Are you interested in picking up the latest in innovative products and services, inspirational design ideas, renovation tips and cost saving solutions for the home?

Then look no further! The Homebuilding & Renovating Show is on at Sandown Park on 27th and 28th June.

The Southern Homebuilding & Renovating Show features over 150 exhibitors, 36 free seminars and master classes, as well as the unique opportunity to get advice from the Experts, making it a must-visit event.

Whether you are looking for land to build your own home, want to extend your property to create an open plan kitchen, or are thinking about converting your loft or basement to create extra space, you will find the products, services, advice and information, to help create your perfect home.

Want to find out more about how you can improve your home? Then attend ‘How to extend and improve your home cost-effectively’, a free seminar at 11am on both days.

Concerned about your impact on the environment and want to do more? Learn more about reducing your carbon footprint by attending ‘Zero-Energy Homes: can you really heat your home for free?’ a free seminar at 1.30pm on both days.

As an added bonus, your ticket will give you free entry to the co-located Kitchen & Bathroom Show, the UK’s only dedicated kitchen and bathroom event that will help you transform your kitchen from sad to sensational or your bathroom to a spa retreat.
Tickets are £5 in advance or £8 on the door (children under 16 go free).
For more information and tickets, visit:

Web: http://www.homebuildingshow.co.uk
Or Tel: (0871) 945 4547

The Council of Mortgage Lenders recently reported that over 900,000 borrowers would now be in negative equity, as a result of the downturn in the property market.

They added that three in four of those have an average shortfall of between £6,000 and £8,000 so many homeowners now find themselves unable to move.

While a stagnant market could make you feel like you’re stuck on the same rung of the property ladder, why not make plans for when you can sell? Investing in some home improvements now could help claw back some of the value your property has lost.

There have already been a few small indications of recovery in the market recently - both Nationwide and Halifax have reported an average 1.5% rise in house prices in May, compared to almost 18 months of decline. Therefore now could be the perfect time to get your property into shape and ready for the recovery.

Adding significant value to your property, doesn’t necessarily mean spending a fortune on extensions, brand new kitchens or loft conversions; there are simpler and less expensive methods that could add considerably to your selling price.

So if current market conditions have left you unable to move, maximising the potential of your home is the next best thing. With a variety of ways to make improvements, to suit a range of budgets, it is possible to regain some of that lost value and prepare your biggest asset, for when the property market recovers.

Even if moving is a long way off yet, you can still enjoy the improvements you make whilst you live there!

Scroll down for some examples:

Install wood flooring
Installing wood flooring is one of the easiest ways to increase your valuation. The warm, natural tones of oak brings a touch of style and elegance to any home and can really enhance the existing decor.

A recent study by Woodcare showed that wood flooring could add 5 to 10% to the value of your home, whilst a survey of estate agents suggested that properties with wood flooring also sell faster.

It is much more affordable than ever before, with high quality oak flooring from top brands, now available for as little as £30 per square meter. Take a look at the superb range available at 1926 Wood Flooring, with styles and colours to suit all tastes:
http://www.1926woodflooring.co.uk

Give your kitchen a facelift
A new kitchen can also add 5 to 10% to your valuation, but it isn’t always necessary to replace everything, in order to have the desired effect; if you are happy with the layout, then you could consider either re-finishing or re-facing the existing units.

The cheapest option is to re-finish your kitchen by painting all your cupboard and drawer fronts, which is an excellent option if you want to compliment any other redecoration of the room.

Re-facing is also becoming more and more popular and simply requires the purchase of new cupboard and drawer fronts, rather than entire units. Also a new worktop to match your newly regenerated units, will really finish it off.
For further information, take a look at this guide:
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/kitchencabinets

Re-decorate
It may sound straightforward, but it‘s easy to underestimate the impact that simply re-decorating a room can have. A fresh coat of paint on the walls, doors and skirting boards, can vastly improve the feel of a room and if you do it yourself, the only cost involved is for the materials.

Take your time researching and testing colour schemes for different rooms and remember that lighter, neutral colours provide the illusion of spaciousness and allow potential buyers to easily imagine living in that space.
There are plenty of tips in this useful guide and an excellent colour designer, from the Paint Quality Institute here:
http://www.paintquality.co.uk/deco/power/index.htm

Erento the world’s largest and fastest growing online rental marketplace, has partnered with many of the UK’s leading hire companies to dramatically simplify the process of finding, comparing and hiring DIY and garden tools.

It is now possible to search online for a particular rental item, such as a lawn mower or power drill, by location as well as price and instantly find the most appropriate service.

Thanks to the credit crunch and the weak pound, many of us are planning to take a ’staycation’ this year to embark upon a DIY or garden project; so rather than spending your savings on gardening and DIY tools, it may be worth considering renting them instead:

Erento (www.erento.co.uk), which provides a one-stop shop for the entire hire industry, is the fastest and most convenient way of finding rental services.

