i-build May 2018

IN THIS ISSUE:

l SELF-BUILDS l RENOVATIONS l EXTENSIONS l CONVERSIONS May 18 Issue 46 Download the free app to your tablet or mobile. Search 'i-build'

COVER STORY:

A SPECTACULAR STRAW BALE STRUCTURE

TOP TIPS TO ENSURE SELF-BUILD SUCCESS FROM DESIGN GURU KEVIN MCCLOUD LOOKING TO BUILD ON CONTAMINATED LAND? DISCOVER EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFOREHAND

Follow one couple's extraordinary journey building an eco-friendly holiday home

20 +

Ravishing rattan accessories for every inch of your self-build

BI-FOLDING DOORS

PERFECTING PATIOS

STUNNING SURFACES

A look at why bi-folding doors are so popular

Advice on how to overcome weathering caused by winter

2018 surface trends for self-builds are revealed inside

+ SPECIAL FOCUS:

l IRONMONGERY l TURFING l EXTENSIONS l TPOS

Delivering British architecture with German technology Hanse Haus is a premium German supplier of turnkey, pre-manufactured ultra-high efficiency homes.

Founded as a carpentry business in 1929, it now erects some 400 timber frame homes annually Europewide and has been active in the UK since 2006.

To talk to us about your individual requirements, contact us using the details below.

Hanse Haus Email info@hanse-haus.co.uk Telephone 0800 302 9220 www.hanse-haus.co.uk

Welcome to the May issue of i-build

www.i-buildmagazine.com

Editorial:

Paige Smith

paige@mixedmediainfo.com

Rebecca Kemp

rebecca@mixedmediainfo.com Print & Digital Advertising:

Let’s be honest, building your own home

on page 46, Architectural Designer at Studio

from scratch is a daunting task no matter

SDA, Hayley Pearse, gives her advice on how

who you are. There are so many things that

to successfully extend your home.

could go drastically wrong, there are dozens

Sam Ball

of decisions you need to make every single

sam@mixedmediainfo.com

day and that’s before you even set foot on

Grant Jeffs

site and start the actual build. So, imagine

grant@mixedmediainfo.com Print Design Manager:

Jack Witcomb

jack@mixedmediainfo.com Digital Design Manager:

David Perry

david@mixedmediainfo.com Production Assistant:

Sofia Franchi

sofia@mixedmediainfo.com Accounts:

Charlie Ivy

charlie@mixedmediainfo.com Managing Director:

Sam Ball

sam@mixedmediainfo.com

Welcome Note

i-build

how helpful it would be to have a true expert guide you through the process, assisting you in avoiding every pothole that each selfbuilder before you has faced. Well, this issue

Elsewhere in this month’s magazine, Malcolm Gough, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Talasey Group, outlines how best to prepare your patio for summer on page 42 and IronmongeryDirect explains why taking care of your conservatory is key if you want to enjoy it for many summers to come, on page 48.

you’re in luck because i-build has picked the

I hope you enjoy this issue. Don’t forget, if you’re

brains of numerous industry experts so you

coming to the end of your self-build and would

don’t have to.

like us to feature your home as inspiration for

This month, i-build has been fortunate enough to chat all things self-build with Grand Designs’ design guru Kevin McCloud. Turn to page 13 to discover all his tips and tricks and see what he believes is the biggest challenge that self-builders face. On page 20, Oliver Grimshaw, Head of UK Sales at Hanse Haus UK, gives his top tips for self-build success and @ibuildmagazine

/ibuildmagazine

ibuildmagazine

other budding house-builders, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. Alternatively, if you’re about to embark on your self-build journey and would be keen for us to document your progress, do get in contact.

Paige paige@mixedmediainfo.com

Download the i-build app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Search 'i-build'.

Pear Platt, Woodfalls Farm, Gravelly Way Laddingford, Kent, ME18 6DA T: 01622 873229 F: 01622 320020

Editor’s picks

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Design Storey has specified a Kährs ash wood floor design for its Cotswold property renovation: See page 54 Hanse Haus’ Head of UK Sales, Oliver Grimshaw, has pulled together the hottest interior trends: See page 57 DRU Global gas fires make continental design and efficiency affordable to all UK homes: See page 58

57

Cover story: Robert Dunn discusses his eco-friendly straw bale holiday home.

See page 23.

54

58

3

ULTRA SLIM SLIDING PATIO DOORS, BIFOLDING DOORS AND CONTEMPORARY ROOF LANTERNS Allow natural light to flood into your home with our range of slim-line contemporary roof lanterns, aluminium sliding patio doors and bifold doors complete with solar control double glazing.

High specification products designed to add the WOW factor to any home at affordable prices.

sales@foldingdoors2u.co.uk

01621 834123

www.foldingdoors2u.co.uk

Contents

i-build www.i-buildmagazine.com

May 2018

23

48

44

13

06

36

40

In this issue: 13 18 20 23 34 36

Desired Designs

ON THE COVER

A look at the latest innovative products and styles for your new home.

Kevin McCloud interview

Design guru Kevin McCloud talks to i-build about all things self-build and provides you with his priceless knowledge and advice.

Contracts & Legalities

David Northcroft explains how one conversation led him to receive a refund of over £17,000 from HMRC.

Viewpoint

ON THE COVER

Impressive Innovation ON THE COVER Robert Dunn and his wife have created an energyefficient holiday home property that has been constructed using over 500 bales of straw in the Scottish Highlands.

Land Contamination

ON THE COVER

With increasing pressure to utilise contaminated land for developments, Castledine & Co discusses what this means for self-builders.

ON THE COVER

Neil Ginger, CEO at Origin, discusses why every self-builder should contemplate adding bi-folding doors to their project and looks at one couple who did just that.

IN THIS ISSUE:

l SELF-BUILDS l RENOVATIONS l EXTENSIONS l CONVERSIONS

self-builders in 2018.

Download the free app to your tablet or mobile. Search 'i-build'

& Blocks 42 Bricks Malcolm Gough, Group Sales and Marketing Director ON THE COVER

COVER STORY:

A SPECTACULAR STRAW BALE STRUCTURE

44 i-DIY LazyLawn gives a step-by-step guide on how to

TOP TIPS TO ENSURE SELF-BUILD SUCCESS FROM DESIGN GURU KEVIN MCCLOUD LOOKING TO BUILD ON CONTAMINATED LAND? DISCOVER EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFOREHAND

Follow one couple's extraordinary journey building an eco-friendly holiday home

at Talasey Group, outlines key tips for preparing patios for summer.

ON THE COVER

install artificial grass.

46 i-build Architectural Designer at Studio SDA, Hayley ON THE COVER

Oliver Grimshaw, Head of UK Sales at Hanse Haus UK, gives his top tips for self-build success.

Doors & Windows

40 KBB Neolith reveals the surface trends for

May 18 Issue 46

06

Pearse, gives her advice on how to successfully extend your home.

48 i-nterior IronmongeryDirect explains why taking care of ON THE COVER

your conservatory is key if you want to enjoy it for many summers to come.

20 +

Ravishing rattan accessories for every inch of your self-build

BI-FOLDING DOORS

PERFECTING PATIOS

STUNNING SURFACES

A look at why bi-folding doors are so popular

Advice on how to overcome weathering caused by winter

2018 surface trends for self-builds are revealed inside

+ SPECIAL FOCUS:

l IRONMONGERY l TURFING l EXTENSIONS l TPOS

Subscriptions: You can subscribe to receive i-build each month free of charge at i-buildmagazine.com/subscribe

50 i-scape Arboricultural Consultant, Mark Hinsley, guides ON THE COVER

i-build through the process of Tree Preservation Order consent.

Guide 54 Product i-build rounds up the latest innovative products in the marketplace, designed with your self-build in mind.

5

Desired Designs

1 2

3

4

5

Image ©KSL LIVING

Return of rattan You may be forgiven for feeling i-build has stepped back into the 1970s, but the rattan revival is continuing to pick up speed and shows no signs of slowing down.

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T

here’s an abundance of new-era rattanstyle accessories currently available on the market for every room in your brand-new self-build, so if you don’t have any original pieces lying around, don’t panic – it’s really easy to incorporate this style into any space. But don’t worry, this trend doesn’t need to be boring beige and basic shapes – think rattan chairs in gorgeous whites, big baskets in pastel colours and starburst-style lampshades, all perfect focal pieces. Instead of pairing rattan accessories with the fussy patterns favoured by past generations, add a contemporary twist to the trend with a selection of textured cushions, sheepskin rugs and a plethora of pale-coloured throws to create a Scandi-style bohemian feel to your home. This type of furniture is truly timeless, long-lasting and can be used inside and outdoors making it a perfect investment. So, whether you’re looking for something traditional or searching for something with a modern edge, you’ll undoubtedly find a piece of furniture that suits your space and needs. Make the rattan trend the next statement you make in your self-build interior.

6

7 1. Fugu ceiling light, Guru-shop, €79.90

2. Endless, Escapology, £280 3. White faux rattan decorative peacock pattern chair, The Farthing, £POA

4. Bohemia Halfah grass cactus, Bohemia Design Limited, £250

5. Range of rattan pieces, Xin Chao, £11

6. Garden footstool,

8

9

El Corte Inglés Decoración, €225

7. Paul Hollywood rattan round proving basket, Kitchen Craft, £15.99

8. Medium rattan storage basket, Bobby Rabbit, £38

9. Garden armchair, El Corte Inglés Decoración, €225

10. Fiji Natural rattan sofa, Alexander & Pearl, £695

10

1. NAMA 1, €345 2. UMUT 2R, €400 3. CROCO 96, €594

Desired Designs

1

4. SATELISE PM, €240

4 2 3

Nedgis Nedgis is an online store for design and lighting. The site combines inspiration and online shopping in order to offer a fresh look at the lighting world. Beautiful objects created by designers are carefully selected and edited to make sure they are perfect for every home.

i-build loves...

Gorgeous garden furniture

1. VonHaus stacking rattan bistro set, Domu Brands, £138.99 2. Brighton sun lounger, BRIDGMAN, £1069 3. Fiji Apple daybed, The Garden Furniture Centre, £3499.99 4. Hampstead jewel daybed, BRIDGMAN, £4999

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With the warmer weather just around the corner (hopefully), you should consider treating yourself to some new garden furniture to soak up some sunshine in your newly-landscaped garden.

2

3

4

7

Desired Designs

Outdoor living Enhance the look of your self-build's garden with these gorgeous outdoor accessories.

Image ©Déco Decking

1

4

Antique finish

Bee kind

This planter with stand is a great way to add height to your planting on the patio or garden.

Create a focal point on your patio, or place one either side of a bench for statement planting. Placed either side of the front door planted with evergreens, they give kerb appeal to your home.

(www.greenandblue.co.uk)

The Beepot mini is a stylish nesting and resting place for solitary bees, designed as a planter so that you can put your pollinator-friendly planting right on the doorstep for the bees. A chic addition to any garden and it helps save the bees, what more could you want?

