s1 Builders Norfolk charity winners choice

Well its time to release the name of the lucky person who won the £25 for their choice of charity and i must admit with the amount of people on Facebook i was surprised at the response to actually obtaining the money. Pretty poor i must say! But hey its going to a good cause and when i find out what i will add to the bottom of the post.
The lucky winner is "Claire Cook was Priest" well done Claire !
The Charity its going to is ?????????????????????
Wow! That's great! I'll have to choose between PETA, WWF or RSPCA. Think I'll go with WWF and hope they put it use saving the rainforest. Thanks Steff - very generous of you and I'm sure WWF will appreciate it too. Hope you and your family have a great Christmas and a prosperous New Year. x 

Free childrens santa holiday games

Well its probably the most celebrated day of the year throughout the world and what a lovely day to do so with friends and family. Here at S1 Builders Norfolk we throw caution to the wind and make the most of the festive season as its usually busy busy in the new year. But enough about us! The FREE CHILDRENS HOLIDAY GAMES click the link go to the site and play the games if you have children or just want to watch the short animation and find out how many seonds are left until the big day.
Don't forget the mince pies and brandy for santa!
We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year

santa is on his way

How would you like to win a children's holiday? Not got children? then its still fun to see an animation of santa and the reindeer flying about and a countdown clock to probably the biggest celebrated day of the year everywhere in the world. Whether its just havinf the holiday from work or opening presants, only BAH humbugs miss out of the magic this time of year brings. We love it here at S1 Builders Norfolk! so here is the link to the site for you to enter for the

how to use the s1 builders norfolk blog and new joiner on board news

Lots of reasons to use our blog if your looking for advice, ideas, to see what we are or have done lately. The easiest way to see if we have completed works that your looking to have undertaken is to use the "SEARCH" facility. Type in what your looking for and see if it pops up on our blog, if not go to the website S1 Builders Norfolk and look at the gallery and/or the brochure of past works.
There will be a new brochure coming over the christmas period as we have just taken on one of norfolks finest joiners, whose work is absolutely fabulous. Lots of pictures of past joinery works will be available in the brochure and links to his old company so you can see what s1 builders norfolk will be offering in the new year at a reduced price with the same or better quality.
So keep looking at the updates which over the next week will be at least every other day as we are now on annual shut down. We love santa!

bella the christmas norfolk builder

Happy christmas from bella to you all
At no time was i made to do this, i asked to wear the tinsel nd enjoyed the bone for doing so. Allergic to turkey bones so beef ones are fine.
Only three more days of work then three weeks off! wooooof wooooof

over pinning by s1 builders Norfolk

 Here we have an extension which s1 builders Norfolk were called out to rectify the subsidence problem. So we cut all the brickwork joints out with a special cutter deisigned to just take the vertical and horizontal joints out without damaging the brickwork. Then the joints are blown and swept out ready for the epoxy resin to have a bead put in, then the heli bars and finally the joints filled within 10 mm of the front edge. Left to set then a sand/cement mix to match the existing (which incidentally the owners are over the moon with the colour match) mortar and hey presto OVER PINNING completed by s1 builders Norfolk. We are one of the best builders in Norfolk - www.s1buildersltd.com

Charity donation offer

whats your favourite charity? well for every person that likes LIKE S1 BUILDERS LTD
We are offering the chance to win £25 for your charity on the 23rd December everyone that likes s1 builders ltd will have the chance to win this money. We can then either then send you or donate the money to the chosen charity. There are are cash prizes it will be a cheque made out to the charity or direct to them or via online. Proof of donation will be posted along with the name and charity. so do something for a charity.
Paste it on your pages as its open to anyone!

chimney and rendered gable

well heres the scaffolding, the chimney and the rendering.

We started taking the render off as it was letting water in when we discovered that the brickwork was a little wobbly to say the least. the gable is far from straight, no lead work (sticky back plasters used) and the tiles stopped 50mm short of the edge of the gable.
Great not just one issue but a handful to contend with.
so on agreement with the owner we hired Rammys scaffolding and took the chimney down and away. Then the new one went up lead work on and the scratch coat applied today.

Rammys scaffolding - makes you feel safe as houses

Scaffolders are like all tradesman, its hard to find a good one that does what they say on the phone, but at long last after the last one we used not tightening the winch up at three floors so when the labourer pulled on the rope it fell off and could of easily killed him. then the company apologised and set us up with a supposedly great deal but forgot to inform us about the vat until the invoice and put so many joins in one corner it looked like a mechano set. So moving on we stumbled on rammys scaffolding , a great turn up for the books. after being there on time - well here is the reference i left for him to post on his site.

I am the site supervisor for “S1 Buildersltd” and having just been let down by a  scaffolder  prior to using  “Rammys” I was more than surprised to see what substandard scaffolding I had been using prior. Just the appearance of the scaffold stands out from the majority and combined with the excellent punctuality of the company I cannot fault them. The structure itself was solid, as I had requested and we all felt safe whilst rebuilding a chimney and doing the lead work.

