up entirely from the inside, thus further
reducing the need for external scaffolding until much later in the job. ICF no
longer looks expensive and as if to emphasise that point, it is now being taken
up by commercial developers as well as self-builders’
It is clear that ICF
offers a good alternative to traditional construction methods with many
benefits. Perhaps this method of construction will become more commonplace in
the future, particularly as we explore alternatives to traditional
construction. With ever changing
Building Regulations powering a drive for higher thermal efficiency in
buildings and more efficient ways of creating, using and conserving energy,
maybe ICF is a step in the right direction?
Please feel free to share this article and
other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you
think would be interested
Information/opinions
posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be
relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further
professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright
notice at the end of the blog.
The Association of British Insurers highlight
the financial cost of flooding in the UK: ‘Since 2000 insurers have paid out £4.5 billion to
customers whose homes or businesses have been hit by flooding. This is up 200%
on the £1.5 billion paid in the previous decade in real terms’
Meriden, West Midlands 2012 - Source: Own
Over recent years flooding in the UK is something
that has become a regular news event and something that seems to be happening
on a much more frequent basis. In fact
even at the time of writing this article (7th January 2013), we are
experiencing prolonged periods on heavy wind and rain, resulting in flooding in
many parts of the UK.The disruption caused is often extremely stressful,
expensive to rectify and sometimes even life threatening. The facts and figures
below (Environment Agency, Defra and Parliament UK cited in http://www.aquobex.com) provide a stark reality of the impact of flooding, some of which my raise
a few eyebrows:
Around 5 million people live in flood risk
areas in England and Wales.
One in six homes in England is at risk of
flooding.
Total rainfall in the UK during 2012 was
1,330.7mm, just 6.6mm short of the record set in 2000.
2012 was the UK’s wettest year on record.
Annual flood damage costs are in the region of
£1.1 billion across England.
5.2 million properties are now at risk of
flooding in England
Flash floods can bring walls of water from 10
to 20 feet high.
25% of flooding occurs outside areas formally
designated as being flood prone.
40% of businesses do not reopen after
suffering a catastrophic loss.
The Association of British Insurers highlight
the financial cost of flooding in the UK: ‘Since 2000 insurers have paid out £4.5 billion to
customers whose homes or businesses have been hit by flooding. This is up 200%
on the £1.5 billion paid in the previous decade in real terms’. Insurance cover is provided for flooding by a range of
insurers however as with any insurance, premiums will reflect the level of risk
to the insurance company. This could result in significant rises in
premiums or indeed insurance cover being refused. In order to try to ensure that flood
insurance remains widely available and at ‘affordable’ levels a new Government
backed scheme is currently being formalised in the Water Bill which is in the
process of going through Parliament: ‘An
insurance deal that links flood insurance premiums to the size and value of
your home, based on council tax bands, comes into force in 2015. Under the plans,
a non-profit-making insurance company called Flood Re will be set up to provide
insurance cover to 500,000 households in the worst affected parts of Britain.
It will be funded by a contribution of £10.50 from every household across the
country, resulting in an estimated income of £180m a year, which will be used
to pay for repairs’
Meriden, West Midlands 2012 - Source: Own
If flood insurance cover were to be refused it would significantly reduce the
value of a property as well as resulting in a property being virtually
impossible to sell. Avoiding this scenario is undoubtedly the main drivers
behind the proposed new government scheme.
In any event, due to the amount of publicity that flooding has received
in recent years, purchasers have become much more wary of the possibility of
flooding during the conveyance process, with Solicitors advising their Clients
of the importance of undertaking a flood risk assessment. There are however a
number of things that a prospective purchaser can do to help establish if
flooding is a possibility, before Solicitors are instructed. A visit to
the Environment Agency Website, provides access to
their flood map, which details information relating to flooding around rivers
and the sea, by simply inputting a postcode. This information is free to access
and can provide an indication of whether flooding may be an issue, and if so
can then lead to more extensive investigations. Given the disruption, cost
implications and difficulties with insuring properties at risk of flooding,
this is a simple way of making an initial assessment at a very early stage.
During the purchase of my current home, approximately eighteen months
ago, my Solicitor advised me that a flood risk assessment was necessary. After reviewing the environment agency flood
map, I established that my property was not within two miles of a river or
flood plain and that the risk of flooding was negligible/unlikely. I advised my
Solicitor of this and informed them that I would not require this ‘search’,
saving myself £75 in the process.
If you are not confident with or do not want to rely on the free
information from the Environment Agency Flood Map you can undertake a further
on-line search with Land Registry ‘Find a Property’ (Link). This search will cost you £9 currently and
provides a little more detail than the Environment Agency Flood Map and also includes
an indication of thelikelihood of flooding.I am not a Solicitor however I would suspect
that this is where a ‘Solicitor’s search’ takes place. The Law Society
recognise thatconveyance Solicitors ‘are not qualified to give advice on flood
risk or interpret technical flood reports’ However, the Law Society ‘do consider thatconveyance Solicitors can at least
pass on information to help clients who are purchasingproperty’. This begs the question
therefore of why a person would pay a Solicitor in the order £75 for something
that they can easily obtain for £9 themselves, bearing in mind that the Solicitor
will not provide any interpretation or guidance from the search.
Buildings located near watercourses are often perceived as desirable places
to live due to the views that are often provided. Whilst this may be true for the large
majority of the time, it only takes a period of adverse weather, sometimes
occurring many miles away that can change a small stream into a raging torrent,
raising river levels, bursting banks and causing flooding. The risk of flooding
is unlikely to be visually obvious at most times of the year, so it is imperative
to take the time to assess the risk of flooding to establish whether this may
become an issue. Simple, free or cheap
research, as described above, which almost anyone can undertake provides a
simple effective way of finding this information.
