THE BRAEMARA BLOG

2008-01-23T06:22:00.000Z

New eBusiness Centre Launched

Known as Peter Body's Profit Warrior it showcases the cream of the cream in terms of Internet marketing and offers a number of ways to make money online, easily.

Programmes that I've carefully selected, tested and screened to help you start, build and profit from your own Internet business.

They are categorised for your browsing ease in seven topical indexes:

Affiliate Marketing
Practical Advice
Instant Profit
Viral Marketing
Email Marketing
Residual Income

Please go to: http://www.profitwarrior.com/cgi-bin/pwarrior.cgi?name=braemara and take a look.

2008-01-09T09:04:00.000Z

Advice For Self-Builders Added

I have created a new section on the website entitled Self-Build Guides. Most of my surveying duties nowadays involve project management for people building there own home.

The knowledge and experience of such clients can vary considerably and the guidance note highlights the main areas of focus for a successful build.

In addition there is a project cost sheet which will act as a convenient check-list when considering the various costs associated with building your own home.

Finally, I have provided links to some of the most popular books on the subject which will not only provide design ideas but also practical advice.

2007-10-19T10:37:00.000Z

"A Better You" Your 7 day program to self-improvement

I have lost count of how many times I've read and heard of so-called celebrity marriages failing. Not that I care (and personally I don't), it seems strange that we often see movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamour. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and improve on that should be enough for a week.

1. Know your purpose. Are you wandering through life with little direction - hoping that you'll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time. This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there's always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

2. Know your values. What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn't align with any of your top five values - you may want to reconsider it or revise it. The number shouldn't discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you ever dreamed of.

3. Know your needs. Un-met needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who live their lives without realising their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it's too late!

4. Know your passions. You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not de-rail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honour the people who have inspired you to become the very person you want to be.

5. Live from the inside out. Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us it's hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. You may find just sitting in a dimly lit room, listening to soft music helps. There's sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.

6. Honour your strengths. What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three - if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know with others.

7. Serve others. When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an inter-connected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit - your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done for them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn't always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

SALES TIPS - COLD CALLING

2006-11-24T13:36:00.000Z

This is not for the feint hearted. You need to be thick skinned and have, or develop, an immunity to rejection. This having been said you need to remember that people buy from people and this is the most effective form of marketing.

You may not get to speak to the decision maker first time round but you should be able to establish their identity (name and position) and contact details (personal e-mail address or direct telephone number). Ask for their business card.

In any event you should get to know the receptionist so that they know you next time you call. Also, leave your business card and a leaflet, with a request for them to be placed on the decision maker’s desk.

Cold calling works best (is more efficient) where you have a number of businesses in the same vicinity such as a high street or shopping arcade, a business park or industrial estate.

You can increase your chances of success by doing a bit of research first. Spend some time over the week-end, when less people are about, assessing prospect’s premises - the better presented / tidier they are, the more business like the owner is likely to be.

2006-10-21T11:05:00.002Z

MARKETING TIPS

I run successful businesses and the following is a 'check list' of my approach to marketing with a view to developing and continuously improving these businesses.

The focus is always to:

Attract more new customers

Increase the average sales amount

Make my customers buy from me more often

Keep my customers for life

In developing a marketing plan I:

Understand my market and competition

Understand my customer

Pick a niche

Develop my marketing message

Determine my marketing medium(s)

Set sales and marketing goals

Develop my marketing budget

To attract customer referrals I:

Give excellent customer service

Add value to customer requirements

Resolve customer complaints promptly

Introduce business to my customer, whenever possible

Seek out their business associates

Get to know their interests and family

Whenever possible I exceed customer expectations by:

Confessing to non-critical flaws

Apologising for my mistakes

Offering free /discounted services or advice guides

Keeping them informed at all stages

Recognising them (and their family) in public

Giving them a small gift of appreciation

Contacting them periodically for feed-back

2006-10-19T15:09:00.000Z

CUSTOMER SERVICE : Service With A Smile

You've heard it said before, it takes more muscles to frown than it takes to smile, but do we?

No, not often enough is the answer! And that's bad for business.

I know the weather's lousy most of the time and we're susceptible to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) over the winter months but here's an opportunity to save energy and make you feel good about yourself - SMILE.

It will also make your customers feel good about you.

