Jan 27
The Olympic Village has had the hand-over so it can now be furnished and kitted out with everything the athletes who will be staying there will need in 6 months time.
The Village will be home to 16,000 athletes and officials during the London 2012 Olympic Games, and includes 2,818 appartments, as well as shops, cafes, a cinema, and a temporary dining area seating 5,000 people.
The appartments are now being furnished with the 16,000 beds needed, along with the 64,000 bed sheets and 21,000 pillows. They need 11,000 sofas, 9,000 wardrobes with more than 170,000 coat hangers, 5,000 bins and 5,000 toilet brushes!
Seb Coe, chair of the LOCOG, said: “Athletes are at the heart of the London 2012 Games and our plans for the Olympic Village will provide them with a home-from-home as they prepare for one of the biggest sporting moments of their lives.
“With the Village now handed over we are starting the huge process to install essential facilities and services ready to welcome competitors from around the world in 6 months’ time.”
Jan 26
Yesterday, a decision by the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court ruling that the Government’s plans to cut Feed-in Tariffs for solar electricity were unlawful. Chris Huhn, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has written a ministerial statement as follows:
As the House will be aware, the Government’s proposed changes to the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme are the subject of a judicial review. Specifically, the Government has been challenged regarding its proposal to apply new tariffs for solar photovoltaics (PV) from 1 April 2012 to all new installations with an eligibility date on or after an earlier “reference date”, which we proposed should be 12 December 2011.
Yesterday, the Court of Appeal handed down a negative judgment on the Government’s appeal against an earlier decision by the High Court. We respectfully disagree with the judgment and are seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. In the light of that, we cannot rule out the possibility that lower tariffs could be applied to installations which became eligible for FITs on or after the proposed reference date. It is important that consumers are aware of this.
The reason for appealing is that we want to maximise the number of installations that are possible within the available budget for FITs, rather than use available money to pay a higher tariff to half the number of installations. Solar PV can have strong and vibrant future in UK and we want a lasting FITs scheme to support that future and jobs in the industry.
We have already put before Parliament draft licence modifications that (subject to the Parliamentary process) would bring a 21p rate into effect from April for solar PV installations which become eligible for FITs on or after 3 March, to help reduce the pressure on the budget and provide as much certainty as we can for consumers and industry.
In the meantime, we want as far as possible to minimise the uncertainty for PV and other technologies eligible for support under FITs. We are therefore still intending to publish the phase 2 consultation by 9 February. This will include proposed tariffs for other FITs technologies and a set of reform proposals for the scheme. We are also intending to publish the Government’s response to the other aspects of the phase 1 consultation that are not affected by the Judicial Review (namely the proposals on energy efficiency and for multi-installation tariff rates).
Mr Huhne is now seeking permission to go to the Supreme Court to appeal.
Jan 26
If you are updating or renovating a room in your home and are looking at laying floor tiles, we have got all the information you need. Whether you are planning on laying a stone floor or vinyl tiles, our project on laying tiles will give you sound advice.
It covers the pro’s and con’s of tiling over varying existing flooring, and how to tackle it, as well as instruction on how to remove existing vinyl or quarry tiles. Depending on the type of flooring you have, e.g. timber or concrete, you need to be sure to prepare the surface properly, and we have a plan you can follow when you actually come to lay your tiles.
As the project states, most tiles are straight edged with angles of 90 degrees, but unfortunately most rooms are not, so it is really important that you lay the tiles square to each other and ignore the walls of the room. It is best to mark out lines using a chalk line so you have something to follow, then keep following the plan and instructions. There is also advice on how to cut different types of tiles and the tools you need for the job.
If you are considering a natural stone floor, there is information and examples provided by Shaw Stone on the vast selection available and the advantages and different effects you can achieve by having a stone floor.
Jan 25
If you are looking for a whiteboard for the home or office, you could try and save some pounds by creating your own.
Those clever people who hang out at Ikea Hackers (ikeahackers.net) have an alternative using a white glass table top, which apparently works perfectly as a whiteboard.
They recommend the TORSBY dining table top which apparently you should be able to buy seperately in store (although doesn’t seem to be available seperately online). It can be fixed to the wall using mirror fixings, and with a picture ledge fixed below for pens etc, it’s ready to use! Take a look at the pictures here.
