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2.Oct.2011

Winter is on the way ?

After a glorious start to October, in fact far better than any summer day I can remember, just don't be fooled into thinking this will carry on.

November is close on the heels of October and we'll all be reaching for the heating controls to keep warm very soon.

So while it's good to enjoy this great weather think ahead to a few items that might improve your home comfort during the long winter ahead.

Apart from checking out that your heating is going to run smooth, which might mean a service should be booked, or fitting other fuel saving ideas, remember that the cost of fuel like gas and electric is going to squeeze us all so any savings that you can make now are worth taking.

Screwfix have some pre winter savings on oil filled heaters that are both attractive and very useful around the home with great savings and well worth checking out, just click on the picture for full details.  

 These heaters sold out fast last winter so be warned !

1.Oct.2011

Your Dream Home For Less

For all those into self build you probably already know the huge savings you can make. However if your not into building your own home there are still ways you can make massive savings and still get the home of your dreams.

Anyone that has purchased a property in the past knows that apart from all the legal fees etc., the government also wants a hefty slice in the form of stamp duty.

So here is a way to make your first saving. If you purchase your plot in the first instance you of course will only have to pay stamp duty on the price you pay for your plot, that is stage one.

Stage two is the fact that as this property is technically a self build even if you are not physically doing the work you will also be in line to claim back the VAT which at the moment is 20% on most of your building materials, subject to the VAT rules etc., at the time.

So you have just made a huge saving on stamp duty because you have only had to pay for the plot value not the final completed house value.

The figures could be for example £1.000.000 plot purchase price, house build costs example £600.000 total cost £1.600.000 final house value subject to location and build but for example let's say £2.500.000 That means that you have not had to pay stamp duty on £1.500.000 which is at present rates 5%

This is a great route for building the home of your dreams, now all you need is your plot and a reliable build team. More on this combination in future posts.

For savings on building materials checkout 

28.Sept.2011

WICKES DEAL OF THE WEEK EVEN BIGGER AT 33% off

19.Sept.2011

WICKES DEAL OF THE WEEK SAVE 30%

14.Sept.2011

If you are thinking of building your own house great introduction is this HAYNES manual reduced from £19.99

now only £12.15 

13.Sept.2011

 35% off WICKES plasterboard when you buy 5 +

 boards only £4.65 each offer only on until Friday 16th September

So hurry on down to WICKES 

Remember to pick up some plasterboard screws while you are there to fix the job.

Get Your Pencil Out It's Bargain Time at WICKES

 click here for details---> RED PENCIL  Sale

£8 Million Stock Clearance at

New Voucher Book available from Wickes saving of over £100 on DIY items runs from 1st Sept to 30th Sept Paint, Tiles, Lighting, MDF Skirting, Gardening Products, and more collect the voucher book from your local Wickes store

Check out the DIY NEWS  scroll down the page 

 

 

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Don't bend it mend it! 

Over the past few years we have really enjoyed bargain buys on our white goods purchases. Now however the prices are being driven up by all the economic problems around the world.

So trying to keep the fridge or dishwasher or any of those household appliances going instead of just throwing it out could be a problem. You could have taken out expensive insurance cover when you bought the item, though it seems these appliances only ever fail just a few days outside of the guarantee period.

So here is a number that could just save you buying a new dishwasher,cooker,fridge etc. Forget the dreaded callout charge 0800repair.com will quote a price for your repair, book you a time slot for the engineer to call round and fix your problem. All work fully guaranteed why not check them out.

 

DIY NEWS

The ultimate DIY project for many people will be that of building their own house. With ever increasing house prices this just might be the way to create the home of your dreams.

  The good news is that there are a good selection of plots available and with finance that can be arranged both for the plot purchase 85% and for the build 85% through for example Norwich & Peterborough Building Society you could be looking at around as little as £40 to £50.000 in cash to get you started.

  As there has been a drop in self build projects over the last year even the Goverment wants to help. The housing minister Grant Shapps wants to encourage more people to build a home of their own.

  So while there is a general slow down in house building this means that there could be great deals to be had on both materials and labour, and remember you can claim back the 20% VAT on the majority of your self build materials on completion, and that includes the fitted kitchen.

 So if you are looking for a DIY project that will pay you dividends this could be ideal.

Self-Build Advice

 So you have decided to give Self-Build ago, well that I can assure is going to be one of many decisions. Self-Build is a constant stream of decisions, what plot? what plan? what brick? The list goes on and on, but you have decided to give it ago. Like most things in life you need to plan because if you fail to plan, you will plan to fail.

