Struction - Construction

Scope

Most of what we cover

While we are well versed in almost everything related to construction, you may be here looking for something specific, and you may need it fast. Before you search the site for a section dedicated to your needs, here is a brief overview of the areas where we consider ourselves specialists.

Gas Safe registered: we hold the qualifications and public liability insurance to work on boilers, cookers, gas fires and all their associated electrical controls.
Heating engineers: we can get existing central heating systems working, and we are G3 qualified, so we can work on unvented hot water cylinders.
Electrical: we hold electrical qualifications too, so if you have an electrical fault that is being a nuisance, we can sort it out.
Kitchens, bathrooms and building: we are also kitchen and bathroom fitters and general builders.

We very rarely need to bring in sub-contractors, so your job won't be held up waiting for outside help to become available. That's a common problem for contractors who rely entirely on sub-contractors to complete a brief.

A construction company you can trust

With over 40 years of experience, Struction is able to undertake most work without the need of sub-contractors. This ensures that all work is completed to the highest standard and if it isn't good enough for the client, it isn't good enough for us!

Experienced in all trades within the industry.
Fully qualified for Gas work, electrical and other regulated work.
Fully insured for all construction work.

Struction is at present, a relatively small company that aims to offer a broad range of services to clients who prefer a more friendly and open relationship with those in their house or business carrying out improvements or repairs. It is not essential that our clients engage with us about their work, but we are always here to discuss all the options for budget, planning and security concerns.

The keyword for our company is "trust". We put loyalty and honesty above any financial interest and failing a customer, in any respect, is a failure of the entire company. We do fall slightly short of miracles, but you can be sure that we will do our very best to get your work absolutely perfect.

One of the trade-offs with our ideology is that we have to keep our client list manageable. In our experience, those who oversell their services end up having to compromise quality for the sake of speed. Not so with Struction. If we do not have the time to do your work we'll tell you in the first instance so that you can move on without being inconvenienced.

boilers and general gas work

Installs, Servicing and Commissioning

All
Boilers
Servicing and Powerflush
Installation and Commissioning

VaillantFrom £3,100

Vaillant boilers are, in truth, our go-to boiler. They are excellently manufactured and have always had an eye on ease of maintenance and repair. So, on the rare occasion that there is a problem with them, parts are easy to obtain and fixing them is a painless process. We are part of the Vaillant Advanced program which means that if you purchase their boiler protection kit along with the boiler, we can give you a 10-year warranty with Vaillant installs.

Failed CommissionsPrice established after initial survey

If an appliance has failed its commissioning and the engineer is no longer available, we can assess and address the issues and get you up and running. If you have had a service or landlord's gas safe inspection and either an "ID" or "AR" has been served asking for the appliance not to be used, we can confirm the assessment and fix the issues that have been highlighted and finally re-commission the appliance.

ViessmannFrom £4,000

Viessmann make an excellent boiler and have features that not all other manufacturers offer as standard. They are at the forefront of obtaining efficiency in conjunction with Smart technology and have many hybrid systems that set them apart in that regard. They are more expensive and we recommend Viessmann when budget isn't of great concern and you really want to maximise the entire upgrade of your system (controls, parallel systems etc.)

Standard Boiler Service£90

A standard service is a basic service that is primarily for boilers 5 years old or younger or for boilers that have had a full service the previous year. There are still some new regulations that came into effect which add certain costs to this service, like inhibitor and test strips, and it now takes longer on site to complete a service due to these new regulations.

Commissioning BoilersFrom £150

If you have had a boiler installed and it was not commissioned by the gas engineer and therefore could be unsafe, then we can carry out all the tests and commission the appliance if proved safe. This often happens when someone decides to sell their property and then discovers the boiler is not under any kind of warranty or has no certificate from when it was installed. The boiler is essentially "orphaned" as the manufacturer will have no record of its installation date or FGA readings and becomes an issue with the legal aspects of selling the property. It's worth noting that you cannot service an uncommissioned appliance either.

IntergasFrom £2,500 - £3,500

Intergas boilers are the boiler engineers' boilers. They simply have all the features available that are talked about in discussion among tradespeople. Whilst they can be expensive, they have a wide range to suit all budgets. Regardless of cost they are also reported to be the most reliable boilers on the market. These boilers can easily overcome issues posed by changes in Building Regulations which can remove some of the headaches in the ever-changing world of thermal efficiency.