(www.audenza.com)

2

5

Style and comfort

Cute and cosy

The lively Tropicalia chair is unique and vibrant with a comforting polymer cord seat and backrest. This modern piece of garden furniture seeks to bring life into our outdoor spaces, through joyful colours and outstanding comfort.

The Large Raw Steel fire pit is a serious outdoor piece with the wow factor. Load up with logs, keep the chill away and enjoy watching the sun go down whilst creating a cosy mood – perfect for family gatherings, group events, parties or weddings.

(www.chaplins.co.uk)

(www.limelace.co.uk)

3

A flawless feature

Save space

An alternative to the traditional hammock, this hanging chair offers all the relaxation of a hammock with the comforts of an armchair.

When not in use, the chair makes a beautiful addition to any garden, deck or patio. And because it can hang from a tree branch, it flawlessly integrates with its surroundings too.

If you think your garden, balcony or kitchen is too small to grow vegetables and herbs – you’re wrong. With the collapsible Vertical Garden you can grow whatever you want in any confined space.

(www.domu.co.uk)

8

6

(www.heimatwerke.de)

Always in tune with your style a comprehensive range of rainwater systems to accommodate all types of buildings and budgets

Choose from modern, traditional and heritage rainwater systems, available in Aluminium, GRP, Copper, Zinc and Stainless Steel.

For more information please call 0113 279 5854 or email info@rainguard.co.uk

Aluminium

GRP

Cast Iron

Copper, Zinc & Stainless Steel

w w w. r a i n g u a r d . c o . u k

Desired Designs

Bringing the outside, in Nothing freshens up a space better than adding a little of the outdoors to your interior.

Image ©Garden Trading

1

4

Quirky pieces

Add some personality

If you want to add this trend to your selfbuild but aren’t feeling brave enough to plaster it on your walls, why not include some adorable tableware. These would great on a dining table but equally as good on a side table as a quirky ornamental piece.

This original rug is bound to give personality to any corner of any room in your self-build.

This rug would look great in a jungle-themed children’s room or would be the perfect way to add a pop of colour to a living room. (www.aixo.es)

2

(www.elcorteingles.es)

5

Tropical sophistication

Simply perfect

This bold palm leaf print wallpaper is ideal for adding a tropical look to your room. Ideal for use in a bedroom or the living room in your self-build, the metallic finish to this wallpaper will bring elements of luxury and sophistication to your interior.

This chair is durable and versatile for any room.

Simplicity meets curvaceousness, making this piece of furniture irresistible. Complete the look with a plethora of colourful cushions so you can really sit back and admire your interior. (www.ksl-living.fr)

(www.coordonne.es)

3

10

6

Retro vibes

Sense of drama

This wonderfully eye-catching wallpaper with its pale pink background has a fun retro feel. The striking yet simple design of tropical Monstera leaves will be the ideal finishing touch to any room.

Hanging plants are bang on trend right now, and this succulent from Lene Bjerre is the perfect piece. The long, green draping vines add a real sense of drama to a room.

(www.woodchipandmagnolia.co.uk)

(www.sweetpeaandwillow.com)

Eyebrow Sub-brow

LEVATO MONO

Porcelain paver system and coordinating internal tiling The Deck Tile Co’s new website www.surface360.co.uk now has +150 colours and finishes in their Levato Mono 20mm porcelain ranges plus co-ordinating internal tiling –

enabling seamless visual transition between internal and external spaces.

20mm porcelain pavers 40x80 45x90 60x60

Highly abrasion and stain resistant

Ideal for balconies, roof terraces and piazzas,

75x75 80x80 30x120 40x120 60x120

Highly slip resistant ; R11 AB+C

for both commercial and residential use

‘Floating floor’ – installation over single ply

Lightweight – 45kgs per m2

Frost proof

membranes Eternal product - zero maintenance required

High load bearing and impact resistance Timber, stone & cementitious effects

– offering massive over-life savings

Completely non porous

Height adjustable/slope correcting support system ranging from 9mm up to 550mm

INTRODUCING OUR NEW WEBSITE: WWW.SURFACE360.CO.UK

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ESG Switchable – the UK’s preferred switchable LCD privacy glass solution A R C H I T E C T U R A L • S W I T C H A B L E • F I R E R E S I S TA N T • S E C U R E w w w.e s g .g l a s s • 0 1 3 76 520 0 61

Interview

Kevin McCloud offers some top tips for self-builders Design guru Kevin McCloud talks to i-build about all things self-build and provides you with his priceless knowledge and advice.

K

nown for following the journeys of some of Britain’s most ambitious self-builders as they create their dream homes, Kevin offers i-build’s readers his advice to help ensure that you don’t make the same mistakes that so many of Grand Designs’ intrepid individuals make.

Q: What do you believe is the biggest challenge for self-builders today?

A: Well, I think the biggest challenge, funnily enough, is when you get out of the design stage and into the build phase because I think most people assume that building a house is somehow like building a car in a factory – it’s not. We still haven’t got to the point where building a house can be straightforward.

There are a few companies that offer off-site fabrication homes where you’re delivered either finished volumes of buildings or finished panels that just slot together, but frankly, most construction in this country is pretty antediluvian, it’s so primitive – we’re still gluing bits of rock together with mortar – it’s terrible, and I think it really takes people by surprise, particularly people who come from very organised, disciplined industries. They think the project management of the process is going to deliver a really streamlined process and it doesn’t because the actual business of building is still quite messy. You’ll discover all of a sudden; there is a shortage of concrete blocks and you think how on earth can there be a shortage of concrete blocks or a lack of labour or the windows are going to take 12 weeks and not six weeks. You’re effectively building a prototype in a muddy field and it’s thousands of components from hundreds of different suppliers, so you’ve got to be super-organised and, even if you are, it’s still going to be horrible.

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Interview

“Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. You’ve got to spend a long time planning. If you try and design something on the hoof, while you’re on site, you’re already spending money where you shouldn’t be. You need to have the whole thing tied up, every decision made, before you get onto site.”

Q: What advice would you offer those considering undertaking a self-build project?

A: I think the best advice, first of all, has to be plan, plan, prepare and plan, and line everything up – and even if you think to yourselves ‘oh we’ll order the light switches later,’ you probably can’t because at that point you’ve decided which manufacturer you want to use, and there’s only one manufacturer who does that beautiful light switch that you want in that beautiful colour and you’re determined to have that. At that point,

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if they then tell you that they are out of stock and won’t be manufacturing anymore for four months your world implodes. So it’s actually very important to be fully prepared and to take along consultants and experts who have experience with building with you so they can hold your hand through the process – tell you when you need to be placing your orders, when you need to be making decisions.

One of the things people always come unstuck with is the fact that they are never prepared for the fact that they have to make sometimes

dozens of decisions every day and it’s exhausting.

Try to do as much of that in the early stages because you’re going to get frustrated by that fact that planning takes months and months. It can take you two years sometimes before you even get onto the plot itself, and you can become very impatient to get on site, but my goodness, that’s luxury. Use that time really well to detail the building as much as possible, to decide on every tiny detail because the more you prepare, the cheaper, quicker and easier the construction process will be and less stressful.

Interview

Q: What do you believe has been the biggest innovation in the selfbuild market?

A: I’ve wondered about this – whether it would be your self-build mortgages, but actually, I think the biggest innovation would have to be what is happening in Bicester, at Graven Hill.

Another innovation is a big self-build project of 1000 homes in Amsterdam, Almere; it’s a whole self-build community. About 10 years ago I took a visit there and funnily enough, there was one of the directors of the local authority in Bicester and low and behold a few years later they announced that they were going to turn this ex-MOD site – a very beautiful wooded hill with a forest on it – into a site for self-builders.

It’s started, and we’re filming a series about it which will go out next year, and we’ll follow the first 10 pioneers. There are a further 1900 plots available for self-builders to buy and build their homes on. It’s a really exciting project – a self-build city.

Yes, it has its problems, and yes it’s not perfect but what’s fascinating about it is the local authority planning department are effectively offering fast-track planning service in just a few weeks – providing you comply with a basic number of conditions. It encourages diversity, it encourages sustainable construction, the setting is beautiful, it’s wild and I think it’s going to be a really interesting scheme.

Q: How important do you believe

it is to include renewable systems in a self-build project?

A: It’s a no-brainer – why would you not

Q: What is the most outstanding example of a self-build that you have seen?

A: Funnily enough, I always come back to the same one. It’s not necessarily my favourite Grand Design, but it was the one Ben Law did in the woods in Sussex. The reason it’s extraordinary and outstanding is because the house is a timber frame built from coppice timber and Ben is a coppice worker, so he knew the timber and the material – it was his timber that he had grown. Seven or eight years later, every bit of wood in the building had

effectively regrown in the forest. The walls were insulated with straw bales from a neighbouring field; they were plastered with mud from the pond down the hill – it was a building made of where it is, from where it is, by Ben, who farmed and lived there and is of that place. It was a glorious process to watch. It was a kind of joyous other way of doing things. One of the key people on the project was a guy who was a guitarist whose job it was to one, go and get the shopping for lunch and two, to play the guitar and sing – he was like the court jester of the project – which was brilliant.

want a building that generates money for you or at the very least provides zero energy bills? Renewables are profitable, renewables generate income and if you can turn your house into a small power station – why not?

If you can reuse water to water your garden, it makes life a lot easier, cheaper, simpler.

The idea of pouring thousands of gallons of fossil fuel into your building to basically, by proxy, heat the big pocket of air just above the building – because that’s where the heat goes eventually – seems a bit of a waste of money.

When you have the opportunity to build from scratch you can make something really well, make it airtight, you can manage the ventilation, you can make it healthier, you can make it greener, you can make it cleaner; you would be happier, richer and healthier for it, so I don’t see a reason why you wouldn’t do it.

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Interview Q: Where do you think it’s

important for self-builders not to make compromises?

A: I think there are three places where you don’t want to compromise when you’re building.

One is enlisting the help of good professionals who understand the opportunities that you have – whether that’s a great project manager or a great architect as I think actually having your eyes opened in terms of design – which may make your life easier or more delightful – is something architects should bring. Secondly, I think it’s important to invest money into the bones of the building – the quality of the construction and its weatherproofing, its insulation, its airtightness, in its ventilation and its energy performance. Thirdly, I think the other thing that it’s always worth spending money on is stuff you touch – door handles,

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stair rails, window closures, kitchen taps – all the stuff that when you touch it you can instantly sense the quality of what it is because tactility is a very important quality in building that we don’t really ever take advantage of.

Q: What advice would you offer to those who are considering hiring an architect?

A: Hire the right architect – there’s no excuse anymore. 30 years ago you would have to traipse to the RIBA and have to ring up different numbers and arrange to meet people but nowadays you just go onto the website, see the architect’s work and get a feel for whether or not you find their work beautiful and whether or not it speaks to you in anyway and if it does go and meet them and look around their buildings. It’s not about just hiring

an architect; it’s about hiring the right one, the one who sees the world as you do. With an architect, what you’re really asking for, what you are paying them for, is for them to deliver you your future. Your future environment.

