News Archive - Oct 2008 - Buildstore

Employing an expert to help with a self build project or a renovation of a property will be extremely beneficial, says celebrity property expe...

UK house prices will fall for the next six months and then "bottom out", according to FirstRungNow.com. Helen Adams, managing director of t...

When children were asked to design their own home in Scotland, built-in skateboard parks, trampolines and a fireman''s pole were some of the suggestio...

October saw house prices in the UK fall for the 12th consecutive month, according to Nationwide. The price of the average house is down 14.6 per cent...

Although moving to an interest-only mortgage is often the cheaper option, it will dramatically increase the overall cost of a mortgage , according ...

The number of home repossessions in the UK has gone up in the last year, according to new statistics. Figures from the Financial Services Authority r...

Homeowners in the UK have seen a further reduction in the value of their properties, new figures have revealed. According to the Land Registry, the...

Since April of last year, the number of mortgage products on offer for borrowers has been cut by 86 per cent, according to moneysupermarket.com. Lo...

One expert has published a list of golden rules for people looking to renovate downtrodden properties Susan Emmett of the Times has urged amateur de...

A pensioner from Somerset has been threatened with legal action unless she repaints her Grade II listed cottage. After spending £500 to spruce u...

A new report has revealed that the age of your property will dictate what measures you will need to put in place to ensure it is energy efficient. ...

October saw the number of homes changing ownership increase for the first time in the past five months, a new study has revealed. Property informat...

Homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage should talk to their lender as soon as they can, according to the Homeowners Advice Centre (Hac). Al El...

Property prices are set to fall by £50,000 a by the end of 2009, a new report has revealed. According to the Centre for Economics and Business...

To ensure self build projects run smoothly it is important to have a place to lock equipment away. One way to achieve this is through containers th...

A property ''s green features are set to take centre stage in the future, according to one expert. Melanie Russell, head of communications at Anglia...

Selecting the right site manager could be crucial to the smooth creation of a self build home. Claire Alderson, writing for the Telegraph, believ...

New burglary figures have been revealed that could influence the location of a self build project. Research from moneysupermarket.com has revealed ...

Two three-bedroom ecohomes are being built with straw to combat the big, bad wolf of rising energy costs, it has been reported. Hotel and restaurant ...

Although homeowners are aware of the tough market conditions, they still feel that their homes are worth more than they actually are, according to the...

Anyone embarking on a self build has an opportunity to start a property from scratch and install a variety of measures that safeguard themselves a...

Analysts are predicting further, aggressive rate cuts by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Vicky Redwood at Capital Economics told the Press Assoc...

Prime minister Gordon Brown yesterday claimed that repossession must only be a last resort for lenders. Mortgage lenders will now be expected to s...

The housing crisis has caused people to reconsider moving and plan to make their existing properties larger, an expert has stated. Extensions are a ...

Gordon Brown''s government has failed to spot the need for cutting emissions from existing homes, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has suggested. Lucy B...

The self build sector is continuing to grow and now accounts for one in three of all new detached homes being built, it has been reported. The Buil...

The discovery of a rare orchid has disrupted plans for a £1 million ecohome in the Cotswolds designed by Jade Jagger, it has been reported. Fash...

Homeowners and builders are being warned by esure to protect their properties from the forthcoming storms, it has emerged. Website Easier has reporte...

First impressions are the most important and the front of the house is your first point of call when trying to make a home appealing, it has been repo...

According to the Low Carbon Trust, there are many concerns about whether homes constructed before the 1930s can be brought into the 21st century. The...

Gross mortgage lending fell 42 per cent year on year during September to an estimated £17.7 billion, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) ha...

With so few buyers around, serious sellers should list their property with both estate agents and private sale sites, according to UKHousing.com. ...

Construction costs are continuing to rise with the cost of materials up 5.5 per cent, it has emerged. With demand dropping, contractors are also un...

The numbers of new developments is plummeting because of the lack of lending, one expert has claimed. Selwyn Lim, director at Mouseprice, has suggest...

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has claimed that one of the "big challenges" facing Gordon Brown''s government is raising the public''s awaren...

Homeowners that are embarking on a full-scale property renovation should take into consideration the weather and the environment, it has been sugge...

The new trend of selling your home through a competition is worth exploring, UK Housing said. Shaun Duncan, founder of UK Housing, has suggested that...

New research has revealed that 62 per cent of people have improved their retirement experience by downsizing. A survey from David Wilson Retirement H...

Mortgage lenders should start offering 90 and 95 per cent loan to value ratio mortgages again to enliven the market. This is the opinion of Gareth ...

House purchase lending in August was down by 63 per cent year on year to £6 billion, it has been reported. During the month of August, 42,200 ho...