Please feel free to share this article and
other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you
think would be interested
Information/opinions
posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be
relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further
professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright
notice at the end of the blog.
Publicity is a powerful tool where positive news will engender
confidence in numerous areas of the economy, particularly the housing
market. Very few will be willing to buy
or sell property in a stagnant or reducing market, however as soon as the
message changes to something more positive, we see what we are seeing now,
where more properties are put on the market and house prices start to increase
If we take a look
back to the beginning of 2013 there were many who were predicting a tough year
for the UK economy, with continued slow growth of the housing market, low
construction output and in fact concerns about slipping back into a triple dip
recession. The reality however would
have surprised even the most optimistic amongst us. On 20th December 2013, BBC News
Reported: ‘The
UK economy is growing faster than previously estimated, according to the latest
official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic
product was up 0.8% in the July-to-September period compared with the previous
quarter, confirming its previous estimate. This means the estimated annual growth rate has now risen from
1.5% to 1.9%, a revision that has surprised economists’. Contributing to the unexpected improvement in the economy was an
equally surprising upturn in the UK housing market. The Guardian (online)
reported on 30th December 2013: ‘On
average, house prices grew by 4.4% during 2013 as the housing market revival
took hold, following a 0.3% drop during 2012. Prices increased by 0.5%
month-on-month across England and Wales in December, marking the 11th
consecutive month of rises. London and the south-east registered the strongest
gains across 2013, with prices lifting by 9.1% and 5% respectively while prices
in the north fell by 0.5% over 2013. 75%
of postcodes registered price gains over the year, 15% saw prices edge down and
10% were unchanged. This marks a sharp turnaround compared with 2012, when just
20% of postcodes recorded price increases’.
In
addition BD Online reported on 30th December 2013: ‘Growth in house building is at its strongest
for 10 years but levels of commercial construction also rose sharply and civil
engineering projects also saw sustained growth. Construction firms are growing
increasingly positive about the year ahead and the number of firms anticipating
a rise in workloads is the highest since September 2009’.
Based
on the many ‘good news’ stories similar to those detailed above, it would
appear that we are heading in the right direction with the UK moving out of the
economic wilderness with a much more rosy and stable future ahead. BUT………. is this really the case?
As an analogy, let us think about the UK economy as a
sportsperson who has suffered a severe injury, one that has possibly threatened
their career. A lengthy spell of
physiotherapy and rehabilitation is required in order for them to return to
full fitness. If this process is rushed
or not undertaken properly, the sportsperson could aggravate the injury and end
up back to where they started. This is
also the case for the UK economy. If we
do not manage the pace of the recovery appropriately, we could quite easily end
up back in recession. Frozen or low salary increases, increases in the cost of
living including ever increasing energy prices, high unemployment, control of
inflation, interest rates, reduction in public spending and other austerity
measures are some of the factors that need to be addressed as part of any
recovery. Each factor cannot be
considered in isolation and in fact are all dependant on one another, therefore
the fragility of the economy is determined by a fine blend of how all of these
are managed and controlled.
Publicity is a
powerful tool where positive news will engender confidence in numerous areas of
the economy, particularly the housing market.
Very few will be willing to buy or sell property in a stagnant or
reducing market, however as soon as the message changes to something more
positive, we see what we are seeing now, where more properties are put on the
market and house prices start to increase.
The government will no doubt point to their ‘help to buy’ scheme as a
key factor that has kick started the housing market, which may well be true,
however my concern is what will happen in a few years time when the effects of
the help to buy start to wear off. In order to use the first part of the scheme
borrowers will first need to save a deposit of 5% of the value of the property
they want to purchase. They will then be able to apply for an
interest free loan for a further 20% of the value of the property, to a maximum
loan value of £120,000. Repayment of the loan will then be made when the property
is eventually sold. After five years the loan will start to attract what
the government call a ‘fee’, which is basically interest at a rate 1.75%.
The upshot of the help to buy
scheme is that purchasers may enter the market before they are financially
ready. If they fail to consider to the
financial consequences of future loan repayments (including the 20% borrowed)
plus inevitable interest rate rises, in addition to continued increases in the
cost of living, then they joy of owning a house is likely to be short lived. As
a short term measure there is little doubt that the help to buy scheme will
bring more first time buyers to the market, in fact this is already
happening. There is however one fundamental flaw in the
scheme. House prices are determined by the market. The problem
we have in the UK, one which we have had for many years, is that we just do not
have enough houses. With a restricted supply and high demand the
market will naturally re-adjust, resulting in increasing house prices.
Incentivising, large numbers of first time buyers and new investors into a
market which already has a restricted supply is not the answer. Investing
in large scale housing development is the only real way of dealing with the
housing shortage and controlling house prices, something that our UK government
seem incapable of resolving.
Also we are likely to see continued increases in house prices in
the UK through 2014. This is not good
news for those looking to enter the market for the first time. Increasing house prices mean that deposits
will also increase proportionally, therefore first time buyers should consider
entering the market as early as possible in 2014, to reduce the impact of
likely increases.
In conclusion, it would be fair to address the optimism in the
UK economy and particularly the housing market with a note of realism. Yes, we are starting to see some improvement,
however we have a long road ahead to achieve a sustainable recovery. Short term optimism does not mean long term
stability. Do not be misled by the decision makers and policy makers who want
us to believe (through the media) that all is now fixed and we that we can go
out and borrow beyond our means again.
This is exactly the approach that got us into a mess last time
around. It is a sustainable recovery and
a stable economy that we are striving for and this cannot happen overnight.
Please feel free to share this article and
other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you
think would be interested
Information/opinions
posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be
relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further
professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright
notice at the end of the blog.
