Friday 30 September 10:00 – 17.00
Saturday 1 October 10:00 – 17.00
Sunday 2 October 10:00 – 17.00

Ticketas are 8 UKP or 12 UKP on the door, see this link:

Tickets for The National Home Improvement Show 2011 >

This is a vast show so give yourself plenty of time. Features this year are:

Over 300 company stands

Real Homes live – BBC’s Charlie Luxton and ITV’s Matt James will be answering questions, this is quoite fun and makes a change from staring at the products

Julia Kendell’s Interiors Pavilion – advice from this expert

The Advice Centre – more advice…

Kitchen & Bathroom Inspiration Zone… guess what

Eco Home Zone – this is new, amazingly, and migth have some good ideas so check it out

The Period Property Pavilion – for all things retro, which usually means not energy efficient

The Home Entertainment & Technology (from CEDIA) – spend your money before it goes out of fashion – oh it already has!

The Landscaping & Gardens – this is nicely staged and worth a look for a rest from the clamour and crowds

Also Masterclasses and DIY Doctor… more advice.

This is all very un-green, it is really about consumerism, so although interesting, the show can be a bit exhausting. Be prepared.

DIY Building save energy ratings

Location:
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre, off M4 in Swindon
When:
Saturday 16th July 2011
10.00am to 5pm
Tickets are free in advance

Find out about recent Government changes to tariffs, ratings etc. Many experts will be there including David Hilton and reps from 4 other eco companies.

• Micro Renewable Energy Solutions (represented by Eco Living)
• Heating & Hot Water Solutions (Glow Worm)
• Air & Ground Source Heat Pumps (Greenheat)
• Solar Thermal Panels & Exhaust Air Heat Pumps (Nibe)

Plus even more experts:

• Eco Architect Paul Richards
• SAP Assessor Sue Dewhirst
• Environmental Building Systems adviser Ian Jones
• Project Management expert Bob Harris
• Eco Materials specialist Joe Wild

And it is free. Get your tickets from here >

See our DIY and Building Green and Eco pages here >

And saving energy with solar power pages here >

Make the most of this weekend and the most of your home at The Homebuilding & Renovating Show, Surrey!

When?

THIS Weekend!
Join us Saturday 10am – 5pm &
Sunday 10am – 4.30pm

Where?
A venue close to home: Sandown Park Race Course, Esher KT10 9AJ
Easy access by car, rail or air.

Why?

NOW 200 companies! 50 more expert companies to compare than last year

Save Money by comparing 1000s of products and services

Gain confidence when you Ask an Expert for free advice

Make the most of your plans -
Ask an Architect for FREE

Unmissable seminars to help you plan your project

Must see masterclasses
to help you stay on time and on target

Discover Tricks of the Trade with the
DIY Doctor

Discover eco-efficient products and
new technologies

How?

Book Now! The Box Office closes at 3pm on Friday – book now to get advanced tickets for ONLY £5!

Tickets are £8 on the door, and all under 16s go in free

Coming soon, 3 weeks away, this event is a practical guide to what to do to renovate, refurbish and generally spring build your home.

Building DIY advice tips materials

With 200 exhibitors, many workshops and master classes with real experts. There are Buildstore (the sponsors) Finance (mortgages, grants, loans etc), Land Finding (with planning PP or with ouline planning OPP or none), and Materials Purchasing (wholesale and normal) experts. Also available to discuss your project are architects, project managers, building control officers, planners and planning officers, green and eco advisors and sustainability experts.

Amazingly, you can bring along drawings and sketches for the experts to comment on. That should be fun!

There are also many proper workshops.

Sat. 16th April 2011
10am to 5pm (doors open 9.30 am).
Parking: There is a big car park at the rear of the building, drive past the front, turn right and right again. It is basically a huge warehouse.
Or get a bus from Swindon Bus Station. See their website for details.

Self Build and Renovation Workshop 1
Talk to the experts. Ask questions, Get practical answers. Whatever you level – DIY, builder, enthusiast – this will be very useful.

Sun. 17th April 2011
10am to 5pm

Self Build and Renovation Workshop 2
As above. The Masterclasses are the same schedule each day,.

See the website for for free tickets or they are 10 UKP on the door.

See also DIY building advice and tips, information and topics >

Dates are Tuesday 01 March to Thursday 03 March 2011.

There are 1300 exhibitors, all sorts and sizes, since everyone does green certified materials and processes these days. This is a fun show and well worth traveling to.

