What to consider when making structural changes at home

If you are thinking about making structural changes to your property there are a vast amount of factors to consider. The Creative Build team has mapped out a few key things to remember when planning your next domestic project!

Thinking of renovating your home? The most important factor is to plan! This will help to avoid project delays or being stung with unexpected expenses! Don’t get too excited and buy a sledgehammer - grab a pen first and start mapping out your thoughts.

Make your mind up!

When planning most household changes, you usually have options which then leads to difference of opinions between tradesman, family and even close friends. Ensure you find out what is achievable and commit to the decision you have made. Changes to the plan made during the project can lead to delays and additional costs.

Expert Advice of your project - seek advice! It is worth paying a specialist tradesperson a small fee before potentially creating issues that need to be rectified and causing additional expense. Maybe you need to hire a designer or even an architect? Allow for this additional costing within your budget if needs be. If you are building a large extension for example - in some cases planning permission may need to be granted. You should also check as to whether your property is restricted in any way such as being a listed building or being with a conservation area.

Attention to detail

Unfortunately, contractors are not usually mind readers therefore you must be incredibly accurate in presenting exactly what you want done. Visual representation, sketches and regular update meetings will ensure that every part of the project is completed to the standard you desire. Ensure that any quotes are detailed with a breakdown of what work will be done and anything that will not be included (This includes price of materials!) How long is this going to take?

If you are paying a team of contractors ensure that a time scale is set out as a goal for when the work will be done. If you have been accurate when planning the project an experienced contractor will be able to give you a fairly precise time frame of how long the project will take from start to finish. Unforeseen circumstances that may delay the project however need to be taken into consideration here; bad weather or as 2020 has proved - even a global pandemic could occur which could delay delivery time scales for materials etc. If you consider yourself as a project manager and tick off the vital parts of each job you will be able to keep track yourself on the progress of your project.

How much should I be looking to spend on my project?

If possible always seek to get a variety of quotes. The cheapest price will not necessarily be the best option. Sometimes you get what you pay for but it is very easy to overpay for a job if you have not researched

what is involved. Reviews from a contractor’s previous clients may be your first step to finding a trader you can trust and agree a price with.

The type/quality of materials used for your project along with the conditions of working will be factored in here. If there is more manual labour due to lack of access for machinery or if there is more risk of something going wrong - such as essential roof work needed - then a tradesman may be likely to charge extra for his services. You also need to factor in unforeseen problems, issues that may arise during the project which could not have been planned for.

Make sure you factor in costs for waste removal if it is not included within a trade quote, this can drastically increase project costs… and you do not want a pile of waste left to one side for you to sort through at the end of the project.

Make the tea

Having workers in your home is inconvenient at the best of times, but do your best to make workers feel welcome! Offering a tea or a coffee goes a long way!

Conservation Cream from The Residence Collection Clotted Cream R9 windows and which will be starting soon, a full For further information please visit doors from The Residence Collection, restoration of an 1856 farmhouse in www.residencecollection.co.uk and recently graced a beautiful project in a 250 acres of land.’ www.residencecollectiontrade.co.uk. Staffordshire conservation area, much to the delight of the homeowners. A Grained White internal finish was specified to keep things neutral, featuring polished chrome pear drop handles and black butt hinges. The front elevation of the house also featured Georgian bars to the windows, in keeping with the requirements from the local planning officer. Sarah Hitchings, sales and marketing director of The Residence Collection commented: ‘This is yet another wonderful example of our windows and doors gracing properties in conservation areas. Planners love the windows as do the homeowners who enjoy them and with the many benefits over timber, including better energy efficiency, sound insulation and the fact that they require little maintenance. You can request a free brochure pack including the stylish and inspirational My Residence Magazine via e-mail at journey@residencecollection.co.uk or by calling 01452 348650. You can also add to their following on Twitter @residence9 and engage with them on other social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and Houzz. Ramsey Singh, the homeowner, She added: ‘Beautiful homes warrant enthused: ‘We’re so happy with beautiful windows and R9 remains the new windows and I would, and the only true timber casement have, recommended The Residence alternative window on the market. Collection to friends. I have no doubt that they are a quality product and will Our manufacturing partners enjoy be here for years to come. We hope the margin they provide, as do our to use R9 in another upcoming project installation partners across the UK.’

