Homebuilding & Renovating

CLAIRE LLOYD has been a member of the Homebuilding & Renovating team for over a decade. She’s just completed her latest renovation It perhaps goes without saying, but the partnership you will form with your builder will be fundamental to the succes

It’s one of the biggest decisions facing any self-builder: do you renovate an ugly or badly extended property that’s on a site you like, or do you demolish it and start again? That was exactly the dilemma facing Peter and Pauline Williams, who’d been

This secluded building plot comes with planning permission for a two-bedroom holiday cottage with open-plan living spaces and a generous balcony overlooking the nearby stream and surrounding woodland. Full planning permission has been granted to c

Last year’s scorching summer may have dictated one of 2019’s biggest home trends, with searches for ‘swimming pool designs’ on Pinterest up 2,100% from 2018 and research by Duette revealing that Britons were willing to pay up to £10,000 more for a ho

Recently, I attended a presentation on two new housing developments near Cambridge, my home town. It’s a hot topic locally because we are at the eastern end of the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor and there are plans for a new road, a new railway and

Alan and Lucy Brown’s new self-built family home, just off the Fife coastal path with spectacular views of the Forth Bridges in Scotland, emerged out of a design and build journey involving a wee bit of serendipity and luck at the outset and a huge a

Fast forward two decades, and Richard had fulfilled another of his early dreams — to become an airline pilot, first with the fledgling Ryanair and then with British Airways, which took him to Surrey. But the original childhood dream refused to fade —

Internorm, the leading window brand in Europe, offers high quality low-energy and Passivhaus window and door systems. With products offering exceptional technical qualities combined with superior energy, acoustic and security performance, the company

NATASHA BRINSMEAD has worked for Homebuilding & Renovating for over 15 years. She has just finished her latest renovation We can’t all be lucky enough to have gargantuan bathrooms to kit out with over-sized sanitaryware. However, the more bijou bat

PAUL HERVEYBROOKES is an award-winning landscape designer based in the Cotswolds When planning new or redesigning existing gardens we rightly focus on our daytime use, but the garden plays an additional role as a space to entertain through long, du

When you start out on a self-build or extension journey what you think you know about building materials gets knocked sideways. As you begin to investigate what’s out there your knowledge undoubtedly grows but so too can the confusion. What to pick c

Self-builders spend a great deal of time studying building systems and pondering whether to opt for conventional on-site construction or switch to a factory-built, off-site system. Habitually, they begin and end by looking at walling systems. The roo

Here at Homebuilding & Renovating we wanted to provide the self-builders and renovators who come to us looking for ideas and advice with a one-stop solution for protecting their project against things that can, and do, go wrong. We know all too well

The upside-down nature of this rural self-build by Western Design Architects lends itself to a terrace with a retractable covering. The garden design by Caroline de Lane Lea means that the second-storey terrace sits level with the natural slope of th

One of the most common questions the team at Oakwrights are asked is: “How do I find my perfect plot?” Unfortunately there is no straightforward answer to this, other than a lot of research and perseverance. The general perception is that we are a sm

Awkward plots can often lead to creative solutions, and that was certainly the case with Laura and Matt’s 1960s end-of-terrace house and garden. Keen to stay put but desperate for more space, they looked to the oddly shaped, tapered plot of land to t

DAVID SNELL The author of Building Your Own Home, David is a serial self-builder and has been building homes for 50 years Self-building is as much about building relationships as it is building houses. The one that you have with your builder is oft

Having an indication of what you want to achieve and why (do you need more space or light, for example?), the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and an idea of what architectural styles you like before approaching an architect will help steer them in the

The rather fusty label that often comes attached to bungalows is actually an outdated view. Not only good for demolition and replacement — the humble bungalow has an awful lot going for it. As well as fitting in with the more modern approach to renov

IAN ROCK is a chartered surveyor and director of www.rightsurvey. co.uk and the author of eight popular Haynes House Manuals There are two opposing camps in the world of home extension design: those who like to ‘make a statement’ by building somethi

MARK STEVENSON has worked in construction for more than 30 years and is Potton’s managing director Whether you like it or not, money makes the wheels of self-building turn and if you don’t have enough, your build will eventually grind to a halt — t

At IDSystems we typically get asked three questions on every project: “How much?”, “What are the sightlines?” and “What is the U value?” These are all good questions, but there is a fourth question that hardly ever gets asked — “How well will my door

Bargeboards are traditionally fastened to the gables of the roof to protect it and are now seeing a renaissance as an architectural feature (as right). Deeper bargeboards can create a contemporary finish while also reducing unwanted heat loss by prev

DAVID HILTON is an expert in sustainable building and energy efficiency, and is a director of Heat and Energy Ltd We all need fresh air to survive and as such, in our drive towards energy efficiency in our homes, we are continually looking for bett

DAVID SNELL The author of Building Your Own Home, David is a serial self-builder and has been building homes for 50 years Over time, the particular skills of individuals have evolved into the various trade disciplines that we know and recognise tod

A well-insulated house means a healthier, quieter and more energy-efficient home with better comfort levels and lower heating bills. And nothing does a better job of insulation than Icynene. Icynene is a spray-applied insulation foam that expands 100

WANT ADVICE ON YOUR PROJECT? Whether you are embarking on a self-build, renovation project, extending your home or tackling a DIY task, if you have a query about your project why not ask one of our experts? Email your question to homebuilding@futur

BRUCE BENDALL Bruce is a third generation builder with over 30 years’ experience. He has recently completed his latest self-build It has often be said to me that I make things look easy. My answer is usually: “It’s never as easy as I make it look”.

For over a decade, Kloeber has offered self-builders and home improvers a range of bespoke glazing solutions, helping them select the perfect doors and windows for their unique projects. The award-winning company has a vast selection of products in b

The Cornish coast is no stranger to trailblazing design, with traditional properties eagerly snapped up by those hoping to transform them into homes that fully embrace the dramatic and, at times, demanding landscapes that they were built on. And the

Valverdi Portico (1,200x600mm) has a deep grey-blue hue and natural stone finish Want to make the most of your outdoor spaces this summer? The last thing you want to be doing is cleaning and re-sealing your patio or decking, so why not use a low ma

DAVID SNELL The author of Building Your Own Home, David is a serial self-builder and has been building homes for 50 years Before starting my last self-build project, I sent my Building Regulations’ plans off to an estimating service and received ba

One of the most important aspects when planning your self-build or home renovation/extension project is working out how much it is going to cost. This figure will depend on the size and shape of the house, the level of your own involvement, where in

TAMARA HAMILL is renovating and extending a 1980s bungalow to create an accessible family home The bungalow has moved on quite a lot in the last few weeks. The steels were measured, delivered to site, erected, and all the block walls are now built.

The design details and knowledge that went into the Landreth’s house in this issue (page 182 and right) blew my mind! The house manages to merge contemporary and traditional design in a seemingly effortless way, with no fuss to detract from its breat