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In an effort to boost business in the construction sector and aid the wider economy, the Scottish government is urging UK ministers to lower the VAT from 20 per cent to 5 per cent on renovations, repairs and home improvements.

Scottish Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop told members of Scottish Parliament that the current VAT acts as a “disincentive to reusing existing buildings,” and that reducing it would act as a stimulus to the construction sector of the economy and make it more appealing for people to invest in homes and neighbourhoods throughout the UK.

DIY just got a whole lot easier up north. Come February 2012, Scottish homeowners will no longer have to apply for planning permission to renovate their homes.

The Scottish government expects about 4,000 renovation applications to be taken out of their system each year, as home renovation projects including garages, extensions and access ramps will no longer require official approval. The government hopes this will free people to make home improvements on their own to save themselves money while simultaneously creating job opportunities for builders and other tradesmen.

More of us would like to achieve a better work life balance and Cotsmill Garden Offices could help you.  Specialists in creating beautiful hand crafted garden offices and studios to provide you with a fantastic work environment just steps away from your back door, right now Cotsmill Garden Offices is making your hard earned cash go further with 7.5% off any order.

Whatever style you are looking for, Cotsmill Garden Offices can help with both contemporary and traditional designs.

Are you in the home improvement or DIY industry? Then make room in your calendar from 6 to 8^th February because Totally DIY, Totally Tools and Totally Secure are coming to the Birmingham NEC.

British homeowners are eager to start 2011 by spending more time with family in a spotless home, according to a recent survey for Interiors 2011 – a new 16 page supplement in the Daily Telegraph published on 29 January 2011.

Shopping trends for 2011

B&Q, the largest European DIY retailer, reported a 15 percent rise in profits on Thursday. New cost-cutting measures and special offer are attributed to this increase, bringing B&Q’s UK profits to £158million.

Installing a solar roof panels could save you from £600 to £1000 a year a new report has said. Research by British Gas suggests that over 12 million homes in Britain have roofs which, if solar panels were installed, could produce enough electricity for up to half of their household needs.

Are you a fan of refurbishment or an interiors enthusiast? If so, you are in luck as we are giving away 50 double passes to The National Home Improvement Show. Entries are on a first come first serve basis so follow the link below now for a chance to win entrance for you and a friend to the event being held at Earls Court from 1 – 3 October 2010.

A recent study has shown that half of young people do not have the basic DIY skills needed to maintain their homes. This lack of home maintenance skills has led to a ‘Dad’ll Do It’ generation who are unable to wire a plug.

Research undertaken by Halifax Home Insurance has found that, amongst under 35s:

- 50% can’t wire a plug.
- 54% can’t bleed a radiator.
- 63% wouldn’t attempt to put up wallpaper.
- 65% admit that their dads are better at DIY than they are.

Senior claims manager for Halifax insurance, Martyn Foulds says:

The National Improvement Show has said there is still a gap between “understanding and implementation” of green home improvements as people remain focused on the short term expenses.

Ah, the British summer. After walking to the office today in the pouring rain, a timely press release popped into my inbox from the good folk at Polypipe.

Instead of reading about all the eco-improvements being made daily, why not view all about green living yourself? The Big Green Home Show takes place October 29^th-31^st and will provide you everything you need to know about environment-friendly living in the home.

With Earth Day come and gone, we are left to ask ourselves if Earth Day is a once-a-year gesture, or if we are committed to working towards lifestyles that have a lower impact on the environment.

Earth Day, April 22, is often marked in a number of different ways worldwide, often including lights being switched off in offices and public places. While these gestures are important, it’s also important to look at longer lasting changes.

Decorating Centre Dulux has started a campaign to regenerate neighbourhoods with a splash of colour. Through the Let’s Colour Project, Dulux is working in local communities with volunteers and experts in design in to re-paint spaces that need some colour so that they reach their full potential.

A 30 second commercial during tonight's The Home Show on Channel 4, will see duo Wallace and Gromit promote energy-efficient home improvements.

It will be the second nPower advert to feature the plasticine pretenders with the company's marketing director Keith Peake saying "We're hoping [Wallace & Gromit's] positive approach to energy efficiency will help people see how simple it is to make small changes and a big a difference to their energy bills."

There's good news for home improvement retailers, with the Halifax Home Improvement Survey showing that more than half of homeowners (55%) have undertaken home improvement projects in the past 12 months spending an average of £5,300.

A survey from npower hometeam has shown that 1 in 3 women don't like inviting tradesmen into their homes. One of the women polled complained that she walked into her bedroom to find a builder rifling through her underwear drawer, whilst another watched as her fireplace was smashed to pieces.

As "hilarious" as these anecdotes are, you've got to ask how helpful some of these polls are. The poll goes on to state that "an incredible 86%" want tradesmen to turn up on time - what about the other 14%?

I know that we’ve been harping on about this for months now, but it really does seem that people are looking to improve rather than move from their homes.

With house prices predicted to fall by up to 35 per cent in the next two years, home improvement is once again high on the list of priorities for the homeowner, as they attempt to sit tight and wait it out.

So what advice is out there for those looking to invest in a spot of renovation on their property?

As we head into summer, homeowners will be putting pocketing their wallets and pulling out their toolboxes - as a new survey from ProblemSolved.co.uk reveals 3 in 4 people would rather attempt DIY for home improvement projects than hire a professional.

And whilst the statistic may be a reflection on a general slowdown in spending, new research also suggests that many homeowners attempting maintenance work themselves aren’t covered against subsequent problems arising from bungled attempts..

Industry coalition calls for a cut in VAT A broad coalition of organisations including the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Empty Homes Agency, the Bathroom Manufacturers Association and the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC), has been formed calling on the Government to cut VAT from 17.5 per cent to five per cent for all building repair and maintenance work.

The ‘Cut the VAT’ Coalition is calling for a reduction in  VAT to help the Government achieve its target of cutting carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050;

A dreaded procedure amongst all budding and experienced property developers, acquiring planning permission can sometimes be the hardest part of a project. Following the government’s newly published Planning Reform Bill, out last Tuesday 27th November, hopefully now some of these pains will be things of the past.

In this recent Planning Reform Bill, it states that there will be new relaxed restrictions of the Planning White Paper. This would subsequently allow more households to build loft conversions and extensions without the need for planning permission.

I know this is old news to electricians, but to anyone else planning to do odd DIY electrical jobs in the home, you should be aware of the electrical regulations put in place by the Building Regulations for England & Wales Jan 2005.

In the simplest format, the regulations states there are certain basic electrics you can do in your home, and more often than not, ones you can’t. The latter requires a qualified electrician.

If you have come across a great tradesperson and you want to spread the word to others, write a review for them here at ProblemSolved, the home to reliable local tradespeople.

Ask.com is forging on with its “information revolution” in an attempt to make an assault on the big boys of search engines, Google.com. Sadly amidst all their battle plans they have overlooked something which all sane property owners would happily see the back of. Demonstrating why Google.com is the top search engine in the world and why Ask.com is not, click here to see what Ask.com has to say on cowboy builders.