Construction and development company, the Cruden Group, has expanded its green portfolio and commitment to green energy housebuilding by signing a 3-year enhanced green energy supply contract with ScottishPower. This means that the Group will purchase electricity which always comes exclusively from renewable sources, with 100% of green electricity from
Panattoni, the largest industrial real estate developer in Europe, is working up plans for a 202,200 sq ft speculative, last-mile logistics development in Crawley. The development, called Panattoni Park Crawley, is located in the established industrial area of Manor Royal Business District on a 10-acre brownfield site on Fleming Way,
As the construction sector finds it feet again, and the costs of materials soar, once again building sites become prime targets for organised criminal gangs. The construction sector is now experiencing a boom period following the suppression of building work during the pandemic. But alongside the pipeline of busy works
Windows and doors by Kawneer feature on apartments at Greenwich Square. Architectural glazing systems by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer were specified for a primarily residential building at the heart of the redevelopment of London’s Greenwich Square for their aesthetic, acoustic, thermal, fire-resistant and sustainability credentials. Kawneer’s AA®543 open-in windows and
Research from the national estate agent, Keller Williams UK, reveals the most expensive areas to buy a home across 18 major cities in England, and how much more they will cost you compared to the city wide average. House prices have been hitting historic highs across England, soaring by more
The canal towpaths and redundant railway lines that pass through the hearts of our cities are a legacy of our industrial past. Built at a time when progress and pollution went hand in hand, many have lain unused since the 1960s when the road network was expanded and train travel
Any construction project often comes with many complex elements and managing all of those aspects together is the key to a successful end result. That management comes from a team of people collaboratively working towards the end goal, and a principal designer is an imperative part of that success. What
As the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund opens to applications, Kensa Contracting is urging local authorities and housing associations in England to act now and bid for a portion of the £160 million available in 2021/22 to install highly efficient low carbon ground source heat pumps to tackle climate change and
A property investment offers the chance to have fun with design while increasing the value of your house or apartment. It’s not just about decorating, fixing the roof and overhauling the plumbing, although these will all increase the value. You can also elevate your property value with luxury interior and
Whether you’re in manufacturing, wholesale distribution, or in the retail sector, there comes a point when you’ll be needing a trucking partner. When your business scales up and need to transport bulky supplies and orders from one point to another, then you might consider working with a trucking company. Below
Construction and development company, the Cruden Group, has expanded its green portfolio and commitment to green energy housebuilding by signing a 3-year enhanced green energy supply contract with ScottishPower. This means that the Group will purchase electricity which always comes exclusively from renewable sources, with 100% of green electricity from wind farms with zero CO2 emissions. In support of Cruden’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, ScottishPower as a Principal Partner for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), is working closely with the Cruden Group to further develop a range of renewable and other clean, green energy solutions and smart technologies to reduce emissions and drive down homeowner energy bills. The Cruden Group builds around 1,500 new homes each year and together with ScottishPower, they are working on several market leading initiatives to offer more zero carbon alternatives. These include ground and air source heat pumps, installing infrastructure that will enable electric vehicle charging as standard across many developments, rolling out low carbon heating solutions for both apartment developments and family homes, installing photovoltaic solar panels and energy storage solutions and incorporating Passivhaus Standards to create energy efficient homes using innovative carbon neutral methods of construction. The Cruden Group’s commitment to green energy also extends to their management offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Cruden’s head office in Cambuslang benefits from electricity from renewable sources via solar panels covering 90% of the roof of the office building. ScottishPower is the first integrated energy company in the UK to generate 100% green electricity and is delivering almost £10 billion investment in clean energy between 2020-2025 to help unlock Net Zero. Kevin Reid, Chief Executive of the Cruden Group said; “We are pleased to continue our strong and successful 14-year partnership with ScottishPower with this new renewable energy agreement. We strive to continuously improve the environment through innovation and this new green deal will help us further reduce carbon emissions, exceed carbon reduction targets and positively contribute towards the global climate change agenda.” Stuart Angell, New Connections Sales Development Manager at ScottishPower said: “I’m delighted to extend and enhance our relationship with the Cruden Group and for ScottishPower to be associated with a like-minded company that is striving to deliver excellence in the marketplace and prioritises the customer experience”. “As ScottishPower have looked to deliver market leading initiatives, the Cruden Group have helped shape this change with their invaluable feedback and creative ideas. As work towards a carbon neutral future, we will continue to engage with the Cruden Group to understand their challenges and what we can jointly bring to the market to satisfy our goals and customer needs”.
