News Archive - Apr 2007 - Buildstore

Building a modern home may save you money in terms of energy efficiency but it can be an expensive outlay at first, according to Homebuilding & Re...

When you are designing a stunning modern home it can be slightly more difficult to get planning permission but often contemporary designs get more lee...

When designing your own modern home there are ten top tips to remember, according to Homebuilding & Renovating magazine. First of all is fitting ...

If this hot weather continues then a hosepipe ban could well be on the cards this summer but you can beat the ban by harvesting rain water. Water but...

The Docklands area is ripe for development as the 2012 Olympics draw close and Canary Wharf becomes a second centre for business in London. Bow, just...

Canary Wharf is dominating the London property market and will remain this popular for the foreseeable future, according to one expert. Mat Oakley, t...

The most desirable neighbourhood in the UK is the south-west, according to a new report. Somerfield supermarket chain has been compiling research whi...

After the initial so-called Do It For Me boom when thousands of Polish tradesmen came to the UK in 2003, it has been reported that their price hikes h...

Government incentives for energy efficient housing are driving the market for green mortgages, according to banking experts. Stamp duty exemptions fo...

Swansea is a city on the make and is seeing huge interest in its land and property at the moment, according to experts. Terry Carr, from John Francis...

In another carbon-cutting move, planning permission has been granted for 16 Earthships to be built in Brighton. Bizarrely named, the Earthships are a...

People are spending an average of 12 per cent of their total annual expenditure on home renovations and improving their property, according to a new r...

While 60 per cent of Britons believe that a greater number of affordable properties should be built on plots of land, many more are reluctant for lots...

If home renovation is your bag then it can open up a whole host of unique properties that otherwise would not be habitable, such as old post offices. ...

Brits are confused about property finance and how to choose the best mortgage for them, according to a new report. A survey by building society Strou...

Pensioners in the UK have been offered a new deal by the government which will allow them to buy a lifetime lease for their property. This is designe...

High prices in London mean that many people are choosing to relocate to the north where they build their own home, rent or look for another property,...

Moving to Wales is a lifestyle choice that many are making, according to the Buy Association which is an impartial property industry commentator. Alt...

Three colleges in Oxford are planning to sell their greenbelt land for development and local residents are furious. Magdalen, Brasenose and Merton ar...

Eight leading companies have got together to show UK home owners that there are things ordinary folk can do to stop the onset of climate change. Tony...

People trying to buy plots of greenbelt land in Sevenoaks are being warned that they might not be able to get planning permission. This shows how car...

House prices in Scotland are rising fast and at twice the rate of the national average price in the UK, according to a new report. Research by Halif...

Northern Ireland is a promising place to build your own property as all of the top ten fastest rising property hotpots are within its borders, accordi...

First time buyers are being hit by problems of affordability which limits how much mortgage lenders can help those trying to get on the property ladde...

Homeowners are to be advised that developing and living in an environmentally friendly household needn''''''''t cost the earth. As part of the Scottish H...

Following two years of planning applications, plans to construct a three-metre wide house in the south-east of London have been given the go-ahead. T...

Local residents have met with developers at an inquiry into the proposed extraction of more than 800,000 tonnes of gravel at a farm near to the Shoref...

With the government having recently given the go-ahead to the construction of 17 casinos across the UK, the prime minister Tony Blair has insisted tha...

Estate agents which offer free Home Information Packs (Hips) may not be offering a good deal as they might try to make their money back elsewhere, acc...

Before beginning a loft conversion always consider your neighbours and apply to your local authority to check you don''''''''t need planning permission fo...

It is better to spend money on heat retention rather than on machines to generate your own energy, according to experts. For the moment it is still m...

A loft conversion is a particularly lucrative home renovation which can add 15 per cent to the value of your home, according to one property expert. ...

Many UK towns and cities are undergoing a "spectacular renaissance" due to regeneration projects, according to prime minister Tony Blair. M...

The town of Caernarfon is now ripe for self-builders as it has just been the given the green light for regeneration. Gwynedd Council has been granted...

The average British man spends about £39 on tools every year but he is less keen when it comes to actually putting these tools to good use, accor...

Regeneration in the northern city of Bradford means that the town has become a far more attractive place to live and to build yourself a home, accordi...

An interesting change in the property market is the preference of tall homes over wide ones. Over 1,000 people have been surveyed by a house builder ...

Now is the time to take action against any subsidence that may cause trouble in your home because the risk grows throughout the summer, hot months. T...

