Which Bristol Loft Conversions Contractor Should You Hire?

Bristol's populace has grown throughout the centuries. The city's residents, including those in its larger urban zone, now number over a million British citizens. It can't be helped then that Bristol's residential land is used sparingly and economically, as emphasized by the rather common narrow, multi-storey housings. These houses can sooner or later end up cramped and would inevitably require single or multiple storey extensions, either of which aren't possible with Bristol's crowded urban set up.
What other way is there but up? Loft conversion is an ideal way to increase any Bristol home's living space as it does not require a few more square feet of land. The sad thing however, is that not everybody can do it on their own and thus you may have to employ one of the many Bristol loft conversions contractors if you feel like expanding your residence.
In Bristol, people convert their lofts for various reasons. Some would like to take advantage of the fact that people keep on coming to the city for work or study, renovating their attics in order to be rented out. Others simply need to support their growing families, a side-effect of increased standards of living in the ever developing Bristol.
Thus the demand is certainly high enough for conversion contractors to swamp Bristol's home improvement market. These companies do not all offer the same level of price, quality and customer care, and it therefore is quite tricky to find the best in Bristol loft conversions. If we were to help you choose however, the contractors you should work with are those who:
1. Offer quality work for a reasonable price.
Price is the very first thing you should consider when converting your loft, especially in these financially difficult times. Most Bristol-based loft contractors do not declare their pricing in their websites and advertisements, so you'll have to personally inquire from them if you wish to figure out how converting your loft can cost you.
You should then find contractors whose price tags show reasonable figures which, at its cheapest, will usually cost you around £12,000. Low cost contractors are good, but remember not to go with anyone that sacrifices output quality to be affordable.
2. Have a good track record.
Loft conversion in Bristol existed ever since this conversion method has become a fad. That said, plenty of the city's conversion firms have already gone through so many customers, and it'll be wise to do some research on them and find one with a consistently good track record.
A quick Internet search can give you good examples of such Bristol-based conversion firms. Certain firms in Downend in fact, pride themselves as having existed and are operating in the city for years, growing merely out of customer referrals.
3. Communicate with the customer all throughout the project.
Contractors should never keep their clients in the dark. That said, the best loft conversion teams should know how to communicate and possibly trade ideas with their clients. After all, you have to make sure they'll deliver an output that's exactly or close to what you want them to.
4. Recognize you as the project's boss.
While many contractors would like you to simply let them handle all the work, the best ones still are those that understood who really is in charge. They should be able to comply whenever you order some changes except on circumstances that such requests aren't possible. In other words, good contractors allow you to have a hand in the project and do not let professional pride get in the way - something that can be said as a general characteristic of veteran Bristol-based conversion firms.
Truth be told, it's unrealistic to find Bristol loft conversions contractors that have all these traits at once, given the variety in the city's thriving loft conversion market. However, any company that have at least one of these characteristics is the ideal one to entrust the renovation of your attic to.

Mallory writes and creates videos about Bristol loft conversions and other related topics, being knowledgeable about lofts and home extension as a whole. Find more loft conversion ideas in her Bristol loft conversions site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mallory_Kerstel

Fireproof Safes: What You Should Know Before Buying One

Practically every home and office has some documents and/or computer media to protect against fire and of course the best thing to do is to store them in what everybody refers to as "fireproof safes."
First of all, let us clear a common misconception namely, the term "fireproof safe" is a misnomer. The safes are not really fireproof in the real sense of the word; they are merely fire-resistant.
Moreover, many of these products do not provide any protection against burglary and therefore an accurate description for them would be fire-resistant cabinets rather than fireproof safes.
Having said that, please note that some manufacturers do produce safes which are fire-resistant as well as burglar-resistant in which case, we can rightfully refer to them as safes.
Commercially mass-produced fire-resistant cabinets are designed and manufactured to provide protection against fire for a finite period of time. The most common time ratings are: half an hour, one hour, two hours, three hours and four hours.
For any given size, of course the price goes up as the number of hours goes up. The most common fire rating is one hour although some retailers will quote two hours for some products in their advertisements. Verify before buying!
There are two types of fire rating:
1. where the manufacturers says that their product is rated for x number of hours and
2. where the product is tested and certified by an independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
In order to earn the certification, a manufacturer has to submit one or more units to the laboratory for testing. If the unit passes a particular test, then the manufacturer is entitled to affix a label (which is actually a metal plate) on the unit attesting the nature of the test.
Fire-resistant cabinets are designed and manufactured to provide protection for three types of materials, namely:
1. Paper documents;
2. Computer Media such as back-up tapes, microfilm, CD's, DVD's, etc., (except diskettes) and
3. Computer Media including diskettes.
The most sensitive materials are computer disks and diskettes. Cabinets designed to provide protection for diskettes will pass the test if the temperature inside does not exceed 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51.66 degrees Celsius) for the designated number of hours.
Cabinets designed to provide protection for back-up tapes and photographic films will pass the test if the temperature inside does not exceed 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65.55 degrees Celsius) for the designated number of hours.
The temperature inside the cabinets designed to protect paper records should not exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176.66 degrees Celsius) during the test for the designated number of hours.
So we can see now that the critical factors involved in the protection of paper records and computer media are... time and temperature. UL designates the fire tests as Class 350, Class 150 and Class 125.
Underwriters Laboratories tests these cabinets by inserting them in a furnace and subjecting them to temperatures ranging from 1550 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the Class and the time the cabinet is being tested for.
Sometimes you might come across a phrase "tested to UL standards" in a retailer's ad or product description. This does not necessarily mean that the product has passed the test. If it did, it would have a label which typically reads as follows:
Record Protection Equipment
Classified By Underwriters Laboratories, Inc
As To Fire Resistance
Rating: Class_______-____Hr
When buying a fire-resistant cabinet (we can call it a safe if it is also burglar-resistant) estimate the amount of space you will need to store all your precious things and allow some room for future requirements. As the walls of a fire-resistant cabinet (and the door) are much thicker than those of ordinary steel cabinets, be aware that the outside dimensions are not a good indicator of available internal volume.
Internal volumes are usually quoted in cubic feet in North America and in litres in Europe and in other countries that use the ISO metric system.
Make sure that your floor is strong enough to support the weight of the safe or cabinet. Determine the Class of Equipment and the time rating you will need and buy accordingly.

Joachim Fernandes is a veteran expert who has been in the business of high-security safes and vaults for more than 47 years. For more information please visit: http://tinyurl.com/74emdff

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joachim_D_Fernandes