When does cost outweigh conservation?

Paul Trace of Stella Rooflight discusses the importance of maintaining the historical integrity of buildings during an economic downturn. It’s hard to imagine a tougher economic climate. Having emerged from the pandemic, businesses and homeowners are beset by the rising... View Article

Home Styling – Make room for relaxation

While you may already know how you want your kitchen and bathroom to look, the crucial space that is the living room can be more tricky to conceptualise. Interior designer Claire Rendall of Berkeley Place provides some styling tips Living... View Article

Looking into timber

Richard Dollar from The Sash Window Workshop discusses what self-builders should consider when choosing wooden framed windows for their home, in order to ensure that the windows not only look right, but also help make it more comfortable to live... View Article

Laying out the options

With flooring being the first thing you feel underfoot every morning, it’s important to consider all factors when specifying a floor that works within your home. Here, leading suppliers Quick-Step and Abingdon Flooring provide their insights into the options when... View Article

Seeing the light of day

Choosing the most suitable rooflight for your build can be anything but straightforward, with a variety of important aspects to consider including shape, size, and the materials it’s made from. Paul Trace from Stella Rooflight offers some practical advice to... View Article

Access all areas

A kit home has plenty of benefits – including its price tag – but buying a ‘house in a box’ doesn’t mean sticking to the plan, as this wheelchair-friendly redesign near Cornwall’s Atlantic coast illustrates TEXT CAROL BURNS IMAGES EWEN... View Article

Breaking down barriers

For Patsy Parr, getting approval and building her first home in her native rural Staffordshire meant overcoming countless hurdles, but project management experience, plus a bit of family knowledge, resulted in an award-winning build TEXT ROSEANNE FIELD IMAGES IZAAK CAAN... View Article

Practice makes perfect

Serial self-builder Mark Young’s fourth project, an ICF-built family home, has scored so many hits on his family’s wish list that it might be his last project TEXT ROSEANNE FIELD IMAGES MARK YOUNG Back in the November/December 2018 issue of... View Article

Maintenance in mind

Choosing the right decking material can be the difference between enjoying your outdoor space and spending all your spare time maintaining it. Caroline Birdsall from Millboard gives some practical advice on picking a long-lasting decking area for your property One... View Article

Recipe for success

Cooking-mad ex MasterChef contestant Ashley Byrne and his wife Alison have managed to create an eye-catching contemporary home through close working relationships with their architect, builder and suppliers – so who says too many cooks spoil the broth? TEXT JESS... View Article

The right balance

When specifying systems to control temperature in your self-build, the key is to balance style, substance and sustainability to ensure the end result ticks all the right boxes. Greg Cooper from Radiana looks at why radiant cooling could be the... View Article

Ask the Expert – Delivering low carbon

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Like a lot of self-builders, you may be looking to stay clear of fossil fuel heating systems and install a heat pump in your home. However, you may be asking how exactly does a heat pump work... View Article

Opening statements

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Being a key first impression of your home, doors also make a statement about who you are. Tracey Pomfret from George Barnsdale offers some advice to self-builders on specification choices The humble door has evolved over the... View Article

A spiritual renovation

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A passion for saving old houses meant that Glasgow architect Emma Jane literally took her work home with her, with an old church officer’s property TEXT NIK HUNTER IMAGES ROBERT PERRY For some time, Emma had been... View Article

Interior Inspiration: Kitchens

LISTEN HERE 🔊 People use their kitchens for much more than just cooking and eating; they often function as living and entertaining spaces, and even places to work, as hybrid working grows in popularity. Here are some key products to... View Article

ACHIEVE THE IDEAL BALANCE WITH RADIANT COOLING TECHNOLOGY

While the ever-increasing building fabric standards and tightening of Building Regulations for new builds offers advantages for both homeowners and the environment alike, one negative consequence is overheating – an issue which can be easily solved before the build even... View Article

The right rainwater system

With a varied choice of rainwater systems on the market, there should be no problem in finding the perfect product for your self-build project, says Sally Moores from Yeoman Aesthetics, though important, should not be the only thing that is... View Article

A grand affair

Selfbuilder + Homemaker have teamed up with Grand Designs Live to offer our readers 2 for 1 tickets to this year’s event, which is taking place at ExCel in London from 30 April to 8 May This year’s Grand Designs... View Article

What makes a good paving surface?

If you’re thinking of upgrading an existing paving surface or simply designing a new hard landscape area, how do you know which is the right one? Alasdair McMillan from Sureset looks at the options available Before deciding on your paving... View Article

Insulating a better future

Quentin Bassieux of Huntsman Building Solutions explains why minimising air leakage must go hand in hand with better insulation Better insulation of domestic households is seen as one of the most important ways of reducing carbon emissions and slowing the... View Article