How to specify windows for your selfbuild project

Donna Muir, Workstream Lead, VELFAC Direct Modern window technology can deliver a host of performance benefits to any self-build project, from vastly improved insulation to more natural light, and not  forgetting the ‘wow factor’ of big windows or glazed screens.... View Article

Façade paints help selfbuilders take on a whole new look

Modern advances have enabled today’s paints to offer fresh potential for creating new façade design possibilities. Kevin Davies, Technical Manager of Sto UK, looks at some of the benefits which the latest developments offer to selfbuilders. In contrast to previous... View Article
Colour me perfect

Colour me perfect

How can the trend for colour in the bathroom be utilised effectively and what other trends are coming through in the design of this smallest of spaces? Ben Bryden, Sales and Marketing Director of RAK Ceramics UK, offers us an... View Article

Minimising waste in water treatment

With “new” regulations governing the use of septic tanks in force, David Stagg, technical product specialist for sustainable water management authority Graf UK, talks selfbuilders and homemakers through their options for compliance. Selfbuilders and homemakers developing properties off the mains... View Article

Conservation rooflights – what lies beneath?

Paul Trace from Stella Rooflight offers an insight into steel framed conservation rooflights and the issue of rust, while highlighting some of the important considerations in the specification process. Often specified in both period and contemporary projects, a steel framed... View Article

Reflecting trends in hardware

Door and window hardware can have a massive visual impact on the aesthetics of a property, but what are the current trends that really work? Simon Boocock, Managing Director of CRL Europe, takes a look. While much focus is often... View Article

SAP 10.1 Changes the Heating Industry

From Ross Harrold, Marketing & PR, Electric Heating Company A large challenge faced by the Heating Industry was the methodology for SAP 2012, which was written six years ago. SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) is the methodology used to determine a... View Article

Mind the gap

Comfort is the difference between building a home not a house, and thermal comfort plays a huge role in this. Here, Debbie Phillips, National Business Development Manager from Keylite Roof Windows looks at the best approach to ensure your selfbuilds... View Article
Future-proofed design

Future-proofed design

John Alimi of Stiltz Homelifts explains why it’s imperative self-builders think ahead when designing their home in order to create a ‘home for life’ It is now far easier to be presented with options for a self-build project or major... View Article

Open to a fresh lifestyle

Richard Atkins, design director at DesignSpace London, shares tips on how to create open plan kitchen living for your project Traditionally, kitchens were hidden from view, with meals prepared out of sight and doors firmly shut between the cooking area... View Article

Policy Exchange Report on Planning – expert comment

Following The Times’ story on the Policy Exchange report on planning and plans to overhaul the system, Paul Smith, MD of Strategic Land Group commented:  “The planning system is very recognisably the one that existed in 1947 when the socio-economic... View Article

A change for the better

Listen here. Heidi and John Exley moved into the house of their dreams near Doncaster – and then modernised it beyond all recognition with the help of a local architect TEXT & IMAGES: HEATHER DIXON For years Heidi Exley had secretly... View Article

Sliding doors, made simple

Listen here. Steve Bromberg of Express Bi-Folding Doors outlines the essential factors for self-builders who are considering sliding doors – from size limitations to energy efficiency OTHER THAN SAVING SPACE, WHAT BENEFITS CAN SLIDING DOORS OFFER OVER BI-FOLDS? The main benefit... View Article
Gill MacLeod – Renovation in Scotland

The fruits of determination

Listen here. Nothing was going to stop resourceful self-builder Gill MacLeod achieving the house of her dreams, a major renovation in rural Scotland TEXT JAYNE DOWLE IMAGES EMMA GRAY Clambering around a delivery depot in a hi-vis vest and hard hat,... View Article

An adventure by the sea

Listen here. Embarking on a self-build sans architect is not for the faint-hearted, but Joey and Charlotte Thomson decided to go the DIY route to creating their perfect coastal home TEXT & IMAGES EWEN MACDONALD In 2015 Joey Auger and Charlotte... View Article
Self-Build Case Study: Ian and Julie Perrin

An uphill battle

Self-Build Case Study: Ian and Julie Perrin were unsure about buying the ‘difficult’ plot of land they ended up building on in Montgomery, mid-Wales, but they convinced themselves to take the plunge TEXT ROSEANNE FIELD IMAGES NIKHILESH HAVAL | Listen... View Article

Curves in all the right places

Self-Build Case Study: Not only have Roger and Lucy Southcott achieved their ambition of building a home that’s energy self-sufficient with super-low greenhouse gas emissions, they’ve also created something that’s carefully shaped to fit the contours of its Wiltshire location... View Article