All in all this company is a breath of fresh air and I will definitely use “Rammys” again in the future. I have no problems with recommending this company or talking to anyone over the telephone.

Yours sincerely

Stefan Nicholls (site supervisor for s1 Buildersltd) 

the job he did for us allowed us to take down and rebuild a chimney which was past its sell by date (blog update tomorrow)  

the liberty of norton folgate -Madness

nature at your finger tips

Here we have a great site for all of you people who love to know whats going on in and around you with our fantastic wildlife. The site is colourful, full of facts, ideas  and lots of FREE giveaways.
All you have to do is click the link and your there for this months free calendar FREE CALENDER, its that simple. For those with children its fun to sit and go through the site together.

today ! and rememberance day!

Updates from the last few weeks! been all over the pace with works from re pointing/over pinning to rendering end gables. Looking at flint walls which we got asked to build leaning over then straighten up as we got level with the ground. build a wall on the slant then straighten it? I don't think so! Looking at work for next july/august which is a bit of a distance but that's what we are doing. Let down by scaffolders and then one that sticks to his word! Great tidy up of tools and actually got to clean the van! its white again. Priced for so much work that's its great, 2126 tonight and just finished doing an estimate but the apple vodka is screaming in the fridge to be drunk and as its a day off looking at more work tomorrow i fear i may succumb to its calls. Coming up we have some garden tips with an unwelcome guest and pictures of the works finished and working on.
One of the sunniest Sundays in November and people all over the country donned a red poppy and stood and clapped our troops at remembrance processions. Despite all the politics that surround our troops etc no one can take away the fact that how brave past and present troops are/have been. Anyway it was great to stand there with my children and live a moment with total strangers that i will cherish for ever.
Children in need! Please donate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not one but two inspectors

First to the blog world came the fry up inspector, now we have the ROAST INSPECTOR who is this person? Are they thin or fat, male or female, cat or dog? Who ever they are coming soon to their blog more reviews of tasty places to visit.

holly but no ivy!

Walking Bella today and there in the woods stood a holly tree that looked like it had Christmas lights all over it. Its the biggest holly tree i have ever seen and full of rich red berries. Nothing to do with building but it looks so stunning.

Looking for a peace of mind?

We have just been accepted under the wings of My Builder which looks only to supply tradesman who have been vetted. So just like the Guild of Mastercraftsman you can find us on these sites and if your looking for a builder then contact us through these or the web site.

first linked in reference

obtaining a reference is always exciting when your running a business as word of mouth is the best way of advertising. So we are very pleased with all our to date reference

s1 buildersltd on touch local

find us on the touch local site too! touch local

online brochure!

Here is the online brochure of some of the past works we have completed, please enjoy.
the S1 Buildersltd brochure

updates! estimate revoked!

Today was the first time we felt we had to revoke an estimate that we had supplied. The potential clients asked us to come in and price for a major renovation and after several site visits and emails we came to the conclusion that the client (who wanted to project manage) did not really have any concept of the logistics of how these projects go. The plans had no measurements, building control had not been on site to view the works, even though they had begun, the engineers report conflicted with building regs, the architects drawings were like a 5 year olds, no plate measurements, walls not in line, butting up against next doors walls with no allowance for their footings and the list goes on and on. So we could see a potential disaster on the horizon and decided that this one was not for us. A first!
We are in the middle of several jobs at the moment due to the weather and the discovery of defects.
Over pining an extension on a cottage, fencing, chimney cowl, window repairs to another and re rendering an end gable which it turns out to have a chimney stack thats on its last legs.
Priced for a variety of other works which look to keep us busy if we are successful.
Flat tyre on the van today slowed us down as someone had decided that the wheel brace was in a safer place if not kept in the back of the van!

very versatile and the price is fair!

thats just what the clients are saying about us, not me. We do try to be affordable, but the key factor is we dont use cheap materials to drive our prices down.
versatile and fair

testimonials

just two new testimonials which we are very proud of
new to the website and the other new to scoot always pleasing for potential clients to be able to read.

busy busy and busy update 2

Actually sat to update the blog and end up sorting through estimates. Funny old game the building trade one minute its lovely and calm, the next its blowing a storm and you end up spinning all over the place,
Feet securely on the floor at the moment as i have just finished 2 out of four estimates, filling in the details for companies house, shuffling paper and filling in the diary. Then arranging the camper to come off the road until next spring. I do love my air cooled van but its heater is rubbish so the watercooled is used over the winter.
The works truck is in its final mot year and off to scrap heaven when it runs out, i love the rusty old girl as she does what it says on the back, Like i always advise the clients "if its not broken, don't try and fix it".
With the local authority recommending us for the disabled ramp and the client extremely happy, us at S1 gave each other a pat on the back and then to top it of we all received a very generous bonus for the roof.
Finishing off a small fencing job, renovation of a window and chimney cap before we go onto rendering the end of a gable.
We have been approached by a government agency to price for some work for them which is exciting, another flint wall, a restoration project, a retaining wall/steps, gate posts, shed and shed base and restoration of an old cottage. phewwwwwwwwwwww!
which ones we get who knows?
well pictures are uploaded to Picasso ready for one of us to update the blog tomorrow or you!

