Don’t let condensation turn your home into a damp squib
Modern building methods have made newer homes far more energy efficient than ever before. The downside is that lack of sufficient ventilation means that condensation is more likely to occur. In this respect, older properties have a distinct advantage – draughty windows, doors that don’t fit perfectly and fireplaces provide plenty of natural ventilation (but…
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Thinking of Getting Into the Property Renovation Game?
Don’t forget the building survey! The prospect of doing up a property – either to turn into your own dream home or help you move up the property ladder – can be exciting and inspiring. Depending on the extent of the project, it can also become rather overwhelming as you wonder where on earth are…
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The UK Housing Market – Outlook for 2018
Brexit continues to cast varying degrees of doom and gloom on UK economic growth and productivity and, as a result, the housing market is also feeling the effect. Reports at the tail-end of 2017 indicate that property prices rose by 2.5% over the year, but by November price trends had flattened out. According to RICS’…
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Winter Property Maintenance – Don’t Get Caught Out During the Big Chill
If the current cold and snowy weather is anything to go by we could be in for a very chilly winter. It’s the time of year when all sorts of things can go wrong in the home – the sort of things that can be disastrous precisely because it is so cold. But, with a…
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What We Think of the Latest Budget
From stamp duty to new home building and a skilled workers shortage. We look at the latest budget and see what affect it will have on the housing market.
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Planning a Build Project? Why You Might Benefit from Using Home-Approved’s Project Management Service
If you ever watch Channel 4’s programme Grand Designs you’ll probably be well versed in how the story often goes. Someone decides to build an amazing new home to renovate an existing property. They may or may not involve an architect, they often decide to take on the role of project manager themselves, they are…
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Flat Roof Coverings – Should Defects Put You Off Buying a Property?
A flat roof often comes hand in hand with an extension – a popular solution for creating a larger living space in Victorian terraced properties – as well as porches and garages. There is a wide range of roofing materials on the market, from the ubiquitous felt roofing to EPDM, a synthetic rubber membrane that…
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Buying a Victorian Property – Good Idea or a Money Pit?
Who doesn’t love a Victorian property? Often oozing with character and distinctive original features such as sash windows, fireplaces, cornices and dado rails, such properties are highly sought after. Unless, that is, you have eyes only for new-build properties with all their mod cons, perfectly flat walls, parking space and a building certificate.
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Buying a Flat? You’ll Still Need a Building Survey
Let’s face it, when it comes to buying a property there aren’t too many corners that can be cut along the way. For the most part, the process is set, with each step reliant on the previous one.
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Are You About to Get on Surrey’s Property Ladder?
With house prices in Surrey rocketing, it seems to be increasingly difficult to get on the property ladder – a survey carried out by estate agents Savills showed that just 20% of 25-year-olds own their own property, little surprise when local average prices are in excess of £400,000 and a proportion of people feel their only option is to uproot and move out of the county.
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