Panattoni, the largest industrial real estate developer in Europe, is working up plans for a 202,200 sq ft speculative, last-mile logistics development in Crawley. The development, called Panattoni Park Crawley, is located in the established industrial area of Manor Royal Business District on a 10-acre brownfield site on Fleming Way, which Panattoni has just acquired from Aberdeen Standard Investments. Panattoni is aiming to submit an outline planning application in the fourth quarter of this year, with a view to beginning demolition and construction in the first half of 2022 and completing in the first quarter of 2023. Panattoni will aim to pre-let the space, which could either be one unit of 202,200 sq ft or two units. The development is part of Panattoni’s commitment to a significant speculative development programme in the UK in 2021 in response to strong demand from occupiers for immediately available space. In the south, Panattoni has acquired or progressed nearly 10 million sq ft of developments since the onset of Covid in March 2020. Panattoni Park Crawley is located in an established distribution location adjacent to London Gatwick Airport. It covers an area of 540 acres and is home to more than 600 businesses generating 30,000 jobs. Tony Watkins, Development Director at Panattoni, said: “This is a rare opportunity to acquire such a well-located site, as land in the south east for building a logistics facility of this scale is very scarce. This is a great site for accessing London”. Letting agents are JLL and Savills.
As the construction sector finds it feet again, and the costs of materials soar, once again building sites become prime targets for organised criminal gangs. The construction sector is now experiencing a boom period following the suppression of building work during the pandemic. But alongside the pipeline of busy works schedules, there is also a surge in site thefts, further exacerbated by the shortage of materials. The consequence is delayed projects and spiraling costs as some components’ prices soar. The price of copper has soared by 70% in just a year, whilst lithium carbonate, used to accelerate silica based cements and mortars, has all but doubled, rising by 97%. “The construction sector has always been a target for thefts of valuable plant and equipment.” comments Paul Corten, Sales Director for leading temporary security provider, The VPS Group. “But we are increasingly seeing opportunistic thieves replaced by organised criminal gangs, as the price of plant and materials means greater rewards for the risks they take. Surprisingly, the majority of construction sites do not rely on Monitored Tech solutions, even though these systems provide the most efficient form of security and prevention.” In January this year a pan-European crime gang were convicted in a Belgian court over a €1-million series of thefts of cranes, excavators and trailers. The haul, including a €460,000 cement pumping truck, a €108,000 bulk tanker and €50,000 worth of trailers, were stolen, resprayed and sold to unsuspecting customers across the UK and Ireland. A month before that, a gang of metal thieves had been jailed for stealing 92km of cable over several raids in the UK. The Construction Equipment Association (CEA), owners of the CESAR scheme (the plant marking and registration initiative), noted a worrying increase in construction machinery theft in the UK since the introduction of lockdowns caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. One company, the Clancy Group, reported an increase in theft of construction machines from their sites by as much as 50 percent. Mr Corten adds: “Deploying traditional manned security guards can ensure there is a visual deterrent on-site with a quick response to incidents, but there can be substantial costs, especially for 24/7 manned guarding. Plus they are only able to be in one place at one time, which is a problem for larger sites. And they are, after all, human: they may not stay alert for night shifts, or they miss critical areas of the site.” Increasingly, site security managers are turning to monitored technology to provide more sophisticated solutions that enhance, improve or replace guards, without compromising the security of the site, and often for far less cost. Several technologies have been specifically geared to protect construction sites from intruders, and can differentiate between genuine breaches and false alarms, as well as secure and detect utility faults. “The latest CCTV Smart Towers comprise technologies with three key elements. They operate without an external power supply, so there is no extra cabling getting in the way of the workforce. They are highly flexible and can be rapidly moved, adapting to the site project development. And they can be fully loaded, with the latest high-definition camera technology that can see in daylight or at night, with additional sensors all linked wirelessly, throwing a wide ‘security net’ over an entire location.” Concludes Paul Corten. CCTV security systems can be monitored locally or remotely 24 hours a day, with ever more sophisticated software analytics that have helped significantly reduce the chance of false alarms. Accredited companies have SSAIB certification to provide clients with that additional safety of knowing their security provider is operating safely and securely.
