Archive for August, 2009

With 1st September 2009 looming and European Light Bulb Legislation coming into effect, the BBC has recently reported the ongoing trend of customers stockpiling old style light bulbs. Some shopkeepers have reported selling up to eighty light bulbs a day and shoppers have admitted to buying twenty at a time. It is suggested by the BBC that older customers in particular, are opposed to the new Eco Bulbs, claiming they do not give off enough light to read with.

From 1st September, 100 Watt Clear bulbs and opaque incandescent bulbs stop being manufactured. Shops are allowed to sell off their remaining stock, but it will be illegal for these bulbs to be imported. So once they are gone… they are gone!

However, the founder of National Carbon Footprint Day, Donnachadh McCarthy, suggested that perhaps the problem was people were not purchasing the correct size of the new type of money saving bulb. Consumers are reminded that, in the same way the old style bulbs were available in different wattages, the new style bulbs are too!

There are concerns mounting regarding the levels of Mercury in the new energy saving light bulbs. In particular, the disposal of these bulbs is a cause for concern. The Daily Mail reported last year about the dangers of Energy Saving Bulbs if they are broken and also how to dispose of them. You are advised to evacuate the room for at least fifteen minutes if you break one of these bulbs. Be sure not to inhale the dust, wear rubber gloves, wrap the bulb carefully and then take it to a council tip where it can be disposed of correctly.

Many homeowners and property developers who undertake home improvements will do so to raise property values. As the UK slowly emerges from the recent recession, dragging the housing market behind it, the average price of homes in the country is gradually returning to a more normal value.

Normal, in this sense, means a recovery from the past year of recession hit prices. Normal also means that many homeowners will be able to look at their homes as the investments they once were – likewise, property developers can begin to escape the relative lull that has forced numerous companies out of business.

Nevertheless, whilst the economy will ultimately determine the value at which a property can sell, there are many things that homeowners can do to increase its potential sale price. Extensions are among the most valuable of such improvements because these add real space, whilst typically adding several thousands of pounds worth of profit to a future sale. Installing a fitted bathroom or kitchen, insulating cavity walls and undertaking a loft conversion are also useful for generating more cash when the time comes to sell. However, not all such home improvements need to be major jobs.

Apart from adding a new room to a house, a prime mover of an early sale is creating a good first impression. This will invariably demand a spot of DIY and redecoration, as the first task would be to paint all the walls white in order to maximise the appearance of space and avoid negatively influencing a potential buyer’s interest in the property. Finally, it is essential to present a light and open hallway, as this will set the tone of a viewing.

According to research commissioned by WD-40, British homeowners are reluctant to tackle the majority of DIY home improvements. Despite the economic climate, which is finally showing modest signs of recovery, vast numbers of Britons surveyed admitted to calling in home improvement specialists and handymen rather than tackle relatively simple jobs themselves. Indeed, whilst DIY would save money for the typical homeowner, there are several good reasons why people are turning to the professionals.

First, the population of Great Britain is one that is ageing rapidly. Furthermore, many young professionals and couples cannot afford to buy their own property, despite a weakened housing market, so the population of homeowners in the country is not getting any younger. With this in mind, it is perhaps obvious that a healthy proportion of those surveyed confessed that DIY tasks were, by and large, beyond their capability.

Another reason why handymen are often employed for simple jobs is home improvement tasks are actually not all that easy. Even tasks that might seem simple to most people, such as putting up shelves or painting, are often left to the professionals because homeowners want a professional job done. In that respect, it is easy to appreciate why 40% of those surveyed claimed to do little more than basic jobs. Furthermore, 82% of people said that they were unable to replace roof tiles, whilst 68% are unable to fix noisy pipes.

Although figures can always be misleading if argued out of context, it is fairly safe to assume that British homeowners could work on their DIY knowledge. Whilst employing handymen is generally good for the economy, it is arguably more important that the general population increases its DIY skills.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders announced on Thursday mortgage lending had risen by 26% in July compared to the previous month. Although this figure ought to be viewed in the context that lending remains 36% lower than the same period last year, the news can be seen as a further indication that the UK housing market is making a slow recovery. This will come as good news to homeowners and property developers who have been suffering over the last year or two, during which time the average cost of homes in the country has fallen dramatically.