  So finding a plot is not easy, and that by and large depends on whereabouts in the UK you happen to live or plan to live in the future. Plots come in all shapes and sizes. Ideally you would want as much as your money could buy with spectacular views to boot. Well nice ideal but not really going to happen. You might be lucky and find someone selling off an extra large garden plot, or you may have to demolish a run down property that requires modernizing.

There are a number of issues to consider first off when choosing your plot, first does it come with Planning Permission? is that just outline or full consent with plans ready for you to start building.

SUPER SAVINGS ON DESIGNER RADIATORS AT B&Q 

Original price £454 now only £95 click here for more details ------> RADS 

More Self-Build Advice

So a couple of pointers to lookout for when you are plot searching, of course location, location, location, is always the old battle cry, and rightly so. But what about this location, a flat level plot with a south or south westerly garden is an important feature, because when you finally get to relax in your dream garden you'll want the sun to be there and not have the garden in the shadow of the house.

This facing the right way will become more of an issue for the obvious fact that more and more houses will be built with photovoltaic systems installed, and even estate agents have been putting a premium on different sides of a road, so worth baring in mind. Having built a house on a steep incline I would advise against it, yes you can take advantage of the rise or fall in ground level, but if you are trying to minimize your costs you will hold out for that flat level site.

Naturally another issue will be good and easy access to your plot, you are going to have some pretty large lorries turn up with deliveries, and it is important that they can drive in and exit with ease. So no busy main road locations or very narrow roads. Established trees on your site will either be a help or a hinderence, at the botom of the garden is great but close to where you want to build may compromise your plans and if there are any trees with a TPO in place then it may not be possible to build at all. 

Good soil conditions, and the sites previous use, make sure you have it checked out, when you start excavating you do not wish to discover you have purchased a plot over an old mine or on contaminated ground. I know much of it sounds obvious, but in the excitment of having found a plot it is very easy to miss the obvious.

Unless you are going to create your own electricity, gas,water and main drainage systems you will need to know that all the main services are fairly close to hand and that they will be easy to reach. Again this is an exercise in trying to limit the costs because if you have some extensive services work it will knock a serious hole in your budget. Often in the case where a house has been demolished to create a new site for building there is a good chance that the main services have just been terminated at the site boundary and therefore will be easy to re-connect at minimum cost.

 Electric Underfloor Heating

As we slip from August to September and the days grow shorter we are reminded that winter is on the way and the heating will soon have to be switched on.

There is a wide choice these days of how to heat our homes, however the main concern is that with rising energy prices which is going to be the most efficent for the least cost. If your planning a new bathroom of kitchen floor then you may like to consider Electric Underfloor Heating.

It will need to be installed by a qualified electrician but if you would like to read about the benefits of Elecetric Underfloor Heating Systems take a look at All About Electrics where you'll find helpful information and get some idea of the costs and savings.

In The Gutter Again

Last chance to clear those gutters before the onset of winter, hopefully we won't be having any hurricanes, but you can be certain there will be plenty of rain.

Leaking and overflowing gutters cause more damage to property than you would imagine. Continual streams of water pouring down brickwork will eventually seep into the fabric of the building and before you know it you'll have a damp patch appearing on the inside of your house and an unsightly stains on the wall outside. It really is so simple to avoid this happening. Using a suitable ladder to give you access to the gutter will enable you to remove any old debri, repair failed seals in joins, and best of all fit gutter covers to reduce the build up of leaves. Also fit a downpipe balloon to help keep the system clear.Remember before you climb up any ladder make sure it is at the correct angle to the house wall, secured at the top if possible and at the bottom. If you can find someone to help they can steady the ladder at the bottom as well. Always better safe than sorry. So as Autumn approaches and leaves start to cascade down from the trees to fill your gutters, now is the time to act and prevent any problems later in the year.Gutter covers are available from most DIY stores including WickesB&Q and Screwfix.

 Lost The Plot

Trying to locate plots is not an easy task. For one reason land for new builds is restricted to start with, greenbelt etc., etc..

Then there are the big developers who work hand in hand with the estate agents, that's why you very rarely see building land advertised in the local property pages.

There are also some companies that specialise in supplying plots, however you will have to pay them an annual  subscription fee.

On occasion there will be private listings from people selling garden plots but again these are far and few between.

So you may have to purchase a property that requires either demolishing or modernisation, for this you may have to pay a small premium compared to just buying land. However you are buying a site where the precedent has  been set in so much as a dwelling already exists so this should help with obtaining planning for your new house.