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

Ask the Architects: George Aboagye Williams & Priya Nahal

Newly-qualified architects George Aboagye Williams & Priya Nahal discuss what they enjoy about being at Perkins&Will, who recently merged with Penoyre & Prasad and have invested in a programme to foster young talent within the practice What made you want... View Article

Back to the Futurebuild – on the path to net zero

Futurebuild 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” at London’s ExCel on March 7-9 Now in its 17th year,... View Article

Stop costs running away

Collecting rainwater for domestic use is nothing new; it’s been done since Roman times and is still used today in modern, sustainable homes. Jae Lester from RainWater Harvesting looks at how technology has changed, though the principle remains unchanged In... View Article

The rising trend in lifts

People today are generally moving houses less often, indicating they are buying and building homes to live in for many years to come. Alastair Stannah from Stannah looks at how futureproofing your house with a lift can ensure you can... View Article

Unleaded benefits

Water ingress may damage your property or cause wet and dry rot. Nick King from Klober explores the reasons behind choosing lead-free flashings for maintaining a watertight roof, and outlines the installation considerations to be aware of The roof is... View Article

Home Styling: Saving gracefully

Reusing and recycling materials can save huge amounts of energy, as well as costs. Looeeze Grossman explains why refurbished kitchens can be attractively sustainable options There’s no doubt about it, kitchens are expensive. They’re also, usually, the heart of the... View Article

Retiring – but far from shy

Realising their Victorian house would be unsuitable as they approached retirement, Elaine and Tom Devine decided to take matters into their own hands and tackle a new build in their garden, but their timber-framed project faced some planning battles TEXT... View Article

Overheating is out

TuffX’s Paul Higgins explains what the new Part O of the Building Regulations means for glass and glazing in new homes The new Building Regulations Approved Document Part O is designed to tackle overheating in new residential buildings. As the... View Article

Ask the Expert: Insuring peace of mind

Jake Fitness from Self-Build Zone answers some FAQs on how to choose the self-build insurance you need WHEN DO YOU NEED TO INSURE YOUR PROJECT?  As soon as you have completed the conveyancing and bought your plot. The moment you... View Article

Selfbuilder Diaries

We are Laura and Jamie Currie from the Isle of Wight, and we recently embarked upon our first renovation in Gurnard near Cowes, which we are project managing around our day jobs!  We’ve always lived on the island, but in... View Article

Interior Inspiration: Eco Products

As we all continue to pursue more sustainable ways of living, here we have rounded up some products that combine elegant design with eco-friendliness, which we hope will prove inspiring in your project decision-making 1. LifestyleGarden’s Bistro Dining Furniture has... View Article

The best laid plans

Getting a contemporary bungalow design in south London through planning proved to be a nightmare for Giancarlo Rubano. However, with a combination of his dogged determination, support from parents and architects, and some design compromises, he succeeded TEXT TOM BODDY... View Article

Subfloor preparation for refurbishments

Neil Sanders, technical director at F. Ball and Co. Ltd., the UK’s leading manufacturer of subfloor preparation products and adhesives for floorcoverings, advises on preliminary work to achieve optimum results when installing floorcoverings as part of a refurbishment. The first... View Article

Built to last

London Build will return to Olympia London’s Grand Hall from 16–17 November with “more content, networking and entertainment than ever before” This year London Build will welcome over 35,000 visitors, 350 exhibitors and 500 speakers from contractors, developers, architects, specifiers,... View Article

Winning at the panel game

With the market for wall panels growing, Lidia Cetrangolo at Multipanel explains how they are becoming the preferred option for architects in bathrooms Wall panels have been around for decades, and have traditionally been used as an alternative to bathroom... View Article