The ideal ‘forever home’ for the average British homeowner is a four-bedroom, detached house in the country, worth £458,000 – and just down the road from Mum, it has emerged. A detailed study of 2,000 UK homeowners, carried out by Origin, the British manufacturer of bespoke aluminium bi-folding doors, residential doors and windows, also found that homeowners hanker after a …

Jay Hounsell, a Herts-based carpenter and business owner, explains why he believes dust extraction should be the number one priority for everyone in the trade.    He says: “I’ve been working in the carpentry industry for 20-odd years. My new company – The Hertfordshire Kitchen Company – has been going for two years and is successfully placing itself in the …

Keylite Polar is a brand new white PVC roof window which is said to establish a new standard in maintenance free, energy efficient roof windows. Roger Bisby takes a closer look. It surprised me to learn that the number of white roof windows now being sold in the UK is almost half of the total and if the trend continues …

Whether you are building a house or renovating a property for sale, it’s important to consider your lighting scheme from the outset, says Luke Czerpak. The power of good lighting is often underestimated when planning a new build or renovation, but it is one of the simplest and most cost effective ways of showcasing a property. The right lighting can …

A new report from Satsuma titled ‘Room for Improvement’ has revealed how much potential home-buyers are reducing their offers by, due to specific features, such as dated kitchens and overrun gardens. Gloucester and Belfast have been found to have the most features which would put a potential viewer off from renting/buying – sellers in both cities are potentially losing over …

Bond It Squeezies Flexible Filler is making it easier to tackle quick, small sealing and bonding tasks with the launch of its Squeezies range.

Kitchen and bathroom surface specialist, Maxtop Quartz, is on the hunt for the UK’s top (tea break) tosser with the launch of a new paper-toss style game, which it launched to its 7,000 plus social community on the 3rd April. Created with installers in mind and designed to be played on a smartphone, tablet or computer during a tea or …

Two companies have been fined after unsafe asbestos work was carried out on a property in Leatherhead, Surrey. Staines Magistrates’ Court heard how Kingsley Asbestos Services Limited (KAS), although a licensed asbestos removal contractor, was sub contracted by Bourne Valley Construction Services Limited (BVCS) to carry out the work. KAS removed some asbestos containing materials and agreed to carry out …

Roger Bisby looks at the latest Green Beam laser from Bosch. It seems that manufacturers spent years getting people to buy red beam laser levels and no sooner had everyone got one than they introduced green beam lasers, brighter clearer, four times the visibility and ten times the price. The price has started to drop  to the point where jobbing …

Following the launch of its Baxi 200 and 400 Combis, boiler manufacturer Baxi has added heat only models to its super-powered range. Weighing in at just 19.5kg, the Baxi 200 and 400 Heat boilers are said to be the lightest in the UK, and include a number of time-saving features, which mean installations can be completed quickly. Available in outputs …

The Drybase range from Safeguard Europe – the UK specialist in damp-proofing and waterproofing technology – has been designed for use when it is not possible to protect building materials and interior surfaces from the sources of dampness, like rain penetration or rising damp. The collection of damp-proof coatings, coverings coatings and membranes can be used for protection against a …

A building supplies e-commerce start-up is taking on industry heavyweights B&Q, Travis Perkins, Selco, Jewson and Wickes to offer savings of 20-35%. Go Banana is said to be the UK’s first comparison website for building and DIY supplies. With 50,000 searchable products Go Banana provides an online platform for builders, tradespeople and DIY enthusiasts looking to purchase supplies quickly and …

Roger Bisby has a go at laying some Karndean flooring under the watchful eye of Karndean laying master Richard Daniels. It seems to me that once you have seen Karndean flooring and recognised its unique look, you just never stop seeing it. For those that don’t know Karndean is a vinyl flooring product made primarily from calcium carbonate (limestone), polyvinyl …

Makita has launched two new 18v Brushless motor LXT drills: the Makita DDF483 13mm drill driver and the Makita DHP483 combi drill.  Both new products are notable for their compact size: the drill driver has an overall body length of 162mm and the combi drill has a  176mm overall length. Both are ideally suited for tight space installation work, such …

Since our first look at Speedskim the range is now being distributed by Ox Tools. It is fair to say that the Speedskim is not for everyone as some plasterers simply could not adapt to it but for those plasterers who have embraced it the main benefit is they can complete the laying down of finish plaster without the trowel. …

High performance, made-to-order wooden windows and doors have been specified by a leading London-based property developer who has  chosen Lomax + Wood for their most recent project in Wimbledon, South West London. The four-storey, period style private residence, which includes a converted basement and contemporary light wells, is built of brick with lavish use of stone to back and front …

Bond It, the manufacturer of sealants, adhesives, grouts, waterproofing products and building chemicals, has announced its plans for the 2016 Tiling Show. At the brand new event for the UK’s tile and stone industry, which runs from the 18th to 20th September at the Harrogate International Centre, the business will promote an array of products targeted at the tiling sector …

Timber Conservation windows and doors by Mumford & Wood have been specified by a building developer for his own residential property in Poole, Dorset.  This large coastal town, once a maritime trade hub, has attracted tourists and visitors to its beaches and landscapes for many decades and is an established area of beauty. The 1950s cottage-style property was purchased by …

Roger Bisby looks at some products from the Senco compressed air tool range including the Senco SLP 20XP 18 gauge brad nailer. Every time I review an air tool I start by making the case for using compressed air. In the U.K it is an under valued resource but elsewhere it is a major player. I have been on American …

Everyone in the building industry knows that fixing things to plasterboard can be a bit hit and miss. If the plasterboard is on a stud wall you might strike lucky. Or you may not. Sometimes you may be able to position the item, i.e. kitchen wall cupboard to fix across two studs but nothing is guaranteed. There is of course …