Welcome to the Blogs

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.

If you are thinking of updating your home, we all know that the beautiful results come with a price tag as well. Multiple personal factors determine how you can finance home renovations, including how much you need to borrow, how disciplined and able you are to pay it back on a schedule and your credit score.
After looking at these factors, the two best options, unless you have significant savings on hand, are borrowing on a credit card or taking out a personal loan.

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..

Just a reminder, as reported earlier this week, the Homebuilding and Renovating show will kick off today at the NEC in Birmingham.

If home improvement is high on the agenda this summer, you could come away with new inspiration thanks to the diverse range of exhibitors and contributors at the show.

Click here to register for your free ticket t

Installation issues

Are your existing electrical and plumbing services adequate for your new kitchen?

As the kitchen houses a number of appliances, it is imperative that your electrical supply is sufficient to withstand the demands placed on it. The same is true of water, waste and gas supplies and it is strongly advised to undertake a pre-installation check of all services.

The Six Nations results make for heavy reading for the English so it's conversions off the rugby field that are getting tongues wagging as more and more "movers" start to sing to the "improvers'" tune.

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;

What you need...
Fine-tooth hacksaw, craft knife or file, pencil, ruler, power drill with masonry drill bits, screwdriver, curtain track and fixings, wall plugs.

What you do…

Quality wood shutters not only enhance the overall appearance and design-look of your home, but can also add to value to your property. A specialist in this area, Shaftesbury Blinds & Shutters  have options to suit most looks and budgets – and is currently holding a January sale offering up to 50 per cent off selected shutter ranges.

Vancouver Shutters are reduced from £440 to £220 per square metre, Phoenix Shutters are reduced to just £188 per square metre, and the Phoenix Blinds down from £105 to £89.25 per square metre (excludes fitting).

A house that I am due to inherit has a loft extension without planning permission. It was completed in about 1976. Should we put it back to just an attic or will it be alright to sell and get the future owners to extend it properly?

A can of WD40 is always handy to have around the house, and can be used for a lot more than just a squeaky door hinge or a rusty bike chain.

It’s useful for keeping garden furniture mechanisms free from rust and stiffness over the rainy winter. Spray on your mower blades to stop wet grass sticking and clogging up your mower.
 

What you'll need...

Craft knife, sandpaper, plasterboard, a drill, string, a nail, dry wall adhesive, interior filler.

What you do...

1. Firstly neatly trim the hole in the plasterboard into a square and tidy up the edges and surrounding rough patches with some sandpaper.
2. Using an off cut piece of plasterboard, cut a patch which is the same width as the widest part of the hole though 2 inches longer than the height of the hole.

Now that the weather has taken a rather chilly turn, central heating has got to be on the minds of most property owners. If at the moment you are thinking of adding some underfloor heating to your existing system, look to Hot-Floors.com and their new thermal primer, I-Primer, for an added little boost.

Helping to speed up the heat up time of underfloor heating whilst also reducing its running costs, I-Primer creates a thermal barrier between the cold floor below and the heating system above. This barrier directs the heat upwards instead of down, reducing heat loss by up to 25%.

With Christmas just around the corner and the New Year knocking at our door, we just can’t afford to have disruptions around the house. But what about that decorating job that you desperately need to complete?

Well I’m delighted to have been invited to participate in the Problem Solved Blogs and I hope that you find the contents of the pieces I write over the coming months both useful and informative.

To introduce myself, I am Tim Foley, owner of the website www.kitchensfitted.co.uk and aside from our very popular forum that assists those buying and fitting kitchens and our website articles detailing how to fit a kitchen, we provide and install bespoke quality surfaces nationwide.

Putting good use to any of those remnant bits of carpet lying around the house, Easybind from Stairrods is a handy new way to bind rugs and runners at home with the use of only a simple hot glue gun.

Available in 23 varying colours of rope–style edging, Easybind can be attached to the edge of any length of carpet to create complementary stair runners or rugs for the home. Far cheaper than sending off carpet for professional bounding and over-locking, and far less time to wait for the end product,  Easybind can be attached and completed at home in a matter of minutes.