That’s a very, very great responsibility. That individual has to want to deliver your vision, not theirs. So, it’s very important that you mesh, that you feel as if you could be mates or soulmates – maybe not immediately. But what you don’t want to do is be spending your money on their vanity project, what you don’t want is to get something which actually doesn’t belong to either of you, it’s sort of a neutral, third-party ‘well we can only agree on these things so this is what we’ll have’, and you end up with something quite bland. It’s better to spend time finding the right individual. There are tens of thousands

Interview of people out there that are experts at building and designing, and they will help you, but you’ve got to shop around.

Q: Do you believe there is a ‘best’ building material for a self-build?

A: I don’t, no. I’ve seen people build with sticks that they’d gathered from the fields around them and I’ve seen them build out of straw and mud, and I really admire the low impact value of those materials and I admire the craftsmanship required to put them together. I’ve also seen people use very highly processed laminated timber and I’ve seen them even build just with blocks and mortar and it's interesting that each of those methods has a really compelling advantage. So, I find myself going from one project to the next going ‘this is it, this is the answer’, but then at the next project I think

it’s something else. But I think the answer is probably partly to do with where you’re building – is it on the edge of a cliff, is it on a remote site where it’s difficult to get materials to or is next to a builder's yard? Does it have to happen quickly, does it have to withstand wind, does it have to be super airtight, is the agenda to disappear into the woodland? What sort emerges once you start to work out your brief and what you want and where it is and how quickly you’re going try and do this and what the available labour is, for example, that sort of determines it. If you go to Ireland and try and build with anything other than concrete, it’s hard, the same with many parts of France. So, why not go with the flow and make use of the available talent. If you’re in an area which is full of stonemasons or timber craftsmen, then that’s a bit of indicator or a bit of a lead, isn’t it?

Q: In your opinion, what is the most common mistake made by self-builders?

A: It’s the old military thing isn’t it, fail to prepare, prepare to fail. You’ve got to spend a long time planning. If you try and design something on the hoof, while you’re on site, you’re already spending money where you shouldn’t be. You need to have the whole thing tied up, every decision made before you get onto site. It’s better to spend three years planning and one year building, because if you spend one year planning, you’ll spend three years building and that’s the expensive bit.

Kevin McCloud will be appearing at Grand Designs Live at London’s ExCeL from 5 to 13th May 2018. For more information visit the Grand Designs website.

www.granddesignslive.com

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Contracts & Legalities

Listed property owner successfully claims back over £17,000 in VAT In 2012, Government removed the 0% VAT concession on approved alterations to listed buildings, adding additional financial strain to owners for any conservation or restoration bills. The cost of conserving their properties is already often more expensive than works to a standard home because traditional methods and materials are required so this was an added blow.

A

lthough the VAT laws have been changed, there are some instances in which owners can apply for reduced VAT but it can be difficult to understand where and when these rules apply and, in most cases, owners are completely unaware of it.

One particular owner, David Northcroft, found good fortune by talking to The Listed Property Owners’ Club VAT Advisor Dave Brown at the annual February Listed Property Show; whereby their conversation at the 2017 event has led him to receive a refund of over £17,000 from HMRC.

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David had purchased a dilapidated 1413 hall house in Maidstone, Kent, which was a failed pub at the time, and he then converted it to a single domestic dwelling. The owner had managed to work his way through two VAT hurdles, one of which was evading VAT on the purchase price as the purpose was being converted from commercial to residential use and then, with the help of an accountant’s report, he was able to reduce the VAT charges down to 5% on the majority of the reconstruction work rather than the standard rate.

David explains: “My home is a conversion from a pub to a house. The pub was still a commercial property, so if we were commercial, we would have had to have paid 20% VAT on it rather than stamp duty at the various rates. There is a simple procedure to go through with VAT to demonstrate that you are a private buyer, subject to stamp duty when you buy this building, not subject to standard rate VAT at 20%.

“My accountant, that I have been with for 30-odd years, told me about this and said that it is a very simple procedure, like with

Contracts & Legalities everything HMRC, it has a form that you fill out. It’s very specific on the timing but we filled out the form and that went through straightforwardly meaning we bought the building; it was just subject to stamp duty like a private house, which a huge amount of money.

“When you’re buying a property that is being converted from a commercial use to a private use you have to demonstrate that it’s private and not being bought by another company, in which case it would be subject to the 20%.

“This particular part of the process was very short and the simplest step of the three.

“The next step applies specifically to pubs, but not to all pubs. Typically, a pub is a pub on the ground floor and a tenant on the top floor. The question you must answer is, is upstairs a dwelling?

“A dwelling in this instance means selfcontained. In our case, the tenants used the pub kitchen downstairs, so it was not selfcontained therefore it was not a dwelling.

Private dwellings do not pay VAT, so there was not a dwelling here even though people lived here, because it wasn’t self-contained. We had

to demonstrate this. We actually produced a report saying that there was not a dwelling here and took photographs of the stairs down to the kitchen. Based on that, I went to all our main contractors and all but one, who were responsible for accurate VAT returns for their own businesses, accepted that they should charge us 5%, the so-called reduced rate, not 20%.

“We were building for just over two years and during that time we were being charged 5% everything we bought, apart from one of our contractors.”

Then David spoke, by chance, to Dave Brown at The Listed Property Show who introduced a third step the owner was not aware of. With Dave’s help and guidance, this restoration project, except from VAT on trivial items and specific disallowed items (such as architectural fees), was completed without incurring VAT, resulting in a refund from HMRC totalling over £17,000.

David explains: “I spoke to Dave Brown at the LPOC at one of their shows and he told me I could get the remaining 5% VAT back. So, I looked at the form but according to the form

I couldn’t get the 5% back. The form, 431C, has certain conditions and even mentions converting a pub, as well as other various things in that form that would bar us claiming the 5% back. I said to Dave that the form doesn’t make sense if you already don’t have a dwelling and that justifies the 5%; why doesn’t it justify the remaining part, going down to 0% and Dave explained that he had got a ruling from HMRC on buildings of this type, and offered to send it to me.

“I then filled the form out and I just claimed for the main pieces. I then added Dave’s ruling to my application and a few weeks later a cheque arrived for £17,000. If I hadn’t gone to that show I would have never known about this.

“So, going from 20 to 5% saved us about £50,000 and then going from 5 to 0% saved a further £17,000. Which, in total, is a huge amount of money.

“Dave’s advice and encouragement were crucial in obtaining a successful result. I did not know this third VAT step existed until I met him.”

www.lpoc.co.uk

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Viewpoint

Top tips for self-build success Every year, tens of thousands of people set out to follow their dream and start their very own self-build project.

Out of those tens of thousands, while some will chart a steady, successful course, many will fall at an early fence.

Here, Oliver Grimshaw, Head of UK Sales at Hanse Haus UK, gives his top tips for self-build success.

W

ith 2018 being forecast as a bumper year for aspiring ‘Grand Designers’, we’ve pulled together our top four tips to help ensure your self-build runs as smoothly and cost-effectively as possible, so you reach the finish line with success and a home you’re proud of.

Find the right spot

First thing’s first, you’ve got to find the right plot for your self-build. It’s important not to rush this part and to do your research. This stage can be overwhelming, as there are a multitude of elements to consider, such as:

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Your ideal location Size Does it need planning permission?

Does your budget meet your aspiration?

Does it have an outlook, ideal neighbours etc?

Create a tick-box based on your key wants and needs. This will help narrow your search.

A particular focus should be on honing in on an exact location, such as a village or town, rather than a larger geographical area. Once you’ve found your dream spot, speak to the locals and leave no stone unturned – there could be the perfect plot masquerading itself with overgrown brambles.

Obtaining planning permission can also prove to be a stressful and confusing process and can, on some occasions, take years. Land with existing planning permission will come at a higher price, but can certainly be the easier (and less stressful) option.

Be budget smart All too often, self-builders will misjudge costs associated with a project and blow beyond their budget. To avoid this, it is essential to plan carefully. Set a budget and stick to it. Research and calculate all of the costs, both obvious and not, before you start planning a build – accuracy is key.

There are also additional costs which are often overlooked, such as building insurance and legal fees, site preparation costs and Building Regulations fees. Whilst your new home is being built, you may also require somewhere else to live and thus need additional funds for rent.

Get help Whether you’ve got a good set of ideas and have built your own home before, or are a newbie to the whole process, getting help from an architect or another design professional is a must. After all, they’re the professionals with experience in the field and in a great position to advise you on how to make the most out of your build with the budget in mind.

Not only that, they are able to visualise spaces in a way that’s tricky to the untrained eye and have a solid understanding of planning policy and Building Regulations. In my experience, when a client skips this step and goes it completely alone, the project commonly ends up being more expensive

Viewpoint

Images: You’ve got to find the right plot for your self-build. It’s important not to rush this part and to do your research.

and often meets more challenges. Don’t underestimate the benefits both training and experience can bring to your project.

Think about the present and future ‘you’ This is the fun part – how can you create a house that best suits you? The sky’s the limit – this is your opportunity to express your personality in the home you create.

Whilst it’s easy to get carried away at this stage, it is worth taking time to think practically. Heed the advice from professionals and if you’re using a package supplier, think about using one of their recommended specialists.

Whilst you’re designing a home now, it’s important to consider what you might need in the future, if you’re planning to stay put. Think ahead and include features that will fit your personal needs not only now but in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time.

www.hanse-haus.co.uk

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Hidden in the Scottish Highlands sits the Jill Strawbale House, an eco-friendly holiday home created by Robert and Justine Dunn.

The building uses straw bales as its main form of insulation and exports five times more power than it imports.

Sub-brow Eyebrow Impressive Innovation

Jack and Jill sat on a hill

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Impressive Innovation

W

ith a background in tropical forest management, Robert and Justine decided to build a highly efficient holiday home to generate income for their retirement over 15 years ago when they bought and renovated an old vicarage with an acre of land.

Copying a remarkable design from Cumbrianbased engineer, Brian Waite, who built the first one to show it could be done, they worked with a local architect to help finalise plans and gain the necessary permissions.

Robert, who did most of the construction along with this family, comments: “Despite having no experience of the building industry, Justine and I were keen to create the holiday home ourselves. By picking a cruck frame design that was easy to erect, we have been able to do most of the work with help from friends and the rest of the family too.

“In the past, we have worked in the tropics and when we came back to the west coast of Scotland, we decided to put down roots in the village of Strontian. We have always been passionate about the environment and knew the holiday home had to be eco-friendly and energy-efficient.

“Standing on top of the hill looking at the view, we were saying to ourselves ‘ah yeah this is in the 10-year plan,’ it was always in the 10-year plan; we always thought this would be a great place to build some holiday lets,” explains Robert.

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“So when we unexpectedly lost our jobs, we decided now’s the time. The other thing that pushed us to do this was my back. We were growing organic mushrooms and my back started playing up so I thought we would go into building instead, which has actually been fine for my back.