Check out the up and coming listing on scoot be the first to review us SCOOT

dodgy insurance, moles and updates

Wow time flies when your busy! Lots been going on and getting finished.
Painting, plumbing, rendering, drains, paving, estimates, clearing out stock, mole hunting, fixing holes in felt, clearing moss off roofs, kite flying and more.
Well i will actually get pictures and details of some important issues over the next few days. The two main subjects will be the issue of moles and your home insurance (if its worth the paper its printed on).
so look out for the posts which are in the pipeline

disabled pathing

Recommended by the local council to this disabled lady to install paths for her to actually be able to leave her house. Concreting the week we had the hottest days of the year was a nightmare, with mixes drying too quick and the glare off the concrete adding to carers in and out the day. But as it is now drying out and able to be walked on all good feedback to date. We lapped DPM up the wall to combat the overrun above the DPC and installed a drain gulley to feed the water away from the house. The dwarf wall was built but requires a gate or something to stop the wheel chair visiting the fake grass(to be done by others?)

the roof after

Having stripped the roof and sprayed all the timbers with a well known timber treatment it was time to insulate the loft (so as the breeze kept the dust at bay which filled the loft). Then breathable felt and new baton was installed onto the roof, along with new tiles and leadwork to complete the perfect roof.
Oh! not to forget the gable end rendered, new security lights and new guttering to finish the job off.

One last thing we used some of the old tiles to re tile and felt an out building (guttering just to fit now)

the roof before we started

Back working on a clients house who we have completed extensive works for over the years. The large lead valley earlier this year, new bathroom, plastering, bedroom refits, sound proofing to council recommendations, total refits of one bathroom to two, guest bedroom renovations, electrical works, fire doors and so much more. This is a watch this space client as they have so much more in the pipeline for us.The tiles had seen their best and this client has his head screwed on as "prevention is better than cure"!

footings or lack of

got called out to find out why a bedroom had cracks appearing only to find the footings were inadequate. to a depth of 150mm on made up ground with just a slab. So with so much damage under or over pining was out of the question and a total rebuild looks to be in order, make sure you have insurance as this could happen to anyone.

fencing and patio completed

 Here are pictures of the completed works. Fencing, patio, pathway and landscaping. Some pictures show works during and some after cleaning. The soil areas are to be seeded by the client at a later date.

 as you can notice by the darker pointing there is a recessed drain cover which allows access to the drain shown in the earlier post whilst blending in with the patio.

right at the end of the job after washing everywhere down we installed new shingle to the drive to give it the fresh clean look after we had left.

soap suds and drains

Drains blocked with soap suds from the sink and washing machine, fence posts in, patio done, garden to level and then its time to slot the panels in and tidy up. Remember to rinse your sink and pipework through at regular times to avoid blockages like this client had.

name that tree in one!

 whilst picking up aggregate in the storms the other week, I noticed this tree sat "all alone"

we watched the wind sway this tree in the grounds where we have just finished the roof etc and it was !should i stay or should I go"
two great tunes but from who?

time to catchup

in the next few days i will update the schedule of works and pictures of what we have done and are doing. so keep your eyes on the posts.

Advertising campaign start and news

Tomorrow sees the start of the new advertising campaign starting in kings lynn Homebase. Two years advertising at a very reasonable rate, take the leaflets and hand them around, a generous finders fee will be given to any works secured from a personal recommendation or leaflet hand out. What have you to lose? Just been going through the local details from the English castles along the Scottish border its like having a living history lesson and both myself and the children have experienced some excitable times that we never expected. Union bridge being one of them! Such a buzz jumping backwards and forwards across the English/Scottish border and then driving over a bridge that moves when you walk over it let alone drive over it. The bollards that allow you on and off the bridge are only just wide enough to let the golf on, so with a long way down into a big river it was better than any roller coaster. The countryside is outstanding here with long sandy beaches and buildings built from large sandstone blocks which i struggle to see how they were lifted by any bricky. Anyway back to the patio and fence on monday!

we dont lay eggs just bricks and slabs

We finished the curved wall ready for the patio and tops to go down/on. But after the first day the progress was halted by the weather. we bed our slabs on a compacted ground, which is then covered in sharp sand and finally the slabs go onto a solid base of mortar. No dot and dabbing or just on sand! This process helps prevent any movement over the years. It does take a little longer but the job is a more satisfactory one all round. The weather has a hand in the laying as the mortar needs to dry out naturally, too much sun and the moisture stops the slabs sticking and too wet and they sink. Because we joint up as we go we also cannot allow surface water to form as it washes the cement out of the joint allowing it to crumble. The jointing as we go helps the slabs to bond to the mortar underneath and between them thus forming a solid base. That's the idea!