It's really important to make customers feel welcome, especially on the first encounter. As we all know people buy from people and the better that personal interaction is the more likely customers are to buy from you, rather than a competitor.

However, you also need to give customers some space - don't harrass them. How many times have you walked into a shop and had a sales assistant accost you before you've cleared the threshold? The converse, ignoring you completely, is equally commonplace and wrong.

In the past few weeks I've encountered the very best and worse in customer service.

The best was with a sales assitant called Kat (she wore a name badge - another good idea) in Harveys, Inverness. My wife and I were in to buy a couple of recliner armchairs. Kat approached us, after we were well inside the shop, to enquire what we were looking for and pointed us in the direction of appropriate items on display. She then left us to try them out, before returning to enquire how she could help us. We went through all the options, discussed price and proceeded to make a purchase. Not only was she very pleasant, she was also very knowledgable - clearly very well trained.

A few days later I had the misfortune to call into the Spar shop in Carrbridge to buy some bits for lunch. Two young sales assistants were in attendance, but neither smiled nor spoke, even the one who took my money. Albeit, they seemed to have no difficulty speaking to each other whilst I was there. It is difficult to recall an instance when I felt more of a nuisance, whilst parting with my hard earnt cash. Clearly, a training issue there.

Interestingly, Kat isn't British! Is that a coincidence, I wonder?

2006-10-19T11:41:00.000Z

BUSINESS START-UP : CHECK LIST

I am assuming you have already decided on your business format and if you haven’t there is loads of advice to be had online (see links at end). So, you are ready and raring to go. However, as a permanent reminder, here is a check list of the issues you should have dealt with:

The legal structure of your business:

Self-employed sole trader; have you:

§ Registered as self-employed with HM Revenue & Customs?
§ Obtained any permits and planning permission that you may need from your local authority?
§ Found out from your local authority whether you need to pay business rates?
§ Contacted HM Revenue & Customs to register for VAT if you expect to have turnover of more than £61,000 a year?
§ Set up a record-keeping (filing) system?
§ Set up a basic profit and loss account?
§ Identified the National Insurance contributions you must pay?

Private limited company; have you also:

§ Clearly displayed its name on the outside of the office (or your home)?
§ Ensured its name is clearly displayed on all its business stationery, including letters, invoices, receipts and cheques?
§ Ensured its place of registration, registered number and registered office address are clearly displayed on all its business letters and order forms?
§ Completed and signed all the necessary registration documents and forms and returned them to the Registrar of Companies?
§ Received confirmation (Certificate of Incorporation) from the Registrar of Companies that your application for limited company status has been successful? The company comes into existence when the Registrar of Companies issues a Certificate of Incorporation.
§ Contacted HM Revenue & Customs?

Whether you are to be a sole trader or private limited company, have you:

Appointed a bank and arranged any loan or overdraft facilities required?

Appointed an accountant?

Appointed a solicitor, if required?

Registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (Data Protection)?

Registered with the Health & Safety Executive?

Useful Internet Resources

Companies House - http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk
Directgov - http://www.direct.gov.uk
Small Business Service - http://www.sbs.gov.uk
Achieving Best Practise - http://www2.dti.gov.uk
Business Advice (England) - http://www.businesslink.gov.uk
Business Advice (Wales) - http://www.businesseye.org.uk
Business Advice (Scotland) - http://www.bgateway.com
Business Advice (Northern Ireland) - http://www.investni.com
Information Commissioner’s Office (Data Protection) - http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
HM Revenue & Customs - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk
Health & Safety Executive - http://www.hse.gov.uk
Federation of Small Businesses - http://www.fsb.org.uk
Royal Bank of Scotland (Small Business Service) - http://www.rbs.co.uk/Small_Business
Cobweb Business Information - http://www.cobwebinfo.com
Microsoft Business Centre - http://www.bcentral.co.uk
Thomson Directories (Mailing Lists) - http://www.businesssearch.co.uk
Google Internet Search Engine - http://www.google.co.uk

2006-10-18T10:58:00.000Z

UNDERSTANDING WINDOW PERFORMANCE IN SCOTLAND
Peter Body MRICS FCIOB

It is a technical requirement for modern windows to be tested, to determine their performance rating, prior to their introduction into the marketplace.

