Planning permission, Building Regulations, conversions and extensions, explained the way we'd explain them at your kitchen table.
Plenty of older houses round here have a cellar that's damp, dark, half full of coal dust and used for absolutely nothing except housing the electricity meter. And every so often somebody stands down there with a torch and thinks, hang on, why is this not a room?
Want to knock the kitchen and the dining room into one, or open up a poky little hallway, and somebody has told you that the wall in question might be holding the house up?
You know roughly what you want to do to the house. What you don't know is what happens first, who you're actually supposed to ring, and how long the whole thing takes before anybody turns up and starts building.
When we received our notification that we had been made award winners for Best of Houzz 2017, we were naturally delighted.
When considering your planning application, something to bear in mind is whether you need a coal mining risk assessment.
So, you have had some design drawings done and you absolutely love them. You have had Planning Permission granted and Building Regulation drawings have been prepared. And you have got a builder lined up to make a start on making your dreams of a better home come true.
Once you have the plans for your project set, it is time to find a builder to carry out the work for you. This can be hard work with so many of them in the marketplace with differing levels of skill, experience and qualifications.
It can be fascinating to find out the history behind your home. Many houses have been altered since they were originally built and few retain their original features.
Maybe you want to know more about the history and past of your home, or about the street or area in which you live? Knowing which period it was built in is a great place to start.
Having an extension built on your property is a great way to make your home bigger and better, and if you do it right, it can also add value and appeal to your home when it is time to sell.
Tell us what you are planning. We will tell you what is possible, and what the council will say.