The 26% rise in July represents a lending figure of around £16 billion, markedly down on the £24.9 billion reached in July 2008. As many homeowners have discovered recently, the housing market is very sensitive to economic change. Moreover, it was largely the mortgage sector that resulted in the current worldwide downturn, as subprime lending prompted a financial crisis in the US that spread out quickly across the rest of the world. Furthermore, the so-called credit crunch has meant that the availability of credit is no longer what it used to be, with many of those in need of a loan unable to secure financial help.

Therefore, the increase of mortgage lending is indicative of a stronger housing market and tougher economic situation. In the belief that times are changing for the better, many homeowners will want to improve their properties now whilst the cost of materials and labour are still at recession prices. Furthermore, home improvement could secure a higher sale price when the market fully recovers, which will bring an end to what has been a miserable time for homeowners and property developers.

As a disappointing summer draws to a close, signs of autumn are already beginning. Traditionally a season in which plenty of activity in the housing market is experienced, autumn is the ideal time to buy and sell properties before Christmas.

Nevertheless, it is common knowledge that the economic downturn has brought the housing market in the UK to its knees and there is no indication that a recovery will begin any time soon. However, it is important to note that this analysis of the UK housing market is based on nationwide trends and is, therefore, somewhat misleading.

Taking the average price of a home in the UK as an example, the figure of £198,939, which was assessed in May 2009, represents a 9% drop on the previous year’s figure. This figure comprises the average costs for all properties. However, the figure does not look at the median selling prices for properties of each type and overlooks regional trends. For instance, during the annual period to May 2009, average property prices dropped by 20.7% in Rutland, whereas they rose by 9% in Windsor and Maidenhead. In short, the housing market in the UK will not always accurately reflect the region in which a seller or buyer will do business.

Homeowners who wish to sell up are urged to spend the remainder of the summer making home improvements to their homes with a view to putting them on the market in the autumn – it is certainly worth testing the market despite a nationwide slump. Typically speaking, properties will sell for 10% less than advertised and will take 2/3 months on average to sell, but home improvements can help to improve these trends.

If you happen to be a pensioner, parents of young children or someone who enjoys a little peace and quiet, chances are you will find yourself living next door to a noisy neighbour.

Especially troublesome for those people who live in terraced or semi-detached housing, the noisy neighbour can cause a considerable amount of emotional, physical and psychological distress.

Often heard playing loud music in the early hours of a Monday morning or, even worse, subjecting the entire neighbourhood to a live karaoke performance, noise polluters seem to be incapable of understanding the boundaries that exist between their right to enjoy themselves and their obligation not to disturb others. Furthermore, UK environmental laws are notoriously ineffective at resolving the problem.

Therefore, many homeowners have taken the initiative by soundproofing their properties. Sound reverberates off certain materials, which has the unfortunate consequence of making sound waves seem louder. Affixing layers of lead, foam or acoustic plaster boards to walls can disrupt the signature of sound waves whilst both reducing and absorbing them, which has the effect of muzzling the noisy neighbour’s activities.

Although soundproofing can be effective, the homeowner ought not to expect total silence – a 16db reduction would be a good start – and a professional builder should be consulted as soundproofing is not an easy job to do correctly and safely. Furthermore, any building work carried out on a party wall is subject to the Party Wall Act 1966, which requires that the neighbour be consulted about any changes. Indeed, this brings the whole job of soundproofing back into perspective as it requires something that can potentially solve the problem at no expense – communicating with the neighbour.

Unless somebody has been living under a rock for the last two decades or so, the importance of making the home more environmentally friendly ought to be lost on nobody. However, wanting to make the home green, which basically involves reducing its carbon footprint, is easier said than done.

There are costs attached to making green home improvements and it is not always clear what actual benefits can be derived from using accepted green standards. For instance, solar panels will generate a measurable amount of green electricity for the home, whereas it is less clear how effective certain types of insulation are.

However, there are several thermal imaging survey companies based in Britain that can provide a more definitive answer on this. In fact, such companies will typically offer a complete energy audit for homes and businesses, which are useful for determining the areas that are especially prone to losing heat.

Wasted energy is a prime cause of larger carbon footprints, so being able to identify precisely where a structure is losing energy is vital in order to give it an effective green makeover. Displaying as red on infrared thermography devices, the most energy wasteful areas of a home tend to be located near the windows and upper walls.