The foremost window test facility in Scotland is provided by the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Paisley.

They issue what is known as a ‘Macdata Certificate’. This records the Performance of Windows Classification for Weathertightness, in accordance with British Standard 6375:Part 1:1989

The highest test performance classification achievable is an Exposure Category of 2400. Typically, this will provide:

§ Air Permeability Pressure Class of 600 Pa or better.

§ Watertightness Pressure Class of 300 Pa or better.

§ Wind Resistance Pressure Class of 2400 Pa or better.

A window achieving this test standard is generically known as ‘High Performance’.

Within the UK, the further north you go the more severe wind speed design criteria become, varying from 38 metres per second (m/s) in London to 56 m/s on the Isle of Lewis. These maximum gust speeds are only likely to be exceeded once in 50 years. The annual mean wind speed across the north of Scotland is about 10 m/s.

A wind speed of 56 m/s is equivalent to 125 miles per hour (m/h) or just over 2000 Pa (Pascals - a measure of pressure). So, a window achieving a Wind Resistance Pressure Class of 2400 Pa is unlikely to suffer structural failure under any circumstances.

However, a Watertightness Pressure Class of 300 Pa is equivalent to a wind speed of only 21 m/s or 48 m/h - Force 9 (47-54 m/h) on The Beaufort Wind Scale - classified as a severe gale during which slight structural damage occurs (chimney-pots and slates removed). Similarly, an Air Permeability Pressure Class of 600 Pa is equivalent to a wind speed of 30 m/s or 68 m/h - Force 11 (64-72 m/h) - classified as a violent storm resulting in wide-spread damage.

This doesn’t mean every window is going to leak immediately the wind exceeds Force 9. But windows facing the storm, often from a south-westerly (prevailing) wind direction are vulnerable.

All High Performance Windows should have a Macdata Certificate, or equal test certification, proving they have achieved an Exposure Category of 2400 or better. However, as has been shown above, the weather to which windows are subjected in the Highlands & Islands (particularly on the west coast) often exceeds that upon which these tests are based. Consequently, in such instances, it is not inconceivable for any window, from any manufacturer, to suffer temporary failure.

2006-10-18T10:19:00.000Z

GUIDANCE FOR SELF-BUILDERS CONCERNING STRUCTURAL COMPLIANCE
Peter Body MRICS FCIOB

Introduction

I have prepared this guidance on the basis of misconceptions / mistakes encountered on projects I have supervised for certification purposes. It supposes the house is to be of timber frame construction and is to be built on a separate trades basis, where you must assume full responsibility for the project.

Before starting work on site I strongly advise you to visit the Health & Safety Executive’s website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/information.htm#guide and, in particular, study their free leaflet ’The Absolutely Essential Health & Safety Toolkit’. Self-builders often try to save money by taking short-cuts with health and safety - this is generally false economy and could result in you either incurring a hefty fine or, worse, causing injury or death. It is simply not worth it.

Most importantly, you must ensure a professionally erected scaffold is provided around the entire house, prior to the kit being erected. Also, that this scaffold is maintained and adapted (if necessary) to provide safe access and working conditions for following trades. In particular, ensure you provide adequate roof edge protection. In addition, catch nets or air bags need to be provided within the house.

Furthermore, if you haven’t been there already, I recommend you visit what is probably the foremost self-builder website at http://www.buildstore.co.uk/ where you will find a wealth of information.

Finally, make sure you are working from the latest set of drawings and that all trades are working with the same information. Always adopt the specification and details shown on the drawings - this is what has been approved by building control. If you want to change anything you must consult the building inspector (and me) before proceeding.

Foundations

Wherever possible, I recommend the house be constructed on a level site - even if this means cutting away ground before you start. Not only will this make the construction process easier, it will also save money by eliminating excessive underbuilding. In most cases the completed house will look more balanced and the step in ground level can provide an added landscape feature.

All excavations must be taken down to hard ground - clay (hard pan) or rock. Soft spots must be dug out and filled with concrete. If it becomes apparent that the ground conditions are unsatisfactory you will need to engage an independent structural engineer to design a suitable foundation. Do not crash on regardless, you will only waste time and money.

The excavations must be inspected by the Building Inspector (and me), prior to the concrete foundations being poured. And, the top of the concrete in the foundations must be at least 450mm below finished ground level, to avoid frost action.

