News

Jul 2022

What To Do If You Discover Asbestos In Your Home

Asbestos is a mineral that is naturally occurring. Historically, it has been used for insulation and fire-proofing within buildings, as well as in construction materials and many consumer products too. Unfortunately, it is also highly dangerous material that can lead to several different lung conditions. Despite the health risks being known since the 19th century and the term ‘asbestosis’ being coined in the 1920s, the material was still used regularly up until it was prohibited in the 1980s and wasn’t fully banned until 1999. Given this, it is feasible that if your property was built before the year 2000, it […]

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Jun 2022

How Architecture Can Help to Save Water in the Home

Following in the footsteps of climate change and reducing our carbon footprint, saving water is slowly making its way into the public consciousness as a serious topic. Potable water (water that is safe to ingest) makes up just 3% of the total volume of water on Earth and is a finite resource. To ensure there is safe water for future generations, we need to start looking at ways to save water now, before it’s too late. Whilst the issue needs to be tackled on a global scale, we can all start by looking closer to home. As an architectural firm […]

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Jun 2022

How to Maintain Stained Glass Windows

Stained glass windows have been an important feature of churches for hundreds of years, from the Middle Ages onwards. Styles and methods may have changed over the years, but they are still used heavily today. Contrary to what many think, stained glass windows tend not to be any more fragile than regular windows. That said, some of these works are hundreds of years old and, as with all glasswork, are prone to receiving damage over time. Read on to discover more about the historical and religious significance of stained glass windows and how to maintain them to avoid irreparable damage. […]

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May 2022

Why it is important to maintain your gutters

Maintaining your gutters may not be the most fun job in the world and, being high up, is unlikely to be at the front of your mind. At least it won’t be at the front of your mind until you start to have issues with them. The biggest issue with gutters being blocked is that when the water can’t drain properly, you could suffer structural damage. Water damage can affect both the exterior and the interior, including walls, windows and doors. In extreme cases, this could also affect your foundations or cause flooding around your property and in basements. A […]

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May 2022

Everything you need to know about subsidence

Subsidence can cost homeowners thousands to rectify. For large, older buildings, this number could even reach hundreds of thousands. With such a large cost to fix this issue, it’s definitely best if you learn to spot the signs early and get it fixed before it becomes a major problem. What is Subsidence? Subsidence is when the ground underneath your property moves, dropping down and taking your house with it. This is often caused by the weather affecting the ground beneath your property. For example, prolonged dry periods makes earth shrink as it loses moisture. Likewise, plants (most likely trees) can […]

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Apr 2022

How to reduce the carbon footprint of your property

Improving the energy efficiency of your property, will not only save you money on rapidly rising energy bills, but will also reduce your carbon footprint. This is vital to help create a more sustainable future for everyone and to ensure the long-term health of our planet. This year’s Earth Day theme is to Invest In Our Planet. Increasing the energy efficiency of our homes and places of work or education is one way in which we can all contribute to reduce carbon emissions and make a difference in solving the climate crisis. Here are some of the ways you can […]

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Apr 2022

Do you need planning permission for bay windows for your home?

Bay windows add character and charm to the exterior of your home. As an aesthetic architectural feature dating back centuries, but also popular for houses built in the 1930s, these windows protrude from the property, rather than being flat. Not only do they enhance the appearance of an exterior wall, they also make the interior appear more spacious and allow further light in. Most people often refer to bay windows, as it’s the general term for a window structure that projects outward. Bow windows is the name commonly given to bay windows that are curved and have four or five […]

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Apr 2022

Can You Apply For Multiple CIF Projects?

The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is a fund controlled by the Education Funding Agency (EFA). The aim of CIF is to allow academies and sixth-form colleges to improve their properties. Projects that CIF can cover are varied, consisting of health and safety, expansion, security, maintenance, efficiency and more. Many of these institutions will want to work on multiple CIF projects at once, as these can all be very important in their own ways. Unfortunately, they may have to prioritise one aspect over another, as you can only apply for two projects at a time via CIF. Also, if your plans […]

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Mar 2022

Do You Need a Home Buyer’s Survey For a Flat?

Most people know that if you are buying a house, you should get a home buyer’s survey. This will provide you with plenty of information to aid your purchasing decision and help with negotiations. For example, if the survey shows that there is thousands of pounds worth of repairs that haven’t been taken into consideration with the property valuation, it would be worth trying to negotiate the price down. This said, we sometimes receive enquiries from people that are buying a flat/apartment, asking whether they still need to have a survey. They reason that if they are not on the […]

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Feb 2022

Who pays for a home buyer’s survey

In the process of buying a house, you will undoubtedly be looking to get a home buyer’s survey to assist you in your buying decision. This survey will tell you the condition of a property, allowing you to assess any repairs that will need to be made and be notified of potential risks to the property. This will be able to help you with negotiating a purchase price. For example, if there are £10k worth of repairs to be made, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask for £10k off the asking price. Due to the home buyer’s survey generally benefitting […]

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