“I had always been planning to build a straw bale house up there and I was thinking I would do something octagonal, which I guess, is more of what you would expect. More like a single-floor bungalow with a sort of spirally roof – having been inspired by Grand Designs, watching ever since its first series – that’s the sort of thing I had in mind. Four years ago, I was just going through the internet looking at straw bale houses, I was just randomly Google searching, and I stumbled across Brian’s design and I just went ‘wow’, I thought it was just so beautiful – this upside down rowing boat shape was really beautiful and I had always had the idea of creating something with curves, it was just these were curves in different directions. So I just contacted Brian and asked if this is something he could help us with and he said sure, so my family drove down to Cumbria and met him to check out the design and he put us in touch with Touchwood Homes. We decided to crack on and that we would try and build two. So the other one, Jack – because we’re doing Jack and Jill because were up a hill – will have full disabled accessibility, with hoists and a wheelchair lift but other than that it will be pretty much identical to Jill, just a mirrored image. We plan to embark on the second one shortly. I already have 500 bales stored in a barn nearby but most of the materials I already have on site, so it’s just a question of getting on and doing it – it should be quicker than the first build.”

Impressive Innovation Robert continues: “While we were waiting for planning and building control to give approval, I built a boiler house because we were going to employ a biomass boiler to heat both houses, so that was how I learnt to do blockwork, which was quite hard going. I also built my first roof and tiled my first roof, so a lot of first times for doing things and it’s still there. We actually moved to the ground source heat pumps route as it seems to be a safer and easier thing to do for holiday lets.

“Planning went through incredibly fast actually, without any problems. One of the things I thought would be a problem was the curved roof because the planning officers seemed to say that they liked straight pitched roofs so I thought they might have a problem with this but they didn’t. There wasn’t outlined planning permission for the land, because we are outside the planning envelope for the village but permission had been given for buildings along one side of the road so we didn’t anticipate any problems and, sure enough, there weren’t.”

Robert continues: “Building control took a bit longer. But I think that’s really because of all the details required to get approval. One of the building control officers pointed us in the direction of an architect that had built a straw bale house not too far away from us and proposed that we might want to use that as an example. We actually didn’t have any problems, it took about six months but that’s just the bureaucracy and the paperwork.

There were no objections in the village, or from our neighbours, everybody was fine with it.

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Impressive Innovation

do it at 90° so we were able to cover it. That really helped with doing the straw bale work on the inside – obviously, the straw needs to stay dry. I think the biggest challenge was the curved porch I had added on the side – it’s an addition that’s different from the original design and that’s because we wanted the bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs to have windows through the gable ends and if you had an entry at the end of the building, then that really wouldn’t have been possible. So it works very well visually and it works very well structurally, but it was a real pain to join a curved roof to another curved roof at 90° perpendicular to each other – if you can think about how you would do that, it’s not easy. So, we have smaller crucks that sit on dwarf walls which were 900mm above floorlevel, and that keeps the straw up above off the ground and away from splashes and all the rest of it – the crucks sit on the wall plate and the wall plate sits on some Celcon blocks. So you’ve got your smaller crucks sitting on your wall plate in the porch but then if you think about it; the cruck’s closest to the main building; that’s as far as it can go – it still needs to be vertical and yet you’ve got all this space for the porch roof

that goes towards the building. So I basically had to fashion an extra cruck that curved in two dimensions, the only way I could do that was to create eight individual pieces of wood that I had to tailor-carve to curve in two directions and it took me ages! That was the trickiest bit.

“Another piece of genius that Brian has come up with, that he has devised as an engineer, is in order to keep the bales dry – they are covered in lime inside and out, they’ve got lime putty on the inside – two layers of that and hydrated lime on the outside, so moisture is absorbed on the inside, passes through the straw and then taken away on the outside. This happens because Brian has fitted a ventilation gap above the guttering and sort of behind the bottom tile, so air can pass under the roof, so this 1/1.5" gap is protected from animals and bugs with a stainless steel mesh, meaning air can pass through between the outside of the lime and the underside of the roof. This means air is always passing the lime on the outside, and then at the roof ridge; it is a ventilated ridge that has been designed between Brian and Dreadnought Tiles – a fairly new system which allows ventilation right along the ridge without any water penetrating at that point; it’s a clever design and, of course, that’s great when you don’t stick a porch in the way, but when you go and whack a porch across one side of the building you stop all your lovely natural ventilation.

Impressive Innovation

“We had it planned to be let on the last weekend of March, and we got our building control a couple of weeks before that. Which was good timing! We had a very close eye on the clock but it all worked out fine.

“A challenging aspect of the build was just simply the fact of never having done anything like this. The actual erection of the crucks was relatively simple and straightforward – four or five of us just sort of pushed them up, in about two or three days we had them attached and then a friend of mine said why don’t you try putting polytunnel plastic over it, and so we did. For a while it was the tallest polytunnel in Scotland because we actually went lengthways to go across it, from one side of the building all the way around over the crucks to the other, it was actually too big for the largest sheet of polytunnel plastic, but luckily we could sort of

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Impressive Innovation

Impressive Innovation “So Brian came up with a good idea to fix the problem. We cut a hole in the webbing. The cruck is made up of the flanges – which are the thin parts at each end and then the bit that joins them which is like a thinner piece of wood and that’s called the webbing, so we cut a hole in that and then placed a flexible ventilation tube so there was horizontal linkage between the ventilation.

We had to find a route around ventilation and we managed to. Basically, adding a porch made life more complicated. Having said that, I think structurally it’s very sound because it’s like a brace.

The winds that are hitting the other side of the building are hitting it at 90, sometimes 100mph.

We have extraordinary winds here. So having a porch at 90° bracing it all I think is quite good – it wasn’t necessarily, necessary but I think intuitively it feels sensible.

“We rather foolishly made the door in the northern side; we’ve had to build an arch doorway,” explains Robert, “so we have a baby arch, then a mummy arch and then a daddy arch – in a three bears kind of way.”

When it came to using the straw bales during the build, Robert explains: “We used simple, rectangular straw bales, not the big circular ones you see in the fields, just the old-fashioned ones.

And the bales are pretty much unchanged. They are the same dimensions as your standard straw bale. The only difference is the person who provides construction straw, which is about £5 a bale. What they do on the machine is they turn the density setting up as high as it’ll go, so it’s just before the string will start pinging because it’s so dense. These are construction grade bales.

Unlike some straw bale houses, the function

of the straw in this house is purely as a filling for insulation, all the structural strength comes from the crucks, I believe each one can carry around 15 tonnes – they are immensely strong.

So, because of the shape of the flanges on the crucks, the straw bales sort of slide in and sit happily on top of the previous straw bale.

“The more straw bales I inserted between the crucks the better I got at it and the longer it took me because initially I was just sliding them in and then going and putting the next one in. Eventually, I realised it worked better if you shoved loads of handfuls of loose straw between the ends of the bales and the webbing of the crucks, so I used a small mallet and a piece of wood and just hammered in the straw so it was incredibly dense – that was partly to improve insulation and the gripping of the straw and cracks have appeared.”

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Impressive Innovation The house features floor-to-ceiling windows offering spectacular views over Loch Sunart and Morven Hills, and sliding glass doors leading onto a balcony. A spiral staircase gives access to the large lower deck with hot tub, dining and seating areas with a chimenea. There is also a telescope to spot local wildlife and to stargaze in the dark skies.

Robert comments: “For the interior, we were looking for a clean, Scandi-chic style. Fairly plain and simple where possible. We wanted something that looked a bit classy and classic and something that’s not going to look too dated in 20 years’ time. I handed that job over to my wife and daughter because they have far more taste than me. My daughter has done almost all of the illustrations in the house.

“The outside we wanted to keep quite simple.

It features an amazing armadillo-shaped roof with slate-coloured tiles. In many ways, the house looks more attractive from the back than the front, because it has these nice simple curves; on the front it’s more spectacular from a tourist’s point of view because of the balcony

30

and the hot tub. From an architectural point of view, I think it looks better from the back.

“The curve of the building makes it visually attractive, because curves feel more natural and organic than a straight line.

“We’ve had nothing but positive noises from people who have seen it – nobody has said ‘oh that’s a blot on the landscape’ and it’s actually quite hard to see it; it’s quite well hidden. So I think it fits into its surroundings quite well.

“The property is everything we hoped it would be, it’s spectacular. It draws you in. The upstairs is my favourite bit of the property – it’s the view. We spent a lot of money on the front window. The fact you can look down this enormous room with this beautiful curved roof out to what is basically a glass wall looking out onto the mountains and the loch is spectacular. That upstairs room is the whole point of the building. We are thrilled. It’s never finished, in the sense that things break and stop working, so you never relax.

“My advice for other self-builders would be to go for it if you have the time and the money.

We went over budget a bit but I haven’t been

brave enough to go through the final costings!

The income from the first one is allowing us to pay for the second one. But it’s worth giving it a go, especially because of the pleasure and satisfaction you get from seeing something you’ve done yourself. I think somehow finding that balance of knowing your limits and where you need help and still giving it as much of a go as you can, I think that’s an extremely difficult balance to get right, and I’m not saying I’ve got it right – time will tell. Be honest with yourself and where the limits of your skills are. The phrase I’ve used so often is ‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread,’ and that has been me! I mean what the hell made me try a design that had only been done once before when I’ve got no building knowledge?

I was just determined to make it work and so far it has. You have the opportunity to do something really interesting, something wild and wonderful if you do it yourself and you have this enormous satisfaction of stepping back and looking at it and thinking I did that,” concludes Robert.

www.sunartstrawbale.co.uk

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Impressive Innovation

The Scottish Homebuilding & Renovating Show Preview

All the practical solutions you could want for your project will be at The Scottish Homebuilding & Renovating Show The Scottish Homebuilding & Renovating Show is returning to SEC Centre, Glasgow, from 16 to 17th June with practical advice, products and services to help consumers achieve their property ambitions.

D

uring two packed days, visitors will be able to attend over 500 advice sessions and 20+ masterclasses on topics from myths on underfloor heating to choosing the right building contractor. In addition, over 220 exhibitors will showcase their latest products and services from an array of industries including architecture; design; financial topics; kitchens; bathrooms; doors and windows; lighting; heating; ventilation; planning permission and much more.

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After a successful National Homebuilding & Renovating Show, Oakwrights Design Consultation Service will be offering free 20-minute consultations to visitors who want to discover more about the company’s encapsulation service and bespoke oak framing. The design professionals will also provide insight into blending innovative technology with traditional skills and best practices when using oak materials.

All consumers who would like to run their project ideas past property specialists with years of experience can go to the Advice Centre

for one-on-one impartial advice. Here, they will have access to the Ask the Builder area, where members of the Federation of Master Builders will be dishing out tips on what to look for in a builder. For first-hand knowledge on how to tackle building challenges and take plans from start to finish, visitors can sit down with reputable professionals from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in the Ask the Architect zone.

www.homebuildingshow.co.uk

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33

Land Contamination 34

Land contamination in a nutshell As the population grows, there becomes more pressure to utilise potentially contaminated land for redevelopment for alternative uses, especially housing.

