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If you are planning a renovation, new build, extension or conversion project this year or even if you are simply planning on remodeling what you already have then these are our tips for great trades shows to visit.

The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show
Birmingham NEC 21 March – 24 March 2013

More than 450 specialist companies will exhibit in the UK’s biggest dedicated self-build & renovation event.
Show features include:

• Tricks of the Trade Theatre – Presented by DIY Doctor
• NEW Big Ideas Theatre
• Do It Yourself Zone
• Traditional Skills Demonstrations area
• Home Improvement & Interiors Pavilion
• Eco Home Theatre
• Construction Systems Showcase
• Seminar and masterclass theatres
• FREE one to one consultations with experts in The Advice Centre

Go to the National Homebuilding and Renovating Show website for more information.

The Ideal Home Show
Earls Court, London, 15 March – 1 April 2013

This is the 105th Year for the show, and it is a marathon exhibition with its eight dedicated show sections:

• Interiors – Ideal Home Magazine Room Sets
• Home Improvements
• Gardens
• Food & Housewares
• Technology
• Woman
• Shopping
• Show Homes

and not forgetting:

• Gregg Wallace Seasonal Restaurant

Website for the Ideal Home Show.

Grand Designs Live
ExCeL, London,  4 May – 12 May 2013

Based on the Channel 4 TV series, and presented by design guru Kevin McCloud
Over 500 exhibitors
Stands, seminars and shows covering interiors, gardens, home improvement, self-build, renovations, technology and shopping.

More information is available at the Grand Designs Website.

The National Home Improvement Show 2013
27-29 September at London Olympia
Website
Show includes: Talks and demonstrations by industry professionals including DIY Doctor
Hundreds of trade stands, all directly relevant to the Home Improver and self-builder
The National Home Improvement Awards – allows the public to vote for their choice
The organisers make a donation to Centrepoint - a Charity committed to helping young homeless people regain control of their lives

More information on what is happening at the show from the National Home Improvement Show website.

DIY Doctor at the National Homebuilding Show

Free tickets to see us at the NEC
If you want to come and see DIY Doctor on the Tricks of the Trade Stage at, at Birmingham NEC between 21 March – 24 March 2013, click here for free tickets to The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show

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Coco Bella create chocolate ‘favours’ for any occasion and they have been our partners at the National Home Improvement Show this weekend. Their lovely chocolate hand tools have proved to be a real hit with the crowds here at Olympia.

We are gearing up to sell these lovely little tools in time for Christmas – while we can’t guarantee that the tools will work very well, we are sure they will go perfectly with a cup of builders tea, and a nice sit down in between jobs. An ideal reward for the DIY enthusiast in your life (or even a bribe if that is more effective in your house!).

The chocolates are approximately 10cm long and include hammers, saws, spanners and screwdrivers in milk, white and dark chocolate, sprinkled with a little festive edible glitter. Each gift pack contains 2 tools and costs around £3.50, an ideal stocking filler. As soon as they are ready for Christmas orders we will let you know.

In our customers’ interests we have had to quality control the chocolates to make sure they are edible. The consensus is that they are delicious. They are satisfyingly chunky and each shape is a solid piece of chocolate – no disappointing hollow bits. The DIY Doctor blogger knows you will appreciate this attention to detail and the selfless pursuit of customer satisfaction involved in ensuring you are completely happy with the products we sell!

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DIY Doctor is featured in the Highlights of The Show video on the front page of the National Home Improvement Show website. We have to agree, although we may be biased! Click on the image to go to their website to see what else is on.

We are really pleased with the number of people who have come to see us at Olympia for The National Home Improvement Show, which opened yesterday. We had record attendance for the Tricks of the Trade Theatre and we had lots of people stop by to talk to us and ask questions in between shows.

We are also selling Mike Edwards book – Master Basic DIY which is part of the Teach Yourself series. There have been record sales – but if you can’t get to the show you can buy it online. Sales have been aided by the free samples of DIY chocolates by CocoBella, who make beautiful handmade chocolates which can be produced in any shape, for special occasions and promotions. They have made lovely hand tools in milk, white and dark chocolate – they were a real hit with the crowds, and most people found they couldn’t wait to start on them!

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Mike Edwards is presenting on the Tricks of the Trade stage at the National Home Improvement Show at Olympia this weekend. The most popular demo is How to Skim Plaster, which always attracts big crowds. In his talks he debunks many of the myths of how to work with plaster and explains how to make your project manageable.

The show is a very popular venue for self-build and DIY Enthusiasts because there are so many useful products and services being sold and it is a great place to get inspiration for your new project, or to inject some inspiration into one that is part way through.

Those of you who came to the show last year will notice that we are in a different venue this year – last year we were at Earls Court. We like the change because Olympia is such a beautiful building and you can even see the sky. This may seem sad but anyone who has been in exhibition halls for the day will know it makes a huge difference to see the outside world,because after 5 or 6 days of being cooped up inside we can feel like labrats.

If you are able to make it to Olympia this weekend then you can get free tickets by clicking onto the link on yesterday’s post. If you can’t come to the show this time we do other shows around the country so join our mailing list and we will keep you up to date with news and information of upcoming shows including the chance to get free tickets.

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We wrote about DIY’ers wasting money buying tools they don’t use in our blog a few days ago.

Mike Edwards from DIY Doctor is regularly invited to speak at Home Improvement and Design shows around the country, to give his tips and tricks on popular DIY Projects such as tiling, plumbing, and plastering.

He will be at the National Home Improvement Show at Olympia in London next weekend 28-30 September, where you will be able to see him show you the right tools for the jobs. He also gives advice on when to hire equipment rather than buy it. Mike says “if someone is considering trying a job for the first time it may make sense to hire equipment, because that way they can afford to use better quality tools and they only pay for the time they use it. This avoids them tying up money on tools they may never use again.”

If you can’t make it to the show but you want to see some of his presentations you can click on the link to our You Tube channel below.

Home Improvement Advice – Live at Olympia and on our You Tube Channel.

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