David Reid Homes has claimed that the current economic climate represents possibly the best time for people to consider a self build home. The comp...

Changes to regulations affecting planning permission are set to "cause problems" with neighbours, according to the National Home Improvement...

Anybody looking to build their own home or significantly improve their existing home is advised to find an architect who fits them best. According to...

A council house has been converted to an ecohome to encourage residents to do the same, it has emerged. The property in Barnet has been kitted out ...

Residential property builder Bellway has seen its profits fall and its order book concertina by 49 per cent, it has been reported. The fourth-larg...

A ground source heat pump works best with a newly-built property , it has emerged. Mark Brinkley, author of the Housebuilder''s Bible, said that suc...

Adding an extension provides existing homeowners with the opportunity to tailor an entire building, according to an expert. Kevin McCloud, the presen...

Even a background in self build projects did not prepare Keith and Rona Mitchell for the enormity of the task when they set about constructing their...

Work has commenced on a carbon-neutral extension that uses straw bales for walls, it has been reported. The work is being done for Helen Baczkowska, ...

Homeowners are being urged to improve their homes if they cannot afford the costs associated with moving, it has emerged. Organisers of the South Wes...

A new survey has revealed that more than half of people would consider building their own home. The survey by Norwich and Peterborough Building Soci...

Last month the average number of transactions per surveyor slipped to less than one every seven days, according to new figures. The financing drought...

The government should force private house builders into finishing their projects and transform them into social housing, it has been claimed. A spoke...

The use of all-timber connections is making a comeback in building, according to an industry specialist. Sally Spencer of the Timber Industry Mag...

Close proximity to the countryside is the most important factor when considering a potential home''s location, it has emerged. New research from Hali...

An ecohome has been built in Northern Ireland that will not cost its owners anything to run, it has been reported According to the Belfast Telegraph...

More than a quarter of Brits would consider expanding their current house or buying a bigger one if their family grew in numbers, new research shows. ...

The trend rate of decline for house prices could be starting to stabilise, it was suggested today. Chief economist Martin Ellis commented on the most...

Land near top state schools in the UK holds property buyers are willing to pay more for, according to new research. A study by Cranfield School o...

The public has a clear appetite for green homes, according to Friends of the Earth. Marie Reynolds, spokesperson for organisation, has said that est...

More and more Brits are seeking advice after falling behind with their mortgage payments, according to new figures. There has been a 51 per cent ju...

Home builders are being urged to make larger glazed areas south facing if they want to reduce heating bills, it has emerged. One way to reduce the am...

The island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides provided an opportunity for a very special self build project for Lesley and Brian Knox. The couple fell...

While the economic climate shows no sign of an immediate improvement, one manufacturing firm has attributed the robustness of the self-build housing m...

Britons worried the economic downturn could cause problems as they try to sell their home have been given a list of innovative tips to allow them to m...

The carbon-saving ecohome from Camden Council has been shortlisted for the Low Energy Upgraded Social Housing Project of the Year prize from Inside Ho...

The Bank of England today announced an unprecedented coordinated interest rate cut of 0.5 per cent, but some homebuilders had wanted a larger decrease...

The Bank of England has voted to reduce the official interest rate to 4.5 per cent. After a special meeting held ahead of schedule, the Bank of Engla...

New figures have revealed that September experienced the 13th successive monthly drop in house prices. The Chesterton CEBR House Price Poll of Polls ...

The housing market in London is riding out the ongoing economic downturn for now, it has been claimed. Research from Haart has revealed the average L...

The number of new homes being built could fall below 100,000 in 2009, a new survey has revealed. A recent downturn in the construction sector could p...

Homeowners should consider cavity wall insulation rather than installing new double glazing windows, an energy efficiency specialist has claimed. Spe...

A recent poll has revealed that most commentators believe the Bank of England will cut interest rates on Thursday. In a survey of 12 economists, fina...

This year’s Grand Designs Live will commence at Birmingham’s NEC on Friday, October 10th. The event will run for three days and will offer ...

Soaring DIY activity in the UK has suggested Brits are not prepared to let the credit crunch get in the way of their desire to redecorate and refurb...

Recent reforms to permitted development (PD) rights should be taken with a pinch of salt, according to a leading expert. Chief executive at Bettern...

New figures published today have suggested that while house prices may continue to fall in the short term, the long-term outlook is more secure. Hous...

The UK construction sector shrank for the seventh month in a row in September, as a result of the fastest slide in commercial activity since records...

Sustainable builders may interest to know the Carbon Trust has increased the size of its interest-free loans from £100,000 to £200,000. T...

Insulation is one of the best ways in which households can save energy and cut down their fuel bills, it has been claimed. According to the National ...

A building firm has used rubble from demolished buildings to construct a brand new car park and on- site roads, it has been claimed. Existing farm b...