Land Contamination

C

ontamination can arise from previous uses, illegal dumping or migration from neighbouring sites.

Your council has a duty to ensure that the land does not pose a significant risk to human health or the wider environment and this is usually done through the planning process.

A phased approach is taken, and often only a phase 1 investigation is necessary. Phases 1 and 2 are usually pre-commencement conditions while phases 3 and 4 are usually pre-occupation conditions.

Phase 1 is a walkover of the site and a desktop risk assessment utilising available historical and factual information. This will highlight if a credible risk exists.

Checks will also be done for radon, a naturallyoccurring carcinogenic gas.

Phase 2 involves physical sampling and laboratory testing to quantify any identified risk and compare the results to nationally agreed trigger values to assess whether remediation is necessary.

Phase 3 is to remediate any harmful contaminants to render them safe, and phase 4 is to produce evidence to show that any potentially harmful contaminants have been dealt with making the site safe for its intended use.

Land contamination presents itself in two main ways.

The most common is soil contamination.

Some contamination is obvious. Look for anything that may have been dumped on site, bonfire sites, bare or discoloured patches. Check for healthy plant or weed growth and check around any tanks for spillages. Other contaminants cannot be seen but may reside in the soil from previous uses, things such as heavy metals and pesticides.

The other main contaminant is potentially toxic ground gasses, often produced by putrefiable material included in made-up ground, filling of ponds, or landfill operations. This is relatively expensive to quantify and it is often more cost-effective to incorporate remediation measures into the build instead.

The basis behind remediation is the source – pathway – receptor model. These range from home-grown potatoes taking in contaminants from the soil and then you eating them; through to off site ground gas sources passing through the ground and filtering up into your home.

Removing the contaminant (source) is often impractical or cost prohibitive for a small development.

Keeping people (receptor) off the development is defeating the reason to develop, therefore, usually the best and most cost-efficient way of making the site safe is to break the link (pathway) between the contaminant and the users of the site.

A good environmental consultancy will endeavour to help you move the project forward, suggest the most appropriate solutions that offer the best value for money and long-term peace of mind.

www.castledine.co

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Doors & Windows

Why you should consider bi-folding doors Neil Ginger, CEO at Origin, discusses why every self-builder should contemplate adding bi-folding doors to their project and looks at one couple who did just that.

B

i-folding doors are becoming increasingly popular amongst self-builders and are a great option for those considering building their own home or extension. Aesthetically, bi-folding doors have many benefits, offering a wider view than French doors as well as an unrestricted widescreen view of your garden.

“Bi-folding doors can also be incredibly thermally-efficient. The best indicators of thermal efficiency are U-values. These show the amount of heat lost in watts (W) per square metre of material, so self-builders should look for the lowest the number available for optimum efficiency.

“It is possible to install bi-folding doors in a matter of hours, making them a great option for self-builders. Companies like Origin can

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also deliver bi-folding doors within 24 hours of placing the order, which is perfect for those looking to shorten their build schedule.”

One couple who took advantage of the benefits of bi-folding doors was Jamie and Liz Parr. During their time living and working abroad, the pair bought their property with the intention of one day returning to the UK and renovating it. After several years soaking up culture and learning new languages, the Parrs kept their promise and moved back to the UK; and their homebuilding project began.

The extensive renovations began in 2016.

The couple state that they considered knocking down the whole building and starting again but couldn’t do this as the building is located on a conservation area. So, the entire house was redecorated.

Doors & Windows Every room was given attention, from fitting new lights, repainting and completely redecorating. The couple were on a mission to turn their tired property into a modern home.

“We wanted a connected home with all the creature comforts,” Jamie says, “the new lights are controlled using Wi-Fi and we installed solar panels to generate electricity cost-effectively.”

Set against an impressive church background, Jamie wanted something equally as impressive and timeless for his kitchen extension.

Completely replacing one of the walls with

an eight-door Origin bi-fold set and then a three-door set on the adjacent wall, Jamie was determined to create the wow factor that would lend functionality when entertaining guests in the large garden and patio area. To create a contemporary look, the Parrs opted for bifolding doors that perfectly frame the carefully considered interior design whilst simultaneously contrasting with the exterior cladding.

In the main building, the couple created a bay and replaced new French doors and windows either side to complete

the casement. This combination lets in an immense amount of natural light and scenery, enhancing the living space and creating a real feeling that the indoor and outdoor is one of the same.

Jamie and Liz are delighted with the results: “Having lived abroad over the years, we’ve seen some truly memorable scenery and views. We wanted to create another one in our own UK home.” It’s safe to say they achieved this.

www.origin-global.com

37

Build It Live Bicester Preview

Ask our experts Meet Build It’s team of experts, ask them questions and even show them your plans for top tips on making your project a success. The Ask Our Experts zone is extremely popular, so make sure you book a session early in the day.

Take a look inside a build

What’s on at Build It Live If you’re planning a self-build, renovating a property or looking to add light, space or value to your current home, then a trip to Build It Live will be an essential part of your preparation.

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uild It Live Bicester, Oxfordshire, will be taking place on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th June at Bicester Heritage Event Centre, providing a whole weekend of inspiration and expert guidance all under one roof.

Here’s what you can expect from the show: Graven Hill Zone Build It Live Bicester takes place in association with Graven Hill – the UK’s first large-scale self-build project with over 1000 self-build plots. At Bicester, you’ll be able to visit the Graven Hill Zone for information on the scheme – or to reserve a plot! Head to the Seminar and the Workshop Theatres to hear live talks dedicated to explaining the exciting options of self- and custom-building on

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Graven Hill and take part in Q&As about this important self-build project, with the experts behind the scheme. Book free one-to-one appointments with the team, to ask the questions that are important to you.

100s of exhibitors Meet hundreds of the UK’s leading suppliers, see thousands of products on display and specify the right items for your project.

Free workshops, seminars and demos Build It Live features dozens of free live daily seminars and workshops available all weekend.

From eco-friendly construction techniques, to securing a plot for your build, or simply learning from real self-builders who have already completed their projects, our interactive talks are there to guide you in the right direction.

In the Naked House you’ll be able to see a section of a new-build home as it comes together. Get first-hand insight into how products and materials are installed, from insulating concrete formwork (ICF) to underfloor heating.

Find your dream plot Make sure you visit PlotSearch Zone for some expert one-to-one advice on finding the right plot for your build. Receive valuable tips for finding land, from the experts at PlotSearch, the UK’s largest and most accurate live online database of genuine self-build land, renovation and conversion opportunities.

Eco-building demonstrations Hear how to build a sustainable home and gain one-to-one advice on a range of issues, including renewable energy and environmentally-friendly building techniques.

Tool zone Fancy doing some of the work yourself?

Identify the right tools for your project. Find power and hand tools from major brands, watch live demos, quiz the experts and source your tools at great show prices.

Self-Build Academy Free taster sessions from the Self-Build Academy delivered by Potton – providing essential knowledge for all self-builders.

www.builditlive.co.uk

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KBB

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Naturally defined: surfacing trends 2018 From rediscovered classics to bolder colour contrasts, Neolith reveals the surface trends for self-builders in 2018.

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here we saw the 20162017 market turning towards thinner, slighter surfaces, we are now noticing a definitive sea change amongst house-builders and developers alike.

Turning up the contrast A greater appetite for natural-looking stone and a wider variety available than ever before has encouraged residential designers to be much more adventurous with their use of colour. In particular, we have seen contrasts of lighter and darker stone, used judiciously in the kitchen and bathroom space, to create a stylish design statement. We have also noticed opposing textures being used in conjunction to each other from rough sandstone and woodeffect surfaces offsetting polished marbles or smooth cement.

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Thicker, deeper, fuller A growing number of requests for thicker slabs over the past six months has indicated that there is an increasing preference for broader surfaces which convey a reassuring sense of robustness when used as a kitchen worktop. Available in all manner of realistic colours and finishes, these durable surfaces add a distinctive focal point when incorporated into kitchen design as an island or dining tabletop and the bathroom as an attractive vanity.

Virtual reality The last year saw huge leaps in what can be achieved with sintered stone surfaces. A recent project we undertook for renowned Chef Albert Adria’s Barcelona restaurant, ENIGMA, demonstrated the huge design potential on the horizon for both commercial and residential markets. The bespoke patterning commissioned for ENIGMA was made possible through

emergent technology in the manufacturing process. It offers a glimpse into the increasing amount of choice which will soon be available for all kinds of residential surfacing application from flooring through to worktops, even facades!

Hyper-realism The industry is continually improving processes, as much as we are developing new colours and finishes; we are also committed to refining existing ones. Our expectation is that, in conjunction to ambitious and otherworldly patterns, we will also see an increasing amount of enhanced finishes, building on the impressive array of natural stoneinspired surfaces currently on the market.

Hyper-realism is a feature which more and more designers are looking for, especially the ability in capturing the authenticity of natural stone. They are looking for something realistic; it quite literally tricks the eye.

KBB

1. Hyper-realism is a feature which more and more designers are looking for

2. Manufacturers are looking to other dusky stones to inspire their new introductions for the coming year

3. Opposing textures are being used in conjunction to each other from rough sandstone and wood-effect surfaces offsetting polished marbles or smooth cement

4. A greater appetite for natural-looking stone has encouraged residential designers to be much more adventurous

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5. The depth and contrast offered by igneous rocks such as basalt, obsidian and soapstone has inspired manufacturers to be adventurous

6. There has been a growing number of requests for thicker slabs over the past six months

Perfecting sandstone-style effects will be at the heart of this move, as more homeowners look to incorporate the richly-textured, yellowish stone within their homes. Fiendishly intricate, the subtle effects will provide plenty of challenges to manufacturers, looking to capture the spontaneity of the real thing.

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4

Back to the future

5

Nostalgia is nothing new, but across the industry we’ve noticed a revival in appreciation for design classics, terrazzo immediately springs to mind.

Throughout 2017 we noticed an increase in demand from both architects and specifiers for terrazzo, alongside other vintage stone designs.

This playful and colourful stone once so popular, from bank floors to DIY applications, is finding a new lease of life as a chic surface in the home and further afield. Characterised by bold patterning and cosmopolitan sophistication, terrazzo has resurged in popularity largely thanks to its eco-friendly and low-maintenance qualities.

Ingenious igneous

6

Following the popularity of dark marble surfaces throughout 2017, manufacturers are looking to other dusky stones to inspire their new introductions for the coming year. The depth and contrast offered by igneous rocks such as basalt, obsidian and soapstone, has inspired manufacturers to be adventurous.

