Home Improvement Central Launches

Renovation Central was set up to help the serious renovator in every aspect of the project. As the site has evolved we at Renovation Central felt that the details in the design and personalisation of your home renovation was being forgotten. So we have launched a partner site. Home Improvement Central concentrates on the design side of home improvement. It brings you the latest in style and design. It will have design inspiration areas where glossy photos of all the new home improvement trend will be show cased, and it will have the latest news and reviews that you’ve come to expect from renovation central. Check it out here www.homeimprovementcentral.co.uk

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Window to Balcony in one move

Bloomframe is an innovative window frame which can be transformed into a balcony - perfect for your house renovation. Opening the bloomframe window offers the possibility to step outside and enjoy the outdoor space. With one simple movement, light, air and space are added to the interior. The dynamic balcony offers a perfect home renovation solution for compact apartments in dense urban areas. The bloomframe balcony can be installed in new and existing buildings.

Hofman Dujardin Architects from Amsterdam designed and patented the innovative balcony. Hurk geveltechniek from Veldhoven is responsible for the developement, the production and the sales of the Bloomframe balcony.
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Gadgets

U-turn for loft conversion rules

Good news for anyone considering a loft conversion: you may not need planning permission, following a government U-turn last week.

pressure from home improvers and builders has forced ministers to rethink plans that would have restricted all but the most modest loft conversions, at a time when increasing numbers of homeowners are extending their properties rather than face the high cost of moving.
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builders loft conversations News planning planning permission

Inspectors get tough on new doors and windows

DIY is big business. Inspired by TV property shows, we’re spending time and money doing up our homes. But DIY enthusiasts looking to replace windows and doors need to watch out, because without building control approval they could run into problems when they sell up, or even face prosecution and a 2,000 fine.

Sheetal Bahal, head of residential property at the law firm Clarkson, Wright & Jakes, says around one in 20 sellers come unstuck when their property goes on the market and they discover they don’t have the necessary paperwork for new windows or doors.

Replacements must comply with the building regulations for England and Wales, being properly fitted and with the correct type of glass used. There are two ways to do this: have the work done by a Fensa-registered installer, or pay your local authority’s building control department to inspect and approve the work.

Despite the rules having been in place for more than five years, Phil Hammond from the umbrella group Local Authority Building Control (LABC) says there is still widespread confusion among DIY enthusiasts: “Homeowners often know they’re supposed to do something but they aren’t sure what.”

And there is limited help available when you buy windows to put in yourself; the Glass and Glazing Federation, the trade association for the double glazing industry, says that while it would expect anyone selling windows for DIY installation to offer advice to customers, ultimately it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to sort out any approval required.

If you’re doing the job yourself, contact your local authority’s building control department before you start. You’ll need to submit a “building notice” and, if you’re creating new window openings, perhaps apply for planning permission too. LABC will come out to inspect once the job’s done and hopefully sign it off with a compliance certificate. You can also apply for approval retrospectively, for example if you’re about to sell the property, in which case you’ll need a “regularisation” certificate.

But how much you’ll pay for that all important paperwork is, according to Mr Hammond, a postcode lottery, with fees more than doubling across the country depending on your local authority. And the way the charges are calculated varies too. For example, Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire charges a flat fee of 81.78 for a regularisation certificate. Once this has been paid, it can carry out an inspection and issue an approval certificate within 48 hours.

But if you live in Cheltenham or Nottingham, and are having work done at a cost of 2,000 to 5,000, you’ll be charged 224.

Other local authorities work out their fees based on the number of replacement windows in the home.

Ms Bahal says there is an alternative quick-fix solution for homeowners: “Take out indemnity insurance this costs around 95 and pays out if the local authority takes action further down the line.” The insurance policy can give peace of mind to a prospective buyer and, she says, is often something a mortgage lender will want in place. But, she adds, if you’ve already contacted your local authority with a view to getting retrospective building control approval, then you can’t take out indemnity insurance: “It’s one or the other; you can’t do both.”

Adrian Cole at Bexley Council in south-east London warns that while authorities can’t usually take enforcement action more than a year down the line, “if work carried out is deemed to [result in] a dangerous structure, the authority can insist on it being taken down regardless of any time that’s elapsed.” He says the Government is looking to extend the existing time limit on enforcement from one to two years.