The Build to Rent sector set for growth

Purpose-built Build to Rent housing However, several additional have had to find other income is only a recent concept, with just over proposals were announced in sources e.g. through developing 51,000 dwellings completed across October and November which housing for sale and private rent. the UK as of Q3 2020. This equates suggest over 90,000 are expected to to only around 1% of total Private be in planning by the end of 2020”. A final comment from Senior Residential Sector stock. Researcher Alex Blagden states The build to rent sector has seen an “A key factor contributing towards In Q1 2020, a large number of influx of institutional investors enter forecast growth has been important schemes completed, driving up the the market in recent years as the changes in the planning system. volume of operating units by 42% on focus for investment propositions Now BTR is formerly defined as an Q1 2019, equating to an additional moves away from the High Street asset class in its own right in the 13,000 homes. In Q2 2020, the impact retail and into developments that are National Planning Policy Framework of the first Covid-19 lockdown was likely to provide a higher return. (NPPF) and is entitled to specific sudden, with only three funding deals, land allocation rather than having to worth £96m and with just 1,800 starts Population growth, a younger mobile compete with build-to-sell developers across a dozen sites. workforce, increasing house prices, in the open market”. Alex Blagden, Senior Researcher lenders - and declining levels of at AMA Research and Editor of social rent housing - have led to a the Build to Rent Market Report worsening shortage of affordable comments “Since 2016 cumulative build-to-sell housing, particularly for BTR completions are forecast to first-time buyers in the 25-34 age have quadrupled by 2021 to over group. 60,000. Quarterly data for Q3 2020 indicates circa 37,000 units are under Several larger housing associations construction and approximately have also diversified into the PRS. 84,000 are in planning. Due to budget cuts to housing, they

Developers key for changing mindsets about green buildings

Market expectations and perceived building standards are holding back the country’s progress to construct net-zero buildings, according to the UK Green Building Council, UKGBC.

The organization would like to see developers adjusting investor and owner-occupier expectations about green buildings and this should be set out early in a development’s narrative. It said often buildings were completely fitted out to maximize appeal during the leasing stage resulting in over-provision and waste as typically incoming occupiers tighter mortgage requirements by removing final fit-outs. UKGBC head of business transformation Alastair Mant said: “Achieving the necessary reductions in embodied and operational carbon requires large scale changes to how buildings are designed, constructed, and operated. There are many barriers along the way and we must work quickly to identify them and the corresponding opportunities to overcome them.” Green buildings need airtight recognition Other hurdles include the lack of a recognized certification scheme to verify a building is net-zero, although several unofficial quality standards schemes exist.

“Without this, developers and owners can be reluctant to invest in delivering a net-zero building as they feel it will not be recognized within the market and, therefore, achieve enhanced value,” said the authors of UKBC’s latest guidance. Another pressure for developers is to meet completion deadlines for projects. The UKGBC said this can lead to the final stages being rushed resulting in carbon inefficiency. It would like to see time allocated beyond the finish date for testing of heating and ventilation systems and airtightness checks. Brokers Hank Zarihs Associates said property development lenders want a nationally recognized verification system of green buildings like Australia’s rating scheme launched this year. Both Sir Robert McAlpine and Landsec announced earlier this year their intention to become net-zero carbon developers significantly ahead of the national 2050 target. McAlpine plans to achieve this status within the next five years and Landsec within the decade. The latter is currently planning to build the UK’s first net-zero carbon commercial building in Southwark, south London.