We expect to see plenty of surfaces which encapsulate beautiful detailing of these ancient stones, including beautiful, complex swirling, deep grains and organic, continuous patterns true to the look and feel of the real thing.

www.neolith.com

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Bricks & Blocks Before Pavetuf Green-off cleaner

After Pavetuf Green-off cleaner

Before Pavetuf Salt Eraser

After Pavetuf Salt Eraser

Simple steps to help secure your patio investment for years to come Whether you’re working on a renovation project, or simply looking to spruce up an outdoor environment it’s likely that your hard landscaping products have been affected by the weather over the winter months. In this feature, Malcolm Gough, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Talasey Group, outlines key tips for preparing patios for summer. He explains the most effective ways to tidy paths and patios, how to overcome weathering caused by winter and offers preventative advice for protecting patios against future damage.

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rom a major renovation to a new-build nearing completion, many self-builders will soon be turning their attention to getting outdoor environments ready for the summer months.

This often includes having to clean up hard landscaping patios or other garden features so that they are looking their best for the summer months. Fortunately, to help you prepare for this, there are many high-quality cleaning, maintenance and protection products on the market ideal for tidying up hard landscaping products and ensuring they’re protected for years to come and not just for the summer.

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Dealing with winter weather exposure When renovating an outdoor environment, which has fallen into disrepair, it can be tempting to simply rip up the flagstones and start again. Unfortunately, this can be costly and, as such, it is often wiser for self-builders to first look into using dedicated hard landscaping cleaning products. Similarly, some self-builders will leave finishing a property’s outdoor environment until the end of the build. This is logical but can mean that building materials have been exposed to the elements for some months, during which time it’s possible they will have been affected by the cold and wet weather.

Even if it’s only a handful of small stains or marks, these blemishes can really detract from an outdoor environment, making things look untidy.

That’s why we recommend that homeowners use a general cleaner in the first instance and repeat an annual clean, to remedy the issues caused by the adverse weather or years of disregard. Suitable for everyday use, many products can remove soiling caused by atmospheric and industrial pollution, as well as dirt and grime. Similarly, using a jet washer can make life easier, but be careful when using over joints as it can cause damage. If you’re going to use a jet washer always ensure to operate at a 45° angle and work outwards.

Bricks & Blocks Before Pavetuf Rust Remover

After Pavetuf Rust Remover

Exposed patios and paved areas may have suffered serious damage over the winter months. If this is the case, then it will be worth selecting a more heavy-duty cleaner that is designed to remove stubborn greasy stains from paths, drives and patios. These types of cleaners were once only available to professionals but can now be purchased from builders’ merchants across the country.

During winter, natural and organic soiling can cause green stains on paths and patios. Often caused by algae and moss, this problem can be removed with the correct products. As with the heavy-duty cleaners, it’s always recommended you first test the cleaner on a small surface area to ensure it doesn’t cause damage before applying the rest of the bottle. It is not unheard of for homeowners to rush their project and end up spoiling the aesthetic of a paved area.

Dealing with efflorescence Often, stains and marks occur on hard landscaping products that have been laid for many years. However, problems can also occur on new patios, paths and drives as well. One of the most common problems for newly-laid paving is efflorescence – the appearance of white marks on the surface of the stone after installation. The problem is caused by calcium carbonate rising from the bed and sitting on the surface of the paving.

Although it is a very common problem, many people are not aware of how to treat

Untreated

efflorescence properly. Treating efflorescence incorrectly will end up making the problem worse. Power washing and abrasive brushing could cause more damage and staining, instead, a salt neutralising solution should be used. There are a number of these available but the best will penetrate deep into the stone/paving without harming the substrate, removing the immediate problem. If you have a persistent problem and lots of salts below your patio, regular repeating of the treatment should eventually give you a paved area free from salt marks.

Preparing for the year ahead Many self-builders who are completing a new-build project will understand the difficulties in building an appealing outdoor environment. It’s important that this effort is not wasted and, as such, it’s vital to protect your hard landscaping products against the elements. One of the best ways to protect patios and drives is by using breathable sealants. These types of sealants protect the stone against ageing, greasy soiling, water seepage and even chewing gum while still allowing impurities and salts to pass through the paving.

Removing rust Finally, a prominent problem to affect hard landscaping in the winter months is the appearance of rust marks. Rust stains are often

Sealed with Pavetuf Satin Sealant caused by gas bottles and metal patio furniture that has been left out in the rain. If these stains are allowed to settle; they can become particularly difficult to remove and, as such, a premium rust-remover product will be required.

In my experience, the most effective removal products are those that are specially formulated to convert rust compounds into a water-soluble solution. This will pull out the rust particles that have penetrated the surface of the stone, allowing them to be simply washed away.

We all want to create the perfect outdoor space to enjoy, but it’s impossible to do so without first properly caring for your hard landscaping products. No matter what has caused the problem, there are high-quality products on the market that can help remedy the issue. Before cleaning, ensure you know exactly what the problem is and have identified the most appropriate product, as many hard landscaping cleaning products have very specific uses. Additionally, when cleaning your hard landscaping, it is worth considering further protection with a sealer, as this could save you another job in years to come.

Following these simple steps will help secure your patio investment for years to come and bring your outdoor environment back to life in time for summer.

For more information about Pavetuf, please go to www.pavetuf.co.uk.

www.talasey.co.uk

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i-DIY

Turfing tips

6. Finishing touches

If you love grass but don’t want the mess, mud and maintenance that it brings; maybe you should consider artificial grass.

Here, LazyLawn gives a step-by-step guide on how to install artificial grass.

1. Plan your area Before starting your project, plan out the area to be covered. Ensure that cables and water pipes are below the digging depth. Remove the turf to a depth of 2" using a turf cutter or spade and remove any large stones, bricks or other obstructions. Lay down a type one stone if the area has drainage problems.

2. Create an edge If there are no perimeters for the product to butt up against, install an edging system. Knock the edging into the soil with a hammer and piece of wood: leave around 3cm exposed. Chamfer the outer perimeters to a drop of 40mm from the edging height to allow for a more natural look.

3. Lay the base Apply around 6mm of granite dust, or sharp sand where granite is not an option. Use a

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piece of timber to drag the sand or dust across the application area to provide a smooth surface. If using sand, the depth should not be more than 20mm, use hardcore to level out larger imperfections (i.e. over 20mm) before applying sand.

4. Apply weed membrane Once the base is compacted, apply weed membrane to the area. This will prevent weed growth whilst allowing water drainage. Trim off any waste membrane from the edges. If any joining is needed, overlap the edges then attach them with gaffer tape.

5. Fit the artificial lawn Unroll the artificial turf over the area, being careful to not move the weed membrane. Running the product toward the house will give the best look from the windows of the house. Once positioned, trim the excess artificial grass. We recommend changing blades every 3 to 5m to ensure the blade stays sharp enough.

To finish, apply kiln sand to the turf. This can be done using a blower and stiff brush or a lawn fertiliser spreader. We recommend 6 to 8kg of sand per square metre of product. This step is vital to ensure the most natural looking finish. For the best results, we recommend brushing the pile before, during and after. This sand dressing should be done on a dry day and the same day as the lawn installation.

How to complete a join If a join in the turf is required, butt both of the surfaces together ensuring the pile is running in the same direction. Fold back 30 to 40cm on each side along the length of the join and trim 20 to 30mm from each edge, cutting between tufts.

Unroll join tape shiny side down along the entire length of the join. Apply the adhesive along each edge of the backing in two lines. Fold one side of the turf onto the join tape. Then slowly fold over the other side of the join. A gap of 2 to 3mm between the sections generally gives the best results. Once joined, laying weighted planks along the join is a good idea to ensure an invisible joint. Allow two to three hours to dry.

www.lazylawn.co.uk

i-DIY

You will need: Spades Leaf blower Stiff brush Hammer 4" nails Rakes Wheelbarrow Mastic gun Sand hopper (if available) Turf cutter (if available) Compactor (if available) Mechanical brush (if available)

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i-build

How to build your house extension successfully Are you happy with where you live but would like that bit more space?

Extending your home could be the way forward. Here Architectural Designer at Studio SDA, Hayley Pearse, gives her advice on how to successfully extend your home.

I

t’s always best to be well prepared when planning any building work on your home, even more so when it’s an extension project. So whether you’re a young couple in the early stages of living together, a family of four whom have lived in the same home for many years, or anyone in between, here are some top tips to help your build run as smoothly as possible.

Get all approvals first This is where the experts come in; depending on the size, shape and scale of your new extension, you may need to apply for planning permission but don’t panic. As each local council is different, there is no straightforward rule of thumb for designing extensions which

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can only mean one thing – find a designer who is willing to go the extra mile and push the boundaries. You will find that most council websites provide a lot of information and design guides which are provided to ensure your local area is complemented by architecture and not destroyed so it’s not a system to be knocked!

Even if your extension does not need planning permission, it will need Building Regulations approval which is there to enforce construction standards across the UK. Building Regulations safeguard designs by making sure the buildings are built correctly and inspections take place along the way which helps prevent unprofessional procurement and the dreaded ‘cowboy builder’ which is always a good thing.

Set a budget This might sound a simple step towards making your dream a reality but it’s common to overspend on even the smallest projects.

The general rule is to allow for £1000 to £2000 per square metre and then allow an extra 10 to 20% contingency fund. Even better practice would be to issue the designer’s drawings to a quantity surveyor for them to provide an accurate cost.

Also bear in mind that not only do you have the build budget, there will be the designer’s and consultant’s fees, Government VAT and also local authorities’ fees for the applications too. So, be realistic with your budget as to create the perfect dream home; it is not all about the new-build extension alone. Lots of factors collaboratively create a beautiful and functional space.

What is the purpose of the extension?

A question most people think they know the answer to, however, there tends to be more answers to this question than space and budget will allow, so compromising is generally required or a really good designer who will work hard with you to achieve your dream extension.

Make sure you consider who will use this space, when it will be used and what it will be used for.

Is it an extra bedroom you are looking for or are you craving a bigger, brighter kitchen/dining open-plan living space?

i-build Consider the location and setting Where your home is situated is paramount to the design of your extension. The best extensions out there are those sympathetic to their surroundings or, across the spectrum, those which contrast their surroundings. From a rural village to a city suburb, no one extension is the same so why not use your surroundings as an opportunity to push the boundaries of construction technologies and complement or contrast your innovative designs. Are you near a babbling brook? Noisy train line? Woodland wildlife? Busy urban street scene?

Research different materials Material choice is crucial to the design of extensions as it is the material finishes that bring the structure to life. Whether you want your extension to stand out from the crowd or be a subtle improvement, there are many options to choose between with many manufacturers and suppliers of the same product all who offer different services, so be sure to do your homework before entering the minefield.

Think outside the box An extension can be upwards into the loft, outwards as an addition or downwards to a basement – therefore, no extension is the same. Maybe add some quirky details to the design that sets yours aside from the typical extension – whether it is the shape of the extension or a hidden glazing panel where the new meets old. Remember to keep on pushing them boundaries and proving why residential architecture is exciting!

