list property for sale, real estate listings, fsbo

Introduction

When I decided I needed a website for my business I had no idea of the planning involved. Like most people, I thought web design meant deciding on the graphics and the look of the pages and then by some magic it would all happen.
I have a friend who is in the business of web design and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) so I approached him for a quote. As a complete novice who is computer literate up to a point, I was amazed at the depth of initial questioning required to find out exactly what I wanted to achieve.

I had no idea about the various aspects and the structure of the site and I found it mind blowing when I learned about the amount of work involved. So I thought other people would be interested to know more about this complicated process and I have asked my friend to supply the technical information for this article.

Stages in the Process

Target Audience

Before building a website there are important questions to consider. I was asked who would be my target audience. Who are my customers likely to be? Would they be children, businesses, home owners, sales people, parents or teenagers and so on?

The Objective of the Website

Then I was asked, what was the objective of my website? Did I want to sell services on line or use it to market my business and get more leads for possible customers? Maybe I would want to use it as an online brochure to showcase products. Another possibility was to use the website to foster a community so that I was in contact with other like-minded people, with chat rooms, online discussion and being supported by advertising on the site.

I hadn’t quite realised the scope of a website but as I was asked these questions it became clear that a lot of careful thought went into the preparation before building a website.

How to be Found on the Web

One of the first questions I was asked was, ‘Do you want it to be found by Google the main search engine?’ If I did then there was a whole process of establishing Keywords. So finding the best keywords are vital if you want to be found in Google. Generally most users only look at the first page of results so you will also want to promote your website to get on this page for your chosen keywords. By using a keyword research tool you can find the single most popular keyword for your industry.

Your Domain Name

Choosing a domain name is often quite a problem because every name you initially come up with will almost certainly have been taken. Domain names ending in .com are by far the most popular and internationally recognised; the snag is that it’s very popularity means that the majority of the shorter names have already been registered.
By reviewing potential domain names with different endings, such as .net; .co.uk or .info may be able to provide you with the domain name you are after.

Performing asbestos surveys is generally a function of demolition contracts and we use a demolition based domain name and get a fair bit of business through it. We are fortunate to have the keyword in our company name so the keyword in the domain happened by accident really, but if you are registering a domain name now try to find one that contains one of your keywords.

When choosing your domain name it is very important to include one or more of your keywords if possible as this can apparently help with search engine rankings. So although the name of your business is the obvious choice for a domain name, it is not necessarily the only option.

Creating a Site Map

As with any project you must have a plan, the better the plan the better the project turns out. A site map for a web site is part of the plan for the site. The importance of creating a site map is to get it clear in your mind of all the pages you will have on your website so you can prepare the content for each page and begin to design the flow through the website, such as when a user adds a product to their basket, then enters their delivery and billing address and makes the credit card payment in the correct order.

The aim is to make the site as user friendly as possible so that there are no barriers to getting into the website. For that reason often user name and passwordz are set for the customer so that they are not put off making a purchase by having to register.
For a non e-commerce site things are simpler with a contact form which allows you to receive enquiries by email without publishing your email address on the website, thus avoiding spam.Web forms can also validate the information before you receive it, so ensuring that the phone number provided does not contain words, and that the email address is in the correct format, for example. These things may sound very technical to us lay-folk but I assure you everything has to be decided in advance before starting on the construction of the site.

Copy

The next stage is preparing the copy. This is not the design of your website – just the words and visuals you want to have one each of the pages.Having gathered all the previous information you will need to decide what imagery you want to use within the website content. As we all know, a picture speaks a thousand words and remains in people’s memory far longer than just words.For each image you should also have a caption, as the caption of an image is the next ‘most read’ words on the page after the page title. Images and their captions need to be clickable. When you click on a picture it should take you to the next stage of the process such as the sale page or placing an enquiry if your website is for lead generation.

Navigation

Another important consideration when building a website is how you want your navigation to work. You can have links within the content of your website, in the text, so there are not just links from the menu. You will need to decide whether the links will open into a new window, retaining your original page open. Next time you go online, you will realise how much thought has gone into the way in which a website works.

Website Design

Finally we come to the design of your website. As everyone is different the creation of SEO artworks design visuals can be difficult because people have different tastes.

What one person might like, another person might not like. If you are setting up a website for yourself alone then you will probably have some idea of what you want to see on the site. But if, as so often happens, the website is for a large corporation there will be inputs from many people or departments and you can be sure that they will never all agree!

There are a number of ways to approach web design but ultimately you need to create a design brief for the designer(s) to work from. Look at other websites and your competitor’s websites to find out what you like or dislike. The design brief should give reference to the logo, any existing brand guidelines or schemes and fonts and colour schemes, and should also detail which pages of the website that the designer is being tasked with creating visuals for.

