Or should we say it’s gone back to its previous name, Central Station.
Restore back to life in 1986 after lying dilapidated for years; old Central Station was the key connection by rail from the City of Manchester to Liverpool.
Christened the Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre, GMEX was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth after refurbishing costs of £20million; transforming into one of England’s largest exhibition centres.

Older people still refer to it as the GMEX but no doubt over the years it will become know as it’s new name ‘Manchester Central’

At over 10,000 sq metres it is also one of the countries biggest, spaces held up without interior supporting columns, its gigantic vaulted roof held up by sheer engineering inventiveness and uncomplicated geometry.

The hall can seat more than 9000 people. There are a further 2,250 sq metres of adjoining land adjacent to the main hall for temporary structures and exhibitions, with onsite parking for over 1,500 cars.
Regular exhibitions are held with everything from Marine to PC Fairs, Motor Homes and Home exhibitions.

Forthcoming Events

17^th September 12:30 to 19:30

The Manchester Business Show

It’s not that straightforward to find the ideas and opportunities which maintain a companies growth, but at the Manchester Business Show, we’re giving you a opportunity to do just that. We’ve specially selected the exhibitors and spokesman who can assist you in taking your business to the next level. Each exhibitor represents one key area of expertise, be it accounting, economics, IT, advertising or web design, and you will have a opportunity to talk to them in person. These companies are readily and available to answer any of your enquiries, give guidance and offer their first rate services.

Professional Beauty Manchester

The north of England’s largest trade professional health, beauty and wellbeing event, Professional Beauty Manchester is home to foremost UK and global brands. Register for free admission and find out the most up-to-date launches and latest products, meet with essential suppliers, discover new trends, attend complimentary master classes and save with hundreds of show offers.

Please note that as Professional Beauty Manchester is a trade exhibition, no children under the age of 14 or pushchairs will be allowed into the exhibition.

Click on the Map in Inlarge

The Metro System

Accommodation Manchester

Cornerstones Guest House is a short walk from Brooklands Station, offering warm, cosey family run accommodation in a large Vitorian building with large bed rooms restored to there former glory. Once you viewed our video check our tariff to see the really value.

Church Street Market opens Mon – Sat 9am to 5pm. This is a traditional open market in the gateway of the Northern Quarter; selling fruit and veg, books, clothing, farm produce and lots, lots more. March 2010 marked the end of a significant face lift for Church Street Market making sure it stands the test of time for generations to come.

Flower Market

There’s  flower markets in St Ann’s Sq and Thurs, Fri and Sat in Piccadilly Gardens providing an infusion of colour that brings home all the different seasons  no mater what the weather.

Tib Street Market is all about fashion; every Saturday from 10am – 5pm, it attracts some of Manchester most up and coming designers; quirky, handmade and ethically sauced pieces are all on display; you can rummage for hours.

Tib St Fashion Market

Also in Piccadilly Gardens on every second and forth Saturday there’s both a ‘Real Food Market’ and a Fair Trade Market.
You’ll find an impressive selection of traditional products at this fortnightly market with farmers selling fresh home grown and home reared produce; most of the stallholders run family owned businesses, putting there heart and soul into the food they sell.

On the 3rd and 4th September and 17th and 18th also in Piccadilly Gardens is a ‘Jewellery Market’ again some of Manchester most up and coming designers can be seen together with people at the top of their trade. This is quickly becoming an international event making these street markets sparkle with designers coming from all over the world to set up shop.

St Ann’s Sq puts on an Arts and Craft market from 5th – 15th August 10am to 5.30pm and again in St Ann’s Sq as the weather cools from the 29th Sep to 10th Oct is ‘The Feast’.

The Feast Market

‘The Feast – Manchester Food Market’.

The Feast Market is one of the most popular events in the calendar year; food lovers flock to the market to sample some of the best local and international produce,the aromas of the sizzling meats are amazing with Latin American, Spanish and Indian food to name but a few.

The year ends with a number of Christmas street markets, from the 18th November to 21 December.
Albert Sq, Brazennose St, Exchange St, Exchange Sq, New Cathedral St, St Ann’s Sq and the Triangle all have Christmas street markets.

