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BEST OF HOUZZ 2021 WINNERS ANNOUNCED


Home renovation and design platform Houzz has announced the Houzz community’s picks for Best Of Houzz 2021.


The list is the homeowner-to- homeowner guide to the top kitchen and bathroom designers, architects, interior designers, landscape pros and other residential design and renovation professionals on Houzz. This exclusive award recognises just 3% of the more than 2.5 million active home professionals and interior and architectural photographers on the Houzz platform.


Liza Hausman, Vice President of Industry Marketing for Houzz, said: “The Best Of Houzz awards are an emblem of trust and credibility for home professionals across the UK and around the world, and we are excited to celebrate this year’s winners.


“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our critical need as homeowners to feel comfortable before inviting pros into and around our homes, and the Best Of Houzz badge is a powerful way to communicate the trust that


BS 8298 ON NATURAL STONE


CLADDING UPDATED On 17th


December 2020 BS 8298, the


Standard that covers the Installation of Natural Stone Cladding and Lining, was updated.


It replaces the previous BS 8298 originally published in 2010. The 2010 Standard consisted of four parts. This has now been reduced to three parts, parts 2, 3 & 4 which cover hand setting, stone precast and rainscreens.


The main aim of the revision was to provide more consistency with other material design Standards, with values derived from industry experience and a historical precedent of conformity and not a reliability-based analysis. It is the long-term goal for partial safety factors to be derived from


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homeowners have in a pro’s business. It’s just one of many tools on the Houzz platform that help pros convey their unique expertise, and help homeowners find the right professionals for their projects.”


Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design awards honour professionals whose work was the most popular among the Houzz community. Customer Service honours are based on several factors, including a professional’s overall rating on Houzz and client reviews for projects completed in 2020. Photography badges are awarded to architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular.


A “Best Of Houzz 2021” badge, specifying the category won, appears on winners’ profiles to help homeowners identify popular and


a reliability-based analysis, in accordance with the principles of BS EN 1990:2002+A1, Annex D.


This revised and significantly updated suite of standards provides guidance for all those involved in the selection, design and installation of natural stone cladding and is a must-have British Standard.


This is a full revision of the Standard and introduces the following principal changes:


• the incorporation of the recommendations for production control testing from BS 8298-1:2010;


• the addition of several figures to illustrate key details; and


• the structural design of the stone has been updated to follow the principles of limit state design.


At an early stage, the Standard requires the structural engineer and


top-rated home professionals on Houzz locally and around the world. Houzz Pro members can also add the ‘Best of Houzz’ standout tag to their profile, which will appear in their directory listing and convey credibility. Winners have been announced globally.


To see the most popular home designs visit: www.houzz.co.uk/best-of-houzz-2021


architect designing the building to set out and agree, with those selecting and designing the cladding and its fixing, the functional requirements governing design principles, and maximum movement allowance.


The suite of Standards also set out the testing required, the sampling regimes to be followed, and the provision of the Declaration of Performance and UKCA marking. [Note: UKCA marking has replaced the European CE Marking which remains acceptable in Great Britain until 31/12/21]. The Standards also provide guidance for work practices in production and on-site.


Stone Federation members and members of the Stone Federation Architects’ Club can access free technical advice around these changes.


www.stonefed.org.uk www.tomorrowstileandstone.co.uk


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