The very best results will be achieved by using a graphic designer, and beware – not all graphic designers are the same. A graphic designer who designs specifically for print is working in a different discipline than a graphic designer who designs for screen and specifically the web. So choose your designer carefully, look at other work that person has done and determine whether or not you like their style.

If you are working in the big time and budget allows, use multiple graphic designers who have all been given the same design brief and request three concept designs from each designer. If the client themselves also do a graphic design, even if it’s a back of the envelope scribble, you will then have 10 concept designs. The next step is to get them all together and select the preferred elements from each design. Then give the work to the selected graphic designer to work up as the final artwork.

The artwork should be finalised and agreed on by everybody before construction of the site begins.

Production

Finally the preparation has been done and the site is ready to be constructed. Now for the more technical stuff! You will need to have decided which programming language to use to build the website. There are two main types for developing a website, one is Unix based, and the other is Windows based. Each one has pros and cons. If you are starting from scratch then it probably won’t matter, so you can go with the preference of your professional doing the work. My website is built on the Unix platform (apparently!) which is the same as many of the more well known websites such as Ebay, Facebook, Google and Amazon. Also your website hosting must be compatible with the development language with which your website is built.

Accessibility and Compliance

The website has to meet the current standards for website coding and doing so insures that disabled users, such as the visually impaired, can still access the entire website if they are using a Braille web browser.

Website Development

The best way to develop a website is on the web Server where the site is going to live. This way, those involved in reviewing the work can see work in progress and provide comments throughout the development.

Unforeseen items

There are always some things that arise in any project which you suddenly realise you have forgotten, so no matter how well the web designer prepares and asks the right questions, there will always be a last minute change or addition. The main aim is to minimise the number of glitches that might arise because they aren’t calculated in and they could cause extra costs and delays on the date of the website going live.

Launching Your New Website

The moment of excitement comes when your site finally gets launched and you see the results of all the thought that has gone into the whole process. When our new demolition web site eventually went live I was really pleased.

Reporting and Monitoring

Once your website is up and running, you will want to know how many people visit your website and from that number how many actually buy the products or place an enquiry. From these statistics you can work out the ratio of visits to sales and gradually make changes to improve the ratios. There are some reliable statistics packages such as Google Analytics or Web-Stat.com which allow you to collect and review website visitor data in near real time. All you need to do this is to have a small block of code inserted into each web page on your site.

Another useful service that Web-stat.com provides is to monitor the website and warn you by email or text message if the site goes down. Google Analytics doesn’t yet provide a comparable uptime monitoring service, maybe they just decided it was too much of a headache as it is an intensive service checking a website every 5 minutes to make sure it is still responding and indeed web-stat do promote this difference as one of their unique selling points but it is pretty hard to compete with free. In fact Google Analytics is not quite free, which makes it an even better marketing decision for Google because sometimes it is harder to give things away for free than it is to sell them! Google Analytics is a free service available to Google AdWords advertisers, you don’t actually have to have any AdWords campaigns running but it will cost you a one-time activation fee of £5 (or similar in your local currency) to open your AdWords account, but once you have done that you can go on to use Google Analytics for as many websites as you like.

Marketing

Once the website is live there are lots of things you can do to market your product or service. The first step is to submit it to the search engines and at the same time write articles, and press releases. Getting links to the site from forums, blogs and other social networking spaces are other options. For more on this subject ask your developer about SEO

Conclusion

Wheww. What an amazing amount of work! I hadn’t realised when I started the process of getting a website up and running, how complicated it all is and how many factors you have to consider before even designing the website. The word web design is really a misnomer, as people often think it’s just about the graphic design on the home page, and the branding of the product. Unless you are a computer buff, most people have no idea how much goes into designing and building a website and the systems that support the work you want it to do. I hope that this article will give readers an understanding and insight into the whole process of website development from start to finish.

 

bassg Renting & Real Estate Asbestos Removal, Asbestos Surveys, Demolition, Demolition Company, Demolitions, Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Promotion, SEO

Introduction

Taking down old buildings and replacing them with new is a process that has been going on for thousands of years. The destruction of buildings might have occurred during battles or attacks on communities; or due to natural disturbances such as earthquakes or volcanic activity. The resultant ruins would need to be removed and rebuilt. So the idea of demolition would have come about where a population wished to re-inhabit a specific area or site. (One famous example is the Holy Temple in Jerusalem which was deliberately destroyed by the Assyrians around 586 BCE. After 50 years of occupation the Jews returned to Jerusalem and began the re-construction of the second temple which took seventy years to complete.)

