First footing

The Tile Association says that consumer interest in floor tiles as a stylish as well as hygienic, durable and even sustainable finish for domestic properties has never been stronger, and explains some of the options The market is driven by... View Article

What can Gove deliver?

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance magazine asks what can Michael Gove hope to deliver on new housebuilding? Trying to keep up to date with Government policies for new housebuilding can be a thankless... View Article

An electrified future

David Abernethie from Sevadis discusses the electric vehicle charging outlook for the housebuilder and developer sector and delves into how a collaborative approach is best practice in an ever-evolving industry As the nation steers towards a net zero future, the... View Article

Why fire doors need protection

Mike Sutcliffe from Vanquish Hardware protection discusses why fire rated hardware needs protection; what that protection looks like, and what housebuilders and developers need to look out for Fire doors and fire rated hardware such as locks, latches, hinges, door... View Article

All change, again

Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) discusses the turbulent politics of recent months, and considers how the events will affect SME housebuilders. What a difference a few months makes! In my October article I wrote that... View Article

Mitigate onsite risks with offsite solutions

Following a recent survey conducted by Housebuilder & Developer (which found that 58% of readers cited health and safety as their organisation’s most important concern), Philip Pointon of Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions looks at how offsite manufacturing can mitigate onsite risks.... View Article

Retiring together

Working in a JV on a scheme to bring 137 affordable and private homes to a brownfield site in Sutton Coldfield, McCarthy Stone and Anchor explore their ethos  Sutton Coldfield, eight miles north east of Birmingham City Centre, has – along... View Article

Slip into 2023 in style

LISTEN HERE Jemma Ison of Keystone Group (who also supports technical specification for IG Masonry Support) explains how brick slip products can bring sustainability and style to building projects both large and small Innovative construction techniques are an enabler to... View Article

Back to the 
Futurebuild for net zero

LISTEN HERE Futurebuild (ExCel London March 7 – 9) is doubling down on its sustainability goals with a promise to bring inspiring ideas on how the industry can reach net zero, with “innovative solutions and knowledge sharing” Now in its... View Article

Pump down the volume

LISTEN HERE With heat pumps becoming adopted as the realistic low carbon solution by more housebuilders as the Future Homes Standard looms, lower noise and sleeker aesthetics are coming to the fore as the goals to aim for. James Parker... View Article

Wichelstowe fields forever

LISTEN HERE Labelled “South West England’s boldest new housing development,” Wichelstowe has recently grown to more than 4,000 homes. The council developer and Barratt tell Jack Wooler about this latest modular expansion to what is already a mammoth scheme A new... View Article

A virtually perfect balance

Anthony Day at IMA Architects explains how the practice is pioneering the emerging concept of the Digital Twin, and proving how it can enable architects to hit the balance between efficiency and sustainability on projects As architects, the art of... View Article

The timber-paved road to zero

Andrew Orriss of the Structural Timber Association explores the vital importance of timber in construction on the path to net zero, but also the associated importance for specifiers of quality assurance and competency In recent decades timber has faced greater... View Article

The hot topic

With the UK breaking temperature records while homes become increasingly air tight, James Healey from the Institute of Acoustics looks at hitting the tricky balance between overheating and external noise This summer saw the hottest temperatures the UK has ever... View Article

A robust case for timber windows

Today’s timber windows are vastly improved on their predecessors, but a recent survey and round table found that specifiers’ misconceptions are still making them wary, says Tracy Pomfret of George Barnsdale Rishi Sunak’s U-turn on attending COP 27 came to... View Article

The embodiment of low carbon

Craig Edwards from WMS Underfloor Heating gives his views on why the latest embodied carbon data on heating systems shows that underfloor heating is the option to consider for specifiers pursuing low emissions The total carbon emissions from a building... View Article

Rising to the refurb challenge

Renovating older buildings requires a delicate balance of facilitating disability access while remaining sensitive to a building’s original character, says Sean O’Sullivan from The Platform Lift Company A visit to a local market town or high street provides stark evidence of... View Article

A small victory

As an owner of a company that designs and builds furniture, Hamish Forbes wasn’t initially daunted by a full renovation of his one bedroom cottage in the west of Scotland. However, he soon realised small doesn’t always mean simple TEXT... View Article

John forges the right result

When John Wilkinson took the decision to buy a run down former blacksmith’s cottage just outside York, he wasn’t quite prepared for the renovation journey that lay in front of him TEXT HEATHER DIXON IMAGES DAVE BURTON John Wilkinson felt... View Article