In the News

Each week Homebuilding & Renovating scours the papers for all the latest self-build, renovation and property news, so you don't have to.

Under Occupation and the Housing Crisis (guardian.co.uk, 4th January)

George Monbiot looks at the 'hidden truth about our housing crisis'

Thermal imaging survey reveals - close your shutters (ewht.org.uk, 16th November 2010). Thermal imaging surveys conducted by EWH last week have clearly revealed how effective shutters, curtains and blinds are at preventing heat loss through windows.  

Kirstie Allsopp: My battleplan for house buyers and sellers (telegraph.co.uk, 15^th October 2010)
Television’s property expert Kirstie Allsopp explains what works – and what doesn’t – when it’s time to move house.

Shower alarms dramatically reduce water and energy consumption (clickgreen.org.uk,15^th October 2010)

They've even taken the #?x!@x lawn! Now house sellers really are stripping their homes bare before handing over the keys (dailymail.co.uk, 14^th October 2010)

A database is launched showing land for development (bbc.co.uk/news, 14th October 2010)A housing database has been launched by East Devon District Council showing potential land for development.

What's the carbon footprint of ... building a house (Guardian.co.uk, 14th October 2010)
New homes require far less energy to run than older properties, but building them generates plenty of CO2

David Cameron in U-turn over solar panels (guardian.co.uk, 10th October 2010)
Conservative leader had promised to increase payments to early adopters but the move has now been ruled out.

Property Market: Britain's most resilient property areas (telegraph.co.uk, 8th October 2010)
Why do some areas hold their value ina shaky property market? Caroline McGhie investigates.

Eco-friendly property demand 'expected to rise' (safestore.co.uk, 11th October 2010)
Homeowners are increasingly looking for properties that offer environmentally-friendly solutions.

Cinema, swimming pool and walk-in wardrobes: a Wigan self-build perfect for WAGs (dailymail.co.uk, 11th October 2010)
Wigan is not the kind of place you would expect to find an enormous self-build complete with all the latest mod-cons - it is usually further south, in Cheshire, where you find the sprawling multi-million WAG mansions.

Builder fined after work gives homeowner shock (hastingsobserver.co.uk, 8th October 2010)
An Eastbourne builder has been fined after a homeowner received an electric shock from a kitchen he had installed.

West Norfolk Mayor’s new eco house (edp24.co.uk, 8th October 2010)
From Canada with love, these are the wall panels which will form part of West Norfolk mayor Zipha Christopher’s new energy-efficient home.

Building Regulations 'show govt is serious about low energy costs' (energysavingtrust.org.uk, 6th October 2010)
Changes to Part L of the Building Regulations, which came into force on October 1st, have shown that the government is serious about reducing energy costs.

Self-builders begin to assemble The Ark (cambridge-news.co.uk, 8th July 2010)
Church followers have started work on a new building which will be one of the largest self-build projects in the UK.

Tackling 'garden grabbing' will not help housing supply, warns FMB (ratedpeople.com, 10th June 2010)
The government's move to end "garden grabbing" by developers will do nothing to address the urgent need to deliver more affordable housing, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said.

Prescott and Goldsmith clash over 'garden grabbing' (bbc.co.uk, 9th June 2010)
Councils in England are to be given new powers to prevent the building of homes in gardens - so-called "garden-grabbing" - if local people object. In a heated discussion, the Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith and former Deputy Prime minister John Prescott, debated the coalition's plans.

Self-build & home improvement on the up (themovechannel.com, 18th May 2010)
Interest in both self build and home improvement continues to grow, according to a recent survey from The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show...

Flatpack and fabulous: Could a do-it-yourself kit hold the answer to a chic designer home at a reduced rate? (independent.co.uk, 14th May 2010)
The popular vision of a self-built home is one oozing with flamboyant design and unique eccentricities, à la Grand Designs - and with a price tag as high as its vaulted ceiling. But now, there are homes with striking architectural flair available to those with more limited means thanks to the arrival of the self-build kit home.

Radical new sustainable house build completed in UK (clickgreen.org.uk, 2nd May 2010)
A radical new type of sustainable house is set to change the course of British home-building forever after the completion of a new-build house, which uses 90 per cent less energy for heating than a standard home and promises heating costs of around £75 a year - without the need for microgeneration or renewables.

Housing: Where do the main Political Parties stand? (mondaq.com, 30th April 2010)
With the general election only a matter of days away, this briefing looks at what the three main political parties have proposed for the housing sector in their recent policy statements and election manifestos.

Election 2010: Which party is best for your mortgage? (thisismoney.co.uk, 17th April, 2010)
Are you voting for zero stamp duty, more affordable housing or protected mortgages? Find out which party manifesto is as safe as houses.

Dominic Stevens: 'Archtiecture is about making a society' (timesonline.co.uk, 8th April 2010)
The architect built his own eco-friendly house for €25,000, and he wants to tell you how you can do it too.

Green living or a hot new investment? Tariffs for solar panels pay eight per cent a year - at taxpayers' expense (dailymail.co.uk, 5th April, 2010)
Until last week, there was very little reason to stick expensive electricity-producing solar panels on your roof unless you passionately believed in joining the crusade against global warming. Now, however, there is a strong financial case to do so.