With the property market growing ever more unsettled, the more information you can have before taking the leap as a buyer or seller, can never be a bad thing. Fresh out of the box and here to help is Betternest.co.uk, a website which demonstrates a property's potential to be expanded and altered for maximum profit and spatial benefits.

Answering the three main questions on buyers and sellers lips, for a flat rate fee the Betternest Property Potential Report details what space can be added to a property, how much it will cost and the estimated profit made from the alterations.

This week from Northern Tool & Equipment’s Christmas discounts, up for grabs is a Makita 18V Combi Drill for only £119.99, a saving of £50 from its usual retail price. A great gift for DIYers of all levels and experience, the drill also comes with an extra 2 x 2.0 Ah Ni-CAD batteries, a 27 piece quad driver bit set and free delivery direct from the manufacturer in approx. 2 working days. An easily sorted and much appreciated Christmas present, its perfect for any one of your handy men or lady relatives.

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.

Tools and Material
Screwdriver, matchsticks, wood adhesive, mallet, wood chisel.

1. Firstly check to see if any of the hinge screws are loose. If so tighten them up.
2. If the screws will not tighten, you will need to plug the existing screw holes for reinsertion of the old screws.
3. With a screwdriver, remove the old screws from the hinge which will not tighten and put to one side.
4. Fold the metal hinge part back on to itself to expose the screw holes on the bare wood behind (either the door or doorframe).

It’s not fun to walk around your house, and be able to hear every moment due to a few central positioned squeaky floorboards. Easy to repair as long as you don’t have carpet (sorry), creaking floorboards generally occur when some of the fixing nails worked them selves loose from the joist below causing the board itself to become loose. To ease the squeak and be able to stealthily move around your home when needed, just follow the simple guide below.

Tools and Materials:

• Pincers
• Pencil

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.

A website dedicated to the hardy home owner with a passion for DIY, uk-homeimprovement.com offers some useful advice and tips to ensure it does cost less to do it yourself.

With illustrated step by step DIY guides from hanging wallpaper to putting up corner shelving, helpful tips on how to save money on your household bills, recommended suppliers for all your DIY product desires and an online shopping store to indulge in all the things which make your home your own, uk-homeimprovement.com is definitely worth look.

A fun and surprisingly handy website, Yahoo! Answers provides an interactive platform to indulge in one of man’s best virtues; curiosity.

With helpful categories such as the home and garden, health and computers to the more adventurous and opinionated such as politics, social sciences and parenting, Yahoo!

Did you know up to 25% of heat in an un-insulate house is lost through the roof? By laying down insulation in the loft you could save as much as 20% off your energy bills, and it’s really easy to do. So just follow the simple steps below and look forward to a having a cosy warm home for this and many other winter seasons to come.

Preparation:

• Firstly you will need to measure the area of your loft in square metres to calculate how much insulation is required.

It’s not fun to walk around your house and be able to hear every moment due to a few central positioned squeaky floorboards. Easy to repair as long as you don’t have carpet (sorry), creaking floorboards generally occur when some of the fixing nails worked them selves loose from the joist below causing the board itself to become loose. To ease the squeak and be able to stealthily move around your home when needed, just follow the simple guide below and hopefully those late night nags will just slip under the radar from now on.

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.

If you are considering creating the home of your dreams from the ground up or from an existing property, the UK’s first ever Self Build & Renovation Show (18th – 21st October 2007) at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon will certainly get your creative juices flowing.

Something handy for all home owners, here’s a quick summary of what cable colours you can find in your home:

The IEE published Amendments No2. to BS 7671:2001 (the IEE Wiring Regulations) on the 31st March 2004 specifying new cable core colours for all new fixed wiring in electrical installations in the UK. These colours are referred to as ‘harmonised’ colours as they are closely related to the electrical practices performed in mainland Europe.

There are now fewer excuses for not doing your bit for the planet with British Eco.com, the UK’s premier website for all things green and eco. Not only providing up to date information and news on the green parade, British Eco.com provides a range of eco-friendly products and services for the home, garden and outdoor lifestyle.

Here’s a useful article I saw for all you budding home improvers of recent. We all know or should know a little bit of charm goes a long way and when it concerns your tradesmen it could be the difference between an average finish and a great finish. Knowing what a mug of hot tea and some biccies can do, how do you go about saying it in Polish?

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.