Journal402 posts, 2017 to 2026

The design and build journal.

Every job teaches something. This is where it gets written up. Planning, basements, costs, finishes and the people who build them.

Page 1717 pages

More from the archive.

  1. Architecture3 min read

    Planning permission: the ins and outs

    We all wish that when wanting to change something in our home, it would be simple and work could commence straight away.

  2. Loft conversion2 min read

    Thinking of loft converting? Listen up!

    Loft conversion numbers before you start. How much to spend, the ceiling price for your area and where the profit disappears.

  3. Construction2 min read

    Pets, a Londoner’s closest friend in the home

    Ideas for renovating a London home around a dog. Beds tucked under the stairs, and the details worth planning before work starts.

  4. Interior design2 min read

    Solve those frosty toes, heating solutions for your home

    Heating and insulation for a Victorian terrace in London before winter. Where the heat escapes, and what is worth doing first.

  5. Interior design3 min read

    Kitchens get the growth spurt

    With more people deciding to stay put instead of buy elsewhere in London, people are looking for innovative ways to maximise their property’s space.

  6. Design and build2 min read

    Your go to design and build main contractor

    What NU Projects does as a main contractor, and what five clients said about it. Founded by Nick Jeffries, working out of Fulham.

  7. Home renovation2 min read

    Prime London property market recovering, claims Rightmove

    Rightmove reported 6% more London sales above £750,000 in 2018. What that shift meant for owners weighing a renovation against a move.

  8. Basements4 min read

    Fulham basements

    Why London’s wealthiest homeowners dig down, told through the numbers. The rise in high net worth residents and what it did to basements.

  9. Extensions2 min read

    Fulham is ground zero of London’s slowing property market

    A slowing Fulham market makes the case for extending instead of moving. Side returns, loft conversions and full refurbishment explained.

  10. Basements2 min read

    4,650 basements approved under London homes in a decade

    A study counting 4,650 basements approved under London homes from 2008 to 2017. The pools, gyms and cinemas, and how deep they go.

  11. Home renovation1 min read

    Attention homeowners, prepare before you renovate

    How to prepare before you renovate a tired house on a budget. Getting the design right, and building a realistic cost plan.

  12. Basements1 min read

    Why build a basement

    Two reasons to dig a basement, explained by our founder in Fulham. The rooms owners put underground, and what a new floor adds.

  13. Loft conversion3 min read

    A guide to loft conversions

    A guide to converting a loft. How to survey head height, judge whether your roof suits conversion, and where building regulations bite.

  14. Home renovation3 min read

    Eight ways to add value to your home

    Eight ways to add value to a London house. A loft, an extension, a basement, the garage, the kitchen and a planning application.

  15. Basements2 min read

    Pros and cons of building a basement

    The case for and against digging a basement under a London house. Cost, added value, disruption and the checks to make before you commit.

  16. Construction1 min read

    Nick Jeffries, the real entrepreneur

    Nick Jeffries on 30 years in business and his new YouTube channel. Adding value through loft conversions, kitchen extensions and design.

  17. Basements2 min read

    The process of building a basement

    What happens on a basement build, in order. The consultation, the survey, planning, the party wall award, the dig and the fit-out.

  18. Construction2 min read

    Couture construction, a tailor’s habits on a building site

    Nick Jeffries on borrowing a tailor’s habits for a building site. Measure first and cut once. Finish the inside as well as the outside.

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