Free advice for home improvements

Do you have any worries about the condition of your home or want to make some home improvements and need some advice? Free professional help may be available from Northumbria University’s Building Advice Centre.

The Building Advice Centre is a free surveying service open to the public, run by final-year Building Surveying students who are supervised by experienced staff.

The Centre has been running for 16 years and allows students to practise skills learned on their course on a range of projects including condensation, rising damp, worrying cracks in walls and feasibility studies for home improvement projects such as loft conversions.

Students have also worked on larger projects involving churches and community buildings.

Kevin Thomas, Head of the Building Advice Centre, said: “The Centre gives students a fantastic opportunity to get out into the community and become experts in their own right.

“The service is open to any member of the public and if anyone has any problems or queries with their property then please get in touch with us as soon as possible as the students will be starting work on their projects in the next couple of weeks.

“The students and our external examiners believe that this module provides an educational experience that cannot be replicated in the normal classroom situation and that it provides an excellent opportunity for the University to engage with the local community.

“Many varied projects have been undertaken and feedback from the clients involved has been very encouraging.”

Approximately 50 projects are required for the students to work on and they are generally considered on a first come, first served basis. However, the location of the property and the type of work to be carried out also has an effect on whether the project can be undertaken.

To find out more about the Building Advice Centre, contact Kevin Thomas on 0191 227 4743 or e-mail your query tokevin.thomas@northumbria.ac.uk