Building DIY Gardening

I was in Central London recently and had a walk around the new development next to Victoria Station SW1. Very impressive. They blend in well with the old buildings by contrasting rather than emulating. Some nice touches in the street furniture and smaller details. See our section on Steel Buildings here > Here are some […]

My recent visit to the Barnes Wetland Centre in London also included visitis to the hides for watcghing birds. There are many of these scattered around the lakes, which are from an old clay woirkings, next to the Thames. There is also one large hide which is multi story. These are the photos. You could […]

These are very interesting buildings embedded into the flat landscape of the Barnes Wetland centre, west London (south of Hammersmith). Some can be built in your garden, if suitable. The Berkeley Bat house could be an excellent addition. Best to check with a vet or bat expert first though. Here come the bats! Rabies! So […]

Annual show approaches, for all DIY, self-build, refurbishment projects, and you can get free tickets, see link at end. Friday 28th to Sunday 30th September 2012. Lots on as usual. Well worth a visit especially as free (get your tickets before 14th September) Real life examples and talks about: Two storey extension Cottage extension, 2 […]

The SelfBuild and Design Show Don’t miss this show, on this weekend. Free tickets are still available from the link below. Are you about to start a refurb a building, or start a conversion or doing some remodeling? Learn all about renovating a home, and all house renovation and home design projects. Self-building – start […]

These are photos from the master bathroom plan and fit out for the recent eco build job. This had an eco boiler, and Dalsouple flooring, the worksurfaces are Corian which is a recycled plastic material with a distinctive pattern. The master bath was a standard bath with no extra special fittings but it had central […]

These are a selection of images from the fitting out of a new build job. This is a varied collection of outdoor and indoor shots. Above: Architect Ivy Ngeow RIBA makes an inspection visit. These stairs were made onsite by the carpenter Craig, very fine job. Above: Note insulation, cladding (Thermowood) and check tags from […]

Discovered an archive of photos from the South London new build we did back in 2005-2006. Just show some of the external works, fitting of decking and steps: This was a on site construction of balcony and steps out of wood, with paved barbecue area. This barbecue area is small so as to increase the […]

New Government self-build scheme to help people building houses. This was announced by Grant Shapps the Housing Minister on 7 July 2012. Kevin McCloud is involved. The idea is to release Government land so people can build houses on it. To build a home is admirable but a large project for a young first-time buyers, […]

There is a new ‘web portal’ for all things self-build. This is created by The National Self Build Association (NaSBA). It is independent of Government and has Kevin McCloud on the front. Bit short on actual advice. In Technical Documents, there is one pdf on Health and Safety in the Workplace. Information is general, as […]