Survival Home
HOME TRUTHS
With many of us still choosing to ‘improve, not move’ this year, we spoke to Andrew Leech, Director at the National Home Improvement Council. Here’s his advice for those of you planning to undertake any major projects this year.
R
enovating, extending, adapting …. apparently we’re all at it! With the housing market remaining static, many homeowners are planning building work this year. Conversions and extensions are often cheaper than
moving and a well-planned project will usually add value to your property. Here are some basic rules that we should all follow to avoid nasty surprises.
✔ If you are planning a new kitchen or bathroom, it’s important to make sure that all appliances you install are energy effi cient. This not only helps reduce levels of carbon emissions, but also saves on running costs. A high performance heating and hot water system is also a great investment.
✔ With the exception of homes built in the last 10 years, less than 20% of houses are insulated to the recommended standard. Insulation in lofts should be laid to a depth of 270mm and cavity walls should be fi lled. New insulation solutions are available for homes without cavity walls, mainly those built before the 1930s.
✔ An integral garage can drain the heat from your home, so make sure you fi t a door with all-round weatherproof seals and PU foam double-skinned sections.
✔ If you add together all the gaps around doors and windows in an average semi-detached house, it can equal a hole the size of nine bricks. It’s crucial to have effi cient draught proofi ng but better still, install modern, sealed exterior doors and double- glazed windows with heat-retaining glass.
Find a good tradesmen
Many small home improvements are straightforward, needing only some basic advice from your local DIY supplier. But with bigger projects, the last thing you want is a dodgy tradesperson! Every year, thousands of homeowners are taken for a ride, often because they were tempted by the offer of a zero VAT deal. If you choose the cheapest quote, the job could be done with inferior materials and the workmanship may be shoddy and fail the building inspection. Recommendation is one way to choose a trades- person, but the best way to select the right person is to ensure they belong to a reputable trade or technical association, such as those members of the National Home Improvement Council (website:
www.nhic.org.uk) As members of these organisations, they must be fully qualified and have the appropriate skills to undertake major renovations and extensions. What’s more, they offer warranties and guarantees, which are crucial for work intended to last many years. Alternatively, you can use the government
backed TrustMark directory to fi nd a local business. Companies and tradespeople who display a TrustMark logo have had their work checked to ensure it meets certain standards. They also sign up to a code of practice including insurance, good health and safety practices, and customer care. And with the TrustMark scheme there is a user-friendly complaints procedure to help sort things out, in case anything does go wrong.
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