Britain’s housing market is booming but the structural issues remain, says Tiger Craft

Expert analysis by Partner and CIO at award-winning Hilltop Credit Partners

Britain’s housing market continues to flip the recession script with average asking prices hitting record high in spite of the ongoing coronavirus restrictions and the economic uncertainties. Tiger Craft, Partner and CIO at Hilltop Credit Partners, says the latest figures from Rightmove and Halifax reinforce that a mini housing boom is under way and that the government’s attempts to support demand through incentives like stamp duty holiday are helping this growing sentiment.

Commenting on the latest market reports and the continued growth of the housing market, Tiger says: “The latest Rightmove data shows that the average asking price of homes coming on to the market has hit a record high, with asking prices 5.5% higher than in October last year. Another report by Halifax restates that the average price of a home in the UK is now £249,870 — up by £17,000 between August and September in the fastest growth in more than four years.

“Restrictions on the UK property transactions were lifted in May, following an eight-week period during which the housing market was effectively shut. Once the restrictions began to ease, the housing market has witnessed a sharp rise. Even now when the country is facing its deepest recession on record, the house prices are at an all-time high. This contradiction can simply not be because the sector is immune from the COVID-induced paralysis. The answer to this is not in the virus but in the nature of the housing market itself. In Britain, the fundamental challenges around housing stock still remain: the supply-demand imbalance across the country, and the large addressable market in funding. I strongly believe that people will always need and want homes, and no virus is going to change this reality.

“We also have to look at the support extended by the government and how recent announcements have been instrumental in supporting the sector throughout. Prime Minister’s landmark ‘Build, Build, Build’ speech where he spoke about how Britain suffers from a ‘chronic failure’ to build enough homes and the need to ‘level up’ with a focus on the regions. The speech not only provided a boost to SME developers and buyers, but to potential first-time buyers as well as the announcement was followed up by a stamp duty cut in July. The government’s focus is now on creating a ‘Generation Buy’ and to help would-be homeowners who are currently locked out of the property market due to steep demand for deposits. All these measures have meant that the housing market has been doing extremely well especially since the lockdown.

“At Hilltop, our objective remains unchanged – to cautiously fund high-quality assets and developers and whilst we have tightened our underwriting criteria to account for the market uncertainty, we see no reason to recede. We have a growing pipeline with great sponsors, and even have a vote of confidence from banks like OakNorth Bank as can be seen by our increased facility recently,” Tiger Craft concludes.

About Hilltop Credit Partners Hilltop Credit Partners is a West Endbased specialist end-to-end funding partner especially for small and mid-sized residential property developers. With a proven track record in property development, asset management and financial structuring, Hilltop Credit Partners provides a one-stop funding solution for up to 90% loan to cost, with loans ranging from £3 million to £40million.

Hilltop Credit Partners Limited is an appointed representative of Thornbridge Investment Management LLP which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It is also backed by Round Hill Capital, a leading global real estate investment firm with a focus on macro-driven residential real estate investment strategies.

Tiger Craft has nearly 20 years of experience in financial markets. Before joining Hilltop Credit Partners, Tiger was a Portfolio Manager at GLG Partners and was responsible for managing a long/short equity portfolio with a peak value of approximately $650m.

Before that, Tiger was the Vice President and then Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group in the Liquid Markets and Private Equity divisions. Tiger started his career at Credit Suisse First Boston in 1999 in the Investment Banking division where he focused on M&A advisory and capital raising for healthcare companies in the US and Europe.

Leading ironmongery specialist supplier, IronmongeryDirect, has partnered with Checkatrade, the UK’s number one website for finding a tradesperson, offering exclusive benefits for both new and existing Checkatrade members and IronmongeryDirect customers. The partnership entitles all IronmongeryDirect customers to receive three months free membership with Checkatrade: a platform that can help tradespeople to build their business and reputation, with the added benefit that they will also receive a 10% discount on all orders with IronmongeryDirect. The discount will also be available to existing Checkatrade members. Marco Verdonkschot, managing director at IronmongeryDirect says, “Checkatrade is the UK’s number one website for finding a tradesperson. We are delighted to partner with them and offer our customers a discounted

