Homebuilding & Renovating

Visit national.homebuildingshow.co.uk/preview to pick up two free tickets worth £36* This jam-packed show, running from 23 to 26 March 2023, will provide you with the building blocks to kick-start your project and guide you on your way to a successfu

The government recently announced an amendment to its Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which should positively impact self-builders. Currently, legislation is making it easy for local authorities to reject planning proposals and avoid freeing up p

RESIDENTS John and Patsy Greene LOCATION Herefordshire BUILD TIME 14 months SIZE 270m² CONSTRUCTION SIPs and oak frame BUILD ROUTE Custom build via Border Oak BUILD COST £650, 000 WORDS Amy Reeves PHOTOGRAPHY Jeremy Phillips Having once lived in the

HOMEOWNERS Karl and Caroline Payne LOCATION Worcestershire SIZE 357m ² plus 54m ² garage BUILD ROUTE Builder, subcontractors and DIY CONSTRUCTION Timber frame BUILD TIME 16 months HOUSE COST £725,000 BUILD COST £525,000 VALUE £2million WORDS Debbie J

HOMEOWNERS Craig Holden, LB Mills, baby Gigi, and Margaux the cocker spaniel LOCATION Herefordshire SIZE 196m² BUILD ROUTE DIY and self project-managed CONSTRUCTION Oak frame with WrightWall and WrightRoof encapsulation. BUILD TIME 12 months (May 201

PROJECT Renovation and extension of an 18th-century cottage LOCATION Shropshire BUILD COST Circa £120,000 ADDED VALUE Circa £170,000 BUILD TIME Three years SIZE 200m2 WORDS Claire LloydPHOTOGRAPHY Jeremy Phillips Camilla Monk, an architect, and her e

This collection of barns in Cornwall was derelict for decades. “The roofs had collapsed and only the stone walls could be retained,” says David Jones, a director at Kast Architects. To channel natural light into the newly restored living areas, a cha

Whether your build project is a small extension or a grand self-build, pulling together a team of professionals who champion how you want your home to be will go a long way to making the experience a positive and fulfilling one. You’ll be investing s

The cost to thatch a roof can be a big project outlay, typically costing tens of thousands of pounds. And for good reason: thatching is a highly skilled trade, often requiring decades of experience for a master thatcher to be able to start their own

Cladding is a term used for the process of adding a layer to the outside of a building. It can greatly enhance the appearance of your home and also provide valuable functional purposes — such as protecting your home from the adverse effects of weathe

While planning permission is required for changes to the exterior of a building, including the installation of new windows or changes to existing windows, there are different types of planning permission. There’s the familiar, formal route where a lo

Most lofts are little more than cold, dank storage spaces enlivened solely by annual excursions to retrieve Xmas decorations. So it’s easy to overlook the risks to roof structures caused by damp from condensation. To check the health of your loft all

Getting the design right is vital in creating an L-shaped kitchen that’s practical and which functions how you need it to — whether you’re designing one for a new home or extension, or as part of a renovation. It’s a classic design which is why it’s

Designing a family-friendly home – whether from scratch or for a renovation project – can be tricky to get right. Young families have very different needs to other types of homeowners, such as empty nesters or those living on their own, so it’s impor

I’d like to get a woodburner installed but how do I calculate what size I need? A QWoodburning stoves are rated by their output. The output is measured in kilowatts (kW). Generally, the output of a woodburner ranges from 4kW to 14kW. “As a rough gui

Homeowners have a raft of options to finance an extension project. Adding the borrowing to existing mortgage debt or taking out a loan are obvious choices, but there are plenty of alternatives, too. Sarah Coles, personal finance expert at Hargreaves

The bathroom is not just a necessity in the home, it has also become a sanctuary — a place to luxuriate in a long soak, or to grab a few minutes of peace away from the kids. It’s also become a room we’re increasingly stamping our personalities on, as

Once you have purchased your plot there are a good number of steps you need to take before you can begin building your dream home… You’ll likely need a designer on board to help you formulate plans for your dream home. This might be an architect, an

There are two significant costs when building your own home: the building plot and the build itself. There are also a few additional costs that you’ll need to factor in — see the box on the bottom right of this page. You’ll need access to money to bu

Finding plots in any city is a challenge, especially so in Edinburgh where vacant plots are as rare as hen’s teeth. So when architect John Kinsley found a small slither of brownfield site sandwiched between two period buildings, he was intrigued. Cou

Self-build is a broad church and there are many routes to getting an individual home built. However, generally speaking, most self-builders choose one of the following routes: ● Project managing the entire build themselves, including hiring and coord

Living with solar PV (photovoltaic) panels is a lifestyle choice. They are an eco-friendly addition to any home and they can make your home cheaper to run, but it’s how you use solar PV that determines its real value. In my experience, simply install

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint then insulating your home is a good place to start. “But if you decide that you want to reduce your carbon footprint further still and opt for a sustainable, natural, plentiful material, then sheep wool ins

The extension and remodel of this Victorian flat in south London was prompted by the desire to improve the layout and create an abundance of natural light throughout. Studio Webster Dale was appointed to develop the design, proposing a plan to demoli