Full Boiler Service£130 plus service kit

A full service is now recommended for boilers over 5 years old which essentially means far deeper cleaning of the system. It requires that the heat exchanger is cleaned which in turn means that the main gasket is renewed and the electrodes in some cases. A service kit is required which costs between £30-£40 and there is far more time on site to get this kind of service done. This is reflected in its cost.

Powerflushing£350 up to 7 radiators plus £50 for every one over that.

A Powerflush is a procedure that cleans out ferrous build up (magnetite) and other debris from your radiators and pipework. This ensures a good flow through your system and radiators that are evenly hot. If you haven't ever had this done, or haven't had it done for at least 5 years, it is strongly recommended. It can be done in conjunction with a service and you have to expect the work to last most of a day.

Commissioning Cylinders£80 for the certificate plus any necessary work

Hot water cylinders should be commissioned too although, remarkably, many are not. In many cases this is just an oversight but in others it is due to a non-regulation install whereby certain criteria are not met. In the worst case scenario these installs can be dangerous but, more often, these bad installs mean when there is a problem the result will damage your property by incorrect discharging of the water.

System Balancing (must be all radiators)£22.50 per radiator

The add-on option for system balancing is a methodical and measured setting of the flow and return temperatures of every radiator in the property. This is NOT just turning down the lockshields and then turning each one up a partial turn until all radiators get hot. Our procedure is calibrated and temperature recorded and it will increase the efficiency of your boiler by ensuring good condensing.

Worcester/IdealFrom £2,000

Worcester Bosch and Ideal (Keston) are also boilers we recommend and will gladly provide and install. Both companies offer a wide range of boilers so pricing an install would be based on your personal requirements. Ideal/Keston do offer up to a 12-year warranty on their best boilers, otherwise, warranties are available from 2 years upwards depending on choice.

Install OnlyFrom £800

We appreciate that some people like to try and save money by sourcing their own boiler and paying for an install. With the boilers we have listed and recommended, it is best to have us source that material as there is no mark-up by us and, in a lot of cases, we can actually obtain the products at a discounted rate. However, with boilers like Baxi, Vokera, Alpha E-Tec, Potterton etc., we have no issue with a customer buying all the material and just getting us in to install it. Prices start at £800 and you should be prepared for some incidental material costs like inhibitor and fittings you may not have considered. Also be aware that a Powerflush is also necessary and we will not fit unless you have proof of a recent one or you employ us to do that too.

Cylinder Servicing£80

It is good practice to have your hot water cylinder serviced regularly too. Scale can build up in the valves which are cleaned and other safety valves are tested for functionality. Electrical components are tested and maintained.

Terminology

Terms Explained

What is it and why?

Powerflushing is a process whereby water, cleaner and other products are pumped around your heating system to remove sludge and debris and ensure a good flow from your boiler.

Flushing your system, especially before a new boiler install, is absolutely essential. There are different methods of doing this with varying degrees of strength, but one way or another it is mandatory to chemically clean your system and at least cold water flush it before a new install. We only offer a Powerflush system before an install as we believe this is the only effective way to honestly clean your system and it gives your new boiler a much better chance of offering an improvement to the one you are replacing. As part of a new install the price of a Powerflush is reduced and it is in the interest of the client to get as long as possible out of a new boiler which this process will ensure.

Hot water cylinders

There are essentially only 2 types of cylinder systems: Vented and Unvented. However, within those systems, there is a myriad of different types, brands and energy driven setups for you to consider, or are specific or necessary to your particular situation.

What’s the difference? The key difference between the 2 systems is a vented system is supplied from a cold water tank or cistern and works primarily on gravity for its power (water pressure). This can then be boosted by pumps when necessary - like for a shower – or can be boosted for the entire hot water system as long as it doesn’t outpower its supply.

Unvented systems, on the other hand, are powered by the mains so you get equal pressure/flow from your hot and cold. Except in very particular situations, there is no need to boost this system but there are requirements that have to be met for this system to work correctly.

We can be on hand to visit and inspect your setup and requirements and advise you accordingly.

What boiler is right for you?

There are many boiler types and they can use a variety of different fuel sources. We won’t go into many of them but focus on the 3 main types of gas boiler and we’ll touch on electric boilers.

The 3 main gas boilers are: System, Combi and Regular boiler. The system boiler is one that not only generates hot water for your central heating and hot water cylinder, but it will also power it around your system without the need of external pumps. These are efficient, but they are not the most efficient of the 3. Why they may be considered better in some cases is that combined with an unvented cylinder you get mains pressure on your hot water so showers at any level of your property work well. These boilers are best used on sealed systems and not gravity-fed.