Windows and doors by Kawneer feature on apartments at Greenwich Square. Architectural glazing systems by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer were specified for a primarily residential building at the heart of the redevelopment of London’s Greenwich Square for their aesthetic, acoustic, thermal, fire-resistant and sustainability credentials. Kawneer’s AA®543 open-in windows and AA®540 fixed lights feature in the stairwells of Block 3 – a seven-storey, garden-courtyard block of 325 apartments for Mace Developments that was masterplanned by Make Architects and delivered by KDS Associates. In addition, Kawneer’s AA®543 windows, AA®540 series of fixed lights and AA®545 doors are coupled together on all elevations and complemented by the thermally superior AA®720 doors and fixed lights on the ground floor entrances. Work on the £80 million building by main contractor Mace took almost three years and delivers a 6,895m2 mix of studio and one- to three-bedroomed units, 292m2 of commercial space, and basement parking for 195 cars and 600 bicycles. Part of Phase 3 of the £250 million regeneration of a three-hectare brownfield site, Block 3’s build of concrete frame also utilised off-site methods, with prefabricated bathroom and utility pods. Nikhil Raj, Associate Director with KDS Associates, explained that Make Architects had been responsible for the whole masterplan of the site which included Block 3 that was developed to Stage 3 level. He said: “The original scheme was not commercially viable, therefore Mace development appointed KDS to rationalise and optimise the Make Architects’ original scheme. KDS assisted Make Architects in submitting an NMA by adding another storey and an additional 42 units to the existing scheme. Upon receiving a successful approval on NMA, KDS were appointed by Mace Developments to deliver Block 3. “We needed a slimline and robust look, along with the benefit of better acoustic and thermal performance. Aluminium also played an important part as we wanted to earn some additional BREEAM points.” He added: “I have worked with Kawneer products before, so it was no surprise that they delivered on their promise again.” Greenwich Square was a stalled development on Government brownfield land for more than 10 years before Mace, as principal equity investor, worked through the complex issues with a special purpose joint venture company, to finally unlock the site. The team brought together the numerous stakeholders involved to channel energy around a common purpose – to create a new community for east Greenwich that delivered 50% high-quality affordable housing as a key focus. The vibrant new destination comprises 686 new mixed-tenure homes and a community hub with facilities including a leisure centre, library, health centre, adult education college and shops, all planned around an attractive town square. One of the first schemes in the UK to make use of the “Buy now, pay later” land initiatives, the creative social housing model included a pre-sale to L&Q of 314 of the residential units and a commercial transaction with the council for the funding and future management of the Greenwich Centre. Phase 1 comprised 361 apartments, maisonettes and town houses as well as the public square, GP surgery, leisure centre, public library and retail space, while Phase 2 added 325 studios and one- to three-bedroomed apartments (239 private and 86 affordable). Sustainability was integral to the design of Greenwich Square, from the design of the apartments and townhouses to the facilities provided for residents. All the homes are designed to Code Level 4 Fabric First for sustainable new homes as well as meeting the Building for Life Silver Standard and CEEQUAL “Very good” for landscaping and public realm works. Nikhil said: “The key requirement was amendment to Approved Document B. This was not officially published at the time of registering with Building Control, therefore a lot of design changes were anticipated to future proof the building. The project that is delivered is robust and fully compliant in line with the latest amendments to Approved Document B.” Richard Blakeway, Deputy Mayor for housing, land and property for the Greater London Authority, said: “Greenwich square is a great example of GLA brownfield land being used to build much-needed housing of an excellent quality with fantastic public facilities to boost the local community.” Greenwich Square won the gold award for best mixed-use development at the What House? Awards in 2015.
