How do we close the energy performance gap?

LISTEN HERE With a UK housing stock that doesn’t fare well in comparison to other European countries on energy efficiency, what is the solution to the UK’s thermal failings? Simon Blackham from Recticel Insulation explains how the industry is playing... View Article

Meeting the Future Home Standard

Victoria Brocklesby, co-founder and COO of Origin, delves into the key question of whether triple glazing is needed throughout a property in order to meet the Future Homes Standard As the UK continues to prioritise the ‘green building revolution’ and... View Article

Home Styling – Embracing quiet luxury

Gloria Sanchez of Tailored Living shares her advice on cultivating subtle elegance to follow the trend of ‘quiet luxury’ in your self-designed interior ‘Quiet luxury’ is an aesthetic that captures the essence of subtle and toned-down elegance, using a preference... View Article

Selfbuilder Diaries

LISTEN HERE Nicole Collison and her husband Rob, along with their two young daughters, are moving from the coast to the countryside, renovating a Grade II listed Kent barn in search of a rural dream in their home county We’re... View Article

Ask the Expert – Get your light right

LISTEN HERE With so many options available from so many suppliers, choosing the right rooflight can be a bit of a minefield. Here Paul Trace from Stella Rooflights answers the key questions you will need to consider when seeking out... View Article

A room with a flue

The future of home heating is largely focused on the use of heat pumps. Dennis Milligan from the British Flue and Chimney Manufacturers Association (BFCMA) looks at how they can be combined with wood burning stoves as secondary heating Although... View Article

Bringing a sense of theatre to Devon flood defences

LISTEN HERE Paul Hargreaves from Jacobs describes how the firm innovated a flood defence project in Sidmouth to create a dual-use amphitheatre for residents, as an amenity which enhanced the environment while helping protect them from future floods The Sidmouth... View Article

A performance-based approach to energy modelling & rating

LISTEN HERE Shikha Bhardwaj from Hawkins\Brown looks at the changing conversation around energy, and the shift from ‘designing for compliance’ to ‘designing for performance,’ as embodied in the increasingly popular NABERS approach The conversation around energy is changing. The energy... View Article

A question for the minister…

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance magazine asks the ‘64 thousand dollar question,’ after hearing the Housing Minister’s conference speech, namely where will the  UK’s much needed new housing come from? During the recent... View Article

Is housing going downhill fast?

LISTEN HERE Brian Berry, CEO of the FMB looks at the prognosis for SMEs in a sector in crisis, and how its new guide could help All the data, including our own at the FMB, seems to be suggesting the... View Article

Ask the Expert: Funding success

LISTEN HERE Paul Welch of largemortgageloans.com walks you through the key tips for success in playing the self-build mortgage game You have secured your plot, lined up your construction team, and your planning permission has been granted. But what about... View Article

Home Styling: Panel visions

LISTEN HERE Achieving a cohesive, attractive interior means combining ‘interest, contrast and texture,’ says Robyn Park of Robyn Park Interiors. She explains how panelling can be a great way to do this, and how it’s having a big moment in... View Article

Unlocking your door’s true colours

LISTEN HERE Ben Brocklesby of doors and windows supplier Origin offers his advice for self-builders on the ins and outs of picking door colours Aluminium doors are a great option if you’re looking for an unusual colour. If you want... View Article

Practice Profile: Space Group

LISTEN HERE This Newcastle-based practice has built a reputation around the development of digital design services alongside project commissions, with a particular focus on harnessing the benefits of BIM. CEO Rob Charlton explains its ethos to Laura Shadwell North east... View Article

View Point: Oliver Lowrie of Ackroyd Lowrie

LISTEN HERE Oliver Lowrie, director and co-founder at Ackroyd Lowrie shares how his firm is championing new talent, and why greater diversity and inclusivity is essential for safeguarding the future of the industry At Ackroyd Lowrie, we are building a... View Article

Growth under threat from demolition

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance magazine discusses how the push to demolish ageing buildings could seriously undermine social housing’s growth agenda. Efforts to increase the stock of council housing to meet the growing... View Article

Delivering social housing that makes a difference

Stephen Wasserman of National Housing Group discusses the keys to delivering good quality ‘eco’ social housing From ITV’s ongoing investigation to young influencer Kwajo Tweneboa’s tireless social media campaigning, social housing is becoming an inescapable subject, and rightly so. Plainly... View Article

Housebuilding is still a struggle

LISTEN HERE Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), discusses the latest data from the FMB’s State of Trade Survey and finds few reasons to cheer As you will be aware, for too long we have not... View Article