It would not be a shock to learn that most of you probably have no idea what your carbon footprint is. Maybe you don't care, but then again, maybe you do. If the latter is the case, then it is worth checking out the government's latest online carbon calculator.

BuildersBox quickly found out that the most important factor was flights, whether long haul or short haul. If you haven't taken many plane journeys recently, chances are that you have a low carbon footprint, regardless of what else you have been up to.

Continue reading "Check out your carbon footprint" »

You probably know them well, in fact they probably share an intimate part of your life and memories, but they're not real. The character of a builder has consistently been popular throughout the history of drama on television. It is undoubtedly because the builder can be used to portray an everyman figure for a variety of purposes, not all of them good; sometimes the character is bigoted, angry and violent, sometimes the fall guy, sometimes a pathetic loser.

BuildersBox had a long hard think about what are not only the most well known fictional builders, but also the most controversial. The underlying question has to be: do these characters reflect badly on builders in real life?

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For all of you that have kids, this may be the ideal Christmas present. Sorry to mention the dreaded word so far from its date, but this was just too good to miss. Made by the aptly named American company 'Flying Peas', these construction 'tools' will lighten up the roughest of sustenance.

Continue reading "Constructive eating" »

The only people likely to invest in zero carbon homes are those that believe that they will get similar creature comforts to a normal house but with more environmentally friendly credentials. In order to achieve this, extra money would have to be spent, not less.

It would seem that a solution has been made to this economic issue; the mud house. In fact it blows away the other zero carbon opposition as it only costs 300 quid. Whether you would want to live in it though is a different matter altogether. BuildersBox's opinion is that it would be better to spend your money planting a whole forest and carbon offset than live like a medieval peasant.

Continue reading "The 300 quid zero carbon house" »

Now here's a turn up for the books. It would seem that children are to learn about the pitfalls of shoddy building work and cowboy builders.

Continue reading "Cowboy builders are real pigs" »

In the grand tradition of using comics to assist kids in learning, the Apollo Group has created the 'The O'Tooles' to illustrate how dangerous building sites are.

Continue reading "Meet the O'Tooles" »

Here is a bit of a silly one. Some one on YouTube has created a little timelapse film of themselves building a Lego house. But there is a sinister twist in the plot.

Continue reading "Lego's build it!" »

Everyone likes to make excuses. If you are a builder, the temptation may be there more than in other industries. But what are the best, the most elaborate, or the most silly excuses that builders have ever made for poor work? Sickness, general poor health, 'it's a technical issue', the list runs on and on. Here are a few:

Continue reading "Top 5: builder excuses" »

Most offices constantly undergo radical redesigns of space every couple of years, but this example is probably the most extreme that BuildersBox has ever come across.

Continue reading "The cheapest office cubicle in the world" »

Power tools and pumpkins anyone?

Well, it's that time of year again, when people get dressed up in silly costumes, and kids come to your door wanting their next hit of e-numbers. But the real question has to be: how do you carve your pumpkin?

Continue reading "Extreme Pumpkins" »