Research from the national estate agent, Keller Williams UK, reveals the most expensive areas to buy a home across 18 major cities in England, and how much more they will cost you compared to the city wide average. House prices have been hitting historic highs across England, soaring by more than 13% in the last year alone. The nation’s cities, however, have not experienced the same price boom that rural, regional areas of the country have and many cities now have average house prices well below the national average. But all housing markets, urban or rural, have their expensive areas and Keller Williams has identified precisely where they are, thus showing exactly how much money homeowners will need to spend in order to live at the very top of their local market. For buyers, London is the most expensive city in England. The average house price is currently £510,299, a sum that dwarfs the national average and yet pales in comparison to the capital’s most expensive neighbourhoods. And none are more expensive than Knightsbridge and Belgravia where the average house price is a shade below £3 million: almost £2.5 million, or 478%, more than the London average. In Birmingham, the average house price is £208,241. The city’s most expensive ward is Sutton Four Oaks, located to the north-east of the city centre, where the average house price is £520,000. This makes Sutton Four Oaks 150% more expensive than the Birmingham average, a gulf that ranks second only to London. There is a 148% difference between Bradford’s average house price and that of its most expensive ward. The city average is £149,798, but in Ilkley, which is around 10 miles from the city centre, the average price is £372,500; a difference of £222,702. Oxford has a high average house price, but £451,385 is still less than half of what it costs to live in its most expensive ward: North Oxford. The North of the city has an average house price of £543,615, 120% north of the city average. In Newcastle, the average price is £172,770. In its most expensive ward, Gosforth, the average is 120% higher at £380,000. There is 111% difference between Bournemouth and its most expensive ward, Canford Cliffs: 105% between Sheffield and Dore and Totley: 95% between Cambridge and Newnham: 86% between Bristol and Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze: 81% between Leeds and Harewood: 74% between Manchester and Chorlton: 72% between Nottingham and Wollaton West: 61% between Liverpool and Mossley Hill: 49% between Southampton and Shirley: 48% between Sunderland and Washington East: 45% between Portsmouth and Drayton and Farlington:33% between Leicester and Knighton: and 28% between Plymouth and Plymstock Dunstone. CEO of Keller Williams UK, Ben Taylor, commented: “The housing market has taken off and demand is pushing prices through the roof. Industry commentators keep predicting a sudden drop as demand lightens or at least evens out, but the truth is this is unlikely. The market will be as lively in a year’s time as it is now. But even if prices do drop slightly, these pinnacles of the UK property market will continue to command the highest house prices in their respective cities. The reason many of these wards are so expensive is that they offer rarified properties – large, spacious houses with good gardens; or tranquil, luxurious corners of otherwise frantic metropolitan areas. There will always be demand for these types of homes, as well as buyers with money to buy them. Especially when you factor in the foreign investor interest that our cities attract. If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford a step up into one of these wards, you can be sure that your financial stake will be well protected.” Table shows averate house price of English cities compared to that in their most expensive wards, ordered from largest price difference to smallest. City Average city house price Most expensive ward Average ward house price Difference £ – ward vs wider city average Difference % – ward vs wider city average London £510,299 Knightsbridge and Belgravia £2,950,000 £2,439,701 478.1% Birmingham £208,241 Sutton Four Oaks £520,000 £311,759 149.7% Bradford £149,798 Ilkley £372,500 £222,702 148.7% Oxford £451,385 North £995,000 £543,615 120.4% Newcastle £172,770 Gosforth £380,000 £207,230 119.9% Bournemouth £308,071 Canford Cliffs £650,000 £341,929 111.0% Sheffield £186,980 Dore and Totley £382,750 £195,770 104.7% Cambridge £473,534 Newnham £925,000 £451,466 95.3% Bristol £307,765 Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze £571,250 £263,485 85.6% Leeds £212,943 Harewood £384,950 £172,007 80.8% Manchester £206,574 Chorlton £359,000 £152,426 73.8% Nottingham £166,153 Wollaton West £286,000 £119,847 72.1% Liverpool £163,580 Mossley Hill £262,750 £99,170 60.6% Southampton £218,192 Shirley £325,000 £106,808 49.0% Sunderland £133,359 Washington East £196,998 £63,638 47.7% Portsmouth £230,419 Drayton and Farlington £335,000 £104,581 45.4% Leicester £206,297 Knighton £275,000 £68,703 33.3% Plymouth £194,085 Plymstock Dunstone £249,000 £54,915 28.3% Sources UK House Price Index (HPI) ONS – Median house price by ward
