At CD Hood commercial builders in Cambridge we are specialists in helping schools to develop their buildings, whether it’s adding a sympathetic wing/classroom, creating a new corridor, or refurbishing an area. We work with team of architects, ensuring that a project runs smoothly from start to finish.
We have recently completed a staff room extension and built an additional classroom for Robert Arkenstall school in Haddenham.
We make sure that we schedule the works, where possible to fit in with school terms, to reduce the disruption to the school as much as we can. However with larger projects, such as this, we are unable to achieve this, so we make sure our team of CRB checked builders, keep the disruption to a minimum, which means that teachers can keep working with the minimum disturbance.
Arkenstall is one of our most recent school building projects, we completed the work one week early than the completion date.

CD Hood commercial builders in Cambridge, have recently been awarded the work of renovating the outside of the Jesus College boathouse, which is situated on the River Cam in Cambridge.

So we thought we would look into the history of one of the largest boat clubs in Cambridge. The boat club of Jesus College, in Cambridge, was founded in 1827, and the Club, Jesus College Boat Club, is often referred to as JCBC among rowers. 

It is one of Cambridge’s largest and most successful clubs with the 1st Men's VIII never having dropped below 12th place in the May Bumps and 11th position in the Lent Bumps. Jesus men have been head of he Lent Bumps on 39 occasions and May bumps on 24 occasions.

The clubs first race was in the six-oared bumps race in 1827, but there performance was not their best. However over time the clubs performance got much better and they and they won the Head of River in 1841, but they didn’t gain their current force until the 1860’s. By 1877 they gained Headship again and for the subsequent 11 years, until 1886, a record which has not been beaten since. 

In 1886, the boathouse went through a series of refurbishment, including the addition of the weathervane and some years later, the clock tower. 

We are looking forward to starting the external alterations, repairs and decoration on one of Cambridge’s historical and well known boathouses. 

If you are looking to renovate a historical building in or around the Cambridgeshire area, then why not give one of our specialist team a call on Photograph by James Bowe

At CD Hood, commercial and domestic builders in Cambridge, we sometimes see horror stories of poorly constructed loft conversions. Many builders, short of work, have been specialising in this area, but they do not have the skill or experienced needed to carry out a good loft conversion. In the worse case scenario, sometimes it can cost the same amount as the original conversion to put things right. 

If loft conversions have been constructed badly there are all sorts of things that can go wrong. If a loft is not properly insulated for example you could find that you are too hot in summer and too cold the rest of the year, as a large percentage of our energy can go out of our loft space, it’s vital to get this right. 

Planning your loft space is vital – for example if you build a shower under a slopping roof, you might not be able to stand under it, to use it. This might seem obvious, but if you leave the planning to an inexperienced builder, you could end up with all sorts of problems. The key is in the planning, it is better to take your time designing and preparing your loft conversion with your architect and builder, rather than rushing it through, This slow, cautious, clever approach to loft conversion is strongly endorsed by Julian Owen, an architect: "I recommend a consulting structural engineer. Any roof structure has to be treated with great respect. The forces involved are comparatively quite large. Roofs have a tendency to spreading, to push out. The big problem is getting enough space through the ceiling ties to put the stairs in."

When looking for a builder, check out their credentials, there are so many on-line forums and so fourth, a reputable builder won’t mind if you want to go around and check out some of the loft conversions they have done before.

The first thing you really have to consider if you want to extend your home into the loft is- Is there enough headroom? Can you actually stand up in your loft? The highest point should be at least 2.30 meters. Added headroom can be accommodated by the construction of dormer windows. The steeper the slope of your roof, the better it is.   

The next thing you really want to think about is -What is the purpose of your converted loft? Is it for an extra bedroom, or an office? Can the new loft accommodate an extra bathroom? Can your existing plumbing system cope with the pressure of the new bathroom? 

Having run through the checklist, what is the loft for?  A loft conversion is a major undertaking. You need the service of qualified builders and an architect to initially assess the existing structural make-up of the loft.  When you call experienced Cambridgeshire builders CD Hood Ltd we like to make sure that you know what you want your loft for.  If the loft is for an extra bedroom with its own bathroom we need to know if you want a shower or a bath en suite. Remember that if the plumbing and sanitary system of the rest of the house is at the rear, chances are the new loft bathroom would also most easily be located at the back of the house.

Building regulations approval is required if you would like to convert a loft or attic into a liveable space. 

There are various factors you will need to take into consideration
•    the structural strength of the new floor is sufficient
•    the stability of the structure (including the existing roof) is not endangered
•    safe escape from fire/mains fitted smoke alarms
•    safely designed stairs to the new floor
•    reasonable sound insulation between the conversion and the rooms below.

There are so many regulations, it is always best to contact an experienced builder, as they will be able to handle all of the planning and building regulations.

CD Hood, commercial and domestic builders in Cambridge realise that it’s a sign of the times, that many more households are considering extending their homes into their lofts, by creating that extra bedroom, home study. It’s not only a good way to increase the size of your house, it will also increase the value. 

One of the tricky things with a building project is the time it takes to submit planning permission and so fourth, however when thinking about creating space in your loft, permission is not usually required, as it can be classed as permitted development. But permission is required when you extend or alter the roof space and it exceeds the following limits and conditions:


•    A volume allowance of 40 cubic metres additional roof space for    terraced houses*       •    A volume allowance of 50 cubic metres additional roof space for detached and semi-detached houses*
•    No extension beyond the plane of the existing roof slope of the principal elevation that   fronts the highway
•    No extension to be higher than the highest part of the roof
•    Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house
•    No verandas, balconies or raised platforms
•    Side-facing windows to be obscure-glazed; any opening to be 1.7m above the floor
•    Roof extensions not to be permitted development in designated areas**
•    Roof extensions, apart from hip to gable ones, to be set back, as far as practicable, at least 20cm from the original eaves

If you have any bats in your roof space, as they are a protected species you will need to have a survey done, before any work starts. 

However CD Hood, commercial and residential house builders in Cambridge, can do all the work for you, either working out whether you need planning permission or helping you apply for it. So if you are thinking of cashing in the space in your attic, then why not give one of our team a call today.

Source: Planning portal