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 »

The construction industry is facing a ‘retirement timebomb’ with around one in six workers due to retire within 10 years and the number of young people in the industry more than halving since the start of the recession. New figures from CITB-ConstructionSkills show the number of 16-19 years olds in the industry has fallen by 52 per cent since 2008 while 17 per cent of the workforce is now within 10 years of retirement. The number of older workers aged 55 years and over in the industry has increased by 65 per cent since 1990, while those aged 24 and under has ...Read More »

A new 'Planning Guarantee' will create greater certainty for local communities by speeding up local planning applications that get stuck in the system, Planning Minister Greg Clark announced in a letter to local councils today. At the moment thousands of planning applications get caught in the system for over a year, leaving householders and local firms frustrated by delays to getting a decision. Today Mr Clark advised local authorities that the Planning Guarantee will mean that no planning application  should take longer than 12 months to reach a decision, including any appeal. This ensures fairness for everybody and a level playing field for ...Read More »

Project: Rear Extension Area: Finchley,  North London Details: Rear extension including decked patio. New extension including large kitchen, utility room, playroom, under stairs WC. Kitchen area with water based under floor heating and large bi Fold Sliding aluminium Doors to the garden. Timeframe: 10 Weeks Completion Date: March 2012 Read More »

Project: Side Extention Area: Balham, South London Details: This Side Extension consists of a Glass Roof, French Doors with Arched Brickwork. An Internally bespoke kitchen was also fitted. This project was completed a few years ago. Read More »

Rogue traders, lost deposits and disputes over unfinished home improvements could be a thing of the past with the launch of Bondpay - a nationwide scheme to protect consumers when undertaking building works. Since its launch Bondpay has been awarded the status of being a TrustMark ‘Associate Member’. The new payment scheme uses a system, registered with the FSA (http://www.fsa.gov.uk/), that gives peace of mind and certainty to both homeowners and builders alike, eliminating financial risk in the transaction and giving protection before, during and after the work is completed. The scheme is completely free to the homeowner and provides added protection ...Read More »

Britain has some of the oldest building stock in Europe. Our draughty homes are poorly insulated, leaking heat and using up energy. As most of us are householders, we pay a high price for inefficient housing – and so does the planet. A quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the energy we use to heat our homes, and a similar amount comes from our businesses, industry and workplaces. Very recently the Government launched the Green Deal, a programme to bring our buildings up to date. Under the Green Deal, it is proposed that bill payers ...Read More »

Project: Complete Refurbishment Area: Mill Hill Details: We carried completely refurbished this bungalow with an addition of a loft conversion and rear extension. The loft consisted of one bedroom, bathroom and a walk in wardrobe. The Extension created one big open plan downstairs with open tread staircase. Timeframe: from September till November 2010 Completion Date: November 2010. Read More »