The canal towpaths and redundant railway lines that pass through the hearts of our cities are a legacy of our industrial past. Built at a time when progress and pollution went hand in hand, many have lain unused since the 1960s when the road network was expanded and train travel declined. Now though these overgrown trackways are being repurposed to form part of a growing active travel network that is encouraging us to leave the car at home. Getting out from behind the wheel has profound benefits and not just for individuals. Freed from traffic our city centres and local communities become friendlier, more sociable spaces. Electric cars may improve air quality and reduce both traffic noise and the burden on the environment, but walking and cycling bring us into direct contact with the other people who share our streets and when that happens connections are forged, neighbourhoods are strengthened, isolation decreases and crime rates fall. In Edinburgh, HarrisonStevens is about to create a cycle path and a park that will link Roseburn with the Union Canal. The unloved scrubland that runs parallel to the West Approach Road will be enhanced with woodland glades and fruit trees, while allotment sites will provide community growing spaces and the current sports and play facilities will get an upgrade. The result should be a safe route into town as well as a slice of nature where people and wildlife can happily linger. But it’s not just on brownfield sites that change is happening and drivers are having to adapt to the idea that they no longer own the road. In the last decade street layouts in many new housing developments in the UK have been designed to give pedestrians priority, but now safe routes for walkers and cyclists are being carved out of existing thoroughfares. In Glasgow road space on Sauchiehall Street has been squeezed in favour of a wide, tree-lined avenue shared by walkers and cyclists and in Edinburgh the reduction of traffic and changed priorities on George Street is set to provide outdoor seating and dining areas as well as reduce congestion in the Capital. As the gaps in the City Cycleways Innertube Map that shows Edinburgh’s safe travel routes are being joined up, more people are being encouraged to ditch the car and enjoy the benefits of active travel. The benefits are considerable. Regular exercise lowers the risk of premature death by up to 30% and improves physical and mental health as well as reducing the burden on the NHS. But it’s not just the human population that stands to benefit. Green routes through our cities can become biodiversity highways, offering all kinds of creatures corridors to travel from city parks to outer suburbs. And as their habitat grows, so too does their numbers, offering us an opportunity to catch sight of owls and otters on our daily commute instead of just the exhaust pipe of the car in front. The change in our working and living patterns has given us time to reflect on all this and to feel the benefits of taking more exercise while enjoying the nature around us, and it has also highlighted the need for social connections. Active travel delivers all of this and as more routes open up so our reliance on cars looks set to slip in a way that would have seemed impossible just a decade ago.
Any construction project often comes with many complex elements and managing all of those aspects together is the key to a successful end result. That management comes from a team of people collaboratively working towards the end goal, and a principal designer is an imperative part of that success. What is a Principal Designer? A Principal Designer, or PD, is a key part of the project team for any project in architecture and construction. A PD can be a single person, or for a bigger project, it can be an organisation too. This person can be from a diverse background, such as a contractor or builder, a tradesperson, or even commercial client, but their job in this instance is to take on the role of managing and directing the design elements of the process. The principal designer guides and instructs the phase prior to construction to oversee the designs with a goal to minimising the risks to health and safety – something that’s vital to the overarching success of any project. What are the roles and responsibility of a Principal Designer? We’ve already mentioned how a principal designer is the health and safety guardian angel and person who ensures the smooth running of the project for the duration, but what does that actually entail? Planning and Monitoring – The success of any project is determined by the plans, and the PD identifies and controls or eliminates any issues in the plans, the build process and the functionality of the space when it’s complete. Managing – The PD is a manager for the team, they’re the liaison between all the different simultaneous elements and the cohesive cooperation consistent understanding between parties, including the client. Coordinating Health & Safety – Without a doubt, the first priority on any build or design is safety, and it’s the PD contributes to the health and safety file and keeps every step of the process in line with regulations and as safe as possible. The key value of a PD comes specifically from their invaluable knowledge and experience in complying with regulations, ensuring that all designers comply with their duties in regulation 9 and specifically that the project meets CDM 2015 and the associated legislative requirements. Why you need a Principal Designer? A principal designer does many things, as stated, but the most