Features Articles

We’re in the midst of another winter comprising short bursts of torrential rain, flash flooding, rising water levels and mounting repair and insurance costs. With urbanisation increasingly replacing our green spaces, the changing nature of our landscape has become an... View Article

Jeandre du Toit, sales director of London flooring specialists ‘Ecora’ outlines the key points to consider when selecting natural wood floors. In the UK wood floors are an essential element in any good quality construction or renovation project. Combining practicality... View Article

Antony White, technical director at Warmup looks at the reasons insulation is such a key feature when designing a home and how it affects the installation of underfloor heating. If you are including underfloor heating within a new build property... View Article

Marty Day, marketing manager at StairBox, discusses the use of staircases when building and selling a home. When readying a home for sale there are a massive number of things to consider and far too many times the staircase gets... View Article

The introduction of new government guidance on the security of properties on 1 October 2015, through changes to part Q building requirements, has meant that the security of doors and windows is more important than ever. Neil Ginger, CEO of... View Article

How interiors can increase the value and desirability of your property. By Sarah Ritchie, creative director of The Gifted Few. The importance of interiors There are a number of factors potential house buyers consider when looking around a property. Is it in the... View Article

With an increasing drive to ensure homes are as efficient as possible – particularly where heating, cooling and ventilation is concerned – it is important to carefully consider the various housebuilding options available to ensure minimal thermal losses. Here, Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of the Structural Timber Association (STA) looks at... View Article

Mike Rawlings from Saint Gobain PAM challenges housebuilders to look beyond alternative rainwater systems and consider specifying a steel system. Steel rainwater systems are quickly becoming a great alternative for all types of dwellings and offer significant benefits for social housing. The material is making... View Article

David Layland, joint managing director of treatment specialist Japanese Knotweed Control (JKC) offers a timely warning to landowners and developers on the perils of ignoring the latest invasive plant legislation. A difficult and expensive burden, invasive, non-native plants have long been the scourge... View Article

Heating & Renewables Roadshow: Visiting five locations across the UK throughout September: Coventry, Exeter, Farnborough, Edinburgh and Manchester, plus an awards ceremony on 10 September at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry. The last few months since the General Election have been... View Article

Michael Goddard, director of housebuilder Caplin Homes, assesses some of the challenges of the renewable technologies available to housebuilders and explores how a new application could change the future of eco building. Structural building design has improved dramatically in recent years and the... View Article

Rebecca Clayton, technical sales executive at IQ Glass looks at the changing trends in glazing, due largely to constant innovations in technology. As in all elements of design, trends change over time. This is therefore true of architectural glazing. Various things throughout all... View Article

The most common question asked about the suitability of underfloor heating (UFH) in a building conversion is ‘how can we minimise the floor build up?’ This is an important area to master within a project such as an office to... View Article

Nicola Seymour of Marbrex explores the potential of decorative yet highly practical internal cladding systems over more traditional wall coverings – from reducing labour costs and timescales to ease of installation; long-term cleaning and maintenance When it comes to creating... View Article

False fire alarms are costly, disruptive and detrimental to safety. Each year businesses and public services in the UK have nearly a quarter of a million false alarms costing them and Fire & Rescue Services approximately £1 billion . Every... View Article

The Wood Protection Association (WPA) is calling on building designers to double-check the fire performance claims of flame retardant treatments before they commit to a specification. The move follows research for the WPA that has highlighted the potential for products,... View Article