With over a million rental items available, the online rental marketplace offers anything and everything a DIY or gardening enthusiast could possibly need - from a wallpaper stripper or garden fork, to a floor sander or hedge trimmer.

“With the onset of Spring, we have seen a significant increase in demand for both DIY and gardening tools, receiving thousands of rental enquiries in the last few weeks,” comments Clinton Patterson, Director of International Operations at Erento. “Renting is now much easier than it used to be – you can instantly compare prices and locations of rental services within seconds online.”

Erento features a wide range of items across the UK, bringing together businesses with products or services to hire, with customers wanting to rent them, here:

Web: http://www.erento.co.uk

To celebrate its 40th Birthday, DIY giant B&Q has commissioned a ‘Future of the Home’ report looking into – what will the family home of the future look like? to see just how we’ll be living in the next 10, 20 and 40 years.

One of the main factors that will affect UK housing stock in the future - will be the need for space.

Predictions expect the UK population to rise a staggering 77.2 million by 2051, so space is going to be at an absolute premium; also the ever-increasing fluidity of personal and family circumstances will also have a major impact on the way we live and use our homes.

So what can we expect to see in the future?

• We will see an evolution in our living spaces in the home - rooms will become multifunctional, supporting an ever wider range of activities and ever more ‘professional’ in-home leisure.
• We can expect to see innovative and ‘responsive’ designs, as the desire for flexibility and space pressures grow in tandem.
• In the kitchen for example, we could see our regular table-tops doubling up as a computer surface, interactive displays for accessing the Internet at the touch of a button - working from home will never be the same again!
• Personalised, 3D entertainment and information screens will be available throughout the home, with monitors responding as they sense you leave the room.
• In the kitchen, fridges will have interactive displays on the front, which will list fridge contents, tell you when products are about to pass their sell by dates and also let you know when you run out of ingredients.
• Cookers, sinks and hobs that can be neatly tucked into walls, will be huge spaces savers and ‘green growing shelves’ containing herbs, spices and vegetables that can be pushed outside for growing and then pulled inside when cooking, will become common place in homes without outdoor space.

Rachel Osborne, Director of Customer Insight, B&Q comments; “The nuclear family as we know it, looks likely to change beyond recognition and our report indicates that in the future, we will see exciting new high-tech homes built to suit the family’s evolving demands.”

“B&Q has always been at the forefront of home innovations, and over the next 40 years and beyond, we will continue to help our customers improve their homes.

Web: http:// www.diy.com

When you’re laying hard tiles or stone flooring, one of the trickiest jobs is cutting the holes for electrical and plumbing outlets - carbide-tipped masonry drill bits are just not man enough for the job and angle grinders can weaken the tile, often causing it to break.

But now, thanks to a revolution in diamond tooling, you can make clear cuts without blow-out in the very hardest materials including porcelain, granite, marble and natural stone.

The new RotoZip X-Cores are the fastest hole saw bits on the market; in combination with RotoZip Spiral Saws, they make light work of difficult freehand cuts in all hard tiles and stone.

Unlike other bits, which wear out fast, one single X-Core can cut up to 100 holes, even in grade five porcelain and there’s absolutely no need for water to cool the cutting edges - so no need for a spray bottle, and less mess!

The new X-Core bits are available in eight different sizes, from 6 mm diameter, for drilling standard fixings and micro bore, up to 35 mm for
mains supply pipes and commercial applications.

“The major benefits of the X-Cores are dry cutting and the sheer speed at which they cut perfect holes in the hardest and thickest porcelain floor tiles - in a matter of seconds,” says RotoZip’s Nick Longford.

The X-Cores cost from £28.93 for the 6 mm bit, through to £65.52 for the 35 mm X-Core, plus VAT.

Stockists include Ceramic Tile Distributors (CTD), Jaymac, Beesleys and online at:
http://www.rotozipuk.co.uk or
http://www.tradetiler.com

For more information on RotoZip visit:
Web: http://www.rotozipeurope.com

A new concept in garden studios, set to change the face of working from home, will be on display at the National Self Build & Renovation Show in Swindon next month.

Surveys show flexible working is becoming increasingly popular – with just over three million workers now based at home, rather than in the office.

Designed with the home -worker in mind, ZONE by Potton is a brand new range of stylish, contemporary designs that not only look amazing, but also great to work in, surprisingly affordable and can be built in a matter of days.

One of the studios in the range will be on display at the National Self Build & Renovation Show (15th – 17th May) and visitors can take advantage of an exclusive offer and save 20% on orders placed before the end of June.

For those that prefer less work and more play, ZONE spaces make ideal playrooms, studios, rehearsal rooms and games rooms. What’s more, thanks to a range of green technologies available from Potton’s parent company Kingspan, they can be eco-friendly and cheap to run too.