impactful and valuable part of their skillset is in the regulation compliance. Due to changes in the CDM Regulations in 2015, the responsibility of project management and the associated weight falls on the client. It is obligatory to appoint a PD in writing for any project with more than one contractor, and if this isn’t done, the responsibility falls utterly to the client. Realistically, most clients don’t have the necessary knowledge or skillset to do the job of PD, and if breaches to the regulations occur, the client then faces the consequences and possible HSE prosecution. There’s a heavy financial burden that comes with such mistakes, in the form of fines, compensation, resource costs, legal costs, as well as the impact of losing business. Ultimately, a PD will avoid the heavy burden you could potentially come to bear, as well as give you the security and relief that come from knowing the process will meet regulations and not result in any ramifications, on top of providing effective and experienced project management. How to choose a Principal Designer This is a difficult question – how are you meant to decide who will bear such important responsibility, particularly given that the flow and functional success of the project is essentially dependent on this person? The best idea is definitely to go for a professional, firstly. We’ve established how important a principal designer is, and in light of that, it’s equally important not to cut corners here too. Somebody with good credentials, experience and qualifications is ideal, and the right kind of person in terms of personality for you to work with is also important to the emotional experience of the project. Ultimately, the best thing to do is to find a property and construction consultancy who offer this Principle Designer Services such as Henry Riley and work with them to find the right person for the project. Overall, a principal designer is a vital part of project management and a really key element in assuring the smooth and successful running of the process. More than anything, their wealth of knowledge and experience is invaluable in removing the stress, because by delegating, the responsibility for adhering to health and safety and building regulations falls to a professional.
As the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund opens to applications, Kensa Contracting is urging local authorities and housing associations in England to act now and bid for a portion of the £160 million available in 2021/22 to install highly efficient low carbon ground source heat pumps to tackle climate change and protect their tenants from fuel poverty. There is an 8-week application window for the first wave of the Social Housing Fund funding bids, beginning on 23rd August and ending on 15th October. To help capitalise on this opportunity, Kensa Contracting will be delivering free CPD sessions showcasing the benefits of ground source heat pumps in social housing with large-scale retrofit case studies and demonstrating how the technology is eligible under the scheme. Kensa can also support local authorities in making a bid by delivering desktop feasibility studies of building stock to help identify ‘retrofit-ready’ projects, and providing estimates for the investment budgets and potential grant amounts needed for installing ground source heating systems. The UK government has committed to reducing emissions to net-zero by 2050, and over 10 years, the Social Housing Fund will potentially provide up to £3.8 billion in subsequent funding waves to encourage local authorities in England to retrofit measures such as low-carbon heating and insulation to increase energy efficiency and decarbonise their housing stock. The primary objective of the Social Housing Fund scheme is to upgrade a significant amount of England’s 4.1m social homes to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C by 2030. Currently, nearly 40% of properties fall below this, with fuel poverty posing a serious risk for residents when high fuel bills mean tough choices between heating or eating. Under the scheme’s guidelines, low carbon heating, including ground source heat pumps, can be installed where a ‘fabric first approach is taken’. Electrically-powered ground source heat pumps are sustainable, non-combustion devices generating no point of use emissions or pollution, and have been highlighted by government as a key part of the UK’s strategy to decarbonise heat, of which 37% of total UK carbon emissions are attributed to. Using freely available heat energy from the ground, a ground source heat pump can deliver 3 to 4 kilowatts (kW) of heat for every 1kW of electricity it consumes, making it highly efficient. While modern condensing boilers can be up to 90% efficient, a ground source heat pump can achieve efficiencies of 400%, without the carbon emissions or air pollution created by burning fossil fuels. The government’s 10-point-plan to put the UK back on track to meet its net-zero carbon target by 2050, states the aim to have 600,000 heat pump installations every year by 2028, and the Committee for Climate Change (CCC) has suggested this figure should even be increased to 900,000. This will require a massive scaling up of ground source heat pump installations, and Kensa believes that a Shared Ground Loop Array infrastructure is the key to achieving this.