UK communities who want to cut their carbon emissions and go green are being offered grants of up to £30,000 by a leading green generator. E.On,...

Be careful about which sort of wood you use when laying new floors in your self-built property because one sort of wood is being endangered due to a g...

In the latest high house price news it seems even country pads are proving elusively pricey with many people now looking towards self-build as a more...

The latest trend is to buy a property abroad and to see it as an investment for your retirement, according to one expert. Liam Bailey, head of reside...

The Liberal Democrats are planning their manifesto around energy mortgages which would give homeowners special loans to make green home improvements. ...

South Wales is improving in popularity as a place to buy or build property and is deemed suitably "sexy" by leading property experts. Andy ...

Key workers have been priced out of seven in ten UK towns, according to a new report. Public sector employees, such as teachers, nurses and police, h...

One of the more unusual home renovation projects belongs to home owner Debbie Bird who has painted all the interior walls of her Manchester house blac...

The Easter weekend typically marks the beginning of the DIY season but you should consider your home insurance premiums before embarking on a revamp, ...

Ashley Vale is a unique self-build community that has single-handedly beaten off profit-driven property developers in Bristol, according to the Guard...

The introduction of Home Information Packs (Hips) on June 1st will not adversely affect the property market, according to one housing expert. Paul Br...

A family in Lewes has won a cash reward for their outstanding self-built house. Norwich and Peterborough Building Society gave the Curtis family ...

So you''''''''ve built your own house and completed all possible DIY projects, but now what do you do? The answer could well be self-build your own new ca...

It''''''''s spring cleaning time again and one home builder has given Brits some top tips for ensuring they maintain the value of their self-build by keep...

Brits prefer greener homes and one way of doing this is to self-build so you can choose exactly the green credentials you want your property to have....

Yet another reason to build your own property rather than looking for one on the market is that new homes are getting smaller, according to new resea...

Too few young people in the UK are training in the trades and this may mean a serious skills shortage in the building industry, according to property ...

Building Regulations approval needs to be sought before embarking on many home improvements and the British public needs to be reminded of this, accor...

There has been a massive upsurge in interest in green home improvements according to the Ecos Trust, which campaigns for sustainable property developm...

Shopping was top of the agenda for many Brits during the bumper four day Easter weekend with much of the £7.8 billion spent going on barbecues, D...

The Home Information Pack (Hips) initiative goes live on June 1st this year and will help estate agents to become better placed to advise home seekers...

Making your home carbon neutral could prove a cost-effective decision rather than one which will leave you out of pocket, according to one green exper...

Though Brits wanting to invest in property tend to look abroad, new research shows that the UK is actually a worthwhile place to scour because it is t...

If you are planning some DIY or home improvements over the Easter weekend then make sure you get adequate cover just in case things go wrong, is the m...

With the impending Easter break and extended bank holiday weekend coming up, it seems house hunting will be at the top of many people''''''''s agendas, ac...

Many Brits are now relying on their homes to see them through old age and an estimated half of the country''''''''s wealth is tied up in such properties, ...

If you are looking to add some value to your home then take a look into loft conversions which can lucratively add around £100,000 to some homes''...

Planning permission on green improvements ''''''''to be slashed'''''''' From now on it will be easier for people to put green technology into their homes as ...

If you are renovating your home and want to make sure any changes you make are going to add value to the property then bear in mind that more bathroom...

A backlash against estate agents has begun with people choosing property auctions and private sales instead because, according to some, "all esta...

With the much-anticipated Easter weekend on the horizon, now is a good time to get a grip on any home improvements that your property has been requiri...

The government''''''''s Rent a Room tax break has come under criticism this week because it has not risen in line with inflation, according to one prope...

Northerners are going to property auctions in their droves, according to one property expert. David Sandeman, from property data group the Essential ...

Though buying a property at auction is being more popular with everyday home buyers, it can sometimes be a complex and difficult process for first tim...

The housing market in Britain will become "chaos" when Home Information Packs (Hips) are introduced in June, according to one expert. From ...

The number of properties being bought at auction has soared by 132 per cent from 1997 to 2006, according to new data. The Essential Information Group...

The European Union should play a bigger part in addressing the carbon emissions of homes, according to one property expert. David Orr, the chief exec...

There is a growing demand for environmentally-friendly and high quality properties, according to a small Dutchingham-based firm. Willow Builders, whi...