News Archive - Jan 2007 - Buildstore

The environment is certainly on the government''''''''s agenda at the moment but opposition parties are concerned that current legislation changes are not...

David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party, has applied for planning permission to put a wind turbine on his home''''''''s roof in London. He sa...

People looking to buy or invest in property should not think that they are stepping into a repeat of the 1990s, according to one housing expert. Ed S...

Buy-to-let mortgages are responsible for much of the growth in demand for mortgages in recent years, according to one property expert. The Council of...

One ex Ground Force presenter has been busy with his latest project where he will create a self-build property with environmental credentials at an af...

The construction industry is suffering a shortfall of skills in the UK, according to new research. Figures from the Chartered Institute of Building (...

The largest problem faced by first-time buyers in the UK is scarping enough money together to get a good deposit ready to put down on a property, acco...

If you are looking to invest in a property as part of a Self Invested Personal Pension (Sipp) then a Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) would be a sa...

One of the problems faced by tradesmen and builders is how to dispose of surplus building materials in a green way but two new websites are trying to ...

People are flocking to become Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) after hearing that the Energy Performance Certificate is to be a compulsory part of the...

Six out of ten Brits would consider taking out a mortgage that was up to five times their salary just to be able to get onto the property ladder, acco...

A wind farm is what is needed for London''''''''s 2012 Olympic Village, according to one property expert. Sunand Prasad, from the Royal Institute of Bri...

Allotment holders in Peterborough are soon to learn the fate of their vegetable gardens with a consultation meeting scheduled by the local council to ...

A slowdown has been predicted in the housing market by one property expert today. The director of a London estate agents called Atkinson McLoed has ...

Home information packs (HIPs) are due to become compulsory for all property sold from June 1st, but some property experts are already saying that HIPs...

When HIPs are introduced as compulsory on June 1st, there will be problems for people who inherit homes after the death of the previous occupant, acco...

Greedy homebuilding companies "cost us the earth" at least according to Bill Dunster who runs an architectural firm. He says we are in a s...

Zero carbon homes made in their entirety from sustainable materials are totally feasible, according to one property expert. Bill Dunster, who runs an...

Thousands of people in the UK are interested in buying a zero carbon home, according to one property expert. Architectural practice ZEDfactory report...

The housing industry must act to make property developments more sustainable, according to experts. Sunand Prasad, the president elect of the Royal I...

A man in Birmingham has created his very own DIY drinking den which he fashioned out of two council houses and a hammer. Glen Gordon, 40, managed to ...

The most useful thing the government can do to help first-time buyers is to remove stamp duty, according to one property expert. Paul Holmes is the c...

New apartments are oversupplied in some city centres and so buy-to-let investors should exercise caution when buying them, according to one expert. T...

There is a massive gap between what landlords perceive as a desirable property and what tenants look for in a rental home, according to a new report. ...

Where you live is the overriding factor in how much you will pay for your car insurance, according to one car insurance company. AA Financial Service...

Those with learning difficulties should be given some choice concerning where and in what kind of property they would like to live, according to one ...

Supermarket chain Tesco is being probed by the Competition Commission over claims that it has been using the UK planning system to gain a competitive ...

It was reported earlier this month that the average property price in every UK county has surpassed £100,000 but a flat which measures 11 by seve...

Brickmakers have seen substantial rises in their profits over the past 12 months thanks to an increase in the number of people building their own home...

A home improvement scheme in Kent has won a prestigious national award for its success in working with different organisations to help vulnerable resi...

If you aren''''''''t particularly enthusiastic about DIY and would prefer to get someone else in then the advice is to be careful because cowboy trades pe...

If you or someone else in your home smokes then a new study says you should beware of the 35 per cent increase in risk that your home will have a fire...

A young entrepreneur has come up with a way to stamp out the risk of having a cowboy do your home improvements. Sophie Hurford has started up a websi...

A new code is being brought in by the government so that people selling their homes known that their Home Information Pack (HIP) is coming from a rep...

Another UK property price milestone has been reached with the average house price breaking through the £100,000 barrier for the first time, accor...

Two of the UK''''''''s biggest property bodies have voted to merge following a series of meetings. The Association of Residential Lettings Agents (RLA) a...

Period homes in Surrey are in jeopardy because property developers want to pull them down and built a block of flats instead. Residents of Hardwicke ...

The UK''''''''s first ever housing export is expected to increase the amount of homes being built by 1,800. Newcastle City Council has announced that it ...

The government has given its response to the queries of its Environmental Audit Committee who recommend that so-called green home improvements are enc...

The South East England Regional Assemble is to invest £384 million into the area''''''''s sub-standard housing between April and May of this year. T...

The total worth of British housing stock is around £3.8 trillion according to a new report. This is an increase of 78 per cent in the last five ...

One in ten arguments between co-habiting couples is caused by unfinished DIY and building projects, according to new research. A report by the Living...

The mortgage market has been described as "dynamic and competitive" despite the recent interest rate hike, according to one property expert....

Furniture, home accessories and furnishings store Laura Ashley has reported a revival in profits and growth due to the resurgence of kitsch fabrics fo...