If your coming to visit the markets the ‘Michelin Guide’ rated Cornerstones Guest House provides independent homely and friendly accommodation. Manchester City Centre with all it’s attractions is just 15 minutes away from the Cornerstones and the Trafford Centre is also the same distance.

Sale Water Park

You won’t really find traditional bed and breakfast accommodation in Manchester Centre;  what you will find is hundreds of ‘L’ shaped bedrooms in a large number of hotels, and it doesn’t really matter which hotel you pick there all pretty much designed the same, unless you ask for something different then you pay the eart

The more traditional bed and breakfasts and guest houses providing accommodation, are found in the suburbs and leafy suburbs of Manchester.

Imperial War Museum Manchester

So north, south, east, west, which is the best location; if you work on the process of elimination using transport links and the time it takes into Manchester City Centre as a priority; being close to the much loved Manchester Metro is a big plus.

It runs from the north, starting out in Bury going through Manchester to the south, ending in the town of Altrincham, with a branch running off to the east from Cornbrook Metro Station to Eccles (as in, Eccles Cake: In 1793 James Birch’s shop on the corner of Vicarage Road in Eccles began selling small, flat, raisin-filled cakes. They sold, quite literally, like hot cakes).

On it’s way to Eccles it passes Salford Quays which houses The Lowery Centre

The Lowery Centre

and Imperial War Museum there’s one or two large hotels and a few two star rated bad and breakfast just 15 minutes from Manchester centre.

Your accommodation in Manchester should be no more than 15 minutes outside the city centre and anything to the north is really beyond that time limit.

The south side of Manchester has the leafy suburbs of Sale and Altrincham which both boast their own playhouses, sports centres and good restaurants. Altrincham is about 25 minutes from the city, which if I was to stick to the guide lines would rule it out; but their both popular locations because of their easy access into the city by Metro, and further down the A56 is the beautiful Peak District which is just 45 minutes away.

Fifteen Minutes Out of the City

Is Brooklands Metro Station at Sale; on the ride into Manchester from Brooklands you can pick up a free shuttle bus to ‘The Trafford Centre’ at

Manchester United Stadium

Stretford Station, take the a club tour at Manchester United F.C. visit Lancashire County Cricket Club both from Old Trafford Station; and you can still jump off at Cornbrook Station to get to Salford Quays, the next stop is the city centre with all it’s attractions.

So if you’re looking for accommodation in Manchester, south of the city is the place to be.

The Cornerstones Guest House in Sale is rated in The Michelin Accommodation Guide; view our video to see inside this lovely Victorian House.

Over the next few posts I’ll tell you the out come of the Fire Inspectors visit to audit our Fire Risk Assessment.

If your thinking of opening a guest house or are running one, I ¬†thought I’d let you know the out come of our audit as the Fire Inspector (Late fire Officer) called it.

I say if your running or thinking of running a guest house but there’s also one other category which this now covers and that’s Mrs Smith who may live down the road taking in local business men for one or two nights a week to supplement her income, hhhmm no! Where talking lodger, guest with breakfast, some people.

The new cloak covers, (the official quote)

“All guest accommodation properties, e.g. bed and breakfasts, guest houses, inns,

restaurants with rooms, and farmhouses;”

The quote is from the government document ‘Fire Safety Risk Assessment Sleeping Accommodation’

When asking the Fire Inspector if Mrs Smith needed a Fire Risk Assessment, he quoted the above quote.

“So even though she only has two rooms to for guests will she have to have a full fire alarm system installed?” I asked.

“No, but I would at lease expect fire doors off the main means of escape and linked smoked detectors”

So there you have it Mrs Smith as long as you have fire doors off your main means of escape, (usually your staircase and hall way) and a linked smoked detection system, which doesn’t mean a total rewire of your house it just means linking from room to room so if one go’s off in any part of the house it will set the lot off.

After saying that it also say’s at the start of the Fire Safety Risk Assessment Sleeping Accommodation Guide’ and I quote,

“It applies to premises where the main use is for sleeping accommodation.”