A property investment offers the chance to have fun with design while increasing the value of your house or apartment. It’s not just about decorating, fixing the roof and overhauling the plumbing, although these will all increase the value. You can also elevate your property value with luxury interior and exterior features and design that will make it a pleasure to live in until you sell. Truly a win-win situation. The property experts at the Luxury Property Show have picked out six of the best home improvements to make your property stand out in the market. Luxury elements can be that x-factor in clinching a sale or holding onto an asking price. With the UK property market changing in response to the pandemic, and houses that offer a more pleasant (and professional) working-from-home environment exploding in value, sellers should consider upgrades that add value. However, not all installations are equal and some home improvements will cost more than they recoup. So, it’s worth assessing how much a feature is going to cost you and whether you’ll enjoy using it when still living in the house, and then checking with a specialist luxury-property estate agent how much it will actually increase the asking price of your home, before embarking on an expensive improvement. A garden office The proportion of people working from home in the UK rose vastly during the pandemic and is unlikely to decrease soon. So if your property has space, a garden office overlooking the flowerbeds can really push up the value. A garden office space is also a great choice for properties that would be made cramped by including the workspace inside. To be clear, we’re not talking about a glorified shed, but a smart, well-insulated, damp-proof and beautiful building, with electricity and possibly even plumbing. Prices start in five figures, but planning permission is generally not required – a saving in itself both in time and money. A pet and wildlife-friendly home If you’re among the 3.2 million households that acquired a “lockdown pet”, you’ll know the challenges that pet ownership throws up. There are simple improvements that make accommodating a pet easier, such as a smart cat flap that only opens to your own microchipped cat, or more substantial, like converting the cupboard under the stairs into a little pet room or bed. A cleaning station where you can bath a dog after a muddy walk will be a lot more pleasant than the garden hose – for both of you – while a stylish feeding station can keep mess and smells to a minimum. The lockdown also encouraged many homeowners to rethink their gardens to be both more enjoyable for themselves and more wildlife friendly. A professionally designed pond can certainly increase the value. It will not only encourage birds, bats, reptiles, hedgehogs and even deer to your garden, but can also be calming and fun for you too. Going one better, a natural swimming pool, also known as a swim pond, uses natural processes to clean a swimming pool. They cost from around £50,000 from scratch, but much less if you convert an old-style chemical pool to use naturally clean water. You can then swim among the rushes and reeds, iris and forget-me-nots, while dragonflies hover and swallows swoop. Make the basement into a wine cellar Strange to think that until 1970 fewer than half of UK households owned a fridge. Once upon a time everyone knew that the lowest, north-facing part of the house was the coolest, even capable of keeping ice until well into the summer. Perfect for wine then! Wine should be stored in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. The temperature mustn’t fluctuate too much throughout the day, or throughout changes in the season. If your basement is where the boiler is built, for example, the temperature might rise and fall too much. The dedicated oenophile may well invest instead in a commercial-grade wine cooler. But if you have the space, a smartly designed wine cellar will certainly add value to a home. A purpose-built, climate-controlled wine cellar works particularly well with homes clearly designed for entertaining, with large and attractive dining rooms and gardens with terraces and high-end pergolas. A wine cellar also offers potential for dramatic and exciting storage. The combination of oak – traditionally used in viniculture – steel, glass, subdued lighting and those rich wine colours is inherently classy. Feel free to do a few vineyard tours to gather ideas! Install a walk-in wardrobe Nothing says “you’ve made it” like walking into your own wardrobe, to see your clothes beautifully presented rather than stuffed into drawers. A walk-in wardrobe attracts attention to your property. It is also likely to appeal to the female buyer – traditionally the final decision-maker in property purchases. Recent research has also found that it can add over £100,000 to the price of your property. So, consider this as one of your pre-sale improvements. Your high-tech bathroom A well-designed bathroom will always add value to a home. While for some high-end buyers throwing out the old fittings and installing your own fresh, unused design will always be essential, others will be wowed by a beautiful bathroom. You can go high or low tech – either can work well. Meghan Markle’s £5,000 copper bath was a distinct nod to the traditional, as are waterfall showers and wet rooms. A wet room, especially in an upstairs room, requires the highest quality fitting, and will normally add 20 to 30% to the cost. For others, mood-enhancing lights created by a “chromotherapist”, a waterproof TV built into the tiling and an LCD panel from which you can set the mood from within the bath might just make that sale for you. After the pandemic it’s all about touchless technology – yes even in your own bathroom – with digital taps and toilet seats, and self-cleaning facilities. Install or upgrade the security Burglary offences in the UK have, mercifully, roughly halved in the past 20 years. Even
