News Archive - Feb 2007 - Buildstore

Flood assessments are being underlined as extremely important by the government with new handbooks being produced for planning officers which explain ...

Mortgage borrowing in the UK has increased by 550 per cent in ten years according to a new report. Motley Fool, a financial advice portal, has found ...

Home improvements should be protected like any other investment according to the British Insurance Brokers'''''''' Association (Biba). The busiest period...

Council taxes are set to rise in April by much more than has been expected. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has for...

With house prices remaining high and pricing many first time buyers out of purchasing a property independently, a fascinating development has taken p...

The property market may be cooling in the UK with the number of people taking out mortgages falling to a two-year low in January, according to a new r...

Plans for the first luxury eco-house have been unveiled by a Scottish home builder called Stewart Milne Group. The firm has designed a prototype hous...

Latest paint sales in the UK are looking up which indicates a potential resurgence of interest in DIY and home improvements. Market analysts GFK have...

With the rising house prices in the UK pricing many first time buyers out of the market, it seems that more and more are turning to buying a property...

If the threshold for inheritance tax begins to include more UK postcodes then an estimated 4.3 million homes could be liable for the tax by 2020, acco...

Green mortgages may not be incredibly effective in terms of helping the environment, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The idea of ...

The government has fudged Home Information Packs (Hips) according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) which is calling for a postponement to thei...

Subsidence in your property may have been caused by turning your garden into an off-road parking spot and subsequently your property may become devalu...

The number of second homes being bought in Cornwall has grown exponentially with an increase of 40 per cent since 2000. There were 9,233 second home...

Castaway star Ben Fogle is to front a new campaign which aims to help solve the water shortage problems of the UK. A new range of water saving produc...

Waiting for the builders or plumber to turn up can be more than just an annoyance, it can have financial implications if you are taking time off work ...

Co-buying a property will never catch on, or at least that is the opinion of one property expert. Although it is a good thing that there are alternat...

West Edinburgh might see an influx of new jobs if an area of greenbelt land is developed, according to Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian. Bu...

The newest property hotspots in the UK are Ramsgate and Thanet which are both within the south-east corner of Kent, according to one property expert. ...

Yesterday saw the announcement of changes afoot in the UK''''''''s social housing policies and part of the agenda is the stipulation that all council esta...

The sustained high prices of properties means that many people are turning to the self-build sector with one in ten new homes being built in this way ...

Financially savvy home owners are going green in order to save money, according to a new study. PrimeMove, an estate agent, says that Brits are incre...

New properties are increasingly featuring cutting edge ecological aspects as home builders are looking to more sophisticated methods of building in a ...

The demand for property in the UK far exceeds its supply which means that house prices will continue to rise, according to one property expert. Accor...

A 100 per cent mortgage is only advisable for the small number of people to whom it is genuinely affordable, according to one property expert. First ...

Renovation is more popular than moving home among the British public according to independent global property consultancy Knight Frank. Luke Pender-C...

You may risk devaluing your property if you plump for the wrong colour scheme when redecorating it, according to a new report. Research from Privileg...

Poorly executed DIY can significantly decrease the value of your home so renovation work on your property should always be done to an acceptable stand...

The mayor of one north-west town remains "proud" of his DIY exploits despite having incurred a nasty accident because of it. Barrow''''''''s m...

People living in areas deemed as being desirable are set to see their council taxes soar. Incorporated as part of an ongoing re-evaluation of the tax...

The stamp duty is becoming an increasing burden on British homeowners, with over a quarter having to increase the size of their mortgage to accommodat...

Eco-friendly roofs are being championed as an affordable option for new build homes in Britain. According to Alisa Pemberton, writing for the New Con...

Children are racking up debt in the UK because they rely on substantial inheritances from their parents'''''''' property in order to clear their finances,...

Sub prime mortgages are those that are offered to people with a poor financial history because they cannot get a mainstream mortgage deal. These peo...

Home Information Packs (HIPs) will bring much needed change and transparency to the property market, according to industry experts. The Association o...

Britons are the biggest DIY and home renovations fans in Europe with soaring property prices encouraging people to spend more on their properties to s...

Environmental campaigner Greenpeace has won a legal victory over government plans to build a nuclear power station because public consultation was not...

An energy expert today said that the government needs to plan energy strategies that can be adopted by local authorities and that this action is urgen...

The demand for environmentally housing is going to rise and rise, according to one property expert. After a long-lasting debate the government has de...

Energy Performance Certificates which become compulsory on June 1st may play a part in forcing house prices down, according to one housing expert. Ju...