The most efficient of boilers are the Combis. These heat your house and generate hot water on demand so there is no wasted energy. They do have limits on how much hot water they can generate and pump out, so large houses with many bathrooms may struggle when demand is high. However, in most cases this just means a family establishes a routine that works under that system.

The last of the non-electric boilers is the Regular boiler. This is very similar to a System boiler, but it has fewer working parts and so requires external pumps and other controls to end up as the same. These are cheaper and are usually installed alongside a vented cylinder under a gravity-fed system. This setup is the least efficient and there are regulations/conditions in place that have to be met if there is no alternative but to maintain this rather dated system.

There are electric versions of these boilers and, under perfect conditions and energy prices, these can rival gas and oil boilers in cost efficiency at least. The technology is still improving and we are more than qualified to install one of these if your situation requires it.

The evolving world of energy efficiency.

There is a regulation in place that is required for all Combination (Combi) boilers. This governmental legislation is what’s called “Boiler Plus” and it requires one of 4 things which we’ll briefly explain.

There is no particular order but let’s start with Smart controls as they are the ones that will easily satisfy this requirement and a type of system we are all becoming used to in one way or another. What these controls do is learn about your requirements and adjust accordingly in what they consider to be the most efficient way. In truth, they work best with boilers that have what's called “opentherm” technology, but they are also remotely controllable so they can add a real level of convenience to your heating scheduling. We recommend Nest and we are part of the Pro Installer program which entitles you to longer warranties when supplied and fitted by us.

Next up is “Weather Compensation”. This system monitors the outside temperature and then modulates the heating flow in an optimised way so that the least amount of energy is wasted. It uses sensors to do this and prevent your heating circuit from “cycling”. Cycling isn’t good as it means your boiler just goes into max mode to reach your desired temperature and then turns off, then when it drops below that target it maxes again and so on. Predicting temperatures means your boiler can work more efficiently and last longer.

Load Compensation is next and this works the same way as Weather Compensation, only it measures the inside temperature and your demand and then modulates the boiler. The fundamental difference between the two is that Weather Compensation is proactive, and Load Compensation is reactive.

Lastly, we have PFGHRD (Passive Flue Gas Heat Recovery Device). While all modern boilers increase their efficiency by condensing flue gases back into liquid and then using the heat from that product, Passive Flue Gas Recovery goes a step further and uses a heat exchanger to claw even more energy back from your flue gases. Some boilers even have this system built in so there is no need for additional measures to be compliant.

Property Services

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Planning

Let Us Help You With Your Projects!

Large Contracts
Smaller Projects
Pre-Purchase Advice

Large contracts

What to expect

If you are considering large building work like an extension, a loft conversion, a refurbishment etc, we can help you understand the impact it will have on your property, living routine and what to expect in the way of cost.

When planning for major works in your property, it can be very scary trying to imagine how it will impact on your daily life. Accepting the cost is really the easy part as that is something you can plan for and control, but how or if you’ll be able to sleep in your own bed, whether you’ll be able to cook and eat in your own kitchen and whether your personal possessions will be safe once walls are removed is far harder to imagine without help and advice. If time allows, we will endeavour to help you understand your project in its entirety.

Smaller projects like bathrooms and kitchens

Help with your design

If you are planning a new bathroom, kitchen or other small project, it is a good idea to thrash this out as much as possible before commencing the work. There’s nothing worse than regretting a decision once it’s irreversible.

If you are not completely happy with either the current layout of your kitchen, bathroom, utility room etc, or you are not convinced by a proposed plan from a supplier or other contractor, then, with a wealth of experience and an eye always on future-proofing a design, we can give you help with maximising the space you have available.

We can also help with suppliers too. Sometimes you get the best solution if you, us and the supplier all have an input of what is achievable.

Property pre-purchase advice

Don't rely solely on your surveyor

We have lost count of how many clients have called us disappointed with important issues that have been missed by their surveyor.

It can be heart-breaking once you have bought your new home - probably with a budget for work that you envisaged to make it your own - only to find major issues that have either been hidden or were missed by your surveyor. We understand that usually this is because the surveyor isn’t given complete access for one reason or another, but, as builders, we have a different eye on things and can pick up issues like damp, movement and disguised problems with far more accuracy.

This is not a free service, but if we were contracted to address the issues and broader work, any charge would be refunded in full.

Emergencies

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More about emergencies

Surveys

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Testimonials

What they're saying about us

Used to hate having to cook in my old kitchen, but now I virtually live in it! In all honesty, great work and expert help. I highly recommend this company.

Kitchen customer

Very happy baker

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Happy bather

Loving the bathroom

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