Whether you’re in manufacturing, wholesale distribution, or in the retail sector, there comes a point when you’ll be needing a trucking partner. When your business scales up and need to transport bulky supplies and orders from one point to another, then you might consider working with a trucking company. Below are some of the signs that it’s time for your business to have a trucking partner. 1. Your Business Is Expanding When business is good, it is only a matter of time before expansion will be in the works. Once this happens, you may need to eventually transport supplies or goods to distributors and retailers across various cities and states. Are you in food manufacturing and would need to frequently transport goods across state borders or within a state’s boundaries because of a business expansion? If yes, then you’ll need a trucking partner that specializes in interstate trucking. Whether your business is doing interstate or intrastate commerce, there’s a trucking partner that can fit your needs. You can learn more about interstate vs intrastate trucking to help you determine the best trucking partner for your business needs. Interstate commerce refers to selling, buying, or moving products and services across state borders. On the other hand, intrastate commerce is any trade or transportation within a state. Both of these types of businesses include running long-haul loads. 2. Your Products Are Getting In-Demand Do you have seasonal products that are in demand at certain times of the year? For instance, if you create Christmas decorations and you need to supply warehouses and stores in different states, then you need a trucking partner to load everything and deliver loads to their intended destinations. While you can buy a utility vehicle and deliver retailer orders by yourself, it’s best to work with a trucking company that can deliver bulky goods in one trip and assign somebody (field employee or subcontractor) to manage deliveries in a specific place of destination. In this way, you avoid spending a lot of money shipping all orders by yourself or paying each parcel to a courier. Aside from that, professional truckers know how to load, handle, and discharge various goods or products safely. 3. You Need To Handle Heavy-Duty Materials If you recently added a line of business such as a material handling equipment business, you would need the help of a trucking company to transport racks, workbenches, stacking frames, trolly lifts, and other equipment from point A to point B without so much stress and hassle. Trucking service companies have the right tools and equipment to load heavy-duty devices inside a truck and bring them safely to their final destination. 4. Stricter Border Protocols Border control stations are sometimes strict with protocols because of legal, health, and safety issues. Hence, heavy loads should be transported by qualified vehicles such as trucks with proper credentials and permits to ensure full compliance. So, it’s about time to work with a trucking company if you read or hear tightening of borders across the country to avoid transport delays and costly business flow disruption. 5. Stricter Safety Transport Client Requirements If you have new clients with stricter transport requirements for the goods they’ve ordered, then you need a reliable trucking partner to adhere to this demand. Or if you simply want to protect your goods, hiring a trucking company is your best option. You can save money from buying a truck or renting one and driving it by yourself. A good trucking company has expert drivers who can drive your goods safely across borders. 6. You’re Moving If you need to move headquarters, you might need to also haul plenty of office supplies and heavy-duty equipment from your old place to your new business establishment. You can avoid spending a lot of time, money, and energy coming back and forth by simply hiring a trucking company to help you move. How To Choose A Trucking Partner You need to make sure that your prospective trucking partner has been in the business for at least three years. It’s also recommended to select a trucking company with experience transporting the types of products you have and one that stays abreast with the latest trucking trends, especially in automation. Take time to research the company as well, including its services, rates, and customer service. You need to make sure that you’ll work with a legitimate and reliable trucking company with the appropriate credentials, permits, and licenses to avoid trouble. Conclusion If you have an expanding business or your products are growing in demand rapidly, a trucking company can help you with logistics. Managing a large business without a trucking partner can be challenging. Whether you’re into interstate or intrastate commerce, a trucking company can help you move a high volume of goods from one area to another without so much hassle.