Choose the right builder Choosing the right builder is crucial to constructing your dream. So make sure you research builders, visit previous projects they have done, carry out numerous chats with them (as let’s face it, you have to be able to work with them) and take a look on websites for reviews. Some local council panels have set up schemes in their boroughs to assist with this decision and created directories for you with only the local builders who meet the high standards and are recommended by other people in your area so search through them.

Finding the right designer or consultant If you want to stand out from the crowd and have the best extension on your street, choose a designer with a mountain of experience in residential architecture.

You will go through many designers’ websites looking through portfolios of previous work but be sure to notice if the company have won any awards for their work. Awards indicate not only that they are experienced and creative at what they do, but also they are highly respected within the industry too which is second to none for you as the client.

To get the most out of your experience with the designer you must be open and honest because your dreams will be made reality in the hands of their interpretations from your brief.

Extending your home can be immensely rewarding and can make a big difference to your lifestyle and, with a little insight and some useful advice, you will soon be well on your way to living the dream.

www.studiosda.co.uk

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i-nterior

Buy friction hinges for added safety 5

Before buying friction hinges for your conservatory windows, accurately measure the dimensions and check that they’re suitable for your timber, uPVC or aluminium frame. An egress-only friction hinge restricts how far the window can open, providing less temptation to burglars, and preventing children from climbing out.

6 Update door and window handles Replace old conservatory door and window handles with more secure options. For instance, a multi-point window handle automatically locks when it is closed, and can be deadlocked.

Suitable for both uPVC and timber windows, these handles come mainly in white, but other colours such as ‘gold effect’ are available for a touch of glamour.

Top tips for keeping conservatories secure and stylish Taking care of your conservatory – be it a grand orangery or a contemporary space – is key if you want to enjoy it for many summers to come.

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s an extension to your house, it can be very easy to pay less attention to the condition of your conservatory.

However, carrying out regular checks on its structure and fittings will ensure the space is safe and suitable for the whole family, and less attractive to potential intruders. This is especially important as burglary rates rise in the summer with people away on holiday or leaving windows open.

Now is the time to give your conservatory the onceover. To help, IronmongeryDirect, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of specialist ironmongery products, offers 10 tips on choosing fixtures that will keep your conservatory safe, secure and looking great.

1

Invest in quality

First and foremost, when choosing a company to install or upgrade a conservatory, do your research such as reading reviews. It’s also important to ask potential suppliers to confirm that their work meets benchmark security standards including British Standards 7950 and 7412.

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2

Choose high security locks

There’s an array of window and door locks available today, but for a high-security product, try a multi-point lock that is suited to timber and uPVC. These are easier to lock and unlock than traditional options and protects the door or window from changing weather conditions.

3

Pick the right alarm

Finding the right burglar alarm for your conservatory is essential. Changing temperatures in a conservatory can render standard passive infrared (PIR) alarms practically useless, triggering lots of false alarms. A dual technology sensor uses PIR and microwave technology, making it a lot more reliable in a warm environment.

4

Install external lighting

In addition to an alarm, fitting external lighting with a motion sensor will act as an extra deterrent to intruders.

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Opt for easy openers

Spending time in your conservatory should be relaxing, so opt for a telescopic skylight opener, which makes opening windows and skylights effortless, and keeps the window secure when closed. It’s ideal if you need to replace stiff or rusty handles.

8

Trim back shrubs

This may seem unrelated to security, but cutting back overgrown shrubs around the conservatory will expose the building, making it trickier for burglars to use the foliage and its shadow as cover. This will also let more of that glorious light into your conservatory.

9

Avoid a timber frame

Choosing a conservatory frame is not just about the aesthetics. While wooden frames are attractive they require more care and are easily damaged. uPVC or metal frames need less attention and provide better security.

Safely prop open doors and windows 10

A traditional cabin hook and eye can add a rustic charm to your conservatory decor, while restricting door, window and shutter movement. Although not a security product, it helps to prevent damage and makes entrances more accessible for everyone, perfect when entertaining friends and family on lazy, summer weekends.

www.ironmongerydirect.com

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i-nterior

i-scape

Tree Preservation Orders and selfbuild development Here Arboricultural Consultant, Mark Hinsley, guides i-build through the process of Tree Preservation Order consent.

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here are essentially two kinds of development – development that requires planning permission, and development that does not. If you have trees within your garden, or even within 15m of your garden, that are protected by a Tree Preservation Order or that stand within a conservation area, they will be a material consideration of any planning application that you may make.

How these trees are assessed and treated during the planning process is informed by the recommendations in BS 5837:2012 ‘Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction.’ Unless you happen to have some arboricultural qualifications, this is not a document that you can use yourself so, you are going to need some expert advice. Once this advice has been incorporated into your planning application it can proceed in the usual way.

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If consent is granted, it covers you for any tree work (felling or pruning) that is immediately required for the realisation of the approved development, however, you are also likely to have conditions attached to it relating to tree protection and tree planting that you must adhere to for any trees that are being retained. The simple advice is read the conditions carefully and make sure you respect them and engage the right people to discharge them. In the future an undischarged condition may be a blight on your property.

The other kind of development is what is known as ‘permitted development’, stuff that you can build under a General Development Order. A General Development Order might be considered to be a deemed planning approval but be careful – whilst a granted full planning

permission essentially ‘overrides’ a Tree Preservation Order, works undertaken under a General Development Order do not. Put simply – if you need to fell or prune a tree protected by a Tree Preservation Order to build your ‘permitted development’ structure you need specific Tree Preservation Order consent to do so and you must apply to the council to get it before you start to build anything.

With regard to the trunk and branches of the tree, the above advice ought to be pretty obvious. What you must be aware of is that Tree Preservation Orders extend to protecting the roots as well.

BS 5837:2012 ‘Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction.’ gives a means of calculating the Root Protection Area of any given tree. Whilst this is not the absolute spread of the root system, the BS 5837 Root Protection Area is the zone where you must be particularly careful not to cut or damage roots anymore than you would cut or damage branches.

The upshot is that, if you have protected trees around the area you wish to go ahead with your building under a General Development Order, you still need BS 5837:2012 ‘Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction’ and you still need sound arboricultural advice.

www.treeadvice.info

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i-scape

National Self Build & Renovation Show

NSBRC to celebrate National Custom and Self Build Week 2018 at upcoming spring show The National Self Build and Renovation Centre (NSBRC) will be celebrating National Custom and Self Build Week 2018, which is taking place between 7 to 13th May, by hosting the spring edition of its popular Self Build & Renovation Show from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th May.

O

ne of the key aims of National Custom and Self Build Week is to help more people understand the many ways possible to build their own home today. From buying a plot and commissioning a bespoke new home, as popularised by Channel 4’s Grand Designs, through to DIY self-build and working together with members of the local community to build affordable homes for shared ownership or rent.

Self- and custom-build is no longer just for the privileged few.

At the NSBRC’s National Self Build & Renovation Show, over 250 exhibitors will be showcasing the very latest building products and technologies on offer, with experienced representatives on hand to demonstrate, answer questions and provide their

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professional advice. The centre will also be holding a series of events and tours to help encourage people to find out more about pursuing their ambition of building a home.

Harvey Fremlin, Managing Director at NSBRC, says: “We’re delighted to support National Custom and Self Build Week with our spring show. This year, we’ll be holding seminars at our life-size Renovation House, and our New Build Journey tour will help anyone to visualise what building their own home entails.

“Whatever stage your project is at, there will be experts available throughout the threeday exhibition to look at your ideas and offer feedback on where to start, the best building methods, trades and materials for the job and, most importantly of all, support.

“As part of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, local authorities are required to help find land for those who have an interest in building their own home so we’d encourage anyone interested in self- or custom-build to sign up to their local, council-maintained Right to Build register, as this will ensure there are enough serviced plots available to meet the demand.”

The National Self Build and Renovation Show attracts thousands of homeowners who are looking to undertake a self-build, renovation or home improvement project. Taking place from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th May 2018, there are free advance tickets for the show available from the NSBRC website.

www.nsbrc.co.uk

Product Guide

Contemporary steel standing seam roofing specified for countryside conversion Catnic’s SSR2 steel roofing and cladding system has been specified for a remote barn conversion located in a rural village in South Yorkshire. The Anthracite Grey finish of the SSR2 panels has ensured that the conversion blends harmoniously with the aesthetics of the local surroundings. Furthermore, the SSR2 system delivers a durable, cost-effective and low-maintenance roofing solution.

S

urrounded by rural British countryside, the new one-storey residence has been converted from an old nursery barn that was previously a part of the family business. The space was used as a packing shed for wrapping plants and machinery maintenance.

Owner and retiree, Dave Wood, wanted both the architectural design and the materials used for the conversion to blend naturally with the surrounding landscape. As such, he had originally envisaged using zinc roofing, but after researching for a cost-effective equivalent, Dave discovered the SSR2 steel roofing and cladding system, which was ideally suited to the aesthetic he required.

The SSR2 Roofing system replaced the original OSB board roof on the old barn. The minimalist and contemporary aesthetic of SSR2 meant it was ideally suited to the design intentions of the conversion.

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The roof also now benefits from eight VELUX windows, which were easily installed in the SSR2 system. The Anthracite Grey finish matches both the doors and windows whilst providing an attractive contrast to the timber frame.

Little England & Co, a building and interior specialist based in West Yorkshire, was tasked with installing the SSR2 steel roofing and cladding system. Robert Holmes, an installer for the company, had previously attended one of the free SSR2 training courses provided by Catnic in Caerphilly, gaining a greater understanding of the entire installation process.

“I’ve worked with SSR2 on many projects before and find it quick, simple and easy to install, it really is a great product to work with,” commented Robert.

Furthermore, the project needed a robust, durable roofing solution with a high thermal performance. All performance factors that the SSR2 system could easily meet.

Dave Wood explained: “After seeing zinc roofing used on another project we were keen to use it ourselves, but found the cost too expensive. In Catnic’s SSR2 system we found a great alternative.

I’m extremely pleased with the final outcome and we have received lots of positive feedback from friends and neighbours.”

The SSR2 system is the latest addition to the Catnic product range. Designed, manufactured and CE Marked in accordance with BS EN 14783:2013, the sustainable, pre-finished steel roofing can be used for pitched roofs as low as 5°. The versatile system is available in eight different colours and the Galvalloy metallic coating provides cut edge protection for an unrivalled corrosion resistance.

Manufactured from Tata Steel’s Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra pre-finished steel, the system is rated ‘A+’ within the BRE Green Guide and BBA approved. Additionally, the BBA-certified product has a performance life in excess of 40 years, making the roof sustainable and virtually maintenance-free.

www.catnic.com catnic.sales@tatasteeleurope.com 0292 033 7900

As part of refurbishment works at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden at Wisley in Surrey, Winn & Coales (Denso) has supplied Densoseal 16A for the prevention of water ingress via cable entry ducts in the switchroom and power stations on site.

