Monday 6th February 2012 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Training as an apprentice is the best way to learn a trade, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). A survey carried out by the FMB of its members in the run up to National Apprenticeship Week 2012, which takes place between 6th and 10th February, found the apprenticeship tradition was alive and strong among small construction firms. Providing young people with employment opportunities and making sure a business has people with the right skills were also listed as the top reasons for employing an apprentice by FMB members. However, when asked about the ...Read More »

A £420m fund to Get Britain Building was announced on 21 November 2011 by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister as part of the Government’s Housing Strategy for England. Get Britain Building is intended to unlock stalled sites with planning permission to support construction activity and provide new homes.  It is intended to address difficulties in accessing development finance faced by some housebuilders and to help bring forward marginal sites by sharing risk. The programme is open to all private sector organisations which control land and can develop at least 25 homes on the stalled site by December 2014. It ...Read More »

Friday 27th January 2012 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Consumers should avoid being tempted by a cheap cash deal and protect themselves against paying more in the long term, says the FMB in response to comments by the HMRC Permanent Secretary in today’s Telegraph. FMB Director of External Affairs Brian Berry said: “We are pleased HMRC is becoming more vocal about the damaging effect cash in hand payments have on individual businesses and the economy at large. Businesses that avoid paying VAT have a 20% head start, but all too often this cheap deal comes without a proper written contract or any kind of ...Read More »

Wednesday 25th January 2012 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Government must make construction a priority, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), largest trade association in the construction industry, in response to the latest GDP figures released by the ONS today, which show that construction and manufacturing have dragged the economy back into negative growth. FMB Director of External Affairs Brian Berry said: "Today's GDP results are not surprising, our latest state of Trade survey for the last three months of 2011 showed that workloads in the SME construction sector have declined in each of the 16 quarters to the end of December ...Read More »

We all need more space in the house at Christmas. But let’s face it; it’s probably too late to get the builders in now to build an extension before Granny descends. Here are a few of our favourite fast and spacetastic tips to give you more room without breaking the bank! * De-clutter. Too much furniture makes rooms look smaller. * Move it. Move furniture away from the centre of the rooms – the more floor you can see the more spacious the room will seem. * Hide it! Make the most of every nook and cranny with bespoke or integrated storage solutions and maximise free living space. * Co-ordinate. Use one colour ...Read More »

Project: Double Storey Side Extension Area: Esher, Surrey Testimonial: I would highly recommended Andrew and his very professional team. They worked incredibly hard, were polite and tied up at the end of each day. The 3 words I would use to summarise Andrews approach is; Professional, Flexible and Fair. Over the 20 week build Andrew always kept us informed, included us in the decision making and highlighted areas for reference – we had no surprises. Post completion snagging has also been undertaken promptly and without hesitation. Thanks to Andrew and his team, we have achieved our vision of a lovely family home. I would happily recommend Andrew and his team. Read More »

The UK has a legal commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 so if the UK is to meet its legal target then our homes will need to be transformed to make them greener and more energy efficient. By doing something as simple as saving water you'll be saving energy, reducing your home's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and helping to fight climate change. On average each person in the UK currently uses about 150 litres of water every day and much of this is wasted. Around 30% of the average household heating bill is spent on heating water, costing ...Read More »

The Labour Party’s announcement to support a VAT cut to 5% on domestic Repair Maintenance and Improvement (RM&I) works is welcome news to the building industry, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Richard Diment, FMB Director General, responding to today’s speech from the Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, to commit to a VAT cut as part of the Labour Party’s five point plan to revive the UK economy said: “A targeted cut in VAT for home improvement works makes good economic sense as the total stimulus effects of such a cut would be more than double any net loss to the Treasury ...Read More »

The rate of VAT for energy efficient improvements needs to be cut if the Government’s ‘Green Deal’ retrofit programme to upgrade the country’s building stock to make it more energy efficient is to be successful. This is the warning from 27 different organisations in the construction, property and business industries as well as environmental groups who are worried that unless VAT is reduced consumers will be reluctant to take up the Green Deal when it is launched next year.   As MPs prepare to debate the final stages of the Energy Bill, which is the legislation that will introduce the Green Deal, ...Read More »

Boris Johnson said money will focus on Tottenham and Croydon Mayor Boris Johnson and communities secretary Eric Pickles visited Tottenham today to announce a £20m funding boost to regenerate Tottenham and Croydon after the recent London riots. The launch of the “London Enterprise Fund” comes after the launch last week of the mayor’s £50m long-term regeneration fund, focusing on improvements to London’s town centres and high streets. Johnson says he will work closely with local businesses, residents and councils to identify the best way to invest the money to rebuild businesses and properties quickly as well as supporting employment in the areas. The extra ...Read More »