Budget 2010: Property industry has its say (whathouse.co.uk, 24th March 2010)
Chancellor Alistair Darling is today expected to announce that stamp duty will be ditched on home purchases up to £250,000 for first-time buyers. The news will go down well with the property industry, as stamp duty appears to be top of the housing agenda for most professionals working in the property business, according to What House? research.

Would you build your own home? (guardian.co.uk, 21st March 2010)
Cheap land prices and the recession mean that more and more people are donning hard hats and opting to self-build their own houses

UK amends building regulations to improve energy efficiency (energyefficiencynews.com, 15th March 2010)
The UK Government has issued amended building regulations, which will come into force in October this year, to improve the energy efficiency of new and refurbished homes.

Self-build market "more favourable" (aboutproperty.co.uk, 1st March 2010)
There is now a more favourable environment for self-build homes, according to one industry expert.

Hidden castle must be demolished, court rules (www.telegraph.co.uk, 3rd February 2010) A farmer who secretly built a castle hidden behind bales of straw has lost a High Court bid to save it from being demolished.

Government promises action to stop 'garden-grabbing' (news.bbc.co.uk, 19th January 2010) The government has promised to act against "garden-grabbing" by property developers, after a report showed it was a problem in many parts of England

Second award for architect (thisissouthdevon.co.uk, 6th January 2010)
Stan Bolt, the architect behind the controversial plans for a glass-fronted fish cafe at Babbacombe Downs has scooped a prestigious award.

Eco-village in Pembrokeshire hills wins £350k hub grant (bbc.co.uk, 21st December 2009)
An eco-village has won £350,000 for a centre for research, education and promotion of low-impact development.

NHF: Pre-Budget Report is missed opportunity to 'green' existing homes (24dash.com, 9th December 2009)
The National Housing Federation said today that the Chancellor had missed a key opportunity to slash the UK’s carbon emissions and reduce energy bills by failing to back a major programme of ‘greening’ more than 250,000 social homes in the Pre-Budget Report (PBR).

Listed building breaches lands man in court (www.planningportal.gov.uk, 4th December 2009)
A Twickenham man is £30,000 worse off after he admitted breaching listed building consent laws at Richmond Magistrates’ Court.

Welcome to the Self-building Boom (independent.co.uk, 2nd December 2009)
It’s so stressful it can lead to divorce – but do-it-yourself housing is more popular than ever, as an army of cost-conscious amateur builders construct their way out of recession.

Housing minister announces zero carbon standard (building.co.uk, 25th November 2009)
John Healey uses speech at UKGBC/Building sustainability conference to set minimum standard for zero carbon homes

Prime minister praises industry at RIBA anniversary bash (building.co.uk, 13th November 2009)
Gordon Brown applauded architects last night at a Downing Street reception

Cheryl Cole's underground swimming pool plans turned down (telegraph.co.uk, 22th October 2009)
Singer Cheryl Cole and her footballer husband Ashley Cole have had a plan for an underground swimming pool at their Surrey mansion rejected by the council.

Self-build awards: 15 houses are shortlisted (telegraph.co.uk, 15th October 2009)
Take a look at some of the houses shortlisted for this year's Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards.

Conservatives promise a "nation of home builders" (houses-builder.co.uk, 6th October 2009)
Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps today told the Conservative conference in Manchester that the party would create a "nation of homebuilders" if they won the next election.

People in blue houses most successful (telegraph.co.uk, 1st October 2009)
People living in blue houses are more successful than those living in homes painted any other colour, according to a new survey.

Planning permission extension arrangements clarified (planningportal.gov.uk, 24th September 2009)
The Government has announced that the power to extend the time limits for existing full planning permissions will apply to all eligible consents and not just those for major development.

Mortgages fall 13% in August (building.co.uk, 21st September 2009)
Figures from Council of Mortgage Lenders show a decline on lending in July but underlying lending has 'stabilised'

How to find value in novelty (The Times, 12th September 2009)
An update on the new rules for new-build

House prices rise for first time in two years, says Hometrack (building.co.uk, 1st September)
Survey reveals 0.1% increase in August despite 6.7% year-on-year fall

Pensioner's £67,000 power bill (bbc.co.uk, 27th August 2009)
A County Londonderry pensioner who has lived without electricity for 27 years has been told NIE will charge him £67,000 to link his home to the grid.

Architects more optimistic, says RIBA (building.co.uk, 24th August 2009)
July survey revealed fewer firms expected a decrease in workload than in the previous month, and 11% of practices expected staff levels to rise in next three months

Till self-building us do part (The Sunday Times 16th August 2009)
The stress of creating a grand design can be enough to ruin a relationship or kill your passion for the house

New homes are too small for everyday life, say residents (cabe.org.uk, 11th August 2009)
New homes do not provide enough space for everyday activities such as preparing food easily, having friends round for dinner, or even recycling

Housebuilders could be spared zero-carbon costs (building.co.uk, 7th August 2009)
UK-GBC proposal would see government-funded improvements repaid monthly by homeowners

Eco homes: large houses with small bills (The Daily Telegraph, 3rd August 2009)
How can a rambling pile keep its costs down?