The managing director of Charlie Laing Ltd on tea and biscuits, the wisdom of Ben Goldacre and buying swords online for his son What is your favourite website? BBC Sport homepage – dull but true. What is your worst digital habit? The ever growing inbox. More things seem to arrive than leave and it’s a struggle to…
The Big Green Home Show at NSBRC in Swindon went well this weekend. Despite the threats of storms and floods there was a good turnout at the show and great interest in the talk I gave (ECO Options – do your research) and the panel discussion about the Green Deal. It seems there is still…
The Big Green Home Show is returning to The National Self Build & Renovation Centre for its fifth year this October. A massive three day show from 25-27 October 2013, the Show attracts self-builders, renovators and home-owners looking to either build using sustainable materials or introduce renewable energy systems to save money on utility bills. A…
Have you ever thought about how precious your DWG’s are in construction? We have got into a spat with an architect recently because we asked him to issue a dwg file to the Underfloor Heating Contractor. The architect’s response to the client was: It is not our policy to provide dwg drawings because: These are…
“Go, Compare!” Listening to another jingle on the radio it suddenly struck me that this is exactly what our Tendering Service does. Whilst Go Compare, Money Supermarket or Compare the Market for example will survey the insurance market to get a client the best insurance quote we will survey the builder market, or the plumber…
The wonderful world of the Building Research Establishment I was lucky enough to be part of a tour of the BRE (building research establishment) the other day. I knew that it was involved in certification and in testing of materials but had no idea quite how extensive and intensive its operations were so the trip…
I am puzzled why bespoke houses are built to building regulations. The regs are there mainly to stop poor quality construction, dangerous electrical and gas installations and to ‘police’ disreputable builders. Part L is to make sure there is at least a nod to energy efficiency. But if you are looking to design and build…
The secret in obtaining the best possible air test rating is paying attention to detail as early as possible in the project. By the time one comes to air testing, a good way through the project, it is already too late and the ability to rectify defects becomes much more difficult and expensive in construction…
More good news on planning permission regulations in the United Kingdom The latest Housing Pipeline report tells us that year on year planning approvals have risen a good 10% despite the first quarter of this year showing a decrease. Over 40 000 permissions were given in the first quarter but it’s felt that this is…
Being in construction we often muse about what the building landscape will be like a decade from now. Here’s a mixture of hopes and fears; some blue sky thinking and some extrapolation of current trends. Feel free to add to it! Sustainability – there is clearly a drive to improve the performance of our buildings.…