It has over 130 seminars on:

• Future energy
• Energy in buildings
• Sustainable architecture
• Regulations
• Many more

Also installations on Solar, Water, Refurbishment and Remodeling etc.

It says 600 speakers – which seems amazing – with Professor Brian Cox, human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger,
Baroness Susan Greenfield, Construction Advisor, Paul Morrell.

Plus 596 others!

Get your tickets for Ecobuild here >

Eco Technologies Workshop – Retrofit Your Home – 10am – 5pm

95% – 99% of housing is old not new – so green and sustainable technology has to be added to OLD homes and office snot just glamorous new housing.

• solar panels
• solar thermal
• insulation – all types natural, synthetic
• costs – very important!
• effectiveness
• ease of installation
• project planning for maximum effect

Tickets from the Buildstore website >

Many seminars.
11.00 – 11.30 Eco Technologies – What’s Available?
12.00 – 12.30 New Tricks for Old Bricks
13.00 – 13.30 Question Time – All Experts
14.00 – 14.30 What To Install & Where To Start

See our Green DIY and building index advice >

And Solar technology index advice >

Eco Show DIY building

And an Eco Incentives event has lots of advice on Feed-In Tariffs and Renewable Heat Incentives in the UK. There are also ‘walking seminars‘ where you get to traipse around the life-size exhibits there with an expert chatting,, this is a great way to ask questions and have a bit of fun. There is also an Eco Village setup. Quite ironic really – a village inside a vast exhibition hanger next to a motorway.

Basically a whole lot of DIY and building advice is there with a green angle – which is pretty mainstream these days.

The Big Green Home Show is on at National Self Build & Renovation Centre, which is in Swindon, off the M4, tomorrow, Fri 29th October to Sun 31st October 2010. The exhibition opens from 9.30am-5pm each day.

Tickets from here >

Opening hours are:
Friday, 1 October 10:00 – 17.00
Saturday, 2 October 10:00 – 17.00
Sunday, 3 October 10:00 – 17.00

Very big extension

The show covers everything from small DIY projects to major extensions to your house, lofts, basements.

Also included are interior remodeling and refurbishment, such as kitchens, lighting, fireplaces, gardens, awnings, etc.

They call the garden the ‘fifth room’ and focus on that, and there is also advice on improving and renovating listed (old) properties.

There are over 300 specialist DIY and building companies and also an Ask the Experts forum.

Earl’s Court is always a great place to visit, you can take the car or go green by using the tube or buses to get there from a railway station.

Visit National Home Improvement Show >

See also our pages on DIY and building, renovation and remodeling >

Small green roof

That time of year again, the Big Green Home Show in Swindon off the M4. Many exhibits, seminars, Expert Alley (Ask The Experts) where you can get answers to your home renovation questions.

Dates: Fri 29 to Sun 31 October 2010
Where:
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre, Swindon
Open from 9.30-17.00.

Car: M4 at junction 16, signposted Swindon West, Wootton Bassett. Down A3102, signposted Swindon, go left after 200metres.

Of course you should take public transport to Swindon centre then get out there on a Bus, which is easy.

Suitable for all DIY and professional builders, the exhibition centre is worth a visit if you have not been before – it is huge with many excellent permanent installations showing foundations, water recycling, walls, roof, even an old house being renovated.

Topics include:

Eco Technologies
Sustainable Building
Energy Efficiency
SAP Assessor & Code for Sustainable Homes
Environmental Buildings
Plot/Property Searching
Design, Planning & Building Regs
Building Control
Builders Merchants
Buying Materials
Planning
Mortgages & Finance
Insurance & Protection
Eco Project Management
Self Build
Building Work Guarantees

You can get tickets from here:

Big Green Home Show 2010 >

See also our Green DIY Building advice >

David Snell DIY building expert

David Snell is a Contributing Editor to Home Building & Renovating Magazine, and he and some other experts are giving some talks at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre off the M4 in west Swindon.

So if you are worried your new extension might fall foul of some local Inspector, you’d better get over there. Very easy to get to, it is just off Junction 16 (I think) at west Swindon; just head towards Swindon from the motorway and look out for it on the left about 50-100 yards from the motorway roundabout.

Saturday 24th, 10am to 5pm. No charge. For more details see Building and DIY regulations seminars >

Building DIY com also has a lot of information on this, see

DIY and Building finance, regulations >

and

Starting a DIY building project >