Sep 19
Have your DIY woes solved by the new Half Built House Channel 5 shoe
It’s fair to say that there are things in all of our homes that we would love to change and have never got round to, or have started to make amends to but haven’t quite finished. Doing It Yourself is a great, cost effective way to get the home you want without tugging too much on the purse strings, but sometimes things can go a little wrong, or take more time to complete than previously anticipated. If your home is a bit of a DIY disaster and you’re looking for a helping hand to get your project finished, then Channel 5’s ‘Half Built House’ could have the solution.
Headed by interior designer, builder and renovator, Sian Astley, ‘Half Built House’ aims to give people whose houses have become hell, a place to finally call home. If you have knocked down a wall but have no idea how to finish the job, are a sink short of a kitchen or are seeing stars every night then get in touch. Sian and her team will offer solutions to your DIY problems and help you set things straight giving you the eat-in kitchen, insulated attic and children’s playroom you’ve been dreaming of but not managed to get round to.
With over 15 years of project management and home design experience, Sian Astley is the woman to rescue you from your DIY woes, showing you cost effect methods of improving your home and finishing the job to a high standard without breaking the bank.
If you’re interested in having Sian bring her expertise to your home, then get in touch with the team and tell them about your DIY renovation and redecoration disasters along with your contact details and any relevant photos to halfbuilthouse@zodiakmedia.com and perhaps they’ll soon be on their way to help you out.
Sep 19
While DIY Doctor is broadly in favour of making planning regulations less bound up with red tape they have to agree with TrustMark who warn that consumers need more advice when planning building works – and the bigger the project the more guidance they may need.
TrustMark and DIY Doctor are both very keen to promote good, honest, reliable tradesmen and to try to eradicate the cowboy builder.
As the chairman of Trustmark, Liz Male, comments: “. . . through initiatives like this and the forthcoming Green Deal, the risk is that we leave too many people at the mercy of rogue traders and cowboy builders . . . If Government wishes to deregulate this sector, even for a short period, then it must also help by signposting people to reputable firms and good sources of advice.”
Trustmark is a government-endorsed agency which has over 21,000 licenced tradespeople on their website. To be eligible to be be listed every firm is inspected and checked by experienced inspectors. DIY Doctor has chosen to work solely in conjunction with TrustMark to help homeowners find reputable tradespersons to carry out building works on their homes. They are the only online trades listing who ensure the firms are accredited. To find suitable tradespeople in your area visit DIY Doctor’s find a tradesman area.
Liz Male adds: “We would always advise anyone considering building an extension, conservatory, loft conversion or other major building work to use a contract with their tradesmen. The free TrustMark app is a particularly important tool that can help with that, prompting you to ask all the right questions.”
We have a free building contract on DIY Doctor which will help to clarify all the stages of your project and if used properly will improve communication between you and your builder, avoiding some of the pitfalls, and helping to resolve any possible disputes.
Go to our section on Home Improvement Protection Solution (HIPS) where you can download a free Desired Outcome Contract.
