Custom-build homes get a shot in the arm

SME developers of custom-built homes on multi-plots can now apply for exemption of the community infrastructure levy thanks to new planning guidance released this week. It also allows custom builders to cover a wider spectrum of projects, including customised housing... View Article
Silence is golden

Silence is golden

Environmental noise is a part of everyday life; from road traffic noise, to construction work on your doorstep, we experience different sound levels all day, every day. It’s only in recent years that the severity of the impact of continuous... View Article

The warm glow of lower bills

Rises in gas and electricity prices mean that specifying more energy efficient and renewable heating options such as biomass is even more important, as Ian Sams from Specflue explains Renewable energy means energy produced from sources that are constantly replenished.... View Article

Off-grid sewerage

Rebecca Taylor from HD Services gives her insights into getting groundwork specifications right for your build, and explains the options available when no mains sewerage connection is possible Building your own home can be one of the most rewarding things... View Article

Interior Inspiration: Home Offices

With the arrival of Covid, hundreds of thousands of homeowners took to their studies (or sofas) to work from home. As householders continue to combine home-working with being in the office to an unprecedented degree, we round up some of... View Article

Rooflights – historic solutions

You might think rooflights are a modern invention, but as Peter Daniel of The Rooflight Company explains, they have a long history which ties into humanity’s perennial desire to bring light into buildings Natural light has been worshipped since time... View Article

Ask the Expert: The light fantastic

Marketa Rypacek of Industville looks at which of the many types of decorative lighting are best for your project, gives insights into how to go low energy without compromising light levels, and explains why lighting is like jewellery HOW CAN... View Article

Space to relax

Megan Baker of My Fitted Bedroom says that getting organisation and storage right are top of the agenda for bedrooms in 2021 The events of 2020 have seen a surge in people organising their homes – re-evaluating what they really... View Article

Getting brickwork right

Sean Wilkins of the Brick Development Association gives specification, design and workmanship tips that will ensure that your brickwork is successful Despite being used for thousands of years with evidence of their use in the UK dating back to the... View Article

Long distance champions

How virtual project management was the answer for long-distance clients to turn a Victorian vicarage into a modern masterpiece TEXT JAYNE DOWLE IMAGES MATTHEW CATTELL When the major renovation of Melinda and Chris Swann’s Victorian vicarage near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire... View Article

European promotion for VitrA’s Margaret Talbot

Margaret Talbot, marketing manager for VitrA bathrooms in the UK, has been promoted to Regional Marketing Manager – Europe. Margaret joined the Oxfordshire based bathroom company, which is part of Turkey’s largest industrial groups, the Eczacıbaşı Group, in 2016.  Following... View Article

Tapping into savings

Stephen Johnson from Quooker UK talks through the benefits of boiling water taps, and how including them in your project not only gives convenience, but can also help save energy Boiling water taps have grown rapidly in popularity over the... View Article

New Year, New Home: Graven Hill reveals latest range of custom build properties

Graven Hill, the UK’s largest self and custom build development in Bicester, Oxfordshire, has released a new selection of three and five-bedroom custom build properties, for buyers looking to kickstart the year with a new home.   Designed with modern family living in mind, The Swale and The Glade are positioned a short walk from Graven Hill’s ancient historic... View Article

Contemporary blend

Set in a secluded Hampshire valley, a very contemporary home blends into its rural setting thanks to a design by two architectural practices that echoes traditional local buildings. James Parker reports TEXT JAMES PARKER IMAGES RICHARD CHIVERS Astrikingly modern house... View Article

Layer cake

The Hammills caused quite a stir when they remodelled a tired old Thirties house in York into a very modern home that became the talk of the town TEXT & IMAGES HEATHER DIXON Passers-by thought Erica and Michael Hammill’s house... View Article

Setting the bar high

After a couple of frustrating years spent hunting for a new home, Paul and Sarka embarked on a self-build journey with Huf Haus to realise a property that met their high expectations TEXT EMMA HEDGES IMAGES LOTHAR REHERMANN Making the... View Article