If you need advice on how to fix somehting like this to a wall, take a look at our project on Hanging Mirrors and Heavy Pictures.
Jan 25
The European Federation of DIY Manufactureres (fediyma) and the European DIY Retail Association (EDRA) have announced that Mr Gilles Caille will receive the DIY Lifetime Award 2012 in Paris at the European Home Improvement Forum at the end of May.
Mr Caille is president of French DIY manufacturers’ association Unibal and also a co-founder of fediyma. He said “My dream of a strong European organisation alongside America and Asia have now been realised. Many countries have now joined fediyma and with a growing EDRA for the retailers the two associations have created a fruitful cooperation, which among others has resulted in the fediyma/EDRA European forum.”
Jan 24
A case in New York state has seen a plumber convicted and sentenced to four months in prison for grand larceny in the third degree ( which is basically theft). The plumber called Jerry Cioffi was found guilty of stealing $5000 from a homeowner having been contracted to build a sewer connection from her house to a main sewer. Cioffi received a $5000 payment in April 2010 towards the $10,000 cost of the job, and the homeowner was told that the necessary permits would be obtained and work should be completed by the begining of May 2010. The homeowner was forced to contact the Department of Consumer Protection in September 2010 as no work had commenced and was told that no permits had been applied for either.
According to a report in newcity.patch.com ”Cioffi did not return the victim’s money and did not provide an accounting of the job. The defendant was prosecuted under the state’s Lien Law, which mandates that upon acceptance of money in connection with a contract for property improvement, those funds become a trust to be used for that project only. Contractors are required to keep separate ledgers for each contracted job.
By not providing an accounting of the money and not returning the $5,000 at the homeowner’s request, Cioffi violated the Penal Law and the Lien Law.”
As well as the four month sentence he will serve five years probabtion and have to pay a $1000 fine.
We think it is great news that the New York state law is coming down hard on rogue tradesmen and would like to see more stories like this in the UK!
Jan 23
A DIYer from Chicago has had a very close call when he accidentally fired a three inch nail into his head with a nail gun.
The 34 year old, Dante Autullo, was unaware that the nail had actually entered his skull, as was his partner, who cleaned up the small wound. In actual fact the nail was millimetres of reaching the area of the brain which affects mobility. It was only when Dante started feeling nauseous the following day that they decided he should go to the hospital.
Having taken the x-ray and discovered the nail, the doctors operated for two hours to remove it safely, and Dante is now recovering.
Jan 23
If you are always trying to find more storage and your garage is bursting, look at how you can utilise the ceiling! This idea was found on familyhandyman.com and shows how you can build overhead sliding storage on the ceiling and even use it in the area above where the garage door opens.
Image: www.familyhandyman.com
Limited materials and basic skills are all thats needed and so it could be a great one day project to help you get organised in the garage. You could even label the boxes so you don’t forget what is in which box. There are further instructions if you click through to the website.
Jan 20
Online sales have grown by 48% from 2008 to 2011 in the UK according to a report from comparison site Kelkoo.
In 2008 the online retail market was worth nearly £34 billion and last year it has risen to just over £50 billion. They also estimate that by the end of 2012 this will have grown to £57.39 billion which is another 14% rise on last year.
In the UK, we spent an average of £1435 each online in 2011, which was broken down to be an average of 39 items with an average cost of £37 each. We are also one of the top online shopping nations in Europe.
Chris Simpson, CMO at Kelkoo said “Over the last five years internet retailing has improved substantially thanks to the use of affordable ‘always-on’ internet connections, simple and secure payment systems and the increasing popularity of mobile devices combined with the growth of mobile-based retail sites. All of these factors should help online retail sales and retail sales via mobile devices to continue to thrive in 2012.
“It’s natural to see consumer appetite for online shopping growing year on year. This is not because people are spending more money but because they are shopping in the most convenient and affordable way for their individual needs.”
Jan 19
This month has seen a continuing slow rise in confidence in American homebuilders with The National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo sentiment gauge reaching the highest it has been since June 2007.
Bob Nielson, chairman of The National Association of Home Builders in the US said that this was “yet another indication of the gradual but steady improvement that is beginning to take hold in an increasing number of housing markets nationwide”.