This statement stands alone in the introduction just after the first paragraph.

Is Mrs Smith within the law?

Click here for our free  Fire Risk Assessment Procedure

More Fire Risk Assessment Information

You will find a video on how to do this but on this occasion it’s the materials that are used to do the job I want you to get right .

You could install a fully contained unit so there’s no chance of a leek but there big ugly and usually made out of plastic that fades in colour

So boring or not, it’s so important, this is how to install a shower unit properly.

If you decide to do this your self, all well and good you’ll have to save some money; find a video on the Internet that will show you how to do the whole thing and all the different components it requires. However if your not DIY minded get a plumber.

Yes your plumber will know his job, he probably spends most of his time Guest House & Hotels he will give you a price using the most inexpensive materials he can find, and you can’t blame him for that, he’s running a business, but on this occasion it’s the materials you need to discuss.

Items you will need

1. Shower tray: – acrylic capped, stone resin bonded type
2. Piece of Marine Plywood 10cm larger than the shower tray length and width and the thickness should be10mm less than the thickness of your floor boards.
3. 25mm oval head nails.
4. Enough Aqua Panels 120cm x 80cm (the same as plaster board but made with cement) to cover the two corner walls where the shower unit will be located.
5. Enough Aqua Panel adhesive to fix the Aqua Panel to the wall.
6. Plaster board screws.
7. Take a trip to Topps Tiles and ask for the most up to date mildew resistant sealant.
8. Large bag of made up sand and cement.

If you have enough room buy a long shower tray say 1200mm x 900mm then all you need to do is just put one piece of toughened glass down one side with a tension arm at the top to hold the glass in place, no door it’s a walk in shower, should save you some money all Guest House & Hotels should have them.

More  DIY for Guest House & Hotels

Guest House Hotels Big Jobs First

Guest House Tariff

More Guest House DIY Tips

How to paint your Ceiling

FACT!¬† What ever way you decide to tackle your refurbishment get all the big dirty jobs out off the way first. If you’r just starting of with one or two rooms but the roof needs replacing and a few walls and ceilings need the old plaster taking off and replacing, do these jobs first, it will take you longer to start making money but believe me it’s for the best.

If there is one area that you must not skimp on it is you’re en-suite shower units.

If you don’t get this right, it will, not could, it will cause a lot of problems and a lot of money and hart ache.

Ask any Hotelier, Guest House proprietor, Basil Forty, The grand hotel in London what is the biggest head ache and they will tell you to a man, or woman.

Plumbing, Showers, baths, sinks, with showers taking the top spot.

More Guest House DIY
Guest House Hotels Big Jobs First
Tariff

DIY Tip’s for Guest Houses
Paint the Ceiling First

With money coming in from the guests and me still working ( progressed to running my own business selling potatoes door to door), we decided to take the plunge and start on the next floor where we had another three bed rooms.

We looked into obtaining a fire certificate with a fully operational fire alarm system and set about installing it with the help of an old friend and hotel engineer, actually I was the help, I owe him a plug, good old Mike Conner he went to China about 12 years ago and got himself married, Chinese food every night, yes!

I’m babbling, to get to the point we ended up close to wrecking the bedrooms we¬†already¬†had in use, with wires running all over the place, taking door casings off, ¬†installing fire bells and break glass alarm activators, all needed off course but what a mess. The system had to be installed in the whole house, in the cellars and up to the top of the second floor where no body went. For a business offering Bed and Break Accommodation if some one knock on the door we were in trouble.

A few years later we were in the same situation, all bedrooms quiet full, I was still doing my old job.   We decided to go for the top floor which would give us a eight room bed and breakfast accommodation.

When we got up there it was decided to take down a  dodge looking ceiling in the biggest room, it had a large bulge in the centre and looked as if it was going to come down at any minute, it was suggested put new plaster board over the old and jack up the centre, however it was thought that the 1872 joists would not take the weight, so we tuck it down, a big mistake, we sealed the room off as much as we could but there was 100 years of soot, dust and bird nests up there. My wife nearly killed me it was every were we had to get quite a few of the family round to help clean it up.

