Author: aoife (Page 12 of 28)

Isabel’s Picks for August 2011

August 3, 2011 / aoife / 1 Comment

Isabel’s Picks for August 2011

MEET THE HEAT

A quest to find warm places

1. AIRTIGHT SPRAY FOAM INSULATION

Manufacturer: BASF

Product Name: Walltite

Price Range: n/a

Material: Polyurethane (PUR) foam.

Key Facts: Speedy insulation solution coupled with a thermal conductivity as low as 0.025W/mK. The continuous spray leaves a minimal amount of surface area without insulation resulting in an airtight building envelope of low permeability. The purple foam is fast to apply and quick to cure. By virtually eliminating air leakage, WALLTITE with its closed cell structure helps control the movement of vapour and moisture throughout the building, reducing the risk of condensation and mould.

Applications: WALLTITE is designed for internal roofs, walls and floors, but can also be applied to floors, soffits and, with the minimal change in formulation, can be used for cavity wall insulation and stabilisation, or insulation and weatherproofing of external roofs.

2. 90cm PYROLYTIC SELF CLEAN OVEN

Manufacturer: Fisher & Paykel

Model: OB90S9MEPX1

Price Range: n/a

Key Features: Width 90cm. Automatic cooking. Electronic clock. Pyrolytic self clean cycle. Rotisserie. Powerful grill. Illuminated Halos.

Available in Ireland from: Dominic Smith Electrical

3. CANDLE

Designer: Charlotte Prinsen / Ritzenhoff

Name: La Vela Big Candle

Price Range: €23

Key Features: The core gradually melts, while the mantle remains. As the candle burns down an outer rim of wax remains, which can be kindled back to life using tealights.

Available to Ireland from: Panik-Design

4. HAND DRYER

Manufacturer: Dyson Ltd

Product name: Dyson Airblade™

Price Range: n/a

Key Features: Uses up to 80% less energy than warm air hand dryers. 10 second dry time. Costs less to run. Touch-free infra-red activation.

Available in Ireland from: Dyson

5. SUNLOUNGER

Manufacturer: Alexander Rose

Name: Wave Sunlounger Without Hood

Collection: Ocean

Price Range: €449

Available in Ireland from: Gardenfurnituresale.ie

6. FREESTANDING BATH

Manufacturer: Mastella

Product name: Kallaguan

Price Range: n/a

Available in Ireland from: Surface

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Do I Need a Contract for My Project?

July 22, 2011 / aoife / 1 Comment

On further investigation, the question divides into two parts:

Am I required by law to have a contract?
If not, should I have a contract anyway – or as it’s sometimes expressed: ‘can I get away without one’?

Am I required by law?

I should perhaps start by saying I always find it a little strange that anyone contemplating having expensive construction work carried out should even consider the possibility of not wanting to know precisely what the terms and conditions are. It is always a source of puzzlement that parties to jobs with a value of millions should apparently find the cost of less than £50 for some formal contract documentation to be prohibitive.

There is no overarching ‘legislative’ requirement, in the sense that a general law exists requiring all parties to have a specific type of agreement.

Should I have a contract?

The simple answer is an emphatic ‘yes’. But the truth is that you probably do anyway.

Let us look at what a contract represents. A contract typically will result when one party agrees to do something for another in return for ‘consideration’ – usually expressed in monetary form. Essentially it is simply a set of ‘conditional’ promises: “If Party A does this, then Party B will do that” and so on. The terms of that contract may be many and varied, however. They will reflect the complexity of what is being done, and the method used.

It doesn’t have to be written down, but it certainly helps if it is. If the agreement is verbal, then how do you remember what they were, but even if it’s in writing, are the words free of ambiguity, or could they be interpreted differently by someone else?

If a project ends in dispute, this is one of the first problems the person tasked with sorting it out has to resolve. If you have no record of what’s been agreed, how can you know what to do if something goes wrong?

Summary

If you buy a TV, car, garden shed, or even an existing house, you can usually go and see it and look around before deciding whether to proceed. If, however, you are buying a new building, the chances are you are buying into a concept: a design idea which has yet to be realised. To many Clients, this is a leap of faith; building is not their core business, so they may not have the technical capability to visualise what is being described to them, despite advances in computer models and 3D software.

For the uninitiated, or even the experts, this can be a difficult task. Having a contract and knowing what the terms are at least brings some certainty. So why anyone would want to attempt it without one is a mystery.

by Roland Finch
NBS Technical Author

via NBS

Isabel’s Picks for July 2011

July 1, 2011 / aoife / 1 Comment

Isabel’s Picks for July 2011

GOING ROUND AND ROUND

Circles and curvy detours

1. CEILING LIGHTS

Manufacturer: TAL

Name: Symbiosis Zoox

Price Range: n/a

Material: Opal polycarbonate.

Lamps: TC-L 18W

Available in Ireland from: Wink

2. ACOUSTICAL CANOPY

Manufacturer: Armstrong

Product name: Optima Canopy

Price Range: n/a

Material: Mineral.

Key Facts: Help reduce noise levels by 50%. Lights and speakers cab be integrated into the panels.

Available in Ireland from: CPD/SIG

3. TABLE

Designer: Reestore

Name: Silvana Washing Machine Table

Price Range: €350

Materials: Made from a reclaimed washing machine drum, with an internal low energy light for unique ambient lighting. A frosted glass surface completes the Silvana table.

Available to Ireland from: EcoCentric

4. BIKE STORAGE

Product name: Cycloc

Price Range: €80

Material: The Black Cycloc is made from 100% recycled plastics. The coloured ones are made of durable virgin plastics. Available in White, Orange, Green and Black.

Key Facts: The Cycloc provides handy, and trendy, bike storage, and can be mounted to hold your bike horizontally or vertically. Cycloc is also lockable, meaning you can use it indoors or outdoors.

Available in Ireland from: Designist

5. PHOTO MURAL

Manufacturer: Mr. Perswall

Name: Signpole mural

Collection: Destinations

Price Range: €95

Available to Ireland from: Wallpaperdirect

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