However the actual word to demolish only came into being in 1570, and was used from then on to mean the deliberate taking down or destroying of a building or structure.

Preserving the past – preparing the future.

In a country like Britain with very dense populations per square mile, there is a limited amount of land available for development. The land between built up areas of the villages and towns is known as Green Belt and is protected from development to preserve the agricultural and natural heritage which is vital to the economy of the country.

The outcome of this policy is that there is a constant shortage of land for housing and industry, so the developers have to be more creative when providing structures for the population. One of the ways of doing this is to find places where the buildings are no longer commercially viable or have been abandoned, and re-use the area for different purposes. These areas are known as brownfield, or greyfield sites. In some cities, particularly Leeds and Manchester, the old warehouses or factories have been converted into apartments, retaining the original shell and reconfiguring the internal dimensions into modern living accommodation.

Brownfield sites are disused industrial and commercial facilities where the land may be contaminated with hazardous waste or pollution. They are potentially valuable for significant redevelopment once they have been cleaned up. Greyfield sites are urban properties that have been underutilised or abandoned, but do not have the environmental issues of brownfield sites. They were termed greyfield sites because of large areas of asphalt that covered the land. These sites are valuable because they already have the infrastructure such as water, sewage, electricity and gas in place and do not need remedial work to exploit the site.

When a structure is to be removed there are different ways of approaching the task. The size and construction of the building, the new use of the site and whether there are valuable elements suitable for re-use, will all determine how it is to be demolished.

Traditional Demolition

Traditionally, once all the services were disconnected, the machinery and men would go in and just knock down the walls which caused the roof to collapse and then drag all the remains away. Any concrete hard standing would be broken up ready for removal. The old non environmentally friendly process of site clearance involved simply sending site waste to a landfill site. However modern demolition practices are very controlled and are subject to strict planning, safety and monitoring regulations.

Small structures such as two or three storey houses can be dismantled quite easily with hydraulic excavators and bulldozers using a process of undermining. The walls are undermined at the base, in order to topple the structure; at the same time the manner and direction of the fall is controlled. Clean-up and safety issues are also taken into account when choosing how the building will be undermined and demolished.

Larger buildings such as tower blocks and chimneys require more specialist techniques, and are outlined below.

Deconstruction

A new approach to demolishing buildings is deconstruction – a green approach. The aim is to diminish the amount of waste going to landfill sites by carefully preserving valuable materials for reuse. The work is generally quite a painstaking process of dismantling by hand, brick by brick or section by section. The reclaimed materials are then recycled or re-used for future buildings. The results of deconstruction can save in excess of 90% waste from going to a landfill site. When the farmer opposite to my house sold his farm yard with barns for housing, the builder demolished the barns, cleaned up the bricks and reused them for the perimeter wall of the farmhouse. At the time I was looking for some rubble as a base for a path and the builder let me take several barrow loads off his pile.

Recycling

Historically when old buildings were ruined from disuse or war damage the local people would gradually remove the stone and use it to build their new structures such as houses or barns. Hadrian’s wall between Carlisle and Newcastle has mostly gone because after the Romans left, the local population made off with the beautifully dressed stone the Roman craftsmen had used in the building of the wall. So even in those days people understood the value of recycling because it was much cheaper than having to quarry and dress the stone themselves.

At one time the rubble resulting from a demolished building would be taken to a landfill site for disposal. Now however concrete can be rapidly broken up with the latest machine called a guillotine and the resultant rubble can be crushed and used as sub-base material for the foundation of the new building which is to replace the old, or sent to other construction sites. These days this crushed rubble is called 6f2 crushed stone or 6f2 crushed material.

Modern machinery and techniques allows the demolition companies to efficiently segregate waste types on or off-site. Wherever possible construction materials are recycled and re-used in the new structure. Recycling of waste contributes to a substantial savings in project costs and is good for the environment.

When we renovated our bungalow 20 years ago the builder, who was a bell ringer, found an old beam from a bell tower that was being renovated, and after carefully treating it, installed it in the kitchen. It gave the room some badly needed character and has never needed any further treatment.

Copper pipes, wiring, roof tiles or slates, floor tiles and doors, and wood panelling are some of the valuable items that are saved for recycling and re-use. There are specialist yards in many towns where reclaimed old or antique artefacts are available for purchase.

Tall Buildings

The building demolition work on very tall buildings requires real experts. In some cases a wrecking ball on a crane may be used to demolish the top part of a tall building until it is down to a manageable height. However this process is rarely used by professional demolition companies today due to the uncontrollable factor of the swinging ball and the proximity of other buildings.