Underbuilding

It is imperative that the underbuilding is built accurately, to the dimensions stated on the foundation plan, square and plumb. It is worth checking all dimensions including diagonals to ensure they are correct, before proceeding further.

Solum

This is the concrete sub-floor you have when employing a suspended timber floor. It must not be lower than finished ground level. If the excavated formation is low the level must be made up with clean crushed stone (upfill) laid in 200mm compacted layers. It’s easier doing this at the outset than trying to save costs and then having to barrow it in when the kit has been erected!

Concrete Floor

It is not permissible to employ a ground bearing, solid concrete, floor construction where the upfill will exceed 600mm deep. In such circumstances you must employ a suspended floor of either precast concrete beam and block or timber construction.

Timber Frame Kit

If the kit is to be erected by someone other than the kit manufacturer, ensure they read the erection manual form cover to cover, before they start. Joiners often assume they know what they are doing and this can be a costly mistake!

The kit must sit square and level on the underbuilding. You are not allowed to pack up any part of the kit, off the underbuilding, by more than 10mm. Similarly, the kit may not overhang the underbuilding by more than 10mm. Do not let the joiners crash on regardless if it becomes apparent these allowances will be exceeded.
Such issues must be resolved before work proceeds if you wish to avoid wasting time and money.

Internal load-bearing partitions must be erected at the same time as the external wall panels.

External Block Walling

Any damaged breather paper (on the external face of the kit) must be repaired and the timber frame kit holding down straps, fire stops and damp-proof courses fitted before any walling is built. The holding down straps are galvanized and must be fixed with galvanized nails.

A minimum cavity width of 50mm must be maintained between the outside face of the kit and the inside face of the walling. The stainless steel wall ties must be positioned so as to provide a slight downward slope towards the external walling and kept clear of any mortar droppings which might bridge the cavity. Ties must be nailed to timber studs at maximum 600mm centres horizontally and 450mm centres vertically; ties must be provided between every course of blockwork to the sides of external door and window openings.

Expansion joints must be provided in the external walling at a maximum 6m centres, positioned between openings. Details of a typical joint should be shown either on the drawings or in the erection manual. It is essential that a strip of 10mm bituminous fibreboard be built-in between the blockwork, as it is being built.

External walling must not be built up to the underside of the eaves soffit until the roof tiles or slates have (at least) been loaded on the roof - the weight of the roof covering will cause the kit to compress. As an added precaution a strip of 10mm bituminous fibreboard must be built-in between the top of the walling and the underside of the eaves soffit. Failure to do this may result in distortion of both the eaves soffit and fascia.

Staggers & Projections

Where a building staggers (or steps) or a porch or bay window, for example, projects off the main wall of the building, it is possible to encounter the situation where a roof abuts the outside wall. It is necessary to provide both a cavity tray damp-proof course and lead flashing at this point.

It is a common mistake to omit the cavity tray and this will result in latent defects. It is, therefore, imperative you ensure the cavity tray is built in as the blockwork progresses, it is not easily ‘inserted’ afterwards. Also, you must ensure the back (top) edge of the cavity tray is fitted up behind the kit breather membrane, not nailed on the face.

Slim (joint) vents must be built into the external walling above the bottom (front) edge of the cavity tray. The cavity tray is positioned directly above the lead flashing and follows the same line as the flashing.

Roof Tiling

This must be executed strictly in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. Ensure you have obtained and read a copy before proceeding. In Caithness, the lap of one course of tiles, over the course below, must be a minimum of 75mm and the closer to 100mm the better. Also, all tiles must be clipped and double nailed.

External Render

This must contain sufficient water-proofer, as recommended in the manufacturer’s written instructions.

Although not imperative, I strongly recommend the use of metal render beads to form the bellcast, at all external corners and to eaves and verges. This not only gives a better finish but also reduces the possibility of the render being damaged or failing at these critical points. Render stop beads used up against windows, doors and expansion joints will ensure clean lines and provide the best possible receptor for the silicone pointing.

2006-10-18T09:11:00.000Z

Welcome to the Braemara blog where I will be writing and commenting on business and property issues pertaining, primarily, to the Highlands of Scotland, but which may also be relevant to the UK as a whole.