If you run Bed and Breakfast Accommodation Make Friends With a Plumber

Most Important DIY Job in Bed and Breakfast Accommodation
How to get the job done
Cornerstones Tarriff
Diy: Bad Walls

I don’t like admitting it, I’m baring my sole here, I just don’t want anyone to make the same mistakes we did. When we bought the now Cornerstones Guest House it was as much as we could afford at the time, We had three children so that was Dorothy’s time spoken for and I had a small business to run in the day time any money we made was thrown down this big hole called refurbishment. So we needed to get it up and running as soon as possible.

We new we could trade as long as we had no more than six bed spaces above the first floor before we had to have a fire certificate. I served my time as a painter and decorator from leaving school at fourteen (yes fourteen, dad died their were five children, a real country and western song) to nineteen then I went on to be a bench joiner for three years, so I had a good bit of experience with regard to putting my hands to any diy projects, consequently we got suck in and had our first few rooms finished quite quickly. We put up a sign and low and behold people started knocking on the door, amazing! scary!

I cooked the first breakfast and wanted it to be so right I ended up cooking three times before the first couple came down.  We went on to achieve our six bed places and they were full most of the time, and I was full most of the time to.

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Click here for our free  Fire Risk Assessment Procedure

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On the 26^th January a entered a post, http://www.cornerstonesguesthouse.com/blog/how-you-can-make-money-from-your-own-house/guest-standards-for-your-own-house/
saying.

“If you’re just having one or two guests don’t be put off when I mention Planning, Building Regs and Fire Officers this will not apply to you if you’re making any alterations”.

That was before I had a visit from my now local Fire Inspector (not Fire Officer).
While the fire inspector was looking over the building I was asking as many questions as I could soaking up as much information as possible so I could post it on the Cornerstones site, it’s only now after going back reading my first posts that I must correct the comment I made with regard to the old law.

The statement I made was quite true under the old Fire Certificate Law’s, any one having a couple of paying guests for a few nights a week did not have to have a Fire Certificate.

It’s now Official

I ask the Fire Inspector, what was the law under the new Fire Risk Assessments with regard to Mrs Smith down the road who takes in a paying guest for one or two nights a week, will she have to have a Fire Risk Assessment.

“Yes, anyone who as a paying guest sleeping over night must have a Fire Risk Assessment”

“Will she have to have a full alarm system and fire extinguishers” I asked.

“No, but at least I would expect fire doors off the landing and connecting smoke alarms” ¬†

So that’s official if you have a paying guest that sleeps over night,

• a) You have to have a Fire Risk Assessment.
• b) You will need fire doors off your main means of escape. i.e.
• landings and¬†hallway doors.

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Click here for our free  Fire Risk Assessment Procedure

More Fire Risk Assessment Information

Sorry I was side tract for a few days.

If your mate’s a builder, with a few good recommendations to his name and knows what he’s doing, tell him what you want, and let him get on with it, although I would still recommended you engage an architect if the work is substantial. The building Reg’s Officer will have to be involved in most cases to make sure the work is being done correctly a plus for you and if the builders any good it won’t bother him, step back if it dose.

An even less expensive way (and you need to be a good DIY man here) is you go into an intended bed room, you find out where the nearest soil stack is in relation to the room, if it’s in the left hand corner that’s where the loo is located and you build your en-suite in that corner, in other words the DIY man, O! Please forgive me, the DIY person in the partnership runs the job bringing in plumbers, electricians, joiners and decorators when and where they need them, again even though your running the job you can request the building officer to call in and have a look round periodically.

There are a few big issues I need to address at this point that will save you some heart ache down the road.

Step back and think of what could be

Let’s say you go for the one room at a time option. Before you get started just step back and think of what you want to achieve and what could be achieved with the property you’ve got. Take off the blinkers, the reason you would use the one room approach is because you don’t want to borrow a large amount of money from the bank and create lage fixed costs.
That’s all well and good but make sure you spend enough at the beginning.

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Click here for our free  Fire Risk Assessment Procedure

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