ZONE is completely modular and comes in five basic designs, suitable for one to four people:

• Construction is rapid, with the minimum of disruption.
• A basic, three metre one-person pod can be delivered in the morning and be in use by the afternoon.
• A four-person office/studio will take two days.
• ZONE is available in four sizes, with prices starting under £12,000, up to £33,000 for the incredibly spacious ‘ZONE 4’.
  With the 20% show discount, prices start from around £9,500.
• ZONE can be finished in stainless steel or bright, primary colours. Or you could make it as environmentally friendly as possible, with a sedum roof and solar panels. It’s up to you.

To find out more, visit:
Web: http://www.potton.co.uk/ZONE

To book free tickets to the National Self Build & Renovation Show, visit: http://www.buildstore.co.uk/show.

Dremel has teamed up with the world-famous Lego brand to create a promotion that kids and adults alike will love. The Lego Creator pack comes entirely free of charge - attached to the packaging - with purchases of a Dremel 300 or 400 Digital multi-tool*.

The instant reward of the Lego Creator three-in-one pack, means you can build a monster truck, a fantasy sci-fi saloon car, or your ultimate F1 driving machine as soon as you get home.
The promotion runs until the end of August 2009.

Dremel multi-tools are used worldwide for creative, modelling and DIY tasks including sanding, routing, polishing, drilling and cutting through all kinds of materials thanks to Dremel’s huge range of 150 different accessories.

Participating products are the Dremel 300 Series (300-1/55) and the Dremel 400 Series Digital (400-4/80) multi-tools - priced around £58 and £93 respectively.

DREMEL 300 Series:
The Dremel 300 series is the new multitool, which is unique for its ergonomic design and offers the user a comfortable grip with a convenient lightweight housing; it’s the ideal tool for users wanting to perform detailed tasks, whether it’s occasionally or regularly.

Use the high quality Dremel accessories and attachments, to discover numerous possibilities: detailed sanding, precise routing, polishing for a great finish, or even cutting through all kinds of materials, the only limit is your imagination.
The Dremel 300 Series offers great quality at a very affordable price.

The Lego promotion will run online at retailers such as:
http://www.tooled-up.com/, http://www.tool-shop.co.uk/,

http://www.dremel-direct.com/ and http://www.axminster.co.uk/

Web: http://www.dremel.co.uk

Britain’s housing market is one of the biggest casualties of the economic turmoil, plagued with falling house prices, repossessions, a collapsed house-building industry, mass redundancies and restricted mortgage lending.

In the face of such problems, self-build and renovation specialist BuildStore is reporting a huge rise in demand for its services, as the nation’s frustrated homeowners take matters into their own hands.

BuildStore has noted a significant increase in demand for self-build land and renovation properties through its land database, PlotSearch; current subscription levels to the online service are up over 140% on levels six months ago; in the last three months, since January 2009, subscription levels are up almost 50%.

BuildStore’s Chief Executive, Raymond Connor, explains: “It is a critical time for the housing market, which has been suffering since the start of the credit crunch in 2007.

Homeowners are now looking for an alternative way to climb the property ladder, and are realising that by building a house themselves, they can save money, protect against negative equity and get the house they truly want, as opposed to paying a premium, for a house that has been designed and built without their input.”

This recent surge in demand shows that homeowners are taking advantage of the increase in land availability (up 50% in the last 12 months) and falling land prices (down 20% in the last six months).

The PlotSearch database is currently listing over 9,000 building opportunities, over 60% of which are priced below the current threshold for stamp duty (£175,000 until 3rd September 2009) and a third are priced under £100,000.

At a time when new homes and mortgages are both in short supply, self build plots, construction labour and even specialist self build mortgages are accessible and available, and BuildStore forecasts that 2009 will see more homeowners become homebuilders.

Web: http://www.plotsearch.co.uk

Looking for design, innovation and inspiration for your home? Then a visit to the Grand Designs Live Show, from the 25th April to 4th May, 2009 at ExCeL London, is a must for you.

Grand Designs Live offers Six Separate Shows from Design, Interiors, Building, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Gardens and also the Grand Village and brings together over 500 exhibitors.

For example there is the Grand Interiors — a cutting-edge, contemporary interior designs collection from the world of furnishing, accessories and decoration, offering the ultimate in home design to suit all tastes.

Home of the Future – You can browse all the latest trends for innovative interiors and get a sneak preview of some of the best gadgets and technology on offer from the many exhibitors.

Purchase the finest furniture, lighting, accessories, fabrics, and much, much more, as well as witness the most exciting interior design; plus learn about the latest technologies for the home.

Experience tomorrow’s world in the House of the Future.

See the best home entertainment must haves and cutting edge projects in the NEW Grand Technology Zone.

Get all the latest interiors advice at the ‘How To’ Seminar Theatre.
And lots more……

Book your tickets Now and save £5 + children go free:
Call the 24 hour box office on (0871) 230 5577.

Web: http://www.granddesignslive.com

For Your Chance To Win - one of 5 pairs of tickets, kindly supplied by the show’s organisers…enter Our Free Prize Draw, by sending your name and address by email to:
competitions@ukhomeideas.co.uk. (closing date 30/03/09)

The draw will take place on 31st March and the tickets will be sent to the winners direct from the organisers.