Leading specialist trade suppliers, IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect are now offering Same Day Delivery for customers with a SS, CM, or RM postcode for orders placed before 12pm, Monday-Friday. In addition, their Click & Collect network has doubled in size, with now over 6,000 shops available for customers to collect their orders from, providing even more convenience. Customers in the Southend-on-Sea, Chelmsford and Romford areas can now benefit from the same day delivery option when placing orders before midday during the week, with orders arriving by 4pm the same day, to ensure customers have what they need exactly when they need it. Further to this, IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect have updated its Click & Collect service, and can now offer over 6,000 pick-up points for customers to pick from, including Sainsburys, Matalan and Homebase –rate on membership. This will open up the opportunity for their business to be found in over two million monthly visits from individuals looking for trustworthy tradespeople. “In addition, new and existing Checkatrade members will be able to save 10% on purchases across our range of over 18,000 highquality products. This includes our seven exclusive brands that cover a range of commercial, domestic and specialist projects, all under one roof.” Alex Cubitt, Chief Growth Officer at Checkatrade said: “We’re pleased to provide our members with this benefit from IronmongeryDirect, which has joined our suite of exclusive partnerships and discounts. We’re sure this will be welcomed by our 48,000 trade members.” For more information or to sign up, please call 02394 317516 or visit

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Ironmongery Direct & Electrical Direct have expanded delivery options

https://join.checkatrade.com/idl covering a large portion of the UK. Marco Verdonkschot, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect says, “We recognised that a large proportion of our customer base was within a 30 mile radius of our warehouse, and we want to help support our local economy and tradespeople as best we can.

“As such, we have expanded our delivery offering so we can get products to customers in these regions quickly and reliably within the same day. This provides greater flexibility for our customers, allowing them to work as smoothly as possible, especially when meeting tight project schedules. We hope our customers enjoy this fantastic new service, as well as the update to our Click and Collect service.” to tradespeople for over 50 years and has the UK’s biggest range with over 18,000 products available for next day delivery. ElectricalDirect has a huge range of electrical products in stock with everything from sockets and wiring to smart home products available.

For more information or to view our ranges online, please visit www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk and www.electricaldirect.co.uk

Prime Minister sets out plans for Decarbonising Heat

The Prime Minister has made a real statement of intent with his recently launched 10-point plan for decarbonising the economy. The Heating and Hotwater Industry Council, HHIC, are encouraged by the balanced strategy, and in particular the support for decarbonising heating through hydrogen and heat pumps.

The plans to create a Hydrogen Town, generate 5GW of hydrogen and inject half a billion pounds represent a significant vote of confidence for the technology. Extending the Green Homes Grant is a welcome move.

Stewart Clements, Director of HHIC said: “HHIC members are leading in the manufacturing of low carbon heating appliances, so today’s announcement will give them real confidence in

The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the UK rail supply community, has welcomed the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Decarbonisation Plan and urged a greater role for rail. Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said: “The Prime Minister’s Ten Point Decarbonisation Plan sets out a bold strategy for decarbonising the UK. Rail can play a key role in this vision – it is already a low carbon form of mass transit, and can reduce its emissions even further with a rolling programme of electrification and fleet orders of low carbon rolling stock including effective use of hydrogen and battery. “We look forward to working with the Government as it publishes its Transport Decarbonisation Plan early next year, and would urge that rail plays a key role in supporting the UK’s journey to net zero.” continuing to invest in heating products that will help the UK decarbonise.”

“A commitment to create a Hydrogen Neighbourhood in 2023, and a Hydrogen Village by 2025 also provides the opportunity for the industry to innovate further.”

“The Government aim to install 600,000 heat pumps annually by 2028 should also be applauded, and we will work with Government on how to make this work in practice.”

“HHIC are also very pleased to see an extension for the Green Homes Grant scheme. This should help the industry plan and invest in the future. However, we hope that BEIS will look at the governance of this scheme to make it easier for heating engineers and small companies to access, reducing the red tape would be a

Rail industry urges role for rail after welcoming Ten Point Decarbonisation Plan

good first step.” 30 | Creative Build Magazine