Other methods of demolition of tall buildings are by implosion using explosives, controlled collapse and piecemeal. Also ‘High Reach’ demolition excavators are used where explosives are not appropriate. Once the building is down to a more manageable height demolition continues in the usual way.

The steeplejack Fred Dibnah became famous in the late 1970’s for his work on demolishing tall chimneys without the need for explosives. He would cut an ingress at the base of the chimney, use wooden props to support the brickwork and then burn the props so that the chimney would fall in the right direction.

The tallest building to be lawfully demolished was the Singer Building of New York in 1967/8. More recently the collapse of the World Trade Centre after the 9/11 attack in 2001 shows the terrible devastation that could occur if the demolition is not controlled and very carefully contained.

In the demolishing of tall buildings and large structures water hoses and spray equipment is used to control the dust and would is termed a wet demolition.

Explosions

What comes to mind for many people when they think about demolition would be the dramatic collapse of a tall building using explosives. However it is usually the process of implosion, using explosives, that brings down a tall building so that it does as little damage as possible to the surrounding environment. Implosion is essential for dense urban areas and is very fast, the collapse taking only seconds, with the building dropping inwards into its own footprint.

Using explosives is specialist work and is a very skilled process and getting it wrong can be disastrous. If an implosion is not prepared correctly the danger may be damage to neighbouring structures or even killing onlookers from flying debris. Even more dangerous is a partial collapse of a building where the remaining structure is unstable and there are still primed explosives that failed to go off. Workers are in great danger if or when continuing the demolition.

Other hazards of working with explosives occurs when the atmospheric pressure from low cloud above the implosion site will cause the shockwave to spread outwards instead of upwards. The wave of energy created will break windows and cause other structural damage to the surrounding buildings.

Because of the dangers of working with explosives, implosion will only be used when other methods are too costly or impractical.

Health and Safety

Demolition of any building is highly dangerous and is a much more complicated and technical process than most people would realise. Experienced and skilled operators are very important to ensure safety for both workers and public alike. The stability of any structure is reliant on the interdependence of its component parts, so an incorrect sequence of dismantling could result in a premature collapse.

Health and safety is paramount in demolition work so personnel working in the industry have to be appropriately trained. It is advisable for operatives to have gained a Certificate of Competence in Demolition to ensure they have the necessary skills and safety awareness. All demolition work is regulated by the Construction, Design and Management Regulations.

Sequence of Demolition

There has to be a sequence of actions before any demolition can take place. Each area council will have their own specific list for planning approval, but a typical order would be as follows:-

 

·  Provision of Information
The demolition company must provide information on the building to be demolished, its previous uses and the demolition method to be applied including the propossed disposal method of hazardous substances.

 

 

·  Survey of Demolition
Identification of any structural problems as well as risks associated with hazardous or flammable substances .Where petrol has been stored, in a disused garage for example, precautions need to be taken to prevent a fire hazard.

 

 

·  Preferred and Safe Method of Work
A reputable company involved in demolition will be able to select the appropriate method of disposal. Planning and outlining the dismantling process is necessary for vigilant monitoring. A detailed statement outlining the safety process needs to be agreed by all parties involved before any demolition can take place.

 

 

·  Preparation and Planning
A large amount of preparation is required before starting work on demolishing a building. Issues such as asbestos abatement, disconnecting utilities, rodent baiting, dealing with hazardous substances and making safe any electric, gas or other services have to be resolved.

 

 

·  Protection of the Public
Where demolition is carried out in heavily populated areas the protection of the public is paramount. Safety is the biggest factor. Temporary services may need to be arranged, health hazards assessed and people disturbed will need to be informed.

 

Conclusion

The word ‘demolish’ is interpreted as the deliberate and controlled collapse of a structure. Demolition work is a very risky business and demolishing any building is a complex and skilled process. The aim in demolition is to remove an unwanted building as safely and quickly as possible, recycle or re-use most of the old material, and clear the site ready for the subsequent use.

In the centre of Nottingham over the last few years there has been a major reconstruction of what was an old car park into a brand new shopping development. While this was going on the public were only really aware of the boarding around the area, a change in traffic direction and maybe some big lorries going in and out of the site.

So the next time you see buildings being demolished to make way for the new, give a thought to the company involved who’s team are daily working in a dangerous environment, adhering to all of the regulations and carefully and meticulously carrying out the project to bring us the modern conveniences we have come to expect and clearing the way for the future.

 

bassg Renting & Real Estate Asbestos Removal, Asbestos Survey, Demolition, Dismantling, Excavation, Site Clearance