Architect Devon - Jonathan Braddick, RIBA Architects Devon
01395 265768

Grant Shapps, the minister for housing and self-proclaimed self-build enthusiast, hosted a celebrity 'workshop' at 10 Downing Street last week to highlight new support measures for self-builders and to make a pledge to double the size of the bespoke homes sector.

The event saw the launch of a new one-stop Self Build Portal that brings together sources of advice and a progress report from the National Self Build Association (NaSBA), which drew up an action plan last year at the request of the...

The Green Building Store has just launched some extremely useful new resources on low energy retrofits, which aim to help householders make well-informed decisions for improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

The resources include case studies of typical hard-to-treat homes in West Yorkshire and also offer guidance on developing 'whole house plans' and ventilation strategies. 

Click here to download

Click on the You Tube link below to watch computer animations showing examples of best pra...

If you’re looking to buy new windows and doors, then here a few hints and tips to make sure you choose the best company to install your new home improvement products.

1.0       Recommendations

As with all building work, picking a company to install your windows and doors requires you placing your trust in a company you may never have used or even heard of before. That is why it is a good idea to use a company that has been recommended to you by word of mouth. It needs to be someone recommende...

An Ashburton initiative has won thousands of pounds of Government funding to explore how local homes can go much greener.

Local residents are being urged to “Show us your hotspots” and take part in the study – which will arm all Ashburton householders with expert knowledge to help make their homes cosier and their energy bills smaller.

The money will also pay for 100 residents to take a day trip to a national green building centre to see for themselves the best way to improve their h...

"The Government launched its long-awaited consultation on proposed changes to the Building Regulations this week, setting out a number of proposals designed to boost energy efficiency.

The Government has has made great efforts to mitigate the cost impact on house builders of achieving Part L from next year by setting an improvement target of 8% in additional carbon savings compared to the 25% that the industry had been told to expect by the previous government. There is no plan to drop the obj...

A new publication explains how new homes can comply with the 2010 edition of Part F, which sets out strategies that should, if executed correctly, ensure good ventilation regardless of the level of airtightness. The guide works through the possible solutions on a range of common house and apartment types, explains some of the terminology in Part F and gives a broad understanding of the changes this will entail in practice. It can be downloaded at www.nhbcfoundation.org/partF

This guide is inte...

BRE has just released its proposals on how the SAP methodology should be changed in line with the planned revision of Building Regulations in 2013; the next step towards proposed Zero Carbon houses by 2016.

It should be noted that this is consultation stage only.

There are eight key changes which may be relevant on upcoming housing developments.

This consultation only applies to the calculations used for producing SAP assessments and EPC's. It does not cover Target Emission Rates, limiting U-Val...