In some cases, even fitting double glazing may require planning permission, and although this isn’t usually the case with modern houses, it is worth checking before you start work. Other common types of home improvement that may need planning permission include loft conversions, conservatories and porches; contact your local authority’s planning department before going ahead.

source: independent

News planning planning permission

Wine cellers for the common folk

It has been interesting to watch the changes in home design over the years. I vividly remember proposing a timber floor to some customers for their living room in the early Nineties, and being regarded as a radical with terribly modern ideas.

Sometimes these shifts follow technological development, or develop due to demand and marketing. En-suite bathrooms, under-floor heating and home cinemas have all become popular in recent years, whereas before they were very much the exception.

One specialist feature that has recently emerged is wine storage. It will be interesting to see how the various storage units shift this Christmas – I can’t imagine that this boom in storage is due to anything but our gastronomic development over the past decade. But wine storage doesn’t end with racks for the kitchen counter. You can call in specialist firms to dig you a wine cellar.

The most important factors to consider when storing bottles of wine for more than a few weeks are temperature, humidity, stability and isolation. In short, like Greta Garbo, the wine just wants to be left alone.

Ideally, wine should be stored at a steady 10C. Although a fluctuation of up to 5C either way is acceptable, it is important to avoid sudden changes in temperature. The humidity should be stable, too. Again, the ideal is 70 per cent non-condensing, to ensure that the cork will not dry out. If the cork dries, it will shrink, allowing the wine to oxidise. For the same reason, bottles should be kept horizontal to keep the wine in contact with the cork on the inside.

Stability is also important, so try to keep your wine undisturbed over a long period. Vibrationscan upset delicate vintages; even those caused by household noise. Sunlight can damage wine, too, and even paper and food can be contaminants.

So where best should wine be stored? There seem to be two popular answers: either in a special fridge-like cabinet, or in a wine cellar.

In many kitchen showrooms, the wine cabinet has become the de rigueur requirement alongside the fridge, oven and dishwasher. These are special (and quite expensive) temperature and humidity controlled appliances that generally look much like a glass-fronted fridge. It strikes me, however, that the potential for vibration of the chiller pump, combined with the temperature variation every time the fridge door is opened and closed, would make these less than ideal. If you are lucky enough to have a cellar beneath your house, it may be convertible for wine-storage. Failing that, the best solutions I have come across are by a company called Spiral Cellars (www.spiralcellars.com).

These are a range of prefabricated storage units that can be buried into your kitchen or utility-room floor, accessed via a trapdoor. Concrete wine racks form part of the structure and provide stable storage, taking full advantage of the thermal mass of the earth below ground level to maintain a steady temperature. Generally, they require a floor space of approximately 2.5m square, but this depends upon the model and capacity you choose.

The trapdoors can be laid with the same floor finish as the existing one; alternatively, it can be formed in glass so that you can gaze lovingly at your precious wines from above.

Most models have some form of spiral steps for ease of access (hence the name). They do require ventilation, but passive ventilation is sufficient via two plastic waste pipes, so there is no need for pumps or motors, and the vibration that they cause. Better still, you’ll be making use of space that’s currently doing nothing, rather than clogging up your kitchen with yet another piece of kit.

Project: Adding wine storage

How much will it cost?

An appliance-type wine cabinet will cost in the region of £900 to £4,000, whereas a concrete, in-floor wine cellar starts from £7,000, depending upon the style and its capacity. The labour costs involved in installation will also vary, and depend on the existing construction of your floor, so this needs to be factored in, too.

How much hassle is it?

Having a large hole dug into your kitchen floor is likely to be disruptive if you are trying to live and function around the works. While these things can be fitted very swiftly, it may be judicious to plan a strategic holiday to coincide with the cellar’s arrival.

Where do I start?

First, do a little research; look at the websites for various alternative products and try to find the one that best fits your individual circumstances. If you have specific needs that a proprietary product will not meet, an architect could design a bespoke solution, although there is likely to be a more significant cost for something one-off.

source: independent

Facts