Author: |Posted: 12:11 pm on 27/08/09
Category: DIY & Self Build, Property Development, expert advice, gardens
So, we at 4Homes have been banging on for some time about how you should improve rather than move, how DIY is achievable for all and how you should check out our very handy step by step A-Z of DIY & Building Guides and Design & Style How Tos to tackle anything from making cushions to fitting a new sink. All this in an effort to make your home worth more, make it look better – and save money in the process.
We don’t want to put you off. Oh no. While we’re enjoying our August bank holidays, the 4Homes team will lie back (metaphorically) and think of you all beavering away in the garden, laying a new deck, or up in the bathroom, replacing old taps. However, a word or two of warning. We’ve been told that we Brits pay a massive £1.5 billion to fix DIY jobs gone wrong. Worse still, 250,000 people suffer DIY-related injuries every year (I can prove that – I’ve got a damaged finger from the gardening I did last weekend).
So, while it may seem like a good idea to use the break to do that wallpapering or tile a floor, it’s also worth preparing properly to avoid those DIY disasters. Kensington Financial Management Consultants have rather handily supplied us with some tips to avoid throwing a spanner in the works:
1 Check your tools – make sure they are in good working order to avoid any mishaps. Check that equipment carries British or European quality or standard marks in the manual.
2 Know your limits – if you are unsure of the extent of the job, call in an experienced professional, which may work out cheaper as you won’t have to fork out for specialist tools.
3 Insure and be sure – check insurance policies to see what you are covered for in case of an accident (not as silly as it sounds…).
4 A rushed job is a botched job – take your time and don’t leave anything unfinished, or sharp tools lying around.
5 Finally, from the team at 4Homes – don’t do a thing until you’ve checked out our DIY advice pages.
Good luck – and let us know how it goes – at our Rate My DIY Disaster pages.
Author: |Posted: 11:23 am on 11/06/09
Category: DIY & Self Build, Property Development, expert advice
Since I decided to try to build an eco-lodge in a wild and beautiful part of the Scottish Highlands I’ve found out that lots of other people have their own variation on this dream, maybe an outdoor activity centre, yoga retreat or self-sufficient commune.
My crazy plan is for Escape Lodge, an informal self-catering guest house where guests are immersed in nature and the landscape. With optional activities to suit both active and passive guests we will aim to provide an escape from busy stressful lives. The activities include working on the land and using ancient craft skills to construct some traditional Scottish thatched stone houses – hence I had to find enough land to fit everything in.
Whatever your dream project, it seems building a house with lots of accommodation, social space and – of course – acres of LAND is a splendid plan. All you need is the site… and the planning permission.
There is a rule to this game – your land must be far from mains gas, electricity, water, roads, builders’ merchants and anyone with a decently big digger.
I have finally found my suitably impossible site and am preparing to apply for planning permission. I have some experiences I’d like to share in case you find yourself in similar circumstances because there is no handbook for this one. (You think there is but there isn’t!)
Escape Lodge is a good deal more demanding, and will be used differently from, a domestic house and it is an interesting challenge to remain ‘low-impact’ in every aspect of the project. We have a burn (stream) which we hope to use for Hydro-electric generation but we are also investigating mains electricity connection and supply-back to the grid. We are deciding on wood-fuel boilers and most importantly trying to work out how much water we will need from the burn and how much to store. The journey starts with finding out if the soil can cope with sewage runoff.
Water and drainage matter more than your grandest design and if you haven’t sorted them out your planning permission is not going to happen. Next blog: carrying out percolation tests.
Find out more about Escape Lodge and The Highland Township Project at http://www.escapelodge.com/
Author: |Posted: 11:53 am on 10/06/09
Category: Buying & Selling, House Prices, Property & Money, Property Development, credit crunch, expert advice
I thought Property Ladder made for fascinating viewing last night – especially as I bought my house in April 2007 at the height of the market. Luckily for me, unlike last night’s developers, I’m not thinking of selling any time soon, so I could watch the rollercoaster ride they were on with sympathy, but a certain detachment. Can’t wait for the rest of the series now, and I think this series, more than any other, deserves future revisits – in a year or so – to see just how these ambitious, would-be developers managed over time to realise their dreams, if at all.
If you’re looking for clarification of Sarah’s remarks about the housing market, we have our own expert take on the property market. It’s realistic, it’s not all pretty, but it’s by our expert Kate Faulkner, who knows exactly what she’s talking about. Don’t miss it. And let us know what you thought of last night’s show, too.
Author: |Posted: 12:00 pm on 01/04/09
Category: DIY & Self Build, Property Development, expert advice
Once your gas engineer had to be Corgi registered, but from today, the licence has passed to the Gas Safe Register. If you live in Great Britain or The Isle Of Man, and are having any gas work done – or indeed want to check that your appliances are safe – the engineer needs to be on the Gas Safe Register in order to carry out the work safely. If you’re unsure, you can go onto the website and check your engineer’s ID number, and also find a registered business local to you. There’s also information on the site about what to do in a gas emergency.
Author: |Posted: 11:00 am on 02/02/09
Category: Mortgages & Home Finance, credit crunch, expert advice
It’s no secret that energy prices have rocketed in recent years, and there’s also no escaping the fact that fossil fuels are becoming scarcer, harder to extract and increasingly damaging to ecosystems across the world. If you’re losing sleep about the environment, or like me you’re just a bit of a tightwad, then help is at hand.
4Homes has teamed up with the Energy Saving Trust to bring you video tips fronted by 4Homes fave Naomi Cleaver, as well as the surprisingly useful interactive house tool.
Based on the interactive house recommendations, I can cut my carbon emissions at home by 50%. 50%! And this isn’t by doing things that are completely unrealistic for me, like buying and installing solar panels or trading in my non-existent car for a more efficient model. Instead, just by spending a weekend wrapping my hot water pipes in insulation and switching electronics off at the wall, I could be pumping out 50% less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Great news for polar bears and penguins everywhere. But more immediately for me in these credit-crunchingly difficult times, using 50% less energy means half price bills. Ker-ching.
To save yourself wads of cash and to reduce your carbon footprint, check out the Energy Saving Trust’s videos and interactive tips here.
Author: |Posted: 3:28 pm on 20/11/08
Category: Architecture, DIY & Self Build, Design & Style, On TV, Style, expert advice
Thanks everybody who’s left comments on this thread asking how they can apply to be on The Home Show. If you’d like to have George’s help transforming your house then read more…
Author: |Posted: 1:11 pm on 09/10/08
Category: Design & Style, expert advice
Not that we want to tear you away from our fabulous pages, but if you’re looking for decorating ideas and expert advice with abit of a twist, it’s worth checking out the Stateside take on 4Homes, HGTV, which is packed with decorating ideas. Loving that homespun approach…