If you are looking for some advice or inspiration regarding embarking on a self-build property or a home renovation then perhaps a visit to the Nation...

UK housing is reaching crisis point with new builds deemed essential to stemming the rising affordability crisis, according to one housing charity. S...

Over 90,000 households live in temporary accommodation in the UK with one in seven children living in housing dubbed "poor", according to lo...

The demand for construction materials with high recycled content is growing, according to one construction consultancy firm. Waste and Resources Acti...

New approaches to urban flooding are currently in development by the government''''''''s department for environment, food and rural affairs. Some 15 new...

Improving your home is a much cheaper alternative to purchasing a new property, according to one housing expert. The current level of house prices a...

This month''''''''s rise in the interest rate may prompt an increase in co-buying according to one property expert. The Bank of England unexpectedly uppe...

Buy-to-let investors should be wary of more interest rate rises and must work out their rents for the next year very carefully, according to property ...

Homeowners will be negatively affected by yesterday''''''''s unexpected interest rate rise to 5.25 per cent, according to one property expert. The Bank o...

One man in Brighton has been transforming his home with some DIY Renaissance art for over three years. Robert Burns, a 59-year-old decorator by trade...

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has called for proper regulation of the estate agent industry because a new report shows that few Br...

Wags and footballers'''''''' wives are facing stiff competition in terms of shopping prowess and lavish lifestyles from the spouses of bricklayers and oth...

One property expert has outlined the differing approaches taken across the UK towards urban regeneration and the impact this has on property in the lo...

If you are looking to invest in property in an area of regeneration then it is important to research the region thoroughly, warns one housing expert. ...

A new government proposal may see home improvement enthusiasts issued with higher tax bills after carrying out work on their homes. Rather than the c...

The available supply of UK housing is getting worse to the extent where people will struggle to find a home, according to one property expert. Insta...

It may sound like something you would find in a game of Cluedo, but secret passageways and hidden doorways can add significant value to the price of a...

Huntingdonshire District Council has completed a housing land availability assessment which will be used to allocate land to construction companies an...

London has been named as one of the UK''''''''s top property hotspots, according to new research. A study conducted by property website Whathouse is pre...

Work on new green homes that will replace Second World War prefabs in an area of Cambridgeshire has begun. A total of 28 concrete homes in Sawston a...

Experts from the construction industry are to meet with government ministers today to discuss the future of green homes. This follows an announcement...

Construction experts have questioned the £60,000 homes being built to meet affordable housing objectives put forward by the deputy prime minister...

Experts have predicted that fringe areas such as Elephant and Castle, Stratford and Woolwich will be London''''''''s top property hotspots in 2007, with p...

Construction workers in the north-west are to see a boost in business this year as the demand for new housing developments and other construction proj...

Smart homes are not too far into the future according to experts in the house building industry, as the desire for new technologies and the need to sa...

A green area of land in the West Midlands is to submit to building plans for over half a million new homes under proposals being put forward by the go...

DIY enthusiasts could find their council tax bills hiked further this year as a result of carrying out improvements to their homes. The government is...

Sheffield is to benefit from the creation of almost 900 new affordable homes thanks to a £146 million project to regenerate a large block of flat...

One property expert has criticised the government for pricing first time buyers out of the property market by not incentivising affordable home buildi...

There has been a slight shift away from seeking to live in London, according to one property expert. UK internal migration has seen a six per cent po...

Residents of UK town St Albans are congregating in order to combat the council''''''''s plans to build 7,000 new homes on greenbelt land around the town. ...

One property building company is going green by training its builders in how to use wood products from sustainable sources. Lovell, which builds affo...

There may be a lot of buzz around for green home improvements but a new report suggests that only 20 per cent of mortgage brokers are aware that green...

The UK lacks the right kind of housing, according to one property expert. Rightmove, a property website, says that there is a nationwide shortage of ...

The government''''''''s plans to make housing in the south-east more affordable are failing because they don''''''''t go far enough, according to housing expe...

Sometimes even the most enthusiastic DIY-er gets into a spot of bother with the boiler and experts warn that taking out heating insurance could save m...

There is a desperate shortage of available housing in the south-east of Britain due to internal migration, according to experts. Research from Halif...

Growing what is known as a green roof on your home may cut your council tax bill soon, according to the government housing minister. Yvette Cooper sa...

The UK''''''''s average budget for home improvements throughout 2007 is £3,774 according to a new report. Almost a third of Britons also vowed they ...

Home makeovers are set to be all the rage in 2007 with home improvements topping a list of people''''''''s New Year''''''''s resolutions. Research by propert...

People who buy large plots of land in the hope that it will increase massively in value after planning permission is sought are mistaken, according to...

The property market is facing a lockdown because people cannot justify spending thousands of pounds just to live somewhere with one extra bedroom, acc...

The price paid by first-time buyers in the UK has almost doubled in five years, according to the latest figures. Research by Halifax, a mortgage prov...

One housing expert has given first-time buyers seeking homes in January some advice about the New Year''''''''s property market. Paul Holmes, the chief e...