The buy-to-let market is young and it needs time to mature but it does sell itself, said one property expert today. Researcher Ed Stansfield from con...

The government is tricking home owners out of money and using stamp duty to warrant it, according to one property expert. Inside Track Group, which m...

The current trend in Do it For Me (DFY) as opposed to DIY is leading to a mass exodus of Polish builders and other tradesmen from their homeland. Maj...

People in Leeds are today being invited to find out about the latest European and UK legislation to help tackle climate change. The northern city is...

Londoners are more likely to pay stamp duty than those in the north of England, according to new research from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). ...

Ruth Kelly, the communities and local government minister, has declared that the government will help the poorest in Britain to get onto the property ...

The average home can lose up to 30 per cent of its heat through inefficient windows and doors making them a top concern throughout winter for people w...

Buyers are increasingly offering less than the asking house price for properties and are engaging in price haggling due it to currently being a buyers...

Buyer confidence in the growth of housing prices has reached a new high with 70 per cent of people looking for a home believing that its value will in...

A new report has slammed some of the top ten volume house builders in the UK for their poorly designed homes. The Commission for Architecture and the...

The housing market is to slow down due to consecutive interest rate rises, according to a leading economist. The Centre for Economics and Business, a...

Homes that are ready to live in are enjoying a renaissance in Scotland because many are lacking the funds for refurbishment, according to a new report...

If you have finished building or renovating your dream home then a new type of tradesman may now be able to help you adorn it with the latest in home ...

A DIY enthusiast from Blackpool has faced a tide of watery chaos this week as he embarked upon renovating his kitchen. Damian Green realised he need...

Rural communities are losing their inhabitants because of the rising costs of property, according to one expert. The National Housing Federation and ...

Good design is especially important for properties in rural areas so that they fit in with the rest of the village, according to one property expert. ...

Government planning experts will be offering some sound advice to budding self-builders at the Self-Build Extend and Renovate Show in Belfast next wee...

Property prices continued to grow last month, keeping pace with the levels seen over the past year and offering little relief to potential buyers. Ha...

Property owners will be breathing a sigh of relief today as the Bank of England has decided to keep interest rates on hold at 5.25 per cent. Followin...

As part of an effort to breathe new life into local communities, B&Q is launching an environmentally-friendly DIY award scheme for sporting, commu...

Future homebuyers will be priced out of the countryside market unless the government takes steps to curb inflated house prices, experts warn. The lac...

The planning process and its relevant requirements is poorly understood by members of the British public, according to a new report. Research shows t...

If you are looking for a traditional country home but need it to be affordable then searching in south Suffolk and Somerset may be a good idea, accord...

Home seekers are increasingly looking for properties with modern features rather than ones with period talking points, according to one property exper...

Elderly people are being offered DIY guidance thanks to a new loan scheme. The scheme, which is being operated by Framework Housing''''''''s FIXIT initia...

As work surrounding Britain''''''''s 2012 Olympic Games gathers steam, London has unveiled one of the biggest planning applications ever submitted in Euro...

Intelligent Finance has teamed up with BuildStore to offer a building refurbishment mortgage to homeowners. BuildStore, the UK''''''''s leading speciali...

The DIY sector has been enjoying strong January sales on the high street, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Home accessorie...

Builders renovating a pub in Coventry have found that it was built on a medieval leprosy colony. Dating up to about 900 years ago, the remains which ...

Property investors looking to get a buy-to-let mortgage have been issued with a warning that they may find it more expensive than they think, accordin...

Prime minister Tony Blair is a keen collector of property and is just about to buy his fifth property despite it needing a barrage of home improvement...

Environmentally-friendly homes don''''''''t just ease the effects of property development on the earth but they also ease the strain on homeowners'''''''' wal...

Despite getting older and less agile it seems that many of Britain''''''''s pensioners still enjoy doing a spot of DIY now and again. According to a new ...

A decrepit 1960s bungalow went onto the market for £1.6 million yesterday due to its highly sought-after location in Dorset. The three-bedroom p...

Housing conditions are continuing to improve throughout the UK with 73 per cent of homes now meeting the government''''''''s Decent Homes standard, accord...

When it comes to planning for the future, Britain''''''''s debt consultants agree that financial education in this country is "abysmal" and youn...

Buy-to-let continues to lead the mortgage market and has been responsible for much of the growth in mortgage demand in recent years, according to one ...

More flexibility is needed in real estate investment trust (Reit) legislation so that the UK has a tax-efficient onshore property vehicle just like th...

A couple in Sussex have built their very own Camelot by using DIY to erect a family home with its own drawbridge, turrets and moat. Located in Broad ...