National Homebuilding & Renovating Show heading to Birmingham's NEC - The Bromsgrove Standard

National Homebuilding & Renovating Show heading to Birmingham's NEC

Bromsgrove Editorial 20th Mar, 2018 Updated: 20th Mar, 2018   0

A SOUTH Birmingham architect is urging residents thinking of building their own home or renovating one to get along to a special event at the NEC this week.

David Thorp from David Thorp Architects spoke to The Standard after a previous event where David’s services were enlisted by a Droitwich homeowner who wanted to extend his greenbelt property because he feared his current bedroom view would be blocked by houses planned for the field opposite.

The architect set to work and helped the man migrate to the back of the house to suit his living preference – the driving factor for the £100,000 extension.

As well as that, the designs were aimed at creating as much solar and eco-heating as possible, using a symmetrical scheme that included using large areas of glazing and overhangs. The house is quite large, and the upstairs mimics the style of a hotel – large en suite bedrooms with a quite wide open space downstairs.




The house includes very large bedrooms with balconies and overlooks a large kitchen beneath for dramatic effect.

The rooms are enhanced by the there are a lot of Velux windows providing plenty of natural light.


The upstairs of the house, mimics what you’d typically find in a hotel, a large bedroom with an en suite at the back of it and downstairs was quite a wide-open space because of the structural system, which allowed for a large kitchen, which was also doubled up into an area to entertain friends.

The underfloor heating, which rather remarkably sources the whole house, uses ground sourced heat pumps which comes from the electric meaning they didn’t need to use gas to heat the house.

The whole extension is timber framed which means the thermal insulating value is considerable, and uniquely, the timber was built on site and wasn’t fabricated. The whole project took two years to complete but the actual construction took just under a year.

David said: “The inspiration for this project came at an advice session at The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show in Birmingham which we attended.

“The show’s the perfect event if you are planning an extension, are halfway through updating your interior or dream of building a sustainable house from scratch as you can discuss your plans with various property experts.”

The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show runs at the Birmingham NEC from Thursday, March 22, through to Sunday, 25.

Visitors will benefit from more than 500 exhibitors and 16 free daily seminars and masterclasses in the extended venue.

The event comes as latest figures released by the National Custom & Self Build Association reveal that 33,000 people have already signed up to the Right to Build register since October 2017, which means that at least half of the demand for serviced plots will have to be authorised by October 2019.

To support more people in their desire to build homes in the region and inspire remodelling projects.

The event showcases all the latest products and services provided by specialist companies in industries ranging from kitchens; bathrooms; doors and windows; heating; energy efficiency; architecture; design; financial services; planning permission and much more.

Aside from providing advice and guidance, real case studies will be at the show to discuss the dilemmas they faced during their self-build/renovation experience, helping visitors with similar problems.

The show is sponsored by JG Speedfit, UK’s most trusted plumbing and heating brand, and Klöeber, market leading suppliers of doors, windows and rooflights.

On site, visitors will be able to book bespoke consultations with celebrity experts who present their favourite TV property programmes. Charlie Luxton, sustainable architectural designer and presenter of Channel 4’s ‘Best Laid Plans’, will be on-hand to discuss homes of the future, new architectural ideas and eco living. Julia Kendell, interior design expert for BBC’s ‘DIY SOS The Build’ and ITV’s ’60 Minute Makeover’, will also be there to meet with visitors and talk about trendy interior adaptions and offer inspiration to anyone who wants to revamp their home.

The Advice Centre, a drop-in hub for one-on-one impartial guidance, is open to people who are interested in running ideas past property specialists with years of experience in their field. This show area will see the return of the Ask the Builder zone, where visitors will be given tips on locating approved construction workers from members of the Federation of Master Builders.

Visitors who are interested in free one-on-one appointments with chartered specialists from RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) will want to stop by the Ask the Architect area, which will cover a wide array of topics such as extensions, new builds, internal alterations and much more.

For objective tailored advice, the Ask the Expert zone will provide 15-minute consultations via interactive sessions with some of the UK’s leading property specialists. Visitors will be able to talk through their plans with Michael Holmes (director of content and product development for Homebuilding & Renovating magazine); Jason Orme (editorial director of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine; Mariana Pedroso (interior designer and architect); Hugo Tugman (chair and founder of Architect Your Home); Tim Pullen (eco-expert of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine); Bob Branscombe (building expert of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine); Allan Corfield (self-build expert of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine) and Sally Tagg (an expert on planning permission).

Across the four days, Oakwrights Design Consultation and The Potton Lounge will be offering free consultations with members of their design teams. They will help visitors envisage, create and deliver their own tailored new home from scratch. Attendees who are interested in these consultations can pre-book an appointment on the event’s website.

The show app is also available for download on Android and iPhone. The app will facilitate consumers visiting the venue, having the option of scheduling and sending alerts for key seminars and masterclasses, browsing through the list of specialists available at the Advice Centre, and accessing the latest offers and travel information.

Standard tickets are £12 in advance or £18 on the door (children under 16 go free).

Visit www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/national or call the ticket hotline on 0844 854 0503 (calls cost 7p per minute plus network extras).

Go to http://www.davidthorparchitects.co.uk/ for more on David Thorp Architects.

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