Based on detailed thermal imaging, home owners are able to identify where to invest in their environmentally friendly home improvements. For instance, if external walls are showing excessive heat loss, cavity wall insulation and perhaps even a little brick work would be required. Furthermore, making the home a greener place will also help to increase its future sale price as the Government continues to push for a zero carbon community.

Okay, so the weather man got it wrong… again! Summer 2009 was meant to make up for the last two miserable summers, but so far the much promised (and media hyped) “stay at home, have a stay-cation and enjoy a British barbecue summer” has, surprise, surprise, yet to materialise. And, with less than four weeks of the school summer holidays left (yes, we are all counting), why not try to grab yourself a bargain for next years summer garden furniture, instead!

Much like buying a Christmas Tree on Boxing Day (when, incidently, they are reduced from £99 to £19), buying garden furniture at the end of the summer may seem crazy, but it could save you a packet. Many of the large retailers are now offering more than half price off garden furniture ranges and it’s time to strike whilst the iron is hot (and the clouds are grey!).

B&Q are offering a whopping ‘up to 70% off‘ garden furniture sale! 12ft trampolines, which were £139 are now £69 and (one of their many furniture sets on sale) their chic Vicenza glass and lightweight aluminium table and chair set is available at a saving of 70%.

Tesco also have a summer sale offering up to 50% off Garden furniture, not to mention sales from Littlewoods, Argos and Homebase, who are offering fantastic unmissable savings! Check both online and instore to get the most of the reduced price offers.

You never know if September will bring with it a much needed Indian Summer and if so, that will allow you to enjoy your bargain summer garden furniture, without having to wait until next year.

No stranger to doom and gloom headlines, the recession has been hitting the UK housing market hard until just recently. According to the Halifax’s House Price Index, although house prices in July were 12.1% down on the same period in 2008, a more positive quarterly trend is emerging.

Rising 0.8% in the three months leading to July, house prices in the UK have enjoyed their first quarterly rise since October 2007. According to Halifax, this is seen as an indicator of an “underlying trend”, which confirms that the housing market is slowly recovering.

This will no doubt come as excellent news for homeowners and property developers, who will note the average cost for a house is now £159,623. Although this is some way off the £178,778 average in 2008 and nowhere near the highs of 2007, the quarterly rise up to July is indicative of changes. In fact, many will view these figures by Halifax as a sign that the housing market is improving. This is especially good news for homeowners who intend to sell up within the next couple of years or so. Indeed, many homeowners have outgrown their existing properties but find themselves unable to afford larger homes.

However, nobody said the road to recovery was easy. Indeed, the Halifax figures were published just a couple of days after research carried out by the National Housing Federation (NHF) concluded that house prices would, on average, plunge a further 12% by the end of 2009 and 4.6% in 2010. The NHF added that average house prices would not reach their 2007 peak until 2014, which ought to spell caution for anybody interpreting the Halifax’s recent results as a sign of a rapid recovery.

Home improvement projects are often framed in a grand context – extending the property, redecorating the home, going green by installing solar panels or priming the garden for a barbecue summer (even if 2009 is turning out to be a damp squib).

These are all perfectly respectable home improvement ventures and installing a renewable energy system in particular is worthwhile. However, sometimes the smallest improvement can make the most dramatic difference to a home. Indeed, sometimes all it takes is a new item of furniture.

One of the most important rooms of the home is the bedroom, which will ideally be a relaxing and quiet environment. Whilst homeowners take great care in ensuring that the bedroom is suitably decorated, the bed is often overlooked. Moreover, the quality of mattress is usually given scant regard when this is arguably the most essential component of the home. Indeed, sleep is obviously important to all human beings. Numerous studies have established that, on average, adults require around eight hours of sleep each night. Furthermore, the quality of this period of sleep predominantly affects the frequency at which sleeping disorders occur, which are themselves linked to a number of serious health conditions such as heart disease, cancer and various mental disorders. More generally, a bad night’s sleep can also contribute to muscular and joint pains, especially those affecting the back.

Therefore, a high quality mattress and bed are sensible purchases that could be classed as home improvements. Top quality mattresses such as the Miracoil 7 Nova Dream Pocket 2100 are designed to provide the perfect sleeping experience and can seriously improve sleep related health – even if a mattress in excess of £1000 raises the blood pressure!