I cannot believe how quickly the month of January disappeared into history.  Most of it I put down to the snow, but February certainly appears to be bringing positivity in the homebuilding market.  That is unless you are Mr Robert Fidler who came to media attention last week when he secretly built a mock Tudor house on his farm and surrounded it in bails of straw to avoid planning permission.  As soon as the hay bails were removed four years later, Reigate and Banstead Council realised and issued an enforcement order for it to be demolished.  This is certainly not the way to build your dream home!

Sticking with Council’s, I attended a Parliamentary lunch on Monday for the National Home Improvement Council.  It took place in the glamorous surrounds of the Churchill Room at the House of Commons.   The Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP drew attention to the recent success in the campaign to highlight the aging Victorian housing stock of the UK.  There are over four million homes in the UK that are in need of renovating which gives all of us the opportunity to get involved.   

The Evening Standard ‘Homes and Property’ supplement last night (Wednesday) showcased two such projects in Clapham, South London, where architects had redesigned the ground floor of two aging Victorian houses.  They were transformed with extensions and re-organising the layout of the ground floor, all at a cost of less than £100k.  The value of the property went up dramatically by 40%...providing inspiration for all those small time renovators out there.  

Nolan O’Connor, Marketing Director, HBR Shows