Producti-scape Guide

Densoseal 1 6A selected for RHS Garden at Wisley

A self-supporting, non-setting mastic, Densoseal 16A was developed for the sealing of cable ducts, conduits and service entry pipes or sleeves from the ingress of water and gas. The firm, fibrous mastic creates a flexible seal around electrical supply cables and is particularly suitable for ducts that are wet or liable to water entry. Compliant with British Telecom Specification M212C, it can also be used for the profiling of mechanical joints on hot pipes to permit the application of tapes.

The flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society covers 76 hectares (240

acres) and the three new power stations and renovated switchroom are part of a programme of investments taking place at the site in the coming years. Donated to the RHS in 1903, the site has evolved from its woodland beginnings into the cultivated gardens in place today, with further updates to the landscaping taking place as part of the planned renovation works.

www.denso.net mail@denso.net 0208 670 7511

Kährs ash flooring design chosen for Cotswolds arts and crafts property renovation Award-winning architecture and development company Design Storey has specified a Kährs ash wood floor design for its Cotswold property renovation project in Chipping Campden.

The project, which appeared on Channel 4’s Best Laid Plans, celebrates the Mid-Century and Arts and Crafts heritage of the house.

Occupying a large corner plot, the property was re-designed to make the most of its aspect and orientation. Design Storey switched the focus of the house by removing the single garage and replacing it with a contemporary single-storey kitchen, dining and living area, where Kährs’ ash wood flooring runs throughout the open-plan design.

Design Storey Architect, Lydia Robinson, says: “We chose a Kährs ash flooring design as we were looking for a light wood flooring which reflected our Scandinavian-inspired interiors.

We were keen to specify ash as this is the native wood species that is most prevalent in the Cotswolds, yet it is not as frequently found in the interiors. Using ash enabled us to tie the flooring in with the timber for the doors, bespoke joinery and stair treads.”

As a result of the renovation, the 1950s house has been revitalised as a contemporary four-bed home, with a modern yet practical interior. The project has been shortlisted for ‘Design through Innovation’ in the 2018 RICS Awards, which showcases the most inspirational initiatives and developments in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure.

Kährs’ range includes a selection of sustainable ash wood flooring designs, ranging from on-trend light grey hues to classic warm, natural beige shades.

www.kahrs.com sales@kahrs.com 0239 245 3045

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Product Guide

to meet the Scandi style, which combines contemporary and traditional Mid-Century fabrics and furniture. Layer up your textures and mix and match your styles.

You can have fun with woven fabrics even throwing yourself into some hand dyeing to make something truly individual.

Herringbone parquet You probably never thought you’d see this coming, but herringbone parquet flooring is definitely making a comeback and becoming a very popular choice in architecture and interior design.

Standard floorboards are these days a little too standard. Instead, the unique blend of MidCentury grand ballrooms with today’s trend of 1970s geometric design is seeing an exciting resurrection from avid interior designers. Their distinctive format, when used in the right way, can make smaller rooms feel more spacious and impactful.

As well as being fashionable, it has a practical purpose too – it doesn’t warp. So it not only looks great, but is a clever solution to a common problem.

Richer ones

Top self-build trends for 2018 Hanse Haus’ Head of UK Sales, Oliver Grimshaw, has pulled together the hottest interior design trends that could help provide some new home inspiration.

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Creative spaces

Woven textures

Creative hobby spaces have become increasingly popular in numerous Hanse Haus builds. Instead of using an outdoor garden shed for small projects and general tinkering, creative spaces are now coming inside and are often in a prime and serene spot within the house, for example, in an elevated position with an inspiring view to aid creativity.

People of all ages are designing and creating fantastic pieces in the comfort of their own home.

Designated places to do so are becoming an indulgent addition to a floorplan.

In keeping with the theme of creativity, interesting textures are definitely something to watch out for. Fabrics with a ‘handmade’ artisanal feel can be both fresh and vibrant in the summer months as well as snug and cosy in the winter. Woven textures, such as jute, are therefore all part of a new movement for multifunctional and adaptable rooms which work well all year round.

Authenticity is also something we’re aspiring towards. We’re slowly moving away from Hygge

Goodbye clinical white kitchens, hello rich and sultry tones. DIY interior designers are growing in confidence. With the vast array of magazines and television programmes now on hand, we’re now seeing bolder colours, textures and furniture. Richer tones are seen to be more atmospheric, so rich jewel tones, moody dark navys and sophisticated charcoal greys are touted as popular choices for 2018. Match them with velvet or metallics and you’ll be meeting 2018 very much on-trend.

A new phase of experimentation is certainly upon us. Perhaps the avocado bathroom schemes will start making a comeback?

Cosmic colours At the start of the year, Pantone revealed ‘Ultra Violet’ as their colour of 2018, representing the growing community of cosmic, creative minds and people’s need to be experimental.

Our homes are often physical representations of our personalities, so amidst these times of creative thinking, show off your growing powers of originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking.

www.hanse-haus.co.uk info@hanshaus.co.uk 0800 3029220

Remmers exhibits at Hayward Gallery

Launched to provide all the biggest and best brands in one place, the Underfloor Shop is one of the UK’s leading online retailers of wet and electric underfloor heating systems. The website offers a full range of products at highly competitive prices, along with free next working day delivery, a free bespoke design service and unrivalled advice and technical support. Underfloor Shop understands the needs of the professional installer, has a close working relationship with all the brands it offers and can supply everything from a full UFH kit to a single part, including control systems, adhesives, insulation boards and accessories.

The world-renowned Hayward Gallery is a contemporary art gallery within Southbank Centre, London. As part of a two-year restoration project, Remmers’ restoration products were selected by Cemplas to complete extensive concrete repair and renovation works to the internal architectural concrete elements of this prestigious major arts venue. Remmers’ Arte Mundit was applied to remove the decades of superficial dirt that had built up on the concrete walls and ceilings. Arte Mundit is a self-vulcanising cleaning paste that dries into a peelable natural latex. It provides thorough water-free removal of residues to varied substrates, and there is no development of dust making it the ideal product for specialised restoration projects.

www.underfloorshop.co.uk 01284 339669 sales@underfloorshop.co.uk

www.remmers.co.uk 01293 594010 sales@remmers.co.uk

Your lighting solutions

Osmo protects the heart of the home

If you are seeking to transform your home in a simple yet wholly artistic way true to your tastes, then consider relighting your home with Lighting Sensations. The lighting is designed to not only illuminate, but enhance the atmosphere of any environment. With access to a wide range of European and British lights, the company provides the best lighting facilities, aiming to provide beautiful and stunning lights that create relaxing and enchanting ambient moods. Whether it be for interior or exterior lighting, clients can turn to Lighting Sensations for innovative, stylistic and cost-effective ways to light up their space, their way.

Floor maintenance specialist, Conrad Park, turned to Osmo UK when renovating and refreshing an existing oak floor in a family kitchen. Thanks to its hardwearing properties and aesthetically-pleasing finish, Polyx-Oil was the ideal choice to rejuvenate the room in the heart of the home. When the client requested a timeless appearance that would refresh and protect the wooden floor in the kitchen, Conrad Park recognised that two coats of Osmo UK Polyx-Oil Effect Raw 3044 would create the desired result.

“Osmo UK is by far my favourite wood finish to use both internally and externally,” explains Conrad.

www.lightingsensations.co.uk 01223 874434 info@lightingsensations.co.uk

www.osmouk.com 01296 481220 sales@osmo.com

Masterclass on handmade bricks at selfbuild show, Swindon

Accoya doors and windows add finishing touches to stunning UK homes

Experts from Imperial Bricks are on hand to help self-builders and renovators at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre (NSBRC), 11th to 13th May in Swindon. A range of handmade bricks will be displayed on Imperial’s stand 68/69, as well as information on how bricks can add kerb appeal and value to renovation, restoration and new-build projects. Ruth Hughes, Specification Manager, will present a masterclass on ‘How to choose the right brick for your renovation, extension or new build’ at 1pm on Saturday 12th May. To get your free tickets to the show, visit the NSBRC website.

Accoya, a world-leading modified wood, has been used in the delivery of bespoke joinery projects for two stunning new build properties in the south of England. The first of the two properties is based in Berkshire and received striking exterior facing doors made from Accoya as part of a tailor-made joinery package.

Accoya was selected as the ideal wood to use due to its insulating capabilities, dimensional stability, 50-year guarantee and aesthetic finish – both the architects and the owners felt Accoya tied in perfectly with the overall exterior appearance of the house.

www.imperialbricks.co.uk 01952 750816 sales@imperialbricks.co.uk

Product Guide

Underfloor Shop serves up top UFH products on the web

www.accoya.com 0207 421 4300

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Product Guide

New DRU Global 55XT BF cavity wall gas fire DRU Global gas fires make continental design and efficiency affordable to all UK homes.

T

he most popular model in the range is the Global 55XT CF. It fits neatly into a Class 1 chimney and has an eyecatching log fire display.

Now, for homes with no chimney, the new Global 55XT BF cavity wall model is an ingenious way to transform a flat wall into an impressive fireplace, whilst saving valuable floor space.

It has an authentic ‘camp fire’ log set powered by the DRU Global TruFlame burner, which creates incredibly realistic high and dense flames and a comforting glow.

The interior of the fire is constructed from mirrored Ceraglass, which gives an impressive 3D-effect to the flames. These are regulated and adjusted using the programmable electronic remote control.

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There is also the option of Clear View glass, which closely replicates the effect of an open fire.

And with a maximum heat output of 3.2kW, it will keep an average-size living room warm without the need for additional central heating.

Unique cavity wall installation With its unique compact engine, it can be installed directly into an external facing brick wall, with no need for a false chimney breast and minimal building work. This means it can be incorporated into new-build schemes as well as retrofit situations.

At only 255mm deep, it is the slimmest and most flexible gas fire in the DRU Global range, with a C energy rating and 77% efficiency, complying with the new Ecodesign directive.

This stunning fire can be completed using any fire surround you choose using a standard 3" (75mm) rebate.

The snorkel-shaped balanced flue is designed to create sufficient draught in the system to maintain the impressive flame picture. It is inserted through the cavity wall, ending in an unobtrusive terminal on the outside.

The result is an immaculate gas fire with a seamless finish. It takes up less floor space than ordinary gas fires and provides an elegant feature in the living room.

Efficient use of heat Unlike ordinary chimney-based gas fires, the Global 55XT has a closed combustion system, using air from outside the building for convection and expelling waste gases through its concentric flue. This results in safe, comfortable and efficient heating.

The DRU Global 55XT BF will be available from approved DRU dealers throughout the UK by spring 2018.

www.drufire.com info@drufire.co.uk 0161 793 8700

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Specialist Designers, Engineers, Manufacturers, Builders, Merchants Benfield ATT Group, Castle Way, Caldicot NP26 5PR – 01291 437 050 – www.BenfieldATT.uk

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Sensational Lighting 012 2 3 8 7 4 4 3 4 i nfo @l i g h ti n g s e n s a t io n s . co . u k www.l i gh ti n g s e n s a t io n s . co . u k To browse our brands visit: www.thelightunit.co.uk